#but he also said he's still taking piano classes

[wasteofart]

Isn’t it weird how quickly your view about a person can change?  One minute you’re looking forward to meeting them and the next they say one sentence that makes you question whether you actually want to get to know them or not

#life #dating #I swear this better not be the next fucking regret #I talked to this dude twice and he seemed nice but the more I talk to him the weirder he gets #like saying if a girl has mental health issues you should run as fast as you can #and the source of his wisdom are stephen king books #he talked to a guirl with borderline and his deal breaker was her cancelling 3 dates #like buddy you're in for a ride #watch me fuck you over completely #also he kept mentioning how muscular he is and I don't know if he was joking or not because in all of his pictures he's skinny af #No judging I don't dislike that but why did he insist on being so buff when he clearly isn't #and he insists he can play any song on piano that was ever written #but he also said he's still taking piano classes #so which one is it #and I was scared he thought I was weird because I live with my parents

[fanficgirl429]

Returning Home

Prompt: Y/N returns home for Iceman’s funeral and runs into her ex, Bradley Bradshaw. 

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: sex

------

It had been nearly five years since Y/N had stepped foot in Fightertown. It held a lot of good memories but there were also memories that she had tried to erase.

The moment she had learned that Iceman had passed, she dropped what she was doing and booked a flight to her hometown. Ice had helped her father out in more than one way and she couldn’t imagine missing the funeral.

Her return flight was merely hours after the funeral ended- she had decided that she didn’t want to stay any longer than she needed.

Her boyfriend had offered to accompany her but she told him to stay home- she would only be gone for two days. Although he had looked slightly offended, he eventually agreed to stay.

Y/N and her father had just left the wake and after much protesting from her dad, she had agreed to one drink at the Hard Deck.

“Maverick!” Penny called, walking towards the father and daughter duo. “How are you doing?”

She pulled him in for a quick hug before looking over at Y/N. “Y/N! It’s so nice to see you again. Your dad has been sure to keep me up to date on how you have been doing.”

“It’s nice to see you too!” Y/N replied. The last time she had seen Penny was five years ago. At the time she had no idea in just a few years Penny would be dating her dad.

“I wish it was under other circumstances but I’m glad you’re here nonetheless.”

Penny walked behind the bar and handed Maverick his favorite beer. “What can I get you?” she asked Y/N.

“Oh water is fine,” Y/N said. “I want to be conscious for my flight.”

Penny laughed and filled up a clear plastic cup with water. She glanced around the bar, surprised to find that not much had changed. The piano was still in the exact same spot as well as the classic jukebox.

Memories flooded her head as she remembered standing around the piano singing with her friends and trying to find the perfect song to play on the jukebox.

“How’s Jack doing?” Penny asked, referring to Y/N’s boyfriend of just over a year.

“He’s doing good. He just got a huge job promotion yesterday,” Y/N told her, smiling.

“That’s wonderful. Hopefully I can meet him soon.”

Y/N agreed and looked over at her father. “How is Top Gun going?”

“It’s going ok. Some people aren’t too keen on my teaching strategies,” he told her, picking at the label on his bottle.

Y/N nodded all to familiar with her father’s flying antics. “Did I tell you that Bradley is there as well?”

Bradley was Y/N’s ex boyfriend. They had been together for nearly 4 years before she had decided to end things.

Y/N looked over at Maverick, eyes wide. “N-no you didn’t. How is he doing?”

Maverick shrugged. “Well he doesn’t want to talk to me.”

“Well you did really hurt him,” Y/N said, taking a sip of her water.

Right after they had broken up, Y/N had learned that her father had pulled Bradley’s papers to stop him from flying. Of course, Bradley had been pissed and stopped talking to Maverick. Her dad had reached out numerous times to him to apologize but Bradley had never responded.

Y/N looked around at the numerous people at the bar. There were a few couples sitting at tables and nursing their drinks. She had learned from her dad that pilots from Top Gun often came to the Hard Deck to blow off some steam. After learning the news about Bradley being back in town, she hoped that he wouldn’t show up.

Y/N looked over at her dad, who had a scowl etched across his face. He was watching a group of young pilots who had just walked in.  

“That’s about half of my class right there,” he said, nodding in the pilot's directions. “If they bother you, let me know.”

Y/N’s eyes wandered over to a tall blonde who was rather good looking. Next to him, stood another pilot- this one all too familiar. Tall, brown hair, brown eyes, and a mustache (that was new). Bradley Bradshaw. Y/N’s ex boyfriend.

Things between the two of them had not ended well. Their relationship had been rocky for a while and after a big argument which resulted in the two of them not speaking for days, Y/N had decided to end it. It was one of the hardest decisions that she had ever had to make. Their lives were going in two different directions and they had both been young.

Bradley’s eyes locked with hers and he gave her a small smile. She smiled back, thoughts racing through her head. Should I go say hi? Should I wait and see if he’ll come over? Maybe he’ll come say hi to my dad as an excuse to come see me?

Minutes ticked by and neither of them made any attempt to talk to each other. Growing restless, Y/N excused herself and walked towards the restroom. She quickly glanced over at Bradley, who was currently talking to a female pilot. A small bit of jealously hit Y/N. Shaking it off, she walked into the bathroom to have a moment to herself.

Y/N took a deep breath before stepping out of the bathroom. Her plan was to pay her tab and then leave and get ready to go home.

Bradley was leaning against the wall, arms folded against his chest, as if waiting for Y/N to come out of the bathroom.

“Y/N, can we talk?” he said.

“I don’t have anything to say to you,” Y/N told him and began to walk away.

His hand gently wrapped around her arm, pulling her back towards him. Her heart skipped a beat from his touch as she looked at him.

“What do you want Bradley?” Y/N asked.

Bradley sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “I-I’m not sure. I just wanted to talk to you.”

Y/N let out a laugh. “It’s been five years, Bradley. You could have just picked up the phone if you wanted to talk that badly.”

“Would you have answered?”

Y/N shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know. I was really angry with you.”

“Clearly. You left town.”

“I had to. I think if I would have seen you again, I would have come running back to you but we were so bad for each other at the time. I think that maybe if we were older and had our lives figured out a bit more we could have made it work.”

Bradley’s eyes went wide at Y/N’s honesty but he knew that she was right. Timing was everything.

“There hasn’t been a day gone by that I haven’t thought about you. I know that it has been years but when I said that you were the one meant for me, I truly meant it. I still think that you’re meant for me,” he told her.

Deep down Y/N knew that he was right. She thought about him at least once a day. The question of did she make the right decision was also constantly on her mind. Sure, she loved Jake but it was different than when she was with Bradley. She thought that maybe it was because Bradley was her first true love but after seeing him now, she knew it was because she was still in love with him.

Slowly reaching out, he laced his fingers with hers and pulled her closer to him. She quickly glanced around to make sure there were no prying eyes. Luckily the bathrooms were in the back and they would be able to hear if anyone was coming down the short hallway.

Y/N wrapped her arms around Bradley’s waist as he hugged her tightly. He was more toned than she remembered but she wasn’t complaining. He still smelled exactly the way that he used to and when he held her, it felt like it was just the two of them.

Slowly, Bradley leaned down and placed his lips against Y/N’s. Together their lips moved in sync, almost as if no time had passed between them. His tongue slipped into her mouth, tangling with hers.

Bradley’s hands moved down to Y/N hips and gently pushed back her so that her back was pressed against the wall. His thumb slipped underneath the hem of her shirt and made slow circles against her hip. Goosebumps rose in their wake as she remembered exactly what Bradley’s touch did to her.

A dull ache began to form between her legs and she squeezed her thighs together, hoping to make it go away but knew that it wouldn’t.

Bradley’s body was pressed up against hers and she could his erection pressing against her stomach. Reaching down, she gently squeezed him through his jeans and he let out a low moan, pulling away from her.

“Fuck Y/N,” Bradley breathed. “I want you so fucking much.”

Without pausing to think about the consequences, Y/N grabbed Bradley’s hand and pulled him towards the womans one person bathroom.

“Are you sure?” Bradley asked, hesitantly.

“Yea.”

When the door was closed and locked behind them, Bradley reached down and pulled Y/N’s t shirt over head, revealing her black lacy bra. She gave herself a silent applause as she was thankful she had chosen her good bra as opposed to her old beat up one.

Bradley eye’s went wide as he started at her in awe of her body. It was better than he had remembered. He pulled her back against him and locked his lips back to hers. This time the kiss was full of need and lust.

HIs fingers toyed with the waistband of her jeans before unbuttoning and unzipping them. He slipped his hand down to her core and ran his fingers along the outside of her underwear before pushing the material aside.

Y/N let out a moan as his fingers found her sensitive spot and began to rub against it. Closing her eyes, Y/N let the sensation take over her body. Her breathing picked up speed as she felt herself reach her climax.

Bradley placed a hand over her mouth as she cried out, reaching her high.

After a moment, Y/N opened her eyes to find Bradley smirking. She playfully hit him in the arm and he let out a laugh.

He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss before unbuttoning his jeans and pulling them down along with his black boxer briefs.

Precum had already formed on his length and Y/  reached out and ran her thumb along the tip. Bradley sucked in a deep breath as she wrapped her hand along his length and slowly moved it up and down.

“I’m gonna come now if you don’t stop,” Bradley warned as he placed a large hand on top of hers. “And I want to come inside of you.”

Y/N removed her hand and reached down and unbuttoned her jeans and slid them down along with her underwear down to her knees.

Bradley placed his hands on her waist and turned her around, facing away from him. She reached out and placed her hands against the wall to steady herself. Bradley ran his length along her core, teasing her.

“Bradley,” Y/N whined as he pressed a finger against her sensitive spot.

Bradley lined himself up with Y/N’s core and slowly pushed into her. She let out a small gasp from the feeling before he pulled out and pushed back into her. He began to move his body slowly against hers.

One his hands gripped her shoulder, well the other one held onto her waist, keeping her steady. Y/N’s hands were still placed against the wall as she kept herself steady.

The small bathroom was filled with the sound of heavy breathing and occasional sounds from the other side of the door, reminding the two of them where they were. Somehow no one had knocked on the door yet.

A knot began to form in Y/N’s stomach as she climbed closer and closer to the edge. Shew knew that Bradley was close because he began to move quicker against her.

WIthin moments, her walls clenched around him as he released into her. The two of them stood still for a moment, catching their breath.

When Y/N was ready, she stood up and Bradley pulled out of her, wrapping his arms around her waist, holding her against him. Her legs were wobbly as she held onto him, not wanting him to let go. It felt right when his arms were wrapped around her but then reality hit.  

Y/N pulled away from Bradley, feeling her face turn a deep shade of red.

“Oh my god,” she said quietly, reaching down and pulling up her underwear and pants.

“Y/N, whats wrong?” Bradley asked.

“I-um-I have a boyfriend,” she told him, scrambling to pull her shirt on.

Bradley stood in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders. “I meant everything that I said earlier. I want to be with you but if you don’t want to be or if you need time, I respect that.”

At this point, Y/N wanted nothing more than to be with Bradley but she hated the thought of letting Jake go, however she knew that she had to. What she had with Bradley was too strong to resist.

“I’ll call you in a few days,” she told him, kissing him quickly before leaving the tiny bathroom.

She was terrified about what was going to happen but also could not wait to see what the future held with Bradley.

#top gun maverick #bradley bradshaw #top gun #bradley bradshaw x reader #rooster #top gun smut #rooster bradshaw imagine #rooster imagines #rooster x y/n #rooster top gun #bradley bradshaw smut #bradley bradshaw x y/n #bradley bradshaw fanfiction

[websterss]

𝐀 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐇 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝟏/? — 𝐖𝐄𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐓  

𝐑𝐄𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓: Omg maybe the plot of better than the movies but reversed? like it’s Wes trying to get with Liz so he asks Reader for help.

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆(𝐒): angst, fluff

𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓: 2,541

𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: Wes Bennett x fem!reader

𝐀/𝐍: I hope you enjoy it! @raggedyoldwitch here it is, love you lmfao!

𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

You expected a lot of forecomings in life. Many a few involved getting selected as the head of the prom committee. Being at the top of your classes. Even managing the yearbook committee too. A busy life to you meant a happy life, it distracted you from your tragic reality, and it also saved you from getting through school without a social life. You expected it. You did. You saw it coming. You just wish what you could have seen coming was Wes Bennett soaking wet from head to toe outside your door in the middle of the afternoon. You had to blink a few times because this felt too good to be true.

“Y-Y/n, you’re looking well.” He threw up three fingers in greetings. That boyish grin you always had a hard time looking away from was plastered all over his stupid face. You looked down and cleared your throat before answering and said.

“Bennett. To what do I owe this–“ You gestured to him in general, trying to play along but your wall broke down immediately in displeasure, so you cut it short. “What do you want?” You quirked a brow at him. Still keeping him cold and drenched on your front porch. You felt your heart flutter hearing him chuckle.

“To the point I see. Remember that time I helped you walk back home after you fell off your bike and scraped your knee and you said if I ever needed anything to just ask?”

“Wesley we were nine…” You stare at him dumbfounded.

“So you do remember! By any chance…does your offer still apply to this day? I mean I helped you after all!” He defended.

“You pushed me off my bike and took off on it to chase after Liz.”

“Then I came back for you…” He said.

“After I wouldn’t stop crying!” Your eyes grew wide. “You bribed me with five bucks just so I wouldn’t blab to your mom.”

“And look at you! Y-You’re all better now. Beautiful and all grown up.” Oh, how you would have loved to have been called beautiful any other time, but not when he was just trying to be cute. You continued to watch as the rain pelted over his curls. It was a nice scenery. 

“I have the scar to prove it.” You scoff.

“Which only shows just how strong you are. You survived! Can I come in?” He nodded past your shoulder dispersing the dispute and changing the subject. “I’m taking a shower out here.”

“Wha- No!“ Your mouth is left agape. 

“Come on. You owe me!” 

“I do not-”

“Wesley?” Your aunt cut you off as she approached you. “Oh my god Wesley. Oh my look at you all grown up. How are you?” She greeted him with a smile.

“Wet.” He squinted at you with a smirk. He fights a chuckle as you roll your eyes at him. He curled in on himself. The cold was starting to get to him.

“Don’t let him in, you'll catch his idiocy.” You warned, slamming your hand out to block the doorway. “Hear it’s contagious…” You shrug.

“Y/n let him in!” Meg shoved you aside. You stumble off balance catching yourself on the table beside the door and glaring at her. “S-Sorry.” She grimaces then turns back to the giant who walked through your threshold. The sloshing from his shoes makes him look down. He meets your annoyed gaze and grimaces. He takes off his shoes and starts looking around.

His eyes caught on to the mantle of pictures. He walks over to the middle of the living room. He inspects the frames that hold memories of your late parents. Some of you as a child and some with your aunt. He smiles at them, tapping a light finger to the glass, and backs up. His eyes now find the piano sitting in the corner. He slowly walks over to it

“So this is casa Y/L/N huh? It’s nice!” You watch as droplets of water continue to drip down onto the floor. You roll your eyes knowing Meg would make you mop it up later and throw a towel at him. It startles him but he catches it in time. “T-Thanks.” He laughs, and goes to rub the cloth against his head, then wraps it around his shoulders. “Nice piano by the way. You play?” 

“No.” You walk away and up the stairs. Wes watches for a few seconds then tails it after you. Your soft climb was overcome by the loud thumps of the giant trying to catch up to you. You walk over to your room and plop down at your desk where you resume doing some homework. Wes stops at the doorway eyes taking in the fairy lights, the vinyls hung up on your wall under a record player, and various polaroids taped to different walls. The hues of green and yellows and whites combined satisfied his brain. It felt cozy, especially after seeing the fuzzy blanket at the edge of your bed. 

“I’ve never been in a girl's room before. Not bad...” He walked over to your tall bookshelf. Poking and prodding anything that caught his attention. He uprighted a face-down frame on your top shelf. He brought it down to his view and looked it over. It was you and your parents. Your hands pulled down on a yellow beanie over your eyes, he swore he remembered you wearing it when you were kids but he wasn’t sure. Your smile was affectionate, it made his lips curl up. Your parents had each pressed a kiss to your cheeks. It was a cute picture of you, but it did make him want to ask why you faced it down. Was the memory of them hard to bear, hard to look at? He sighed and put it back. He was about to go for a collectible item when your voice scared him.

"I wouldn’t.” You hadn’t even turned around to see what he was doing.

“It’s cool.” He argued.

“And one of a kind.” That was all you said.

Wes stuck his tongue at you. Then reached for it again. He was caught off guard by a stuffed bear that collided with the back of his neck. He laughed and moved on to something else. That being your pictures. 

“Quite the photographer I see...” He reached up to touch the string of lights and walked over to the headboard, most of your pictures lay above your bed. 

“I like capturing moments.” You scribbled something down and read off your textbook. 

“You don’t say...” He smirked turning his head to view each four walls covered top to bottom. Your room was practically a gallery. No space was left untouched by a picture. Except by your door of course. He looked back to your hunched-over frame. Wrapped up in your schoolwork made him smile. Anytime he’d see you around you were constantly doing something. He actually wondered whether you ever took a break. He smiled as his eyes roamed over you. You grew up beautiful, he wasn’t lying when he first saw you open the door. He cracked his knuckles as he worked up the courage to ask you for that favor. That was why he was here after all. To ask for your help. “Hey, Y/n...”

 “What is it, Wesley?” The edge in your voice told him not to keep you too long.

“You know Liz right?” Wes panics as he sees your back straighten up. Your eyes meet his as you turn around in your chair. Scaringly slow. He tenses up.

“Liz Buxbaum? Our neighbor Liz, who we’ve known since childhood.” You laugh at his question. Wes rolls his eyes. 

God, am I going to regret this? 

“Do I know Liz? The girl you’ve had a massive thing for since the second grade. The one you spend your time bothering and annoying. That Liz? Doesn’t ring a bell.” 

“You’re horrible a person.”

“I know it keeps me awake at night.” You swivel in your chair. The giggle you release makes his heart skip. A feeling he didn’t know he could have for you.

“You know what forget I asked-” 

“No, wait- I’m sorry! Why are you asking me if I know Liz weirdo?” You let go of his arm you grabbed onto.

“I need your help.” Wes breaks down his barrier. He almost looked nervous. 

“Wesley Bennett needs my help. That’s a first!” You lean back amazed.

“Y/n!” He whines. Literally.

“Okay, fine what is it?”

“I have a proposition for you.” Wes rubbed his hands together which caused you to pull a face.

“I’m a woman with self-respect, Bennett…” You feign offense by placing your hand on your chest.

“Favor then, god! What do you take me for Y/L/N?” He scoffed.

“You really want to know?”

“No, now shut up and listen.” You rolled your eyes and leaned back in your chair. You were curious, to say the least. Whatever favor he needed sounded serious, but then again when was Wes really serious? The only time you’ve ever really seen him be serious was when he was around Liz– Oh. You were starting to guess what the next words that would spill past his lips were going to be. Wes never usually conjured up a conversation with you. This was all new territory you were treading and fast. But if you were being honest, when would a chance like this ever happen again? So you’d take anything that he’d throw at you.

“You’re a girl right?”

Except that. What?

“What?”

“Shit that came out wrong, obviously you are, but that’s not what I came here to ask. Say. Look–”

“Is there a point to this?” Wes could see your eyes beginning to screw together, you were getting upset. 

“I need your help with getting with Liz.” 

Oh yeah, you were definitely screwed now. Anything but that, you pleaded. You could feel the thousands of arrows hitting you square in the heart right about now. 

“Huh?”

“I need your help to get with Liz.” He repeated.

“Heard you the first time bud, Just don’t understand how I fit into this equation?” You gestured between the both of you.

“She thinks I’m this colossal asshole.”

“You torment the poor girl, Wesley. What’d you expect?” You exasperate in shock. “She embraces you with open arms and kisses?” You spin back around and face your notebooks.

He gets up and leans over your desk. “How do I change her perception of me? I’ve tried. Trust me I have, we just bicker back and forth. We’re literally a reality of her make-believe romance tropes.”

You peer up at him, giving him a once over then ponder what trope. “Oh no, you’re a living breathing enemies-to-lovers trope. May your chances with Flower Princess die!” You give him the sweetest grin you can muster. Wes looks just about ready to smack you. It was a funny sight, his stupid face all annoyed.

“You need to help me.”

“Why should I?” You look at him incredulously. 

“The bike thing…” He tried cramming that back into the conversation again. You weren’t having his bullshit.

“You pushed me off it!” You exclaim. The audacity of this man. 

“I was sorry!” He leans down and exclaims just as loud as you did in your face.

“No. I don’t owe you shit, Wesley Bennett. You made your bed, now lie in it. You want Liz to like you, be nice to her!” You slammed your books closed and stood up, closer and in his face more. 

“Y/n please…”

“What help would I even be?” You shrug.

“Liz has always floated towards you since we were kids. You’ve indulged her state of thinking, that movie cliches could be connected to real life. You know her.”

“So do you.” You smirk. “But you understand her Wes. You’re trying to convince me that I have this sort of in with Liz, that I can connect to her in this special way, but it’s not even like that.” You shake your head. 

“Please.” He sighs. 

“No. We’re not even friends Wes, What makes you think I’d give you the time of day?” You take your books and walk over to your bed, wanting to be sprawled out as you try to finish what was left of your homework.  

“I really haven’t been good to you huh?” Wes straightens up and walks over to your bed, he kneels down to be eye level from where you lay. Your eyes soften as he looks up at you. “How about another proposition then?”

“What now?” You groan.

“If you help me with Liz, then I promise to be a friend to you.”

“You could be a good friend without any terms involved.” You suggest with a pout. 

“This is all I ask of you. Nothing more, nothing less. Please.” He begged softly.

“Fine-”

“Oh my god really?”

“-On one condition.” He was not expecting you to lay down your own terms, but if it got you to help him then so be it, he thought.

“What’s that? He blinked up at you.

“You have to promise...that we'll remain good friends after all this.” You say earnestly. You were a little disappointed when he brushed it off so easily. You figured he was only attentive to details when Liz was involved in the equation. Sadly, not for you…In this moment you were thankful he did not notice a change in your demeanor.

“Can't promise what I've already set in my heart." He smirked. "Once we get Liz to fall in love with me, I'll be the best friend you never had.” He nudges you playfully on the shoulder.

“Ouch.” You feign offense. He chuckles.

“I owe you, Y/L/N. Seriously.” Wes looks down at his intertwined hands. His sincerity was too much for your beating heart. You needed him gone before you'd jeopardize his plan. Your friendship. You sharply inhale as you look away from his eyes.

“Can you get the fuck out now, some of us actually take school seriously, okay?” You laugh as you push him back. He stumbles onto his ass, then springs up. His taller form towering over you now. 

“Thank you!” He grins boyishly. Rocking back and forth as he backs out of your room. He starts overdoing it with the blow kisses. You swat the air as if to fan them away. This makes him laugh, and then he makes his leave.

“Yeah, whatever…”

“See you at school, Y/L/N.”

Oh, you were most definitely, positively screwed. You fall back onto your pillows, grab your squishy, and slam the frog into your face. Nothing but muffled groans of annoyance could be heard, as your aunt Meg paused in your doorway. Mortified. 

“You okay?”

“Boys are stupid!” You screech into your squishy. “Why do they exist, Meg? I hate them, I hate them, I hate them, I hate them…” 

“I’ll make us some cocoa.” She gestured over her shoulder, even though you couldn’t see her do so. She nodded and with that, you were all alone once again in the grave you just dug for yourself.

#wes bennett #wes bennett imagines #wes bennett imagine #wes bennett x reader #wes bennett x fem!reader #better than the movies #bttm imagines #bttm x reader #wes bennett oneshots #better than the movies imagine #my gif #writings by juls

[aliciaihmansblog]

Melody from the Heart

have not written fanfic in a long while :') but Danny has my heart in an iron-grip

Danny (Evil Dead Rise) x fem!reader

Warnings: PURE FLUFF; swearing

Both are 21 and in college at a state university

Events in the film did not happen

Word count = 625 words

==============================================

It was a cozy late afternoon. Orange light from the sky was bleeding in from the windows, showering the room in soft hues. Right after class, Danny invited you to join in for a family dinner with his mom, Ellie, and sisters, Kassie and Bridget. Danny is at his mixing desk composing new beats for an upcoming gig at a nearby bar this weekend. Just another way to earn money, he says.

You would always tag along in his gigs, even though it ended at ungodly hours in the morning. Sometimes, it happens on class days, leaving you scrambling to catch your 8AM class, functioning on only two hours of sleep. It was well worth it. You love listening to his music, and the vibe he exudes when onstage is unmatched, a little smirk playing on his lips. He just looks so good up there.

He also looks good now with a look of concentration as he arranges the notes to his desired beats and melodies. Most afternoons are spent like this: you relaxing on his bed, either reading a book or catching up on schoolwork, and him over his turntable, head bobbing and body moving to the beat or brows furrowed in frustration because the sound doesn’t sound right.

He likes to keep his music a surprise from you. But, he also enjoys listening to his music from the speakers to get the feel of it reverberating throughout the room, even though, you both wanted to spend time together just relaxing in the same space. No need for words, just being in each other’s presence. So, you compromised. You owned a good pair of noise-canceling headphones and spent the whole afternoon on his bed while he worked in the background. Problem solved. You can’t hear a peep from his works.

Sometimes, you catch each other’s eyes and just smile at each other, then resume working again. It’s your own system, and it works.

Fuck. I am so in love with this guy.

You felt a soft tap on your shoulder.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” You smile.

“I want to show you something.” Mesmerized by Danny’s soft smile, butterflies started fluttering within your chest. Your relationship has been ongoing for a little over a year now. Still, your feelings go into overdrive whenever he shows you that damned smile.

“Okay.” Taking his hand, you let him lead you to a comfy chair beside his set-up.

“I– I really hope you like it.” His hands fidget on his shirt. You take his hand.

“Danny, I’m telling you now, whatever it is. I will absolutely love it.”

The song played was soft and sweet, with an intermingling sound from a piano and guitar. You recognized the lyrics were reminiscing your story together, all that happened within the past year of your relationship. His own love letter to you: one that replied to the feelings you poured onto your own letter when you confessed. You sat there, eyes misty with tears, as the song ended. Danny looked at you, and all you could reply was a soft kiss on his lips, heart swelling with overflowing love for this man.

“That was perfect. Thank you.”

“I realized I never gave you a reply from last time.” Danny sheepishly said. Your eyebrow rose, arms enveloping his waist.

“Baby, I didn’t need one; what we have going is enough of a reply. I love you and your family. And we practically live together if we ignore all of Bridget’s eye-rolling and Kassie’s teasing. But thank you for the song. I really appreciate it.”

“I love you, too.” His soft smile again.

He leaned in for a kiss, and you gladly reciprocated. Both of you softly sway to your song, looping in the background.

==============================================

Comments and reblogs welcome!

#evil dead rise #evil dead #morgan davies #evil dead rise 2023 #danny evil dead x reader #morgan davies imagine #danny evil dead rise x reader #danny x reader #evil dead x reader

[oldshrewsburyian]

what classic romances do you think measure up to harriet and peter in gaudy night? i’m really craving more satisfying classic romance

Well, kind inquirer, I have a confession. I had read the Wimsey novels multiple times by the age of 16. Over the past 2+ decades, Peter and Harriet have taught me a lot of things, even if I have learned them more slowly and painfully than I would like (Lord, teach us to take our hearts and look them in the face...); even if I feel as though I have not salvaged as much as I could from life's various shipwrecks. The point is: no one measures up, not for me. My dear, if you have let me come as far as your work and your life... That said, I can offer some suggestions, presuming that you mean by "classic romance" romance that happens outside the genre parameters of romance novels. I'll start with the most classic and work my way forwards. [Under the cut for length!]

Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë (for obvious reasons, I imagine. Perhaps the thing I love most in romance is two intense weirdos deciding to love each other intensely and weirdly.)

Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare (I know I said I'd work my way forward, but then I said 'intense weirdos' and remembered my beloved Benedick and Beatrice. Beatrice, an unmarried woman in her uncle's household, interrupts men's political conversation to demand to know whether he's alive because she can't stand not knowing for a minute longer... and that's her opening line! and then they roast each other for 2 hours! I love them so much!)

Persuasion, Jane Austen (Anne is, I would argue, quietly intense, while Frederick is obviously so; he's also weird enough for both of them (affectionate.) I adore them, I support them, I wish them many decades of shocking society with how they look at each other across rooms. And dinner tables. And pianos. And dancing squares.)

Artists in Crime/Death in a White Tie, Ngaio Marsh (this is the Alleyn/Troy duology the way that Strong Poison/Have His Carcase/Gaudy Night is the Peter/Harriet trilogy. I adore Troy, an anxious and compassionate artist with gnc tendencies, and Alleyn fascinates me. Intense weirdos again. Alleyn successfully pretends to be normal most of the time, with everyone except about 3 people. Occasionally he decides to stop, or just does because he's very tired and fed up, and then everyone in the room gets very freaked out very quickly. I love him.)

The Case of William Smith, Patricia Wentworth (bonus detective round! Wentworth is not in the Sayers-Marsh class, and this novel has some tropes I don't like, but I love the gentleness of the central romance so much that I still reread it.)

Possession, A.S. Byatt (Victorian poets, the scholars who study them, the life of the mind and the life of the heart. This is absolutely a novel with Gaudy Night in its lineage.)

The French Lieutenant's Woman, John Fowles (I hesitated before adding this to the list, but it's a novel of ideas that is also about love and sex and identity and Englishness with a very vivid setting, so it might fit the bill?)

The English Patient, Michael Ondaatje ('I believe this. When we meet those we fall in love with, there is an aspect of our spirit that is historian, a bit of a pedant, who imagines or remembers a meeting when the other had passed by innocently...')

Charlotte Gray, Sebastian Faulks (Birdsong is the greater novel, but this one might be the one I prefer. I love Charlotte and her quest to find herself that is also a journey toward love! and vocation! and the images for the lovers in this book are indelible)

Bonus round of books I looked at on my shelf and decided were about so many things that the romance might not be central enough: The Children's Book, Love in the Time of Cholera, The Remains of the Day, The Portrait of a Lady, War and Peace, Brideshead Revisited.

Bonus bonus round, not a book: Random Harvest. Yes it is a book, but in the novel, the romance which truly is emotionally anchoring (I would argue) is much more peripheral than it is in the film, which was, like the Wimsey novels, formative for me. Also, look at them:

I have not been normal about the way he looks at her for *checks notes* 25 years. And I hope you find some things to enjoy here!

#long post #book recommendations #romance #two fiddlers both musicians #charlotte brontë #jane austen #sebastian faulks #ngaio marsh #a.s. byatt #john fowles #michael ondaatje #patricia wentworth #random harvest

[moonttaeil]

trust fund baby; pt. I

▶ Pairing: Doyoung x reader. 

▶ Word count: 25k.

▶ ; very angsty; part of a series but can be read as a standalone; doyoung is rude; I don't remember the main triggers I'm so sorry; talks of violence; substance consumption; slow burn; NSFW at some point;

THE TRUST FUND BABY – DOYOUNG – This guy is everything a fraternity’s dreams are made of. He is always decked out in designer gear. Every. Single. Day. We get it, you have money and are probably a business major. He’s the most confident person in the room because he knows nothing can touch him thanks to mommy and daddy’s money. Humility is probably not something he practices very often, so don’t be surprised when he acts like he owns the place (and his parents might actually own the place).

Doyoung’s hand was tightly grasping the phone while he talked with his father. His designer button-up shirt was neatly ironed and looked good on his slender body, his hair always in check and his aura giving out the fact that he had everything under control. Well, almost everything. 

“But father I—“he tried to speak, just to be cut off by his father’s voice through the line. He sighed, nodding while he still listened to his words. “Okay, I understand what you’re trying to say, but don’t you think I have to at least—“, but he was cut off again. 

His mission to persuade his father into not making him meet yet another of the daughters of his associates was unsuccessful once again. He looked out of the window of his room, just to see his frat brothers preparing everything for the party that they here having tonight. His father’s voice was still talking through the phone, but he had already shut his voice out. “Okay” was the only thing he answered to whatever he had said, giving up on changing his father’s ideas. 

Having the luxury life Doyoung was used to have, it came with different consequences, just like having to agree with everything his parents said. “Doyoung, you need to take private riding lessons”, when he was seven. “Doyoung, you need to know at least four different languages”, when he was twelve. “Doyoung, you should, and will, be taking piano classes until you finish high school”, when he was fifteen. “Doyoung, you will major in business so you can take the reins once we’re gone”, when he had to choose what to study in college. 

He always obeyed what his parents told him to do, but maybe this was taking it too far. They were choosing who he had to date, and probably who he had to marry one day. The rage he had felt inside of himself was building ever since he wanted to drop out of piano lessons because he thought it was boring, but they didn’t let him. 

Doyoung has always had different interests than his parents. Instead of horse riding, he had always wanted to learn how to ride a motorcycle. Instead of knowing four different languages, he had always wanted to travel around the world as a backpacker. Instead of piano lessons, he had always wanted to learn to play the electric guitar. 

But the stern look on his parents’ faces, and the threats of leaving him without a penny from his inheritance, made him too afraid to even think about rebelling against them. 

“Doyoung, we need help with the drinks” Taeyong, one of his best friends on the frat house, popped his head through his door, making Doyoung snap out of his deep thinking. “Yeah—I’ll be there in a second” he nodded back at him, as he opened his wardrobe to change his clothes. 

The fact that Doyoung was in a fraternity was also part of his parents’ job. His father was part of that same fraternity, and so was his grandfather. It was funny the day he appeared to apply to enter, because everyone knew whose surname he proudly wore. 

At the end, everyone knew who owned the house where the twenty one brothers lived in and threw parties constantly. 

He looked at himself in the mirror of his bathroom. He ruffled his dark fluffy hair, making it messy. He took off the formal clothes he wore on campus and threw on an oversized t-shirt and some jeans. 

Those were the times he felt normal. When they had a party, when he was around his frat brothers, or when he just acted like a normal kid who wasn’t drowning in money, those were the times he felt most happy. And he tried to seize every moment, knowing that the time was limited. Once he finished college, his limited freedom would be completely gone.

The loud music made your head hurt once you entered the house. This was the first time you attended a fraternity house party, and for now it wasn’t something spectacular. “Okay, but do we know someone here?” you asked your best friend, whose eyes were already set on every boy that passed by her. 

“No, but we’re here to make friends Y/N” her voice shouted over the sound of the music blasting on the speakers, and you just shook your head. The Greek life on campus wasn’t something you were interested into. You always thought these people had too much money to enter a fraternity, for what? To brag about how much they could spend on a party for hundreds of people? It was ridiculous. 

Making your way over where the drinks were, you felt a hand creep on your butt. Turning around quickly, you caught the person who was responsible for such actions. “What the fuck—“you shouted, and the boy in front of you just smirked, winking one eye at you. “If you ever touch me again I’ll make sure to chop off your hands, you got me?” you pointed an accusing finger at him, making his eyes widen at your words. 

You felt your friend’s hands on your forearm, dragging you back. “What the hell was that Y/N?” she spoke, still holding you while you both walked to the kitchen. “What do you mean—he was touching me without consent” you shouted back, now very angry. 

“What if you stopped being so defensive and maybe—I don’t know, let yourself loose a little?” she asked giving you a cup with some liquid you couldn’t recognize. Your eyelids had a heavy dark make up on, that contrasted with your eyes when you rolled them back. “I’m trying but that doesn’t mean I’m letting some spoiled brats touch me whenever they want” you spat back, drinking from your cup. 

“I understand perfectly what you’re trying to say, yes” she nodded, also sipping from her cup. “But not everyone here is bad and malicious” she laughed back, and leaned on the counter next to you. “Do you see that boy over there, with the snapback?” she pointed at a tall boy whose dimples were showing while he talked. 

“His name is Jaehyun, and I’ve heard around that he’s—let’s just say he likes to take control in bed” she nudged at you, a sly smirk appearing on your face. “And do you see that one over there?” she now pointed at another body who had a little ponytail and a wide smile. 

“His name is Yuta” she spoke close to your ear so you could hear her perfectly, “oh don’t tell he’s the one that—“ you started to speak but shut yourself up when you saw her nodding in approval, a smirk also displayed on her face. 

“Maybe this party is fun after all” you added, your eyes set on the different boys around the room. 

Having a life full of freedom was something that your parents have taught you ever since you were little. You wanted to go and play in the mud? Go ahead. You wanted to paint the walls of your bedroom with your bare hands? Yes, of course, that’s a great way of letting your creativity flow. 

You’ve never had someone telling you the things you couldn’t do, and because of the great example your parent were to you, you had achieved many things in life. Your passions changed constantly, but the effort and love you put on every single one of them gave off its benefits. 

That’s how you entered college, majoring in art. Some people said that it was worthless to study art, what would you work on afterwards? They would always ask. But that’s not something you were worrying about, at the end, maybe you weren’t even alive by the time you had to look for a job. Living on the present, as you liked to call it, you almost never thought about what your future plans were, or what you did a year ago. That something you couldn’t change, either way. 

After hours on the party, and maybe too much drinks for you, you were finally letting yourself go. Happily chatting with everyone around, laughing and flirting with every boy that had the chance to speak with you. You loved the attention, and the fact that you always acted uninterested made it more fun. 

Walking back to the table where the alcohol was still, you tripped over somebody, pouring the rest of your cup over your clothes. “What the fuck?! You should watch where you’re going!” you shouted at the tall boy who had bumped into you. 

His eyes narrowed at you, “watch your mouth” he threatened, looking down at your damp clothes. “What--? Do you see this?” you tried to take the shirt far from your body, as the alcohol was making it feel sticky on your skin. “Yeah I see—I’m sorry, maybe you should look where you’re going too” he simply answered back, shrugging his shoulders mindlessly.

It made your blood boil inside of your veins as you clenched your hands. The alcohol wasn’t making it easy to control your rage, nor the words that were about to leave your mouth. “Excuse me?!” the screech of your voice made him narrow his eyes. “I believe you’re the one guilty here, so I don’t understand the attitude”. 

Wrinkles appeared on his face as he couldn’t understand why you were screaming after he had apologized. Some people had turned their faces to look at your wide eyes and head looking up at the mysterious boy in front of you. “Look, I said I’m sorry—don’t make a scene in front of everyone here” he leaned down a bit, trying to keep the conversation between your two. His breath hit your ear as he spoke and it made you shiver, which you couldn’t understand at all. Blame it on the alcohol, Y/N, the little voice appeared on your mind. 

“I’m not making a scene—“ 

“Oh?” he smirked, and turned his head to look around the room. Your eyes followed his, to just realize that a lot of girls had a really angry expression on their faces and some boys were looking funny at you. “Look I don’t care—“ 

“You sure?” he asked again, now trying to make you even more angry. You knew it, just by the look on his face, you knew he was having fun. “I don’t know who you are—and I don’t want to know, but you should watch your attitude with people who you don’t know at all” you threatened him, you index finger accusing him. The black haired boy raised a questioning brow at your threat, and took you’re your finger. “And you should learn some manners, pointing at people? That’s rude” he laughed. “Look, you can stay—you’re cute, but—“he stopped, biting his lip as he looked around the room, “if you make a scene again, you will have problems” he was the one to threaten now. 

The tone of his voice made all of your blood drain from your face. He had a stern expression on his, not a sign of emotion could be seen. And you felt fear for the first time that night. His aura was not something you were accustomed to, and you knew he was dangerous. Not gang member dangerous, no. You knew he was way too smart for that. He did not play. 

His stone-cold eyes found yours for the last time before he moved, leaving you speechless and alone. 

Your hand trembled as you were holding the brush. Your eyes were set on the canvas in front of you. All white. No colour. It was empty, just like your head. You took down your hand and placed the brush again on the little table that was on your right side. This has been the third day of not painting. And this project was due—twelve hours. 

A loud and annoyed sigh left your mouth as you let your head drop back, eyes closed tightly. “What the hell!” you shouted frustrated. This has never happened to you before. Your imagination was wild all the time, the ideas had always flowed perfectly from your mind to your hand and onto the canvas in front of you. Then what the hell was happening to you now?

“Hey Y/N” Xiao Jun, your flat mate, entered your room after hearing you scream for the tenth time that day. You didn’t even answer back as he neared you to also look at the plain white canvas in front of you. “I see you haven’t really advanced anything on this project” he patted your shoulder. “And mister obvious appears once again” you answered laughing, making him smile down at you. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked sitting down on your bed, his elbows leaning on his knees as he looked up at your worried face. “I haven’t seen you this blocked in like—I don’t know, ever since we were ten?” he laughed. “I don’t know I’m just— I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I just don’t have anything on my mind” you looked down at your empty hand, and then at the white canvas in front of you. 

“How long have you been like this?” he asked you again, and you avoided his eyes. Xiao Jun was someone you really appreciated to have in your life but both of you didn’t really—match on personalities. It was like day and night. Like the sun and the moon. Like water and fire. You had first met him when you two were seven year olds, on your first day of school. He had seen you doing all kind of crazy stuff and always tried to stop you before it was too late. Let’s just say that he was the—brain on the friendship. 

“I don’t know maybe—two, three days?” you murmured, still avoiding his eyes. “Has something happened to you lately? Maybe something that had made you feel nervous, or scared or—“ 

“No!” you were quick to fire back, “I’m not afraid of anything, you know that” you answered standing up from your stool, taking off the stained clothes you always used to paint. He sighed as he looked at your naked body, changing in front of him. You were so used to his presence, that it was something completely normal. At least that’s what you thought. 

“You know—it’s normal to be frightened of things Y/N, we’re all humans” he tried to speak calmly. “Yes, but nothing has happened to me lately, so don’t worry” you turned around to smile at him. His eyes were narrowed at you, he had never seen you being so defensive. He had never seen you so irritated and frustrated. You were now tying your hair up on a bun as you looked at yourself in the mirror, he stood up to stand behind you, looking at your reflection. 

“Don’t tell me you got rejected” he smirked, cautiously studying your reaction. Your eyes widened and so did your mouth. “What! No!” you quickly answered, turning around to hit him on the shoulder. “What was that for?” he whined holding his shoulder. “Don’t be a pussy, I didn’t even hit you that hard—“

“Where are you going?” he asked as you were now taking your jacket. “Somewhere to inspire myself” you answered. “You’re going to get drunk on a Wednesday?” he asked following you out of your room. A laugh escaped your mouth as you felt his steps behind you, “Why? You want to come?” 

He stopped to look at you put on your shoes, his body leaning on the wall. “No, I’m the responsible one, remember?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Oh, don’t make me laugh Xiaojun” you answered, still struggling to put on your shoes. “No but really, a class mate is coming in like—“ he looked at his watch with narrowed eyes, “—thirty minutes and we have to finish a project for class, and he’s a bit—“ he looked at the ceiling, trying to find the right words. 

“An idiot?” you asked him, putting on your jacket. “No, he’s too much of a perfectionist” he answered, his arms still crossed over his chest. “Well, I’ll try to come after midnight so I don’t bother the business men in the house” you shrugged smiling. “This is also your home, you won’t be bothering anyone” he tried to reassure you. “I know dumbass, I don’t know who mister perfect is but I’ll be back home for dinner, and do you want me to bring you something?” 

“I’ll text you later”

The sun was setting, painting all of your surroundings a deep tone of orange. You were walking for about two hours now, alone. Your hands were on your pockets, and you just tried to take in everything around you, from the buildings to the people. Nothing made you really think, nothing made you really excited. Instead of finding the little details that made your heart thump in your chest with new ideas, you just found everything to be plain and boring. 

You sighed again and closed your eyes, stopping in the middle of sidewalk. You couldn’t keep lying to yourself, the only thing you could see with your eyes closed was his face. The face of the boy who didn’t even flinch at your words, the one who didn’t give you a second look before turning around after threatening you with simple words. 

“Who the hell are you?” you whispered, finally opening your eyes. The golden sun that bathed everything orange was almost gone, the darkness of the night slowly falling on the streets you were walking on. Once again, it was unsuccessful for you to find inspiration. Your muses were gone ever since your encounter with that stranger, who unconsciously had turned your life upside down. 

You dragged your feet slowly, not wanting to go back home to just look at the white canvas. Almost all hope of finishing that project for tomorrow was gone. Maybe if you just painted a simple—no, you knew you were not a simple person, and so did your professors. They had always praised you for not being conventional, for taking risks and doing it your way. 

But this? This was something you have never experienced before. 

You took out your keys and opened the front door, sighing. Maybe it was the best to paint something simple, pretty with great colour scheme. “I’m home” you shouted, announcing your arrival to your flatmate. “We’re in the living room Y/N” you heard Xiao Jun’s voice resonate on the walls. We are? You asked yourself, it was almost 10 P.M., what the hell was his classmate doing here still?

With a tired and annoyed expression you entered the living room. Your feet stopped moving as you saw the back of who you supposed it was Xiaojun’s classmate. His black hair and broad shoulders. Your breathing hitched and your eyes widened. “Oh, Y/N you’re already here? We were just giving the final review on our project” Xiao Jun turned around to smile at you. The boy sitting next to him turned around to look at you too, and that was the moment your whole world crashed down. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” you grimaced when your eyes met his. His eyebrows shot at your harsh words and so did Xiao Jun’s. “You know Doyoung?” he asked you, pointing at his classmate. “Doyoung? So that’s mister perfect’s name?” you asked and moved to sit down on the couch opposed to them. 

“Y/N—“Xiao Jun tried to stop you, but your eyes were set on Doyoung’s face. 

“No” Doyoung stopped him, smirking. “Y/N, right?” he asked, looking back at you. You could just nod at him while your eyes travelled on his face, taking in every detail. “Me and Y/N met in a party my fraternity was throwing three days ago and we had a little—misunderstanding” he chose his words wisely. 

“Misunderstanding?” you murmured repeating his words. “But everything’s fine now, isn’t it?” his tone of voice changed unexpectedly. He had used the same tone of voice he used on the party. His eyes were cutting through you and for some reason you felt small around him. Words couldn’t come out of your mouth and you felt your palms getting sweaty. 

Standing up quickly you ran out of the room, unable to keep looking at him anymore. The loud sound the door made when it was closed made both men flinch in their seat. “Hey Y/N��“you heard Xiao Jun shout behind you. “What the hell is wrong with her?” you could hear his words again, confusion tainting them. 

Your back was glued to the door, your palms at each side of your body. Usually you didn’t lose control like this, so easily. But he managed to make you go crazy with every simple word he muttered, how was that even possible? How did he do it? Closing your eyes, there he was again. His face waiting in the dark to appear once again in your mind, his narrowed eyes and sly smirk, he had made his way into your life and now it seemed like you couldn’t make him disappear. 

With a deep breathe you opened your eyes again. You were safe. You were in your room. Everything seemed normal, it felt almost like a bad dream. Losing composure like that wasn’t something you used to do, why now? The white canvas was still waiting for you at the end of your room, it was almost as if it was laughing at you. How pathetic, a boy appears in your life and he does not only make you go crazy, he disables you to do what you most love. 

Their voices could be heard from the other side of the door which you were still leaning on. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning so we can give it a final touch, is that alright with you?” Doyoung’s voice was stern, almost as if he was a parent scolding his child. You couldn’t hear Xiao Jun’s response, he didn’t manage to do well in front of people who were more intimidating than him. 

“And—“ Doyoung’s voice made an appearance once again, “—I’m sorry for what happened with Y/N” a scoff followed next, “I thought we left everything clear at the party, but I guess she’s still pissed at me for no apparent reason” 

For no apparent reason? You were fuming. Almost ready to go out and slap off his beautiful face that smirk you’ve seen so little times but memorized perfectly in your mind. But if you got out there and made a scene again, he would think he won over you and your little patience. “I’ll try to apologize the next time I see her” his voice appeared again, and Xiao Jun’s little laugh was next. Apologize? 

You were so confused. What made him think he would see you again? Why did he want to apologize if there was no apparent reason to be mad? Why was he so obnoxious? With your hands still on each side of your body, you sat down rigid on the stool in front of that damn white canvas. Enough was enough. You couldn’t let a stranger make you lose control like this. 

Taking a deep breath, again, again and again. You finally picked up the small brush and prepared all the colours you wanted to use. Maybe this was your mind making it all up, but if you didn’t finish this, if you let the frustration Doyoung has created win over you, it would mean he had won. He had won a battle he didn’t even know he was having with you. 

“That bastard—who does he think he is?” your hisses filled the room as you changed your clothing into something you could freely stain. Xiao Jun entered the room without you even realizing. His presence was sometimes like a shadow. “I swear if I see him again –“ 

“So he was the one who rejected you?” 

His words made you turn around in surprise. Your eyes were wide, and your ears were starting to get red because of the embarrassment. “Who said he rejected me?” you defended yourself, still mad. The smirk on his face made it obvious he didn’t need any more information about the situation. 

Doyoung hasn’t rejected you. Has he? No. that’s impossible, you didn’t even make a move on him. He simply poured all of his drink over you by accident. But he didn’t give you a second glace, that’s also true. That hasn’t happened before, right? Was that the problem? Was it because he had completely ignored you as a woman? Was that the reason you were going crazy? Because a boy ignored you?

“I don’t know what you’re thinking about, Xiaojun, but whatever it is, I don’t want to hear it” you decided to let this slip by. You didn’t need his judging eyes on you. “Don’t worry, it’s not because of you. Doyoung’s too much into studying to even think about girls, you’re not the problem Y/N” he said before leaving your room. 

Your eyes were still wide, the stained clothes you used for painting sessions were tightly wrapped around your hands. Your heart was thumping in your chest, how did he know what were you thinking? 

You let yourself sit down on the stool again. Your shoulders were still tense, and so were your hands. You wouldn’t be able to paint if you were this tense, it wouldn’t work out. Closing your eyes again, there he was. Waiting for you to close your eyes so he could appear. “I’m going crazy” was the only thing you could say. 

“Okay then—if this is how my mind wants to play games on me, let’s play” you whispered before picking up the brush again. If he was the only thing you could think of, then he would be the subject of your project. 

The clock was ticking on the wall as you were waiting for your professor to finish with the lecture. You hated this, you only liked the classes where you could put on practice everything he teaches on the boring lectures. You managed to zoom out of the class again, thinking about nothing and everything. Your eyes were focused on the pencil on your hands. 

You made it twirl between your fingers, your bored expression too obvious. People started to move around you and you realized that class was over. Finally. 

“Y/N” the professor called you before exiting. You scrunched your nose, it wasn’t the first time he had seen you daydream in his classes, was he pissed about that now? “I wanted to talk to you about your last project” his words were firm as he looked around some papers. Your heart stopped in your chest. Was he talking about Doyoung’s portrait? 

“What about it? Is it that bad? It’s my first time trying out a realistic portrait, I’m aware it’s not completely—“ 

“Will you let me talk?” he stopped you, all your blood draining from your face. “Yes, sir” you muttered quietly, too embarrassed to even look at him anymore. “I was going to praise you on how good it was” he spoke again, looking up at you from his seat. The surprised expression on your face made him smile back at you. “And I was going to ask you if you would let us include it into the exposition we’re making in two weeks on the gallery” he explained again. 

His words entered your mind but they made no sense. Your professors had always praised you on your work, but it was the first time someone has asked you to include your work for an exposition. “It would be auctioned afterwards, so if you don’t want to do it I’ll understand”. 

You couldn’t answer to anything he was saying, too shocked to think about everything that was going on. So first he appears out of nowhere, he ignores you, he haunts you in your mind, and now, on top of everything, he was the one responsible for you to finally have the chance to hang your work on an exposition? He really made you go crazy. 

“Professor” you finally spoke after a heartbeat, “can I think about it first? As you said, it’s my first portrait and if it’s going to be auctioned later on, it would be a great loss for me” you tried to sound sad, almost as if you wanted to cry. His eyebrows shot up in surprise because of your reaction, “yeah, of course—take your time” he quickly answered. 

“Thank you” was the only thing you said before stomping out of the room. Your legs moved quickly around campus, you needed to get home first. Talk to Xiao Jun. Cry out your frustration, and then make a decision. You didn’t even know why he made you so mad, you didn’t even know him. You had only spoken to him two times. Y/N, what’s wrong with you? The little voice inside of your head made an appearance. 

“I don’t fucking know what’s wrong with me” you hissed back. 

“Y/N!” You heard someone shout behind you, making you stop. Turning around, you narrowed your eyes to catch who was calling you out. Xiao Jun’s face appeared as he was making his way to where you were standing. But he wasn’t alone. 

Doyoung’s strong tall figure was walking by his side. He was taller than Xiao Jun, but he was as slender as him. Both men were dressed up nicely, their hairstyles on check, just like their faces. They were the epitome of perfection. And that bothered you, a lot. “Where were you going in such a hurry?” he asked once he was in front of you, Doyoung silently standing by his side. 

“Oh—home” you answered, unable to look at him or Doyoung. “Home? You never hurry to go home” he laughed, trying to catch your gaze. “It’s because I have work to do—another project” you tried to explain quickly, feeling too awkward to be around them. “Oh, what did you do for your last project?” He asked again, and it bothered you how talkative and quirky he suddenly was. 

“I didn’t do it—I couldn’t concentrate” 

“Oh, Xiao told me about it—was it because of the little argument we had?” Doyoung was the one to talk now, a big smile appearing on his face. As if he knew he had won. “What? No, no—I just—it was a very difficult project and I couldn’t find inspiration to… finish it” you lied through your teeth, feeling guilty to be lying at your best friend.��

“Well, I’m sorry for that—and, if you’re still bothered about that… I apologize for my behaviour” he spoke calmly, his eyes never leaving your face, as if he was used to apologizing for things he believed he wasn’t guilty for. “I—well…” you tried to answer, but the words wouldn’t come out. Well, this really did feel awkward. 

“Oh Y/N, Doyoung’s parents have a gallery nearby—I thought you would like to go and check it out sometime” Xiao was the one to break the tension, trying to make you calm down. “Yeah that’d be—nice” you tried to sound friendly, but you still couldn’t believe how Doyoung apologized again. Why did he behave so differently? It seems like he wasn’t the same boy who bumped into you at the party. Perhaps he was drunk? No, that couldn’t be possible, he maintained his composure just like now, and the only thing that changed was his tone of voice. 

“They’re also having an—“

“Look boys, I’d love to stay and chat but I really have to get home now—“you were speaking as you were slowly walking backwards, running away from them. “But—“ 

“I’ll see you home Xiao!”

When did you start running away from people Y/N? The little voice inside of your head asked. I’m not running away from--, but you were. You were running away from him. Why were you so scared to be around him, this has never happened before? 

The way back home was filled with arguments between you and the little voice inside of your mind. Why did you even think about it so much? Why did he make you feel so uncomfortable? You didn’t even know him, damn it. 

Home felt lonely without Xiaojun. Slumped down on the couch, you had your eyes fixed on the screen in front of you, mindlessly playing yet another episode of a stupid drama you decided to watch just to clear your mind. But nothing made you really forget about him. Were you really going mad?

A deep sigh left your mouth as you slouched even deeper on the couch, your head between your shoulders, a position that would probably lead you to have real bad back pains in the morning. “What is wrong with me?” you muttered out loud. Your phone was lying down next to you, you took it back up. No notifications. No calls. “Were did my social life go?” 

Your mind wandered back to your room, where yet another white canvas was patiently waiting to be painted. Remembering back when you painted Doyoung’s portrait, you felt really frustrated for that being the only thing that your hands were able to transfer from your mind to the canvas. Your finished that damn portrait in less than five hours, that being your very first portrait. 

The look he had the night you met him. That’s the only thing you were thinking about when you were deep into the painting session. His harsh yet simple words. The fact that he didn’t give you a second glance that night. How he threatened you. Nobody has spoken to you that way before. 

The painting was nice. The colours were great. But it was nothing spectacular, why did your professor want it to be hung on the gallery? It had nothing special. You had hundreds of painting better than that one, and none of them have had that recognition. 

Was it because you really let your mind do the work, instead of your hands? Was that even possible?

That’s it. You were officially going mad. 

With a quick movement you sat straight on the couch. “I’m not letting that little fucker ruin my spirit!” your words came out harsh, resonating on the walls of the living room, mixing themselves with the sound that was coming out of the television. 

The sound of keys opening the front door made you lose focus, turning yourself around to finally greet Xiaojun. “You’re back home?” you shouted as you stood up, tripping over your own foot as you made your way to the entrance. Your own excitement of having your best friend back home, someone to talk with about this damn problem that was eating you alive. 

What you didn’t expect was to not only hear his voice, but the voice of that someone who has been tormenting you for the past week and half. “I’ll be ready real quick, just—oh, Y/N, you’re here” Xiaojun’s smile greeted you when he saw you wrapped up in a blanket waiting by the entrance. 

“Where was I supposed to be?” you asked incredulous, totally ignoring Doyoung’s presence in your house. 

His smile slowly dropped. “Well, is Friday night—I thought you’d go out” he quickly spoke as he moved past you, entering inside of the house. “Doyoung! Make yourself at home, I’ll be ready in ten” he said without looking back, directly entering his room. 

You were left alone with him at the entrance. His eyes were set on you, his aura calm. He proceeded to take off his shoes, but you didn’t take your eyes off of him, narrowing your look at his every movement. “Look, I can wait here if you’re not comfortable with me entering—“ 

“No, you heard Xiao, make yourself at home” you quickly stopped him from talking, turning back and entering the living room once again. It was Friday night? Why are you home on a Friday night? You asked yourself. You were the outgoing one, why was Xiaojun suddenly going out on a Friday night?

“My brothers are throwing a party tonight, you’re invited… if you want to come“ Doyoung announced sitting down on the couch next to yours, trying to catch your eyes. But you were not having it, your own eyes glued to the screen in front of you. “Only if you don’t make a scene like last time” he scoffed under his breath, this situation was clearly funny to him. 

“I’m good, but thanks” you quickly answered, making the tension between you two grow bigger. “Why are you like this?” he asked, his tone of voice still calm. With furrowed eyebrows, you maintained your eyes looking straight. “Well, you are clearly behaving like a little girl” he spoke again, now looking also at the screen. 

“Who do you think—“ 

“You’re behaving just like the last time” he looked back at you, successfully catching your eyes. “But now you’re not throwing a fit, you’re just trying to ignore me… tell me, is it because I make you nervous?” the smirk on his face was showing up again, and that made you want to brush it off with a punch. 

“What makes you believe you—out of everyone in this world, would make me nervous?” you laughed back, way too tense. “Well—I wouldn’t like meeting someone who knows how to put me in my place with simple words either” he showed a full smile now, totally opposite to his harsh words. 

The sound of the television was totally muffled in your mind. You clenched your hands under the blanket repeatedly. “You did not put me in my place” you tried to sound harsh as he did, but it clearly came out weak. 

“Sure”

The shrug of his shoulders really made you lose it. As you opened your mouth, ready to let out all kind of barbarities, Xiao exited his room. “I’m ready” he announced as he still brushed the hair out of his eyes. The tension between you and Doyoung could be easily felt, and Xiao noticed it quickly. “Um—Y/N, you’re coming with us?” he asked, trying to ease the atmosphere. 

“No, those frat parties are too boring for me” the answer was simple, but it was directly addressed to Doyoung. 

“I thought you were having fun last time, with all those men around you” he was quick to answer, a sly smirk on his face again. It made your blood boil, why? Because he wasn’t one of those men? “I haven’t been to any still, don’t spoil it for me Y/N” Xiao intervened again, already making his way to the entrance. 

“Don’t black out Xiao, I’m not going to get you!” you threatened from the living room, only earning a couple of laughs from the two of them. “I’ll take care of him Y/N” Doyoung spoke again, and his voice was the last thing you wanted to hear. 

And then, they left. 

“Damn it!” your fists punched the couch underneath you. “How does that little fucker know what I’m thinking about all the time?” you asked yourself standing up. 

Distraction. That’s what you needed. 

You made your way back to your room, where the white canvas was waiting. “I have to clear my mind of him” you spoke softly, sitting down on the stool in front of it. The colours you wanted to use were ready, the brushes were also sorted out. But your mind was blank. “What now?” you asked yourself, looking down at your hands. 

“Are you two going to cooperate or no?!” you screamed at them. “Okay—I’m really losing it” you sighed. Closing your eyes, you decided to be the one cooperating this time. “There’s no use to force things, right?” you spoke softly as Doyoung’s eyes appeared in front of you again. 

You took the brush up. If this was going to be this way, you had to at least clear your mind in some way. You didn’t care if it was another portrait of him. You just had to calm down, clear it out, and then move on.

Doyoung’s head hurt like hell as he walked around the house full of people. The music was too loud, increasing the pain of his headache. His eyes were red and glossy. He didn’t have to drink that much that night, he was now regretting it. But he always did that after an argument with his parents.

“I’m not meeting anymore bratty rich girls father!” he had finally snapped that same evening. He was talking on the phone again, of course his father wouldn’t come to see him. They haven’t seen each other since the school year started. “Doyoung, you will do as I say” his voice came out stern, making Doyoung’s blood freeze in his veins. 

“I believe that’s something too private for you to decide on it” he had answered back, ready to finally win this battle with him. He was tired. Tired of being thrown around like a rag doll, forced to do everything he hated deep inside. “Oh” his father let out a laugh from the other line, “don’t tell me you have a girlfriend? I thought you were too focused on your studies, maybe you’re not focusing enough, huh?” he had asked. 

“What if I did?” Doyoung asked back, pushing his limits to the end. “Then you’ll have to end it” 

His father’s words kept repeating over and over again as he made his way to his room upstairs. Everything was spinning around, he couldn’t focus his gaze on anything without the room turning upside down suddenly. “You will do as I say, Doyoung”, those words kept tormenting him for the last twenty years of life. 

He finally arrived to his dark room. The sound of the music blasting outside was now muffled by the walls, the only source of light were the neon lights they had put outside on the yard. His body fell down on the bed on the centre of the room, his forearm quickly falling on top of his face, covering his eyes. 

“I’ve been doing as you say all my life father” he murmured to himself, holding back the tears. Was it because he was drunk? Was it because he was frustrated? Was it because he was sad? He didn’t know. But all he wanted to do was to cry. He has never cried before, it was forbidden. Men don’t cry Doyoung, they confront the situation, his father’s words made their way back into his mind. 

He had been building up the anger inside of his chest for the past years, successfully holding himself as a man, like his father had said. But what he didn’t know is that, all the anger he was holding inside had a date of expiry, and it may have finally come time for the bomb to stop ticking. It was about to explode, and it was about to destroy everything his father had created out of nothing. 

“I’ve been doing as you say all my life—it’s time to change the rules of the game, father” he muttered one last time. 

No tears were felt. He held himself together. Once again, he let all the anger build up just to let it all out at once. “This is the end, father”. 

It was two A.M. And you finally put down the brush. It was Doyoung again. He was the one looking at you from the other side of the canvas. His dark eyes were the one cutting through your soul. You didn’t know how you achieved that look, but it scared you. Was it like that the last time you saw him? Were his eyes so tormented the last time you spoke with him? Or was your own mind playing games with you?

A deep sigh left your lungs as you kept looking at the painting. Have you really failed to see his real expression when you were in front of him? Was he really sad? You had too much questions, and all of them bothered you to no end. You shouldn’t be worried about a damn stranger, you should be out with your friends partying, not in your room painting a portrait of someone who seemed to be living a hell of a life. In a bad way. 

Your hands trembled as you kept looking at him. Your mind must be playing games on you. He seemed calm and collected every time you saw him, he didn’t seem sad nor miserable. Why did you paint him like this? “This is stupid” you said taking the canvas and leaving it on the floor, leaning on the wall next to your bed. “I shouldn’t have done this” you spoke again, looking down at the painting. 

As you changed your clothes you thought again about your professor’s offer. Maybe it was a good idea to expose one of your paintings, and maybe someone would buy it. But again, who would want a portrait of a stranger hanging on their wall? Well—there’s weird people out there, you nodded to yourself. 

“I shouldn’t worry too much about it” you spoke again, now lying down on your bed, your eyes fixed on the ceiling above from you. “Let’s just try to sell it and ignore him forever”. 

A week had successfully passed and it seemed like Doyoung visit less your mind. But Xiaojun made sure to bring him up whenever he spoke about something about his classes. How convenient for him to be his classmate.

“Are you going to come with me tonight?” you asked him as he entered the house, later than usual. His eyes snapped up with surprise. “Tonight?” he asked again, confused. Your heart stopped for a second, you were excited to go to the exposition in the gallery with him, but again, he shouldn’t be ready to go with you whenever you asked him to. “Oh—oh my god, the gallery!” he screamed, suddenly remember his mistake. 

“Oh god Y/N! I totally forgot about it!” he made his way towards you, his arms open as he embraced you with his slim body. “Don’t worry Xiao—it’s okay, damn it you’re suffocating me” you fought against his arm to set free. 

“I can’t come—I have a paper due tomorrow and I haven’t finished it yet” he apologized. The sadness in his eyes was clear, and your heart felt heavy of guiltiness when you saw him like that because of you. “Hey—look at me” you took his face in your hand to make him look at you, his eyes moving to look at you. 

Your faces were close. Too close. Suddenly it seemed like you had forgotten how to breathe properly. His eyes were travelling from yours, down to your lips and then back up. The same pattern over and over again. 

His arms were still around you, his hands still on your lower back. It was hard to mute the loud thumping of your heart against your chest. You forgot what you were about to tell him. It was the first time you both were this close without joking. His face was serious, and so was yours. “Y/N…” he muttered, and his voice made you snap out. 

What are you doing Y/N!?, the little voice inside of your head appeared, an alarm going off. What was going on? No- no, this was wrong. Slowly you moved your face to the left, breaking the eye contact. “I should get going—“you spoke back, his hands falling from around your body. 

His head hung low and he was biting the inside of his cheek. He felt awkward, you could feel it. It broke your heart to see him like this, to know you were the one responsible for his hurt. “I’ll be back soon! It would be great if you left some leftovers for me, mister perfect!” you screamed from the entrance, trying to ease the tension that had built between you two. 

“Yeah, will do” he responded as he made his way back to his room, without giving a second look. 

Your heart broke every time you reminisced that time. That time when Xiaojun finally made a move, after month of you telling him to do what his heart told him to do. He had talked to you about this girl he liked. He had a beautiful smile, was a very outgoing person and her ideas were marvellous. He never told you it was you he was talking about. 

Until that day. His heart broke when you told him you didn’t feel the same way. But he tried to cover it up as it didn’t make his heart shatter to the ground, leaving traces everywhere. It was sad. Damn it, it was like going through hell. He distanced himself a lot from you. 

A whole year without talking with him went by until he finally decided to reappear again, telling you he had moved on. He had forgotten about you. Telling you that everything was like the beginning of your friendship. And you decided to give him a second chance, knowing deep down that he was lying. He was lying to maintain some kind of contact with you. But breaking all kind of relationship with him would be worse. 

“Why do you complicate things so fucking much, Xiaojun” you whispered to yourself as you were making your way to the gallery. Your legs took you to the gallery as your mind was still occupied thinking about your flatmate, and who you thought it was your best friend. 

Finally arriving, you saw a lot of people inside. Too much people for your liking. All of them would see your portrait? Suddenly your palms became sweaty. You entered the place and the anxiety in your chest grew bigger. All of their eyes would judge your painting? The painting of a stranger? 

Your brows were furrowed as you made your way between the people inside. They all were dressed in fancy suits and dresses, all of them giving off that they had money. A lot of money. What kind of gallery was this? 

The more you walked inside, the bigger the place seemed. You looked around the walls, all of them covered with paintings. You could recognize some of the paintings of your classmates, others were completely unrecognizable. But you couldn’t spot your own. Maybe they decided to not hang it at the end. Of what you could see, there wasn’t any portraits. No one had painted a portrait, it would be too strange if there was a portrait of a stranger hanging on this exposition. 

“Ah, Y/N I’ve been waiting for you to arrive!” 

Your professor’s voice made you turn around. His big smile was shining bright, as the proud look on his face made it clear he had a successful exposition. “I’m sorry I’m late” you apologized, your eyes still wandering around the walls trying to find your painting. 

“No, don’t worry! You’re just in time!” he reassured you after seeing you nervous. “What? You’re looking for the portrait?” he asked, raising a questioning eyebrow. “Yes—but I do understand if it’s not hanging, after all it’s just a stranger’s portrait and it would be weird if—“ 

“A stranger’s portrait?” he stopped you, a real confused look on his eyes. “What do you mean a stranger’s portrait? Y/N—that portrait speaks to me, his eyes… the hurt, the sentiment—honestly, I haven’t seen something like this in a long time. I’m really glad you decided to risk it with a portrait, you haven’t done anything like that before” he praised you, which only lead to your nervousness to increase. 

“Wha—“

“Come, let me show you” he said leading you to the other side of the gallery, “that portrait has taken all of the attention tonight Y/N”

“All of the attention?” you repeated his words, unable to believe what he was saying. He lead you to one of the walls were people were crowded around to look at the painting hung there. “I can’t believe someone could express so much in so little” you heard someone mutter. “The look on his face—this is real art” another voice said. 

“Isn’t that the son of the Kim’s?” someone else asked. “I think that’s him—but, why is the look on his face so tormented?” 

“The son?” you muttered, confused by that last conversation you heard between strangers. You arrived to stand in front of your own painting, but you couldn’t recognize it. Yes, you had painted it. Yes, your hands were the one holding the brushes. No, you didn’t remember him being that sad. It struck you like a lighting. 

His eyes were red, just like in the party. His hair was messy, his skin was pale. It was true, the painting was talking to you. The painting was telling you how miserable he felt inside. “A real masterpiece, Y/N” your professor’s words made you snap out back to reality. “I hate to say this but I don’t think this is—“ 

“Great painting” someone said from behind of you, his voice too close to your ear. Your heart skipped a beat, and it seemed like the place became smaller with too many people inside. It scared you to turn around. To turn around and face reality. To face the person who had praised you on your painting—no. On their own portrait. 

He stopped to stand on your side. His body stood tall next to you, his broad shoulders back and his chest out. He clearly had presence, and suddenly you felt too small to stand next to him. Too scared to even respond. “I never thought I’d see a painting of myself, that’s something my father would order—you know, just like the old times” he laughed, trying to ease up the tension. 

“I’m sorry—this wasn’t supposed to—“ 

“What are you sorry for?” he arched a brow, finally turning his body to look at you, taking away the attention from the painting. “It is nice to know I’ve struck you like this, I didn’t know I had such an influence on people” a laugh left his chest. There he was again, making you angry for no reason. 

“It may be a portrait but…” you looked at him, and then back at the painting, “clearly it’s not the same person, Doyoung”. 

His expression changed, his face turning back to look at the painting. “I see the same handsome face”. 

“No” you simply answered. It didn’t make any sense. The vulnerable, miserable, sad boy in the painting wasn’t the same egoistic, confident, rich boy that was standing on your side. “I took your face, that’s true—but, the feelings the painting is showing, I believe you’ve never felt them before Doyoung, that’s why it’s not the same person” you finished. Angry and frustrated. 

He went silent. It was hard to breathe. His presence was still strong. You looked up to him for a quick glance, just to see his eyes fixed on the portrait, his jaw clenching and his eyebrows furrowed. He looked concentrated on the painting, as he was trying to feel what the painting was feeling. But how could a rich kid, who had always had everything he wanted, ever feel sadness? That’s impossible, you thought. 

“You won’t feel what he’s feeling, even if you look at him for five hours” you spoke again, making his eyes snap back at you. He didn’t answer. You shut him up, completely. 

“Son, have you found the famous artist who drew this masterpiece” a strong voice was heard from behind Doyoung’s back. His face was still stiff, and so was his whole body. “Yes, father” he answered, his eyes still set on you. 

Your eyes widened at his words. He moved to the side, letting you see who you supposed were his parents. Doyoung was a living copy of his father. He was tall and slim, his eyes had the same almond form and the sternness of his face was also there. On his side was standing a woman with a beautiful face. They both were beautiful, indeed. No wonder Doyoung looked like that. 

“Let me introduce you to the artist of my portrait” he spoke calmly, his eyes still set on the painting. But he wasn’t looking at it, he was thinking about something else. Finally he moved his face to look back at you, “This is Y/N, the artist and—“ he took a breath before looking back at his parents. 

“—my girlfriend” 

Your eyes widened. It was like looking at a mirror, their expression shocked as yours. “What—“you tried to speak, but words were stuck in your throat. His father still had a serious expression on, but his mother smiled kindly at you. “So it was true” his father mumbled, looking down at you. 

“Why? You thought I was lying?” Doyoung answered back with confidence. It surprised you how scary that man seemed, and how brave Doyoung must be to confront him that way with his words. “So you’re an artist?” his father asked, his eyes looking directly at your soul. 

The only thing you could answer was a nod of your head. “And that’s all you do? You live off your art?” he asked again, his tone of voice was no longer friendly. It felt like he already despised you. “Well I’m still a student—“ 

“But you plan on living off of this?” that last sentence was followed by a scoff. The situation was so surprising you totally forgot where you were, or who you were. You blinked twice before looking again at Doyoung, who decided to intervene. “No one knows what life holds for us, right father?” he tried to protect you from his harsh words. 

But why was he protecting you if he has been the one to get you into this mess? His girlfriend? What the hell was wrong with him? “I believe there’s a misunderstanding—“ 

“No, Y/N” Doyoung interrupted, his hand falling on your lower back as if he was going to lead you somewhere else. “Please excuse my father, sometimes he forgets he’s not at the office” he spoke quietly, already turning you around to leave. “I’ll see you later, father” he finally said before pushing you to walk. 

His hand was burning against your clothed skin, just the pressure of having it there made your legs feel weak. As you two were finally on the other side of the gallery, you turned around to snap his hand away from your body. 

“What the hell is wrong with you?” you hissed under your breath, your eyes wandering around the full room. “I’m sorry, I should’ve told you about the plan before executing it” he readjusted his tie, also looking around the room in case he saw his parents again. 

“Wha—the plan? Maybe you should’ve started by asking me if I was okay with following the plan—whatever that plan is!” you hissed back, your eyes so wide they were about to pop out. “Oh, don’t make a scene” he repeated his words again, and your palm really itched to slap him across the face. 

“What do you mean by that? You just introduced me to your parents as your girlfriend and we don’t even know each other!” 

“We do know each other, we’ve talked before” he said back, his eyes now as wide as yours, as if he was stating the obvious. “Are you crazy? Is that it? Doyoung, you don’t know someone because you’ve talked with them two times!” 

“Well you painted a portrait of me—I think that’s more than enough evidence that we do know each other”

“I already told you that’s not the same person I’m talking with!” 

He took a step closer, his intimidating presence making an appearance once again. Your breath hitched in the back of your throat, as you had to tilt your head up to look at him properly. “Look Y/N…” he started to speak, his voice low in order to keep the conversation as private as possible, “just roll with it for tonight—we’ll talk about it tomorrow, okay? Do me this one favour, and I’ll owe you one, that’s a real big deal” he nodded.

It really exasperated you how annoying he could be. “Why are you doing this?” you asked him, your eyes narrowed at him. “I can’t explain it right now—“ 

“Why?”

“Because you wouldn’t understand. Just like you don’t understand that your painting and the person you’re talking with are, in fact, the same person” he finally said, moving his body away from yours. 

People started to move around, leaving the room where all the paintings were hanging. “Just act like you are my girlfriend, and we’ll see about it tomorrow, can you do that for me?” he spoke again, moving around to stand back on your side, his hand sliding once again on the small place on your lower back. The tension was so big you couldn’t even respond to his question, only answering with a light nod. 

Both of you made your way another big room, where everyone was gathering around. It was time for the auction. Doyoung stood by your side in the middle of the room. “Are you going to bid up for the paintings?” you asked nervous. His straight face was impossible to be read, his eyes fixed straight ahead. 

Your eyes caught his parents, they were at the front of the room chatting with another older couple. “I’m not really into paintings but—“he spoke taking your attention away from his parents. The more you looked at his father, the more they looked alike. “—I’ll try to piss off my father” he finished. 

“Why? That sounds stupid” you quickly snapped back. That was very rude for him to say, at least that’s what you thought. You had deep respect for your parents, the one who had raised you freely, letting you experience life to the fullest. “You might understand soon” was the only thing he answered before the man standing in front, next to one of the paintings, raised his voice. 

“First of all, I want to announce how grateful we are, in the name of the whole department of art of the university” he started his speech, “of course, we wouldn’t have done this without Mr. Kim’s help and gallery, we’re also very grateful for that” he directed his words to Doyoung’s father, who just nodded at him. 

“So this gallery is--?” you tried to ask, but Doyoung answered before you could even finish the question. “Yes, my parents own this place, just like almost the rest of the university” he spoke softly, careful to not be heard. “Why didn’t you tell me?” you asked incredulous. 

“Oh, so now our relationship is strong enough for me to talk to you about my parents?” he grinned looking down at you, remembering the argument you both had just moments ago. Gritting your teeth you decided to not answer, he was wining this game again, and he was unconscious he was playing at it. 

“Just forget about it” you murmured, just when the auction started. The first painting was sold for five hundred dollars, something you wouldn’t have even imagined, it was a painting made by a student, right? Who were these people? Why were they here? You kept asking yourself, as all of the paintings were being sold at a fast pace for really big numbers. 

“Next painting is a portrait!” the man that was leading the auction raised his voice again, making your eyes snap ahead to look at your work. “I bet all of you recognize the young gentleman on this one” he laughed looking at the painting and then back at the crowd, earning a few comments and smiles back. “Okay, who wants to start this?” his smile grew wider when he saw hands being raised up. 

“A hundred!” someone shouted from the other end of the room. 

“Two”

“Three fifty here!” someone else attacked back. 

Everything was going too fast for you to even proceed all of the information. They were going to pay so much money for a simple portrait? 

“A thousand!” a strong voice appeared from the front of the crowd. You recognized that voice from your first encounter. The look on his face was the same animals had on when they were on a hunt. It was scary. “I double it!” Doyoung shouted from your side, making your eyes grow wide.

“What?! Two thousand for that simple portrait?! Doyoung are you crazy?!” you hissed at him, your palms sweaty. His eyes were on his father. It was obvious they were on an internal fight, and none of them wanted to lose. “Two and five hundred!” the father answered back. “Make it three thousand then!” Doyoung attacked back. 

Their faces were straight as usual, none of them showed any emotion. He had definitely learned that from his father. He must’ve been trained to do that, it was impossible for a human being to be in such a serene state of mind when he was bidding up with such amount of money. “This is a fight between father and son, ladies and gentlemen! Who will give more!?” the leader of the auction appeared again. 

“Five thousand” the older man’s voice was still going strong, only earning a smirk from Doyoung. “Ten!” he said back, raising his hand again. Your heart was beating so fast inside of your chest you felt like it was about to explode, it was about to jump out of the cage that your ribs were forming. “Oh god you really have gone mad—this… this is not okay” you kept muttering, but he wasn’t listening. His mind was somewhere else. His mind was racing against his father. 

“Woah, ten thousand for his own portrait! He must like himself too much then, right?” the leader of the auction tried to ease the tension that was building in the room. Their presence was big, bigger than anyone else is in the room. They both stood tall, their chest and head raised. None of them was backing out on this. “Fifteen!” his father said back, his eyes set on Doyoung’s. 

Fifteen thousand dollars for your mediocre portrait? You definitely had to stop this. Taking Doyoung’s hand in yours you took his attention away from the situation successfully, his surprised eyes looking down at you. 

“I don’t know what you’re trying to prove, but—this is getting out of hand” you hissed at him. His eyes were set on yours, just to travel down at where both of your hands met. “Sixteen!” he shouted back, his eyes set on you this time. “Why--?”

“Eighteen!” the older voice shouted over the crowd. 

Your hand was firm on his, grasping even more with his every movement. “You don’t have to do this Doyoung—“you tried to stop him, this was ridiculous. It just proved how much money they had to spend on stupid things like a mediocre portrait made by a simple art student. “You wouldn’t understand Y/N…” he whispered before raising his head ahead one more time. 

“Twenty—that’s my final bid!” he spoke, making the crowd around you murmur, mixing the inaudible words with gasps. His father and he exchanged hateful looks, filled with desire of fight. “If there’s no one else taking that bid up—“the man who stood at the front next to your painting took a brief moment to let people talk, but no one would rise up that bid. 

“Mr. Kim is the one taking this beautiful portrait of himself back home! Thank you!” 

“You have definitely lost your mind—“you murmured, still amazed of how much money he decided to pay for that. If you knew it before, you would’ve told him you had another one back in your room, waiting to be destroyed. Twenty thousand was a big amount of money, more than anything you could`ve imagined to ever earn out of a painting. “You should be grateful instead of whining so much, Y/N” he interrupted your train of thoughts once again. 

“Grateful?”

“I just gave you twenty thousand dollars, now you’re the one who owes me a favour”

His words were harsh. His eyes were cold. He was, indeed, heartless. “You have to be—“

“No, I’m not kidding” he stopped you once again, his eyes moving forward, at where his parents were making their way to where both of you were standing. “Tomorrow, when I get the chance to explain everything…I hope you accept the deal—think of all the money as an extra. If you don’t want to do it, it’s fine. I understand”

How could a person be so cold? He was basically paying you to be his side chick for whatever turbulent plan he had in his mind. What did he want so much? He had everything, money, a family, a bright future. Why was he so mad at the world surrounding him?

“Good job son” his parents arrived to stand in front both of you. His mother had her hand around her husband’s arm, tightly grasping at it. Her expression was calm, a sly smile appearing. “You had the courage to not back out on such a tense situation—I’m proud”

What? Proud? He was proud his son just wasted all that money on something you did in five hours? How could someone be proud of that? “You kept yourself collected all the time, you didn’t show any sign of weakness. Good job” he praised him one last time before nodding his head and making his way out of the room where the auction was still going on. 

“Proud?” you whispered as your eyes followed their figures that were already making their way out. “That’s the third time I hear those words coming out of his mouth” Doyoung said, “third time? This year?”

“Third time ever since I was born” 

You were nervous as you took another step closer to the house where you first met Doyoung. Unlike the last time, you were going there with the daylight. It was a huge house, too big. How many people lived there? You still didn’t know anything about his fraternity. Your heart was beating loud in your chest, why were you so nervous to meet with him again?

After the events of the prior night, your mind couldn’t stop racing with all kind of theories about what Doyoung wanted to achieve with this silly plan of his. You couldn’t sleep properly, and that was obvious because of the dark circles under your eyes. Even the concealer couldn’t do a good job covering them. 

Ringing the bell twice, someone finally opened the big door of the house—or mansion. You didn’t remember it that big. “Who are you?” a slim boy standing in front of you asked. His face was gorgeous and that took your breath away. “I’m—well I actually—“ 

His eyebrows rose up and a cheeky smile appeared on his face. “Don’t be nervous, who did you come to see? Jaehyun?” he asked. You narrowed your eyes at him. “I don’t who Jaehyun is”, that answer surprised him. “Oh—I’m sorry, he’s usually the one bringing girls home all the time, I just thought—“ 

“Well you thought wrong” you answered quickly, suddenly all of your nervousness leaving your body. Did he really think you came here just to fuck one of the brothers? Did you really gave off that vibe? “I’m here to see Doyoung” you said after the awkward silence that had set upon both of you. 

“Doyoung?” 

“Yeah—I’m Y/N, I don’t know if he has mentioned—“ 

“Oh my god Y/N! I totally forgot you were coming today, yes come on in! I’m sorry I mistook you as one of Jaehyun’s fuck buddies!” he quickly apologized for his prior comment, taking you by your hand and leading you inside of the house. “I’m Taeyong” he introduced himself, that cheeky smile back on his face. 

“Yeah well I came—“ 

“Yes, we all know you were coming today but I totally forgot about it, just go upstairs and the third door is his bedroom, he must be there” he pointed to the big staircase leading to the second floor. “Why did you all know that I was coming?” you asked before turning around. 

“Doyoung never invites girls home, so it would be very strange you appeared out of nowhere. He decided to warn us, in case we kicked you out, you know” he explained, his ears turning red in embarrassment. 

Without much questions, you decided to let it go. It was strange, but the situation you were currently in was stranger. Knocking twice on the third door, Doyoung appear from behind of it. “I already thought you wouldn’t come” he smiled at you, politely letting you inside. 

It wasn’t a surprise his bedroom was so clean and tidy. His walls were white, matching with the bed covers. Everything was kept minimal. Everything was placed perfectly. It had nothing to do your messy room, where the brushes and colours were sprawled all around, some of your clothes were laying down on the floor and it was way too filled with all kind of paintings you didn’t know what to do with. 

“I’m sorry I’m late” you apologized, already feeling nervous around him. It wasn’t the fact that he was drop dead gorgeous, well—maybe that could be another factor to it, but you have discovered that the one thing that made you nervous about him was his presence, it was like every time you talked with him—he tried to negotiate. He didn’t hold any small talks, he didn’t talk about the weather. He was direct, clear and organized with his words. 

“Don’t be” he smiled again, “please, take a seat” he pointed down to his bed, as he sat on the chair he had in front of his desk. “So—will you finally tell me why you threw me at the wolves like that last night?” you tried to keep yourself together, not letting him know that your hands were sweating. 

“Look, I don’t if you’ve noticed but I… well, I don’t have the best relationship with my father” he started to explain, and you decided to let him talk, it would do no good if you interrupted him with sarcastic remarks. “But lately—it has become too much for me. He’s now trying to set me up to date people who I don’t even know, you know… his associates daughters”. 

Your eyebrows were furrowed at his explanation. “That’s horrible”, you really did feel sorry for him. For the short amount of time you’ve been around his father’s presence, and for the short conversation you two had, you could already know he wasn’t someone easy to get along with. He must’ve pressured Doyoung through all of his life. 

“That’s why I need your help, Y/N” his eyes rose to look directly at you. “It may sound stupid, but confronting my father by bringing home someone I know he won’t approve, is the best way I can finally show him that I won’t keep doing as he says”

“How are you so sure he won’t like me, he doesn’t even know me” you tried to laugh out his harsh words. “Because you’re not the type of person that he likes to be associated with” his statement came out calm, as if it was something normal to say. As if it was a sin that his son would ever think about dating some who wasn’t as rich as him. Blinking twice, you couldn’t believe what you just heard. 

“I know that sounded wrong but it’s the truth—at least for my father” he tried to fix his poorly chosen words. “Doyoung I think you have to look for another—“ 

“No, it has to be you!”

“Why?”

“Because I already introduced you as my girlfriend”

“Well, if you had asked me before doing such a stupid thing we wouldn’t be into this mess!” you attacked back, deciding on not backing out on him again. “Don’t raise your voice at me, we’re having this conversation as civilized people” he kept his tone low, and it was now that you realized that your fists were clenched on your lap. 

He really did a great job making you lose control. “Look—“you stopped to take a deep breath, “I know that your situation must be difficult and—I’m sorry you have to live this way, but maybe you should just let it go and… I know he will understand that you don’t want to do whatever he says without making all this lie up”

“You don’t know him Y/N” he leaned back on his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “Heck, I don’t even know him. I only know Mister Kim the business man, I don’t know him as Mister Kim the father”

It broke your heart the way he spilled all of those words filled with hate. His eyes were lost now, as if his mind was wandering back to some other time when he was a little boy. You cursed yourself for being such an empathic person, deeply feeling how hurt he must feel now. “Doyoung—“ 

“I told you last night I wouldn’t pressure you on doing something you don’t want to, I’m just asking for one chance” he tried to persuade you again. His posture changed, now his elbows were leaning on his knees. Your heart was beating fast, as fast as the thoughts racing in your mind. 

You had definitely lost you mind, Y/N, you said to yourself. 

“How much time do I have to pretend to be your girlfriend?” you asked softly, gaining back his attention, accompanied by a big smile spreading on his face. “Will you really do it?” he asked again, as if he was scared you would change your mind on the last minute. “I’m giving you one chance, I owe you one, remember?” a smirk appeared on his face after your words slipped from your mouth. 

“Great! They’re going on a little get away this weekend, they asked me to bring you with me” he was now standing up, looking for his phone. “Oh, great! Holidays!” you cheered, maybe this wasn’t that bad after all. “And where are we going?” 

“Paris” he answered back, making your eyes go wild. “A little get away is going to Paris? What kind of holidays do you have then?” your voice came out pitched, way too shocked with the situation. He finally turned his body around to look at you again, his eyebrows were furrowed in confusion. “We have a house in Paris and we sometimes go there if we feel stressed out, it’s really nice there” he explained, only making your mouth open wider. 

“Don’t tell me you haven’t been to Paris before”

“Well, of course I haven’t been to Paris before!”

“I’m sure you’ll love it, maybe you can get inspired again and paint another portrait, who knows.”

“How come you started to miss your family out of sudden?” Xiaojun asked. His body was leaning against your door as he looked at you packing your suitcase. “And why are you taking such fancy clothes if you’re just going back home?” his questions were starting to irritate you. 

“Is it a crime to miss your family? And—why can’t I dress nice for once? I don’t have to walk around oversized tees that are all stained!” 

“I’m not saying you can’t dress nice… you look good on everything” he said still following your every move with his eyes. How were you supposed to answer to that? It only reminded you of the time he sacrificed his feelings just to keep being by your side, even as friends. 

Both of you were going back home from a party. It was dark and cold outside. You tried to fight the cold by bringing your jacket closer to your body. Xiaojun’s house wasn’t far away. You were sleeping there because your parent would be too preoccupied if they knew you were going to a party even still being underage, it would do no good. “I’m so tired” you whined, dragging your feet. 

“We’re almost there” he answered suddenly placing his arm around your shoulders, trying to keep you warm. 

You two have known each other ever since you can remember. Having him by your side made you feel protected, just like an older brother. His love and support has always been there, and you took it for granted. 

“I think I feel something for you, Y/N” he had said that same night, lying down on his bed next to you. Your heart was about to explode because of the sadness it felt, knowing very well that you couldn’t say the same back to him. 

You weren’t brave enough to talk it out. You were just a coward who decided to run away from the situation, pretending to be asleep and acting as if nothing had happened, as if he didn’t place his heart in your hands for you to just crush it by ignoring him. 

Your ways separated that night. Both of you knew you weren’t asleep. Both of you knew you had heard him very clear, but you didn’t have the courage to confront the situation. 

“I’ll be away from a weekend only, please don’t destroy the house” you warned him, closing your suitcase. “Oh, you’re not really the right person to say that” he answered laughing, already leaving your room and making his way to the living room. “I have already apologized five times about that party Xiao! Will you were forget about it!” you whined following him around. 

It was one time he went back home and you decided it was a great idea to have a little gathering with friends. Which turned out to be worse than a frat party. “I forgive but I don’t forget Y/N” his laugh filled the room. 

“Anyways mister perfect, I’ll be back on Sunday night so I hope you welcome me with a nice homemade meal” 

“I’ll be waiting you like a loving husband waits for his wife to come back from a business trip”

“Don’t be so dramatic” 

As much as you wanted to play it cool, you were actually nervous about the trip. You were travelling to another country with someone you had met two weeks ago. It was good to be a free soul but wasn’t this too much? You could totally hear your mother’s words: if your heart wants to do it, go for it, it will never lie to you. 

Yes, it will never lie to you but did your heart want to go? You still didn’t know what Doyoung has done to you, ever since the first time you saw him on that party. His eyes had followed you around, his voice appearing in your mind. 

The second portrait you painted was still carefully hidden in your room behind the shadows of other bigger paintings. You tried to make it disappear by placing it somewhere you couldn’t constantly see it. It was more than enough that you couldn’t make him leave your head, you didn’t need his face around your room too. 

Maybe you should give it to him after the trip. That would be the end. 

He was waiting in his car outside your building. As usual, his outfit was clean perfect and it made you feel insecure to walk around him. It was obvious both of you were from different worlds, different social circles, different mentalities. This trip would be a difficult one. 

“Good morning” he greeted with a big smile on his face, irritating you how calm he was about the current situation. “Morning to you too” you quickly answered, trying to avoid him. 

“Are you ready?” he asked as both of you were already in his car, making your way to the airport. “I don’t know—are you?” you tried to sound confident, but your shaking voice made obvious how insecure you felt about it. “Don’t worry about anything Y/N, I’ll make sure to not put you in any kind of awkward situations. They planned this trip because they wanted to meet the person I’m dating and that’s all”

“Please don’t forget the fact that we’re not actually dating, god—I don’t even know your favourite colour” 

“But you shouldn’t be nervous about the simple things, we just have to come up with a great background story and that’s it!”

“Have you ever dated someone Doyoung? It’s not that easy to show feelings for someone when you’re not really in love! Are you aware of that?” 

“I’ve seen first-hand fake feelings Y/N, my family made sure to teach me that ever since I was little”

His words caught you off guard, making you feel terrible about snapping at him that way. You’ve never met someone with so much money. You’ve never talked with anyone who lived the life he lived. You didn’t know anything about him. 

It saddened you to know his family had neglected him all of his life, taking decisions for him and making him feel that way. But, once again, who were you to be worried about him? About his well-being? You weren’t even friends. Didn’t he have female friends who could help him out? Was he that desperate to fight his family that he had to ask a stranger for help?

The silence that fell upon both of you was awkward. You could clearly hear your heartbeat, but then again, there wasn’t a coherent answer to what he had said. The only thing you could do was to feel guilty about your words. 

“Black” he said out of sudden. You titled your head to the side to look at him. His eyes were focused on the road, his right hand on the shifting gear and his left arm relaxing on top of the steering wheel. “My favourite colour is black” he spoke again, briefly meeting your eyes before turning back to focus his attention on the road. 

“Okay, let’s just do this. What’s the plan?” you asked him, ready to leave that short argument behind. You didn’t know why, but you wanted to help him out. “Easy, we met because of a friend—let’s just say Taeyong, you met him back in the house, right?”

“Yeah”

“Well we met because of him, we both had the same interests and we just clicked, easy as that”

You couldn’t stop the laugh that left your mouth when you heard those words. “You know we don’t have the same interests, right? No one will believe us”

“Well, then we can just improvise” 

What’s the worst thing that could happen? It was a win-win situation at the end, you had the chance to travel for free to Paris and have a relaxing weekend with nothing to think about. Well, nothing besides the lies you had to come up with to make his parents believe both of you were deeply and madly in love. Feelings you were also unfamiliar with. 

When you both arrived to the airport your palms were already sweaty. To think you had to stand in front of his father again made you want to throw up. There was a tight knot in your stomach and it didn’t help the fact that you already knew how harsh his words would be. 

Doyoung helped you with your suitcase, as he only had a little bag on his back. “Why aren’t you bringing clothes?” you asked surprised. “I have a full closet there, don’t worry” he answered as if it was the most normal thing in the world. How much money did these people have? 

He walked by your side with your suitcase. Both of you spotted his parents on the entrance of the airport, his father in a suit and his mother in a beautiful summer dress with black shades on. Doyoung’s fingers laced with yours and that simple move made your heart flutter in your chest. 

“Good morning mom” he greeted her before turning to the other side, “father” he nodded his head at him. “Sweetie you have bags under your eyes, aren’t you sleeping well? Do you want me to call Dr. Jung to treat those dark circles?” his mother spoke worriedly. She preferred to treat those instead of asking him why wasn’t he been sleeping well? 

“Good morning Y/N, it’s nice seeing you again” she was now directing her attention to you, a kind smile on your face. “Good morning Ms. Kim” you greeted back, smiling after Doyoung’s hand grasped harder at yours. “Mr. Kim” you also greeted his father, who didn’t even look at you. He really knew how to make someone feel awkward. 

“Is the plane ready?” Doyoung asked. 

“Yes, they’re all waiting for us” his mother spoke again. It looked like Mr. Kim wasn’t in the mood to have a conversation that morning. “Shall we?” she asked again, turning around and making her way inside the airport, closely followed by her husband. 

“Are we late for the flight?” you asked worried. “No, the plane is waiting for us, don’t worry” he spoke with his head high. “I shouldn’t talk much with your father right? Looks like he’s not in the mood”

“He’s never in the mood” he scoffed, his hand still holding tight on yours. “So I should avoid him all weekend?” 

“No, he won’t let you” he stopped suddenly, making you stop by his side. “Just don’t let his words get to you Y/N” his eyes were now focused on you. He was talking serious, way too serious for your liking. “What do you mean?” 

“Well, you saw it back on the gallery, sometimes he can be a little—too direct with his words” 

“You mean he can be rude” you let those words escape your mouth before your mind could proceed with them. Your eyes widened and so did his. What you didn’t expect was to hear him laugh loud at your words. “You’re right, he’s rude” he nodded before turning around. It calmed you to know at least he knew the truth about his father.

When Doyoung told you that the plane was waiting for you, you didn’t exactly expect it to be really waiting for you. His family’s private plane was ready to take off as everyone was taking their seats inside. 

“Why are you so nervous Y/N? Is it your first time flying?” his mother asked you finally taking off her shades, a small smile on her face. You furrowed your eyebrows at her, did she really think that only rich people could fly around to other countries? “No—it’s not my first time, but I always get nervous” you tried convince her but she only nodded her head, the smile still on her face. It creeped you out a little that small smile? Why was she smiling?

There wasn’t much conversation to hold with them, and it really made you feel awkward to be sitting there in front of them. Doyoung was by your side, his hand still holding tight on yours as he was a reading a book. It seemed like he didn’t want to let you go, as if you would spill out the truth if he didn’t protect you in front of them. 

“If you excuse me, I’ll be in the back resting” his father was the one who broke the silence that made you feel so uncomfortable once the plane had already taken off. He hadn’t said a single word to you ever since you met that same morning. He was a cold person, and his son was the same. 

“So tell me Y/N, what do your parents do for a living?” his mother spoke calmly, her every word dragging the next one form her mouth. Doyoung’s eyes snapped up as if he knew what was coming next. “My mom is a painter and my dad’s a lawyer”. It wasn’t a lie that you felt small between both of them, their aura filling the whole place. 

“A lawyer, that’s a good profession. Why did you decide to follow your mother’s steps?” she really looked interested in the topic. “Mom I think—“, “what’s wrong Doyoung? Is there something wrong with me asking about her parents?” she was quick the shut him out of the conversation, her once warm eyes now cold as stone. “No” he muttered before looking back down at his book. 

“My parents have always taught me that I should do whatever makes my heart happy—whatever keeps me going in life, and I’ve never been interested in books, I would rather spend my free time drawing and painting instead of studying” 

“But you still managed to enter the same university as Doyoung, that’s impressive” her words made you doubt about if that was a praise or she was just being sarcastic. “That’s because of the scholarship I got, I applied and they were impressed by my paintings” you tried to hold yourself together. 

Doyoung’s hand was still tightly grasping at yours, his eyes clearly not focused on the words written in the book he was holding with his other hand. “You saw her painting of me, right mom? What do you think about it?” he intervened again, bothered to be left out of the conversation. 

“It was good” she answered, “although you could clearly see it was the first time you painted a portrait, am I right?” her eyes moved quickly between you and Doyoung. “Well yeah- I don’t believe it’s good either” 

“Why did you portray Doyoung that way though? It seemed like you didn’t know the person you were painting, it has nothing to do with our son” she remarked, making you think how you said those same things to Doyoung back at the gallery. All of her words were carefully chosen and that made you think that she was way more dangerous than his father. 

“I painted it when we met” you simply answered, “we didn’t know each other that much yet, I just tried to portray his face, the feelings on that painting are not his” 

“That’s what I thought” she finished saying, repositioning herself on the seat. Her shoulders relaxed as she moved her head to look out of the little window of the plane. “We’ve always tried our best to make Doyoung happy by giving him the best in life, it wouldn’t make sense if he was as miserable as you portrayed him in that painting”

Doyoung’s eyes were fixed on his mother, his mouth closed in a thin line. He was holding himself back to not answer something he would probably regret later on. The more time you spend around that family, the more you realized how fucked up they were. 

You placed your other hand on top of his trying to calm him down, his attention moving away from his mother to be entirely focused on where your skin touched. It must’ve been hard to grow up for him, and your heart broke every time you thought about it. 

Nothing much happened in the flight to Paris. His mother stayed in front of both of you all the time, so you couldn’t talk with Doyoung about anything either. It gave you time to think about the situation. 

His parents were convinced they had raised a young happy man, when in reality he despised them. They were convinced Doyoung has had everything in life, when he was missing on the best part. It shocked you how much you realized from a single conversation with his mother and from what you’ve talked with him. 

He had never had someone love him. He had never felt a motherly hug on a rainy day, or how it feels to have someone take care of you whenever you felt sick. He had never had that, and it saddened you to know that’s the reason why his heart was stone cold, or at least that’s what you thought. 

Another thing that occurred to you is that, even if this plan turned out fine, would he be able to live without his parents support? Would be he able to make decisions on his own? After stealing a few glances of him concentrated on the book he was reading, you realized that behind that façade of a perfect man, whose life was all under control, there was a scared boy who didn’t know how to manage any of his life problems.

He has never had the chance to confront any difficulties in life. That could be good, but not at the extreme he was raised. He doesn’t know what humility is, for him is normal for own five houses in different countries and to have a plane that can take him around whenever he wanted. He was totally disconnected from reality. 

Would he be able to confront the hard reality of what life is really like outside the perfect bubble his parents had built for him? Was this just a rebel action that he would regret the rest of his life? 

You didn’t know what to think anymore. Everything was fine before stepping on that damn party, before Doyoung spilling his drink on your clothes. Everything was perfect for you. Damn you, Doyoung, the little voice in your head curse loudly. 

“We will see you back home, honey” his mother said before entering one of the two cars that were waiting for you at the airport. “Why are they taking another car? I think there’s plenty of space for us there too—“ 

“They’re like that. They don’t like sharing a ride with strangers”

“Who’s coming then?”

“What do you mean?” 

“Well you said they didn’t like to ride with—“ 

“Oh, I was referring to you”

Your eyebrows shot up when you heard his words. “I thought—“, “they haven’t accepted you still Y/N, and that’s the plan”.

Entering the car you were still shocked because of what he had just said. “I thought you wanted to—“, “I want them to know that I will do whatever I want from now on, and that includes that I’ll date people who they don’t approve of, that’s why you’re here”

“So… my mission is to annoy your parents?”

His eyes got wider hearing those words, but he took a moment to think about it. “You could put it that way—yes” he answered titling his head to the side. “Why didn’t you say that before, I won’t hold back anymore then” 

A smirk spread on his face while he was riding back to their house. “Don’t make a scene though” he commented, bringing back the words he has said to you thousand times before. You rolled your eyes at him, placing a hand on his shoulder, “if you really want to annoy them you have to let me make a scene, it won’t work if we play this game by their rules”

“What happened to you? Just hours ago you were nervous to step on a plane with my parents and now you want to make them go crazy on you?” 

“I just don’t like when people think they’re better than everyone else just because they have money” you quickly answered, making him shut up. He knew better than anyone else that he behaved that way as well. Could he handle you, then?

The city was indeed beautiful. More than what you expected it to be. As Doyoung was driving down the road to his house, you just kept observing everything out of the window. It was a warm sunny day, the streets were filled with people and cars, every open place was a beautiful sight and so were all of the public gardens the city had. 

A smile spread on your face when you realized that what people have been saying was all true. The city was awake. The city interacted with its citizens. The atmosphere of the place was way different from everywhere else you’ve been to before. You couldn’t help but feel your heart full of joy, full of happiness and love, just because you were on that city. 

“Beautiful, right?” his voice stopped your train of thoughts, making you turn around and look at him. The sun made his dark hair shine and his skin look paler, but brighter. “I’ve never been in a city like this one before” you softly said, turning back to look out of the window. You wanted to memorize everything you could from it, just like you wanted to memorize the emotions you felt that very moment. You’ve never felt like his before. 

“The first time I came to Paris was when I was ten years old” he started to speak again, but this time you didn’t take your eyes off of the sight in front of you, letting him talk while you kept observing. “I don’t know if it was because of the streets, the people… the ambience, but I felt like—“ he stopped, his eyes were looking straight at the road but you knew his mind was travelling back in time to when he was a young ten year old boy stepping for the first time  here. 

“I really felt like the city was awake” he said. Had he read your mind? Your head titled to the side to look at him again, briefly forgiving about the beautiful buildings you were passing by. “I felt like it was the city the one that marked the pace of people’s lives, not the other way around. It was the city who chose the people who were allowed to live in it… I know it’s a weird thought but I felt like that” 

The smile that had spread on his face was a small one, but you knew it was sincere. “I know what you mean” you commented back as you turned around to keep looking at the landscape. “I don’t know what it is that this place has, but ever since we entered it I knew it was special”, it was a mere mumble coming out of your mouth but Doyoung managed to catch your every word, smiling at himself. 

When you arrived to his house you couldn’t help but gasp at the big mansion that was staring back at you. It was all white house, with big beautiful blue roof, very Parisian. His parents’ car was already parked at the entrance, where he also parked his. 

“If you want, we can get changed and go back downtown and I can show you a few places” he proposed as he was taking out your suitcase from the back of the car. “Wow—that’d be great” you couldn’t help but feel amazed by everything that was surrounding you, hoping that the way you were feeling lasted long until the weekend ended. 

Having the great luck of not crossing paths with his parents inside of the big house, he led you to his room. It was no surprise how big it was. Also with white walls and tall ceilings, it had a minimal decoration, just like his room back in his frat house. “I hope you don’t mind if we sleep together, it would be weird if my parents knew that you’re sleeping in a different room—you know, since were a couple now” he laughed, making you relax a bit. 

“No, that’s fine…” you answered walking around the big room. 

You never knew all of the great places a city could have. You two had been walking around town for three hours. Nothing could wipe the big smile on your face and the surprised expression whenever Doyoung told you something about the history of the city. 

He was also happy, or at least that’s what it looked like, you thought. He walked around with you showing you every place he could think of, talking to you about how the buildings were built, why there were so many public parks with such beautiful nature. It was the first time you felt like Doyoung was relaxed around you. 

“Have you ever thought of living here?” you asked him as both of you were walking by the seine river with an ice cream in hand. He furrowed his brows, looking at the river by his side. “I have” his answer was honest, you were waiting for the reason why he wouldn’t do it. “But my parents wouldn’t let me—they say this city is not for me” he explained. 

“That’s the reason? What does that even mean?” you asked confused and he laughed at your expression. “This city was made for dreamers, Y/N” he suddenly stopped to look at the shining river, painted in all warm colours because the sun was already setting down. “They say that I couldn’t live here because I have to focus on being successful in life and this city will make me lose my vision” 

Instead of looking at the beautiful sight of the river in front of you, you couldn’t take your eyes off of him. His tall body standing still, his head high and his eyes lost in all of the memories he had made every time he had come here. “You know” you spoke, your eyes still set on him, “my mom always says that people should do whatever makes their heart beat fast in their chest as if it’s dancing behind your ribs”, and he smiled at your words. “If the life you’re having right now doesn’t make you feel that way, Doyoung…” 

“If we follow the same metaphor your mother said, I can say my heart dances to a slow beat when we’re back home…so, it’s not as bad as it seems” he answered, smiling back down at you. but it was a forced smile, the relaxed Doyoung you had seen all evening had disappeared with simple words, replacing him with the same Doyoung you met days ago in that frat party.

“I’m sorry for asking, I should have brought that up…”

“Don’t worry about it, really” he tried to reassure you. “Want to go back home? It’s getting late and I’m sure you’re tired”. 

He told you to not worry about him, when his mood clearly changed from what you were accustomed to see all evening. It wasn’t like looking at the young free boy that led you around town to show you all of its secrets. Instead, in front of you was a young man whose face was emotionless, eyes cold and mouth closed. He didn’t show anything. 

It was like you had reminded him that this wasn’t his life. And it would never be, not because he didn’t want it, but because he couldn’t have it. And you knew that was the first time Doyoung has wanted something that his parents couldn’t give him, and they didn’t want to give him. 

They didn’t want to give him his freedom. And that’s what hurt him the most. 

“Remember to not let my father’s words get to you” he reminded you as you both made your way to the dining room. “If you let me make a scene I’ll not let his words get to me” you smiled big at him, finally earning a laugh. He had been serious and silent ever since that conversation in front of the river just an hour ago. So, hearing that laugh again made you relax. 

“I let you make a scene but if I think it’s too much I’ll stop you” he warned you at which you could only roll your eyes. “No one can stop me once I open my mouth” you said and his hand quickly caught your wrist, making you stop in front of him abruptly. 

Suddenly he was close. Too close. He was looking down at you, his eyes piercing through your soul. He was still holding your wrist but you didn’t dare to move away. Something made you stop everything, just like it stopped the world revolving around you. “Behave” he warned again and this time you could feel his breathe closer, or did you imagine that? 

Why was it that he could change personalities so fast? How did he do that? You kept asking yourself. “C’mon, they’re already waiting for us” he said passing by, letting your wrist finally free. What was that? Why did he—?

“Y/N?” He asked as he turned around to wait on you. “Yeah I’m sorry—“ 

Get yourself together Y/N! Your mission here is to annoy his parents, not to stand dumbfounded every time he does the thing!, but how did he managed to shut you up with one word only? 

“Did you like Paris, Y/N?” his mother was the first to talk after dinner was served. You were still looking down at the table, why did they need so many cutlery? Three forks? For what? “Ah—yeah, it’s really a beautiful city” you tried to talk back to her but your mind was still panicking on which fork was the right one to use. 

“We bought this house when Doyoung turned ten because we knew it would be a good place to bring him just to let him relax” she started to explain, and took the first fork on her right in order to eat her meal and you decided to copy her. Doyoung must’ve noticed your expression and how quickly you copied her movements because of the smile that slowly spread on his face as he watched you from the corner of his eye. 

“But I think we’ll be selling it soon” his father’s voice made an appearance, making all of the eyes in the room set on him. Doyoung had a shocked expression on, his eyes wider than ever. “Why would you do that?” he asked. “Because we don’t need it anymore, you’re already a grown man who has to focus on the last of your studies and also the company” he spoke without looking up at his son. As if his words weren’t bullets that were directly shot at Doyoung’s chest. 

“But—isn’t it too soon for me to enter the company?” his eyes were now between his father and his mother, who both had the same serious expression. “I was your age when your uncle and I first opened the company, so I don’t see where the problem is” the older man commented again. 

“But I haven’t finished college yet and I planned on doing a master’s degree afterwards—“ 

“That’s too much time, I prefer you make mistakes in the company now while I can mend them for you” he answered, not paying any kind of attention at Doyoung’s face. “But if you’re so sure Doyoung will make mistakes why don’t you let him learn first and then work?” you were the one to speak now, interrupting the family conversation. 

Doyoung’s hand quickly landed on top of your thigh as his eyes turned to look at you serious. He was telling you that it was not the best moment to make a scene, but your heart felt otherwise. “I mean—it’s obvious you don’t trust him enough to take the reins, why don’t you let him study hard and understand very well what he has to do” you tried to explain yourself since no one in the table seemed to understand why you spoke. 

“Y/N, have you ever had a job?” that was the first time his father directed a word towards you that day. His elbows were now on the table, as his hands were folded before his face. “No sir but I—“ 

“Then, I suppose you have no idea what it takes to build a company out of nothing… wait that’s nonsense, you’re an art student, I’m sorry this conversation will not lead to anywhere—“ he smiled down at his plate as he kept eating. 

Doyoung’s hand grasped at your thigh, signalling you that this was the time to shut up. “It’s true that I haven’t worked yet but my parents do, and they may have not have the amount of money this family has but I they made sure to teach me what hard work meant” you kept your head high as you spoke, your eyes still set on his father. 

“Hard work? From an artist like your mom?” he scoffed, but that made your blood boil. “Yes, hard work, since she managed to keep pursuing her passion while raising me, and I can assure you that’s not something easy” you answered back, Doyoung’s hand grasping tightly on your thigh, but you were not about to lose against his father. 

“She didn’t do a great job raising you, as we can see” he shot back, looking straight at you again. “Who sets the standard?” you asked back. “Well, a hopeless dreamer with no manners, what else could we expect from you? Doyoung, I really thought you had better taste in women” his father completely ignored your question, now attacking his own son. 

“I believe this is enough” his mother intervened as she set down her glass of wine. The room went silent, and no one looked up from their plate. Doyoung still had his hand on your thigh, his eyes set on the table. You could clearly see he was scared of his father. He wouldn’t ever stand up for someone else in front of his father—hell, he wouldn’t even stand up for himself. You really did feel sorry for him. 

“That was completely unappropriated” was the first thing you heard after entering Doyoung’s bedroom that night. 

“What? Your father’s way to say that my mother is a failure? I believe the same” 

“No—well yes, that wasn’t good either… but I’m talking about how you snapped back at him” he turned around to face you, his face was the same as the first time you met him. He was mad. “I thought you said—“ 

“I said I would stop you and I tried” 

“Oh, you were stopping me? I thought you were just playing kinky” you tried to ease the conversation, knowing it would only lead to an argument. You walked pass him to enter the bathroom, but he followed you quickly around. “Don’t play stupid on me Y/N” 

“Look Doyoung, maybe it was not my place to speak since it was a family matter but that matter changed once he decided to attack on my own family, which I will protect and stand up for every time someone tries to speak about them—you should take example from me instead of your parents, don’t you think?” you asked him before shutting the bathroom door.

Your hands were shaking and so were your legs. His wide eyes as you were saying that last thing was the only thing in your mind. You had shut him up. For the first time it was him, and not you, the one left speechless. Was he mad? Was he furious? You didn’t know, and you weren’t impatient to know either. 

Looking at your reflection on the mirror you were happy to see the brave girl you once were to come back to life. You didn’t regret anything you said tonight. They will see who you are truly, and maybe you could help Doyoung. One way or another, he could learn something from you, and maybe finally setting free from the chains his parents had set on him. 

Your hands itched with the need to pick up a brush and fill a blank canvas with all of the emotions you were feeling on the inside. That’s something your mother had taught you, every time you felt overwhelmed, the best you could do was to paint and leave all of your emotions there, not thinking about it anymore. 

But you didn’t have brushes nor a canvas with you, so you were left with the storm of thoughts and feelings on the inside, making your hands still shake as you finally exited the bathroom. The room was dark, the only source of light were the lights of the backyard that entered the room softly, falling upon Doyoung’s body which was already on the bed. 

His forearm was above covering his eyes and his other hand was laying on his chest. His chest rose and fell with a slow rhythm, making you believe he was asleep. His body looked relaxed, and you prayed it was that way. 

You slow let your body lay down next to him, trying to keep the distance between you two. It was uncomfortable to sleep on your back as you were used to sleep in all kind of positions, but never on your back. With a sigh you moved around and finally positioned yourself on your side looking at Doyoung. 

“What is your favourite colour?” his voice came out almost inaudible, barely above a whisper. Your eyes opened wide as you looked at his face, which was still covered by his forearm. You didn’t expect him to ask you that, but for some weird reason it made your heart beat faster than before. 

“Green” you whispered back. 

“Why”

“It relaxes me, it makes me feel safe. All of my paintings when I was little were based on the colour green. It is also the colour I imagine every time I feel anxious and it helps me calm down” 

You explained, at which he didn’t question back. “Why is your favourite colour black?” you were the one asking this time. “Because it doesn’t mean anything. It’s just the mix of everything else you have in the colour scheme—it’s turbulent and chaotic” 

The thought of him being mad at you quickly disappeared because of the tone of his voice. It was not strict, or serious. He was just talking and explaining just like he had done that evening while both of you walked around the streets of Paris. 

“I apologize for what happened before” he softly said again, finally moving his forearm away from his eyes, but he kept them closed. “I will try to stand up for you next time something like this happens” 

“Doyoung—“

“You were right Y/N, that’s something I can learn from you”

Much to your surprise hours passed by in a rush when you were with Doyoung. You both spent the whole Saturday out of the house, away from the hot tension that had built up into the house where his parents where. You didn’t know why, but after that brief conversation with Doyoung the night prior, it felt like everything that had happened before was just a bad dream. 

None of you mentioned the argument that led him to confess how he felt towards your move on his parents, and you were grateful for it. Maybe he wasn’t that bad after all, right? The one thing that you noticed is that he acted differently around his parents and away from all of the pressure they put him through. When he was only with you his mood was lighter, he laughed regularly at your remarks and sometimes at your jokes, but the best thing out of everything is that he let himself go. 

The controlling aura he thought he must have all the time because of his father, slowly but steadily fell off during that Saturday, being replaced by the image of a simple boy who was enjoying his day out. And you loved every second of it. 

“If you had a little bit of knowledge about art you would know the story behind the Giaconda!” you argued with him after you both exited The Louvre. “Then what’s the story behind it, miss i-know-it-all?” he asked making you furrow your eyebrows at the nickname he decided to use on you ever since you both entered the museum. 

“As you already know Leonardo painted it back in 1500, but he never considered it to be complete and that’s why he never gave it to his commissioner” you started to speak as you were both already walking again side by side next to the sienna river. “Why?” he asked confused. “That’s the mystery that revolves around the painting” you responded with a smirk on your face. 

“It is still not known who the person portrayed on the painting is, but there are a lot of great theories about it. Some say it corresponds to Lisa Gherardini, being her the second wife of Franceso del Giocondo, but there are far more interesting theories than this one” you spoke freely, being this topic one of the many you’ve had to write about in college. 

His eyes were truly interested in every word you said, listening closely to your explanation. “There is a theory according to which the subject is Leonardo himself, there are a lot of similarities between the painting and the his face and that would also explain why he never gave it out to the commissioner” 

“Well that’s an interesting one, I’ve never heard about it. But everything you’re saying are just theories, right?”

“Well yes, the reason why the painting is so popular is because of the mystery that holds, the smile, the eyes—everything behind it creates an aura of an enigma around it” you spoke quietly now, as your walk slowed down. “I believe with people happens the same” 

He completely stopped to look at you with narrowed eyes. “How’s that?”

“We’re often attracted to people whose aura it’s just like that because our need of knowledge about them is too powerful, what are they hiding? Why are they hiding? Who are they hiding it from?” you kept on explaining looking straight at the beautiful sight of the river in front of you. “But sometimes the disappointment behind all of that mystery is bigger than the challenge itself, that’s why people should be careful on who they choose to approach… and it’s not always easy to identify the signs”

The soft wind blowing made the landscape in front of you even more gorgeous to look at. You knew that you had to return back to Paris someday, and give this dreamer’s city a try. Doyoung stepped to stand by your side, his eyes glued to your face. 

“Were you attracted to me because of that?”

That simple question made your blood freeze in your veins. It was in that moment when you realized how close he was standing to you, and you were not brave enough to turn around and face him. “Who ever said I was attracted to you?”

There you were again. Running away from the situation, like a coward. But now it was different. It was not Xiaojun, and you were not sure if you were attracted to him or not. Maybe he was right, maybe he was not. But there was something you couldn’t deny, ever since the first day he entered your mind and decided to stay.

“Your reactions to me did” he answered quickly. 

“Doyoung I don’t know what—“ 

“That’s why you painted that portrait” he stopped you again, and you just couldn’t help but look up at him. His eyes had turned back to being cold. “Because you thought that if you painted me… you could just live by the fake image you could build up about me… you were too scared to approach the mystery so you decided to create the answer behind it yourself” he spoke quietly, as if he had thought about the topic for days. But it couldn’t be. 

“I don’t—“ 

“Just accept it” he pushed once again. His right hand fell on the lower part of your back as he made you turn around to completely face him. This wasn’t good, he was way too close. Your bodies were way too close. “Just accept it that you couldn’t stop thinking about me ever since the day we met” he repeated. 

You could just accept it and risk it. You could just be honest to him, and to yourself, for once. But was it worth it? Your mind was running wild but his hand was still holding you still in front of him. He wouldn’t back out, and you knew it. His father had shown him to stay strong and confront the situation, something you have always avoided. 

Maybe you could learn something from him too. 

“I can’t accept a lie” you lied yourself. 

His hand immediately fell from his place and you missed it before a second even had passed. You held your breath as he held your gaze. Something changed. His aura changed. Did you ruin it? Probably. Why did you do it? You had no idea. It was your first instinct, to not show him your true emotions. Why?

Because you were scared. Who has felt that way before towards a stranger who they had met in a frat party? That’s just madness. It couldn’t be true. Could it? Then why was he right? How did he know you couldn’t stop thinking about him? Why was this situations so cruel for you?

Closing his eyes for a brief moment he opened them again. “I apologize” he softly said. You had lost the young free Doyoung you had spent the day with, and now you were greeted by the narcissistic rich man Doyoung, someone you hated. “I won’t bring that up again, it was a mistake. Please just—forget about it” he finally added before stepping to the side, making his way back to the car. 

Your mouth fell open ready to call him out to stop walking, ready to let him read you like a book, just like he has been doing all this time without you even realizing it. But it was too late. You had lost him, and you didn’t know if you could bring back the real Doyoung from the shadows. 

No more words were shared between you and Doyoung after that last ones in front of the river. You felt uneasy about it, and thought deeply on how to mend your own error but nothing seemed good enough, at least not for him. It wasn’t easy to deal with Doyoung, you never knew what he was thinking or which would be his next move, it was impossible to catch him off guard. 

“I know we’ve avoided my parents today and I’m sure they’re pissed off because of that” he said just as he parked the car in front of his house. “If last night’s topic comes up again please… don’t intervene, Y/N” he asked sincerely looking at you in the eyes. It looked like he wanted to deal with this by himself, but would he be able to do so? 

What you noticed last night is that he was afraid of sharing his opinion about the important matters with his parents. That’s why they always took every possible chance to decide on his future, because he was too scared to say no. But, could you blame him? 

“If not—please…” he spoke again, just as you thought he had finished. “If you get the chance, please make a scene”. You could catch a small smile on his mouth but it didn’t reach his sad eyes. “I’ll try my best” was the only thing you could answer. 

“Aren’t you coming?” he asked as you stopped yourself from following him inside of the house. “I want to take a moment—I’ll see you in a minute” you tried to smile but all you needed was some time alone, without Doyoung’s strong presence around you that didn’t let you think properly. 

The sun was setting down and the colour scheme reflected on the house’s façade was truly beautiful. It calmed you down to look at all the warm colours, but it also reminded you on how tonight was the last night you could help Doyoung. And you couldn’t do it only “making a scene”, like he said. There was more to it. 

“I thought you were already inside with Doyoung, I understand you both had a nice day today, right?” his mother’s voice made you turn around abruptly. Where did she come from? “Yes, we’re a bit tired after all the walking around” you tried to smile politely at her, but you knew she was the worst of them all. 

She walked slowly to stand by your side and also look at the colourful view in front of you. “I don’t know where you appeared from Y/N, but I know you won’t be staying for a long time” she spoke but her mouth barely moved. “Ms. Kim I don’t think—“ 

“Please hear me out” she started again, this time turning to smile at you. It was almost a kind smile, a smile that a mother would give lovingly to her child. Doyoung was right, he was used to fake feelings because that’s everything he knew. “When we return back home, you will leave Doyoung’s side and never look out for him again”

Out of everything this was the last thing you thought you’d hear. “You are both clearly from different worlds, and we both know Doyoung can do way better than you, at least that’s what he deserves”. You never thought it would hurt that much to hear those words. 

“This is not a threat Y/N, it’s a warning. If you want to do him good, leave him alone once we return back home” she smiled one last time before taking a step forward to leave your side. “I won’t” faintly slid from your mouth, making her stop. 

“Excuse me?”

“I want to do him good that’s the reason why I won’t leave him alone” the words left your mouth so fast your mind didn’t even proceed them. “You will regret what you just said” she responded and continued to walk towards the house. The beautiful colours you were admiring moments ago were already gone, leaving everything into the dark. 

Maybe she was right. Maybe you were sacrificing too much just to help him. To help a stranger. 

The sound of the door closing behind you made Doyoung snap his eyes open. He was laying down on the bed, waiting for you. “I already thought you ran away back to the museum” he joked but you couldn’t even smile back at him. You didn’t know why his mother’s words affected you so much. “Doyoung, do you think this is the best for you?” you asked making his eyebrows shot up in surprise. 

“The best for me?”

“I mean—you’ve always had them decide for you, do you really believe you’re ready to take action on your own?” you asked him stepping to stand in front of him. He quickly sat up on the bed, his head titling up to look at you. “Where’s this coming from?” 

“I was just thinking that…maybe they do want the best for you, that’s why their making their best to teach you about the company and…setting you up with different girls” you explained, unable to even look at him in the eyes. You couldn’t believe yourself. “I thought you were against all of that? Y/N what—“ 

“Maybe you get lucky and one of those girls is actually someone good to you… someone good for you” 

“You want to stop this?”

“All I’m saying is that you should think it through… really think about it” 

He stood up to stand tall in front of you, but once again close. Your eyes were set on his neck, unable to look up at him. “I’ve made the decision Y/N, if you don’t want to help me on this one I understand, I told you from the start that I won’t push you into doing things you don’t want to. But this is something I’ve lived with all my life, and I think it’s time for a change”.

You finally looked up at him, just to see the same person you once painted. 

Doyoung sat by your side once again on the dining table. His father and mother were sitting across from you, both with stoic expressions on. No one dared to talk while waiting for the food to arrive. The look on his mother’s eyes was mortifying, and you knew it was all because of your answer back. Thinking about the positive side of the situation, you’ve already taken the first step on helping Doyoung out while talking with his mother. 

“What do you plan on doing after college, Y/N?” to your surprise it was his father the on to start the conversation this time. That question took you aback, you actually had no idea what you wanted to do after college. “I want to travel” you chose on taking the easy way tonight. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Well that’s nice, but don’t you have a plan? I mean…if you and Doyoung are still together it won’t be good if you leave to travel around the globe while he’s working and paying for all of that, right?”

“I never said Doyoung would be the one paying”

“That’s impressive then, how do you plan on doing it?” he scoffed, his hands folded in front of his face. “I plan on working while studying and save as much as I can, then leave everything and go”

“Leave everything and go? That’s risky, I believe only brave people can do that” his mother was the one to talk now. 

“I think it’s a good plan” Doyoung spoke suddenly, which you didn’t expect at all. “It’s a waste of time, you can always do that once you have your life sorted out and you have a stable economic background to do so without worries” his father answered back looking at Doyoung. 

He quickly shut up after hearing that. “Anyways, I also plan on opening my own store and with some luck, my own gallery” you tried to move on with the conversation. Doyoung had the guts to answer one time to his parents, but never twice. “Oh a gallery? That’s nice, but you need a good fund to start with” his mother smiled again, and you knew that one smile wasn’t a kind one. 

“Everything can be done if I work hard enough”, you were not letting them win this one. “It will only be successful if the paintings are good—if you plan on doing that with portraits like the one you exposed in our gallery, well…” 

His father’s eyes were determined on finishing you on this one last dinner.

“You didn’t like it? Then why did you try to buy it?” you asked with a curious look on your face. 

“Because Doyoung was impressed by it, and I thought it would be nice if I bought it for him, even if I didn’t like it” 

“I didn’t know you did things like that for your son, most times you don’t think if he would like what you have for him or not” you quickly snapped back, and Doyoung’s hand was back on your thigh trying to stop you. “We always think about his likings and well-being” his mother was the one to answer now. 

“Really? Was that your intention when you were trying to set him up with all kind of rich girls? I thought it was because you didn’t want him to be around people with less money than him, you know… from different worlds” 

The room fell silent after your last statement. “I won’t let you disrespect us like this in our own home” his father’s tone of voice changed completely. It frightened you now. Did you cross the line? “Father please—“ 

“We all have different opinions about the topic, I believe I haven’t disrespected anyone now”, you tried to keep yourself calm. “You can state your opinion as long as it’s not attacking us directly” his mother responded. 

“This only show’s how little you know your son, and it’s sad” you made them shut up, Doyoung’s hand still on your thigh, but you weren’t going to stop now. “You will never know the amazing young boy he is because you’ve forced him to grow up as a man too fast. He has never had a free childhood, he has never had the chance on making memories with his friends as a normal kid, because of you”

“Y/N—“Doyoung tried to stop you. 

“I know that maybe I’m not here for the long run, but while I’m here I will support him on doing everything he wants to do and I won’t impose him my own decisions, just like you, as his parents, have done all of his life” you finally said, standing up and stomping out of the room. Yes, maybe you did cross the line. But you couldn’t stop. 

The anger that had built inside of your chest was too much to handle anymore. You had to let it out. The room you shared with Doyoung suddenly felt small and the air in it didn’t feel enough. 

“What was that?!” he entered, harshly closing the door behind him. “What?! Me defending you in front of your parents?!” you answered back with the same tone. You were not having it anymore, you’ve let him guide this game you were both playing, but it was time to change the rhythm. 

“I tried to stop you but you kept talking shit Y/N!” 

“I kept—?! I only said what you’ve been thinking your whole life Doyoung! I had the courage to do it”

“Because you don’t know a damn thing!”

“What is wrong with you?! You asked me to do this!”

His fists were tightly clenching on his side. “Why are you so afraid of everything, Doyoung?” you asked him after getting no response. His eyes were lost again, and you moved forward to be closer to him. The scoff that he let out took you by surprise. “I believe you’re not the right one to talk about being scared of confronting the situations” 

“I confronted your parents, something you haven’t done in your whole life”

“Yes, because you haven’t lived with them Y/N!” He snapped back, his eyes getting glossy with tears. “You have had a simple and slow life Y/N, you don’t know what it feels like to be constantly thrown around to learn things you don’t need just because you could be judged by other people! You don’t know what it feels like to grow up lonely, because you had no time on making friends, or just because your friends were like every other rich old man! You don’t know what is like to grow up without being loved!”

His words were harsh on you but he didn’t plan on stopping. “I don’t know what love is Y/N, I haven’t received that from anyone in this world, not even my parents! But you know what? At the end of the day they’re everything I have, and if I push them completely away from me I would lose it all, do you comprehend the situation now Y/N?” 

He was leaving you speechless. Of course you hadn’t imagined the situation from his perspective. You were just a selfish person who thought that making a scene like that one would be something heroic. You had definitely crossed the line. 

“Doyoung I’m—“

“No, don’t tell me you’re sorry!” he stopped you, taking a seat on the bed. His head was on his hands, covering his face, but he was still holding back his tears. You didn’t know how to react, nor what to do. 

“You know what I’ve learned after all this years, Y/N?” he asked. He looked up at you, his eyes red, but no tears were seen. “That you need a lot of courage to let yourself be loved”. Those words hit you right in the chest, and you were not ready to receive the bullets. “A courage that can almost be heroic” 

You knew he was talking directly about you. He had turned the tables. He had change the game after reading your mind. He was unconsciously trying to win. “Most people can’t give nor receive love because they’re cowards, Y/N. Because they’re scared of failure. Like you.” 

Your lower lip was already quivering, but you had to stay strong. “You’re ashamed to open yourself to another person or surrender to them because you’re scared that they will discover your secret” he scoffed after that line, “the saddest secret that every human being has inside of them: that you can’t live without love. Everyone is afraid of that.” 

You took a step closer to him and stood in front of him. His head was still between his hands. 

You hated it. You hated the situation, you hated his words and you hated him. Your only argument was that he was right. He had caught you from the start, he had seen what’s behind your eyes from the very first moment, that’s why he knew how to behave around you. 

You took his chin with your finger to make him look up at you. “I accept it” was the only thing you said. His eyes trailed up your body to finally meet with your eyes. “I accept the fact that I wasn’t able to stop thinking about you ever since I met you”

His eyes were shining, but no emotions were shown. With a deep sigh you decided to risk it all. You’ve been running away for too long now, you’ve been a coward all of your life. And you wanted to prove him wrong. 

Moving forward you placed one leg on each side of his waist, sitting down on his lap. His hands fell automatically on your waist, as if they’ve been there all of his life. You were still holding his face between your hands, but he didn’t give any sign of wanting to move away. “Everything you said…you’re right” you whispered. 

Both of your faces were too close. With a simple movement you could finally kiss him. That’s when you realized for how long you’ve longed that feeling. His eyes moved from your eyes to your lips constantly, but he wouldn’t move. “You’ll stop being a coward?” he asked, directly daring you to be the one taking the first step. 

In a heartbeat you moved forward to let your lips fall on top of his. You didn’t know if it was because of all the rage you both had inside, but it wasn’t a soft nor tender kiss. It was hard, full of passion and… hurt? His hands moved quickly, making you move closer to him, totally closing the gap between you two. 

His hold was tight, as if he was afraid you’d run away now. You could barely breathe while kissing him because of the hurry he had on savouring every moment. He made sure you knew whose breath you were breathing, where you belonged. 

Your hands were tangled in the back of his head. You’ve never felt like this making out with anyone before. He made your body move on top of his while his fingers were moving up and down your back. 

His mouth moved from yours to start kissing your neck. His body was pressed even harder against yours as you were still on top of him, making you feel his chest against yours and his back muscles with your own hands. 

You could feel his dick grow hard through his pants. Not wanting to waste any more time he turned you around to let you fall on the bed, him positioning himself on top of you. You were already feeling too aroused just by making out with him. His eyes were closed as he slowly made his way down your neck, making you stand up to take off your shirt, quickly followed by your pants.

His hands were running up and down your legs, but his eyes still closed. As he took off your panties you knew you were already soaked, and with a simple peck on your pussy your legs trembled. It would be too much to handle if you let him indulge there. 

Taking his head with your hands you made him finally look up to you, crashing your lips again against one another. His clothes were quick to follow behind yours, as both of you laid down naked, both of your bodies completely glued to one another.

Without a word being said you both only maintained the eye contact, and that was more than enough for you. He slowly slip into you, but steadily found the rhythm. Every powerful thrust inside of you pushed the headboard of the bed hard against the wall. The pain at the beginning was undeniable, but the pleasure of him being inside of you felt too good. 

The sound of the wetness of your centre and the heavy grunts and breaths were the only thing that filled the room, his eyes never leaving yours. You didn’t know what he did to you, but you had never felt like this before. 

One of his hands moved to rise more one of your legs, getting a better angle, and as much as you hated it you knew it wouldn’t be long before he threw you over the edge. “Doyoung—“ 

But he shut you up by crashing his lips once again against yours, also muffling your cry out after reaching your climax. 

Both of your chests were rising and falling with deep breaths. He was still on top of you, and your hands were caressing the back of his neck. A thin layer of sweat was covering both of your bodies but you didn’t want him to move away, ever. 

Suddenly, the heavy breathing turned into a soft sob. He didn’t dare to look up, but you could feel the wetness of his tears on your neck. All of his muscles were tense, and you could feel that he couldn’t hold back anymore. 

Hugging him even tightly you kissed the top of his head as you let him rest there on top of you, letting all of his emotions pour out of his eyes in form of tears. “I’m here Doyoung” you whispered to calm him down, but you also knew he needed to let everything out. 

“I’m here for you”

With your every word his tears fell down harder, his hands holding you tightly. He was scared. He also took the risk by opening up to you, and now he was scared you’d be the one to leave. 

None of you talked about what had happened the night prior when you both woke up the next day, naked and tangled in each other’s arms and legs. He wasn’t distant, but you knew his mind was somewhere else, concentrated on something else. 

“We’re going back home today” he announced still in bed, his forearm covering his eyes, at which you could only nod with your head still resting on top of his chest. “What will you do when you go back?” he asked, but nothing was clear now. You didn’t expect this to happen. “I don’ know”, he smiled at your words but didn’t respond. 

It would be a lie if you said your head wasn’t a mess. The flight back home was filled with silence. Doyoung was once again reading one of his books, with his right hand tightly grasping at yours. You didn’t know what would happen from now on, but you also didn’t want to overthink it. You both had finally found someone who you could open up to, but was it that easy?

He didn’t mention anything about it either, making you feel uneasy inside, but you also didn’t want to pressure him. The frustration inside was growing fast but you couldn’t let it win, not now that you’d found him. 

But just when you thought you’ve found him. He was gone. 

I still don’t know how to react to everything that happened this weekend, I can only say I’m sorry. I’ve felt neglected my whole life and you were the one that opened my eyes completely, Y/N. You don’t even know how grateful I am for you. 

After I left you in your house on Sunday I couldn’t sleep that night. Everything felt different for me, as if you had changed my point of view. There were a million thoughts racing in my mind, and they all had one thing in common: you. 

But I know I cannot be the man that you need by your side right now, in this moment. That’s why I’m sorry. I still have a long way to run before I reach you. You’ve managed to show me, in such a short amount of time, that I should do whatever makes my heart dance inside of my chest. And we both know that my life was miserable here. But I’m trying to change. 

That’s why I’m turning back to Paris. My parents weren’t happy about it, of course. But I promised them I would work for the company from there, and at the same time I’ll focus on finding my own true passions. My own path in life. 

I know this sounds selfish. And it is. And I’m sorry about it. But I also feel like this is my only way to grow up as a person, and as the man you deserve to have by your side. 

I’ve never told you this but…you’re the first girl that makes me cry. I’ll never forget that, hope you don’t either. 

I can’t ask you to wait for me, and I won’t. That’d be crossing the line and making you suffer even more (this is not easy for me either), but I hope you forever remember me and that night we shared. I hope you forever remember that I gave you my heart there. And I don’t plan on getting it back. 

I also returned you the portrait. I hope the day we meet again I don’t look like it anymore. I hope you can portray me again, but this time as my true self. As someone happy and confident, someone who has succeeded in life on his own way. I hope you feel proud the day you do it. I really do. 

You are a brilliant person Y/N. I have never met anyone like you. And I know you will go far in life. Please, don’t forget about me. Please, think about me. Please, don’t let me die in your memory. 

I’ll be waiting for you, forever, in the dreamer’s city. 

You both lived in different worlds. You both had different views of life. But sometimes those things are the ones that bring people together. Doyoung reaching out for you to help him will completely change your life—something you didn’t expect to happen. And you helping him out will completely open his eyes to what the real world looked like, what the world outside of all the money and luxury he was accustomed to was. Maybe you both could learn something from one another in this journey to the dreamer’s city. 

#doyoung x reader #doyoung fic #doyoung fanfic #nct x reader #nct fanfic #nct imagine #nct angst #nct scenario #nct!frathouse #doyoung!frat #doyoung the trust fund baby

[an-unknown-writers-world]

Just Need The Right Partner

Summary: Reader is a terrible pool player. Jake "Hangman" Seresin teaches them they just need the right partner. (I’m terrible at these)

Warnings: Cheesy, terrible writing, (I have no idea what this turned into, it’s not what I planned to write)

Pairing: Jake “Hangman” Seresin x Reader (Only one use of Y/N)

Characters: Jake “Hangman” Seresin, Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, Javy “Coyote” Machado, Natasha “Phoenix” Trace, Robert “Bob” Floyd. Mentions of Penny Benjamin, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell,

Word Count: 3,055 (Sorry? Not sorry)

A/N: This started off as one thing and sort of took off into its own thing. Not the best thing I’ve ever written, but clearly it wanted to be written. Also know very little about pool, so if these details are wrong – I would love to know!

It was your night off, but you still found yourself hanging out at The Hard Deck. You'd worked for your aunt Penny for almost two years and frequently spent your off time at the bar. It felt like home even though you were twelve hundred miles away from your actual home.

A week ago, a new round of aviators returned to Top Gun for some special assignment. They were even more competitive than you were used to from the other pilots, and almost all seemed to know each other personally. When you asked Penny about it, she said they were all previous graduates, most of them at the top of their respective classes. At least, that's what Pete had told her. You still weren't sure what you were supposed to call that guy – he said it was okay to call him Pete, but everyone in the bar referred to him by his call sign.

Dagger squad had been in every night since they arrived at the base. You had warmed up to a few of them. Phoenix was all-around amazing, Coyote made you laugh, and Bob was the sweetest aviator you had met since you started. Rooster was well-rounded – funny, kind, and caring; he reminded you much of your older brother, except your brother could not play the piano. Then there was the gorgeous blonde green-eyed aviator that seemed to be the cockiest of all- Hangman. His southern drawl and kilowatt smile could make you weak in the knees if you let it.

Most of the squad was in The Hard Deck tonight, except for Coyote and Hangman. You'd be lying if you said that you didn't notice, but you didn't let their absence stop you from enjoying your night off with the squad. It was Bob's shot in the game of pool you were playing; it was Phoenix and Bob against you and Rooster. You weren't losing terribly, but that was only thanks to Rooster's skill set.

Penny waved at you from the bar, catching your attention. "Be right back," You excused yourself, handing the pool cue to Rooster.

"A bit preemptive," She smiled, pushing a tray of alcohol toward you. "I'm happy to see you enjoying yourself. It does my momma heart some good. You work hard." Penny was a family friend; you had always known her as 'Aunt Penny' growing up, so when your mom called her and said you needed a fresh start, she offered you a job and a place to stay. She wasn't quite old enough to be your mom but was there any time you needed her.

"Thank you," You smiled back at her, "They are pretty great." You looked back over your shoulder at them. Rooster held the pool cue up in your direction with a smile.

"Go," Penny said, "take the tray with you."

You picked it up and carefully carried it through the crowded bar before setting it on the table next to where you were playing.

"We always have to wait in line," Bob almost whined.

"Perks," You shrugged with a smile before handing him a full beer.

Rooster exchanged the pool cue in his hand for the beer you were giving him. "Thanks," He smiled down at you.

"This is my preemptive request for forgiveness when we inevitably lose this game." You laughed.

You walked past him and leaned against the table, examining your shot options; none of them looked easy. The bell above the door rang in the background, alerting the bar to new patrons. Walking around the table, you tried to get a different angle for a shot you thought you might be able to make.

The change didn't make a difference, so without any more delay, you bent over the table and took the shot. When the white cue ball made an impact, it barely budged the solid-colored ball. Your head hung in disappointment as you turned around.

"Hey, it's okay." Rooster squeezed your shoulder, trying to cheer you up. "You'll get it next time."

Rolling your eyes, you laughed, "I think I'm running out of next time."

"Well, well, what is going on here?" It was a deep smooth southern drawl coming from behind you. You bit your lips together to prevent a smile from creeping onto your face.

"Bagman," Phoenix replied bitterly. Hangman rolled his eyes at her remark. "Hey, Coyote." She sounded more pleasant when she greeted his cohort.

You had turned around, looking at him now, surprised to see he was also in civilian clothing; the whole team was tonight. His dark blue T-shirt clung tightly to his chest and biceps, accentuating his muscles.

"Hello, beautiful," He winked at you.

"Hey," You smiled back at him.

"Want our table?" Omaha asked Hangman. "We're heading out for the night."

"Coyote, wanna play?" He asked.

"I might finally win, so sure," Coyote smirked.

"We will hold it for you while you go to the bar," Fritz spoke.

With the distraction of Hangman and Coyote gone, your game resumed. Phoenix and Rooster had both lined up and shot perfectly. Pool was a game you clearly did not have the skill set for. Bob was lining up his shot when they returned to their table.

"I have got an idea," Hangman spoke, coming back to stand next to the tables.

"This outta be great," Rooster rolled his eyes.

"We'll play the losing team." He spoke again.

"Oh no," You spoke up, "After this, I am definitely done. You've already endured enough losses on my behalf." You finished looking at Rooster.

He smiled at you, opening his mouth to speak.

"Partner switch," Coyote spoke in the background, cutting off Rooster.

"I'm sure I can turn your luck around," Hangman looked at you. "You just need the right partner, and I can promise you that isn't Rooster."

He was arrogant, that's for sure. But you had seen him play pool far too many times now. He was damn good at it.

"Um," You hesitated, wanting to take him up on his offer, purely to spend time with him, but you didn't want to hurt Rooster. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"No, he's right," Rooster spoke, staring down Hangman. "let's do it."

"Well, why don't you wait and see how bad I am before you even agree to this." You spoke.

"It won't make me want you any less," Hangman smirked.

"It's your shot." Bob broke into the conversation.

"Great," You groaned.

You picked up your glass, still half full, and downed the liquor before turning to the table. You could feel everyone's eyes on you as you stared down the table, looking for a shot. There were fewer balls this time, making it easier to see the possibilities. You wanted the attention to end, so you lined up the easiest shot you could find. It was worse than your last shot. The cue ball barely tapped its intended target.

"See," You turned, looking at Hangman, "Bad doesn't begin to cover it."

He smirked, a twinkle of mischief in his emerald-green eyes, "No," He stepped closer to you, reached out, and tucked a stray strand of hair behind your ear, "I can work with that."

Your cheeks flushed, and you couldn't hide the gasp that escaped your lips. Your head was getting foggy. There should be no way one man could have that kind of effect on you. But here you were, weak in the knees and stomach in knots.

"I think I need another drink." Rooster grumbled before walking away.

"I'll be over here," Hangman stepped backward, still looking at you, "waiting for you."

You turned your back to him, trying to clear your mind, his words said one thing, but his eyes and body language made them seem like they meant something else. Phoenix wore a look of disappointment on her face. You could only assume it was due to the exchange she had just watched.

Standing there silently, you watched absentmindedly while the game finished playing out. Groaning each time your turn came. You could feel Hangman's eyes roam over you every time. It seemed like once the initial trash-talking between the group had passed, everyone settled down, and the laughter resumed. When Bob sunk the final ball to end the game, you felt a combination of relief and nervousness.

Before the other game could start, you returned to the bar to get another drink. You'd never been a big believer in liquid courage, but if there was any time to start believing in it, that would be right now. You exchanged a quick conversation with Penny before returning to the pool table. Rooster and Coyote were racking the balls while Hangman leaned against a stool watching over them.

"Alright, Hangman. I hope you are prepared to lose what I can only assume is a perfect winning streak." You said, coming to lean on the table next to his stool.

"Stop," He grinned, turning to face you, "Please, call me Jake. I've lost before, only on rare occasions involving illness or fatigue."

You rolled your eyes, smiling back at him. "Well, Jake," You emphasized his name, "I hope you'll forgive me when you lose."

"You want to break?" Coyote turned to ask you.

"Uh, that's an awful idea," You turned to look up at your partner, "Jake, please don't make me."

He laughed; it was a beautiful sound, "I'll never make you do anything you don't want to." He moved off the stool and headed towards the table.

And just like that, the game was on. True to his word, Jake never seemed to get upset with your awful skills. Occasionally he would help you with your shot by standing next to you and pointing easy ones out or changing your grip on the pool cue. Each time he came to your aide, he seemed to get closer, and his hand would linger a little longer. With his help, you did hit a few balls, they didn't go into a pocket, but they did at least move an inch or two.

The game seemed to fly by compared to the previous rounds. Before you knew it, only a few balls were left on the table, and it was your turn.

"You just need a little more oomph in your shot, that's all," Jake spoke, coming to stand next to you. "Here, let me show you," His hand slid down your back sending shivers up your spine. "Here," his voice was soft as he leaned over you, his hand laying on top of yours as you gripped the cue.

You couldn't focus on a single thing he was explaining, distracted by the heat radiating from him, engulfing every inch of you he touched. Your body reacted to his instructions, and you watched as the ball sank into the pocket. The clatter was enough to snap you back into the moment, turning to look at him like a giddy schoolgirl. When you turned to look at him, he didn't step back; you found yourself chest to chest with him, your breath hitched in your throat as you smiled up at him.

You could hear chatter between Rooster, Coyote, and the rest of the squad in the background. But it all sounded like a dull rumble as you looked into Hangman's eyes.

"See," He stated, grinning down at you. "You just needed the right partner."  

"You probably could have done that earlier in the game," You countered, trying to hide the effect he had on you.

"Yes, but then you couldn't say that you sunk the winning ball." He beamed with pride.

"We won?"

He nodded in response, taking the pool cue from your hand and laying it across the table behind you.

You didn't know a single pool rule other than hitting the ball in the hole. You always counted on someone to tell you if you were aiming for a stripe or solid color. You turned your head to look at your opponents. Rooster already had his back to you and was focused on talking to the rest of the group.

"We're playing Phoenix and Bob," Coyote said, pulling your attention back to the room. "Table's yours."

You turned back to the aviator still pressed against you. The longer you looked into his emerald green eyes, the foggier your head got. "I think I need some air." You spoke softly, unable to catch your breath.

Jake took half a step back, letting you pass him. His hand reached out to grab your own, interlacing his fingers with yours; he led you towards the back deck. You didn't object or pull away, just let him lead the way. If you were honest with yourself, you would have followed him anywhere he led. If you were more coherent, you would have noticed the gaze of his entire squad and your aunt, Penny, following your motions.

There wasn't a word exchanged between you until you passed the deck and were well into the sand, "where are we going?" You giggled.

He chuckled, "away from the noise. Here is good."

You half expected him to drop your hand; instead, you sat down on the sand. The soft breeze tousling your hair and the smell of salt in the air.

The whole night had taken a turn you weren't anticipating. Sure, Jake had been flirting with you since the night he showed up at the Hard Deck, but you assumed he was like that with all the girls. You hadn't witnessed him flirting with other girls, but surely, he was? Your head was swimming in thoughts. There was no space between you; if you were sitting any closer, you would have been sitting on his lap. You leaned your head onto his shoulder; you knew you should say something but didn't know what.

"Jake," You spoke his name softly.

"Yeah, doll?"

You smiled at the term of endearment, "I'm a babbler; if you don't say something soon, it's going to happen."

He chuckled, "I don't think I'd mind that one bit." He picked your intertwined hands up and rested them on his thigh, his thumb rubbing circles against the back of your hand. "I've never met a woman like you. All the places I've been, no one has captivated me like you."

"I'm not sure how to take that."

"It's a good thing, I promise." He paused for a moment; you weren't sure if it was for dramatic effect or if he was thinking of what to say next. "You're beautiful and intelligent, sarcastic, and witty enough to not only put up with me but do it right back."

You laughed, realizing he probably hadn't met many people, especially women, that could hold their own against him. Most were probably too captivated by his charm and good looks. Though, Phoenix did a pretty good job.

You weren't going to tell him that it didn't matter what came out of your mouth, snarky, witty, or otherwise; you were still weak in the knees every time he spoke.

"I'm sure you say that to all the girls, Hangman." You spoke, trying not to inflate his ego.

"I wish I could say that I did. But you are the most exquisite person I've ever interacted with."

You were thankful the only light around you was from the moon. It was dim enough that he most likely would not be able to see that your cheeks were burning from the blush.

"Did you just call me exquisite?"

He laughed, "yeah, I guess I did." He picked up your intertwined hands and gently kissed your knuckles. "I mean it, though."

You pulled your head back to look at him; while the lighting was dim, you could see the sincerity in his expression. The cocky charade had fallen, leaving a vulnerable Jacob Seresin in the pale moonlight. A beautiful sight that you were confident not many people had been blessed enough to see.

Before you could lose your gumption leaned up, pressing your lips to his. It was a chaste but sweet kiss and all the invitation he needed. He had a hold of your hips in one fluid motion, and you were straddling him on the beach. Jake's hands lingered on your hips under the hem of your shirt, the heat from his skin burning against your waist. Your fingers threaded through his short hair, grounding you through the fury of passionate kissing.

You were breathless when the kiss finally broke; you buried your face into the crook of his neck, trying to catch your breath.

"That's probably not what you had in mind when you said you needed air." Jake joked.

You kissed his neck, "the opposite, actually." You pulled back to look at him. "I expected to come out here alone. Clear my head, listen to the waves, maybe actually catch my breath." You chuckled.

"I mean, I can go inside." He raised an eyebrow at you, unable to hide the smirk on his face. He kissed the pulse point on your neck before kissing your jaw, "but only if that's really what you want."

"Don't you dare."

He kissed you again.

"Hangman," You heard Coyote yelling.

"Y/N" Rooster yelled. "We want a rematch."

You pulled back to look at Jake, hesitant to leave this setting. You were too happy at that moment, afraid you'd never experience it again.

"I promised I wouldn't make you do anything you didn't want to," Jake spoke softly, rubbing his hand soothingly across your back. "I'm happy to ignore them if that's what you want."

Shaking your head, "We should go." You agreed reluctantly, climbing off his lap.

"Let me help you," He stood up, reaching out his hands.

You took them graciously.

"You know they're going to be a nightmare to deal with now, right?" Jake spoke, intertwining your hands again.

"Natasha is going to hate me." You muttered.

"Not a chance; Phoenix loves you. We all do."

You looked up at him, smiling, holding on to his forearm with your other hand, stabilizing yourself as you made it to the deck. "Are you ready for this again, partner?"

He grinned, "I was born ready. You are, too, now that you have the right partner." He bent down and kissed you one last time before re-entering the bar.

  A/N: If you’ve made it this far - thank you so so so much for reading! My Masterlist can be found here. All work is also available on AO3

#Jake Seresin x Reader #Jake Hangman Seresin x Reader #Hangman x Reader #Jake Seresin Reader Insert #Jake Hangman Seresin Reader Insert #Jake Seresin Imagines #Hangman Imagines #Jake Seresin Fan Fic #Jake Seresin Fanfiction #Hangman Fan Fic #Hangman Fanfic #Top Gun Reader Insert #Top Gun Maverick Reader Insert #Top Gun x Reader #Top Gun Maverick X Reader #The Hard Deck #Top Gun Imagines #Top Gun Maverick Imagines #Bradley Rooster Bradshaw #Rooster #top gun rooster #natasha phoenix trace #phoenix #robert bob floyd #bob #javy coyote machado #Coyote

[a-reader-and-a-writer-for-all]

Livewire (Part 1)

Fandom: Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick, Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, f!reader, Reader is Hangman's Ex

Word Count: 2794

TW: Fluff, First Meetings, Best Friend with an Ex, Flirting, Mentions of Cheating, Explicit Language

Note: Thank you to the anon who requested "Rooster takes a liking to Hangman's Ex" 💖

Part 1, Part 2 (coming soon!)

Top Gun Masterlist

From the moment Rooster stepped into the bar, he was second-guessing his decision to come back. Phoenix had given him a warm welcome (before jabbing him harshly with a pool cue) and there were some nice enough new guys he had just been introduced to. However, before he could even grab his first beer, Hangman was already all over him with subtle jabs and sarcastic comments. Rooster couldn’t deny the man was an excellent pilot, but he was also a selfish, narcissistic, jackass who got on his nerves more than anyone else he had ever met.

And this opinion was only reinforced when Hangman looked down his nose at the rest of the cadets and asked, “Who’s gonna be team leader? And which one of ya’ll has what it takes to follow me?”

Rooster opened his mouth to make a comeback when another voice sounded from over his shoulder. “I don’t know, Jake. Last time I let you lead we almost ended up under arrest for flying in restricted airspace. Think you can do better this time?”

All eyes turned as another cadet strolled up to the group. Rooster didn’t recognize you but there was something about the way you carried yourself that made him take notice. Though not as intimidating looking as most of the guys in the room, you stood as if you owned the space and dared anyone to try and take it from you. But while that attitude seemed egotistical or arrogant on someone like Hangman, your half-smile and the gleam in your eyes teased a more playful side to you as well. Rooster sat up straighter in his seat, instantly intrigued.  

However, he wasn’t the only one taking interest in you. Hangman’s eyes grew wide and a stunned smile spread across his face. “No fucking way. Livewire? Why the hell didn’t you tell me you were coming?” He dropped the pool cue onto the table and immediately scooped you into his arms. You squealed and laughed as he spun you around.

Fanboy nudged Payback as he muttered, “Dude, Livewire’s here? I thought she was on some top-secret mission overseas?”

Rooster leaned in so you and Hangman wouldn’t overhear as the two of you caught up. “Who is she?”

“She was the top of the class our year. Apparently, she and Hangman used to be a thing a few years before that. Since our class was the one directly after your guys’, he was brought up a few times and she sort of mentioned their past. Seems they were pretty serious at one point.”

Rooster looked over at you and Hangman, his arms still around your waist as you rested your hand on his chest. “And now?”

Both Fanboy and Payback just shrugged, and Rooster sighed. Anyone who would date Hangman probably wasn’t someone he was going to get along with. Any excitement he had felt when he first laid eyes on you quickly faded. It seemed as if you were going to be just one more person for him to butt heads with.

However, as the evening passed, he noticed you weren’t like Hangman at all. You reconnected with Fanboy and Payback as the three of you swapped stories of your time at Top Gun together. You chatted excitedly to Bob about his position at the Naval Air Station in Lemore and how he felt about being here. You and Phoenix had a hushed conversation that involved a lot of pointing and laughing at the male cadets. And when Rooster had settled down at the piano to play “Great Balls of Fire”, you were right next to him belting out the song at the top of your lungs.

Yet, it still came as a surprise when you came over to him towards the end of the night and smiled brightly as you said, “So, mister piano man. You’re the infamous Rooster, huh? Jake’s mentioned you before.”

Rooster gave you a tightlipped smile. “All good things I hope.”

“I wouldn’t say that. But I know how he gets so I’m not putting too much stock into it.” You laughed softly. “Besides, I’ve also heard about you from other people, and from what they say about your skills in a plane, I think it was just his jealousy talking. I can’t wait to see what you can do up there with my own eyes.” You smiled as you trailed your hand down his arm. “I’m gonna go grab another beer. Do you want one?”

“Uh, yeah, sure. Thanks.”

You winked at him. “Be right back.”

Rooster watched as you headed to the bar, leaning across it to get the bartender’s attention. He had expected you to be just as belittling and stuck up as your ex, yet not only were you being kind and supportive to everyone here, but you were admitting you recognized Hangman’s flaws instead of supporting them. Maybe you weren’t the person he thought you were.

When you returned, you handed him his beer and settled into the seat next to him. For a moment, the two of you just sipped your drinks in silence until Rooster finally cleared his throat. “So…. you and Hangman, huh?”

You shook your head with a soft chuckle. “I guess word travels fast around here. Yeah, we were together, but it was a long time ago. We met back when we were both at the Naval Academy and we started dating. But once we graduated, it only lasted a few months. Now we’re just really close friends.”

“What happened? If you don’t mind me asking.”

You shrugged. “Everything was fine while we were physically together at the academy but as soon as we got separate assignments far away from each other, things sort of fell apart. I thought he was cheating on me, and he thought I was cheating on him. So, in the end, we just broke up. It was insanely messy. But about a year after that, we ran into each other at a Naval banquet, talked things out, and we’ve been close friends again ever since.”

“Wow, I’m sorry he didn’t trust you.”

You laughed. “Oh no, neither one of us should have trusted the other. We were both sleeping with a lot of different people.”

“What? Really?” Rooster stared at you in surprise, both at the fact you were a serial cheater and the fact that you would so freely admit that to someone you had just met.

You shrugged again. “We were both in our early twenties, traveling all over the world, meeting new people all the time and we were never in the same location together. Plus, we thought we were pretty hot shit back then.” You glanced over at Hangman and chuckled. “Well, Jake still thinks that.”

“And you don’t?”

“Nah. I got knocked down a few pegs when I was trying to show off on a mission. I almost got shot down and that would have compromised everything. Luckily, my wingman was able to cover my ass and he completed the mission for me. After that, it kind of sobered me up and I straightened out. That’s when I got into Top Gun originally and the rest is history. But I still have a wild streak every once and a while in case you were wondering.” You winked at Rooster as you took a sip of your beer, and he couldn’t hide the smile that spread across his face.

It seemed as if he might have judged you too quickly based on your relationship with Hangman. You weren’t like him at all. In fact, there was just something about you that was unlike anyone else Rooster had ever met. You were confident yet not cocky. Snarky yet not cruel. Intelligent yet not belittling. You were a mess of contradictions, and Rooster needed to figure them all out.

But before he could ask you another question, a voice cut him off. “Bradshaw! Are you flirting with my number one girl over here?” Hangman appeared at your side and threw his arm over your shoulder, pulling you in close to him.

You rolled your eyes and shoved him away playfully. “Oh, come on, Jakey. Calm down. We’re just talking. Don’t get jealous.”

“Jealous? Of Rooster here? I doubt it. Besides, I wouldn’t hold your breath with him. By the time he works up the courage to make a move, we’ll all be old and retired. Rooster has a tendency of waiting for the right moment even though it never comes.” Hangman narrowed his eyes slightly with a smirk.

But it quickly faded as you smacked his arm. “Well, who says I need him to make the first move? Or are you forgetting I’m the one who kissed you first? Besides, maybe I need someone a little more cautious and less reckless in my life.” You smiled at Rooster, but Hangman wasn’t letting it go.

He scoffed, “He couldn’t handle you. There’s a reason they call you Livewire.”

“Yeah, and there’s a reason they call you Hangman. So, drop it, Jake. You don’t have a say in what I do with my life anymore or who I become friends with.”

Hangman opened his mouth to respond, but Rooster cut him off. “Listen, I don’t need to be in the middle of whatever this is between you two. I just came here to relax, meet up with some old friends, and grab a drink before things start getting intense in the next few weeks. But since that doesn’t look like that’s going to happen anymore, I’m just going to head back to base. See you tomorrow.”

Rooster downed the rest of his beer in a single gulp then turned and walked out the bar, ignoring the arguing he heard coming from behind him.

However, he was only to the side of the building when he heard you calling after him. “Hey, Rooster! Wait up!”

Reluctantly, he stopped walking as you hurried to catch up to him. “Hey.”

“Thanks for waiting. Listen, I know there’s already some tension or animosity between you and Jake and I totally get that. Jake can be…. a lot. Well, more accurately, he can be an asshole.” You rolled your eyes. “But I’ll talk to him and get him to back off some. He’s just being a little protective over me because we still care about each other, and he just really doesn’t like you. However, from what I’ve seen tonight, you seem like a great guy. I just don’t want my friendship with Jake to sour the chance for us to get to know each other a little better.”

Rooster nodded softly, a small smile tugging at his lips. “No, I wouldn’t want that. I like what I’ve seen of you so far too.”

You grinned, a playful glint sparkling in your eyes. Gesturing down to your outfit, you said, “If this is impressing you, just wait until I’m out of uniform. You ain’t seen nothing yet….. but I have a feeling you might soon. Goodnight.” You winked at him and slowly backed away, leaving Rooster standing there stunned and not quite sure what had just happened.

But as he stood there trying to figure it out, he realized he never paid you for the beers. Quickly hurrying after you, he skidded to a stop as he heard familiar voices coming from just around the corner.

“Hey, we need to talk.”

“Hey, Jake, what’s up? Is something wrong?” you asked.

Rooster carefully peeked his head around the side of the building to see you and Hangman standing close together at the edge of the parking lot. Hangman reached out and took your hand. “We need to talk about us. Now that we’re gonna be here together for the next month, maybe we could try working something out. Maybe this time-”

However, you cut him off with a sad sigh as you pulled your hand away. “Jake, just stop, okay? We both know that’s not gonna work. I love you and I will always love you. But…. I don’t think I can ever be in love with you again. And if you’re honest with yourself, I don’t think that’s really what you want anyway. You like the idea of us together, but the reality is so much different than the thought. We just don’t work as a couple. When we tried it again last year, we almost ruined everything we had built between us and I don’t want that to happen again. You were too jealous, I was too controlling, and it’s all because neither one of us really trusts each other after what happened the first time. We need to just be friends, best friends, but nothing more.”

“I know.” Hangman stared down at the ground, his hands shoved in his pockets. “You’re right. I do love you, but not in that way. Not anymore. I think I’m just afraid of losing what we have if you find someone else. And I do want you to be happy, really I do. But do you seriously have to go out with Rooster of all people?” Rooster’s head snapped to attention. Since when was that decided?

You must have had a similar thought as your brow scrunched in confusion. “Who said anything about going out with him? We just met tonight and all we did was talk. You were the one who brought up him making a move!”

“Yeah, but you like him, I can tell.”

Now it was your turn to look shyly down at the ground. “I mean, it wasn’t a long conversation or anything, but yeah, I do. He seems to know who he is, and he owns it. I like that. And I know you two have your differences or whatever, but if something were to happen between us, I’m not going to not see him because of that. I respect your opinion, Jake, but if I didn’t date any guy you had friction with, I might as well join a nunnery.”

“I’m not that bad!” Your ex scoffed.

“Of all the people here, the only people you like are me and Coyote. That’s it. And I heard you tell Coyote that he better not try anything with me. So, who does that leave me with?”

“Fine. I get your point. I’ll try to behave.”

You grabbed his chin between your fingers and squeezed it playfully before planting a kiss on his cheek. “That’s all I ask.”

Hangman sighed dejectedly. “But could you at least not try rubbing it in my face. I don’t need to see you guys making out or whatever in front of me all the time.”

“Oh, come on, Jakey! Don’t spoil all my fun! I was planning on sneaking in tonight and making out with Rooster on your bed. Then having sex with him in the cockpit of your plane in the morning.” Rooster knew you were joking, but he still felt his face grow red as he shifted, flustered at the mental image you had just created in his head.

 Hangman pretended to gag. “Ugh! Don’t even make me think about that! Just…. don’t do that and I’ll deal with whatever else you want to do.”

You smiled and placed another soft kiss on his cheek. “Thanks, Jake. And I know seeing me possibly with someone else can be tough, so I will try my best not to flaunt anything that might end up happening between me and anyone else.”

“Thanks,” Hangman grumbled softly. Then he dug his keys out of his pocket and said, “It’s late and we have an early morning tomorrow. We should both probably get some sleep.”

“Good idea.” You took his hand and gave it a tight squeeze. “It’s good to see you in person again, and I’m glad we’re able to go through this together, whatever this mission is.”

Hangman smiled. “Yeah, I’m glad too. But watch your back because that team leader spot is mine!”

“We’ll just have to see about that,” you chuckled. “Goodnight, Jake.”

“’Nite, Livewire.”

Rooster stared at your back as you watched Hangman disappear into the darkness. Then, without turning around, you called out, “So, now that we have his blessing, what do you think, Rooster? Dinner tomorrow night after our training? Just the two of us?”

Rooster froze as he realized you must have known he had been here the whole-time listening in. But you were still asking him to dinner so that was a good sign… he guessed. In a hesitant, yet excited voice, he said, “Yeah. I would really like that.”

And though you still didn’t turn to face him as you started to walk away, Rooster could hear the smile in your voice as you said, “Good. It’s a date.”

I might do a Part 2 for this if there is interest. So, let me know! 🥰

Taglist: @valoraxx, @m3laniehearts, @autumnleaves1991-blog, @rule107, @vintageleather, @impossiblebagelcowboyfreak, @slutforadambanks

#fic #top gun #top gun: maverick #top gun maverick #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw #rooster #rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw x reader #rooster x reader #f!reader #miles teller #hangman #jake hangman seresin #hangman seresin #jake seresin #glen powell #fluff #mentions of cheating tw #language tw

[lvpislvzuli]

The Ultimate List of Modern AU Headcanons for the Sully Kids (and Spider)

Kiri

— her favourite colour is green

— wears knit cardigans and floral converse shoes

— had a frozen yogurt phase

— collects rocks and crystals

— presses flowers in notebooks

— paints her toenails ten different colours

— cuts her own hair, DIY bangs

— always has headphones on. listens to Florence and Lana religiously

— has a crush on her childhood best friend and fellow orphan, Miles “Spider” Socorro

— but she is taking that secret to the grave

— visits the botanical gardens on weekends. Spider always goes with her

— eats toast with strawberry jam for breakfast every morning

— makes her own rings, bracelets, and anklets

— hates crowds and will actively avoid them

— not a strict vegetarian but she prefers to not eat meat

— she never takes off Grace’s necklace and always asks Norm for stories about her when he visits

— she also keeps all of Grace’s published books on botany on her bedside table

— has a part time job at the local produce shop

— not sporty but she loves roller skating

— is attempting to teach Lo’ak to roller skate but it’s going poorly

— babysits Tuk for Jake and Neytiri on their date nights

— Tuk insists they do makeovers and Kiri agrees even though she hates wearing makeup

— she is very quiet at school but is the brightest student in her year

— the other kids used to bully her until she and Tsireya became friends, but they still think she is weird

— her favourite subject is art but she wishes there was a botany class

— climate activist

— never posts on social media but she does scroll

— always likes her siblings’ and Spider��s Instagram posts

— retweets Greta Thunberg

— orders a strawberry shake from McDonald’s

— loves anything strawberry flavoured

— still has sleepovers with Spider even though they are probably getting a bit old for that

— loves watching Studio Ghibli movies and her favourite is Princess Mononoke

— can play some piano but cannot sing to save her life

— her bedroom is filled with plants and she hangs wind chimes beside her window

— which just so happens to line up perfectly with Spider’s bedroom window next door

— she’s a morning person and is always the first one awake in the Sully house

— her favorite season is spring

— hates overhead lights and prefers lamps

— binge read the entire Rainbow Magic series in middle school and wished there was a fairy named for her

Lo’ak

— a “YOLO!” kid

— he met Spider when they were seven and nine during the first week of school

— they had both been sent to the principal’s office for disrupting their classes

— it turned out that they lived next door to each other but had never met before

— so he introduced Spider to Kiri and Neteyam, and the rest is history

— picks up casual shifts at Domino’s Pizza

— will tell anyone who orders pineapple on their pizza that there is something wrong with them

— middle child syndrome

— vehemently defends his belief that vanilla is the best flavour

— on the school swim team but is always late for training

— eats cereal out of the box

— his favourite colour is orange

— looks identical to a teenage Jake

— always in detention for talking back to his teachers

— he brought home a stray dog and tried to smuggle it into his bedroom but Neytiri caught him immediately

— convinced his parents to let him keep the dog

— he named him Payakan

— is attempting to read Dune by Frank Herbert but gets distracted whenever he picks it up

— tripped over his own feet the first time he saw Tsireya

— she tutored him for an English exam—the only exam he’s ever gotten an A on

— when he finally asked her out he was shocked that she said yes

— it took him a while to warm to Tsireya’s family who thought he was trouble at first

— his phone is always, mysteriously, at 13% battery

— orders a Big Mac, a large fries, and a vanilla shake from McDonald’s

— plays the drums and is actually good

— formed a band called The Outcasts with Spider and they practice in the garage on Friday nights. Kiri sits and listens to them

— he lives on energy drinks and Doritos

— loves jet skiing and surfing. all water sports

— often tries to sneak out but Tuk always catches him in the act

— bad at making friends but great at making enemies

— posts selfies on Instagram but they’re always blurry

— will accidentally burn his toast but still eat it, plain.

— feels misunderstood by his parents

— “I’m just a kid” by Simple Plan

— secretly admires Neteyam but will never admit it

— on weekends he takes Tsireya shopping at the mall and holds all of her bags

— his favourite movie is The Karate Kid

Tuktirey

— insists that she put the star on top of the tree at Christmas

— loves pink lemonade and bubble gum ice cream

— spends her pocket money on temporary tattoos

— has recently started playing club netball. Neytiri and Jake attend every game

— she will stay up to catch the tooth fairy but always ends up falling asleep

— prefers waffles over pancakes and chocolate syrup instead of maple syrup

— her favourite colour is rainbow

— Lo’ak tells her that rainbow is not a colour

— Tuk tells him that vanilla is not a flavour

— they argue a lot

— she is friends with everyone at her elementary school and always has a birthday party to attend

— but her best friend is Popiti who lives down the street

— she and Jake watch Saturday morning cartoons together

— orders a Happy Meal from McDonald’s

— rides a bike with a basket and handlebar streamers

— always asks Neteyam to read her a bedtime story, but she will wake Kiri up if she has a nightmare

— Neytiri has to find creative ways of sneaking vegetables into her meals

— she is terrified of needles

— Halloween is her favourite holiday and she was once sick from eating too much candy

— she has a pink glitter lamp in her bedroom and her bed is covered in plushies

— Tsireya introduced her to Taylor Swift’s music and now she is obsessed

— writes with glitter pens

— has a pet bunny named Bugs because she is a huge fan of Looney Tunes

— loves spending time with her grandmother who teaches her how to embroider

— wants a unicorn ice cream cake for her eighth birthday party

 Neteyam

— has to wear contacts because his eyesight is actually pretty bad

— no one knows where that gene came from

— but he still has excellent hand-eye coordination

— and is a pro at tennis

— straight A student

— all the teachers love him

— is impeccably dressed at all times, except on weekends when he comes downstairs to breakfast in his pyjamas

— loves to read and always carries a paperback with him

— doesn’t like McDonald’s

— once travelled to Vietnam on a school trip and came back “cultured”

— the peacekeeper sibling

— hated sitting at the kids’ table at parties and always wanted to sit with the grownups

— he will discreetly check up on his siblings at school

— Jake takes him fishing on the weekends

— Neytiri likes to brag about how clever and kind he is when he is within earshot, which embarrasses him

— always chosen to be team captain in gym class

— is friendly to everyone he meets and always thinks the best of people, but is ready to throw hands the second someone insults his family

— sticks to a daily routine and feels unsettled whenever it’s disrupted

— very neat. maybe a little OCD

— he was a well behaved child and has never thrown a tantrum

— always tells the truth and can tell when someone is lying

— his favourite colour is purple

— has a pair of glasses for when his contacts bother him but he only wears them at home

— he is naturally smart and doesn’t have to study to get good grades

— had a hardcore photography phase and still uses his camera

— loves eating spicy food, which is one of the few things he has in common with Spider

— always wins at Monopoly

Spider

— prone to rolling off his bed during the night

— lives with the McCosker family next door to the Sullys

— but he might as well live with the Sullys because he spends all of his time with them

— will sneak out of his house through his bedroom window, jump the fence between their houses, and climb through Kiri’s bedroom window while she keeps watch

— he once got a subtle mullet on a dare but he hated it

— was a barefoot kid

— plays the guitar and sings

— (everyone was shocked when they realised Spider could sing really well)

— skateboards

— his favourite colour is blue

— orders chicken nuggets, fries and a Coke from McDonald’s

— doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth

— has a part time job at a local mechanics garage helping to fix cars

— never does homework but still gets decent grades

— doodles on every page of his textbooks

— a Star Wars kid. had lightsaber fights with Kiri and Lo’ak in their backyard

— will wash the dishes for Neytiri whenever he stays for dinner

— is saving up his money to buy a truck

— watched Tarzan on repeat as a young kid and it still shows

— his hair is long and always a mess

— wears sweatpants and owns three shirts

— posts memes on Instagram that no one but Kiri and Lo’ak understand

— he once punched a guy at school for harassing Kiri and was suspended for a week

— his adoptive father grounded him for a month

— “Teenagers” by My Chemical Romance

— loves rock climbing. Kiri always tags along to spot for him

— doesn’t like celebrating his birthday, but Kiri always writes him a heartfelt letter which he saves and often rereads

— he can’t sit still for more than five minutes

— and he bounces a knee whenever he is sitting

— there is a faded scar above his eyebrow from the stitches he needed after falling from the monkey bars in middle school

— he once started a food fight in the school cafeteria

— loves roller coasters

— and is a bit of an adrenaline junkie

— would eat nachos at every meal if he could

— picks up interesting rocks he finds that he thinks Kiri will like for her collection

— he once went camping at the beach with the Sullys and it was the best weekend he’s ever had

#neteyam #lo'ak #kiri #spider socorro #tuktirey #avatar the way of water #avatar #headcanon #sully kids #spider x kiri

[sebastianstangirl01]

Hi! I saw that requests are open and this one has been on my mind for a while.

With Bradley Bradshaw x daughter!reader, maybe elementary school age? where he surprises her at school after getting back from deployment.

Thanks!

Christmas Miracle

Title: Christmas Miracle

Pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x child!reader

Summary: Y/N thought her dad was going to miss Christmas, so imagine her surprise when he surprises her at her 2nd grade Christmas Program at school.

Warnings: none

Growing up Y/N has always loved Christmas.

Her and her dad would always go all out decorating the house like it came right from the North Pole, making Christmas candy, building gingerbread houses, drinking got coco, and singing Christmas Carols on the piano.

In all her 7 years of life Y/N and her dad Bradley spent Christmas together just themselves, but after reconnecting with Maverick he joined in on their Christmas last year with Penny and Amelia now they have become one big family.

But this year is different.

Bradley has been on a deployment for an emergency mission, air support. Y/N hasn’t seen her father in person since Thanksgiving, she’s been staying at their house with Maverick who moved in to take care of her.

He’s tried to keep the 7 year olds spirits up by doing everything they normally do during the Christmas Season, but it isn’t the same without her dad and Maverick knows that. But he refuses to let the little girl he loves wallow in self pity.

Maverick knew how much Y/N didn’t want to do the Christmas Program this year at her school, but he also knew that she would regret not being a part of her favorite time of year just because she is sad. And he knew that Bradley wanted Y/N to do her Christmas Play.

“Papaw Mav?” Y/N asked as she sat curled up into Maverick’s side as ‘Rudolph’ played on the TV

“Yeah sweetheart?” Maverick replied squeezing his arm around her shoulders

“Do I really have to do the Christmas Play tomorrow?” Y/N asked playing with her fingers making Maverick sigh

“Come here, peanut.” Maverick said grunting as he lifted Y/N onto his lap making her face him. “You know you love the Christmas play, why don’t you want to do it this year? I already promised your dad that I would video the whole thing for him.”

Y/N’s big blue eyes the spitting image of her grandmother, started to fill with tears and her bottom lip started to tremble. The sight was enough to break Mavericks heart in two.

“But daddy won’t be there. I don’t want to do it if daddy won’t be there. He always takes me out for ice cream after, and we sing Christmas songs. It’s not the same without him.” Y/N said and a big tear fell down her cheek, Maverick immediately wiping it away with his finger before kissing her on the forehead and pulling her against his chest.

“I’m sorry sweetheart. You know how much your dad wishes he could be here. He loves you so much and the last thing he wants is for you to be sad, especially on Christmas.” Maverick consoled her rubbing gentle circles on her tiny back. “How about this? We call your dad right after the play and he can see you all dressed up in your Christmas dress and then I’ll take you to get ice cream.”

“I guess that’s ok. Can we get daddy ice cream too?” Y/N asked making Maverick chuckle

“Honey I don’t think the ice cream would still be good but the time your dad got home. But when he does, we’ll all go get ice cream together. How does that sound?” Maverick asked letting you lean back on his lap and play with his dog tags.

“Good.” Y/N nodded and Maverick smiled gently rubbing her cheek making Y/N giggle

“There’s that rotten giggle I love so much! Let’s get you ready for bed, you’ve got a big day tomorrow.” Maverick said getting up keeping Y/N on his hip

The next day Y/N was sitting with her class on the floor of her school gymnasium, she was wearing a sparkly red dress with black tights and red buckled shoes. Penny had curled Y/N’s hair and pulled it into a half up half down style with a red and silver sparkly bow.

Maverick and Penny were sitting in the stands with Amelia, all of them smiling at how cute the kids all looked in their Christmas outfits. Maverick had his phone ready to record, but he wasn’t just recording Y/N’s play.

Early this morning Bradley had called and told him that he was going to be coming home, the mission was over and he would be back in time for the Christmas play but he wanted it to be a surprise for Y/N so Maverick hasn’t told her yet. Bradley had just texted Maverick to tell him that he made it to the school and was about to come in.

Y/N was sitting on the floor criss crossed playing with the skirt of her dress unaware of the principal approaching the microphone with a smile on her face.

“Hello everyone, thank you for coming out to our 2022 Christmas Program! The students and staff have worked so hard to put on a good show for you all, to kick off the Christmas Season! Before we dismiss and you check your children out for Christmas Break, I would like to take a second to remember the men and women who cannot be here with their family members this Christmas because of their bravery in service of our Military.” The principal announced and everyone started to clap

Y/N clapped along with the rest of the gym but she could feel herself becoming more and more sad at the thought of her dad not being here with her.

“But I would like to recognize a special member of our military who has just landed back stateside and came here to surprise his daughter. Everyone please help me welcome back, Lieutenant Bradley Bradshaw!” The principal announced making Y/N’s head snap up as everyone started cheering and clapping

She looked up at Maverick instinctively and he just smiled and pointed to the front of the gym. Y/N followed his gaze and saw her dad standing there with a teddy bear and a big smile on his face, still dressed in his flight suit.

“Daddy!” Y/N exclaimed as she got onto her feet and ran towards him as fast as her little legs would carry her. “Daddy!”

Bradley smiled and bent down scooping his little girl into his arms and spinning her around, Y/N buried her head into his neck and held onto him for dear life.

“Daddy, your home!” Y/N whimpered with happy tears falling down her cheeks

“I couldn’t miss Christmas with my favorite girl in the world! I love you so much.” Bradley smiled kissing her cheek

“I love you too daddy.” Y/N whispered into his neck

Taglist:

@daughterofthereaper02

@luckyladycreator2

@calpurniatypes

@littlebadariell

@qnfluvr

@raefoxiegirl

@maverick-wingman

@avada-kedrava-bitch

@army24--7

#top gun maverick #pete mitchell #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x daughter reader

[padfootagain]

Something Good (VIII)

Chapter 8: Denial

Hi everyone! Here is a new chapter for my Ben Barnes series! I hope you all like it, tell me what you think about it!

Things are about to get serious ehehehehhehehe!!! (Also, it features the biggest lie ever written in a fanfiction, let me tell you, the title of this chapter is very appropriate…)

****

Pairing: Ben Barnes x Reader

Warnings: none! Slow burn, professor AU.

Summary: Coming out of a divorce and trying to get used to being a single mom, while teaching your classes at University, you thought your life could not get more complicated than it already is. But when you are asked to take care of the theatre club with the colleague that you really can’t get along with, you realize that everything can still get ten times more complicated in your life. And when you start actually liking Professor Barnes, the troubles only grow exponentially…

Word Count: 2993

Masterlist for the series - Ben Barnes's Masterlist - Main Masterlist

Maybe, just maybe… this idea of yours with musicals was a little bit more complicated than you thought it would be.

As you stared at the long list of questions you and the students had written on the blackboard, you kind of wondered how you could manage all this.

By your side, Ben was getting a little nervous as well, although he remained calmer than you were. Maybe it was because he wasn’t the one who had had this idea of musicals in the first place, and so he didn’t feel as responsible as you did. Or maybe he was used to asking himself all these questions after working on the club for several years.

No matter why, Ben was staring at the blackboard, rolling a pencil between his fingers, thinking hard.

“I think the most important issue we need to tackle is the music, though,” David said, sipping on a coffee.

“I reckon there’s a choir and a band in the school, right?” you asked, thinking hard. “Perhaps they could help?”

Ben nodded.

“We can ask them. If any of you have friends who would like to join, that could be great…”

“But this… all of this would work for the performance, and some repetitions along the year, but I can’t imagine that we could gather everyone on a weekly basis. And anyway… there are weeks during which we’ll have to work on the staging, on the acting… we can’t ask people to come for two full hours if we only need their help for ten minutes,” you argued. “We need musicians with us, part of the group.”

“Does any of you play an instrument?” Giselle asked the group.

Nathaniel raised his hand.

“I play the guitar.”

“And I play the clarinet,” added Betty, one of the new students.

A couple others played the guitar.

“What about you, Y/N?” David asked, but you shook your head.

“I don’t play any instrument. I can sing, that’s pretty much it. Ben?”

Your colleague looked up at you again, as he had seemed lost in thought for a couple of minutes.

“I play the drums and the piano, some guitar too. I can play during our repetitions.”

You grinned at him.

“Awesome!”

“We should try singing, and decide which roles we want to play,” Giselle proposed.

“Before that, shouldn’t we choose the songs?” David asked.

“Well, I reckon we should keep most of the songs of the musical, but… the whole project was based on the idea to use popular songs and to integrate them in a story. We could add our own, for sure,” Ben proposed, and all were enthusiastic.

“We must keep El Tango de Roxanne though,” you argued. “I am using my authority to save this one.”

“And what an authority, huh?” Ben teased you, making everyone laugh.

“Clearly, you’ve never seen me ask my daughter to clean her room,” you fought back.

“I bet she doesn’t do it.”

“She doesn’t, you’re right.”

You heaved a dramatic sigh, while your colleague let out an earnest laugh.

It was nice. The whole session with the club was nice, and… you hated to admit it but… spending this time with Ben was nice too. Very nice, indeed…

“Let’s make a list,” Ben said, grabbing his notebook and pushing his glasses a little higher on his nose.

He did every time he started writing something, you had noticed that… you found it… endearing, for some reason…

You hurried to push the thought away, and cleared your throat instead.

“Elephant Love Medley stays,” decided Ben. “I’m using my authority on this one. El Tango de Roxanne too…”

“Come What May,” added John, one of your new recruits, who seemed very shy, his voice barely audible at all.

Ben added a few songs to the list, but there was some room for new ones. You spent some time thinking about it.

“Hey, didn’t you want to play The Sound of Music?” Nathaniel said, pointing at you. “I remember there are references and stuff in the movie, but we haven’t kept the song. Maybe we could add a song from that.”

“Which one?” asked Ben.

But Nathaniel shrugged.

You took a look at the list. You didn’t have many highly-romantic songs. You had only kept Come What May and Elephant Love Medley… but you reckoned that another romantic scene could work…

“Something romantic?” you asked.

“Why not?”

“Or maybe that one where she likes stuff!” Roberta proposed, struggling to remember the title of the song.

“Favourite Things?” Ben offered, and the girl squealed in approval.

“Yes! That’s it! That’s a fun song!”

You shrugged, a few people nodded.

“You were thinking about something romantic?” Ben asked, turning to you. “We could add a romantic scene. Some of the most intimate scenes will be difficult to stage, we don’t have the same set or anything of the kind, we’re much more limited on stage compared to cinema. We could replace some of these scenes with one of our own, around a new song. What did you have in mind?”

He was staring at you, gaze intense and unwavering. You liked that about him, the fact that whenever he listened to someone, it was with his full attention. You felt like your opinion mattered. You couldn’t help but draw a comparison with your ex-husband. It was a nice change…

You thought about it for a second, before answering, crossing your arms before your chest and leaning against the table behind you.

“We could do a romantic scene… quite similar to Something Good. They could dance, get closer, and kind of confess this way. That’s romantic.”

“This scene is so cute…” Roberta nodded, a dreamy smile on her face.

Ben couldn’t refrain a chuckle at her reaction, and he pondered the question for a moment. But he ended up nodding, writing the title down.

“That’s a good idea, it could work.”

The alarm on your phone rang. It had been two hours already, it was time to call it a day.

“Alright,” Ben said, closing his notebook and offering the group a smile. “We’ll appoint the roles next time. We’ll try some singing, we should all prepare for the same one, let’s say… El Tango de Roxanne, as it’s apparently Y/N’s favourite…”

“Yes!” you cheered, making everyone chuckle.

“And remember that we’ll only see each other in November now! Because next week, no repetition.”

“Really? Why?” Giselle asked, disappointed.

“Y/N and I do have a job outside of this club, you know?” Ben answered, amused. “We’ll be off to London to work on our research. But then again, this classroom is still booked for us, you can gather here and work on the play if you want. As long as you don’t break anything…”

He turned his gaze to Nathaniel, who raised his hands as if innocent, the glimmering black polish on his nails catching the neon light.

“It happened once… and it wasn’t even really my fault.”

“Oh… I’m really curious to hear about this one!” you chimed.

“Let’s say that Nathaniel is not allowed to go anywhere near stage lights anymore…”

“Woops?” the boy said, making everyone laugh.

“Alright, all of you need to go to class,” you admonished, standing straighter again. “And we have to go back to our regular jobs, so, off you go!”

The students left, chatting excitedly and already making plans to gather the coming week even if their teachers would be away. You erased the blackboard while Ben was waiting for you to walk back to your offices. He seemed hesitant and you weren’t sure why. He was blushing, even. It was kind of… endearing…

You really had to stop your brain from making this kind of thoughts…

“Have you eaten before coming here?” Ben asked as you turned back towards him.

“No, I had classes this morning. I’m starving to be honest. I’ll eat something before our meeting, okay?”

“I haven’t eaten either. Would you like to join me?”

You were quite surprised by the offer, but you realised that it wasn’t an unwelcomed one.

“Okay, sure. I’ve brought something to eat.”

“I did too. Cafeteria?”

“Sure.”

You walked out of the classroom together, shy smiles on your lips, and both of you a little confused, a little hesitant. Still, when Ben looked at you, you seemed content, and it made him happy, for some reason…

Jasmine and Miles could barely believe their eyes.

You and Ben were sitting together, at a table, in the cafeteria, and… you seemed to be actually eating lunch together.

You were clearly chatting, and instead of shouting at each other or anything of the kind you just… laughed.

They exchanged a wide-eyed look.

“Since when do these two get along?” Miles asked, confusion painted all over his features. “I’m leaving for a couple of weeks, and all of a sudden everything changes around here?”

“Don’t look at me, I have no idea! Y/N hasn’t told me anything.”

“And Ben hasn’t told me anything either…”

“What happened to them?”

“It is a good thing though, if these two can finally get along.”

“Should we… leave them be, then?”

Miles pondered the question, still hiding with Jasmine in the corridor, right before the cafeteria. He peered inside once more.

“We should… but I’m too curious.”

“Me too… I bet your husband is going to be asking for details, anyway.”

“Oh, yes, George will love this!”

Miles walked inside the room with an excited grin, Jasmine on his heels.

Ben welcomed his colleagues with a bright smile, happy to see Miles again.

“So… what do we have here?” Jasmine teased, sitting down next to you and stealing some of your bread.

“One researcher who’s supposed to be working, and a retired man who’s supposed to be enjoying his husband?” you proposed, making Ben chuckle.

Miles looked at his younger friend with wide eyes and a raised eyebrow.

“Many things have changed since the last time I came,” he said, ignoring your sarcasm.

“What do you mean?” Ben asked, although he was perfectly aware of what Miles meant.

“None of you is frowning, looking desperate, or shouting… You almost look civilized!” Jasmine answered, and this time you swatted her hand away when she tried to get more of your food.

“We are civilized.”

“Together?”

You and Ben both rolled your eyes, but you didn’t fail to notice the way Ben was blushing. Colour spreading across his nose, his cheeks, and all the way up to the tips of his ears. You found it adorable…

“We had a bad start,” Ben conceded. “But we’re… okay now, right?”

You nodded, taking a bite of your salad.

“Real colleagues. Professional.”

“Good! That’s a lot of progress already for the two of you.”

You kept on chatting together for a while, until both your and Ben’s plates were empty. You were to have a meeting to prepare your stay in London, but you both agreed to take a twenty-minutes break before that. You would meet up in Ben’s office to go back to work.

Miles didn’t lose a second, as soon as he was alone with his younger friend in his office, he sat down and bombarded him with questions.

“Ben, I want to know everything that has happened between you and Y/N in the past few weeks! Every detail! Fire away!”

Ben laughed at his friend’s antics, taking a seat as well.

“Nothing interesting happened, I can assure you,” answered Ben. “We simply… spent more time together, and… buried the hatchet. That’s all.”

“You couldn’t stand each other at the beginning of the year, and now you’re having lunch together! And nothing happened?”

“No! I mean… I don’t know. We didn’t get along at the beginning, it was a bit hard but then we had to work together and… we’ve found that we…”

“That you?” Miles encouraged him eagerly.

“That we… are not so dissimilar after all.”

Ben let his gaze get lost over Miles shoulder, staring at nothing while his thoughts drifted back towards your shared moments through the last few weeks.

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, she is… insufferable, sometimes. She is… disorganised most of the time, and always making silly jokes, and she is clumsy as hell, although… that’s kind of… adorable, to be honest…”

A dreamy smile appeared on his features, before he would shake himself, and look at his friend again.

“But nothing has happened, really. We’ve simply become professional around one another.”

But Miles was staring at his young friend with a wicked grin.

“What?” Ben frowned. “Do I have some food on my face?”

“You like her.”

Ben rolled his eyes.

“She’s competent. More than I thought she would be. And she’s great with the kids at the club, which is all that truly matters.”

“No, Ben. You like her.”

“What?!”

“You like her!”

Ben scoffed, crossing his arms before his chest, suddenly defensive and looking at his former colleague as if he had gone mad.

“Absolutely not! Are you crazy?”

“You do seem… infatuated.”

“Infatuated? Me? With Y/N? Retirement really doesn’t suit you. Are you alright?”

“Ben… you’ve literally zoned out as you were talking about her with the most idiotic smile on your lips – no offence. And you’ve just said that she was -and I quote- ‘adorable’.”

“I did not… that was not what I meant…”

“So you don’t think that she’s adorable?”

“Well… no! I mean… she’s very clumsy and that’s… quite… cute…”

Ben heaved a frustrated sigh.

“You were blushing at lunch,” Miles went on.

“I did not!”

“You did.”

“Only because I felt embarrassed. Because of you. Not her. I do not blush because of Y/N.”

“Don’t you think she’s an attractive woman?”

Ben rolled his eyes.

“I am not blind, Miles. Even you can’t deny that she’s quite… pretty. Beautiful, even…”

He cleared his throat.

“Anyone with two functioning eyes would notice that, it doesn’t mean I’m attracted to her.”

“You’re not?”

“Don’t you think she’s a beautiful woman?”

“I do believe she is beautiful. Because as you said, I have two functioning eyes. But as a gay man, and a happily married one, I do not feel the need to stare at her and to blush every time she looks my way.”

“I do not do that!”

“Yes, you do. You did throughout the entire lunch.”

“This is ridiculous.”

“So you think she’s adorable, you think she’s cute, you think she’s beautiful…”

“Miles…” Ben glared at him.

“But you’re not interested?”

“No, I’m not.”

Miles nodded, clearly unconvinced.

“You know what professionals call that?”

“What kind of professionals? Matchmakers?”

“Denial,” Miles answered his own question, ignoring Ben’s sarcasm. “That’s pure denial we have here, Ben.”

“Absolutely not. I am happy on my own. I don’t want to have a relationship. I don’t want to be infatuated with anyone. I don’t want to think about Y/N this way. Is that clear?”

“Crystal clear.”

“Good.”

But Miles shook his head, heaving a sigh.

This boy, really…

“Jasmine!”

You were sitting in her office, staring at her with wide eyes and a shock painted all over your features that almost looked like outrage.

“Of course, I don’t fancy him!”

“Why not? He’s super hot…”

“He…”

You took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm down. Because this couldn’t be happening.

A few weeks before you were tempted by actually cutting Ben’s throat, how could Jasmine think for a mere second that now you fancied him!?

Outrageous. Absolutely ridiculous.

“I do not fancy Ben Barnes.”

“You do, though.”

“I do not! I barely know him at all! I’ve just started actually getting along with him… what… three weeks ago? Maybe even less!”

“Do you not find him attractive?”

You let out a frustrated grunt.

“Of course, I find him attractive, have you looked at the guy?! He is gorgeous. Yes, I do find him attractive. Doesn’t mean that I am actually attracted to him! And you’re forgetting how annoying he is! Like he is always so… organised, and he plans everything out, and he… always pushes his glasses up before writing something down and that’s… okay that one is kind of cute, actually, but… he blushes all the time. And that’s quite adorable. But he’s also very… He was very mean to me at the beginning! He isn’t anymore, that’s true. And he’s great with the kids at the club. He’s actually a lot of fun… But no! No! He is insufferable with his idiotic humour and his bright laughter and… argh!”

You threw your hands in the air, Jasmine still staring at you, sipping on her coffee.

“Wow… you’re so far gone,” Jasmine commented.

“I. Do. Not. Fancy. Ben. Barnes.”

“You’re infatuated.”

“Absolutely not! Besides… my life is a mess. And I have a daughter, and an ex-husband who drives me crazy and… no, no, no! I don’t want a relationship, or a fling, or anything. I am very happy and content being single. No, thank you!”

“You’re in denial. I’m surprised you’ve managed to convince yourself for so long…”

“Jas!”

“Alright, alright… as you wish.”

You checked your watch, and stood up.

“I have to go my meeting with Ben now.”

“Try not to snog him too hard.”

“One more word…”

“Alright! Alright!”

You strode outside the room, passing before Miles as he was heading towards Jasmine’s office.

When he entered, he had a raised eyebrow.

“What’s wrong with this one?” he asked, pointing at the corridor where you had just disappeared, a murderous look on your face.

“She’s in denial. Want to know what I’ve just learnt?” Jasmine asked the retired man, overexcited.

“Oh, you will never believe what I’ve just learnt!” said Miles, sitting down in the chair you had occupied a moment before.

They spilled the tea at the same time, excited grins on their faces.

“He likes her!”

“She likes him!”

Their shouts and laughter could be heard all the way down the corridor.

**********************************

Taglist: @reg-arcturus-black @idek-what-to-put

#ben barnes #ben barnes x you #ben barnes x reader #ben barnes x y/n #ben barnes fanfiction #ben barnes series #ben barnes fanfic #fanfic #fanfiction #writing #series

[dr4k3n0]

'What Brings Us Together'

Synopsis: Getting closer to a cold Knives through music.

A/n: This is a college AU and I have decided you can play the violin. (If you do irl that is so cool) Also, Knives name will just be Nai in this. (I also decided he wears glasses in this) Also for the music to know what I'm referencing to, just look up Merry Go Round of Life Violin and Piano duet on youtube.

F!Reader x Knives

Tw: None

Word Count: 3.4k

It was an early Monday morning. You already knew today was going to suck, most Mondays do. Walking through the loud crowded halls of your college building, you slowly opened the door to your class. You were attending an extremely prestigious music academy. As a child, you always wanted to become a famous violin player, and here you were, still trying to accomplish this dream. Upon entering your classroom, you walked up the tall stairs to your seat and sat next to your seatmate. He was a relatively quiet person, he also looked quite handsome.. his blonde locks, the glasses, and the built physic. He never really talked much although you would often hear a few scoffs from him when someone did something stupid. You two talked a little bit, but weren't that close. Although he was an extremely talented pianist. You could tell he had been playing for a while. He also sat next to a blonde who was supposedly his twin but acted completely different from him. His twin was so much more optimistic but also shared the same musical talents as his brother.

Setting down your things beside you and taking a seat, you prop your arm up on the small desk and watch the chaos unfold until the teacher arrives. The teacher was taking forever, the bell rang 5 minutes ago and still, the teacher wasn't there. Some prestigious school, you thought as you rolled your eyes.

Eventually, the teacher walked in and the class went quiet. You watched as the teacher fixed their tie before beginning the lesson. It was quite boring. You were going over things you already knew and was a waste of time. Watching the clock, as the time slowly ticks by, you eventually only had 5 more minutes left of the class. Starting to gather your things the teacher says something that perks your ears.

"We're going to have a duet. I'm assigning you all partners according to the instrument you all play." The teacher announced.

You winced at the sound of assigned partners. The teacher soon continued,

"This duet will be your full grade for the quarter, so work hard on this. The duet concert will be at the end of the quarter good luck." You sigh as you listen for the teacher to call your name and assign your partner. I hope I get someone decent, you thought.

Eventually, the teacher finally called your name. "Y/n, L/n you will be partnered with Nai." Your eyes widened as you and Nai both looked at each other with wide eyes. 

Ah man, you thought feeling awkward. The bell finally rang and you had an hour before your next class so you planned to just go practice your violin a bit. Walking through the crowded hallway as students pushed and shoved their way to class, you tried to squeeze through with your Violin case in hand. You sighed at the crowdedness before feeling someone grab your shoulder and pull you into a classroom. Letting out a squeak, your body collided with someone else's as you lost your balance. The figure helped steady you, before letting go and stepping back.

"Sorry." The figure said.

Looking at the figure, you saw that it was none other than Nai. A sigh of relief left your lips before you smiled a bit at him. "It's alright, but why did you pull me in here?" You asked looking around the room. 

"We have to do this duet remember?" He said plainly.

"Oh, yea-! I was going to talk to you next class about it but now works." You said embarrassed. "

You play the piano right?" You asked.

He looked at you unamused as you both had been over this before, and he was quite literally sitting at a piano. "No I play the clarinet, of course, I play the piano, idiot." He said annoyed.

"Sorry!" You said surprised by his tone.

It eventually went quiet again and you stood there awkwardly.

"So uhm.. what do we want to do for the duet I guess?" You asked him finally breaking the silence.

He turned towards you before handing you a stack of paper that with the title of "Merry Go Round of Life" Which happened to be already made for the type of violin you played. Observing the notes, you nodded a bit at the papers as he looked at you occasionally. 

"Alright! seems fun to play.. do you want to try it out now? Or..?" You said after a bit.

"Let's try it out now to get a feel for it." He replied.

Nodding, you set down your Violin case and opened it before carefully taking out your Violin and the bow gently before grabbing a music stand and adjusting it to where it needed to be. As you were doing all of this, Nai was observing your every move, he always enjoyed your presence for some reason and it got on his nerves. His twin, Vash teased him about having a crush on you. But Nai would rather die than have a crush. He didn't have the time for a relationship he was working to pursue his dreams of becoming a great pianist. But he wouldn't mind starting a relationship with you.. Eventually, you were completely set up and ready to play.

"Okay I think piano starts this, so I'm ready when you are." You said smiling at him.

He nodded at you before facing the piano and placing his fingers in the playing position. 

Taking a deep breath, his fingers gently began to push down on the notes and began to play the song gracefully. He began the chorus of the song with zero mistakes and it was eventually your turn to come in. Placing your violin in playing positions, you listened for the beat to begin. As it finally gets to where you come in, you skillfully press on the strings to make the different notes only making a few mistakes for the first time playing this song.  You eventually both stopped as you played it over a few more times.

"How are you doing so well? Have you played this song before?" You asked.

He nodded a bit at you as you made a small "O" with your mouth. You sighed before looking at the clock. You began to pack up your stuff seeing it was almost time for lunch.

"Do you want to meet up sometime later to practice more..? Or do you want to just continue tomorrow?" You eventually asked.

"We can meet up later today to practice more, I'll give you my number so we can find good times for us to practice." He stated.

You nodded before taking out your phone, unlocking it, pulling up the add a contact screen on your phone, and handing it to him. Quickly, entering his contact information in your phone, you took it back from him. 

"Alright, well see you later then!" You said waving at him and beginning to walk towards the door.

With a small wave, he began to pick up his stuff as you exited the room. His face began to heat up at the thought of giving you his number and thought back to how well you played the song. Grabbing his backpack and sighing, he walks to the door only for it to be slammed open into him.

"Nai!! Come have lunch with us!" Vash started. Looking around the room he didn't see his brother.

"Nai?" He looked to the side to see a very annoyed-looking Nai who grabbed his collar.

"There you are Nai!" Vash said smiling at him.

"I saw your crush walking out of here, did you guys have fun?" Vash said smirking at his brother and lifting his eyebrows.

"Shut up," Nai said pushing Vash out of the way and walking out the door. Vash soon got recollected himself before following after his brother.

"Let's go meet up with the others," Vash said walking faster to catch up with him.

You walked to your locker before meeting Merly and Wolfwood there. You were already a friends with Vash and the others but, Nai never really joined you all. Closing your locker, you all began to walk towards where you all ate which was at a small tree out in the courtyard. You all talked amongst yourselves as you approached the courtyard. When you finally made it there, you moved a small picnic bench underneath the tree and took a seat next to Meryl with Wolfwood on the other side of you both. As you waited for the others, you and Meryl talked while Wolfwood listened occasionally puffing on his cigarette.

"Hey, guys!" Vash said waving towards you all with his brother beside him.

You waved back to him smiling before seeing Nai beside him looking unamused. You waved at him as well while Vash took a seat beside Wolfwood and purposely left no room for Nai next to him.

"Y/n can my brother sit next to you?" Vash said grinning menacingly at his brother.

"Sure I don't mind," You replied making room for him. 

He huffed a bit before sitting beside you and propping an arm up on the table staring daggers into Vash. You all eventually pulled out your lunches and began to munch on them but Nai didn't seem to have lunch. You looked around on the ground to see if he had it but didn't want to eat but to no avail, there wasn't one. You sighed before, gently elbowing his side to get his attention.

"Here you can have these. You need to eat." You said to him grinning.

He looked at you skeptically before hesitantly taking the food and saying a small thank you. His brother grinned at you both before specifically wiggling his eyebrows at Nai, to which he replied with the finger. You chuckled a bit before beginning to chat away with Meryl with Nai stealing occasional glances at you. Eventually, it was time to go, and you bid farewell to the others before saying to Nai,

"See you later tonight" With a small smile.

Vash eyes widened as his brother was in shock as well. You walked off with Meryl and when you both were eventually out of site, Vash began

"See you later tonight," He said in a girly voice and fluttering his eyelashes. Nai quickly put his hand over Vashs mouth to make him shut up, before walking away with a small blush. 

Classes had eventually finished, and you were now on your way to your dorm room to which you just so happened to share with Meryl. Opening the door you were greeted with the feeling of home and set your stuff down before collapsing on your bed. You took out your phone and soon looked at all your missed notifications which wasn't too much. After a bit, you went into your contacts to message Nai about when he wanted to hang out, only to see the contact name he put into your phone. "Nai ♡" Your face grew warm but decided to keep the name before sending him a message. 

(Black is you, Blue is him.)

Hey, this is Y/n.

Hey.

So, when is a good time to meet up?

I'm free now.. so now maybe?

Sure

Meet me in room 207

K

Leaving your room with your violin in hand, you began the journey to room 207. It wasn't too far of a walk thankfully and you made it there quickly. You knocked on the door lightly, before opening the door a bit and walking in.

"Hey! Sorry for the wait." You said smiling at him.

"It's all good I wasn't here long," He mumbled.

Grinning at him, you got your things ready before starting to practice the music. You enjoyed being able to work with him he was really talented. You were certain you would both pass this. The song sounded so good with your violin and his piano. After a while, it had gotten late and the school eventually kicked you both out.

Walking in the dark to your dorm, Nai eventually offered, "You can just come to my dorm, it's closer than yours."

You smiled at his offer before saying, "It's fine I don't mind the walk."

"Are you sure?" He asked again. You pondered to yourself about whether you should take the offer. You could get into trouble for this.. but what the heck.

"Why, not. I don't mind let's go to your dorm." You said grinning at him. He let out a rare small smile as he began to take the lead to his dorm. 

When you both made it to his dorm, he took out his key before saying something under his breath and then unlocking it. Upon opening the door, the room was quite literally split. One side had some dirty clothes and some papers spread throughout the room. While the other was neat and tidy. You let out a little chuckle seeing Vash on the couch playing some video games with Wolfwood. Nai rolled his eyes before leading you to his room.

Seeing you walk by, Vash's eyes widened, "Y/n?!" Vash said turning his head before turning back to the game to see Wolfwood had beaten him.

Walking into Nai's room you stood at the door after shutting it and him standing across from him.

"This is my room I guess," He said awkwardly.

You smiled at him before saying "I really like it, it's so clear and tidy."

He let out a little scoff before shaking his head. "Well if that doofus out there didn't eat all the food, help yourself and I'll try to figure out the sleeping situation." He said to you.

You nodded but decided to stay in his room with him. 

"I can sleep on the floor I don't mind," You offered.

He shook his head, "You're not sleeping on the floor."

"Well I don't want you to sleep on the floor 'cause I'm here, this is your room." You replied back.

"I'll go sleep on the couch then." He said to you. You sighed a bit before saying,

"You have a big enough bed I guess.. We could share and just make sure to split the middle or something." You suggested. "That is if you're comfortable with that." You added to what you said previously.

He looked at you a moment before nodding, "I don't mind, we can do that." He said with rising blush growing on his face.

Thinking about sleeping, you soon realized you didn't have anything to wear.

"Uhm.. I don't have anything to wear to sleep.." You said shyly.

He blushed a bit, before going into his drawer and grabbing a pair of basketball shorts and one of his shirts, and holding them out to you.

"You can use these.." He said not looking at you. You smiled a bit before taking them from him and smiling.

"Bathrooms, second door on the right," He said before going through some papers on his desk.

You nodded before heading to the bathroom to change clothes. You opened the door before flicking on the light switch, and gently closing, and locking the door. 

After you changed, you opened the door before switching the light off and shutting the door. You soon went back to Nai's room, forgetting to knock and opening the door to him being topless. Your eyes widened at the sight as you blushed looking him over up and down. You quickly shut the door before he could say anything and stood behind it with your heart beating fast. Okay, maybe he was hotter than you expected.. Blushing more and the sight of him shirtless stuck in your mind, you soon hear the door quickly open and Nai sticking his head out to find you. He stayed silent before walking back into the room with you following suit.

"Sorry.." You mumbled quietly.

"It's fine.." He said quietly before switching off the light so you couldn't see his blushing face.

In all honesty, he didn't mind that you walked in on him but he thought you looked cute in his clothes that were 3x too big for you. Eventually, he offered for you to choose a side to which you chose the one closest to the wall. Crawling into the bed and going underneath the warm blanket, your back faced Nais with his back facing yours as well. 

It took you a while to fall asleep. The image of Nai in your head along with being in the actual same bed as him flustered you. You never really noticed, but you had a small crush on the blonde that you barely knew. But this was a small dream come true and you hoped this could happen more. As the night slowly drifted on, the sun began to rise. You slowly opened your eyes to the sound of his alarm, only to find Nai holding onto you tightly and your arms wrapped around his figure tightly. He slowly opened his eyes from the sound before his eyes widened and you both made eye contact. You both sit up blushing and not looking at each other before Nai quickly hits the alarm.

"Sorry.." You both said in unison.

The blush on your faces grew before hearing a small giggle from the doorway. Nai grumbled and quickly stood up before throwing open the door only to see Vash taking a video of the whole thing.

"Nai.. I can explain-!" Vash tried to say before he was dragged by his brother into another room.

Still trying to figure out what had happened you decided to put on your clothes from yesterday. Folding Nais clothes he let you borrow, you grab your things and quietly walk out the door. 

Getting back to your dorm, you opened the door with your key before quietly sneaking into your room to change and get ready for the new day, as well as mentally preparing yourself to confront Nai. Eventually, the time had come for you to go to class and you took as long as you could to get to class. Taking a seat next to Nai, you both stayed quiet while. Vash was quiet and had a few scrapes and a bump on his head, which you would assume was from his brother. Sighing, you decided to say something.

"I'm sorry about this morning and stuff.." You said quiet enough for only him to hear.

You saw him look at you before saying "It's fine, I really didn't mind,"

He said smirking a little. Your face heated up at what he said before your attention was stolen by the teacher walking in and beginning the lesson.

You both made it a routine to work on your duet after all your classes. Some nights Nai would walk you to your dorm, and some you would stay at his. You could feel that you were both growing closer and your feelings for him began to grow as well. The more you both were together, you saw different sides of him that you didn't know he had. He would actually laugh and smile around you. And it made you fall for him even harder. 

Eventually, the day of the duet presentation had come. The school had made it a large school-wide thing so you had to now perform in front of the whole school. At first, you were excited to play, but as time went on and it got closer and closer to your turn, your anxiety began to kick in. What if I mess it up? What if something happens? What if's were all that ran through your mind. Being lost in thought, Nai watched as the anxiety radiated off of you. He looked at you concerned before gently grabbing ahold of your hand which happened to take you back to reality. He looked straight ahead while you looked at your hand which was being held gently by his. You blushed a bit and most of your anxiety began to fade. 

Soon it was your turn. You both walked up to the stage to prepare. You were both currently wearing white fancy clothing since the teacher made it a requirement to wear something nice to get a good grade. Once you were set up, you looked at Nai and nodded while he nodded back and began to play the tune that you have practiced for weeks now. When it was finally your turn to come in, the notes came so naturally for you. You delicately pressed down on the strings while Nai executed each note on the piano perfectly. The song sounded perfect with your violin and his piano. Eventually, it was all over, and the crowd erupted in cheers. You laughed a bit at the reaction of the crowd before being pulled behind the stage by Nai. He soon led you to a dark hallway with no one in it. You both hugged each other happily for successfully "wooing" the crowd. You giggled a bit before looking up at him. He looked at you happily as his eyes wandered down to your lips. You smirked a bit before standing on your tip toes and having your lips collide with his. 

Feeling his surprise he quickly cupped your face in his hands as you pulled away with half-lidded eyes. You smiled at him, sure that your face was as red as a tomato right now. Ginning at you, with a small glint in his eyes and a blush on his face. He gently grabbed your chin before kissing you again this time to your surprise. You wrapped your arms around his neck gently and ran your fingers down the shaved part of his undercut, and down his neck. Time seemed to stop around you both. Your heart was beating fast and you swore he could probably hear it too.

Eventually, the moment was ruined by someone clearing their throat who just so happened to be the janitor Roberto. (I'm sorry but like-) He looked at you both disgusted as you both stood looking at him. You began to hide behind Nai blushing, while he shot daggers toward the janitor.

"Go get a room. Jeez, kids are gross," He said as he continued to mop the floors.

After you both watched him leave, Nai gently pecked your lips again before resting his forehead against yours.

I guess music really does bring people together..

The End...

OMG FINALLY. This took me too long to type and I said "Nai" Too many times lmao. But, I really enjoyed writing this! Anyway- I hope you all enjoyed this long oneshot. Thank you so much for reading this. :))

#knives x reader #trigun knives #millions knives #trigun fluff #trigun stampede #trigun #DR4KEN #oneshot #fluff #college au

[ereardon]

Golden Hour sneak peek

Summary: Willow, Georgia. Barely even a town, just a speck on a map that you tried to wipe off, mistaking it for a crumb. You’re the outsider: a fancy New York doctor, fresh out of a failed engagement, with zero primary care experience. You’re also the new town doctor, taking over for a recent retiree who was beloved. His son, Bob Floyd, is the other physician at the practice, and takes an immediate dislike to you. But you were looking for a fresh start, and Willow doesn’t seem all that bad if you can get past the fact that there's only one restaurant in town. It helps that you've caught the eye of Bradley Bradshaw, the town attorney, despite the fact that you vowed to take a break from dating. How long until you start to make friends in a town where social circles have been set in stone since elementary school? And what will it take to make Bob Floyd see you’re not as bad as he wants to believe you are?

Pairing: Bob Floyd x OC; Bradley Bradshaw x OC [Dr. Olive James]

A tall blond with glasses loomed in the doorway. He wore a blue button up shirt with a white doctor’s coat over it, a pair of tan trousers and cowboy boots hidden below the hem of his pants. When he looked at you, he scowled, and you felt his gaze searing over your skin and dark hair. It made you want to turn away from the intensity, but you forced yourself to meet his gaze and smile. 

“Dr. Olive James,” you said, holding out one hand, bangles bashing together as you waited with the hand outstretched. “You can call me Olive or Liv.” 

After a beat, he reached out and enveloped your hand in his. His fingers were long and beautiful, like a piano player’s. “Dr. Bob Floyd,” he said. 

You nodded, your hand still trapped in his. Finally, Bob let his gaze slip from yours and you let your hand fall. 

Macy looked between the two of you and blushed. The air was thick with tension. “I’ll be on my way then.” She nodded at you. “Dr. James. Dr. Floyd.” There was a way that she said Bob’s name. A sort of reverie. Macy scampered away and you heard the front door shut behind her, leaving you and Bob alone. He made no move to show you around. 

You cleared your throat. “Is, um, is Dr. Floyd Sr. around?” 

“My father is quite elderly,” Bob said and his voice was deep, gruff, but velvety. “He’s retired.” 

You nodded. “That’s why I’m here. He hired me as his replacement.” 

Bob squinted. “And what exactly are your credentials?” 

Anger bubbled inside of you. He doubted your credentials? This small-town doctor who probably graduated bottom of his class was asking about your credentials. You straightened your shoulders. “Columbia medical. I did my surgical residency at Mount Sinai where I was chief resident, and I just completed a fellowship in obstetrics.”

Bob brushed past you without a response. You frowned, trailing after him as he made his way into the back behind the desk to a small kitchen at the back of the house. He poured himself a cup of coffee and then turned around. “Why the hell would you want to come here?” he demanded. “You’re a surgeon.” 

You didn’t know how to tell him that New York was dead to you. Perhaps not the whole city, but there was no going back. Not when Peter had come home three nights before and ended a five year relationship and engagement with five words. 

I slept with someone else. 

There was no going back. Your apartment, your perfect Upper East Side apartment, the one you had searched high and low for three years, was getting packed up as you spoke. The walls you had painstakingly painted were being stripped of all of the artwork and photographs that dotted it so carefully. The kitchen where you had spent countless hours trying to learn how to properly sautee green beans and how to roast a whole chicken that would make Ina Garten proud, was standing empty like a skeleton on a gurney. The bedroom that you and Peter had shared was just a shell that had once housed whimpers and soft declarations of love. 

How could you tell a stranger that the largest city in the US was still too small to go back to? So you had done the only rational thing. You had fled. Somewhere far. Somewhere small where you could hide in plain sight. Somewhere he would never come looking for you. 

[Masterlist here]

Tag list:

@eli2447 @himbos-on-ice @genius2050 @xomrsalliej4787xo @cool-ultra-nerd @xoxabs88xox

@double-j @topguncultleader @momc95 @hangmandruigandmav @minamisulemisa @shawnsblue @blue-aconite @seresinhangmanjake @brehonodea @babyminghao @crthurston @angelbabyangee @secretsicanthideanymorey

@taytaylala12ylala12 @mizzzpinkink @wkndwlffwlff @mygyn @sadpetalsstuff @shanimallina87 @averyhotchner @oneelleandaneye @rosewritesitout @atarmychick007 @khaylin27

@wittywhispers @wildlyobserving @eyesthatroll @localhockeygirll @xomrsalliej4787xoo @rosiahills22 @teacupsandtopgun @sexythollandd @djs88911 @rxmtoon @darkestbeforethedawn166 @cactajuiceice @purplevortexx @dempy @lemur46

@louie-bugug @arson-tmm @valkyrja-siren-blog @avengers-fixation @fudge13 @phantomxoxo @a-court-of-roscoe-and-babyy @not-two-shrimp @abaker7474 @evans-dejong @mandylove1000

#bradley rooster bradshaw #bob floyd imagine #bob floyd fanfiction #bob floyd #bob floyd x oc #bradley bradshaw x oc #bradley bradshaw x you #bob floyd x you #hangman top gun

[ally-holmes]

What-oh

Day 13 of the 30-day short story challenge

I want to make a quick reminder that I'm making a 30-day challenge for my English C2 class. I ought to do a short story each day with less tan 1100 words. Today's story has 1102, but I couldn't narrow it more.

I don't think of it as a close story and I may develop a longer fic in the future.

Today's topic was "what-oh" and so I immediately thought of Bertie Wooster and so I did something for the Jooster fandom.

Also available on AO3

Here it goes:

As the door opened my man, Jeeves, stopped his greetings and I knew that I'd done it again. I found the perfect piece of garment that would profoundly hurt his feudal spirit.

Jeeves has been my valet for six years now. He's been with me for more time than any other valet in my employ, and one doesn't want to become dull to one's valet and then be abandoned by him. Hence the current situation where I got into our apartment wearing a painfully purple wool coat. I shall confess that I don't feel particularly attached to either its cut or its colour, but seeing Jeeves' eyebrow twitch slightly whilst pulling his stuffed frog face…

"What-oh, Jeeves!"

"May I ask where did you find such an item, sir?"

Jeeves helped me out of the new coat with only two fingers of each hand and I was beaming. "The department store, of course!"

"Again, sir?"

"Tcha, Jeeves! The hat was a perfect accessory, I say."

"It had a feather, sir." He cleared his throat announcing he was about to overstep his position and I was all for it. "What shall I do with the coat, sir?"

"I say, Jeeves" I say. "I say, just keep it with the others."

"The others, sir?"

"The others."

Jeeves' eyes wandered over the item still pinched between his fingers, "Are you going to keep it, sir?"

"Of course!"

"To wear it outside, sir?"

It's not Jeeves' suffering that makes my belly warm and my heart dance to the latest song, it's our dynamic. I'm still able to make him pull such a face. I keep him on his toes. I may not be as brilliant and brainy as he is, but I can be quite interesting when the circumstances arise.

Now, dear reader, if you've consumed my ups and downs you'll be expecting the moment where an aged relative or a friend in need shows up begging for old Bertie Wooster's help.

Jeeves' and I were summoned by my cousin Angela, you see, she needed some help to help a friend of hers. Miss Millicent Tilney was the young lady in need. She had been expecting a proper confession from Mister Angus Radcliffe. Instead of said c. he turned heels and ran.

While Angela explained the issue to us I nursed my tea watching Jeeves carefully. He was still mad about my purple coat, and I know what it means when I've hurt his sensibilities and we have an issue in hand: he won't work properly. Now, one cannot say that Jeeves has ever been unprofessional. Even so, on occasions such as this one, Jeeves' plans usually implies the ruin of my clothing or yours truly getting hurt.

"What's your opinion on the matter, old thing?"

"I may have a solution, sir."

The stiffness of his upper lip let me know that I was in for the ride. Following Jeeves' instructions I played the piano for Millicent, walked with her, and lent her my poor ears. Let me tell you something, she could talk for ages without taking a breath. Your poor Mister Wooster could barely keep himself awake. I say, even if you tortured me I couldn't tell what came out of her mouth.

Radcliffe found out and wrongfully thought that I was intending to court Millicent.

By the end of the day my right eye matched perfectly with my new coat.

I crouched next to my car, hiding from everyone, but most importantly from Radcliffe. A soft familiar cough announced to me that I'd been found. I looked up at Jeeves willing to blame him for my poor estate. I couldn't. People may tell you that Jeeves is expressionless, but I know him and every little twist of his pshisio… pshisionomy? I think that's the word. Anyway, the poor old fruit was abashed and exuding guilt from all his Jeeveneses.

"My coat got ruined, Jeeves," I stated the obvious with a small dash of cheerfulness in my voice. I wanted to let him know that I wasn't angry.

"It looks like it, sir."

"Looks good with my eye now, what." Jeeves' winced at my words. "Well, Jeeves, can we go home now or what?"

"I will load out luggage into the car this instant, sir."

"Right-oh, Jeeves."

And so I waited for him to do as he said, and off we went. My eye hurt badly and it was getting puffier the longer it remained without anything cold to put on it, so I was unable to drive my own car. Jeeves took charge, of course.

As I ran my fingers —also hurt during the argument with Radcliffe— through my purple coat I felt a nasty iron grip around my lungs.

"Do you know why I buy this obnoxious garments, Jeeves?"

He glanced at me for a second, proving that I had piked his curiosity. "I couldn't say, sir."

"At first, I bought things I wanted to wear. Then, I found myself buying items cleary awful just because they were going to get a bigger reaction from you, old thing." I touched my damaged eye and winced at the pain. "You see, Jeeves, I don't want you to be bored with the young master. If you get bored with the y. m. you will leave him. I hate that thought. It makes me sad and blue and whatnot. I want to be old and old and still have you by side, old thing."

"You will get married at some point, sir, and my place as your valet would be unnecessary," Jeeves coldly said after a moment.

"Tcha, Jeeves! I say, tcha! I will never marry. Never. I had no intention on doing so before meeting you, and I can assure you that I have even less intention on doing so now. If I say I want us to be together for the rest of my life, I mean it." I usually speak without properly thinking, as you may have noticed. "Evidently, I will not force you to remain unmarried to accompany me, Jeeves. I'll make sure that whenever you get married you'll have the proper means to–"

"I won't marry, sir," Jeeves cut my rambling speaking louder than me.

After a beat of silence I could feel my face heat up. It certainly did not mean what I thought it meant. I cleared my throat, "Right-oh, Jeeves. Then no more purple eyes for the young master."

"Sir, if I may, I shall suggest you refrain the purchase of obnoxious garments for hats, socks or something similarly small."

"Very well, Jeeves. You know better after all."

To be continued????

#30 days short stories #30 days #writing challenge #short stories #fanfic #jeeves and wooster #reginald jeeves #bertie wooster #jooster #ao3 #writing prompt #writing

[anabanana-romanova]

OK ANASTASIA AND DMITRI HEADCANONS BECAUSE ILTSM (both musical and movie they've merged in my head)

- Dmitri doesn't know how to read. Which makes sense when you remember that he grew up in Imperial and Soviet Russia, so for someone of the working class it was very common to be uneducated. Anya is very determined to change that.

- Anya teaching Dmitri French is utterly hilarious because of one word. That word being "The." Dmitri yelling at a dictionary about WHY THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS TO SAY ONE WORD and WHY DOES THAT WORD EVEN EXIST IT DOESN'T NEED TO EXIST WE DON'T HAVE IT IN RUSSIAN and also WHY ARE HALF THE LETTERS SILENT THAT'S THE MOST RIDICULOUS THING I'VE EVER HEARD and we couldn't forget WHY ARE THE LETTERS MAKING DIFFERENT SOUNDS??? WHY IS Н MAKING AN 'N' SOUND AND И MAKING AN 'I' SOUND ANYA I CAN ONLY LEARN ONE LANGUAGE AT ONCE STOP LAUGHING AT MY PAIN-

- Three words. Dmitri, Paris, Chocolate. Really anything that's not stale bread and cabbage in water but specifically chocolate. He's really cautious at first because obviously he's never had any in his life and he takes a bite and just- melts into nothing because it is the single-most delicious thing he had ever ingested and can he please have more- It's safe to say that he downed three entire chocolate bars in the space of 93 minutes and had no regrets.

- Anya spends a ridiculous amount of time orchestrating various pranks on Vlad and Dmitri because why not? The ones with Vlad were always really nice and friendly, like surprising him by speaking with him only in french, or making him think something was wrong so he'd go to the ballroom and find the gramaphone set up ready to play a polka. Dmitri was no spared any mercy. He got the trip sure, the fake spiders (he screamed bloody murder and Anya was dying of laughter for a solid ten minutes,) he got the sack of lentils that was actually full of rocks so when he went to bed it was... not pleasant. Hey, she was a wild child. (The pranks still persisted even after they got married, just not as mean... except for the spiders.)

- For some reason, idk why, but Dmitri seems like an artsy painter person. He doesn't think he is, but then he tries it and realises that he is very observant in the way light chances the hue of different objects and in how to catch the small things that make art lifelike. His favourite art style is a little cartoon that he does on the edges of notebooks and journals like a flipbook which keeps him entertained for ages.

- Dmitri likes flowers. Nuff said. Anya just buys him flowers constantly. The bigger and gaufier they are, the better. When questioned why, he simply says "they're pretty and I like pretty things."

- As much as Anya hated having to practice as a child, she is very talented at music. They have an old, 2nd hand upright that lives in the corner of their living room and when Anya gets the time she plays a little something on the piano. Sometimes it's a classic piece she learnt years ago that muscle memory still remembers or a little jazz that she's learning, or sometimes she just plays around with what sounds nice.

- Because I don't think Anya and Dima went back to Russia (because that's dumb why go back to the place that's trying to kill you,) Anya becomes a schoolteacher in France teaching English. The kids love her because she's firm but gentle and helps them all no matter what and sometimes gives them little treats if they've been very good. There was a rumor (in St Petersburg???) going around about a tall, brooding man that no one seemed to know who always looked grumpy and never spoke and many of the kids scared each other by theorizing that he was an evil spy coming to steal their food and toys. Imagine the shock they all felt when he knocked on the door one day with a satchel in hand and sheepishly smiles at Anya, who takes it with a smile, mutters something in a foreign language that was not English or French, and then KISSES HIM ON THE CHEEK????? SILENT MYSTERIOUS EVIL MAN GETS A KISS FROM SWEET, KIND FAIRY TEACHER????? Anya then explains that no he's not going to steal their food and toys and that he is in fact really sweet and he does speak but he's very self-councious because he's not fluent and his accent is thick and also he is her husband. SILENT MYSTERIOUS EVIL MAN ISN'T ACTUALLY SILENT EVIL AND MYSTERIOUS AND IS MARRIED TO SWEET KIND FAIRY TEACHER!?!?!??!

that's all for today folks до свидания (do svidanya) and dont die

#anastasia #dmitri #dimya #anastasiabroadway #anastasiamusical #anastasiamovie #anya #anastasiaromanov #cute #hey im bored and idk what im doing lol #ive obessed over them for way too long and i need validation #also am writing a book on wattpad btw #cool anyways bye

[thestarsarecool]

@fujoshi-simone-weil tagged me in a "things to get to know me" game! Fun, thank you! You have the best url on tumblr. Also, someone else tagged me in this game, like, a month ago and I kept meaning to do it (it was on my to-do list and everything!) but I forgot and now it has disappeared from my notifications. Also, I don't 100% remember who it was. But still, I wholeheartedly apologize to that person for neglecting their tag. I don't love you any less. Anyway, on with the show!

Last song I listened to: Answer Me from The Band's Visit. You can take the theater kid out of the theater but you can't take the theater out of the kid. Or maybe you can. I don't know. I am taking a class on songwriting for musical theater right now so I am listening to more musical theater than I have in a while, though not as much as I did in like 2019.

Favorite color: Purple!

Currently watching: Nothing really? I'm not much of a TV or movie person. I just finished watching the Fionna and Cake TV show which was surprisingly good. My siblings and I watched all of Adventure Time together a while back (we like to rewatch cartoons together), so we all facetimed to watch the finale, which was really nice. I'd missed them :)

Last movie I watched: Hmm. I don't remember. Let's think...nope, still don't remember. Sorry film nerds of tumblr.com. I wish I was as cool as you.

Currently reading: Psychoanalysis: The Impossible Profession by Janet Malcolm! It's a really fascinating look into the underlying contradictions of psychoanalysis and also a great overview of the history, but it's all done through an actually engaging character study! I think it was originally a lengthy piece in The New Yorker, published around 1980. Also, I just started The Tale of Two Cities, which is very fun because the only Dickens I have ever read before is Oliver Twist!

Sweet/Spicy/Savory: I want to say savory, but the answer is actually sweet. I put wayyyyyy too much sugar in my tea for me to be picking anything but sweet.

Last thing I googled: The last thing I googled was "Ray Donovan Music" and I will explain why because, yes, I know that that doesn't make any sense. So, I am finishing up work on this song I am writing and whenever I get to that "almost done" stage, I post to r/Songwriting to get feedback because it's fun and occasionally helpful. And someone in the comments said that my song sounds like if "the little girl from Moneyball and Ray Donovan had a brainchild with Regina Spector [sic]." Which, like, ok. Let's unpack that. The comparison to Regina Spektor is very kind. I have gotten that a few times, though I think Reddit just doesn't know any other women who write songs on the piano. The little girl from Moneyball is such a funny comparison to me. Like, she's not a songwriter? She's just Brad Pitt's fictional child. But like, sure, I get what they mean. I sing kind of light and talky sometimes which makes it sound childlike, I guess, like a Moe Tucker sort of thing. But Ray Donovan??? I literally do not know what this commenter is talking about. All I can find for who Ray Donovan is the guy from the TV show. Like, does TV criminal Ray Donovan write songs or something? Is my song particularly evocative of the Ray Donovan soundtrack? Did this commenter mash together Ray Davies and Donovan's names? I asked him who he is talking about, but received no reply. Someone save me from this hell. Who is Ray Donovan and why did he birth my song?

Current Obsession: Still The Beatles, I guess, though it's not nearly as debilitating as it was a year ago. Which is quite nice, actually! I can actually be productive now.

Current Thing I'm Working On: Well, I've just about finished up the aforementioned song! All it needs is a title. Also, I'm writing a paper on The Epic of Gilgamesh, which is fun. The guy who wrote my translation is a professor at my uni so I may go to his office hours to ask him about it!

Ok, I tag @torchlitinthedesert, @idontwanttospoiltheparty, @veidelon, @theallenklein, and @mydaroga. I know this one already made the rounds though (I think) so no need to do it if you already did it. Or, really, no need to do it at all.

Cheers, everyone!

#my thoughts