#but the age old 'it's my birthday which means it's time to tick that age up one more year'

[orcelito]

It is Now

My birthday 😌

I am now 27 💃

#speculation nation #i'll update my bio later bcus i gotta b on my computer to not wreck my html #but the age old 'it's my birthday which means it's time to tick that age up one more year' #been doing this ever since i was 15 lol. and so it shall continue for the foreseeable future. #anyways im feeling better than i was earlier. my girlfriend came over & that helped a Lot #just chatted and cuddled as i waited for my birthday to hit. #it is now may 13th. my 27th birthday. and i have absolutely nothing written for ITNL chapter 19 😭 #i'm working on getting there tho. making good progress in my reread. just having to be more thorough than expected. #i'll still make it my birthday chapter. just in a 'hey my birthday was a few days ago. if u guys wanna wish me happy birthday :]' way #anyways yea if anyone wants to be oh so niceys to me in my comments or asks i would enjoy that very much 🥺

[softguarnere]

Like An Echo (Like More Than)

Legacy

Shifty Powers x ofc (Hunger Games!au)

Summary: There’s no need for introductions – they know who she is; everyone does – but she does it anyway. When Granny once told her about her own Games, she had mentioned that she announced her name and district when stepping into her private session. Zenie had been awestruck by the way her grandmother had demanded their attention like that. So now, she does the same, because it’s what Granny did, and repeating the action makes her feel less alone. A/N: Another year, another Zenie birthday fic (because laglam is my Roman Empire and I miss writing it) Warnings: none Taglist: @latibvles @liebgotts-lovergirl @lady-cheeky @dcyllom @mads-weasley @ithinkabouttzu @mrs-murder-daddy @lieutenant-speirs

Soon enough the seconds will stop slipping by and they will call the female tribute from District 11 back to her private session with the Gamemakers. She will have nothing to show them except that she can identify almost every plant, and that she can wield a scythe in a way that could be deadly in combat. But until then, Zenie sits at a table with the boy from District 12, pretending not to notice him casting glances at her every so often.

Which is something that he’s been doing since the second they got to the Capitol. Everyone has been looking at her, but him more than most. In training, he’s had his eye on Zenie almost as much as he’s been eyeing the bow and arrows – which, strangely, she has never seen him actually pick up.

Unable to stomach both the shy glances and the uncertainty of her private session anymore, Zenie steels herself and blurts out the first thing that comes to mind.

“I saw what you did,” she announces. Trying to conceal her nerves, trying to make sure her voice doesn’t shake, has made it quiet, steady, and somewhat ominous. The boy sitting across from her startles when she says it, making her realize just how menacing that sentence sounded. She amends by clarifying, “At the Reaping. For that boy. That was very brave of you.”

The boy relaxes, somewhat. In all the brief glances that she’s had of him, Zenie has always thought that he had a somber look about him. Now that she’s looking at him openly for the first time, she can’t help but think that his dark eyes house a deep sadness.

“My little brother,” he says by way of explanation.

Ah, that explains it. Why else would someone from an outlying District volunteer in the Reaping? Zenie would know. Scenes from her own District’s Reaping flash through her mind – her name being called; the realization no one was coming to save her when the crowd around her parted as her peers stepped away to reveal her, leaving her no place to hide; how suddenly she was on the stage, watching a Peacekeeper hold back her brother, too old to be Reaped, unable to volunteer for a girl anyway, trying to break through the crowd to get to her.

“I’m Darrel, by the way,” the boy says, extending his hand for a shake. “But everyone back home calls me Shifty.”

“Zena.” He’s got a firm shake, rough, calloused hands. “But most everyone calls me Zenie.”

“Nice to meet you,” he says as if they’re friends and not people who will be at each other’s throats in just a matter of hours that are counting down on a constantly ticking clock. Now that he no longer has to pretend not to be looking at her anymore, Shifty studies her. “They say you’re a legacy. Did one of your parents win the Games?”

“My grandmother. She won when she was seventeen. Same age as me.” With so many people still around, she can’t say what she really means, which is that she’s sure this was intentional, somehow or other. District 11 is a big place. There is no coincidence in the fact that she has just been Reaped at the very age that her grandmother was. With all the fights between the Peacekeepers and harvesters this past year, this is some kind of warning.

Shifty considers this. His brow furrows in a way that seems very vulnerable to Zenie – it’s best not to reveal your emotions in a place like this, around people who want you dead, yet here he is.

“You’ve probably got a better chance than any of us,” he reasons after a moment of thinking.

That’s kind of him. Completely misplaced confidence in a stranger, but still kind.

“She won by being a good shot with a bow,” Zenie admits, more to see how he’ll react than anything else. “I’m not going to make it very far unless identifying poisonous plants somehow becomes a skill that sponsors love.”

As expected, Shifty perks up slightly. He starts to speak but is cut off by a voice from an overhead speaker calling for the male tribute from District 10. Once they watch her go, he leans across the table, eyes bright. “Shooting a bow isn’t that hard. Have you practiced with one at all?”

He asks as if he doesn’t know. Zenie could feel him watching her on their first day in training, when she picked up the bow, managed to fire a single shot that hit the outside of the target, and then gave up in favor of the digital plant identification game.

She decides to humor him. “I tried, but I wasn’t very good. Getting my hands on one in the arena wouldn’t help me.”

“But it might help you in your private session,” Shifty points out. A grin tugs at his lips as he suggests it, like helping a rival tribute isn’t the most outlandish and foolish thing he could possibly do right now. “When you first shoot at the target, look straight down the arrow at the bullseye. If the arrow hits above it, aim lower next time. If it hits below it the first time, aim higher. Same for left and right.”

On that one shot she dared fire in front of the others, she had looked down the arrow, directly at the bullseye. That was how archery was supposed to work, in her mind. The arrow had been in line with the bullseye, but hit to its left. So if she were to pick up the bow again, she should aim to the right.

“Okay . . .” Zenie agrees, albeit hesitantly. For all she knows, he could be making this up, sabotaging her so that she makes a complete fool of herself in front of the Gamemakers and receives a lousy score.

Yet somehow, she senses nothing but kindness in his earnest way of speaking.

“My daddy taught me that,” Shifty assures her, as if providing his credentials. He whispers it so that none of the other tributes can hear him.

For a second, it shocks Zenie that someone’s father would provide them with a lesson like this. Her own father would never do something like that for her. He never spent any time with her. He didn’t even come to say goodbye to her after the Reaping –

She pushes the thought from her mind. Shifty helped her. She should offer him something in return.

“In training, did you ever do the plant matching game?” She asks, voice low in the same way his was a moment before. If they’re going to share secrets, they may as well do it properly.

The boy from 12 shakes his head. “Never had the chance. But I’m usually pretty good with plants.”

“Have you ever heard of nightlock?”

“What?” Shifty’s brow furrows.

“Nightlock,” Zenie repeats. “They’re like blueberries, but more of a deep purple. Gotta watch out for them in the arena, because it can be hard to tell the difference. That was the only thing that kept me from beating the game.”

Shifty nods, muttering the name under his breath so he doesn’t forget it. He looks her in the eye when he says, “Thank you.”

As if on cue, a voice from on high calls Zenie’s name, summoning her to come and meet her fate.

“Good luck,” Shifty says as she stands to go.

“You, too.”

The sounds of talking and laughter decrescendo to a hushed silence the second that Zenie steps into the sight of the Gamemakers. There’s no need for introductions – they know who she is; everyone does – but she does it anyway. When Granny once told her about her own Games, she had mentioned that she announced her name and district when stepping into her private session. Zenie had been awestruck by the way her grandmother had demanded their attention like that. So now, she does the same, because it’s what Granny did, and repeating the action makes her feel less alone.

“Zena McGlamery. District 11.”

The Gamemakers are watching.

Now, what to do? Playing the plant identification game would bore them to death. Swinging around a scythe looks silly if she’s not wielding it against an opponent. She’s made an entrance – now she has to live up to it. Just like Granny once did.

With the conscious choice to hold her head high and her shoulders back, Zenie takes long, confident strides towards the archery station. The silver bow feels sleek and foreign in her hands. But this is what they expect, isn’t it?

Hoping that no one can see the trembling of her hands, Zenie selects an arrow and knocks it. The bow draws easily. The fletching is cool against her cheek, and the arrow’s tip points straight to the bullseye.

Her fingers tremble with anticipation. She’s about to fire when she hears the advice of the boy from 12 play in her mind, just as clearly as if he were there with her. He’s gotten into her head – literally.

But I trust him, Zenie thinks, remembering the look on his face, in his eyes.

She shifts her stance, aiming the arrow’s tip to the right of the bullseye, parallel to the spot she hit a few days before. Inhale, exhale. Release, and the bow twangs as the arrow flies down the range.

Thwack! The echo announces the arrow’s impact.

There is a polite smattering of applause from the Gamemakers that conveniently covers up Zenie’s own gasp.

Bullseye.

#happy birthday zenie ily forever and ever #band of brothers fanfic #shifty powers #oc zenie mcglamery #shifty powers x ofc #my writing #hunger games au

[maple-the-awesome]

Birthday Wish ||

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Words: 2,749

Requested by @sourpatchspinster: Hi hun,ay I make a request please? It's my birthday coming up in a month and I'll be 30 🙃, I'm totally having an existential crisis about it. Can I have a fluffy fic about the reader turning 30 and she is just being very dramatic like ... , She's single and think she going to die alone lol, but Bucky and his 106 year old ass tell it's going to be okay and she not going to die alone because he loves. Sorry this very specific, but I'm having a moment lol

I love this idea (mainly because I've had this same moment before😔). Here you go, sweetie, and I hope you have an amazing birthday 🥳

Marvel Masterlist 🖤 Fandom Masterlist 🖤 Requests

You should be happy. The weather's perfect and everyone you care about is near, many of whom you haven't seen in what feels like ages. There's also not a single threat in sight; no rouge super soldiers threating peace nor murderous aliens threating existence itself. It's just your friends singing 'Happy Birthday' terribly yet purposefully off key while being all smiles and laughter; a look so foreign for the Avengers these days. So, you should be happy...but you're not.

Three zero. Your hatred for the number only grows the longer you stare at those red and white candles. It's insane to think that as a child, you actually looked forward to turning thirty. What the heck was wrong with you then? No sane person wants to be thirty! When you turn sixteen, you can get a driver's license, turn eighteen to be considered a legal adult, and at twenty-one you can finally drink alcohol. What happens at thirty? Nothing except more body pains in places you'd never expect and the terrifying reminder that the clock is ticking down.

Staring at those two cursed candles, you wonder if they'll reverse time if you wish hard enough. Perhaps you could even pull Stephan aside later and strike some kind of bargain, begging him to work some of his wizard magic to make you younger somehow...No, you doubt he'll do that. He was already complaining earlier about the entire fiasco that occurred after he tried helping Spiderman. With Stephan not being an option, you're really just going to have to wish with all your might.

Alas, nothing happens when you suck in a breath and blow out the tiny flames; nothing except the cheers of the crowd as they’re the only ones celebrating your new age. Not wanting to hurt their feelings nor burden them with your inner worries on such an joyous occasion, you put on your best smile. You're happy, that's all they need to know at least.

Being the birthday girl, you get your first pick of a cake slice, deciding to feed that inner child within by getting the slice with the most intact cookie on top. From there you slip past the group, finding a quiet spot on the porch of the Wilson home where you can eat in peace and alone...as you worry you'll be spending the rest of your life.

In the past (meaning up until earlier last month), you've tried not to worry too much over the status of your love life. You went on dates and tried your best to land a guy without any red flags, but on its own that can be a difficult, time consuming task which only gets worse when added to your busy life as an Avenger. It doesn't help that you pretty much took a five year hiatus during the Blip, only managing to go on one or two dates during that time before realizing you're too depressed to try.

Now that the Blip is over and everyone is back, you've been trying to slowly get back onto the dating scene with little luck. Before you could usually find a guy or two who peaked your interest enough to warrant other dates or even the eventual title of boyfriend, but now you can't even recall the last time you’ve called a guy back after the first date. Did the Blip change you that much? Has your age made you more picky? Or perhaps...

To be honest, if you allowed yourself to dwell on it long enough, you'd realize there's a reason for why you had such a hard time dating during the Blip and why no guy has seemed to spark a light inside your heart afterwards. It's because deep down inside, your heart already knows exactly what type of guy it longs for right down to the name no one else has been able to compete with.

It isn't that you're necessarily blind to this fact, only that you're too stubborn to admit it. You’re thirty years old today which means you're also officially a beggar who can't be a chooser and far too old to hold onto a stupid school girl crush. It doesn't matter what your heart wants to make of all those gentle touches or the playful flirting that surrounds your purely platonic relationship; it won't wash away the line carved in stone and the sooner you cut that pesky rope of hope, the sooner you can return to your quest of actually finding someone before you end up being too old to grow old with them.

"Is the cake not good?" At this point you're certain Bucky hangs around watching you just in waiting to approach at the worst possible time. There's no other reason for him to drop whatever argument Sam and him had been having just to walk over to you with a teasing smile that looks way too mischevious to hold any ounce of innocence; like he knows he's caught you thinking about something forbidden even if that's impossible.

Luckily, he concludes by the way you lift your head with a raised eyebrow that you hadn’t heard his question properly. Poking his fork into his own cake slice, he nods towards yours," the cake? Do you not like it? I had no idea which to get; there were like fifty there. I honestly just got Oreo because I like it, but I probably should've had Sam pick one out-"

His last comment seems scolded more towards himself, but you cut him off by quickly scooping up another piece of the ice-cream cake which had already began to melt," no, no. It's good...You did a good job picking it."

Bucky smiles more at this, although he doesn't leave. Instead, he hovers there mere feet in front of you like a child waiting to annoy their mom over something. You, meanwhile, fight to keep your eyes on the plate, only barely glancing up to notice his eyes lingering over the sliver of space beside you. Getting the message, you scoot over," wanna sit?"

"Yeah...Yeah, I do," he chuckles in embarrassment before gratefully sitting beside you. Despite the amount of room you've provided him with, he still decides to sit close enough to have his arm and leg rub up against yours; a usual habit you've noticed he has not that it means anything.

The two of you eat together in silence, enjoying how nice the cool treat tastes against the warm weather. Everyone else has migrated into different groups to share conversations while Clint's kids and Sam's nephews chase circles around the adults. You actually manage to smile at the sight, happy to see everyone back with their families after so much recent heartache, however the feeling doesn't last long before being bittered.

You're thirty years old without a partner. How much longer will it take to find Mr. Right, and how long will it take for the relationship to progress into something considered stable? While marriage is optional these days as is the concern over concrete long term plans, there’s always the possibility that you might decide to start a family with your future partner. Will you be too old to get pregnant by then? Would even adoption prove to be too much?

"You alright, doll?" Doll...Another habit of Bucky's that means nothing aside from a prick to your heart at such a vulnerable moment.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

"You seem...distant," he notes, following your eyes to the group of kids who've successfully dragged Scott into their game of tag," is the party too much?"

"No, it's been great and I've enjoyed getting to see everyone again. I just..." You cut yourself off with a shake of your head, not wanting to get into it. Instead you pick up your plastic solo cup and fiddle with the smooth edge in desperate search for a good excuse," I haven't really gotten much done this week, so I'm gonna need to play catch up. I haven't been grocery shopping yet, 'need to clean the house...I might even update my dating profile, who knows?"

You mention the last part while lifting the soda to your lips and taking a long drink, ignoring the sudden change in Bucky's facial expression which scrunches up as if he has just been asked to solve a difficult math equation.

"...Dating profile, huh?" If you didn't know any better, you'd say his echoed words sound forced, but you don't dwell on that.

"Yeah, ya' know...Thirty's pretty old. I'd like to find a guy before I run out of time..." You hate how pathetic your voice gets with each word, reflecting your inner concern more than you'd prefer.

You really don't want to seem dramatic especially in front of someone you respect as much as Bucky, but you can't help yourself. You've lost count to how many times people have joked about your old age just today alone, never realizing the jabs they’re causing to your confidence not that they can really be blamed. This is the first time all day where someone's noticed your inner demons and it's making you fall apart at the seams.

"I'm gonna pretend you didn't just say that."

"Huh? What?" You raise an eyebrow, slightly offended at the way Bucky turns away and takes a drink from his beer bottle with a look of mild interest if it can even be called that.

"That you said 'thirty's pretty old', 'cause if you're old at thirty and running out of time, then that means I'm ancient and out of luck," he wears a smirk nearly identical to the teasing one from before, however the more you stare at him, the more different it seems. It's almost like there's a hidden pain of his own bitterness against the curl of his lips.

"...Well, I hate to break it to you, Barnes, but you probably do belong in a museum-"

"-Hey!"

"Don't 'hey' me. You're like what? A hundred?"

He bites his lip and looks away with a stubborn whisper,"...a hundred and six."

"Ancient," despite your sour mood, you still manage to smile at the way he nudges your arm playfully. This smile fades only slightly as you stare down at the dark liquid rippling in your hands, preparing to be a bit more serious with your next topic," but even so, I don't think you have as much to worry about."

"Why not?" He's generally curious, facing you fully once more with a cute raise of his eyebrow.

"Ancient people have mirrors in their apartments, right?" You pause solely to get a good look at his frown before carry on," because I find it hard to believe you'd have any problem getting a date with your looks. Even the other day when we went down to the docks to help Sam with his boat, there were girls giggling about you. I bet if you stood on the side of the street with a sign that said 'please date me', there'd be a line of men and women wrapping around Louisiana."

"I don't get that much attention," He leans back against the stairs, propping his leg up and bringing his beer to his lips yet never actually taking a drink. If anything, he's just using it to hide his face from you while pretending to be watching the party from a distance.

"You get all the attention. Everyone knows that...but if you don't believe me, we can do a vote-"

"-Nope. No need for that...Just sit your ass down, doll," you go to stand only for Bucky to grab your arm in a hurry and pull you back down, his cheeks dusted from what you assume is embarrassment as you laugh. Shifting uncomfortably, he mumbles," if that's your logic, then you shouldn't have much trouble with dates yourself."

"What makes you say that?" Now you're the one confused.

"Old people have mirrors in their apartments, right?" He quotes you from earlier, bashfully glancing your way for only a second before turning to pick at the peeling paint on the steps," you're a beautiful gal not to mention you're funny and caring along with countless other things- what I'm trying to say is, guys should be lining up around the block for a chance to date you."

There's a heat to your cheeks at his words, however you're quick to remind yourself of their worth as a simple build up from a good friend. Instead of letting them sink into your already fizzy heart, you curl your knees to your chest and shake your head," the problem isn't getting dates with guys, it's finding the right guy...Every time I go, I find something that doesn't work for me. I don't like his style or laugh. I don't feel anything when he holds my hand or kisses my cheek. It just always ends up feeling...wrong. Like..."

"...Like you're meant to be there with someone else?" You're shocked at how fitting Bucky's words are, a reaction he notes. Flustered, he gives a shrug while sitting up straight again," I get that. I went on a date not too long ago and ended up leaving half way through because I couldn't stop thinking about someone else."

"...Oh...?" You frown, fiddling with your fingers in mock distraction," why not just ask that 'someone else' out then?"

Bucky hums absentmindedly, certain you missed the way he glances at you a few different times in the corner of his eyes while weighing his choices in response. It feels like a good minute goes by, one where you watch the party in a somewhat tense atmosphere as if both of you are aware the conversation has hit the same stubborn door you’ve always somehow managed to find. It's a door that appears whenever Bucky leans his arm over your shoulders during movie nights or the way his words trail off as you both stand close enough to feel each others breath while enjoying the sunset on Sam's boat; a door that reminds you both that to pass through would be to cross that stone line of a platonic relationship into something not meant for friends.

"...I think she might be too old for me," Bucky finally confesses, his voice purposefully low to allow fate to decide whether or not you hear.

Fate decides that you do, shown through your confusion," too old for you? What girl is too old for a hundred and six year old man? Are you checking out the ladies at a retirement home or something?”

He shrugs, leaning forward slightly while cupping his hands together," I don't know…I just heard her say thirty is pretty old."

You blink once then twice, letting his words sink in," you..."

Chewing his bottom lip, he refuses to steal glances at you anymore, instead beginning to feel the suffocation of regret set in," look, I get it if you’re not interested. It’s weird, I mean, we’re friends and teammates, but I…I really like you, doll, and if you’d give me the chance, I’d like to be the first guy in line for a date with you- If not then that’s fine. I won’t bring it up again, I promise. I-”

“-I’m free Friday…”

“H-Huh?”

“Friday night. I’m, uh, free if you’d like to go out then,” you rub the back of your neck shyly, your face feeling like it’s on fire as Bucky stares at you in surprise.

It takes some time for your words to process in his head, the outcome where you agree to a date having never actually been considered for some reason. He figured it would be a longshot, one against his better judgment that would possibly ruin your friendship, but not in a good way; not in this way.

“Friday night,” he echoes breathlessly before seeming to snap back into it, his voice noticeably more uplifted as he nods frantically,” right, Friday, I can do that. Uh, how about we go dancing? Do guys still take girls dancing? I don’t have any idea how this modern dating thing works.”

You chuckle at his eagerness, finally finding the courage to look at him with an uncontrollable smile of your own,” I think any date would be amazing with you- as long as you don't take me to a bingo night somewhere that is."

“...Bingo's actually kind of fun, doll.”

“Maybe you are too old for me.” 

“Hey!”

You laugh, standing up from the porch with your empty plate and cup in hand," Friday night dancing...It's a date then, Barnes. I'm looking forward to it."

Going on a date with Bucky might not be what you wished for today, but it's something far better, that's for sure...Maybe turning thirty isn't actually that bad after all.

#bucky fic #bucky barnes x reader #james buchanan barnes #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky x y/n #bucky x reader #marvel #x reader #reader insert

[recitedemise]

𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙒𝙃𝘼𝙏'𝙎 𝙇𝙀𝙁𝙏 𝙊𝙁 𝙈𝙀 𝘽𝙐𝙏 𝘼 𝘾𝘼𝙑𝙄𝙏𝙔?

Gale of Waterdeep, wizard prodigy and potential ender of entire civilizations at your service. An independent and private roleplay blog for Gale of Baldur's Gate III. Read rules before interacting. Themes of abusive relationships, grooming, and suicide will be present. Read my carrd or under the read more to view both rules and Gale's about.

Heavily associated with: @bellecosebabe, @abysswarden, @c1tyhaunts, @daandov/@cldhrbour, @mindhallow, @arcanecast, @proditeur, @volchtsa/@rosewulf, @bolyde, @bloodczar, and @thcdoomed.

Rules.

Godmodding will not be tolerated.  Gale, on this blog, is already spoken for. All specific actions/ dialogue from Gale should not be assumed by my partner without prior discussion. However, for setting up a scene, generic set-ups may be pursued i.e. catching Gale reading a book. Go crazy.

As a private blog, I will write only with mutual followers.

I am selective. If I follow you, I intend to interact. If you follow me, I'm going to assume you want to interact. I clean out my followers list often. I will only follow blogs with characters I find Gale can interact with. Second, the blog must have a rules and about page. Additionally, an emphasis in writing must be present meaning there should not be frequent out of character content. If I find there is a lack of interest/interaction, I will softblock. I hardblock if unfollowed first to keep things neat and to avoid mistakes. For personal reasons, I do not follow any Raphael blogs.

Shipping is open, though frequent interaction is required – and a healthy dose of out of character communication (roleplay related or not) always helps. Ships are NOT the main priority of this blog. I am happy to indulge in all kinds of relationships for Gale, including the platonic. I only ship with one variation of any canon character. I will not ship if you are already shipping with a Gale.

On the topic of shipping, this blog is open to NSFW interactions, but that is reserved for characters at least 26 years of age. My writing partners should be +21.

Let me know of any triggers you may have, and I will tag my posts accordingly. I read everyone’s rule pages, but things may slip my mind. As for myself, there are no triggers you need to make a note of.

Absolutely do not interact if you write with opiri (Danny) or ingolds (Ana), both of whom support my abuser and are avidly in their circle. I will also like nightsdogma kept well away. Beyond them, I have a mental DNI of my abuser themselves, and if you've been blocked and we haven't interacted, it's likely because of this.

I am Dean, Vietnamese, and 30 years old.

About.

𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐒.

Name: Gale Dekarios

Birthday: The 20th of Marpenoth

Age: 38

Gender: Cis Male

Race: Human

Martial Status: Single

Sexuality: Bisexual

Patron Deity: Mystra

Current Residence: Waterdeep, Sword Coast, Western Heartlands

𝐏𝐇𝐘𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋.

Height: 5'10" 

Build: Lean 

Hair Color: Brown, light greying.

Eye Color: Dark brown

Markings: Chest, a dark wispy orb starting at the crest of his sternum up toward his jaw. This is a branding caused by his Netherese orb.

Piercings: Left earlobe

Notable conditions: The Netherese orb of destruction sat heavy in his chest cannot and should not be understated. Functioning not unlike a ticking time bomb, Gale, who appeases its nearing eruption through the consumption of magical items, walks the road as impending destruction, the force of which that can easily level entire cities. The condition hurts him, aches him, and beyond a deep, voracious hunger, strikes him not unlike the clamping of teeth down every nerve. 

The orb, a foul result of spiraling-mad Karsus magic, has also begun to rot slowly at Gale’s body. For now, this arcane-gnawing is worst in his right arm. Beside a heightened sensitivity down its length, Gale has taken to constant wrappings to conceal the wounds and those signs of his slow but certain degradation. Notably, his veins here are a deep blue-black, and, on those bouts where his orb aches the hardest, his skin breaks, causing a slow but undeniable bleed. As he conjures magic through his hands, it seems the orb starts its decaying creep there.

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘.

MBTI: ENTP, the Debater.

Moral Alignment: Neutral Good

Positives: Charming, polite, focused.

Neutrals: Inquisitive, ambitious, witty.

Negatives: Proud, reclusive, low self-worth.

Gale is sociable, likable, but notably secretive. Like any tantalizing book, to learn Gale is to devote yourself to a careful and patient study. Get past the unassuming and admittedly delightful cover, however, and you are sure to find a sobering if not frightening tale of power and greed. Gale, ever the inquisitive man and bound to his thirst for knowledge, is susceptible to throwing caution to the wind in the pursuit of discovery. He has a dark past, and with it, a perhaps dangerous need for redemption, a just desire marred and made complicated by his need for all-powerful magics.

Approves of: Generally more morally aligned deeds and shows of mercy. Showing any fascination in the arcane will surely put a smile on his face.

Disapproves of: Generally violent decisions, especially if consequences negatively impact innocents. Any choice to disrespect his privacy and boundaries will also net disapproval, in addition to judging him – his character or his actions.

Enjoys anything and all things magic, wine, reading, astronomy, history, poetry, cooking, and… tressyms! 

𝐎𝐂𝐂𝐔𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍.

Wizard. With a Netherese orb of destruction coiled deep in his chest, Gale has taken to wandering the roads of Faerûn. If asked, he will answer simply that he is on a journey like any other, seeking knowledge and turning over as many stones as his mortal life allows. However, in truth, he is seeking a way to slow the inevitable implosion of that bomb he houses. 

After and before this orb, Gale is not wandering, but instead settled very firmly in Waterdeep. During his year in isolation, Gale becomes exceedingly proficient in necromancy in a desperate attempt to slow the spreading rot in his body.

Professor. After the events of Baldur's Gate III, Gale is a professor of illusion magics at Blackstaff Academy.

𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘.

A powerful wizard, Gale, for as long as he’s known, has had an unrivaled appetite for knowledge. As a spry and inquisitive boy, though afflicted with a-little-more-than-occasional fit of troublemaking, he had long indulged in scholarly pursuits. Gale has always pored himself completely into the weaving of spells and all things wizardry, and in doing so, grew to be a man of astonishing skill in only thirty-eight springs.

However, his story is not at all without its, say, complications.

Gale, a mortal man, had fallen hard for the goddess Mystra, she who tends to the Weave, and as a consequence, all of magic. However, pursuing deeper love and greater gestures to impress his lover, Gale had foolishly sought out an ancient tome, one which contained a portion of the Astral Plane – or a cosmic realm where all time has slowed to a stop. This portion contained a fragment of the Weave, or that well from which all raw magics spring from, a portion that was lost to Mystra. However, Mystra warned Gale to stave his curiosity and to stop all search for this ancient text, a warning her mortal lover did not and would not heed.

Finding the tome, Gale, opening its contents up to his curiosity’s content, found not just a portion of the Weave, but a portion of the Weave of Karsus, or an ancient Weave whose purpose is to supplant the original. In doing so, Gale became host to a Netherese Destruction Orb, found his magics weakened, and became a ticking time bomb that, if not assuaged by the consumption of magical artifacts, will detonate with a force strong enough to level entire cities.

Spurned by Mystra, Gale has taken to the roads, a wandering Wizard seeing to calm the nearing demise housed deep in his bones. However, on his doomed journey, Gale was abducted and made prisoner by the illithids, finding himself held captive upon a nautiloid vessel. There, he was implanted with a tadpole that, by all accounts, should have turned him into a mindflayer. Yet, against all odds, Gale’s transformation was kept at bay, and upon the crash of the nautiloid, Gale again walks a free man – and with even more dark, dangerous secrets to keep bottled up and corked tight.

His journey is now two prong: remove the tadpole, and if possible, stop the Orb’s nearing explosion. However, to the latter, should he fail, all is well: he will find a dark, deep, and lonely place to spend the last of his days, sparing as many as possible from death.

For all the books he reads, it seems he’s become a fascinating tale himself.

#PINNED.

[teaandcharchives]

Constant Ticking

Fandom: Homestuck

Pairing: Johndavekat

Word Count: 761

Rating: T (language)

Summary: Life on the new Earth C is weird, but Dave is starting to get used to it.

(part of my trans!dave series, but you don't have to read the rest to get this)

Read on AO3 Here, or read on tumblr under cut

I was cleaning up my fanfic folder and I found this. It was written in like 2018 and left to sit because I was planning to expand it, but it felt like a nice little snapshot where it was, so I just wrapped up the last chapter and am posting it now, because Homestuck is the fandom equivalent to the Hotel California. Anyway, pretend it's a late birthday present for Dave, I suppose?

I currently do not have any other snippets anywhere near this level of complete (though I have one other one that's like half done) so I'm not sure if this story will ever be updated again but, like I said, Hotel California of fandoms.

--------------------------

Time is weird as fuck here. It’s your thing, but when you got here the more broad sweeping parts changed. Hours, minutes, seconds, the lengths of time you usually hop around, are all the same. But days, months, years? On the meteor it was all arbitrary. There was no sun to say what day and night were supposed to be, so it was up to you and you kept it on Earth time down to the second. 

But here? Here shit’s different. Jade tried to get the angles right, but the planet spins too slow- It’s 25 hours each day now- and it zooms around the new sun too fast-350 of the new days, which is about 364 and a half of the old. So, like, it’s close. It’s just enough to drive you nuts. 

Well, okay, you’ve adjusted to that bit, but no one else seems to understand why you feel inclined to say “in 36 hours and 24 minutes” instead of “X time tomorrow.” That’s really what drives you nuts. So you know the age of this universe down to the millisecond, but John blindsides you when he tells you it’s your birthday. 

Well shit, you should have known, really. You were at Jade’s and Jake’s joint party up until 42.5 hours ago. 

“How old are we again?” You ask. Well, with the jumps you’re 167,270.43 hours with rounding for some uncertainty with states of limbo between dimensions when time is meaningless and beyond even your grasp. But you don’t think that kind of thing is useful for him. 

For any of them but you and Aradia. 

“Nineteen! Well, I mean, you are. I’ve got to wait four more months.” 

Two thousand seven hundred and fifty hours, your brain translates. 

Karkat throws a pillow at him because it’s the crack of dawn. 

“What the fuck, Karkat? I brought food!” 

Karkat grumbles and buries his face in your chest. You wince slightly, but you know he’s not thinking. Doesn’t mean anything. You take your pillow and carefully extract yourself from him anyway, busily telling yourself that. 

“It's too goddamn early," you inform John.

"Pfft, says you."

You shake your head sadly. “You are a broken teenager,” You say. “A broken fucking teenager.” 

He left twenty-five minutes ago. The clock said it was 6:32 new time. And it’s December. Which is a really fucking stupid thing since they decided to make the months even, so this is now month fourteen in the fucking calendar. But Quattordecember sounds even more fucking stupid. 

John sticks his tongue out at you. “Or maybe you should start learning to be a functioning adult. I mean, you won’t even have the teenage excuse a year from today!” He gives you a plate of pancakes. And as much as you want to sass him more, there’s fucking blueberries in this and you missed blueberries so fucking much. 

It’s the little things. Now you just need to get coffee figured out. Still, the sludge will do. Anything to get that precious, precious caffeine into your veins. You take an extra mug and waft it under Karkat’s nose until he perks up enough to snatch it. 

“How long until we have to go all the way to the Crockers’ place?” You ask. 

The curtains are open, and out of the corner of your eye you see Jane stop shoveling to wave good morning to you. 

John waves back ecstatically before saying, “It’s at one.” 

“And you woke us up at 7 why?!” Karkat demands. 

“I was hungry and I didn’t wanna cook twice.” 

Karkat steals one of John’s pancakes and takes a massive bite out of it. “None for you, then, asshole.” He says through his teeth. 

John just laughs and takes one of his, making sure to cover the rest of his plate in syrup so Karkat’s hands will get sticky if he tries to take anymore. Unfortunately for John, you are a little shit and you have a fork. All of the pancakes have probably been on every single plate by the time you’re done, and they’ve dripped all over the sheets. But most of it’s on John, so you still consider that a victory.

You realize you haven’t thought about time once since John came in. The clock is always ticking in the back of your mind, as it has been since you entered the game, but the sound is quieter when you’re not alone. It’s an adjustment, but as long as they're around you think you'll eventually get used to this. 

#homestuck #johndave #davekat #johndavekat #drabbles #dave strider

[kbrecycling-blog]

Old Love Song

I used to listen to a song on my morning commute to work--my old morning commute to work from Evanston to Winnetka, not my current one-minute commute from Glencoe to Glencoe. If you know me, you know that I tend towards a repetitive (some might call it incessant) listening style. Not since Landslide junior year of college did I play and replay a song like this. 

Today I was waiting for Bo to make the short run across the street from his baseball practice to the car. It was pouring and the minutes ticked by and I had run out of cold case podcasts and Ringer podcasts and Pod Save Americas so I switched to Spotify and tried to remember the names of songs I used to love. Sometimes my brain is capable of producing a name–a title, a former acquaintance, a piece of knowledge –but more and more frequently, it’s a fifty-fifty shot. This is just one way I feel the passage of time lately. Others include my growing ignorance of (and subsequent awkwardness attempting to use) current slang, and my stubborn reliance on mid-twenty aughts Shopbop trends as the fashion world passes me by. Anyway, I wanted to listen to that song, the one I listened to pretty much every morning on the way to work, Highway 20 Ride by Zac Brown Band.

Those commutes often included a stop at my fertility clinic for a blood draw or ultrasound, which I of course wrote about exhaustively (and exhaustingly) during that time of my life. That made the song a weird mantra choice as it’s about a father looking back on the bi-monthly drives he took visiting his son, who lived with his ex-wife. I was, of course, desperately trying to create a child–a family–with my very un-ex husband (and still going strong today thank you). The sadness and the loss of the lyrics resonated with me, as I tended to feel that sense of loss deeply myself even though nothing had really been lost, just not yet found. But I’ve always been like that; I’ve always aged myself and my experiences prematurely, mourning weeks, months, and years before they’ve passed, claiming the age I’ll turn on my next birthday before I turn it. I don’t know why. When I was young and more fun and could wear a string bikini top as a bra, it felt like a facet of my personality that was poetic and unexpected. Now that I’m closer to fifty than forty, it just feels like rushing. 

The line that moved me most back then was “And my whole world, it begins and ends with you.” Oh how I wanted a baby that could begin and end my world back then. But today it hit different (see I told you it’s awkward). How can I be someone whose whole world begins and ends with my son? What does that mean when he’s about to be halfway to his thirteenth birthday, when sometime in the past year I realized that protecting him from the disappointment, hardness, and pain of the real world is no longer in his best interest, and actually (in my opinion) in the opposite of his best interest if we want him to become an independent and mindful adult one day? When one day soon he’ll be moving on to the next part of his life beyond this house? Then what? 

Hearing that song today reminded me of the passage of time again. Words that meant one thing now mean something else; words of longing for the future now mean longing for the past. Or soon-to-be past. See? Rushing. 

I recently had an experience that led me to consider how much I’ve changed since I became a wife and, eventually, a mother. Have I lost a lot of who I was? Have I gained enough to justify that? There was a time when I’d sleep on the floor of a rented tent at the Metroparks without a second thought, or spend the night lying on the rocks that stretched from the shore of Lake Michigan. Now I can’t fall asleep in a hotel bed without a Xanax because it creeps me out thinking of all the people who have used the pillow before me. That’s a superficial example, but you get the idea. If I ever had wanderlust–and that is debatable–I’ve misplaced it. My world has narrowed–happily, I have to say–but what happens when my narrowed walls house only me? 

I deleted and re-typed that last line a few times. It’s not how I want to sound, but it’s what I feel. Getting older, for me, means losing the shiny (if I do say so myself) package that contained my complicated, sometimes even dark, interior. I have always worried about my balance; when I was younger, I was sunnier on the outside.

When I wrote about my experiences with infertility fifteen years ago, I almost always had an ending–not always upbeat, but something I could take from what I’d written to move forward with. When I write now, I’m somehow less sure of what I want. Like my instant recall, sometimes it’s quick and clear, and other times I can’t quite grasp what it is that’s missing. Maybe my nostalgia when I listened to Zac Brown today was less for the song itself and more for who I was when I used to listen to it. For what was going through my mind back then, for the clear and powerful certainty of what I wanted.

[lunamadrigal]

Bruno's kiddos would be the ones to enjoy buñuelos a lil too much.. Too much enthusiasm, with reckless abandonment and competitively, in the sweetest way possible.

The way @daliceus makes my heart go boom boom with her art is otherworldly mkay

Lily Lore Facts:

🌟 Lily's birthday is Sep 19th 1956 / Virgo

🌟 Lily's full name is Lily Estrella Madrigal. Estrella meaning 'star' and is her mother's maiden name.

🌟 Nicknames: Lil, mi estrella, moonbeam & stardust

���� The name Lily is a tie back to one of Pedro’s poems (Lily Of The Valley) and artwork he left behind in a journal that Bruno found as a child.

🌟 Lily's gift, like both of Bruno’s biological children, is connected to time. Hers being the ability to manipulate time, stopping, reversing and altering the flow.

🌟 Her door is the only one in Casita to not show her image/portrait on it. Instead a glowing half moon is shown and when being used the magic of the door is active and it ticks through the lunar phases. Another tie to her gift.

🌟 A special moment that Diego and Lily gave Abuela was when they brought her back to meet Pedro in the past. Lily’s gift age reversing her back for that meeting.

🌟 Mirabel made Lily a Benji puma plushie of her oldest brother after he moved out and into his own home on their street, for when she misses him terribly and stop her trying to sneak over. Both Diego and Lily adore cuddles with Benji in puma form.

🌟 Pepa was highly disappointed when she wasn't Diego's favorite family member as a baby which she got redemption for when Lily came along and loved the sound of falling rain. Pepa would be the only one able to get her back to sleep when fussy cause of this.

🌟 The white streak in Lily's hair was an effect after receiving her gift on the night of the lunar eclipse and Bruno affectionately calls it "kissed by starlight".

🌟 Lily's full gift explained: time manipulation

Ability to affect the flow of time (by slowing, accelerating, reversing, or stopping it), astral projection on a full moon she can visit the dreams of loved ones (rare ability and only shown/used once for Luna), dream-weaver (can help ease and settle subconscious thoughts in order to allow easier sleep, the family always thought she was given this extra ability to help Bruno but ends up using it on Benji's brother the most.)

🌟 Her gift is strengthened by moonlight, on a full moon (lilies grew everywhere the moonlight touched on the night of the eclipse, a result of Lily receiving her gift)

🌟 Growing up with older brothers Lily can hold her own and doesn’t shy away from a challenge, although the boys spoil her rotten, allowing her to get away with anything when Luna and Bruno aren’t home (they scream sing her song ‘Queen by Hidden Citizens’ to her and let her dance on the table when they’re alone),

🌟 Lily is the biggest snuggler in the family and hates sleeping alone, especially on nights when the moonlight is hidden behind clouds. Bruno takes his old ‘bad’ prophecy tablets and smashes them up, crushing them into tiny speckles and mixes it into paint, giving her room its own glowing starry sky for her. Lily loves it so much they later fill jars with the crushed glowing glass as an extra form of nightlight she can use when walking in the dark.

🌟 Lily loves sneaking into Diego’s room at night to cuddle, much to his regret (although he's never kicked her out or brought her back to her room so more than likely enjoys her company too).

🌟 Since Bruno is the breakfast maker of the family, Lily and Mateo love joining him in the kitchen, mostly to eat anything before he has a chance to plate it. They are always covered in a mess of crumbs. Lily loves buñuelos, same as Luna.

🌟 Her style is described as creative, artsy, colorful, somewhat eccentric as she pairs odd bits of fabric and likes to wear sombrero’s (possibly to fit in with her hermano’s which she looks up to), sometimes a bit of a tomboy even in a dress or skirt.

🌟 Bruno had to learn to braid her hair cause she enjoys how he grumbles, mumbles and talks to himself while doing it. When Bruno isn't able to braid her hair she ropes Diego into it instead, which he's surprisingly good at.

🌟 Her artsy side comes out whenever Bruno naps and she has a chance to draw on his arm, loving to add her special flair to where his tattoo sits. Diego has learned to hide her pens whenever he naps to avoid her making him "pretty" (sometimes he misses her hijinks and purposely "forgets" to put away her drawing materials).

🌟 Lily is learning to play the violin from Agustín cause she loves watching Bruno teach Diego guitar and is hoping to surprise them with her own version of "fancy guitar".

🌟 Bruno's children are the Keepers of Time whereas Luna and Bruno are the Seers

🌟 Abuela's tokens from her chatelaine were passed down.

The key to Casita for Mirabel, next matriarch

The locket with Pedro for Diego, link to the past keeping family alive in spirit

The pocket watch for Lily, keeper of the flow of time

#this makes me so damn happy you cannot even imagine #the green family has me by a chokehold #why am i associated with the sound of falling fluff #bruno and his babies cause i said so #encanto oc #bruno headcanons #bruno my beloved #best dad bruno #i do not accept any other bruno family hc #bruno madrigal #disney encanto #i wanna hug my ocs too #encanto headcanons

[themand0lorian]

FLUFFTOBER DAY 14-SLOW DANCING

FLUFFTOBER MASTERLIST

Summary: Back in your hometown, you run into an old friend.

Pairing: Frankie Morales x F!Reader (no Y/N)

Rating:  PG

Words: ~2100 (AO3)

Tags: friends to lovers, nostalgia, Frankie’s mom has passed away, mentions of food, infidelity (not Frankie), flashbacks to prom

Notes: Been feelin some type of way recently about simpler times.

The song they dance to is Chasing Cars.

It had been years since you’d been back to this small little town. Big eyed and with big dreams, you had gone to college in the city—and never looked back. Your parents still lived here, your mom updating you on the comings and goings and little updates. But when you’re living among millions of diverse, interesting people—how could you care that they had installed the first traffic light in the town you grew up in?

The longer you stayed away, the hardest it got to come back. Missed holidays, birthdays spent alone, you felt a little guilty—but your life was thriving in the city. You had left behind the little town and little people, though you can’t say you forgot about them.

When your mom told you about Frankie’s mom passing, you were distraught. Frankie had been your best friend growing up, Mrs. Morales like a second mother to you. You hadn’t spoken to Frankie in years—nothing had happened, but he went off to service, you went off to the city, and the two of you seemed to just drift apart. You agonized on what to do—if you were this upset, Frankie had to be beside himself in grief. You penned cards that never got sent, put on a black dress and didn’t make it out of your apartment. In the end, you settled on doing nothing—which, you’re sure, was worse.

But now—now you’re back. Maybe for good, you’re not sure—but you have nothing left for you in the city. An (ex)boyfriend who you found sleeping with your (ex)best friend, a job your heart wasn’t in anymore. A shoebox apartment with leaky faucets and cracked floorboards.

Your mother, bless her heart, had welcomed you back into your childhood bedroom with open arms; however, she wouldn’t stand for your moping. Which is how you ended up in the cereal aisle, debating between storebrand and namebrand, when someone called your name.

“Frankie?” It had been years, and time had aged him, but when he released a broad smile on you, you couldn’t deny that was the Frankie you remembered. Soft chocolate curls peeking from a Standard Oil cap—the company his father used to work at, one of Frankie’s last physical memories of the man. Gentle eyes crinkled by time, but just as warm and inviting as always. He’s in front of you in a few long strides—you both reach out to hug, but falter over each other, settling on an uncomfortable, short squeeze.

“I can’t believe you’re here. My—I mean, the big city girl.”

“Not anymore,” you sigh. “I think I’ll be back for a while.”

“What happened?” His brow furrows in concern, but you attempt to shrug him off.

“Oh, nothing—just not for me anymore. How about you, how are you?”

“I’m good—living in my mom’s old house,” he readjusts his cap, his nervous tick.

“Frankie, I’m so sorry—I wanted to call or send a card or—” he shakes his head. “It was too hard. I can’t even imagine how you felt.”

“It—it was really hard. I miss her a lot—” he swallows harshly, and you reach out a hand to comfort him; he looks at it strangely, and you pull back. “But—she’d be mad if I didn’t invite you for dinner tonight. To catch up. Plus—I think she had a box up in the attic for you. I told her I’d give it to you next time I saw you.” Your mouth moves faster than your thoughts.

“I’ll be there.”

The Morales home looks much the same as it always did; Frankie’s kept up his mom’s flowerbeds in the front, the lawn is trimmed with the military precision he always had. When Frankie answers the door, you half expect to see Mrs. Morales rushing you in—but instead, he stands there in a plaid flannel and jeans, a dirty spatula in his hand.

“Hey—dinner’s almost ready. I know how much you loved her lasagna, so I tried to make it, but I’m not sure—“ he pauses when he realizes you aren’t following him in, paused in the front entry. His mother had put up a photo wall; school pictures of him and his brothers, happy memories of family vacations and backyard barbeques. But you’re stopped in front of a group picture of your childhood friends, standing on the back deck before heading off to prom; you’re looking at your date, James—but Frankie’s looking at you. You’re brought out of your mind when he calls your name.

“Sorry, Frankie—Lasagna?”

“Uh, yeah. Sorry—as you can see, I haven’t really changed anything,” he says leading you into the kitchen.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Nope-you can go through that box there though. Found it in the attic with your name on it.” You nod, unfolding the flaps to see an envelope on top of several items that says “open last.” You pull the envelope out and set it aside, Frankie looking at it curiously after he puts a messily assembled lasagna in the oven. You pull out several old items, things you may have commented on back in the day. A bracelet you always admired when she wore it, the old apron she would let you wear when you baked cookies in her kitchen. A polaroid someone took of you and Frankie in that dank gym—a single slow dance between you. The photo seems to whisk you back in time.

The gym was decorated in balloons and streamers, all school colors. Teenagers pretending to be adults, long gowns and rented tuxes, feeling important as they took limos on the same route they drove to school in the morning. Disco lights were the only illumination, music playing loudly over large speakers—you’re sitting at one of the tables, picking at the plastic tablecloth, when the voice of your best friends breaks your concentration.

“Where’s Jimbo?”

“He hates when you call him that.” A wry smile dances across Frankie’s lips, but you miss it, focusing on the tattered tablecloth.

“I know.” He sits to your side, trying to catch your face as you pointedly look away from him. “Seriously, where is he? This is your favorite song—you should be out on the dance floor.” It was—couples were slow dancing to the light melody, but you could only sigh.

“I—I don’t know where he is. He said he would be here, but--”

“Dance with me.”

“What? Frankie—”

“Please, dance with me.” You finally meet his eyes; he’s standing in all his teenage glory, patchy beard growing in all directions and hair a smidge too long. The sleeves of his rented tux just barely reach his wrists, the hand he’s holding out for you to take unencumbered. With one final look into his pleading eyes, you take it, standing with him and letting him lead you to the dance floor in an awkward, improvised slow dance. You laugh, trying to dispel the awkwardness as you get closer to him than ever before. You had been friends forever, but your hand in his, his other on your waist—it felt right. A level of right that was about to disappear; you to college, him to the military. The music continued as you swayed—If I lay here, If I just lay here—would you lay with me and just forget the world…

Traitorous tears raise to your lashes; you try to blink them back, but Frankie only pulls you closer to him, hugging you as you move. At that moment, Jen—class president and your best friend—showed up, calling for you to say “Prom!” as she snapped a polaroid; Frankie pocketed the printout as he continued to move with you; relishing the feel of your body against his, the smell of your hair, the light perfume—

“Move over, Frank.” You both startle apart—your date, James, looking expectantly, and honestly, angrily between you. “Let me dance with my girl.” Frankie looks to you, and with a small nod, he backs away, hands up in defeat. James takes your hand—a bit too hard, a bit too close, he steps on your toes—and over his shoulder, you watch as Frankie walks out of the gym.

“I liked that.” You startle back to attention, Frankie standing next to you as you both look at the blurry polaroid.

“I did, too.”

“As much as with Jimbo?” You chuckle, reassembling the box contents, but leaving the envelope out on the table.

“You know, he wouldn’t even buy me a corsage for prom. It was really important to me—to get the ‘whole experience.’ But he said it wasn’t worth buying something ‘that would just end up dead.’”

“What? But you’re wearing one in that picture—”

“Your mom got it for me.” He turns to you in awe before readjusting his gaze. “She heard me crying about it to Jen in English class. That day, when we all got here for pictures. She took me to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and there was a corsage. Just for me.” You sniffle a bit.

“She always loved you.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here, Frankie.” You turn to him, but his gaze is focused on his feet. “I’m sorry you had to go through this alone.” He nods, reaching out to grasp your hand and squeeze it. “I wish I could redo it—come back before it all—before everything happened.”

“We could redo it now.” You look to him confusedly, watching as he moves around the kitchen to grab his phone. That same song from Prom begins—We’ll do it all, everything, on our own. “Pick up where we left off?”

You move first, falling back into place like all those years ago. His hands feel bigger, stronger—calloused with age but just as comforting as one snakes around your waist, finding its perfect home on your hip. His other takes your hand again, the two of you swaying to the beat as the song continues. I don’t quite know how to say how I feel—Those three words are said too much; they’re not enough.

Tears rise to your cheeks again; just like before, Frankie pulls you closer; the warmth of his flannel radiates to your cheeks as you rest your head against his shoulder.

“No tears, querida.” His voice is soft, gentle bursts of air against your scalp.

“We’ve lost so much time, Frankie—” He shushes you, the music the only thing filling the empty silence as he pulls you to look at him. All that I am, all that I ever was is here in your perfect eyes, they’re all I can see.

“I know. But—if losing my mom taught me anything, querida—it’s that life is short.” You nod, running a hand over the stubble on his cheek. “I love you. I—I’ve loved you my entire life, I think. I—I needed you to know.” The music continues as you blink at him. I don’t know where—confused about how as well. Just know that these things will never change for us at all.

You’re not sure who initiates, but still intertwined, your lips meet. It feels like everything—like every sandbox story to pulled pigtail to prom photos to missed calls and long, empty years—it feels like home. When you pull back, pressing your forehead to his, the song plays out as you look into those memorable brown eyes.

“I love you too, Frankie.” He smiles again, true and wide, pressing another kiss to your lips as the scent of burnt cheese begins to fill the space. You speak into his mouth.

“I think your lasagna is burning.”

“Fuck it, I’ll order pizza.” You chuckle into his lips, pressing them together again—you hope he never lets go.

Later, with many shared kisses and embraces and stories of past, present and future, with greasy pizza eaten off paper towels and burnt lasagna in the garbage can, with bodies intertwined on one kitchen chair that you’re sure can’t be comfortable, Frankie pushes the envelope across the table.

“You never opened it.” You nod, slipping a finger under the flap to open the envelope. Inside is a note, handwritten on paper with vegetables and fruits around the edges; you recognize it from the pad of paper that Mrs. Morales left by the answering machine. Written in her sloppy script is a simple note;

Mija—

Take care of my Frankie for me.

-Momma Morales

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[jae-canikeepyou]

| adjacent | j.jh

pair: jaehyun x fem!reader

word count: 18k+ (unedited & not proof read)

summary: jaehyun turns into a golden retriever whenever the day reaches the most beautiful time; golden hour. a secret he kept his entire life & always wonders how long he could keep it, especially when you suddenly showed up.

genre: au + golden retriever!jaehyun + hs!nct

a/n: idk what came to me as i brainstormed this but by now, nctzens and valentines should know jaehyun’s a golden retriever :3 so i decided to write a plot for this adorable fact T^T heavily inspired with fruits basket and beauty & the beast! i really hope you’ll like it. lmk what you think! enjoy reading lovelies! ~j

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time was ticking real quick.

he rushed through the bustling people, avoiding the narrow crowds and jay-walked countless pedestrian crossings. he needed to hide. no one should see him transform. there was little time left. why was he so careless each time this happened? his parents and younger brother warned him to be alert at all times. did he listen? no, never did. they compared him to a rock— hard headed and stubborn. but all he ever wanted was to be free.

curses! just a little more, a few metres more! he pant as he tried to catch air. he felt his flesh tingling, his senses doubling and tripling. jaehyun peddled as fast as he could, at least reach the line of bushes by the basketball court. hopping over the plants, he threw his bag aside and jumped off his bike before bracing for the fall.

the now broken bell sounded horrible as jaehyun’s brother caught up to him with his skateboard. “dad’s gonna kill you if you ask for another bike for your birthday.” he sighed looking at the loosened chain while picking up the single-track vehicle and the scattered clothes.

jaehyun transformed to a golden retriever puppy and struggled to come out of the bushes with his tiny paws and body. when he succeeded, he scratched the back of his ears to brush off the leaves stuck to them. “won’t happen, sungchan. i’ve already saved up enough by then. i’m not gonna burden dad for my wants.”

sungchan pressed the bridge of his nose. “you’re kinda being a burden now.” he picked the animal— his brother— up and put him inside his coat, as well as the belongings on the ground. he hopped on the bike and headed towards jaehyun’s campus.

“what did you say?” jaehyun barked tried opening the zipper from the inside of sungchan’s coat.

“nothing.” the younger excused. “but can i have your bike if you actually plan to get a new one?”

“ugh just bring me to the court. i’ll be late for my morning practice.”

the brothers were able to communicate telepathically as they’re related and were both cursed. instead of golden hour, sungchan transforms during the blue hour, which occured at twilight. tracing back to their ancestors, all were cursed for unknown inexplainable circumstances. they tried breaking it with all they could. every idea ended a failure. so they had to live through it, adjust, adapt and be alert.

they bumped into ten, kun and jungwoo, who were doing warm-ups and they simultaneously trailed their eyes and heads towards the jung brothers. seeing the huge pouch on sungchan’s stomach area, they all cracked up and checked the time. “oh yeah, it’s sunrise.” jungwoo spun the ball on his pointer finger.

ten grabbed the pup with one hand and jaehyun barked at him but he couldn’t understand a thing. although he was confused, he continued to carry him in his palm because jaehyun’s response was funny. “what is he trying to say?” he chuckled and poked the pup’s snout.

“he said ‘it hurts. put me down idiot’. i have to be honest with you hyung. holding us by the back of the neck really hurts.” unlike his brother, he was rather calm and collected despite already imagining the pain.

“you’re a blue holland lop bunny. it’s normal to carry you like this too right?” ten showed the pup to sungchan.

kun facepalmed at the question and took jaehyun. “no dimwit it’s not normal. sorry jae. you know he just likes teasing your puppy form.”

“‘wait until i turn back’- ugh seriously do i really have to translate hyung’s words every time?” sungchan gave jaehyun’s clothes and bike to jungwoo. “you know what to do when he transforms back yeah?”

they nodded and upon seeing the kid leave and headed towards his campus, jaehyun couldn’t wait to turn human. he would always beat ten up almost immediately— sometimes forgetting that he was naked. for the dudes it was alright. the problem was if he was with girls, though he hasn’t encountered anyone so far. he hoped he didn’t have to.

the harsh drills from basketball practice already sucked the energy out of jaehyun. not only that it was physically tiring, transforming into a dog twice a day before that have doubled the strain. then him transforming back would cause migraines and painful joints, as they were the aftermath of the curse. he had to keep his title of m.v.p and captain since the told them there was a possibility of him of having a scholarship for college. he couldn’t let a minor pain hinder that chance. not ever.

however, ten and the others could read his suffering. to them it was obvious through his exhales and slowing speed. hiding it was of no use. jungwoo ruffled his hair with a clean towel after shower. “can’t you just be like that dog in the movie ‘up’? have a collar that translates barks into actual language?”

jaehyun rolled his eyes and wore his black t-shirt. “it’s a damn movie, jungwoo. the world might’ve evolved and advanced in technology and even if they were to exist they’d be expensive. can’t afford that.”

“you sound negative, don’t you have any hope at all?” kun joined the conversation.

“never had any. stopping this curse is impossible. it’s been generations. my dad’s still suffering too. i have to find a way.” he fixed his black cap in front of a mirror.

but he knew there wasn’t. silence loomed above them as the team struggled to continue the topic. they tried not to bring it up yet each time they did, it always ended awkwardly and badly. it was either they riled jaehyun’s mood— mostly ten— or jaehyun himself was building his own raincloud by sulking about it and not looking at the bright side.

how ironic it was, he thought. generally speaking, even though being golden had good intentions and the breed was meant to bring happiness to others, he felt the total opposite. if he had to describe it, it was all insecurity, lowered his self-esteem and hopelessness only increased over the years as he grew.

thinking about it, he slammed the locker a little too hard that its components caused it to bounce back.. and also added to fuel of his anger. “break that again you’ll be in the coach’s office.” kun tied his shoelaces and the others agreed.

“my dad is the coach, what do you mean?” he questioned at the stupidity.

“you didn’t show up the last time it broke. we got the punished in your stead. uncle wasn’t happy.” ten got out of the showers last, a towel was wrapped around his waist before the younger ones were scarred for a second.

“it was sunset and i transformed! of all people dad’s supposed to understand! i-” jaehyun rubbed his face quite agressively and headed straight outside.

“oi i’m still changing! wait up!”

jaehyun kicked the bike’s stand attached to the rear wheel. he and his father didn’t have the best relationship compared with other kids, but he could say that it was better than the relationship he had with his mother. she loved her little family, yet over time the curse grew onto her. her husband would turn into a werewolf at full moon. and until now, even though that happened once month, she thought a part of him wasn’t the same person she loved before. even more so, when her sons were just the same as him.

your mom’s delusional! she doesn’t love us! she fears us!

that feeling stayed in the boys’ mind until they were old and mature enough to comprehend the situation they’re in. why couldn’t she love them like any mom would? she was no different from an animal mother abandoning her calf/pup just because they were or had defects.

mr. jung tried his best to be the perfect father, for only he understood what his two sons were going through, as they might go through decades with it, just like he was. jaehyun still remembered his first transformation, he only had puppy paws, but that was a sign to mr. jung that he indeed inherited the curse. when sungchan grew a tail at a fine age of one, their father gave up his 9-5 hour office job to tend the boys. and that was before he became jaehyun’s basketball coach. now he could monitor them at a close range.

much to jaehyun’s dismay and for that reason, he felt more caged and overprotected.

—

“y/n! coach’s looking for you!” your classmate called.

no.. you groaned. again?..

it was already after school hours. you slouched on your desk as you covered your ears, remembering the errands he asked you to do previously. you didn’t know why, but ever since you had detention because you refused to run a 1600m marathon for an assessment, seemed like the other punishment was that he passed his job to you. that was a month ago, and today was the tenth time.

but curious as you were to find answers, you brushed it off and tried not to show any remorse. it’s all for conduct, you kept telling yourself. the whistle echoed the entire hallway and jolting you up in your seat. “okay, okay! hold on!” you yelled from the back of the classroom.

as coach jung stood rather comfortably outside the room, he gestured you to walk faster with a dimpled smile. “y/n! took you approximately three minutes to walk here.” he laughed and handed you several files and a zipper folder.

“thanks for counting?..” you replied with a confused and questioning tone. “coach, what’s this?”

“all school sports teams will have an annual retreat before their playoff seasons. i need a representing manager since ours was admitted to a hospital just today.” he pointed at the list. you followed his finger and it landed on your name.

“sounds like to me it’s more practice. and you want me to go because?” you raised your brows. he asked you to follow him to the gymnasium, in which it was making you recall all those extra detention after school.

“to make up with all of the p.e assessments you ‘purposely’ missed.” he said proudly while looking at his team doing drills. but he didn’t get any response from you. when he looked on his side, you were gone and ran across the basketball gym. “y/f/n!”

you squealed as embarrassment crawled your entire body. not only were you escaping from coach, you were disrupting the team’s practice and hitting couple of duffel bags and water bottles. “ah! sorry! coming through!”

*whistles* “after her!” coach jung’s voice added an extra chill to your spine.

“ugh why us?” ten groaned with sore muscles as coach gestured to them widely.

“just go.” kun panted.

then you heard a several footsteps turn into drums until they sounded a stampede. you jumped on your toes as you passed the line of showers cubicles. good thing you haven’t seen a naked man, or else you’d faint without knowing. you turned around and went straight ahead then to your right, and hid in a random room. the echoing voices and squeaking friction between shoes and waxed floors were cut to a silence, like your ears were muffled instantly.

your wobbly legs were tired and you were sighing in exhaustion and crouched down against the door. great, i’ll stay out of their sight- “what are you doing here?” you heard a low voice and froze on the spot. “only members of the basketball team can access the meeting room.”

that sounded like the captain.

“did you hear what i just said?” he raised his brows. you slowly lifted your eyes from his shoes to his legs, then to his built and face. “well if you’re a nobody you might as well leave before coach arrives. you interrupted my recording-”

“i heard you jung jaehyun.” you tsked and realised you had the name list on your hand. “ah, as a matter of fact, i can be here because i am part of the team. my name’s on the list.” you grabbed a pen and ticked the empty box on the paper.

what are you saying, stupid?!

“uh-huh..” jaehyun trailed, putting down his camera.

“y-yeah!” you stuttered. “you heard me.”

the door shook by the loud knocks from the other side. on the frosted window, you could see four figures. orange and black jerseys, they must be the team members. “ah! the door’s locked! she’s definitely in here coach!” one said.

“i’ll toss you the keys!” he yelled. oh crap. you were caught in between. your heart patterned with the knocks.

“you look terrified after hearing coach, y/n.” the chair squeaked from the weight. “i’m guessing you’re that troublesome student he has a hard time dealing with recently?”

of course captain knows you. great reputation you have, y/n.

“so? what’s your point?” you stood up to see his amused grin.

“say hello to a term’s detention.” jaehyun waved as the door swung open, revealing ten, kun, jungwoo and.. the coach.

you sighed heavily and dropped the papers. the coach crossed his arms and you lowered your head a little. “you plan to escape again y/n? then i shouldn’t hear any excuses from you. you’ll join us for the twelve day retreat. period.” he picked the papers up and wrote something.

“sir i can’t be with a bunch of jocks for that long!” your whine had the captain blocking his ears. “i have debate finals to attend to.”

jaehyun flinched at the high pitched sound and rolled his eyes. what was your deal? it was rude of you to suddenly barge into athlete’s quarters but judging them for that was even more rude of you. he had to shut you up at some point.

“so much excuses.” he played with his nails and to you he looked more amused than ever. you rolled your eyes at his chuckle and know he would target you from now on. “dad, y/n told me she’s ‘part of the team’.” he played his video that recorded your voice, clearly saying what jaehyun heard.

coach jung looked rather surprised, but his smile definitely screamed happy. “oh? that’s all i needed to hear. welcome, uh- temporarily. i’ll inform mrs. park about the situation.”

nononono- “i did this.” you were at a loss for words. “i won’t be able to compete in the debate.”

“yeah pretty much you made the wrong decision.” jaehyun stood to tower over you. “i’d like to see you suffer our drills-”

four knocks cut jaehyun off. “oh no, she’ll only do those for two days.”

you swifted your head in confusion, seeing coach jung wrote down your schedule on the white board. you were packed and it’s a lot worse than the actual assessment planned in school. “and what about the rest of the ten days?!” you exasperated that your hairtie snapped at the right moment, and your hair fell in sightful way.

“ooh that was hot.” ten commented in soft whisper, causing kun and jungwoo nudge him on the each side.

“she’ll be our manager for the remaining days, keep track of our drills and score points, or other extra things i needed a hand with while taeyang’s in the hospital.”

jaehyun rested his palms on his waist, swirling his tongue inside with a provoking gaze at you. “see if you can keep up, manager.” he chuckled.

you checked the time, it was nearing 5 p.m. “you know what, give me a day to process all this sport thing. it’s close to evening and i have to get going-”

“it’s evening already?” jaehyun cut you off as he looked outside the window.

the sun glistening at the distance while the sky showed a pretty ombré of warm colours. his senses doubled again and his whole body ached. he had to make you leave. it was already enough that his friends knew about his situation. there’d only be more trouble if you knew too.

“uh duh? the clock’s right there.” you pointed.

“hm, anyway you have to leave now.”

“sheesh i was going to anyway.” you rolled your eyes, but felt jaehyun’s palms behind your back. “hey stop pushing!”

“you’re too slow!” his tone changed. different than the usual because panic was what you felt from his palms. “quickly!”

the rest of the boys could tell you were pissed. they couldn’t understand why jaehyun had to make a fuss out of it when all he had to do was to kindly ask you. using force would only cause misunderstandings, like what’s happening now. “hey what’s your deal?!” you flicked his arms. “do you like to push people around? just because i’ll be with the team for the next two weeks, that doesn’t mean you could treat me like this already!”

“tsk so noisy! you’re wasting time! just leave would you?!” jaehyun turned you around towards the door.

this time you wouldn’t budge. “no jung jaehyun i need an explanation with this stupid attitude of yours!” you wriggled off of his hold, pushing him back with pats several times more that he stepped backwards.

“i don’t owe you an explanation!”

“you definitely do?!”

“why can’t you listen to what i say?”

“why can’t you stop being pushy, pushy?”

“you’re the one pushing me! time’s ticking y/n!”

the continuous back and forth of bickers and the war of pushing each other was an idiotic sight. your wrist was in jaehyun’s palms as he gripped you tighter. “i don’t care captain jerk! it wouldn’t bother you or hurt you to just give me one reason- and he slammed the door at my face! argh!”

jaehyun smirked wide and proudly knowing that he ‘won’ argument. silencing you was better than letting you see his other form. the boys stared him once he turned around to face them. “what?” he questioned,

“definitely not the right way to treat a girl.” they all said simultaneously.

“you know how bad it makes me feel when you all said it at the same time?” jaehyun pressed the bridge of his nose.

he knew well enough that this wasn’t his usual self. he’s good friends with you despite being in different teams of the school. you both took literature as your electives. sometimes you’d let him copy your notes when he had matches or leave small appetisers and juice cartons when he was tired and vice versa.

but no matter how close you both were, he couldn’t afford to let you see his other self.

not just yet.

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waking up so early in the day to assist the team was way more annoying than birds chirping by your bedroom’s window. instead of hearing their tuneful tweets, you had to endure endless phone calls every minute. you couldn’t remember much from that day because you passed out. and the team didn’t look for you until yesterday.

coach jung waved to catch your attention, only to be greeted with your huge yawn and a disinterested face.

“ah there she is! c’mon now, i got the green light from mrs. park. she agreed that p.e is the only subject you’re likely to fail this semester, so she’s giving you a cool-off from the team and focus on here.”

“yep. heard you coach.” you tied up your hair, only listening to half of what he said. “where’s the captain?”

kun did few stretches & jumps, his expression mirrored the other two boys who were also doing the same. you had a feeling about this— their telepathic gaze and awkward silence. you took a basketball to pass it to ten. “is he still mad about me calling him a jerk? that was a few days ago and i didn’t expect him to be that sensitive.”

they laughed because they couldn’t deny his obvious trait. “he doesn’t show it but somehow you know he is.” ten passed the ball back to you. “but not this morning y/n. he’s late for.. another reason.”

you hopped to catch it yet you were a second late, and groaned as you had to run far to retrieve it. “uh-huh. nature calls in the morning, again?” you yelled.

“do you think she knows about jaehyun?” jungwoo asked the older ones. they eyed you rummaging in the bushes for the ball, later looking back at each other for answers, but no one knew how your mind worked. “it’s been five days and no word from her at all.”

“if she actually does, i guess she just doesn’t want to be involved? i think we can trust her for that.” kun drank from his bottle.

ten didn’t look convinced. “involved or not, we have to make sure she doesn’t tell anyone about jaehyun’s curse. keep an eye on her-”

“ah!” they heard your squeals and ruffles from the bushes. “guys look what i found!”

kun sighed when they saw you running back with a golden retriever puppy in your arms, taking back his words said earlier.

“uh-oh. that scream means she has no clue at all.” jungwoo brushed his hair up.

“this puppy is so cute! i wonder what it’s doing here? are you lost?” you hugged and sniffed into its fur and gosh it smelled like vanilla shampoo. there was a metal collar around its neck, the piece spelled “jj”. “aww it has a name!”

no matter how happy you looked from the boys, they couldn’t help but take a photo of you and ‘puppy’ jaehyun. they had to tell you before it was too late. the golden hour in the morning was shorter than sunset, so either they would tell you straight up, or let jaehyun transform back to human.

but guess what? they were too late. they shouldn’t have second-guessed.

what had happened was way beyond your comprehension. it was in an instant. all it felt in totality was that, you weren’t carrying a puppy anymore. you lost balance and the weight in your arms doubled or tripled, you couldn’t tell. but you knew you were falling backwards. was there to brace for impact? none.

you blinked several times from the orange sunrise blinding your vision from the window. slowly you got up to sit and soothe the pain. that hurt..

here’s the thing. remember you mentally told yourself you hoped you didn’t run into any naked boy in the basketball team’s showers? there you have it. you jinxed it. jaehyun’s figure was on top of yours and you knew he had no clothes on. oh goodness.

“hyung? you forgot your lunch box- oh.” sungchan barged in the scene and everyone could tell he sort of malfunctioned. he froze then facepalmed.

you took turns into looking at the embarrassed jaehyun and at the boys who whistled to avoid the numbers of questions you were going to ask.

kun quickly shielded your eyes where your doubts were showing in your face. and no matter how much thought hard, you just couldn’t believe it. with fear written all over you, you dusted your pants and hands reached kun’s arm to support your weight.

“oh so you shielded her eyes but not my body?!” jaehyun’s voice entered your ears and you swore there was a hint of puppy whimper.

“this is a dream.. right?..” you asked before you fainted.

sungchan managed to save you from the fall. “whoa! ah, i had a feeling something like this would happen.”

—

“was she always like that?” minnie took a peep of your classroom, her eyes showed confusion. “is she tired?”

lisa shrugged and in her innocence she pursed her lips. “i don’t know. she’s been sighing a lot for the past hour? i wanna ask her but it might be too personal.”

you could her them and they were wrong. it was nothing personal at all. you’ve been sighing because you didn’t know how it was possible but it just happened— right before your eyes. since then you hoped that science could explain but not even the smartest people could give you a conclusion. you’ve been called out from lessons that came in the day and not that you didn’t blame jaehyun.

because for one thing, he at least told you the truth and the answer to your question as to why he had to make you leave that day. you propped your chin on your palms from jaehyun’s warning: “tell anyone i swear i’ll make you run a hundred laps with no water breaks.”

but the other thing? he was naked. and that’s not something you could erase in your memories overnight.

you let out a small whine that led to minnie and lisa copying your position, obviously making fun of you. “seriously, not a good time.” you laid on the table and hid from them. “don’t ask me anything.”

minnie and lisa looked at each other as you were being unreasonable and already gotten them curious with your remark. they both grabbed each of your arm, tugging on your sleeves where they begged nonstop for you tell them what had happened. they knew it was about the basketball team.

since you started to train and be with them, you’ve never complained. because if you did, coach jung would add another exercise for you, in which you knew you couldn’t handle. broken bones and sore muscles awaited for you. so you chose not to utter a single sigh, but you were careless just now and there was no escaping from these best friends of yours.

“c’mon y/n! tell us the deets! you sighing could only mean one thing.. did someone confess to you?” minnie closed her eyes and a wide smile suddenly became shrieks of laughter when you facepalmed. “oh who in the basketball team confessed?” she singsonged.

it’s not really a confession, jaehyun being a golden puppy is a secret that was never meant to be revealed but i happened to see him transform-

“what if it’s not a guy? maybe two? or three? oh gosh this is like a reverse harem anime-” lisa began to hype an awful assumption but you covered her lips. and plus? her voice was loud and how embarrassing it would be when the rest of the class heard it.

you were already restless at their energy. “none you idiots. i was sighing because i didn’t know that people with dimples would be that attractive.” you tried to divert the topic.

“pfft you’re talking about jung jaehyun?” lisa raised her brows and grinned teasingly to get a reaction from you.

“no, i’m taking about coach jung.” you hit her arm.

“but jaehyun’s his carbon copy, so you’re basically saying he’s handsome too.” minnie quickly rebutted.

“i mean, coach’s the original face so he’s definitely more handsome-” you paused. shoot they nearly got you to a corner. “wait- why are we talking about this? i thought we’re talking about me.”

“ah you were paying attention to our conversation?” minnie’s eyes grew.

“you’re not telling us anything dimwit.” lisa hit you back.

couple of squeals echoed the corridor and your classroom door crowded with people. apparently jaehyun stood by the door frame and scanned the room looking for you. when he spotted you, his face bubbled up and literally glided his way to your seat. you could tell he was slightly fuming, but you didn’t know what reason. “y/f/n! come here for a second!” he grabbed your wrists and pulled you up from your chair.

you tried to catch up with his pace as he continued to pull you. “let me go!”

jaehyun did in fact let go of you, but he instead led you to hit your back against numerous lockers. the squeals didn’t stop there and how that you were the centre of attention amongst all of the students, you had endure this for a little while. he was staring into your soul, eyes piercing that could strain yours, you knew he was pissed about something.

he slammed his forearms at the space right above your head, then the screams of giddy began to grow louder. you managed to see your friends at the far end of the corridor. they were smiling and lisa mouthed ‘kabedon’, making you flustered than you already were. “what do you want?” you asked.

“i thought i made myself clear?” jaehyun smirked as he felt you quiver against his skin. he leaned lower that his whispers tickled your ear. “did you tell anyone? your friends?”

“i’m not gonna risk my health for some dumb secret.” you rolled your eyes and crossed arms.

“please it’s not like our training puts your life on jeopardy-” jaehyun butted back.

“it’s safe with me. if there’s anything you’re worried about, just look at your fanbase. you’re making them sad.” you sighed, walking away and through the girls who has been following jaehyun around.

jaehyun exhaled at a rather slow pace. he liked your reaction and was aware of their presence. and in order to shoo them away, he had to do what he did. he just hoped you’d notice that too. “see you after school!” he yelled.

you briefly stopped in your tracks at his greet, you continued walking and pulled your girls away from the scene. you didn’t pay any attention, but you knew they couldn’t contain their smiles appearing on their faces.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

the bags full of foldable cones fell to the floor. the rest of the team turned to your direction, who already made mistakes on the first day of camp. they knew that you were obviously flabbergasted with your encounter. it was funny that you managed to stride your way so quickly towards jungwoo— he was very much entertained with your expression. “i know right? that was me earlier.” he stroked the large pup.

“h-how did puppy grow so big? that’s an adult sized dog! you stuttered but hiding your love for golden retrievers just wasn’t possible. there were times you forgot that this was actually jaehyun. “it’s only been a week.”

“yeah i’d like to know the reason too.”

suddenly you heard jaehyun’s voice. it felt like he was close to your ears again, but he wasn’t anywhere near you.

remains of memories probably were still in you head. you wouldn’t say you were traumatised, just surprised. why the hell am i hearing his voice? you shook the thought off at first but then again-

oi y/n. beside you. i’m talking to you!

what?

you gasped and fell on your butt. the pup’s ears were on alert and you knew he was hearing you too. “you can hear me?” jaehyun’s dog form practically towered on your fallen self. you avoided his look although the pup was so cute. his paws poked your shoulders, whiskers twitching as he waited for your response. “don’t look away! you can hear me right??”

all the guys could see was jaehyun staring down at you. and while you did the same, your knitted brows only meant something was definitely going on. they wanted to know. “what’s wrong y/n?”

your lips shook in heavens knows it was fear. “you’re asking me what’s wrong? why can i hear jaehyun? can you hear jaehyun? oh my g- this is really really weird-”

“you can?” they scooted closer to you, very much intrigued with your gift.

“and you all can’t?” you pushed jaehyun away for his body was weighing you down. he whimpered and got up to sit in front of the boys too.

they shook their heads vigorously. “only sungchan and coach were able to hear him.” kun stated, typing on his cellphone to inform his family.

“y/n! let’s talk when i transform back!” jaehyun’s paws kept poking you again. you glared at him with a loud hiss. his ears were alert, he didn’t realise that he was clawing you already, and turned a few rounds before he was laying like a bagel-shaped position.

jaehyun thought it was pretty strange. never in his life were there any people who could actually converse with him telepathically. other than his family, you were the first and he was determined to find out why this impossibility was made possible. there was a spark of hope forming in his heart at this sudden revelation. the glow from the orange light then shone above your head, marking the end of sunrise.

you looked at jaehyun’s dog form, it was- correction, he was.. quiet, and was still staring at you as if you were his master. he laid on this front legs, snout on the ground. huh, he can actually be behaved. footsteps were closing in. at the distance, coach jung walked with lisa and minnie, who were in their cheerleading uniforms. right, you forgot that they were also included in the annual athletes camp.

for a moment you panicked because you knew jaehyun would transform back from being a dog. ten and rest knew more people shouldn’t know about jaehyun’s curse. they were glad you read the atmosphere too. seeing jaehyun’s jersey in his duffel bag, you grabbed it and wore it on the animal.

coach jung made eye contact to your direction. he diverted the girls’ attention, and led them away from the basketball court. they headed towards the storage to “retrieve” some equipment.

jaehyun grunted and growled, his fangs tried to bite your skin. however, goldens were known for having a soft jaw, so his bites weren’t that painful. when you finally managed to put the jersey on him, jungwoo couldn’t catch up. “why let him wear the jersey?” he questioned.

“so he wouldn’t transform back naked when lisa and minnie arrives.” you pointed out the obvious.

ten held his laugh in. you recognised this tone, and prepared what came after. “heh..” he trailed off. “is it because you want to keep jaehyun to yourself?”

you continuously threw random items at him as heat spread to your cheeks. “screw you!” you scoffed. “get jaehyun to wear his pants. i have to pack a lot of things before we head onto the bus.”

“yes ma’am.” ten nudged your shoulder. “i’m kidding y/n. don’t take my jokes seriously.“

“it’s fine.” you picked up the fallen cones. “you’re worried about people knowing his curse. so i’m just doing my part to keep it secret.”

he pursed his lips and his heart softened at your willingness to help. “hm, i guess i can trust you after all.” ten opened the bag to help you pack. “oh! and also, jae in his dog form already is naked anyway.”

“you think i’m not aware of that?” you rolled your eyes.

your friends already have settled themselves inside the coach bus and you were seated in between them. now they would get to witness you with the team and hoped for a budding romance with any of the boys. you lowered your face under a cap to pretend you were sleeping, but in reality you just wanted to avoid lisa and minnie’s bombardment.

few rows at front, jaehyun stared by the window, deep in thought. rarely spoke a word since they started their journey to the retreat campsite. why was his hunch telling him to get closer to you? why could you hear him and he could hear you? he slightly turned to his side between the gaps of two seats. seeing you giggling with your friends had him rethinking if what happened earlier was just his imagination. he wondered why you purposely ignore him after he transformed back.

he slid lower from his seat. “i’d understand if this was a soulmate thing, but it’s not.” jaehyun sighed heavily where he broke the silence and supposedly ending the conversation earlier. now that he wanted to talk about it, his friends were still up for the news.

“oh yeah. those things are going on. except it only happens to some people.” kun popped a chip in his mouth.

“i just don’t get it. dad told me that never occurred to anyone with this curse.” he stole the bag of chips from the younger one to relieve his emotions.

jungwoo’s pursed his lip in wonder. “maybe the curse in another light has its own blessing? maybe you guys are soulmates?”

“nah, impossible.” they all said simultaneously.

“it’s a possibility-” jungwoo’s face soured where wrinkles appeared on the sides as the boys flared at him.

jaehyun shrugged not knowing what to say. his friends have bizarre ideas throughout the journey, and he wouldn’t say they were wrong either. all he could do was to wait until the next transformation. maybe you would say your thoughts about it through telepathy.

he would know if time passed quickly when he didn’t pay attention to anyone. one of them was the number of times you waved in front of his face to snap him back to earth. “jaehyun?” you laid on the ground and called out, panting to catch air after your successful reps. you tugged the ends of his track pants.

“hm?” he hummed, looking for your voice until he got annoyed with your repetitive pulls of his clothes. “ah stop that. i have to report your record to coach. come with?”

“do i really have to?” you whined. “i could barely stand, my legs are wobbly and i’m hungry.”

jaehyun rolled his eyes and took your hand, pulling you up on your toes. “then let’s grab something to eat on our way to the camp, hm?”

you gulped at the sudden gesture, even more so when you noticed your heart beating faster around him. somehow your sixth sense told you your friends were somewhere in the woods looking at you, and you were right.

minnie had her binoculars by her eyes as you and jaehyun headed in another direction back to everyone else were. she held in her excitement with a huge inhale. out of curiosity lisa stole the binoculars from her. a growing smile showed her pearly whites when within its frame, jaehyun was pushing you from the back before he took your hand again because of how slow you were. “min, consider your reverse harem dream for y/n over. we found her leading man.”

—

“few more reps y/n! do it properly this time?”

jaehyun rubbed his face, raising his tone in question of your athleticism. it was the second and final day of your assessments. your core should be able to get used to the pressure if you’ve done the reps for two straight days. so as of today you salute to all people who persevered and with great stamina. you just.. weren’t that person.

you’ve grown conscious now that jaehyun’s friends were watching a few metres away. you’d prefer kun counting and timing your exercises over him. in contrast, kun’s a little more understanding than the hotheaded jaehyun. “if i say i can’t, shouldn’t you consider stopping here? it’s the last one anyway so put random number on the blank or something.” you struggled to lift yourself up from the ground, arms in an ‘x’ position over your torso.

“is that so? then you wouldn’t mind if i write ‘0’ for the final count?” jaehyun checked the stopwatch while his knees put enough weight on your feet. “at least do five more?” he sat on the soles of his shoes.

“ugh! fine!” you tsked and did sit ups slowly, eyes shut closed.

jaehyun smirked with how determined you were in finishing. and he has gotta credit you for having the last brain cell to endure his overly playful bossiness and plans up his sleeves.

but even his friends has something up in their sleeves. they whispered to each other and nodded heads as excitement already boosted their anticipation. ten cupped his mouth then giving the raised brows as signal to start. “y/n! jaehyun’s recording your expression with his phone!” ten yelled.

jungwoo’s mouth widened and followed along. “jae! there’s a bee behind you!”

“what?!”

“where?!”

the moment you froze and opened your eyes after bringing yourself up, and jaehyun leaned forwards to avoid the insect, was way too hilarious for the guys to see. both of your faces were centimetres away from each other and jaehyun’s ears already tinted pink. jaehyun already found it awkward to help you for three days, but he never prepared himself for something like this.

as his friends bursting out laughing, that was when he realised it was all their plan. you were still too close to him, so he cleared his throat to cut the gap between. “is that a pimple on your nose?” he asked, only for his nose to be smacked and soon be numbed. “agh!”

what the- “jerk! don’t point it out!” you kicked him and rolled sideways to stand up, angrily leaving the area with the sheet in your hands. “i’ll give this to the coach!”

jaehyun held his nose and walked back to the guys, who were still laughing their butts off and rolling on the ground. “you can stop now.”

“oh that was funny! it was like a typical ‘ba-dump’ scene in a rom-com!” jungwoo wiped a tear.

“should’ve recorded it!” kun threw his head back while his hand rested on his heaving chest.

“no worries! at least it’s recorded in jaehyun’s mind!” ten cheered with closed fists.

“it’s embarrassing!” jaehyun threw his towel.

bonfires were mandatory at the start and end of the camp. however, because of your assessment, coach jung had negotiate with the other members of the basketball to get to the campsite a day before the other teams actually arrived at night. so for the kun and the rest, they had a little more free time than jaehyun. and him being the coach’s son.. he didn’t have the same benefits. he was stuck with you because he had to keep an eye on you while

he thought being with you would only be for the first two days, then he would go for his training. and yet here you were, sitting beside him in front of the bonfire while everyone else arrived and other danced to their hearts’ content. maybe he could ask you about the telepathy thing? but figuring you were cranky from earlier, he held back.

“can i ask more about your curse? if it’s okay with you to tell me.”

jaehyun nodded, you had the right to. not because you accidentally picked a random puppy then saw him naked few moments later. you could hear him in your head, and that was enough reason to tell you rather than a general information about it. “yeah. i’m okay with it.”

“you said your ancestors had the curse too. was there any specific reason why they had to suffer that your family and you had to be the..” you paused for a while. jaehyun was waiting for your next words, you guessed it was alright to say it. “..collateral damage?”

“right. i didn’t tell you more of it yeah?” he sniffed from the chilly night. “i don’t know how far back in the years it happened. but they said the head of the family casted out his wife because he assumed he cheated on him. he was the only person the wife ever treasured, so when she was accused, she took his pet and killed it. the head found out, he cursed her that her descendants turn into animals. and we’re the descendants of that woman.”

“that’s awful.” you cleared your throat. “i’m sorry you have to suffer the curse.”

“you don’t have to be. i’m just trying to cope with it.” jaehyun chuckled. “how awesome would it be if there was a way to reverse everything.”

“gotta find the blessing then.” you laid on the grass.

jaehyun’s face wrinkled in disgust. “okay you sound like jungwoo.”

“at least appreciate me for trying to lift your spirits up.”

he hummed in agreement.

“or you can just.. let the blessing find you.” you singsonged as you realised how corny you actually sounded.

“fine, and if it’s you?” he had to give a hint of the telepathic communication.

“because i can hear you when you’re in your retriever form? i’m not exactly a blessing but yeah i’d like to know how telapthy works too.” you stared back at the bonfire, flames flickering as the smoke flew in the air. as of tonight, you wanted to be that person who’d be the igniter of that hope he held on. “if i could help out a little, i’ll be happy to help.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

lisa and minnie stared at you, both had their palms under their chins as if their silence asked you to talk. “i can’t eat when the two of you are like this. it’s very disturbing.” you gripped on your fork, hesitant to eat as you took glances between the food and them.

you knew what they were going to ask. not like you didn’t want to share, it was just that you knew them well enough that they wouldn’t stop once they start. the food was getting cold every second passed, due to the wind outdoors, it was more vulnerable. lisa stretched her elbows while holding her poms to be noticed. five days have gone by and even though you were rarely with them in all those days, she had to ensure you’d tell them about the basketball team and your leading man— although you had no idea about that.

“any updates?” she raised her brows.

“nothing is happening with me or anyone in the team, if that’s what you both wanted to know.” you sighed. “i’m just simply taking down minutes.” you said sternly, kind of regret that you answered her and swirled the noodles with your fork.

“are you sure? twelve members should be enough for that.” minnie tied her shoelaces and bent down with a pressed smile when you pout. she softened her gaze when you were telling the truth and that their teasing should stop there. but they knew that the team should know something about you.

“they’re divided into teams. some did the score board while others practiced on their own. of course i have to be the one- why are you pulling my arm?” you asked and eyed them as if they stained your clothes.

lisa twirled on her toes and posed with her arm rested on her waist. “you’re being quiet again.”

“i’m not?” you said monotonously while you munched on your food.

she sighed and grabbed your chin. “you don’t look at me when you’re lying.” she hummed, yet you didn’t respond. “what’s up y/n? something’s on your mind i can tell.”

in fact a lot of things were.

so far in the week, you’ve helped jaehyun theorise solutions to end his curse after practice. not only for him, but his family and extended family too. some have passed not having to enjoy their lives, while others chose to hide themselves from the world. and a small percentage of the family tree actually tried to live through it— that was jaehyun’s family. coach jung was as determined as jaehyun to put a stop into this curse.

not only that thought alone. to you, jaehyun has been rather noticeable. even if you weren’t thinking of him, he’d appear out of nowhere— during your breaks, on your night-walks alone or even heading to the toilet. you’d always bump into him and his presence seemed to be marked in your consciousness now. not that you liked him around, it was just captain was more friendly than others made him out to be. “really, it’s nothing.”

to say that jaehyun didn’t feel same was definitely an understatement. since the start of the freshman year, he knew you were the loud girl with the two hot cheerleaders, but always wondered why you’ve never joined the team. sometimes he would catch you sitting at one corner, dancing along with the routines aside from cheering your friends on as he was heading to practice.

now he took a peek of you eating alone while lisa and minnie showed off their new uniforms. he was about to call you out to help the team, but the girls pulling you almost immediately once you were done had him holding back. “chaeyeon will be arriving soon, and remember the dare was to wear our uniform.” minnie giggled while you begged her to stop, to the point you nearly cried thinking about it. “you agreed to it-”

“i didn’t agree to it! you agreed for me! i had no say!”

jaehyun’s eyes widened at the thought of you in uniform. your yells were getting louder and pitchier. should he be your knight and shining armour? probably not. he’d like to have something to tease you about. for a moment there was silence, he hid behind the corner of a storage building. you were still telling your friends to stop doing what they were doing. but it was two against one, and he knew you were at the losing end.

the door slammed open, your huffs and puffs getting heavier and closer to where he was. jaehyun’s heart beat so fast that when he finally decided to call out your name, you bumped into him and he caught you to prevent you from falling. “i was about to fetch you, manager.”

you felt heat spread your entire cheek because of the attire you were forced to wear. “well you did and i’m here. can we go? my friends are giving me the stares.”

“fiesty, but i think you look alright.” he chuckled when you grumpily walked ahead. jaehyun followed you from behind with his hands in pockets.

what does he mean by that?

lisa and minnie pursed their lips, soon bursting into giddy squeals and continuously fanning each other from what they saw yet the second time. “he was really checking her out.” minnie laughed.

“his ears said it all.” lisa checked her watch on her wrist. “basketball team’s practice match is starting soon. wanna sit in?”

“girl you bet i will.”

even hours later you blew your baby fringes blocking your view. as you flipped the score board and whistles for a time-out echoed the outdoor gym, your friends could tell how uncomfortable you were but they’d do nothing to get more reactions from you. they liked that you entertained them. and what choice did you have? chaeyeon was already taking pictures of you in the uniform you despised wearing.

coach jung briefed the team information on their opponents this season. you wrote down important points, feeling the chill of the early sunset. you couldn’t wait to change into actual soft and comfy clothes, mosquitoes weren’t your friends.

jaehyun listened to his dad repeating the same points- mostly because he got the advice first before others. he heard you hiss several times, you were supposed to jot the notes down. then it got frequent. he tiptoed to see you opposite from him, shooing the bugs away. of course you were still wearing the cheer uniform. he didn’t want to draw attention, so he stealthy walked behind the guys and straight to you.

“trouble?” he asked.

“just a little chilly, that’s all. meeting’s nearly done yeah?” you hugged the file to your chest.

“say so if you’re cold.” he took his jacket off and draped it on your shoulder.

“and who am i to tell to?” your voice challenging him.

he hummed so low that it almost lulled you to sleep. “me. i’m not the captain for nothing.”

you were both busy talking that you and him weren’t aware of time nor anyone else close by. mind you that minnie and lisa were watching the whole thing. you managed to smile even if you were crossed with how you were dressed. like you enjoyed his company.

they couldn’t hear your conversation, nor were your lips were moving. but the body language they saw already proved and confirmed their assumption. they had to tell you. they went straight to you once the meeting was over, and pulled you aside whilst jaehyun was talking about his childhood.

jaehyun raised a brow and chuckled as you were being pulled away. his friends immediately surround him, bombarding him with questions that he wasn’t paying attention to the meeting. “dude, your time’s near.” ten smacked him on the back.

“don’t make it sound like i’m dying, ten.” jaehyun rolled his eyes, but whenever he did, they were always fixated on you. he couldn’t shake off the feeling you were that something to solve the curse.

“be alert than be busted.” ten shrugged, head tilting to where you were. your friends were busy recording you and giggles filled the air. “how are you so calm now jae?”

jaehyun pursed his lips. “with her, there’s no way i’m calm at all.”

“okay now i can’t tell if that answer was from human jaehyun or doggy jaehyun.” jungwoo pointed out.

his friends all looked at each other, jaehyun wasn’t his usual self. it was as if he was dazed but was able to converse with them properly. slowly his naturally peach-like fuzzy cheeks grew more fur, his tail started to reveal. although they were quick enough to hide jaehyun, they didn’t realise the commotion that came afterwards and drew everyone’s attention.

you swifted your head at the boys’ yells and gathering circle, faintly hearing jaehyun’s refusal into whatever they got him into. “stop it! hey!” he hissed.

jungwoo, a little too excited of the drama going on, spotted you looking at them and gestured you to come over too. your friends built up a curiosity and went ahead of you. as for you, you were mentally tired to think of anything.

not until you heard kun’s wavering yet convincing words. “uh.. y’all wanna see magic?” he chuckled nervously as he knew what jaehyun would do to him after all this was over. “quickly because it’ll happen soon!”

you held in a laugh at jaehyun when he was forced to sit down on the grass to hide his tail. “i’ve been trying to master this for months and i thank jaehyun as my participant. who loves animals? give me a name.”

most hands were up and the answers were said at the same time. some didn’t believe him, but others have seen kun’s little magic tricks over the days. so something of a huge scale like this already got them curious than ever.

“ah i hear great ones but i’ll choose dog. now i’ll turn jaehyun into a golden retriever.” he draped a blanket above his friend.

ten and jungwoo bit their lips to contain themselves, holding onto each other as they filmed this once-in-a-lifetime event. the circle enlarged in scale with the poor lad at the center and the golden hour shone over everyone.

“in 3.. 2.. 1..” kun only snapped his fingers then the blanket shrunk in size. your schoolmates were convinced that something was actually happening.

and it was amusing because you were able to hear jaehyun swearing so much in your head.

you let out a giggle. jaehyun was soon surrounded by everyone who wanted to pet him. even your friends went over to the animal. “at least pretend to be happy for them. goldens are known for being clowns.” you told him.

*sighs* “tell kun i’m gonna kill him.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

the silence was all jaehyun ever wanted after the shock he had to go through from kun’s improv few days ago. he’d be thankful for a moment because he actually forgot the gideon hour at the time, but he would soon later be clouded with annoyance that he should’ve been informed beforehand of his actions— not only kun, the others included. they’ve got a part in this too.

his friends seated side by side with bruises and bandages on their faces, jaehyun still giving them the silent treatment. he was cranky about that, yet even more so when there was no progress into finding a solution to his curse. “jae. we said we’re sorry.” jungwoo apologised and felt that he was the only one giving effort to talk to jaehyun compared to kun and ten.

“and i said it’s fine. so stop saying that before i actually don’t forgive you.” jaehyun pressed the bridge of his nose.

after walking up the slope to the cabin with heaves of breaths, you managed to hear their conversation before opening the door. “i refilled your bottles.” you threw them on a duffle bag, not caring whether either of them rolled away. “i have to apologise too, jaehyun. i haven’t come up with anything to help you.” true enough because you couldn’t think straight or have the energy to use your remaining brain cells for that matter.

“ugh it’s fine. i’m not in a rush or anything. not even assigning you to solve within the duration of the camp.” jaehyun squeezed the bottle as thirst continued to drive him crazy, the heat as well, so he removed his tshirt. you averted your gaze and looked elsewhere. maybe you were still a little bothered seeing him half naked after the incident?

ten sought the opportunity and decided to fan the flame even more. “why look away when you’ve seen him already?”

he managed to dodge your hits and you turned around embarrassed. jaehyun could see you fanning yourself from the heat. “it was an accident!” you cleared your throat.

“gah i’m tired. we’re done with practice. we get a day off tomorrow, so can’t we watch a movie? who has disney plus?” jungwoo wiped himself with a towel.

“i do.” kun brought out his ipad. “what do you wanna watch?”

“i haven’t watched that one.”

“beauty and the beast?”

“o-kay, i’ll be going now.” you yawned as you began to feel the exhaustion take over your body. “see you tomorrow.”

the door closed and suddenly you remembered a funny memory last halloween when taeil dressed himself as belle. he blended in with the other ladies that you didn’t realise it was him. either it was the wig’s work or just taeil in general. you found it funny when a bunch of young teens become children again as disney’s mentioned.

your phone vibrated with your friends asking to help them out with their practice. “i came to the camp for the basketball team, not you two.” you left a voice mail. all you wanted was to rest up today. not until a certain realisation hit you hard.

because what if?

it hasn’t been that long since you left the cabin when the boys jolted from their positions. their peace and concentration on the movie already ruined by you. “oh my goodness i think i got it?” you slammed the door.

jaehyun sat up and set his phone aside. “you’re saying it a question rather than a discovery. not convinced.”

“will you be when i tell you if it’s based on that movie?” you pointed at the tablet.

he trailed his eyes to the screen then back at you, a more confused expression on his face. “you expect me to find someone to love me so my curse will be lifted?”

“pfft nah kidding, you don’t seem that loveable anyway.” you stole a lollipop from ten. “okay bye for reals.”

as the door closed, ten unwrapped another lollipop. “bet you he’s thinking of his potential ‘belle’.” ten nudged the boys.

“shut up. i’m not going to base my life on a fictional movie.”

“but it could be y/n. i mean she can hear you.” jungwoo paused the film.

“it’s not going to be her and it doesn’t prove anything.”

jaehyun thought a lot for two things— you keeping his hopes up, the other was you setting his heart in a frenzy and he always hated that feeling. he groaned and dragged himself to bed to place a towel over his face. sure he’ll hold on to that idea you came up with for now. however it didn’t prove on telepathy.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

your heart missed a beat when jaehyun waited for you in front of the cabin you stayed at. he thought you bumping into his torso wasn’t a good way to greet in the morning, whereas you feeling some fur on his tshirt as greeting was any different. jaehyun handed you a file and a little note from coach.

while you read it, you could sense jaehyun was staring, like he had something to say. he retracted his lips when your friends appeared behind you with grins annoyingly appearing on their faces. “make it quick captain. we have things to discuss with y/n.”

“yeah sure. i just dropped by to pass this to you. coach said to make copies. i’ll come back after you’re done with breakfast.” he cleared his throat and announced his leave.

“hm. fishy. he could’ve just left it here outside but he seems like he waited for you.” lisa drank from her cup as you all sat and ate breakfast together.

“right? it’s been days he acted that way!” minnie walked back to the table. “he’s indeed a gentleman, but there are times he’s very hard to approach.”

you unwrapped the sandwich and took a bite. “anyway, what is it you guys wanna talk about?”

“lisa will go first. she couldn’t wait.” minnie giggled.

lisa laid out series of pictures of nature she recently took and were indeed beautiful. “oh my goodness they look amazing!” you sat up. “as expected from someone in the photography club. i bet if you submit these to johnny he’ll regret putting you as backup-”

“really?! i took advantage of the retreat and i made sure they were pretty!” lisa interrupted you and placed more pictures down. “these are my favourite! i’m thinking of sending these to johnny instead!”

however your face turned sullen at the next pictures. they were blurry and almost gone, but it was definitely jaehyun at the background, each one showed he was transforming from human to dog. you paused and your heart did the same.

the silence got longer, you knew you had to speak up, but no words came out. “what’s wrong y/n?”

“you can’t submit these to johnny.” you brushed the first batch of pictures aside and bind latest pictures together.

“why not? you supported the rest of them! how could these be not good enough?” lisa’s voice changed in an instant, like you’ve taken away her pride. she sat back with folded arms, her behaviour scared you a little.

minnie slightly wiggled your hand. “hey, are you hearing to yourself y/n?”

“sorry, i know i sound stupid-”

“you are!” lisa huffed where her cheeks blew up. it was cute though.

“but you have to hear me out.” one thing was for sure, your stress levels shot up high if word gets to jaehyun. you had to prepare for the consequences.

“okay, so why can’t i submit them?” lisa sighed.

you held her hand. “it would be alright to, only if these are not in the background.” you said, pointing out a figure at the background of the subject. it all became clear as day to them when they looked closely. “did jaehyun just.. transformed?”

you were surprised with how quick they were able to catch on. as much as you wanted to protect jaehyun’s family curse, things would’ve turn for worst if someone else had noticed it. i’m sorry jaehyun, this is for your own good.

“we believed kun’s ability of illusion and his magic tricks. ten sent us a video of it and it didn’t really occurred to us that the golden was actually jaehyun.” minnie pursed her lips. “if you think about it, he does look like a golden.”

“how is this possible?” lisa asked with a growing smile, but refrained since transforming twice everyday was nothing good anyway.

“i found about his family curse accidentally. he turns into a dog when it’s golden hour, like sunrise and sunset.” you propped on your elbows.

“it’s a curse? poor lad.” minnie gasped.

a rather sad nod caught them off guard. “the coach signed me up to join this retreat. it’s not only for my missed p.e assessments but it was to keep his curse a secret. a-and now that you know, i’ll be damned if word gets to him. so you have to promise me you both don’t say or do anything..“ you sounded as if you begged. that was how much your the friendship you have with jaehyun meant to you.

“and yeah, that’s my answer. the magic trick was just a cover up to hide jaehyun’s dog form.” they listened and were surprised to hear you like this.

your fidgety hands and nervous breathing was too obvious. if jaehyun was just a friend, you wouldn’t act as if he was your- “oh no.” you slumped down on your arms. “why did i..” you mumbled as your feelings for him became clearer to you.

“oh my gosh. you like him! you like jaehyun!” lisa covered her mouth and changed the lingering negative atmosphere.

ba-dump. i..

“then that means your love for golden retrievers doubled!” minnie hugged you.

“no! it’s b-because you’re putting m-me in the spotlight-” you stuttered when they leaned towards you. “i’m gonna go.”

jaehyun flinched even though he was at a distance. your friends were yelling quite excitingly. you were being chased by them and although it was inaudible. he answered his phone as it was ringing for a while. “what, ten?”

“don’t ‘what’ me!” jaehyun tilted his head from his friend’s volume. “jae where are you?”

“i’m at y/n’s cabin and on my way bac-”

“nevermind that. i can see you.”

ten rushed towards him and looked at the cabin. “where’s lisa?” he squinted his eyes.

“just her and minnie chasing y/n out. i don’t know how but they left the door open. what are you doing here anyway?”

he mimicked a photographer’s gesture and pointed at the cabin. “lisa told me her pictures have developed and i’m here to get them.”

jaehyun flicked his forehead. “and you could’ve asked me instead.”

“they’re confidential and i’m shy if anyone sees it.” ten walked to the cabin.

“gross. just get them and head back quickly.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

you lost track of the days that have passed and there was an unsettling feeling that stayed in your chest. had it been two or three? you couldn’t remember. the basketball team’s practice matches and drills were normal. but there was a difference in air lingering around jaehyun. he still talked to you, kept the same gentle smile and was caring as usual. except whenever he did those, it seemed like he was distancing himself from you, creating an imaginary wall just to let you know your limits and boundaries.

you’d like to think it was because of the pressure coach has been giving him since the play-offs were close to date. but, it wasn’t all jaehyun who behaved that way. ten also distanced himself, his gaze pierced against your skull and thinking about it only caused you to have migraines. you were more scared of ten.

coach jung have asked you to help the cheerleading team, saying you’ve helped them enough. the amount of appreciation he had for you was too much, you couldn’t ask him about how jaehyun recently. yet this was all too sudden that your gut feeling told you otherwise. you planned to talk to jaehyun after the day ends. because in all honesty, something definitely happened.

and the boys left you out of it.

approaching jaehyun was harder than you thought. now you’ve realised it, he was always the one who took the initiative and you on the receiving end took the benefits of his kindness. it was supposed to be the other way around, so why were you taking advantage of this?

if having feelings for him was the reason for that, then you’re really stupid y/n. you laid on the grass in defeat from your thoughts and closed your eyes. you decided to have some peace and nature was your best friend in time like these. chirping birds and crashing riverbanks-

“jaehyun where are you?!”

ah crap. you twitched hard enough that swarms of goosebumps appeared on the majority of your skin. on your stomach, you hid behind the bushes to see jungwoo and the others struggling to find him. even at the mention of his name you were already feeling shy and flustered.

“is he skipping practice again?”

“ah whatever let’s just leave him.”

“i understand why he’s like that.”

“even i would feel hurt if i were him.”

a heavy and deep audible breath from their sudden entry was difficult to hide your response. you tried to leave as quiet as possible. not wanting to get caught, you had to move stealthily with few glides backwards on your knees, eyes glued to the boys’ actions if they looked elsewhere. when you felt something blocking the soles of your shoes, somehow you knew what it was.

“you’re blocking my way.” jaehyun’s irritated tone made your chest ache— in the most painful impact you never expected from him.

quickly you stood up and made sure you stayed out of sight from the boys. jaehyun scratched his temple at your awkward behaviour. he was already in front of you, why were you hesitating to ask him questions he left unanswered? jaehyun pulled a long face when you still remained silent. “if you’re not gonna speak when you clearly have something to say, do i really have to say it for you?”

what the hell is his problem? what’s with his tone? “yeah as a matter of fact i do. the thing is, i don’t understand why you’re being like this. you ignore me but still talk to me when i don’t help with the team anymore, and for some reason you’re mad at me?” you grimaced while leaning on a tree trunk.

there was cynism in jaehyun’s nods and the swirls of his tongue evident on his cheeks. you hated his attitude and all you wanted was an explanation. “whatever this is, i’ve got no reason for you to doubt me, jaehyun.”

“ah, really? ‘cause you just gave me one.” he fished out something from his pockets and as you watched, the item he was holding was too familiar and they were obviously not his. he flicked the sheets and that was when you confirmed they were the new pictures lisa developed.

why were they with him? at the pit of your stomach, a whirlwind of emotions and stressing pressure began, and you didn’t like the feeling at all. “what-”

he threw the pictures on the floor. “other than my family and friends you’re the only one who knows about my curse! and at some point you go against my back telling them to picture me when i’m left clueless?!”

right now you were really afraid jaehyun’s mood would attract attention.

you closed your eyes as he raised his voice. “look i have no idea how you got those but i promise you i had nothing to do with the picture-” you insisted and could feel your blood pressure rising.

“how- how could you betray me like this?!”

your heart fell and instead of feeling bad about him knowing, you felt your head ache with so much anger building up inside you. because jaehyun didn’t bother to listen or let you explain yourself.

“i found you in the background before lisa actually showed those to johnny! it would spread if she did! where’s the betrayal in that?!”

he stepped closer to you, your entire was itching to run away. “i don’t care! you still told your friends! you could’ve said another excuse like kun’s practicing his magic trick or something! you promised me my secret’s safe with you!”

that’s messed up. i did tell lisa and minnie but not because it was to mock him!

“kun was no where to be seen in the picture! what else can i do? lie to them? i know my friends more than you do and they won’t tell anyone!” you raised your voice as well.

jaehyun scoffed, rolling his eyes. “i don’t trust them!”

“well, i do! and you should trust me!” your tone wavering at all emotions hitting you at once. especially coming from him— the guy you developed feelings for.

“the moment you told them you broke my trust already! what else did you tell them, hm? my dad and brother having the curse too?” he brushed his hair in anger when your silence meant yes. “ugh is this really happening?! you told them everything!”

“okay that’s enough-” your vision blurring from the tears wanting to fall.

“i’m asking what else did you tell them?! dammit y/n what could be so important to you than my secret?!”

“well- i-”

“i what?!”

other than the secret, you knew what went after the reveal. then you realised the weight of your words, you couldn’t tell him that you actually like him. you wanted to be selfish this once. “i can’t.. tell you.”

jaehyun started to harbour more resentment towards your reasoning. he found it ridiculous of you to even continue with this conversation. ten already warned him that the secret wasn’t safe with you in the first place. the glimpse of hope faded when he thought you’d be the key, even if you were, trust was still important to him. it was the very thing his mother lacked and you doing so reminded him of it.

his expression darkened and you were afraid of him— excluding of how cruel he was with you on the exercise reps. you were afraid you just broken a promise and put your friendship on a rocky end.

“so that’s it? i’m begging you with my life on the line and you just gave me the most bullcrap answer!”

“you’re being unreasonable!” you yelled.

“shut up! you found about my curse so you should be the one compromising!”

“y/n!” lisa came running with a panicked face.

tsk, wrong timing. “not now.” you mouthed.

“have you seen my pictures?! i told ten to get them the other day but he got the wrong envelope! it’s the one with jae-” she bent down to catch her breath and was taken aback with jaehyun’s presence. “..hyun.”

the boys followed lisa and once they found their friend, you could tell ten’s stares that felt like daggers. he pulled jaehyun away but eyes still locked on you. “what happened?” lisa asked as you mirrored ten’s expression, but your friends could see the hurt in your eyes.

“he has the pictures. i think ten saw them and gave them to him. jaehyun’s mad, he thinks i betrayed him for telling you-”

“no that’s not it!” lisa held your hand and glared at the boys, especially ten, since he was her childhood friend. “you had every right to tell us because the pictures are my works-”

“shouldn’t have said anything further y/n! you should’ve gotten the pictures and told us instead of them! you promised, remember?” ten finally spoke up.

you rolled your eyes. “and what?! you’re like saying i should risk my friendship for his stupid secret!”

his friends turned heads to jaehyun to see his tight-knit brows and softening demeanour. jaehyun frowned and hurt was evident in his face. he was hurt by you, someone he developed feelings for in a short amount of time. “i believed it when you said you’ll help me. or were.. were all those just words to you?”

ah.. that came out wrong.

you bit your lips to say something, but they left so soon after, making your chest squeeze as if your lungs let out the last bits of oxygen from your body.

shortly over an hour, jungwoo watched his friend pace back and forth, nibbling on his nails when the tension grew in their cabin. “aren’t you too hard on her? you didn’t let y/n explain further-”

“i can’t believe her!” jaehyun crumpled the picture after looking at it. “how could she do this to me?!”

“honestly i just don’t think she’s that type of person to go behind someone’s back for her own entertainment.” kun spoke up and tilted his head, avoiding the cup that smashed on his side of his cheek. “perhaps you’re mistaken.”

jaehyun wasn’t in the right headspace whenever his past trauma was reminded or brought up, so no matter how much reason was given, he wouldn’t listen. “do i have to repeat it? she already had her fun when she told her friends to picture me!”

“your explanations are always so conclusive.” kun sighed.

“and your heart’s too soft as usual, kun! so back off!” jaehyun grabbed the older one’s shoulder and shoved him against the wall.

he released him soon after realising that he didn’t once listen to you, but he was too stubborn to take any more excuses. there was one thing he thought you were wrong— weren’t you risking your friendship with him by exposing his secret he kept so dearly? maybe distancing himself more than he did would clear his mind off from the mess.

—

when all sports teams lined up with their designated coach buses the days after, jaehyun slightly put his chin up to search for you in the crowd— in a subtle manner, since he still stood in his decision into having his space from you yet didn’t want it to be obvious to others that he cared for you still.

you knew he was staring from afar. it was a stupid misunderstanding, both of you were in the wrong, but he made you feel as if you carried the blame for this.

sure that was a given, that he would react worse than expected. you were going to take the pictures from lisa anyway, and the guys wouldn’t know that your friends knew. you didn’t expect you’d burst out of anger or that ten took them before you did and made the assumption. it still drove you mad, ten probably convinced jaehyun of your doing since he didn’t trust you at first.

that aside, you decided to ride the coach bus with the cheerleading team. “when we reach school, you can forget about the basketball team and camp. how dare they hurt you?” minnie hugged you as you stared out the window.

“if i had to weigh it, it’s not me who’s hurting. jaehyun is.” you sighed and pat her back. “how do i act if i bump to any of them? i’ll probably do something stupid again. at all cost, i’mma just- *sigh*”

“she’s talking about jaehyun right?”

“yeah she’s still not straightforward about him.”

“we know she likes him. she doesn’t have to hide it.”

“i can hear you both.” you lowered your hat to avoid their gaze.

jaehyun sat beside his father at the front for a change, playing with the blinds to cover sunlight. coach jung knew his silence more than anyone, even if jaehyun didn’t plan on telling him. “i’ve done what you told me to do. you didn’t want to see y/n after the fight. so? did it to any change?”

“no. i kept my distance and i’ll see if she’ll admit her mistake.” jaehyun adjusted the fan above him.

“jae, if only you saw her reaction when i told her to not come see the team. i know you’re smarter than this. you know it’s not all her fault.”

he clenched his palms hard. crescent moons soon showed themselves on the flesh. “where exactly in this is my fault, dad? have i not been patient to wait for curse to be broken? who said that y/n might have a contribution in this? it’s you, dad. i’m not holding any grudge against y/n. i’m just disappointed at her because she’s nothing i ever imagined her to be. goodness’ sake i even like her.” he mumbled at the last sentence, missing the point that his dad could hear it.

coach jung let out a short laugh at the remark. “not sure if you noticed, you haven’t seen y/n working hard at researching about our curse while you boys practiced. she’s always brainstorming at the possibilities, science or not, she’s always looking for ways. don’t let anger cloud you.” his father paused and had a pressed smile. “..don’t end up having small fights like me and your mother. you wouldn’t want it to be bigger than it already is.”

“yeah.. i know.”

you woke up with a thud and saw a rather prominent bump on your right temple through the reflection of the window. arriving at the campus grounds was quicker than you thought, despite being almost a half day journey. you overheard that the basketball team would stay there a little longer and you had to leave immediately because once everyone has gone home, you’d see him. you didn’t want to risk yourself from being spotted after you both fought.

it was a small matter now that you think about that day. stubbornness outweighed understanding in the two of you, and that resulted in immaturity. and if neither of you were willing to admit, might as well make the first move.

but you were stubborn as he was.

once the coach bus was nearing the parking area, the first and only thing you decide to do was get out of the vehicle and head straight home. you wouldn’t let your friends speak and looked at their bus. there sat jaehyun fiddling with the curtain. you then rushed out, covering your face from the basketball team as they too were getting off. “is that what she meant ‘at all costs’?” minnie facepalmed as she saw you walking away quickly.

“oh look, there’s y/n.” coach jung tapped the window to make jaehyun notice you. the way you behaved was weird for him, because it was too obvious you were avoiding getting seen.

“i don’t care.”

“it means you do.” his father messed his son’s hair. “okay, off you go. i’ll cancel the extra practice today and let all of you rest up during the weekend.”

jaehyun’s lips agape at his father’s last minute decision. he wore his cap and slung his bag. “if you’re doing this and expect i’d make up with her, you’ll regret ever cancelling practice.”

“ah c’mon. your old man is helping you out with a girl. can’t you tell what i’m doing, jae?” he laughed at his son’s reaction. he could see himself in jaehyun and knew things would get better.

“it won’t work dad.”

he rolled his eyes and went to where the bikes were parked. he kicked the stand at the rear wheel when his friends caught up to him with their own bikes. goodness why can’t they just leave me alone? “what do you want?” he stood a little to pedal ahead.

kun rode along beside him, eyes alternating at and on the road. “what now? you’re just going to pretend you didn’t see y/n? like nothing happened?”

“how can i ignore that when her figure’s so obvious and literally running away from here? i’m not going to do anything about-”

jungwoo then sighed heavily, causing jaehyun to knit brows. “she looked over our bus you dimwit! that means she thought of talking to you but held back because of-”

“i’ll talk to y/n in my own terms and in my own time! stop forcing me to do things when you think it would work well for me!” jaehyun pressed on the brakes with his palms.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

kun and jungwoo’s eyes followed your swirling fork and the silent air that had been going for half an hour. they thought knocking onto the doors of jaehyun’s closed heart was hard, never expected yours was harder. you wouldn’t say anything after they invited you, claiming they missed you around them.

because it had been two full semesters since then. from what the boys told you, jaehyun lost focus and couldn’t lead the team to the championships. he always fought with his father and would burst in anger, throwing unnecessary fits towards them even though they worked hard to reach the quarterfinals.

this behaviour would happen so often that it began to strain his relationships with everyone on the team. the transformation did a lot worse to his body, he’d get sick and weak, and for over months, he would not transform back immediately within the golden hour ended. it lasted longer. sometimes even the morning after.

it worried them that if jaehyun given up all hope and continued to act that way, the urge to find the solution would never take place. and that he would remain an animal forever. even so, you knew their intentions to invite you today despite feeling sad for jaehyun. and you prepared your answer before they could speak.

“y/n-”

“as much as i love to stay, i’m here to tell you you’ve wasted your efforts. if jaehyun won’t talk to me.. then i’ll just keep giving him space until he apologises first.” you were already losing appetite talking about it.

“and you think waiting game would pull off too, hm?” kun’s dimple deepened, a flat smile seen on the exterior.

you put down your fork. “i didn’t think we’ll last this long not talking-”

ten smirked in disbelief, you forgot he was there too. his presence was almost non-existent as he kept quiet the whole time. “keep it like that. you’re held accountable for making jaehyun the way he is now.”

“ten!” kun scowled at the guy. “i told you not to talk.”

you rolled your eyes that his words hurt more than the eye roll. “why is he here anyway? you said it’ll only be the two of you. unbelievable.”

“to see if you came up with a solution to lift jaehyun’s curse. looking at you now, i guess you didn’t.” he said and you tried your best to refrain yourself from hitting him. “were you mocking him when you suggested it might be the same answer as that disney film?”

“i said as a joke but it might be a possibility. we live in a world where people go through inexplainable experiences that science couldn’t dive in deep.” you sighed.

jungwoo tapped the table to stop the bickering you and ten were starting. “like my hunch says, maybe it’s another soulmate thing i’ve mentioned to you guys at the camp.”

“it’s not a soulmate thing, jungwoo.” kun and ten said simultaneously.

you brought out an a5 sized sealed envelope and the action alone made the boys stunned. “don’t open this. just give it to him. anyway, the sun’s setting. i really have to go.” you passed the item to kun.

it’s suffocating. i can’t stay here long. they saw how hesitating your limbs were, your eyes averting them and clearing your throat several times.

“ten, does this look like she didn’t do anything? this proves she’s trying.” kun took the envelope and hit it on ten’s head.

as you put on your coat whilst standing next to the table, ten sat back with arms crossed. “acting smart, aren’t you? you really think you’re the belle for jaehyun huh? i wouldn’t believe that for a second.”

“i didn’t say anything about me being the solution. i’m still keeping my promise to help him. and trust me, i don’t think i’m belle either.” you grabbed your bag and left, your food gone cold and jungwoo sighed at the air turning worse thanks to ten.

the cash money was placed on the table when kun called the waiter. “please keep the change.” he looked at your slouching figure by the bus stop across the restaurant. it screamed sadness and hurt all over.

the reason for suddenly leaving wasn’t because you were offended with what ten said. of course there was truth in his words. at some point you thought you were someone important to jaehyun, since you could hear him.

you thought you both were soulmates.

you left because you spotted a familiar figure standing by the door. haven’t been seeing him lately only made you feel angry at yourself. you were a coward, you even passed the envelope to the boys instead of giving it to jaehyun yourself. your friends already encouraged you about it, that that was the only thing to narrow the gap between you and jaehyun. it was to show that you were still supporting him.

why are you like this y/n? if you like him, you’d do anything to get his attention and forgiveness. why are you doing things to push him away, rather.. why are you forcing yourself to not care when you still do?

you continued to walk with your head low for another hour, troubled in your thoughts as they’ve been bothering you for many months. snap out of it y/n-

*tug*

*scratch*

the hems of your baggy jeans were pulled and torn with minimal, adorable force. it took you a while to process the animal before you. a blue bunny, what’s a bunny doing here- oh.

“sungchan?”

—

he rose from the bushes in front of their house. you stood there awkwardly while he figures to cover his body after the blue hour. “i’m sorry for asking you to bring me home. i get tired from hopping sometimes.” he grabbed a towel that he was hanging by the gate.

“no worries. i-i’ve seen- nevermind.” your voice softened at the latter.

sungchan pursed his lips to refrain himself from smiling since he was there and witnessed when it happened. “come in, i’ll make you some tea. it’s my way of thanks.”

although he was kinder than his brother, probably more mature, he was still young that you could see through his intentions. you knew he wanted some patching up done between you and jaehyun. you hesitated for a while, but since you were there already, might as well try to talk to him—

even if there was a slim chance of making things work.

you sat on the sofa, slightly still and awkward being in the residence. little sips, light breathing and the soft wind from the fan were only heard within the living area. “did my brother cause you a lot of trouble during the camp?” sungchan asked and knowing that you were silent, he knew jaehyun probably did. “how about now?”

“actually, i think i’m the one causing more trouble for him because i feel like i’m not doing anything to help when i said i would.” you sighed as he continued to listen.

“really? i heard from the others you’re helping so much that it changed my brother.. at the least he’s not cranky.” his nose twitched so adorably that you thought it was derived from being a bunny almost his whole life. “also, there’s that envelope-” he paused while realising how your expression caught him off guard.

maybe he shouldn’t have mentioned it, but he wanted you to know he wasn’t spying on you. he made that clear with his silence.

if he saw that back at the restaurant, that only meant he was there for quite some time. you let out a small smile that he was probably there not for you, but to wait for his brother’s friends. instead of bumping into them, he bumped into you.

“oh, that. it.. has a bunch of handwritten letters i’ve compiled when i struggled talking to jaehyun. i just felt that maybe it’s more sincere if i had to apologise.. y’know, eventually.”

he pursed his lips and nodded. “then why not put those words into actual words? like verbal words.” sungchan’s fingers pointed upwards, hinting that jaehyun was up in his room. “for all i know it’s the most sincere thing to do.”

crap, he’s not expressive but he’s so so mature for his age. it made you feel inferior for a moment.

“but before you do that, i have to tell you something that my dad and brother missed out about our curse. why jaehyun-hyung is more pressured than i am.”

(few minutes later)

you slid against the wall while sungchan went out to do grocery shopping. at the other side of the door, in between the thin gap, you could hear soft breathing; jaehyun was on his bed, sleeping in his dog form and it hurt you since time already passed both golden and blue hour, he should’ve transformed like his brother did. instead he laid there as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

meanwhile, jaehyun knew you entered his room. he pretended to be sleeping and expected he wouldn’t know how to act when he gets to face you. he decided to stay as he was.

until you pat then caressed his head.

he didn’t want to settle or give in for the fact you loved golden retrievers. he blamed on the shallow euphroria dogs easily feel. and because he was in his dog form, the anger he held for you disappeared. but at the same time, was your touch out of care or pity? he couldn’t figure it out. then he could hear the beats of your heart, and that made him sit up. your heart was fast. it was worrying. it was—

“why didn’t you tell me the whole story?” your voice wavered in heaving breaths as he finally looked you in the eye. his ears twitched and he faced the door, knowing that sungchan told everything.

jaehyun shook his body and whiskers moved before he telepathically answered you. “believe me i tried. i hate myself for being sensitive and i couldn’t bring to tell you because i got angry. but you have to know that i value trust more than anything.”

“you know what’s ironic?” you sighed, pressing your forehead as pain began to form. “you didn’t trust me first and and we fought because you didn’t do that. and you didn’t trust me enough that you only told me what, like 50 percent of it?”

of course he knew what you referred to.

he was going to tell you the day he visited your cottage at camp. but he didn’t get to, because ten told him news ahead of him that it ruined the purpose to talk to you. it wasn’t that he blamed him, it was due to the fact he wasn’t prepared for something like that. even for something like this.

because there was that prophecy weighing on his shoulders.

“sungchan said that it has to directly come from you, so you better tell me now before our friendship falls out.” you warned and leaned back against the headboard.

currently your friendship was on the line, wobbling on tight ropes. pushing you further away would do no good.

jaehyun sat and his paws were dignified into a comfortable position. his head laid on a cushion pillow, facing towards you. “fine. most of my family turns into wild animals, and they couldn’t control themselves in that other form. their wildlife instincts overpowers their thoughts.” he yawned.

“and it’s different for me and sungchan. when we were born, when we had our first full transformation, they were shocked to know we turn into domestic animals. we’re able to remember, think and live as if we’re still humans. at the end, it’s either of us to stop the curse.”

“so why did your brother mention that you’re the most pressured? why did it only have to be you?” this time you spoke, there was more depth into your feelings if you spoke. as sungchan said, verbally was more sincere. “you could share the burden with him.”

he sighed at the tone of your voice. “isn’t it obvious? the role is immediately passed onto me not because i’m the first born.. it’s because you suddenly could talk to me.. telepathically.”

“yeah and we couldn’t even figure that one out yet.” you scoffed remembering the times you’ve placed your efforts on that matter and now it had gone all to waste. all because you both had that fight.

he read through your eyes and sensed the intention from your words. plus he hated how you delivered it with that certain tone. “i didn’t bring this up just to blame you for my own satisfaction!” he groaned. “i brought it up so that i can apologise! i was wrong, okay?! i should’ve listened to you instead of carelessly listening to ten-”

you refrained yourself from showing any further hurt. recalling it would only make you cry. “well you were manipulated with ten’s assumptions. you believed him more than me. he had proof while i didn’t. i was in the losing end! not like i expected you to change your mind. so can we just.. get this overwith and tell me what the prophecy is?”

he was speechless for a while. you being straight-forward yet in a pained voice was too much for him. he was already softening his feelings for you and you had to tense it all up again. “‘only one could save those who lay under the curse, for they must be in the correct peace of mind and body to break it before it turns for worse.’”

“and the ‘worse’ means you won’t transform back anymore?” you asked, the prophecy already piercing your heart as you waited for more explanation.

“that and..” he trailed off. “..we lose our humanity too. we won’t remember anything. memories erased like a snap of the finger. and we’ll just be.. another animal.”

you pushed yourself to sit up as your heart clenched tight. “jaehyun! why say it now and not before?”

“because! what is there for you to do-”

you squished the dog’s into a wrinkly mess, to the point jaehyun couldn’t see anything. his paws tried to put your arms down, but even clawing was hard for him to do. then he felt you lean forward to hug him. “y/n? what’re you doing?” you didn’t answer.

crap, this is warm. it feels.. nice. embarrassed, he put his thoughts at the back of his mind. “are you doing this out of pity? do i look that helpless-”

what crossed his mind was that you thought he needed a hug and was the only thing you could do. but you proved him wrong, so, so wrong. and why didn’t he realise it sooner in his life?

“you have to treat yourself like someone you love!”

what?

“you have to fill yourself with it! have you been thinking half-heartedly or do things half-assed because you’re different from people? do you not realise there are people who loves you? you trust them so less that you’re not confident into breaking the curse! because you didn’t really try!”

he froze in his stance, like a bullet pierced through his chest with how true your point was. he didn’t know what love was when his mother left the family. he didn’t dare to open up with his dad and brother, not his friends as for so long he didn’t do that one important thing— trust.

jaehyun thought he did that. he had enough encouragement but only to the level of content. he didn’t expect more as what else was there for people cursed like his family? “why are you so worried or do this much for me?”

“because no one actually helped you!” your arms tightened around him. “your friends were occupied into thinking that protecting you and your curse from others was the safest thing to do. it’s not! it just gets you self-conscious, conceited and too comfortable to not to do anything at all!” everything you said knocked down the pillars of his pride. he wasn’t at all living in humility if his friends did ever help.

“y/n we’re nothing more than friends. how could you be pushing yourself onto my problems-”

“i’m one of the people, jaehyun. don’t you get it now? i l-”

as if the phone line got cut off, he couldn’t hear the rest. you appeared like a television who lost its voice, however, somehow he knew what came after that. he didn’t want to admit it, after spending time with you at camp, he realised his heart felt the same.

you were quick to catch on. the golden retriever just stared at you, you couldn’t hear him as well. not even telepathically. jaehyun laid back down, ignored you and went to sleep. you nudged him, he wouldn’t move. you felt a swarm of blame towards him. if only he told you earlier, he wouldn’t be in this state where he was just another dog. mostly you blamed yourself for not taking the initiative first to fix things. you went along with your anger and his waiting game.

where did it get you? to this.

the one second revelation he heard from you and then fell into slumber, he was standing in front of himself, before a mirror. a series of himself switching from human to animal throughout the years. the glass cracked over his face. as if he entered a new world, he had to prepare mentally for what was to come.

instead he awoke like he only passed out from exhaustion. to only see you hugging your legs, head down with soft sobs and hiccups, he reached out for you yet hesitated. he checked the time, the golden hour was to arrive.

“y/n.” he called out in a low voice.

“no.” you mumbled. “i shouldn’t be hearing him.”

“but you really are, though.”

you shot your head up, tears rolling down your cheeks when you felt his touch— his large palms holding yours. he transformed, you had many questions as you thought it was too late.

confused and tired, you stared at him blankly. processing the guy before you took a whole minute to realise jaehyun transformed back. “is.. is this a joke?” you coughed and rubbed your tears. “i saw you faint- i saw how you lost the light in your eyes- i saw-”

he’s blushing. his ears are red.

jaehyun pulled you into an embrace, he caressed your head as if he held a newborn. “the curse broke around the time i realised i lacked self-care. it was the same time you said it too.”

looking back, he didn’t treat himself right since the beginning. he realised he shouldn’t have looked for a solution or someone to love him. he was the someone he was looking for, and should’ve reflected on himself than to rely too much on others.

“you’re still hugging me.” you said, stopping his trail of thoughts. you pat his back quickly and he was holding you tight. “you’re squeezing the oxygen out of me.”

“can’t i hold you longer? you’ve been so helpful even when i pushed you away. now i don’t really want to let go.” jaehyun whispered. he never felt something like this before— this urge to love someone. “what if the curse comes back when you go away?”

you felt your head bursting with temperatures your body was experiencing now. “you really have to let go!” clearing your throat, you tried to shove him away.

“no. don’t be stubborn.”

“don’t be clingy, clingy!”

“you want me to hug you though.”

“i do but- wait no that’s not- i-”

he squeezed your face between his hands. “you love me, don’t you. and you said i’m not loveable.” he teased and goodness his dimples shot you at the heart. you kicked him in the chest yet he leaned forwards, closer than usual. “i can feel your veins beating crazily.”

ah for crying out loud! “jung jaehyun.” you called him with a stern and plain voice. “get off me.”

“tsk i said i wouldn’t-”

“jaehyun you’re naked.”

hm? he pulled himself away from you, looked down and covered his lower body. ah heavens- “i’m sorr-”

a thud was heard by the door. you both turned heads to sleepy sungchan dropping a parcel delivered to jaehyun while holding a toothbrush with his mouth and prominent bed hair. “uh bro, this is-”

“dad! i think hyung’s in his mating season!”

“i’m so not!”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

because the curse was lifted and jaehyun made it happen, all those who fell under it soon experienced freedom and joy after years of agony and pain and fear. feelings opposite to them showered upon them that morning like spring rain.

you sat in between jaehyun and ten, who haven’t been talking to each since they fought over little things, mainly about you. ten still didn’t believe that you were jaehyun’s girlfriend, because he recalled you guys were not going to mend things.

“so that’s it? it’s so hard to believe. she just hugged you and the curse’s gone? even more so you’re both dating?”

“ten, c’mon dude.” kun brought out his fist to bump yours. “she’ll be hanging with us from now on. you have to stop being a stuck-up.”

ten shrugged in defeat and finally nodded in acceptance. “fine. i’ll let it go. i mean the curse’s broken won’t bother jae anymore.” he turned to you. “i’m sorry y/n. jae and i have been best friends since kindergarten. so it’s kinda a brotherly instinct to protect him. it just comes out.”

“you do seem like the leader of the pack.” you fiddled with jaehyun’s fingers while he draped his arm around you.

“i thought i was the leader?” kun sounded offended, but not entirely.

jaehyun remained quiet. he told everyone what had happened. however, there was still one question left unanswered. what was the telepathy about?

what did it have to do with you and him? he thought about that real hard. were you actually a missing piece in the prophecy or did he misunderstand it? there were a lot of possibilities, a lot of ideas coming up that maybe he figured it wrong. maybe you did contribute to the breaking of the curse-

“ah!” jungwoo exclaimed as flicked the paper back and forth. he proudly showed what he found, putting the pieces together. the paper was moving quickly that the pairs of eyes couldn’t focus or see anything. “i’ve been telling you guys since camp but you wouldn’t listen to me!”

you squinted your hardest to see the words. all you got from the sheet of paper scribbles and connecting lines. the boys started to fight for the so they could read the younger one forcibly shoved in front of their faces.

jungwoo wanted his friends to feel their pride stepped on them, and held on the paper. “read the prophecy again. i’m excited-”

“you being excited about these things is nothing new-” ten yelled, and kun covered his mouth at the loud volume.

“‘only one could save those who lay under the curse, for they must be in the correct peace of mind and body to break it before it turns for worse.’ guys, it’s already hinted in it!” he pointed at the parts he was scribbling on earlier.

he expounded the prophecy was a little misleading. it wasn’t being literal about the right mind and body. they were the results of the having the correct heart, as the two would only be affected greatly if not for the heart.

jungwoo scooted next to you. “y/n, you weren’t only the key to solving it. you were the only person who gave him that push and made him realise he should love himself for who he was. you gave him that peace of mind because you are the heart. as we all know, the mind and body can’t function without the heart.”

“that sounds sweet?” kun blushed even though he wasn’t supposed to.

“yeah sure but the telepathy happening at the same time with my curse was just a coincidence though?” jaehyun asked.

“onto my next point!” jungwoo drew on the paper again. “i realised you told us before that only family members of the same curse can talk to each other telepathically.”

jaehyun’s brows only furrowed narrower. “which doesn’t make sense because she’s not part of my family.”

jungwoo grinned widely, it almost made you nervous but if it was coming from jungwoo, it always had to be something good. “not even us lads can even talk to you with our minds though we’re close like brothers. what if it’s a sign that she will be part of your family? even if the curse’s broken, it still proves my point that you were soulmates all along.”

somehow you knew it was headed to this. what jungwoo’s saying was similar to your hunch. you weren’t confident as he was because at the time, the curse wasn’t lifted. now that it was, you never knew you were actually right.

jaehyun shrunk in his seat after hearing jungwoo’s theory. he looked at you; who was now giggling with the others. he never thought you were his soulmate, it never crossed his mind. you appeared in his life as a shadow at first, before you resurfaced and made it a roller coaster ride. it was an eye opener for him too, you loved him for who he was, his flaws— that being the curse. although there were frequent bickers, that didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy or hate them. he was afraid you’d leave after knowing his transformation.

you didn’t. you stayed. not because you were forced to just to keep his secret, you stayed since you said you’d help. and that lifted weight off of his shoulders. colours came into view more spirited, clouded thoughts in his head faded and everything he heard that were once muffled became clear. he had to compare it like he was reborn.

in the end, you were still beside him, adjacent to him.

#nct #jaehyun oneshot #jaehyun imagines #nct jaehyun #nct 127 #jung jaehyun #jung yoonoh #jaehyun x reader #jaehyun scenarios #jaehyun au #jaehyun fluff #jaehyun writings

[plethora-of-imagines]

Alphabet

AN: Time to murder the Thirsting for Thirteen server. =)

Word Count: 1736

Warnings: smut/lemon, face sitting

Description: DW Kinktober Day 4; Prompt: Face sitting

The Doctor encourages you to try something new that you always wanted to try.

Tag List: @c-s-stars @queerconfusionthings @how-masterful @truthbehindthemysteries

 "I've always wanted to try the alphabet thing," the Doctor rambled as you entered your newly shared bedroom.

Well, it was mainly your bedroom with how little the Doctor tended to sleep. Still, there were signs that she lived there with you. Bits of broken machinery scattered around on end tables and the desk the TARDIS had added to the room to keep her pilot's tinkering from tripping you. Honestly, most of the Doctor's additions to the room were hazards to navigate around.

"What alphabet thing, Doctor?"

"The one where you say the alphabet against your partner's clit to make them cum! I've always wondered if it is actually effective?"

You smiled at her as her voice trailed off into thoughts that passed so rapidly she couldn't verbalize them. Lips slightly twitching every few moments as if she was about to say something but the thought  was replaced too soon.

"Knowing you Doctor," you waited for her focus on her surroundings to return before continuing. "You'll make your way through more than one alphabet!"

She took your teasing for the lighthearted words that they were.

"Oh, I have enough alphabets in my head to make sure you've cum hard enough -and often enough- to struggle walking when I'm done."

You couldn't help but giggle at the seductive face she was making. She was wiggling her eyebrows purposely to get a laugh out of you. Already you were a lot less intimidated. The Doctor had tried to tell you multiple times that sex should be fun. An expression of love and silly affection, it didn’t always have to be serious and sensual. Yet, you were still often trapped in the mindset of needing everything to be perfect during sex. Of it being a performance on your part where you needed to be the perfect picture of loveliness. It was taking forever to unlearn it, but the Doctor had said she would wait forever for you to be comfortable. You were slowly making progress, the other week you had taken the initiative to ambush the Doctor with fuzzy handcuffs which made her breathless with laughter. You had enjoyed that.

Face sitting, however- was going to be hard to let go and enjoy. You were terrified of “doing it wrong” even if there was no real wrong way. Mind racing with fears of what could go wrong. What if you somehow killed the Doctor? Regeneration due to suffocation during sex would be humiliating to explain. Even just to know it had happened would make you run away for the next hundred years! But you were determined to at least give it a try. You had always wanted to experience it, to know what it felt like.

The Doctor had already thrown off her jacket while you were caught in your own head. She wasted no time in starting to help you strip out of your clothes. Giving kisses to every millimeter of skin exposed. Once your shirt was off she lavished her affection to the crook of your neck, as her hands fiddled with your bra hooks. Kissing, nipping and sucking the sensitive skin. The cold air of the room- and the noise your bra made as the Doctor flung it into the wall once she got it off- was your only sign that your bra had been removed. The Doctor continued to focus on your neck, not even taking a finger to tease your nipples. 

Holding you close, arms wrapped around your waist the Doctor began to unbutton your pants. Hands sliding between the fabric of your pants and underwear to start to play with you. To further relax you with a gentle arousal. You more than approved and told her so with a small moan.

“It’s a delicate maneuver, pleasing a woman. Lucky for you I’m very dexterous and experienced.”

“Oh? Bragging about pleasuring other women while we get intimate, Doctor? Should I be worried I’m dating a playboy in a beautiful woman’s form?”

“Well, you know, all of time and space. I’ve been around,” the Doctor froze as she realized what she said. “Wait- no! I mean I’ve had partners before, you know I’ve had partners before- I never hid that from you. I didn’t mean to imply I was unfaithful when dating- or that I considered any of my partners to be just tally marks on a list. And I- I should really stop talking now, shouldn’t I?”

Laughing, you leaned against the Doctor.

“I was just teasing! I didn’t mean to make you panic so much about hurting my feelings. With how old you are compared to me I’d be more worried if you wanted to have sex and hadn’t yet, old lady.”

“Oi! I’m still considered middle-aged for a Time Lady! I think? I honestly don’t think anyone really kept track back home... we didn’t have birthdays or anything.”

As the peaceful, relaxed vibes returned the Doctor slowly returned her attention to both undressing you and turning you on. Sliding your pants down your legs until they were around your ankles. Kicking them off the rest of the way was just convenient. You weren’t acting eager at all. No ma'am that's how anyone would remove their pants, kicking them off. It took you a while to realize that you were very undressed compared to the Doctor who was still almost her full outfit.

“I know that seeing you without the jacket is almost like seeing you naked in your mind, Doctor but there is a difference.”

The Doctor released her grip on your waist, “well you’ll just have to change that won’t you...”

Smirking you yanked her suspenders off her shoulders in one fluid motion, “oh, I intend to.”

The Doctor helped you to remove her clothes in a rapid hurricane of excitement. Tripping out of her own pants as she fell onto the bed bouncing with a small oomph at the unexpected landing. You laughed as you fell down after her- hands tangled together. Crawling up the bed to get to the pillows the Doctor gave you a face full of ass. Giggling as she spread out her limbs like a starfish as she settled into a comfortable position with her head resting on the pillows.

Your giggles twisted into a nervous tick as you pulled off your underwear. This was going to happen. Shifting onto your knees to hover above her stomach before awkwardly trying to shuffle further up. Kneeling over her face. Would you be able to keep yourself lifted up enough? What happens if you got tired? Or fell when you came?

Hands reassuringly caressed the back of your thighs.

“It’s going to be fine. Trust me.”

You lowered yourself down so that the Doctor’s tongue could reach you. The first little lick she gave startled you. Rushing to pull away, hands gripping the headboard for security before you slowly lowered yourself back down again. It felt nice. Well, it would probably feel more than just nice if you could manage to relax enough to focus on the sensations. Your head was racing with thoughts about how you had to stay up, to not suffocate her.

“Relax,” the Doctor murmured. “I have a respiratory bypass, I don’t need to breathe. So let go of the headboard - good girl- and let me make you feel good.”

Letting go of the headboard you let the Doctor’s hands guide you down onto her face. Your pussy resting against her lips.

“I, just tap if you need me to get up?”

Stretching her hand to reach around your body so that you would see her thumbs up, the Doctor reassured you that she would tell you if you needed to move for her. Fond smile growing on your face you let yourself fully relax. It felt good, strange at times as she really was trying out the alphabet, but good. Subconsciously you found yourself grinding down against her soft lips to get further stimulation. When you noticed you didn’t even try to stop yourself this time. She hadn’t given the signal, and the sounds of encouragement she was making made you feel better about what your body was naturally doing.

You had no idea how many “alphabets” the Doctor had gotten through, there was no way that there were this many letters in yours. Little flicks of her tongue mixed with long lasting licks, the sensations varied with no real rhythm. It made it hard to predict what would happen next. The Doctor never seemed to use the same motion twice. Then you felt her make a pattern with her tongue that was just sinful. Had she moved onto words?

“Oh! Oh, that one Doctor! That feels so good,” you head fell back as she repeated the motions.

Now the Doctor seemed to be focused on using patterns with all of the tongue movements that had made you gasp or moan. It was heaven. Grinding down roughly against her mouth and that glorious tongue. You needed more, you needed to cum. You absent mindedly twitched and rutted as you rode out your pleasure on the Doctor’s tongue. Why had you ever been hesitant or worried that she wouldn’t enjoy this as much as you? You could feel her smile, her satisfaction. It was glorious. 

The moment your body allowed you control again you flopped over. Off of the Doctor’s face and into the spot next to her in your bed. Laying still for a while to enjoy the afterglow. You felt content and satisfied. Next time you would have to have her sit on your face. If the sounds she made meant anything it would be very enjoyable. Without a respiratory bypass, however, the two of you would need to actually be a little bit careful.

Your contemplation on when you could plan to try this out for yourself was interrupted by the Doctor rolling over to cuddle you. Enjoying the comfortable silence until the Doctor softly spoke. Breaking the silence with a sleepy voice.

“It was adorable,” she nuzzled in closer. Her wet, arousal covered lips resting in your hair. You would need a bath later, “ your favorite sensation was me calling you the equivalent of darling angel in Gallifreyan.”

You were too relaxed and sleepy to be embarrassed by that new information. You would examine what that meant later.

“Mhm, love you, Doctor.”

She yawed while answering, “love you too, forever.”

#dwkinktober21 #kinktober 2021 #13th doctor x reader #13 x reader #prompt: face sitting

[fairestwriting]

slams open your door/ one angst request for a childhood g/n reader with deuce, ace, jack, ruggie and vil coming right up! "if we're still single by 30, let's get married! (for housing benefits lol)" it was a childish promise made in jest, but the boy never forgot. in the end, it ends with unrequited/pining feelings from one/both sides that cant be returned due to bad timing/prior engagements/etc when they reach of age (go hogwild with the scenarios lis!!)

(slams my hands on the table) yes yes yes yes YES i love this trope

+ if you like my writing, you can buy me a ko-fi to support me!

Deuce Spade

You make the promise to him after you confessed to your crush sometime in 7th grade and got rejected, left to cry by yourself behind the school. Out of all your friends, only Deuce came to comfort you -- And so you, in your dramatic childish glory, feeling like you’d never find anyone to love, tell him the two of you should get married if you’re single by 30.

Deuce remembers every detail of that event down to how your eyes gleamed with the tears, how the light of the sunset casted that golden glow on your hair -- It was when he knew he loved you. It took him a while to find the right words to describe the feeling, but he’d been feeling it for a long time.

He doesn’t pursue you because he feels like he’ll grow out of it. You go to NRC together, the two of you against the world, and it’s like everyday he falls in love a little more. You support him through his attempts of being a honors student, and on the day of your graduation, the first thing you do is hug each other tight, cheering about how you made it, you finally made it.

You don’t lose contact with each other even after school. Deuce and you are basically attached to the hip, meeting up every other week to talk about college and then your jobs. Through all of this time you’re friends, both of you go through a handful of relationships each, but none of them are really serious. As you approach 30, Deuce remembers that promise from back then.

When your birthday comes up, you’re sort of gloomy over recent breakup, and Deuce, naturally, is the first one to be there for you. He shows up in the morning with a gift and makes you breakfast, your dear best friend warming your heart once more. You rant about your latest partner and exchange anecdotes about how last week went before everything goes silent, and suddenly his hand is hesitantly on yours.

“D-Do you remember, um.” He begins, face flushed. “That promise we made in middle school? That if we were single until 30...”

You blink. Really, that? It felt like so long ago -- It was hard to remember even. You can barely catch what he was going to try to say before you laugh your middle school self off, snickering at how naive you were -- Something in Deuce seems to shatter, then, and his hand retracts. It’s so fast you can barely tell what’s happening.

And he stays with you through the birthday regardless, of course he does. He’s your dearest friend, isn’t he?

the rest is under the cut cause... its long

Ace Trappola

You hated Ace, initially. You met in kindergarten and he was the worst, literally. Always pulling pranks on everyone and acting just so infuriatingly cheeky, your 5 year old self learned real rage through that little redhead boy who always hid your things just to get a rise out of you.

One day you decided to prank him back, causing massive trouble in the classroom that ends with the two of you getting intensely scolded, and that’s how, somehow, a beautiful friendship blooms. Ace gets this sparkle in his eyes when you’re done getting yelled at, and says that the two of you should be friends and work together on doing this to other people.

Since then you two became inseparable. You’d never stop bickering, but you also never left each other’s side. The two of you were a menace, an absolute terror to your teachers -- Whether you were a good kid before meeting him or not didn’t matter, Ace is great at being a bad influence.

Near the end of 4th grade, you begin hearing about how one of your classmate’s single parent was getting married again. This sparked a big conversation between your class, somehow, with everyone declaring who they wanted to marry. It was a silly childish thing. When your turn comes, you proudly announce that when you grew up, you’d marry Ace if you hadn’t married anyone else by 30, ‘cause no one else would choose him but me! You snicker after making the comment, amused at how mean you were being, but somehow your snarkiness seems to fly over Ace’s head.

It’s a thing that happens that you two never really talk about again, but it ticks in the back of his mind for his whole life as you two grow up. Even entering middle and then high school, he always remembers it when he goes through some sort of romantic disappointment. You really were the only one who always stuck around, after all...

Years go by and somehow you’re still by each other’s side. Every birthday that passes Ace thinks about it a little more, he wonders if that promise from ages ago was true. When your 30th birthday comes up the promise is constantly in his mind, he’s driving himself up the wall with expectation. And he doesn’t even know why he’s feeling like that, really, you two are just childhood friends, right? There’s no reason for him to be feeling so... like this.

Eventually, he just blurts it out, a couple days after said birthday. You two are probably just hanging out and ranting about work when he goes “Hey, you remember that stuff you said in 4th grade? About, uh, us getting married?” And you go silent for a beat. His heart races as he wonders what the hell he’s doing, even.

But you laugh it all off. What, that stuff about marrying you? Yeah, I was such a dumb kid. I was right, though, look how you’re still single, you joke, and it feels like a punch to the gut to Ace. He laughs awkwardly with you. Yeah, sure, how foolish the two of your were for thinking of something like... you two... being together like that...

Jack Howl

Jack was, before everything, the scary boy in your 2nd grade class. Beastmen weren’t exactly common at school, especially wolves like him, so he ended up sticking out quite a lot. Most kids, your friends included, thought he was far too scary to approach. And Jack himself seemed to be fine with that, not really interacting much with anyone.

That was all he was for you until, one day, an older kid gets mad at you during lunch for bumping into them and staining their shirt with juice. They’re about two or three years ahead and so much taller than you, you’re genuinely scared -- And who would know that in a moment like this, the one kid in your class you weren’t very fond of would stand up for you, convincing the bully to go away.

Afterwards, Jack asks if you’re okay, you two end up eating together, and the rest is history. You find out he was actually really sweet, despite seeming so tough, and you get comfortable with it. Jack was always a reliable, loyal friend, someone you knew you could count on.

This included when your friends started being weirded out by you for getting close to the scary boy in class. They get it in their heads that you have a crush on him and tease you for it, which makes you upset, but Jack stands up for you again. This was enough for you to be pretty starry eyed at the age of 7, so you declared that, hey, who cares about what these mean kids are saying! Maybe you and Jack should be together anyway. Actually, if you two got to 30 and you were still single, you should get married! Jack gets just as starry eyed as you, and you seal a pinky promise that day.

What you never knew, though, was that he wouldn’t grow out of it -- Because as time goes by and you two grow up alongside each other, it ends up slipping your mind. You meet new people and learn new things, getting into some relationships here and there, and though you’d taken the promise seriously for a bit when you were a kid, it was just something you laughed about now.

You don’t even remember it on Jack’s 30th birthday. You’re one of the first people to show up to the small gathering, naturally, you had known each other since forever. You’re teasing him about how he was so perpetually single even now, that you were reaching “marriage age”, and this seems to fluster him a bit.

“Well...” He starts, his ears going slightly limp. “I wanted... to keep that promise, you know. From when we were kids.” His voice is quiet, uncertain. It’s different from how you usually hear him talk, and you have no idea what he’s talking about. You question him about it, and he’s wide eyed when he realizes that you actually forgot.

He questions you about it. How could you forget? You two actually made a pinky promise about it -- But you’re just confused as to why he’s bringing this up, saying that of course it wasn’t a big deal, you two were just kids when it happened! Was he really expecting something from that? And when you ask him that, he’s silent.

Needless to say, the birthday is soured. Jack asks for you to leave, it’s a mess. You don’t know what you did wrong, exactly, just like you’re not sure how you could possibly fix this.

Ruggie Bucchi

“Partners in crime” was the only possible way to describe what sort of relationship you had with Ruggie. It starts in elementary school, you’re walking around in a farmer’s market near the slums and you catch him taking a handful of apples from a stand, without paying. Your eyes are wide as you remember who that boy was, a classmate of yours, and despite what your family had taught you about stealing, you walk up to the person taking care of the stand, and start chatting with them to distract them.

You’re not sure what really made you want to help this boy you barely knew, but it turned out to be the one thing in your life you’re the most grateful for, because the next day, when he sees you again in class, he runs up to you to thank you so many times in a row. And since then, you two started spending time together.

And you got along so well! Ruggie got along with most of the other kids and you had some friends of your own, but nothing was compared to how close the two of you were. You two scheme your way in and out of trouble through your school days, and at one point you can barely imagine your life without him.

Sometime mid 6th grade, your classmates start talking of crushes and dating and such, which gives you a lot to think about. You’re a bit upset that you seem to be the only one who isn’t in on the new fun, so one day, when you’re hanging out with Ruggie, you complain about feeling like you’d be single forever. Ruggie laughs and says that if no one wanted to be with you, then no one would want to be with him either. You still wonder what that meant.

In a fit of childishness, you say decisively that if you two were single until you were 30, you’d get married. Looking back on it, you can’t tell if you were kidding or not, but Ruggie and you shake hands mid-laughs, like you’re sealing a deal.

So time goes by. You don’t think too hard about that promise and Ruggie... doesn’t seem to, either, you actually wonder what’s going through his head often, because he rarely tells you what he’s thinking. You end up going to NRC together, to both of your families’ joy, and that just ends up making you closer, as two kids from the less-privileged side of the Afterglow Savannah in such a prestigious academy...

Your bond ends up really fire-forged after those four years, so it’s no surprise to anyone that you’d still be close even after you graduate, even as adults. Nothing could break a friendship like this.

You think about it on the day of your 30th birthday, when you’re out for drinks with Ruggie to celebrate. Really, how the hell did you stick to each other’s side for so long? You ask him as you loop an arm around his neck, and he grins. “Well, maybe we should get married like you promised then, y’know... when we were brats.” He says, a little quieter than your previous conversation. There’s a hint of some kind of different feeling there that you don’t catch at the time, scoffing at him and going, yeah, in your dreams.

The rest of the night goes normally, though you don’t hear from him for a couple days afterward... and when you do, he barely looks you in the eye. You wonder if anything bad happened, if you did anything wrong.

Vil Schoenheit

When Vil Schoenheit moved into your town, everybody was talking about him before he even really set foot into the classroom. Everyone had seen him somewhere -- The poster boy of villainy in all your favorite movies, a kid with a pretty face and a haughty aura.

You’re as curious as everyone else to meet him, though you don’t really share that strange vindictiveness the other kids seemed to have, angered at Vil himself for what his characters put others through. It’s so stupid, you thought, isn’t he just the actor? He might actually be nice.

When he arrives into the classroom, people are about as annoying towards him as you expected. Their disdain towards Vil bothered you, he’d barely said anything to others and yet they were already pegging him as a mean, arrogant person. So stupid, you repeat to yourself, and you decide to talk to him normally, and that’s how your ages-long friendship came to life.

Vil wasn’t like anyone you’d ever met. You come to find that he’s rather haughty, yes, and very strict with pretty much everything, but he was also very kind deep down, and willing to help you with anything you needed. He was a good friend. He was also, as you came to find out as you grew a little more, astoundingly pretty. With people disliking his “villainy” or not, by the time you’re starting middle school, he already consistently gets confessed to.

You’re a bit jealous. Not because you wanted Vil for yourself, no, he was just a good friend, but you wished people would find you as attractive as they found him, sometimes. You express that to him when you’re walking home together one day, and he laughs it off, saying it wasn’t as good as you thought it’d be. Still, you make him promise that if you were single by 30, he’d have to marry you, because if he just let you die alone, he’d be a bad friend. Vil seems strangely mesmerized by that, but he agrees.

Time goes by, you get to watch each other grow. Even with all the people going in and out of Vil’s life, he seems to keep you closer to his heart than everyone, and you never really lose contact with each other. Even when he’s busy, with movies or modeling or school, he still makes time to check up on you, and you see each other often.

When you’re actually nearing 30, Vil has reached a sort of stardom that burned your eyes just looking at, and you were so goddamn proud of him it was real. Somehow, he still makes time to show up for your birthday, after about a month of not really seeing each other -- And he spoils you to death on that day, the two of you spending all of it together and talking until it was late at night.

As the sun is about to rise, though, Vil’s chattiness subsides. About as sleep deprived as you, he says, softly “So since we’ve gotten there, and we’re both still single... maybe we should fulfill that promise from years ago, shouldn’t we?” You take a moment to process it, it’s tough remembering exactly when you made such a promise, but eventually you do. You feel like that should’ve been a joke, but the way Vil looks at you isn’t saying joke at all.

You sort of laugh it off either way, though. What, that silly promise? You ask, are you rubbing it in that you’re prettier than me? I can still find a partner looking like this, y’know. You think it’s funny, but Vil suddenly falls completely silent.

He then sighs, almost wistful, and says “Sure you can” before the conversation progresses... you’re not sure what happened, but life goes on after that like nothing happened. Deep down, Vil is feeling stupid for having taken the promise to heart, like he should have known better... but if you never really meant it, then what could he do but give it up? Even though it was the thing he wanted to do the least... he valued your friendship too much to do something that could possibly ruin it.

#twst #twisted wonderland #disney twst #disney twisted wonderland #twst headcanons #twst imagines #twst x reader #deuce spade #ace trappola #jack howl #ruggie bucchi #vil schoenheit #deuce spade x reader #ace trappola x reader #jack howl x reader #ruggie bucchi x reader #lis writing

[extremelyblackandwhite]

innocence - 35

PAIRING: bodyguard!bucky barnes x innocent actress!reader

WARNINGS: fluff

A/N: i wanted to wait until tomorrow to post this but i have no self control. as promised, here’s some fluff. hope you enjoy xx

NEXT CHAPTER

     - We’re getting married. - she smiled at him, one of those sunny smiles that always made him feel like he was way too lucky to be marrying someone like her. Bucky leaned his forehead against hers, his hand caressing her the side of her waist as that sunny smile morphed into playful one. - You do have to leave this bedroom to get married though. 

     - But the bedroom is an important part of our marriage, princess.

     - No. You shouldn’t be even seeing me on our wedding day. It’s bad luck, besides Steve, Sam and Sharon are outside. - she played with the hair in the back of his neck. 

The super soldier playfully rolled his eyes at her answer. He hadn’t even had time to buy her an engagement ring or even tell anyone other than her parents and Steve, yet he guessed Sam and Sharon now knew it too, and yet the two of them were going to get married. Her family wasn’t here and it definitely wasn’t what he thought it’d be when he was younger. He’d pictured a much more traditional wedding, maybe somehow in the middle of war and he’d marry in his uniform with his family and hers surrounding them in a small little church yet, she was right. There weren’t a lot of things that were normal about them but she loved him and he loved her. That was the basis of marriage after all. 

His finger traced her jaw, feeling her features under the calloused texture of his fingers, the same features he hadn’t seen in two weeks and had barely seen yesterday. He examined everything, almost if he wasn’t going to see her again, yet that was mostly his mind screaming at him about the restraining order they could order. His eyes, however landed on almost fresh bruises at her lower neck. 

    - Princess, what this? - his fingers slightly lingered over her bruises. 

    - Oh ... - her gaze moved down before it moved up. - Stunt gone wrong while filming, it’s nothing major really.

    - Seems like something major, princess. It’s looks pretty bad. Did no one do anything?

   - It looks just like your bruise does. - she kissed his cheekbone. - Let’s go before Steve, Sam and Sharon resort to hearing behind the door.

He sighed, knowing she wouldn’t really say anything more about it so he dropped it, for now. The two of them left the bedroom and walked into the living area where Steve, Sam and Sharon were still sat in. 

   - So ... - Bucky started. - How do we do this? 

   - A wedding? - Sharon questioned. - We get an officiant, a marriage license, and make sure no one but us know about it. 

   - Oh Chuck has to know about it. He’s my only friend here and I’d like him to be present. 

   - Okay but we can’t do it here. - Steve added. - It’s most likely under surveillance and if they even dream you two are getting married, Bucky’s going right back to prison.

   - What do you suggest? - Y/N cocked her head to the side.

   - Me and Buck will get rings, Sam will get the marriage certificate and the officiant and Sharon will stay here with you. We’ll all meet at the HQ in an hour. 

   - You’ll be okay? - Bucky mumbled over to Y/N who nodded. - I’ll see you in an hour, okay?

   - I’ll be the one in white. Or at least something white. 

Bucky kissed the top of her head before leaving with Steve and Sam leaving her with Sharon. Of course like most girls she had pictured the eve of her wedding, even the hours before, what it would be like, who would be by her side, where it’d be. She had to admit it was very different from what she had envisioned but it was okay. Better have an odd wedding with the right person than the best wedding with the wrong one and she knew Bucky was the one. She felt it whenever he looked at her or whenever he’d fall asleep on her shoulder after telling her he wouldn’t. Her parents were right and so were the movies, when you know you know. 

She knew. 

    - I have to message Chuck. Maybe he can pass by my apartment and grab me something white. - she took her phone from her pocket to text Chuck.

    - Something new, something blue, something old, something borrowed. Luckily for you, I have your something new. 

Y/N furrowed her brows at Sharon as the blonde spy made her way inside her shared bedroom with Bucky. Y/N watching with confusion as she opened the small closet which was still a mess with packed boxes from both Bucky and Y/N which both of them kept putting off unpacking. Sharon moved some boxes and small trinkets off her way and pulled out a white big short rectangular box before putting it on top of the still yet to be made bed. 

The actress approached the edge of the bed as Sharon pulled the lid off and removed some packing paper from the top of whatever was laying inside. She quickly recognised what was inside of it, somehow through her prosecco influenced mind that night she could still remember what her favourite dress looked like. Her eyes looked up to Sharon’s before looking again at the dress, taking it from the box and holding it in front off her. 

     - When did you get this? No ... scratch that, when did you hide it in my flat?

     - Same night we got it. I’m prone to shop lifting when drunk. Besides there’s more than 5 thousand dresses in that shop, she won’t know. - Sharon shrugged, a proud smile on her lips. - You’re not gonna get married in a used white dress. You’re already not gonna have a big ceremony so you should at least have a wedding dress.

     - What if I get arrested? It’s illegal. 

     - It’s the least illegal thing I’ve done, besides, she won’t know and we can return it in the end if it makes you feel better.

     - It’s so pretty. - Y/N held the dress against her chest, almost hugging the fabric. - You’ll be my maid of honour right? I don’t have a lot of female friends here yet. 

     - Sure. Now, we have an hour to do preparation and hen’s night all together.

     - It’ll be okay, right? With Bucky ... they won’t hurt him because of me, right?

     - Don’t concern yourself with that now. It’s your day, no matter how little it is. Whatever comes after that, me, Steve, Sam will be there for you two. You’re family. 

     - I don’t want him to get hurt because of me. - Y/N dragged whatever tears were trying to spill out of her eyes with her knuckles. - I don’t want to be the reason he’s not free and he keeps telling me it’s fine but ... I love him so much and it broke my heart to see him handcuffed because of me when he’s been always there. 

     - Hey ... - Sharon patted the side of the bed next to her, waiting for Y/N to sit by her side. - No relationship is easy. I mean maybe most relationships don’t have the downsides yours has but you have something that only a small part of them have.

     - A huge age gap?

     - Hey, I have that too. - Sharon laughed before rolling her eyes. - Unconditional love. Trust me, it’s not easy for someone who is not in my “line of work” to understand what happened to Bucky and he isn’t one to open up easily. And you just love him and he just loves you. That’s all it matters at the end, that you love each other hard enough you will hold each other’s hands through the worse of storms. Not everyone has a hand to hold in their darkest moments and when you do, and when you know, those monsters become folklore. 

   - Wow, Sharon. If super heroing does not pan out for you, you should become a poet. - Y/N leaned her head against Sharon’s shoulder. - Well, if they don’t handcuff my fiance during the wedding, I don’t think it can get any worse. 

   - Good. Now hop onto the shower and only come up when you smell like a baked good. Exfoliate everything. 

   - Wait, what about something blue? I have something old ... and something new and ... somehow borrowed. What about something blue? 

   - You have Bucky. 

   - I have to be in something blue. 

   - Well, Bucky will be in you later tonight, I’m sure. Just get in the shower, Y/N. The clock is ticking. 

Bucky looked at himself in the mirror, old army suit on and somehow still fitting even with the metal arm. To be honest, Bucky was more surprised that a more than 70 year old suit hadn’t been made into a ball of threads and dust yet there it was looking exactly as it did when he first got it. He straightened his back and the lapels of his jacket, looking up only to return to a slouched position as the light hit the metal of his arm. James Buchanan Barnes was not the same man he was 70 years ago yet he was doing the thing which was expected of him back in his day. Now ... now she just had to show up and he hoped she did. All he wanted right now was to see her walk whatever path she was gonna walk, as long as she met him at the end. 

He straightened the lapels of his jacket once again, trying to appear as confident as he used to be back then. His rushing mindset was interrupted by a knock on his door.

   - Steve, not again. I’m still here and I’m fine. - he barked at the door.  

   - It’s not Steve. - his sister opened the door. 

   - Becca? - he abandoned the mirror to go to his sister. - What are you doing here? Is everything all right?

   - I would’ve preferred you telling me you were engaged and getting married today rather than one of your bride’s friends, I think his name is Chuck. - she crossed her arms, that childhood smile that she still remained making her way across her lips. - You think I’d let my big brother marry without me to see it? It took a long time but here we are. 

   - Yeah, getting married in the Avengers’ HQ. How romantic. 

   - Mum would be so happy. - she started to straighten up his tie. - She always said she wanted you to marry a nice girl and seems like you found one. Although, I was expecting you’d propose to her with mum’s ring. I guess you could give it to her for her birthday or something.

   - She doesn’t even have a ring. - he sat down on his old bed. - I feel like she might not even show up.

   - I’m sure that if she didn’t run away when she saw your baby photos, she won’t run away now. 

   - Bucky, five minutes. - Steve poked his head into his old bedroom. - Let’s make a move before the bride is there before you are.

Steve and Sam had decided it would be best to hold the wedding in the inner private garden where no one but the Avengers or people with an access pass could come into. No media, no police, nothing. Bucky did remember that garden, the one with the cherry blossom tree which was somehow always on bloom. Genetically engineered, Bruce had told him, whatever that meant. All he knew was that it was pretty, it was pretty enough for her to get married in with the flowers standing over where whom he guessed was the officiant and the petals which would fall with the wind, laying on the ground.

  - Dude, you’re not taking the photos. 

  - Sam, I am the best man, it is my duty.

  - You can barely use a phone. - Sam retorted. - Remember the last photos from yours and Sharon’s vacation?

  - C’mon Sam, we all loved to see Steve’s thumb in all of them. 

  - Fine, I guess I’ll just stay here and do nothing. - Steve stood by Bucky’s right next to Sam and his sister.

Time went slowly even when Sam told him Sharon was already in the building. Despite that, his mind still told him she wasn’t going to come. No one in their right state of mind would marry a super soldier, much less him. Definitely not him, he did not deserve this. He did not deserve this. Yet, she stood there at the end of the makeshift aisle with Sharon and Chuck by her side. 

He’d definitely heard many stories from many men and women about how they felt when they first say their loved ones on their wedding date but he never thought about how it would felt. It felt as if he could only see her, everything was blurred and blacked out and all he could see was her approaching him with a wedding gown and veil holding a few white flowers tied together with a white string. He definitely did not deserve her yet there she was. She was there and she took his hand standing by his side, looking more radiant, more beautiful, more ... god words failed, yet all he could say was he felt like he was floating. He was sure in that moment he had to be standing next to an angel. 

Y/N handed her flowers to Sharon before turning with Bucky to stare at the officiant. 

    - Welcome, friends, family and loved ones. We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two people in marriage. You have come here to share in this commitment they are making to one another and allow James and Y/N to start their married life surrounded by those who care and love them. Marriage is perhaps one of life’s great adventures, one where you chose someone who will see it through with you to the end and support you during your darkest and brightest times. A wedding ceremony is not what makes a marriage but merely a celebration of the choice you have made to support and love each other. This is merely the start of the life you two will carve together. Will you James take this woman to be your wedded wife? Do you promise to love, honour, cherish, and protect her, forsaking all others, and holding only unto her forevermore?

   - Absolutely. - he turned to look at her, holding her hands in his, 

   - Will you Y/N take this man to be your wedded husband? Do you promise to love, honour, cherish, and protect him, forsaking all others, and holding only unto him forevermore?

   - Absolutely. - she giggled a bit. 

   - I have been told the bride and groom have chosen to say their vows in private so we will skip to the rings. Rings are nothing of importance and have no importance unless you give them value. Your wedding rings are a reminder and will be a reminder of the choice you made here today, a choice which is never ending. That’s why the ring is a circle, it’s never ending. - Steve handed Bucky one of the rings they had picked up in a rush from the jewellery shop downtown and Y/N the other one. - James, please place the ring on Y/N’s left hand and repeat after me. As a sign that I have chosen you, as proof of my love above all else, I give you this ring. With this ring, I thee wed.

   - As a sign that I have chosen you, as proof of my love above all else, I give you this ring. With this ring, I thee wed. - he slide the ring on her finger, thanking heaven he’d gotten the right size. 

   - Y/N, please place the ring on James’ left hand and repeat after me. As a sign that I have chosen you, as proof of my love above all else, I give you this ring. With this ring, I thee wed.

   - As a sign that I have chosen you, as proof of my love above all else, I give you this ring. With this ring, I thee wed. - she slide the ring onto his finger. 

   - And now by the power vested in me by the state of New York, it is my honor and delight to declare you married. You may now kiss the bride. 

Y/N gave him a little smile, nose scrunching as it did whenever she smiled out of shyness before he pulled her in for a kiss. It wasn’t long, it was a short and sweet. He knew the two of them had little time and would have to be back in the flat the sooner as possible but it was still a kiss. Their first kiss as a married couple. The two broke the kiss as the clapping became just too loud to ignore and she merely leaned her head against his shoulder, holding his hand in hers as the people around them clapped. 

   - Good, back on the road. - Steve said taking the lead to exit the garden to which everyone followed, with Bucky and Y/N behind them.

   - You look beautiful. - he mumbled to her, kissing her cheek as Sharon and Steve lead them to the back of the HQ where a white van was parked. - Where did Sharon get a van?

   - She stole the van. 

   - I didn’t steal it, Y/N. I borrowed it. I will park it back where it was. - she said as she entered the drivers seat, Steve opening the back for Y/N and Bucky to get in so no one would see them. 

The two of them just sat in the back of the van in silence. Her head leaned against his shoulder during the whole trip as he merely basked in the fact that he was married. Not only married, but married to her, to the woman whose head was now leaning against his shoulder. She’d chosen him, she’d come. 

Sharon parked behind his apartment, bringing the van to a stop as Steve hopped off to open the door to the apartment complex and Sharon opened the back of the van. Bucky was the first one off, reaching out for Y/N’s hand to help her out. 

   - Have fun. - Sharon winked at Y/N. - And I am keeping your bouquet. Maybe someone will take a hint.

   - Congratulations, Buck. Y/N, you look beautiful, congratulations on dealing with him for a very long time. - Steve added. - I don’t know how long, but expect a few more hundred years.

   - I am okay with that. - she smiled at Steve. - Thank you for helping out.

   - We will see you in court.

   - See you in court. 

Bucky kissed the top of her head as the two of them walked inside the apartment, hand firmly clutching hers as the two of them walked up the stairs with her in a rather voluminous dress. She just looked so beautiful to him, he was love drunk on merely her voice but looking at her just made it all even more intense. Catching her little side looks, a small giggles she’d let out whenever he’d kiss her cheek or lips mid climbing the stairs up to the floor where his flat was. It was a tiring day and right them both of them just wanted to be with each other and celebrate witch each other.

As they stood in front of his flat’s entry door, Bucky picked her up bridal style as if they were in some cheesy sitcom, yet it was tradition. 

   - Bucky, what are you doing? - she giggled at him, her hand holding her veil against her head so it wouldn’t fall down.

   - I have to carry my bride over the threshold, that’s just how it works. - Bucky opened the door to his flat and entered the place the two of them already called home with his wife in his arms. He helped her back on her feet before closing the door. Finally, it was just the two of them. - You look so beautiful, princess. 

   - You’re making me flush, Buck. - she turned her head to her own shoulder, her shyness looking absolutely endearing to him. Yet, everything she did was endearing to him. 

   - It always looks really sweet, princess. 

Bucky kissed the top of her head and walked up to the old vinyl player he’d gotten as a gift from Steve a few years ago which laid on top of a mahogany dresser leaning against the wall of the biggest window on the living room. He fished through a basket of old records, placing one on the vinyl player before walking up to his wife who had a curious look in her sparkling eyes.

   - What are you doing, Bucky?

   - I’m not doing anything. - he took her hand in his, softly and carefully pulling her towards him. - I want to dance with my wife.

She leaned her head against his chest, listening to his heart softly beating against his ribcage. Everything was so peaceful and despite all that was lying in front off them, they were just focused on each other and the music which softly played in the background. Nothing really mattered in that moment, it was just the two of them, his head buried in her neck and her head against his chest, softly lulling to side, one hand on her small back while the other one held her hand. Fingers intertwined, new shiny copper coloured thin bands on their fourth finger of their left hands. 

Wise man say only fools rush in but I can’t help falling in love with you. Shall I stay would it be a sin if I can’t help falling in love with you ...

    -  Bucky ... - she rose her head slightly up, not to disturb him. He moved his head to stare at her, bright blue eyes filled with calm seas. - I love you.

    - I know, princess. - he smiled, softly and slowly twirling her, before bringing her back to being flushed against his chest.

    - No, I don’t just love James Buchanan Barnes. I love all of you. - her free hand rested upon his chest, right over his heart. - I love what you’ve been, what you are and what you’ll be. I love you during your best times and during your worse times. I know you think you’re crazy and damaged but I don’t think you are. If I had gone through half you what’ve gone through, I wouldn’t be a good person after but you ... you decided to help other people, you’re kind, you’re warm. You have a golden heart, James Barnes, and I will always love it. No matter what happens. 

Bucky was taken aback by those words, almost as if he wasn’t expecting to hear them. Everything came back into flashbacks, a kaleidoscope of memories from seeing Steve in the train as he fell down, killing the Starks, almost killing Steve, the Zemo events and then it was just her. Seeing her for the first time in the preppy skirt and shirt, the little charming smile she had given him when she had interviewed him, hearing her sing for the first time, kissing her for the first time to seeing her walk down the aisle up to him just a few hours ago and he knew. Bucky knew he’d do it all over again, he’d go through all the pain, through all of what HYDRA did, through all of it as long as she’d be there at the end in her little cupcake shaped white wedding gown and shy smile. He’d do it over again. 

He’d do it over again for her. For her touch, for her embrace, for her smile and laughter. 

So take my hand, take my whole life too for I can’t help falling in love with you. Oh, I can’t help falling in love with you.

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#sebastian stan #bucky barnes #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan/reader #sebastian stan x you #sebastian stan/you #sebastian stan x y/n #sebastian stan/y/n #sebastian stan imagine #sebastian stan fanfic #sebastian stan au #bodyguard sebastian stan #bodyguard au #bucky #winter soldier #bucky x you #bucky/you #bucky x y/n #bucky/y/n #bucky x reader #bucky/reader #bucky imagine #bucky fanfic #bucky au #bodyguard!bucky barnes #bodyguard bucky barnes #bodyguard!bucky #bucky fluff

[reidgraygubler]

birthday wishes and butterfly kisses (spencer reid/reader)

Title: birthday wishes and butterfly kisses Couple: Spencer Reid/Gen-Neutral!reader Category: fluff Content Warning: anxieties about getting older, swearing (if any), but other than that I don’t think there’s much. Word Count: 4,490 Summary: Reader has some worries about their birthday. Spencer tries to make their day special. A/N: anyways… hi… this piece here… is 100% self indulgent because… TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY! I don’t have much to say this time… thank you all so much for the support! i really do appreciate it. check out my masterlist!

I’m not going to lie, I hated my birthday. I’ve hated it since I was 17 too. For a long time, I couldn’t be sure why I hated it so much. It wasn’t the attention, though I hated unwarranted attention with a burning passion, or people pointing out my age. Those were just two things I hated in general. Sure, when I was a child, attention was the best thing in the world, and people teasing me about my age was hilarious. But now? I’m okay not looking for that extra attention.

The exact reason why I hated my birthday was because I fear getting old. I don’t fear death, or dying, or whatever. I was just scared about being old. Because getting older means having to grow up. I really don’t want to grow up. And as time goes by, the further away I am from being childish and worry-free. Why can’t I just be a kid forever?

It was 11:55pm the day before my birthday, and I was still awake. My eyes were glued to the clock sitting on Spencer’s nightstand. The clock sat there, mocking me as I watched the 5 tick over to a 6.

I had met Spencer through a few mutual friends. Our friend JJ had gotten married and we met there. But we didn’t really connect till several years later. He had asked me out while we were at JJ’s house for a party. All I said was ‘time and date’ and I was his… I just didn’t tell him that the day he had picked was my birthday… Well, just not till the end. Because the next time I saw him, he treated me to an actual birthday dinner. I didn’t tell him why I hated my birthday till a few years after we had started dating.

I smiled fondly at the memory of him appearing at my home that night, flowers in hand before he told me he was kidnapping me. That was a pretty good night too. I was too busy thinking about the past to worry about a person coming into the room. I only noticed their body as they approached the bed.

“What are you still doing awake?” Spencer asked as he slowly knelt on his side of the bed. Once his body fully covered the clock, I forced myself to look up at him. A semi-fake but almost real smile slowly grew on my lips as I looked up at him.

“Oh, no reason.” I smiled, pulling the comforter up over my body. Spencer smiled slightly before moving closer to me. I hated how he just stole the blanket from me. Although I did give him some. “I was just thinking,” I whispered, as I began pulling on the bedding.

“Thinking about what?” He then asked as he turned to face me more. I swallowed roughly as I peered around him to look at the clock. 11:57… Three more minutes. Spencer quickly turned and looked at the clock behind him and hummed. “Ah, so there is a reason,” he stated, sitting back on the bed. He pressed his back against the headboard and looked over at me. I looked at him and shrugged. “I thought you were excited for your birthday, Sunshine.” He pouted, looking over at me. I shrugged.

Spencer shifted closer to me as he waited for my answer. I stayed silent, looking over at him. A large grin grew across his lips as our eyes locked for a brief moment. He wrapped his arms around my waist and carefully pulled me over onto his lap. A deep sigh fell from my lips as I rested my head on his shoulder.

“Are you not excited?” he whispered softly.

“I was… Am! I am excited about my birthday,” I spoke as I looked over at the clock. It still said 11:57, which was good but meant that it was nearing 11:58 any moment. “There’s just something that,” I sighed deeply. Spencer lifted a hand and rested it on my face, pulling me to look at him. “I guess it’s just the impending doom of getting older. Ya know? And people pointing it out at every chance they get is just.”

“I see.” Spencer nodded and grasped my hand.

With that, we both fell silent. Anything he could say would just be something he’s repeated in the past. I just need to get over my fears, no matter how stupid it was.

I glanced at the clock and sighed seeing that it was officially 12:00 am… My birthday. Here it is. “Does this mean you want me to cancel any and all surprises I have planned for you?” He looked at me with a playful glee in his eye. I looked over at him with wide eyes.

“No! No!” I shouted as I jumped, resulting in me nearly falling out of bed. Spencer laughed as he stopped me from actually falling off the bed. I looked at him with wide eyes. “If you planned anything, I will be okay with it! I’m excited to be able to spend my birthday with you! Because that’s all I want!” I smiled at him. Spencer laughed and looked over at me. His arms were wrapped around my waist as he pulled me closer to his body. His warmth made me feel safe and made my worries melt a little.

“Get some sleep, Sunshine. We’ll talk more in the morning. Okay?” he asked, his voice soft and gentle. I smiled at him and nodded. He gently pressed his lips to mine before letting me get comfortable in the bed. “Happy birthday you old piece of shit,” he whispered, his tone not as soft and gentle. My smile fell as I shoved his shoulder.

“You’re older than me!” I shook my head. He smiled at me and lightly pecked my lips.

“You got me there,” he chuckled before reaching over to shut my lamp off. “Sleep tight, Sunshine. I love you,” he whispered again. I rolled my eyes before getting comfortable in bed.

“I love you, too.”

Who knows what time it was, but it felt late. Maybe I slept my whole birthday away and I don’t have to do anything. I could, however, feel the sun peeking through the blinds. The warmth across my skin and the feeling of light touches moved across my arms and shoulders, then slowly up my neck, and then immediately all over my face.

I groaned and moved my face as I tried to escape the attack. Then I stretched, groaning as my limbs stretched across the bedding. When I finally opened my eyes, I was met with Spencer looking down at me with a small smile. He was quick to press a plethora of kisses over my face to wake me up more.

“Stop it! Stop it! I’m awake!” I laughed as he moved back down my neck. Spencer hummed happily before pressing his lips back to mine.

“Happy birthday, Sunshine,” he whispered before gently pressing his lips to my nose. I wrinkled it before sticking my tongue out at him. “C’mon, it’s nearly noon.” He poked my sides. I pouted and looked up at him.

“Yeah, but it’s my birthday. I can do whatever I want,” I whined as I tried to escape his arms. “And I’m soooooo tired, Spencer.” I feigned a pout once he gave me a knowing stare. I tried to exaggerate my frown as if I was a toddler being told ‘no’.

“Well, I got you break-Well I suppose at this point it’d be lunch,” Spencer teased before poking my sides again. I let out a cry and squirmed to escape him. “Come on! Food! Coffee! Birthday! Presents! Coffee!” he shouted as he tried pulling me up.

“You said coffee twice,” I pointed out as I sat up. Spencer sat on the edge of the bed and looked at me with a raised brow and smirk.

“No… I didn’t,” he hummed as he looked away from me. “Come on!” He grabbed my hand before pulling me out of the bed.

“I’m coming! God! Why are you so much more excited about my birthday than me?” I groaned as he dragged me out of our bedroom and towards the kitchen. “You won’t even let me get dressed first? Or go to the bathroom,” I moaned, looking down at my pajamas (which consisted of a pair of Spencer’s boxers and one of his button-ups).

“Breakfast first!” He pushed me into the chair before shoving the chair under the table. I looked up at him watching as he placed a plate of pancakes on the table and pushed it in front of me. I looked down at them, my eyebrow raising slightly. “I made you pancakes.”

I looked back down at them. They looked almost too perfect to be made by my Spencer. Even the toppings were almost too perfect. I didn’t believe he made them for one second that he made them.

“Ooo, pancakes,” I started as I looked back at him with a small smile. “You made these yourself?” I asked, my smile getting more cheeky as I looked at him. Spencer looked down at the pancakes, then over his shoulder at the garbage. Yep, he made pancakes alright, but they were very inedible.

“I got them from the cafe down the street,” he muttered as he placed silver on the table beside the plate. I smiled before picking up the fork. “You have anything fun planned today?” I glanced at him as I began shoving pieces of pancakes into my mouth.

Spencer looked at me as he sat down across the table. A coffee cup was in his hands, resting lightly on the table. “Well, I was thinking, since you don’t like people pointing out your age on your actual birthday, maybe it’ll be just us today. We can do whatever you want.” He smiled before sipping on his coffee.

“Anything?” I asked as I suggestively raised an eyebrow and smirked. Spencer looked at me with a pointed stare, clearly annoyed with my immature joke. I smiled at him, hoping it’d crack him. When it didn’t, I leaned over the table, snatching his coffee.

“Hey!” He half-shouted before jumping out of his seat. He looked at me with a half-pout as he watched me drink his coffee. “You’re so mean,” he blinked at me.

“You’re the one who said anything.” I smiled, placing his coffee cup back down and pushing it towards his side of the table.

“Okay, you’re right. I did say anything. But you’ve already spent half the day in bed.” He glared at me with a smirk.

“I thought you had a whole day planned? At least, that’s what you said last night,” I asked as I tried to eat my food a little faster.

“This is what I had planned.”

“If you’re leaving our fate of the day in my hands, then… I guess we have nothing better to do than drive around till something jumps out at us,” I shrugged, as I continued to eat. Spencer looked over at me with a smile before leaning over the table to kiss my forehead.

“Well, finish eating and we can go do that,” he folded his arms over his chest as he stood straight. I smiled at him and ate a little faster than I should have.

“Okay! I’m gonna shower then we can go!” I jumped out of my seat and pecked his lips before running to the bathroom.

It was nearly 2:30 by the time I had finished getting ready. I’m sure this wasn’t how Spencer expected me to spend my birthday. But to be fair, this was how I spent my birthday in the past. I didn’t do this last year, or the year before.

Once I was sure I was ready, I stepped into the living room where Spencer was sitting. He was waiting patiently for me.

“Ready?” I asked as I grabbed my bag. He looked over at me, his eyes lingering on my back side for a brief moment before he looked back up at my face. A soft smile grew across my lips once he was finished looking at what God gave me.

“Oh! Yeah!” Spencer smiled as he stood from the couch and came over to me. He carefully offered me his hand. “Where shall we go?” he asked as I placed my hand in his.

“I don’t know. I never really had someone just letting me take control over the day…” I looked back at Spencer with a raised eyebrow. “I’m sure we’ll figure something out while we drive around,” I suggested as we started towards the front door.

We quietly walked towards his car. Spencer quickly pulled the passenger side door open and allowed me to slip in. I looked up at him with a soft smile.

“We should get cake,” I excitedly whispered. Spencer looked back down at me with a raised eyebrow and a small smile on his lips. “Cake,” I whispered again before nodding. I pouted my lower lip and tried to give him my best puppy dog eyes I could.

“Okay, we can go get cake. This is your day, Sunshine.” Spencer lifted his hands as a sign of surrender before pushing the door shut. I smiled as I waited for him to go around to the driver’s side.

“And then… Maybe we could go to the park to eat said cake?” I looked over at him as he started the car.

“That sounds brilliant.” He nodded before taking off towards downtown.

Even though my day had just started, I was happy with how it was turning out. It was just Spencer and me, driving around downtown. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend my birthday.

The drive to the bakery was quiet, our conversations happening as needed, and when we weren’t talking, the music filled the silent atmosphere. It was nice, just the two of us. I really enjoyed spending time alone with Spencer, because he was always gone for a work trip. So I think the extra time with him before he had to leave again was my favorite part of the day.

“Do you have any idea of what you’re getting?” Spencer asked as we pulled into a parking spot. I looked over at him and shrugged before slipping out of the car. I quickly walked around to Spencer’s side and grasped his hand.

“What should we get?” I asked as we entered the bakery. Spencer laughed the second my attention was glued to the dozens of cakes in the cases. I looked over at him, feeling shock grow on my face.

“Sorry, I’m sorry. I laugh because you would get one of everything if I would let you.” He brought his hand up to rest on my shoulder. “And, as hard as it is for me to say this… I’m your voice of reason in bakeries, candy store, and ice cream shops.” Spencer grinned at me. I pouted and folded my arms over my chest and shrugged.

“Even though it’s my birthday?” I looked at him with a raised brow. Spence pouted and nodded lightly. “Okay,” I whispered as I looked down at the case. A beautiful chocolate cake with chocolate frosting was calling my name. And I knew that was the one I wanted. “That. We should get that one.” I pointed at the glass case as I looked back at Spencer.

“I guess you had more self-control than I thought…” Spencer laughed again before smiling. I returned the smile and pulled his arms around my waist.

“I’ll take that as a compliment. Thanks, Spence.” I looked up at him.

Spencer kept his arms around my waist as we placed our order- I got the chocolate cake that was calling my name, and Spencer got plain old vanilla.

“Did you know, Spencer, you’re boring?” I asked as we walked back outside, hand in hand. He looked back down at me, a flabbergasted look on his face.

“Me? Boring? I could never,” he scoffed as he looked back at the sidewalk in front of us. “I mean, I am the one who planned your birthday… Did I not?”

“Yeah, by basically letting me pick whatever we do.” I gestured to myself. “Although, I do appreciate that this is what you have planned. Couldn’t have been a better day.” I smiled as I added a little bit of a skip to my step.

“Good, you had me worried there,” Spencer laughed as he tried to keep up with me. “Since when am I boring?”

“Since that one time you had the weekend off… And you read so much over that time...” I shrugged as I turned and stopped in front of him. Spencer furrowed his eyebrows before nodding lightly.

“Okay, that was a one time thin-”

“And then the next time you had the weekend off… You spent that time reading over old case files,” I let out a deep sigh before pulling him so he was close to me. He looked down at me before lightly pressing his lips to mine. “I think we’ve decided that you let me take your weekends off.” I smiled before kissing him again.

“I think you’re right,” he hummed before kissing me a third time. I laughed before turning to skip back towards the park. “Could you slow down?” Spencer called out as I was a few feet ahead of him.

I groaned before slowing to a stop. “Yeah, yeah I can do that,” I sighed and held out my hand for him to take. He smiled softly before resting his finger tips in mine.

Once we made it to the park, we sat under a big oak tree. Even though we got our own cakes, we still shared the two slices. I felt bad for teasing Spencer over getting the plain vanilla cake, because it was very good. So we went 50/50 sharing the slices. Okay… Okay, that’s a lie, 60/40 sharing the slices.

“I’m happy we met, you know?” I asked as I laid across his legs. Spencer hummed as he looked down at me, his fingers pushing back my hair. “Even though it was on my birthday… I’m happy we met,” I whispered.

“I’m also happy we met.” He smiled as he looked at me. Spencer carefully rested his hand on my forehead, his thumb rubbing the space between my eyebrows. “Best day of my life,” he whispered.

“I love you, you know that?”

“I know a lot of things, Sunshine, but hearing you ask if I know that you love me is probably my favorite thing… Definitely my favorite thing I know.”

“A simple ‘I love you too’ would have sufficed,” I faked a scoff. Spencer laughed before nodding.

“I love you, too,” he laughed before leaning over to kiss me. “We better go. I don’t want us to be late,” Spencer spoke as sat up, away from the tree. I forced myself up so I was sitting properly.

“I-I thought you didn’t have anything planned?” I asked as I watched him stand. He grabbed my hand and pulled me so I was standing.

“I don’t. I just don’t want to miss this one movie on TV.”

“I thought you had a DVR?”

“Oh, I do, but I don’t want Garcia to spoil it for me.” He shrugged before taking the lead back to the car. I watched as he walked away from me to throw away the trash.

“Wait! Spencer, wait!” I shouted as I sprinted back to his side, “I didn’t realize how important this movie was! Hold on!” I sprinted and grasped his hand.

“Oh yeah. It’s the most important thing today,” he feigned a serious tone. I smiled as I looked up at him.

“Standing right here.”

“What? I have nothing else planned. And unless you want to do anything else, then we should just go home. It’s not like you like your birthday or anything.”

“But I do like my birthday because I get to spend it with you,” I cried as I looked up at him. He smiled before quickly pecking my lips.

“Okay, okay, that’s fair. I can understand that,” Spencer paused as he looked down at me. We stood right outside his car, staring at each other. “Get in, I gotta stop at the office real quick.”

“Fine,” I huffed before slipping into the passenger’s side. Spencer slipped in beside me before starting the car.

{***}{***}{***}

“You can come in, too. I’m sure everyone would love to see you.” Spencer looked over at me with a small smile.

“I-Is that a good idea? You know… It being my birthday and all…” I whispered as I looked back at him. Spencer raised an eyebrow as he kept his eyes on me. “Okay, I’ll come with, jeez,” I sighed before slipping out of the car. Spencer laughed before wrapping his arm around my waist, holding me close.

“They know not to rub it in your face.”

“Yeah, but,” I started but failed when my thought escaped me. Spencer looked down at me with a knowing smirk. “I hate when you look at me like that,” I muttered as we entered the BAU building.

“Like what?” “Like you know something I don’t know.” I glared at him for a moment. We quickly made our way through security, getting all of our checks in place, before reuniting at the elevator.

“But I really don’t know anything, Sunshine.”

“I hate you,” I muttered as we entered the elevator. Spencer laughed before holding me close to him. He pressed his lips to the side of my head before poking my sides. I couldn’t help but let out a squeal of laughter. “Stop!”

“You don’t hate me,” Spencer murmured. I smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, you’re right.” I smiled and nodded. Spencer looked down at me and shared a smile.

The elevator stopped on Spencer’s floor. The doors flew open and allowed Spencer and I to step off. “You go to my desk. I have to talk to Emily about something,” Spencer whispered before pressing his lips to my head, again.

“Will do!” I saluted my hand to him before walking towards his cubicle. I sat down and watched as he entered Emily Prentiss’s office. The whole of the bullpen was eerily empty. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it so empty before. Something was happening, and I was willing to bet Spencer had something to do with it.

My attention was grabbed as Spencer and Emily stepped out of her office. Their laughter instantly perked my interest, forcing me to look over at them. I smiled before sprinting towards the pair.

“Oh! Good afternoon,” Emily greeted me as she looked at me. I smiled before nodding at her.

“Good afternoon,” I returned before looking at Spencer. The pair looked at each other before starting to walk towards the conference room. I raised an eyebrow as I followed them, listening in to their conversation, but not really paying attention to their words.

For a brief moment, the two stopped at the door to the conference room, before they entered. I quickly stepped in behind Spencer, keeping my head low in case they had anything pinned onto a corkboard or up on the TV.

“You can look up, you know,” Spencer whispered to me. I slowly lifted my head and was met with the rest of the team around the table. A small cake and pizza, as well as a few presents and glasses, sat on the tabletop. A printed banner with ‘Happy Birthday!’ was taped onto the edge of the table.

“Happy Birthday!” Everyone exclaimed as soon as I realized what was going on. I couldn’t stop the smile that was growing across my lips. I quickly looked up at Spencer, feeling a dampness grow in my eyes.

“Did-Did you do this?” I whispered as I wiped my eyes. Spencer smiled before rapidly nodding.

“Just a small get together. Nothing too special,” he whispered back as he wrapped an arm around my waist. I looked back at the group of people before bursting into tears. Spencer looked at me like he had done something wrong, quickly wrapping both his arms around my shoulders. I pressed my face into his chest and laughed.

“Wait, did I do something wrong?” Spencer asked as he hugged me closer to him. I shook my head and laughed again.

“No you didn’t do anything wrong.” I pressed my chin into his chest as I looked up at him. He looked back down at me with a nervous smile.

Even though I hated my birthday, and didn’t want anything to happen. Spencer went out of his way to make my day special. It meant a lot to me, and I don’t think he even knew that.

“Are we going to eat this pizza or not? It’s going to get cold,” Luke spoke up out of nowhere.

“Shut up,” Penelope scoffed. I smiled as I looked over at them and nodded.

“Yeah, we can eat the pizza.”

“You didn’t have to do that, you know,” I spoke as I pulled the blanket over my body. Spencer smiled before shrugging.

“I knew that even though you hate your birthday, you’d probably wish you had a small party. So I planned something with Emily and Penelope…” Spencer started as he walked around to his side of the bed. “You know you don’t have to act your age,” he said as slipped into the bed beside me. I looked back at him and furrowed my eyebrows. “Like, just because you’re getting older, doesn’t mean you have to act that age. Even when you’re well into your 80s, you can still act childish.”

“Will you be there with me?” I asked as I shifted closer to him. Spencer laughed and nodded.

“You bet I’ll be there with you. I’ll probably be the one to instigate it.”

“Instigate it my ass! We both know I’m the more childish one between us.”

“Is that a bet?”

“I-uh… Yes?” I stumbled over my words as I looked at him. “I think… I don’t know.”

“Okay, okay. I fold. You win… Besides, only children place silly little bets,” he whispered before pressing his lips to mine. I sat away from him and looked at him with wide eyes.

“B-But, I… Spencer!” I stared at him. He smiled before looking down at his book. “Thank you for making today so special. I appreciate you.” I smiled as I rested my head on his shoulder.

“Of course, I wouldn’t do this for just anyone,” he replied as he lifted a hand to my head. I sighed deeply and melted into his side slightly.

“I love you, Spencer.”

“I love you, too, Sunshine. Happy Birthday.”

#shadow writes stuff #masterlist #spencer reid #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x you #spencer reid fan fic #criminal minds fan fic

[forever-rogue]

since you're open to write for Max Phillips now, how about 21 with him? 🥺💖

Hi, my love, anything for you! I hope my first time with Max isn’t too horrible! 🥺

21. Birthday

»»————-　♡　————-««

Max was...a lot of things. Arrogant, loud, demanding - all consuming really. When he entered a room it was like he was suddenly taking up all the space and you could focus on nothing but him. And it wasn't just the hypnotic gaze that reserved for others either. He was just...everything.

And it was his birthday. You doubted that he even remembered telling you the date, something only mentioned in passing, and even more so, you doubted be cared. He'd even made it a point to dismiss the importance of any sort of dates. After all he would remind you, what was so important about a little thing like a birthday to a man that was immortal?

But unlike your boyfriend, you were a mere mortal, a little fact he often reminded you of. You continued to mark birthdays with each passing year because you would continue to age and eventually you would be old and fragile as he remained evergreen. It was a harsh reality that you had chosen to ignore until now, a simple fact of consequence that would need to be addressed eventually.

At least that's what Max insisted upon because whenever you'd bring it up lately he would immediately push it the side and bring up another topic. But it had been on your mind nonstop, almost as loud as the tick-tock of the clock in your silent office.

But you had a plan, you always did. If Max Phillips was prepared and had a plan for everything, then you were him tenfold. Polar opposites in many ways, but well working counterparts more often than note.

Sighing lightly, you picked up your phone and dialed Max, deciding to put your plan into motion before it got too late.

"Well, well, well honey," he drew out his petname as you heard the creak of his chair as he sat back and put his feet on his desk, "to what so I owe the pleasure?"

"Happy birthday, Max," you told him softly as you nervously twirled your pen in your fingers. You heard him sigh heavily, a steadfast habit from his human days, "before you say anything else, I love you."

"Its not..." he trailed off and you heard him shuffle something before coming back to you, "oh."

"What are you doing this evening?” you tried to change the subject, although not entirely, which was of course, unbeknownst to him. Your simple question seemed to shift his mood immediately and you could practically hear his spirits lift.

“Well, I was hoping it would be you,” you could just tell there was a smug little grin on his face as you jokingly scoffed at him, “I’m just joking, sweetheart, more or less. What did you have in mind?”

“Come over to mine?” you asked softly, trying to keep your tone even and balance in order to avoid rousing his suspicions, “I was thinking dinner, a movie, you. Have you fed lately?”

“It’s been a minute,” he admitted quietly, as you realized your plan was going to fall into place much easier than you had originally anticipated. But you knew he wouldn’t ask; for as much of an arrogant ass as he could be, he rarely, if ever, asked to feed off of you. It was often times you that had to persuade him that it was okay and you really didn’t mind, “but-”

“Perfect, come over tonight. Does six work?” you interrupted him, deciding it was best to stop a Max train of thought before it could get too derailed.

“I’ll see you then,” he agreed softly, “is everything alright?”

“Of course, Max,” you lied insisted, “see you this evening.”

»»————-　♡　————-««

As you studied your outfit in the mirror you wondered if it was a little too on the nose; red lace lingerie covered by the little black dress that you knew Max adored on you. Whatever, you quickly concluded, it was his birthday and you wanted to do this for him as much as you.

“Honey?” you gave yourself a quick nod of approval when you heard him walk up the stairs, quickly dashing to meet him in the doorway and pose as seductively as you could. He was softly singing under his breath to himself but as soon as he spotted you he stopped dead in his tracks, “hello there.”

“Hi Max,” you wasted no time in reached for his face and pressing your lips to his, kissing him gently but with a sense of purpose, “happy birthday, handsome.”

“Hello to you,” his dark eyes raked over your form and you could practically hear the gears turned in his mind  as he realized something was up, “I told you it doesn’t matter. Today is just like any other day.”

“Shut up, Max,” you tugged on his tie and pulled him into your bedroom, making quick of pushing him onto your bed. He could have easily stopped you or fought you, but he acquiesced to your touches and desires, “if I say it’s important, it’s important.”

“Fine,” he held up his hands in mock defeat before reaching for your hands and pulling you into his lap. You sat on his thick thighs as you faced him, wrapping your arms around his neck before carding a hand through his dark locks. His large hands found purchase on your waist as he tried to figure out what on earth was possibly going on, “honey.”

“Max,” you kissed him quickly, just a peck, nothing more but to quickly punctuate your point, “you know I love you, right? More than anything?”

“Of course,” his brow furrowed slightly as he watched a small smile cross your features, “okay, out with it, what’s going on?”

“I want you-”

“I want you too,” his grin was nothing short of cheeky as he reached up and put his hand under your chin, tilting your head as his nuzzled his nose against your pulse. A small content sigh escaped your lips as you tried to keep him from derailing your plans completely, “especially looking like that. Wearing my favorite dress...and the little red lace set?”

“Max, listen for once,” you reached up and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look into your eyes, “I’m trying to be serious and for once, I want you to listen and not talk.”

“Hmmm,” he hummed in content, “serious business, huh pretty girl?”

“Max,” your voice was laced with venom as you tried to get him to look into your eyes, “can I have one serious moment?”

“I’m sorry,” he gave in when you noticed that you were indeed not messing around and clearly something heavy was on your mind. He took his hands off of your hips and set them at his side, as if to prove his point that he wouldn’t interrupt anymore, “go on.”

“I’ve been thinking...a lot actually,” your eyes raked over his as you felt your heart pound in your chest, sure he was able to hear it easily,”especially since it’s your birthday. And I know we haven’t really talked about it much because a certain vampire keeps changing the subject, but its something we have to address.”

“We don’t have to right now-” you cute him quickly by clamping your hand over his mouth. You should have know better than to expect Max Phillips to try and keep quiet.

“Yes, we do,” you insisted, “we can’t skirt around the issue forever. You have forever and I have...limited time. Limited time until I am older than you and until I die. And I...I want you to turn me.”

“I don’t think you know what you’re saying,” he gently reached for your hand and pulled it away from his mouth, but not before pressing a kissing to your knuckles, “I would not turn you into...this until you know what you’re saying. Forever sounds good in theory, but forever is a long time. Do you really want to do this forever?”

“Well I wasn’t thinking this would be some sort of temporary relationship,” you joked, “I was always all in from the smart, before I knew what you were and even after. Besides, Max, who else is going to is going to put up with you for the rest of eternity?”

“Honey,” his eyes softened as he watched to look for any sign of remorse or reluctant. But when he discovered nothing but honestly and truth in your eyes, his gently cradled your face before placing a kiss on your forehead, “are you sure about this? It’s not like picking what’s for dinner...”

“I know, Max, and yes,” you promised, “I’ve been thinking about this for a long time now. I know what’s it like for you, and I don’t want a life if you’re not going to be in it. Even if we get another thirty years or whatever, I want you, forever.”

“It’s going to be a big change,” he stated the obvious as you laughed lightly, wiping away from of the tears that had rolled down your cheeks, “you’re positive?”

“Yes,” you promised, “as long as you’re okay with it. You’re going to have this warm body to keep you company at night or a fresh meal on demand. Are you okay with that?”

“If you’ll be with me always,” he whispered as he pressed his forehead against yours, “of course. There’s no one else for me.”

“I love you Max, you’re an insufferable asshole of a bastard sometimes, but you’re the only for me,” you laughed before kissing him, “make me yours. Feed off of me one last time and then turn me.”

“Is that what the whole dress and lingerie thing is about?” his hands skimmed the tops of your thighs as started to push your dress higher and higher, almost as if to see if you were doing to stop him. Naturally, you didn’t.

“I mean it is your birthday Max,” you whispered in his ear, “I wanted to give you a little something. One last night with a warm body, and then you’re stuck with me for eternity.”

“Eternity sounds perfect,” he agreed as he kisses along your jaw before working his way down your neck and grazing his teeth over your pulse, “but first I’m going to fuck you like you’ve never been fucked before.”

#max phillips #max phillips x reader #bloodsucking bastards #pedro pascal #pedro pascal x reader #one word prompts

[microsuedemouse]

I think it's very cute the way Ben doesn't know anything. He's trying but he needs some help getting there.

hello I'm sorry it took me all day to answer this but every time I looked at it I knew it was gonna Get Me Going so I wanted to wait until I was sitting down at my keyboard with a few minutes to spare

the short response is: YOU'RE VERY CORRECT AND I COULD NOT AGREE MORE. Ben is dumb as a post 95% of the time and it's incredibly endearing. he's doing his best with this hero stuff, but his best does not involve any knowledge whatsoever. and that's fine, he's got plenty of heart to make up for it

(insert Tick reference here)

BUT ALSO. I hope you do not mind me going off on a character tangent here, friend, because I cannot talk about how dumb Ben is without thinking about how it informs the rest of his character and I have so many thoughts,,,

(quick sidebar: anyone who's been around for a single one of my hyperfixations knows this, but character is my shit. I don't normally feel the need to explain this but my Ben 10 posts seem to draw more attention/new people than most of my nonsense so I'm giving you this info as context. as someone with an English degree, as a lifelong story addict and storyteller, as a writer of both fanfic and original work - character is my biggest strength. analysing, picking apart, developing, whatever. and it's also the thing I can go on about forever.)

ANYWAY SO... Ben Tennyson knows nothing and it's wonderful.

I've mentioned before, while still watching the original series, that everything you need to know to understand Ben as a character is 'he's ten.' it literally completely explains him. even the smartest ten-year-olds in the world would still be dumb as shit if they suddenly had superpowers. he's a very average ten-year-old American boy when he finds the Omnitrix, and so in the process of learning to use it and be a hero... he's cocky and stupid. of course he is. he has moments of insight, because he's not incapable of learning, but mostly he's cocky and stupid because he's ten.

one of my very, very favourite things about Alien Force - which I'm now about halfway through - is the way that Ben is characterised. to me, it's so wonderfully done. because he's clearly changed! and if he hadn't I'd be frustrated, because it's been five years - five years during which every kid in the world goes through immense amounts of change. age ten to age fifteen? huge difference. I can tell you from experience: I transferred to an out-of-catchment school program from grades five through eight, meaning ages almost-ten to almost-fourteen (November birthday). when high school came around I returned to my own catchment and found myself amongst a ton of kids I'd known since kindergarten but not seen since we were nine, and the amount that everyone had changed was crazy.

Ben's growth between series is extremely believable to me. he's no longer stupid and cocky - he's not ten anymore. he often seems anxious, especially in the first season as they're searching for Max. everything about him feels very much, to me, like all the trauma that he experienced during the original series - and probably since! - has finally settled in, and he (and Gwen) has started to process that. his and Gwen's banter and friction is mostly gone; they're supportive of and close with one another now - like two kids who Went Through Some Shit together and have had to lean on each other as they began to deal with that. (I could go on a whole separate tangent about that implied growth they've done as a pair, but that would be a whole long-ass ramble of its own.)

as Ben becomes comfortable using the Omnitrix again, we start to see some of that dumbass overconfidence coming back out, but overall he's shed the cockiness of his childhood and grown into a teenager who's reasonably sure of and comfortable with himself with other people (e.g., the way he deals with Cash and JT now, as seen in The Gauntlet). but he's also still figuring out how to be a real hero, especially when the stakes are high, and he's not always as confident in that role. he does a good job of putting on the hero persona when he's in action and things need to be done, but in between we see him worrying about his capability at and suitability for that job.

but he also continues to be totally clueless. it shows differently from when he was a kid, a little because he's older, but largely because of how he's otherwise changed. that cocksure ten-year-old was too proud not to know what was going on, not to be right all the time! but his pride has mellowed out a lot, and he's developed a certain amount of genuine anxiety about his skills as a hero (as well as, apparently, a surprisingly healthy ability to talk about that anxiety). he's also only fifteen, and fifteen-year-olds are still dumb in much the same way that ten-year-olds are dumb. the brightest kids in the world are still incredibly dumb. again, I'm telling you from experience.

so we now have a Ben who can at times admit that he has no idea what's going on, which is so charming. we also have a Ben who, a lot of the time, doesn't even fully realise he has no idea what's going on, because he's distracted thinking about something else. I love how often the show cuts to shots of his face and you can practically see the loading bar behind his eyes as he tries to take in new information. like it just hasn't computed yet and you gotta wait a sec for it to sink in.

he's capable of cleverness sometimes, just like he was five years ago. but that's not his strength, honestly. we're actually repeatedly shown that his greatest strength is his heart: he's a compassionate and caring kid - he has lapses, like all teens do, but by and large he's a good guy. (this also, I think, makes a lot of sense with his off-screen development into a slightly more anxious, less certain young man. especially when you think about what a big influence Max has clearly been on his growth.)

Ben is a true blue 'pure of heart, dumb of ass' hero, and I'm just so constantly charmed with how it's executed. I have plenty of nitpicks with the show's writing that I'm sure I'll get around to yammering about eventually, but the character writing for Ben Tennyson is golden and so far I'm a huge fan.

holy shit this post got long - apologies lol, but thanks to anyone who bothers to read it!! ily.

#Ben10 #Courtney watches Ben 10 #long post #tldr: Ben is dumb and adorable and I love him

[snelbz]

What Happens In Vegas... {9}

An A Court of Thorns and Roses, Feyre x Rhysand, Modern AU, fanfiction.

Summary: For Feyre’s twenty-first birthday, her best friend took her to Las Vegas for a weekend of fun she could never forget. She’s going home with a lot more than memories.

@snelbz​ / @tacmc​ collab

What Happens In Vegas Masterlist

Fanfiction Masterlist

My Ask Box

We spent the afternoon back down in the recording studio with Drakon, Azriel and Cassian. When Rhys wasn’t playing, he’d pull me onto his lap. When he was busy on guitar, I listened in awe of his talent. He didn’t sing, so I remained in the dark about the lyrics. But the music was beautiful in a raw, rock ’n’ roll sort of way. Cass seemed pleased with the new material, bopping his head along in time. Even Azriel was more vocal in general, speaking up with ideas, criticisms, and praises.

Drakon beamed behind the splendid board of buttons and dials. “Play that lick again, Rhys.” My husband nodded and his fingers moved over the fretboard, making magic.

Miryam had been busy while we’d been upstairs, starting on unpacking the collection of boxes. When she made a move to return to the job in the early evening I went with her. Unasked or not, it wasn’t fair that she got lumped with the task on her own. Plus, it pleased my inner need to organize. I snuck back downstairs now and then as the hours passed, stealing kisses, before heading back up to help Miryam again. Rhysand and co remained immersed in the music. They’d come up seeking food or drink but returned immediately to the studio.

“This is what it’s like when they’re recording. They lose track of time, get caught up in the music. The number of dinners Drakon has missed because he simply didn’t realize what time it was;” said Miryam, hands busy unpacking the latest box.

“It’s their job, but it’s also their first love,” she continued, dusting off an Asian-style bowl. “You know that one old girlfriend that’s always hanging around the fringes, drunk dialing them at all hours and asking them to come over?”

I laughed. “How do you deal with never getting to come first?”

She smiled as she looked over at me. “You have to strike a balance. Music’s a part of them that you have to accept, hon. Fighting it won’t work. Have you ever been really passionate about something?”

“Yes,” I breathed, answering honestly, eyeing up another stringed instrument I’d never seen the likes of. It had intricate carving encircling the sound hole. “I love to paint. Life is easier to understand when I have a paintbrush in my hand. But responsible adults don’t paint for a living. There’s no way I can guarantee that I’ll pay the bills selling my art.” I stopped, grimaced. “God, I sound like my father.”

“You can totally, absolutely paint for a living, if you so choose,” she said, like it was the absurd thing to say I couldn’t. “If it’s your passion, then you owe it to yourself to give it a shot. But sometimes, it takes time to build it up for a living. Honing your craft and keeping the dedication, until that’s a possibility, that’s being a responsible adult.”

I smiled, understanding what she meant. I wish my father could have seen it that way. Instead, he saw painting as a waste of time, money and effort. “What about you? What’s your passion?”

“I was a born and bred photographer.”

“That’s great.” I meant it, those who could see the world through a lens were amazing to me.

Miryam smiled, her gaze going distant. “That’s how Drakon and I met. I went on tour for a couple of days with the band he was in at the time. I ended up going right around Europe with them. We got married in Rome at the end of the tour and we’ve been together ever since.”

“That’s a wonderful story,” I replied.

“Yeah,” Miryam sighed. “It was a wonderful time.”

I asked, “Did you study photography in college?”

“No, my father taught me everything I know. He worked for National Geographic. He put a camera in my hand at age six and I refused to give it back. The next day he brought me an old second-hand one. I carried it everywhere I went. Everything I saw was through its viewfinder. Well, you know what I mean… The world made sense when I looked at it that way. Better than that, it made everything beautiful, special.” She pulled a couple of books out of a box, adding them to the shelves built into one wall. We’d already managed to half fill them with various books and mementoes.

“You know, Rhys has dated a lot of women over the years. But he’s different with you. I don’t know…” She paused and turned back to me. “The way he watches you, I think it’s adorable. It’s the first time he’s brought anyone here in six years.”

That surprised me. “Why was the place empty so long?”

Miryam’s smile faded and she avoided my eyes. “He wanted it to be his place to come home to, but then things changed. The band was just hitting it big. I guess things got complicated. He could explain it to you best.”

“Right,” I said, intrigued, but knowing it wasn’t a conversation I needed to have with her. I needed to have it with Rhys.

Miryam sat back on her haunches, looking around the room. “Listen to me rambling on. We’ve been at this all day. I think we deserve a break.”

With a relieved sigh, I fell back onto my ass and said, “I second that.”

Nearly half the boxes were open. The contents we couldn’t think of an immediate home for were lined up along one wall. A big plush black couch had been delivered. It fit the house and its owner perfectly. With various rugs, pictures and instruments strewn about, the place had almost begun to look like a home. I wondered if Rhysand would approve. Easily, I could picture us spending time here when I wasn’t in classes. Or maybe holidays would be spent touring. Our future was a beautiful, dazzling thing, filled with promise.

In the here and now, however, I still hadn’t caught up with Joey. A fact that caused me great guilt. Explaining this situation didn’t appeal and nor did confessing my fast-growing feelings for Rhys.

“Come on, let’s go grab some food from down the road. The bar does the best ribs you’ve ever tasted. Drakon goes crazy for them,” said Miryam.

“Let me run downstairs, I’ll let them know we’re going. Do I need to change?” I had on the black jeans and tank top, a pair of Converse. They were the only shoes I’d been able to find among Amarantha’s buys that didn’t feature four-inch-plus heels. Miryam wore jeans and a white shirt, with a heavy turquoise necklace around her throat. It was casual in theory, but Miryam was a striking woman.

“You’re dressed fine,” she said. “Don’t worry. It’s very relaxed.”

The sound of music still drifted up from downstairs. When I went down there, the door was shut and the red light was on. I could see Drakon with headphones on, busy at the console. I’d forgotten to charge my phone with all the recent excitement, but I didn’t have Rhys’s phone number so I couldn’t have texted him anyway. I didn’t want to interrupt. In the end, I left a note on the kitchen bench. We wouldn’t be gone long. Rhys probably wouldn’t even notice.

The bar was a traditional wooden wonderland with a big jukebox and three pool tables. Staff called out “hello”s to Miryam as we walked in. No one even blinked at me, which was a relief. The place was packed. It felt good to be back out among people, just part of the crowd. Miryam had phoned ahead but the order wasn’t ready yet. Apparently the kitchen was every bit as busy as the bar. We grabbed a couple of drinks and settled in to wait. It was a nice place, very relaxed. There was lots of laughter and country music blared from the jukebox. My fingers tapped along in time.

“Let’s dance,” said Miryam, grabbing my hand and tugging me out of my chair. She bopped and swayed as I followed her onto the crowded dance floor.

It felt good to let loose. Lady Antebellum turned into Kane Brown and I raised my arms, moving to the music. A guy came up behind me and grabbed my hips but he backed up a step when I shook my head with a smile. He grinned back at me and kept dancing, not moving away. A man spun Miryam and she whooped, letting him draw her into a loose hold. They seemed to know each other.

When the guy beside me moved a little closer I didn’t object. He kept his hands to himself and it was all friendly enough. I didn’t know the next song but it had a good beat and we kept right on moving. My skin grew damp with sweat, my hair clinging to my face.

Dude One moved away and another took his place, slipping an arm around my waist and trying to pull me in against him. I planted my hands on his chest and pushed back, giving him the same smile and head shake that had worked on the last. He might have been only about my height, despite the huge hat, but he was built solid. He had a big barrel of a chest and he stank of cigarette smoke

“No,” I said, still trying to push him off me. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, darlin’,” he yelled in my ear, knocking me in the forehead with the brim of his hat. Ow. “Dance with me.”

A little more forcefully, I said, “Let go.”

He grinned and both of his hands slapped down hard on my ass. The jerkoff started grinding himself against me.

“Hey!” I pushed against him, getting nowhere. “Get off me.”

“Darlin’.” The letch leaned in to kiss me, smacking me in the nose with the brim of his hat again. It hurt. Also, I hated him. If I could just wiggle my leg between his and knee the asswipe in the groin, I’d be able to even the playing field. Or leave him writhing on the floor crying for his mommy. An outcome I was fine with.

I shoved my foot between the two of his, getting closer to my objective. Closer…

“Let her go.” Rhys miraculously appeared out of the crowd beside us, a muscle ticking in his jaw. Oh, shit. He looked ready to kill.

“Wait your turn,” the cowboy yelled back, pushing his pelvis into me. God, it was disgusting. Puking could happen. It would be no less than he deserved.

Rhysand snarled. Then he grabbed the man’s hat and sent it flying off into the crowd. The man’s eyes went round as plates and his hands dropped away from me.

I skipped back a step, free at last. “Rhys—.”

He looked at me and in that moment, the cowboy swung. His fist clipped Rhys’s jaw. His head snapped back and he stumbled. The cowboy dove at him. They landed hard, sprawled across the dance floor. Fists flew. Feet kicked. I could barely see who did what. People formed a circle around them, watching. No one was doing anything to stop it. Blood spurted, spraying the floor. The pair rolled and pushed and Rhys came out on top. Then just as fast he fell aside. My pulse pounded behind my ears. The violence was startling. I hated it. The blood and the dirt, the mindless rage.

But I couldn’t just stand by, caught in a cold stupor. I wouldn’t.

A strong hand grabbed my arm, halting my forward momentum.

“No,” said Cass.

Then he and another couple of guys stepped in. Relief poured through me. Cass and Az wrestled Rhysand off the cowboy. Another pair restrained the bloody-faced fool who bellowed on and on about his hat. Goddamn idiot.

They hustled Rhys out of the bar, dragging him backward. Through the front doors and down the steps they went while his feet kicked out, trying to get back into it. And he kept right on fighting until they threw him up against Cassian’s big black truck.

“Knock it off!” Cass yelled in his face. “It’s over.”

Rhys slumped against the vehicle. Blood seeped from one nostril. His dark hair hung in his face. Even in the shadows he looked swollen, misshapen. Not half as bad as the other guy, but still.

“Are you okay?” I stepped closer to check the extent of his wounds.

“I’m fine,” he said, shoulders still heaving as he stared at the ground. “Let’s go.”

Moving in slow motion, he turned and opened the passenger side door, climbing in. With a mumbled goodbye, Miryam and Drakon headed for their own car. A couple of people stood on the steps leading into the bar, watching. One guy held a baseball bat as if he expected further trouble.

“Feyre. Get in the car.” Azriel opened the door to the back seat and ushered me in. “Come on. Cops could be coming. Or worse.”

Worse was the press. I knew that now. They’d be all over this in no time.

I got in the truck.

*******************

Cassian and Azriel disappeared as soon as we got home. Rhys stomped up the stairs to our bedroom. Was it really ours? I didn’t have a clue. But I followed. He turned and faced me as soon as I entered the room. His expression was fierce, dark brows down and his mouth a hard line. “You call that giving us a chance?”

Whoa.

I licked my lips, giving myself a moment. “I call it going out to pick up some food. The kitchen was running late so we got a beer. We liked the music so we decided to get up to dance for a couple of songs. Nothing more.”

“He was all over you,” he snapped.

I blinked, surprised by his sudden anger. “I was about to knee him in the balls.”

“You left without a fucking word!” he shouted.

“Don’t yell at me,” I said, searching for a calm I didn’t have in me just then. “I left you a note in the kitchen.”

He shoved his hands through his hair, visibly fighting for calm. “I didn’t see it. Why didn’t you come talk to me?”

“The red light was on. You were recording and I didn’t want to disturb you.” I could understand his frustration with the dude at the bar, but I didn’t know where this was coming from. “We weren’t supposed to be gone for long.”

Bruised face furious, he walked a few steps away then turned and marched back. No calmer from what I could tell despite the pacing. But at least he seemed to be trying. His temper was the third person in the room and it took up all the damn space. “I was worried. You didn’t even have your phone on you, I found it on the fucking table. Miryam’s phone kept going to voicemail.”

“I’m sorry you were worried.” I held out my hands, out of excuses for both of us. “I forgot to charge my phone. It never happens, but things have been a little crazy the past few days, you know that. I’ll try to be more careful from now on. But Rhys, nothing was going on. I’m allowed to leave the house.”

He ran a hand through his hair and said, “Fuck. I know that. I just…”

“You’re doing your thing, and that’s great—.”

“This was some sort of fucking punishment?” He forced the hard words out through gritted teeth. “Is that it?”

“No, of course not,” I sighed. Quietly.

“So you weren’t trying to get picked up?”

I blinked. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.” Slapping him upside the head wasn’t out of the question. I kept my clenched fists safely at my side, resisting the urge.

He asked, “Why’d you let him touch you?”

“I didn’t. I asked him to move back and he refused. That’s when you arrived.” I rubbed at my mouth with my fingers, fast running out of patience. “We’re just going around in circles here. Maybe we should talk about this later when you’ve had a chance to calm down.” Hands shaking, I turned toward the door.

“You’re leaving? Fucking perfect.” He threw himself back onto the bed. Laughter wholly lacking in humor came out of his mouth. “So much for us sticking together.”

I didn’t understand what was happening. “What? No. I don’t want to fight with you, Rhys. I’m going downstairs before we start saying shit we don’t mean. That’s all.”

“Go,” he said, his voice harsh. “I fucking knew you would.”

“Gods,” I growled, turning back to face him. The desire to scream and shout at him, to try to make some sense of this, boiled over inside of me. “Are you even listening to me? Are you hearing me at all? I’m not leaving you. Where is this coming from?”

He didn’t answer, just stared at me, eyes accusing. It made no sense.

I almost tripped getting back to him, my feet fumbling. Landing on my face would be perfect. It was exactly where this was heading. I didn’t even understand what we were fighting about anymore, if I ever had.

“Who are you comparing me to here?” I asked, every bit as angry as him now. “Because I am not her.”

He kept right on glaring at me.

“Well?” I asked.

His lips stayed shut and my frustration and fury skyrocketed. I wanted to grab him and shake him. Make him admit to something, anything. Make him tell me what the hell was really going on.

I crawled onto the bed, getting in his face. “Rhys, talk to me!”

Nothing.

Fine.

I pushed back with trembling legs and tried to crawl off the mattress. He grabbed at my arms, trying to hold on. And like fuck he was. I pushed back hard. All brawling limbs, we tumbled off the bed and rolled onto the floor. His back hit the hardwood floor. Immediately, he rolled us again, putting me on the bottom. My blood pounded behind my ears. I kicked and pushed and wrestled him with all the angst he’d inspired in me. Before he could get his bearings I rolled us again, regaining the uppermost position. He couldn’t stop me, the bastard. Escape was imminent.

But it didn’t happen.

Rhys grabbed my face in both hands and mashed his lips to mine, kissing me with everything he had. I opened my mouth and his tongue slipped in. The kiss was rough and wet. Breathing was an issue. It seemed we both had some anger management issues and neither of us entirely refrained from biting. With his bruised mouth, he definitely had the most to lose. It wasn’t long before the metallic taste of blood hit my tongue.

He pulled back with a hiss, fresh blood on his swollen top lip. “Fuck.”

He grabbed my hands. I didn’t make it easy on him, struggling for all I was worth. But he was stronger. He pinned them to the floor above my head with relative ease. The press of his hard-on between my legs felt exquisite, it drove me insane. And the more I bucked against him, the better it got. Adrenaline had already been pouring through me, amping me up. The need to have him sat just below the surface, prickling my skin, making me hyper aware of everything.

So this was angry sex. I couldn’t bring myself to hurt him, not really. But there were other ways to assert myself in this situation. He came back to my mouth and I nipped him again in warning.

A mad smile appeared on his face. It probably matched my own. We were both panting, fighting for air. Both stubborn as hell. Without another word he released my wrists and drew back. Quickly, he grabbed my waist and turned me over, pulling me up onto my elbows and knees. Arranging me how he wanted me. Rough hands tore at the button and zip on my jeans. He yanked down my pants and crazily overpriced thong, body poised over mine.

His hands smoothed over my ass. Teeth dragged over the sensitive skin of one cheek, just above the tattoo of his name. A hand slipped beneath to cup my sex. The press of his fingers against me had me seeing stars. When they started stroking me, working me higher, I couldn’t hold back my moan. He nipped me on the ass again, a sharp sting of sensation. Then he pressed kisses up my spine. Stubble from his chin scratched my shoulder.

The lack of words, the absolute silence apart from our heavy breathing made it more. It made it different.

One finger slid inside me. Not nearly enough, damn it. He slid in a second finger, stretching me a little. Once, twice, he slowly pumped it into me. I pushed back against his hand, needing more. Next came the sound of the bedside drawer sliding open as he searched for a condom. His fingers slid out of me and the loss was excruciating. I heard his zipper being lowered, the rustle of clothes and the crinkle of a condom wrapper. Then his cock pressed against me, rubbing over my opening. He pushed in slow and steady, filling me up until there was nothing left that wasn’t me and him. For a moment he stopped, letting me adjust.

But not for long.

Hands gripped my hips and he began to move. Each thrust was a little faster and harder than the last. Labored breathing and the slap of skin against skin swallowed the silence. The scent of sex hung heavy in the air. I pushed back against him, meeting him thrust for thrust, spurring him on. It was nothing like the sweet and slow of this morning. Neither of us was tender. My jeans shackled me at the knees, making me slip forward a little with each thrust. His fingers dug into my hips, holding me in place. He stroked over something inside me and I gave a startled gasp. Again and again, he concentrated on that spot, making me mindless. I felt superheated. Like fire burned through me. Sweat dripped off my skin. I hung my head, closed my eyes and held onto the floor with all my might. My voice called out without my consent, saying his name. Damn it. My body wasn’t my own. I came hard, overwhelmed with sensation. My back bowed and I threw my head back, every muscle drawn tight.

Rhys pounded into me, hands slipping over my slick skin, reaching forward and grabbing my hair in his fist. I continued to come, the orgasm seeming to go on forever and ever, the tug on my roots only adding fuel to the fire. He came a moment later, releasing his hold on my hair, groaning my name in the most erotic way, holding himself deep. His face rested against my back, one arm wrapped around my body, which was lucky. I’d lost all traction. Slowly I slid to the floor.

In silence, he picked me up and carried me into the bathroom, sat me on the sink. Without fuss he dealt with the condom, started running a bath, holding a hand beneath the faucet to check the temperature. He undressed me like I was a child, pulling off my sneakers and socks, my jeans and panties. He tugged off my shirt and unclasped my bra. His own clothes were ripped off with far less care. I felt curiously naked with him now, the way he was treating me. Being so careful with me despite my biting and inexperience. He treated me like I was precious. Like I was a china doll. One he could apparently have rough sex with upon occasion. Once more, he checked the water, then he picked me up again and into the bath we went.

I huddled against him, my skin cooling off fast. He held me tighter, resting his cheek against the top of my head.

“I’m sorry if I was too rough,” he said finally. “I didn’t mean it, accusing you of shit like that. I just… Fuck. I’m sorry.”

“Rough wasn’t a problem, but the trust issue… We’re going to need to talk about it sometime.” I rested my head against his shoulder, staring up into his troubled eyes.

His chin jerked as he gave me a tight nod.

I quietly said, “But right now, I’d like to talk about Vegas.”

The arms around me tensed. “What about Vegas?”

I stared back at him, still trying to think everything through. Not wanting to get this wrong, whatever this was.

Marriage, that’s what it was.

Shit.

“We’ve covered a lot of ground in the last twenty-four hours,” I said.

“Yeah, I guess we have,” he replied, looking down at me.

I held up my hand, my sparkly ring. The size of the diamond didn’t matter. That Rhysand had put it on me was what made it important. “We talked about lots of things. We slept together, and we made promises to each other, important ones.”

He nodded. “You regretting any of it?”

My hand slid around the back of his neck. “No. Absolutely not. But if you woke up tomorrow, and you’d somehow forgotten all of this. If it was all gone for you, like it had never happened, I would be furious at you.”

His forehead wrinkled and he looked away.

I added, “I’d hate you for forgetting all this when it’s meant everything to me.”

He licked his lips and turned off the tap with a foot. Without the water gushing out, the room quieted instantly.

“Yeah,” he said. “I was angry.”

“I’m not going to let you down like that again.”

Beneath me his chest rose and fell heavily. “Okay.”

“I know it takes time to learn to trust someone.” I carefully turned his face back to mine. “But in the meantime, I need you to at least give me the benefit of the doubt.”

“I know.” Wary, violet eyes watched me.

I sat up and reached for the washcloth on the edge of the bath. “Let me clean you up a little.”

A dark lump sat on his jaw. Blood lingered beneath his nose and near his mouth. He was a mess. A big red mark was on his ribs.

“You should see a doctor,” I said.

He shook his head. “Nothing’s broken.”

Carefully, I wiped the blood from the side of his mouth and beneath his nose. Seeing him in pain was horrible. Knowing I was the cause made my stomach twist and turn. “Tell me if I press too hard.”

“You’re fine.”

“I’m sorry you got hurt. In the bar tonight, and in Vegas. I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

His eyes softened and his hands slid over me. “I want you to come back to LA with me. I want you with me. I know school will start back eventually and we’re gonna have to work something out. But whatever happens, I don’t want us apart.”

I shook my head. “We’re not going to be.”

“Promise?” He breathed, leaning down to kiss me.

“Promise.”

#what happens in vegas #snelbz whiv #feysand #snelbz tacmc collab #snacmc #acotar #acomaf #acowar #acofas #acosf