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gutsfics · 2 years

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The Name Of The Game

Chapter One - Goodness

AO3 Link | Next Chapter (N/A) Fandom: Hollywood U Pairing: Thomas Hunt x Avalon Hammond (M!MC) Other Characters: Janey Hammond (F!OC) Length: 7,001 words Rating: Teen Warnings: Teacher/Student Relationship, Canon-Atypical Cursing, Smoking, Implied Sex, Referenced Canon-Typical Blackmail Notable Headcanons: Gay/Transmasculine Character (Thomas)

Series Summary: After being given a full ride to a prestigious film school by a mysterious benefactor, Avalon Hammond moves from Texas to California to try and make it big. Unfortunately, everything seems to go down hill incredibly quickly after an unintended one night stand with a professor before classes start.

Chapter Summary: Barely in LA for a week, Avalon gets invited to a masquerade ball the night before his classes start, where he meets a man. In-Game Quests Used: On The Hunt

A/N: With PB shutting down HWU, I figured it was about time I actually get this finished. I hope you enjoy!

“That’s the last one,” Avalon says with a sigh as he drops the box he’s holding onto the top of a stack. “I hope I remembered everything, I really don’t wanna call you up in a week, crying ‘cuz I left, I don’t know, my really good nonstick pan in Texas.”

“I think you mean my really good nonstick pan,” Janey retorts, glancing up from where she’s trying to assemble some Uskea furniture. “You want good cookware, you gotta buy it yourself.”

He scoffs. “I did buy it.”

“With money from our joint account when we were getting the essentials. And since that money was family money, the pan is staying in Texas with me and the girls. Besides, you and I both know that you’re not gonna eat anything that can’t be microwaved for at least your first semester.”

“Stop projecting. I cook more than you do.”

She flicks a spare screw at him. “Anyway,” she says, overenunceating on purpose, “Since you’re done bringing shit in, you wanna help me with this?”

“Not particularly, no.”

She gives him a withering stare.

“But that don’t mean I won’t,” he says with a sigh, kneeling next to her and picking up the instructions. “Which one is this? The coffee table? Arkelstorp?”

“Bookshelf. Lo- lommarp, I think? Gotta keep your thousand dollar textbooks on display somewhere, why not on some shitty cheap furniture? Hand me that screwdriver.”

“Oh, gross, I forgot about textbooks.” He scrunches his nose. “What does an art school even need textbooks for? Tuition is already crazy high on it’s own.”

“Ain’t you getting a free ride?”

“I mean, yeah, but I wouldn't be needing someone else to pay if it weren’t so fucking expensive. If you hadn’t talked me into doing this, I’d still be at home, taking care of the girls.” He pauses, shifting his attention to the shelf for a few seconds, and then quietly says, “Ain’t too late to back out now, is it?”

Janey sighs and puts down the shelf part, shuffling in place to turn to Avalon. She gently puts a hand on his shoulder. “Listen, I know you miss them. I miss them, too, and I’m going back home in a few days. But I also know that doing this is important to you. You’ve loved acting and making movies since we were kids, and now you have the opportunity to get trained by professionals for free.”

“I don’t know if it’s free, really. It really seemed like he only offered to pay because he’s expecting something down the line.”

“I mean you don’t have to pay money, dumbass. He probably just wants you for a movie he’s producing eventually, or something. Or maybe he wants to be your sugar daddy and this was the only way he could get you to accept.” She turns back to the half-finished shelf. “Either way, I know this is something you want to do. You, getting your class list all figured out- that was the happiest I’ve seen you doing anything for yourself in a while. Dawn and Lily can’t be the only things that make you happy; it’s not fair to them.”

“I know, I just… Can’t I find something in Texas, closer to home?”

“Give it til the end of the semester, alright? You can’t quit before you even start. Besides,” She bumps his shoulder with her own. “Maybe you’ll find a hot guy who treats you right. One you’re confident could make a good stepdad to the girls.”

Avalon blushes and shakes his head. “Absolutely not! That’s not why I’m here!”

“What, you saying you don’t want to bone down with some cute Californian boy?” Janey jabs his side a few times.

“I didn’t say I wasn’t going to fuck, I just-!” He sighs. “What guy is gonna want some ex-hooker, who’s married with two kids, and is just now going to college? And not just any college, but a fucking film school, even though he’s pushing forty? Even with my wife being a lesbian, that still drastically narrows my already small dating pool.” He waves his hand dismissively. “It’ll probably be best if I just stick to the occasional random hookup to get me through the year, sexually. And that’s if I can find someone here who’s not scared off by me being… well, you know.” He gestures at himself.

Janey gives him an odd look, tipping her head to the side and scrunching her nose. "What, a giant? Or a bear? I thought twinks love bears. Besides, there have been men who have paid a shitton of money just to be with you for a single night, you don’t gotta worry about people not finding you attractive.”

“That was my job, Janey. They had to pay me for that.”

“Yeah, but they chose to be your clients. You weren’t the only gigolo in Gillespie County- they could have gone to someone else. But they didn’t.”

“I don’t think my clients are a good example of people finding me attractive. A few of them were into some gross, messed up shit.” He shudders. “Not the kind of people I’d want to be in a relationship with.”

“The world is big, Ava. Surely there’s a guy out there who thinks you’re sexy and is only into the things you enjoy doing. But, if you don’t wanna look for a guy for yourself, you can always find a girl for me.” She stands up, lifting the shelf as she goes. “Now, where do you want this?”

“Over here, I think.” He gets up as well, helping her move the shelf into place. “Hm.” He tips his head to the side. “It’ll look better once we get the rest of the room set up.” He starts sliding some boxes onto the shelves to make more room. “Arkelstorp next. The coffee table.”

Janey nods and begins opening the box, but before they can begin assembling, there is a knock at the door. “Who do you think that is?”

“New neighbor saying hello, or maybe some missionaries here to offer moving assistance in exchange for us attending church with them on Sunday.” Avalon shrugs. “Only one way to find out.” He tucks some stray hair back into his ponytail and heads for the front door.

Only to find no one there. He leans out, looking up and down the street. “...Huh. Okay.” He turns to go back inside, but a paper- folded and sealed with wax, taped to the door- catches his eye. He grabs it and heads back to Janey.

“Whatcha got there?”

“Letter. I think it’s from the guy who’s funding me. “The Benefactor” or whatever the fuck he’s calling himself.”

“What’s it say?”

“Hold your horses, I’m getting to that.” He snaps the fancy wax seal and unfolds the paper. A ticket, less than a third the size of the paper it was folded in, flutters to the ground as Avalon reads quietly. “Huh. There’s some kinda… charity masquerade ball function thing he wants me to go to. Says it’ll be a good way to get a foot in the door for my career.”

“Ooh, fun! When is it?”

“Um, um, uuuuum…” he picks up the ticket he dropped and inspects it. “Next week. The Sunday before classes start.”

“Damn. Same day I leave.”

“I’m still gonna be able to take you to the airport.”

“Maybe I wanted to go, too.”

“Only one ticket, babe. But he did say you’ll be in first class on your way home, so I’m not gonna be having all the fun.”

“Ooh, first class, what fun. Especially when flying makes you sick.” She wiggles her fingers at him. “You’ll tell me about it after, right?”

“Of course. I love nothing more than making fun of weird rich people with you. But for now,” he puts the letter and ticket on the bookshelf and gestures at the coffee table they were about to assemble. “Shitty furniture.

The rest of the week passes by fairly quickly, with Avalon and Janey sightseeing and hitting up Rodeo Drive to find him a suit for the masquerade.

When Sunday rolls around, and Avalon and Janey arrive at the part of the airport they were told to be for her flight back to Texas, they’re whisked off to one of LAX’s private suites.

“Shit,” Avalon says, turning around the room after the airport employee leaves. “I mean seriously, what the shit. All this and we won’t even be here for more that, what, an hour or two? Rich people are insane.”

Janey laughs and drops her bag on one of the armchairs, then flops down on the daybed. “I’m not disagreeing with you, but you need to lie down with me. This fuckin’ thing is way more comfortable than the bed in your place.”

“I don’t doubt that. Move over.” Avalon moves some of the throw pillows off the bed, then stretches out next to her. “Shit. I think I gotta live here now.”

They share a laugh, then Janey gets back up, poking around the minibar.

Avalon leans over to rifle through a platter of single serving snacks set up on the coffee table. “Honestly, I do not believe in the slightest that all of this is actually free like that guy said. They’ve gotta be, like, keeping track of everything we touch and planning to charge us for every little thing out of place.”

“Well, it ain’t like we ourselves are paying for this. Thank you, Mister Benniefactor, whoever the fuck you are,” Janey says as she pours a craft beer into two cups, toasting to nothing as she hands one cup to Avalon. She lounges back down and they sip their beers in a comfortable silence.

Then, as Avalon opens a bag of raisins and offers her a handful, Janey breaks the silence. “Christ, we’re getting old.” Then she pours a fistfull of raisins into her mouth.

Avalon snorts. “What makes you say that?”

“Us, ten years ago? We would have fucking partied if we had been given a room like this. And here we sit, sharing a beer and eating fucking raisins.”

“Hey, now. Raisins are fucking good. Besides, this is just the pre-party. Once the hookers and my coke guy show up, things will really get going.”

“Wow, a single week in Hollywood and you already have a coke guy? A little early in your career to be going off the deep end, isn’t it?”

Avalon laughs and flicks a raisin at Janey, who catches it after it bounces off her arm but before it hits the bed. “How about this- we get the party started by popping open some bubbly, and then we call the girls? I wanna have at least one phone call with them a day until I’m back in Texas.”

“By bubbly you mean Lacrox, right?”

“Yeah, I don’t wanna be getting wasted in front of the girls. That’s just bad parenting.”

Janey nods in agreement, then tosses him a Lacroix, which he uses to water down what’s left of his beer.

“Christ, you’re insane,” Janey states, watching him. “You’ll fit in good.”

“Fuck, yeah, I will,” he responds. “Okay, no more cussing. Fuck, crap, shit, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Starting now.” He pulls his phone out and dials Janey’s parents.

The conversation with their daughters wasn’t that long, but it was sweet. The girls excitedly told their parents about their day, and the crafts they had made with Abuela Maria, Avalon’s mother, and that they missed them both very much, and that while they were excited their momma was coming home, they wished their daddy was coming home too.

Avalon did his best not to cry hearing that. Instead he promised that he would visit as often as he could, on long weekends and holidays.

They finally hang up when Janey’s father announces it was about time they start getting ready to go, as the time it took to get to the airport Janey would be arriving at would take about the same amount of time her flight would be.

“Hey, before I gotta go, there’s something I have to give you,” Janey says, breaking the silence that fell between them and searching through her carry on. “Fuck, I thought I just had it. I can’t have lost it already.”

“What’s up?” Avalon asks, propping himself up on his elbow. “I should probably be the one giving you something, considering you are my lovely wife whom I am abandoning with the kids for a life of luxury.”

“I think for that to be true, I have to take you to court and make you pay exorbitant fees in child support. Ah, here it is.” She pulls a sleek little box with a ribbon tied around it out of the front pocket of her bag. She settles back down next to him, crossing her legs under herself, and hands him the box.

“What’s this?”

“Open it and you’ll find out.”

“Ah. I thought you might say that.” Avalon tugs the ribbon off the box, then slides the lid off.

Inside is a simple gold chain necklace.

Janey reaches over and takes Avalon’s left hand, sliding the wedding band off his finger. “I know you Avalon. I know the kind of person you are. I know what this ring means to you. I’m not gonna tell you not to wear it, but I think you should wear it around your neck instead of on your finger.”

Avalon looks at the chain in his hands, then at his best friend- his wife- and the golden band she held in her own hands. “...What? Why don’t you want me to wear the ring?”

She shrugs a shoulder. “I mean, you’ve said it yourself. Hollywood is gonna be our fresh start. I think it might be best if we go into that fresh start as best friends instead of husband and wife.” She puts a hand up when Avalon opens his mouth. “Before you say anything, we don’t have to get divorced until you graduate. Those marriage benefits are way too helpful to just drop cuz you’re going off to college. Might help us through it, anyway.”

“Are- are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure. I wouldn’t have bought that necklace if I wasn’t.” She takes the necklace from him, placing it around his neck. “Besides, you can’t land a hot twunk if he thinks you’re hitched.”

“I already said--!”

Janey snorts and laughs, interrupting him. “Jesus, I’m fucking joking. But for reals though,” she places a hand on his shoulder. “I hope you get laid. You’ve been way too pent up.”

Avalon frowns at her. “You’re making me want to not give you your gift.”

“Agk, no don’t do that! I’m sorry!”

“Alright, if you promise you’re done being a jackass-”

“Swear to god, I am!”

“Okay.” Avalon reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small box.

His gift was in no way as meaningful as hers was, but her face lights up the moment she opens the box and she excitedly swaps her lightning bold stud earrings out for the worm-on-a-strings.

“Oh, these-” she gives her head a little shake, and the fuzzy worms whip and wiggle around wildly- “these are fucking fantastic. I love ‘em!” She pulls Avalon into a hug.

“I fucking knew you would.” He grins, hugging her back.

After a moment, he buries his face against her shoulder. “‘M gonna miss you.”

“Aw, you big sap. I’m gonna miss you, too.”

They hold each other until the airport employee knocks on the door. “Your plane is boarding, ma’am.”

Avalon holds her tighter, not ready to let her go just yet. “You and the girls will be alright?”

“Of course, Ava. Your mom and my parents are there to help me when I can’t handle being a parent by myself.”

“Right…”

There’s another knock at the door. “Ma’am?”

“I think this is the part where you let go of me now.”

“Sorry, I just-” Avalon pulls away. “You’ve been in my life every day for the past eighteen years. I can’t just… Let you go.”

“You’re not letting me go. I’ll still be around, I just won’t be… around, around. Just for a little while. You can still visit home on holidays, or I can bring the girls here.”

Avalon nods, wiping the tears off his cheeks. “Janey, I-- I love you.”

“I love you too, Avalon.” Janey stands up, pulling Avalon to his feet with her. “You’re gonna fucking kill it here in Hollywood. I know you will.”

He grins at her, eyes still misty. “And you’re gonna fucking kill it being a third grade teacher, like always.”

“Hell yeah I will!” She grins back and pats him on the shoulder. “Break a leg, cowboy. I got a flight to catch.”

Avalon slips a Phantom-style mask over his face. It was dark brown and gold, and shared the same curly pattern as was embroidered onto his suit in the same colors. He smooths a hand over his hair and straightens his clothes one last time before heading into the crowded ballroom. He stays close to the edge of the room, unsure of what to do and suddenly very aware of how alone and out of his element he is.

He tugs slightly at the hem of his jacket, feeling very out of place compared to the standard black and white tuxedos all the other men wore.

Without thinking, he makes his way to the bar and orders a whiskey on the rocks, giving the bartender a smile. Once the drink is in hand, he leans against the bar, nodding politely at another man standing at the bar as he turns out to face the room.

He sips his drink in silence, surveying the crowd. He doesn’t realize the other man has gotten closer until he speaks up.

“Forgive me if I’m being too forward, but I must admit I have been trying to figure out who you are since you arrived.” The stranger’s voice is deep, and, while it isn’t exactly warm, it certainly warms Avalon. For a brief second, his eyes travel down Avalon’s body, but he quickly pulls his gaze back to his face.

Avalon suppresses a shiver and smiles cheekily at the other man. “Good luck with that, I ain’t-- I’m not exactly well known. I mean, unless you’ve ever been to the southernmost part of Texas…” He trails off and shrugs.

“I can’t say that I have.”

“If that’s the case, I’m Avalon.”

“Hm.” He furrowed his brow and looked away, thinking for a moment. “A... peculiar name, for a peculiar man. Fitting.”

“Peculiar, huh? Should I be offended or flattered?”

“You are the only man in the room not wearing a plain black suit.” He turns back to Avalon. “To be quite frank, it is rather… refreshing, to say the least.”

Avalon smirks and leans a little closer to the other man. “You know, if you’re going to flirt, I’d at least like to know your name.”

“Flirt? I--” The man cuts himself off, frowning slightly. “...I suppose I was flirting, wasn’t I?”

Avalon laughs, covering his mouth and nose with his free hand. “I’m only teasing. Flirting ain’t-- isn’t really something you can do unintentionally. But you know…” he lets his gaze slowly travel down the other man’s body (god, he’s wearing that suit well) and bites his lip. “I wouldn’t mind if it was intentional.”

“Oh-” The man’s face flushes and he turns away, taking a sip of his drink.

There’s a pause, and Avalon curses himself internally.

The man looks back at Avalon. “I’m Thomas.”

Avalon can’t help but grin as relief washes over him. “Well, Thomas, it’s nice to meet you.”

Thomas nods. “Likewise.”

For a few moments, the two men stand silently next to each other, sipping their drinks and watching the crowd.

And then Thomas speaks up again. “Would you like to dance?”

Avalon blinks, looking at his drinking companion. “What?”

“You seem to be watching the dance floor rather closely. Would you like to join them?”

“Ah, no- er, well, possibly? I would, if this weren’t the first time I’ve ever been to an event like this, or maybe if we wouldn’t be the only two men dancing together...”

“That does put a damper on things.” Thomas takes another sip and looks back out across the room.

Avalon shifts his attention back to the dance floor. Even if he had an appropriate dance partner, it wasn’t like he could dance like this. Couples twirled together in time with the music, a graceful waltz that seemed almost choreographed.

The last time he had danced even slightly similar to this, his daughter Lily stood on his feet, giggling as he spun her around the living room, barely in rhythm.

Just thinking about it made his heart ache.

With the uncomfortable, unintentional clink! of teeth on ice, Avalon is jolted from his thoughts as he realizes he has finished his drink. He returns the empty glass to the bar, shaking his head when the bartender offers him a refill.

Thomas finishes his own drink, and then, after a beat, turns back to Avalon. “Come with me,” he says, offering his hand.

“Oh! Okay…” Avalon hesitates, then takes him by the hand.

Thomas leads him around the edge of the room and through a set of glass doors to a balcony. Once outside, he turns to face Avalon, still holding his hand. “Do you want to lead, or shall I?”

“I don’t know how to dance like this…”

Thomas nods once, wrapping an arm around Avalon’s waist. “Just put your hand on my shoulder and follow my lead.”

Avalon does as he’s told, and the two men begin to dance, keeping in time with the music they could hear muffled through the door. Something about his close proximity with Thomas made him flustered, and he kept glancing down at his feet to make sure he wasn’t tripping over himself or Thomas.

“Look at me.” Thomas says, his voice firm but gentle. “It’s easier if you don’t focus on your feet. Relax.”

Avalon lifts his gaze, looking into Thomas’ eyes.

Thomas opens his mouth as if to say something, but then closes it again.

The song ends all too soon, and the two men let go of each other.

“That was… nice. Thank you for bringing me out here.” Avalon sighs and leans against the railing of the balcony. “You mind if I smoke while we’re here?”

“Not at all.”

Avalon nods and takes a half-finished pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, placing one between his lips before searching for his lighter. “Shit, did I even--” he mutters to himself.

Wordlessly, Thomas takes out his own lighter and holds it out for Avalon, flicking it to life. Avalon looks at the flame, then at Thomas with a small smile before leaning down. As Thomas lights his cigarette, Avalon gazes into his face.

Thomas was an attractive man. This Avalon already knew, even without seeing beneath the black and silver mask he was wearing. But looking at him so closely, so intimately, got Avalon’s heart thumping.

Thomas’ skin was clear, and he had a sharp jaw, with high cheekbones and kissable lips. But his most striking features were his eyes. They were almond shaped, with just a bare hint of crows feet at the corners, and- Avalon didn’t know how he hadn’t noticed this before- they were two different colors. His left eye was a striking blue, and his right a deep, rich brown, both perfectly complimented by the midnight blue of his suit.

He was entirely mesmerizing.

Thomas smirks- god, Avalon wanted to kiss those lips- and pulls the lighter away. “Careful now,” he chides, “Or you’ll burn the whole thing away before getting a single puff.”

“Sorry, it’s just…” Avalon found himself leaning in slightly, the cigarette dangling from his lips. “You have such beautiful eyes…”

Thomas’ face flushes, and for just a second he seems thrown off, but he quickly composes himself. “The same can be said about yours…” Thomas leans in as well. “May I--”

But before he can finish his question, the balcony doors swing open and a few partygoers step out, laughing and chatting. They both straighten up quickly.

Thomas tips his head, gesturing to farther down the balcony where they would have a little more privacy. Avalon nods, and for the second time that night, Thomas takes him by the hand and leads him away.

When they end up nestled together- standing shoulder to shoulder, looking out at Los Angeles from between two potted plants, Avalon realizes that his cigarette has gone out. This time, Thomas just presses the lighter into his hand.

“I’m trying to quit,” Avalon says as he lights back up.

“Oh? How’s that going for you?”

“I mean, I smoke less than I used to. I’m just kind of… picking up a bit because I’ve got a lot going on right now. You know how it is.” He gestures vaguely with the cigarette, drawing abstract shapes with the trail of smoke. “Moving is stressful. I gotta cope with leaving everything behind somehow. Especially because I’m alone in a city where I know basically no one.”

“You know me,” Thomas states, cocking his head.

Avalon lets out a small laugh and smiles at him. “Yeah. I know you.” He bumps his shoulder against Thomas’. He takes a deep draw from the cigarette and sighs. “But… It’s hard. Having to leave what I know. My Home… My family…”

“Do you have a good relationship with your family?”

“What are you, a therapist?”

“Just curious.”

“You know what they say about curiosity and cats.”

“If I remember correctly, satisfaction brings it back.”

Avalon gives another half-laugh. “Shit. You got me there. I guess I can tell you, if you really want to know about ‘em.”

“I want to know about you. I get the feeling this is important to you.”

“You could say that. I mean, how you’re raised does play a pretty important role in who you are as a person. It ain’t- err, isn’t, really interesting though. Pretty fuckin’ bog standard upbringing here. Parents divorced when I was a kid, Dad got less and less time for me an’ my brother as he started replacing us with a new family. Mom moved us to the middle of fucking nowhere to cope with Dad leaving. My brother stopped talking to us as soon as he left for college, and now my relationship with my mom is pretty strained because she wanted me to stay in Texas and live my life how she saw fit.” He takes another puff from the cigarette. “You know, the normal amount of fucked up childhood.”

Thomas nods. “But they’re family, so you miss them?”

“Eh, yes and no. Like I said, I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it weren’t for them, but that doesn’t mean I have’ta like any of them. It’s really my best friend I miss. I consider her more of my family than most of my flesh and blood. I’m gonna move her out here once I get my career going.”

“Oh.” Thomas goes quiet for a second before asking, “What… exactly… is your relationship with her?”

“We grew up together and were close enough that our parents just kind of… assumed, you know? And what were two queer kids in a town like that gonna do, other than pretend? It wasn’t supposed to last past high school, but I kinda feel like… this lie is easier to live with than the truth, at least back in our hometown.”

“And Hollywood is supposed to be your fresh start?”

“Yeah. I may not love her in the way a man is ‘supposed’ to love a woman, but I care about her a lot. So I came here to try and get a better life for us, one where we can still be there for each other, but we don’t have to pretend to be something we’re not.” Avalon shakes his head. “Sorry, I know this is kind of a lot of information to just dump on someone I just met. ‘Hey, I’m in a fake relationship with a lesbian, wanna have gay sex?’” He rubs his face and lights up a second cigarette, handing Thomas his lighter back when he’s done. “God, I’ve been talking for too long. Sorry.”

“I don’t mind. I asked because I wanted to know.” Thomas touches Avalon’s arm gently. “It helps that you have a very pleasant way of speaking.”

“What, fuckin’... cussing every five seconds? That’s pleasant to you?”

Thomas laughs- and god, what a laugh. “I can assure you that you haven’t cursed that much.”

“Well I’m glad to know I ain’t- am not making a fool of myself in front of a nice city boy such as yourself.” Avalon smiles, then rubs the back of his neck. “I want to know something about you, though.”

“Do you want me to tell you about my own family?”

“It doesn’t have to be that. Just… something you feel like I should know about you. What makes Thomas tick?”

“Hm.” Thomas plucks the half-smoked cigarette from Avalon’s lips and takes a slow drag off of it, then places it back in Avalon’s mouth, fingers lingering against his lips for only a second too long.

Avalon short circuits.

Thomas turns his head away to blow the smoke out, then nonchalantly states, “I used to be a director. I’ve made some movies, been nominated for a few awards. I even won a couple.”

"Wow, that’s pretty impressive," Avalon says, trying to keep his cool from the indirect kiss they just shared. "But what do you mean, used to be? You don't seem any older than me, you can’t be retired already."

Thomas sighs, lowering his head. "To put it simply, I was blackmailed."

"Shit... can I ask what happened?"

He nods, staring solemnly at the twinkling lights of the city. "There was... a man. An old friend of mine. I wouldn't say he was my... partner, but I can’t deny that there was something between us." He pauses, rolling the lighter between his fingers. "He was part of this... boys’ club, you could call it. He wanted me to join-- a bunch of actors, directors, and producers. They would help each other, but snub everyone who wasn’t in their little club. I couldn't stand to be a part of it, so I refused."

"Let me guess, he didn’t like it?"

"Not one bit." He shook his head, then laughed sourly. "He said that if I didn't join, he would out me. The way he would have described it… it would have ended my career instantly, mostly due to certain implications he would have pushed. So, I had his two options: either join his club, and help to ruin an art form I hold so incredibly dearly- or continue trying to make movies by myself, only to have my life and my relationships ruined alongside my career."

"God, that's horrible," Avalon breathes. "I don't know how anyone could be so cruel as to take something as important as coming out away from someone, much less in such a disastrous way."

"Some people just like to make others suffer." Thomas turns back to Avalon, and Avalon realizes just how close he had gotten to him. He straightens himself. "But no matter the crossroads, there is always a third option. As much as it pained me, I retired quietly and he, thankfully, left me alone. I teach now. Even if I can't make films myself, I have found solace in being able to pass my knowledge onto others."

"Do you enjoy teaching?"

"Well… I must admit, some of my students make it... difficult. But yes. I do... enjoy it. Sometimes."

“Do you ever wish you could go back to making movies?”

Thomas sighs and turns his back on the city, resting his elbows on the rail and looking up at the starless sky. “Constantly. It’s so… simple. All I need to do is just let go of what he’s holding over me and the power there will be gone.”

“But it’s not as easy as it sounds.”

“No. It’s like you said, there is safety in the false familiar.”

“Right…”

The two men stand together, silently sharing the rest of the cigarette for a few moments before Thomas speaks up again. “Thank you.”

Avalon blinks and looks at him. “What for?”

“For talking, for listening. I’ve never… told anyone about that before.” He shakes his head slightly. “I don’t know what it is about you that’s made me trust you so easily. I don’t know how to describe it, but there is something almost… familiar about you. Comforting.” He sighs quietly and murmurs, “I think there’s something wrong with me tonight.”

Avalon can’t help but let out a small laugh. “What, you don’t normally bare your soul to near strangers?”

For just a moment, the corners of Thomas’ mouth curl up. “I don’t normally do anything with strangers. There might be something in the air.”

“Do you mean the smog, or the light pollution?”

Thomas doesn’t exactly laugh, but he does smile a bit more. “That, too.” He turns his head slightly, looking at Avalon. He lets out a quiet sigh.

“Something on your mind?”

“I’d like to kiss you,” he responds all too quickly. Then he covers his mouth and looks away. “...I don’t know where that came from.”

Avalon can feel his face flush, and he reaches out and gently touches Thomas’ arm, drawing his gaze back to him. “It’s okay. I’d like it, too.”

“You… would?” Thomas leans a little closer.

Avalon leans in as well. “I would.”

Thomas places his hands on Avalon’s shoulders and gently tugs him down to reach him. Avalon wraps his arm around Thomas, pulling him closer. He places his other hand lightly against the back of Thomas’ head.

His lips were just as soft as they looked.

Before they break away from each other, Thomas’ hand ends up cupping Avalon’s jaw, gently stroking Avalon’s chin with his thumb. When they part, he moves his thumb to Avalon’s bottom lip.

“Goodness,” Avalon breathes, his lip rubbing against Thomas’ thumb. His fingers toy with the strings of Thomas’ mask. “Could I take this off? You can take mine off as well.”

“Of course.” Thomas moves his hand to the back of Avalon’s head, loosening the string on his mask.

The breath catches in Avalon’s chest as for the first time tonight, Thomas’ face comes fully into view. He already knew that Thomas was handsome, but… goodness. That was all he could think. Goodness. Goodness.

“Goodness,” He murmurs again.

“Disappointed?”

He grins, leaning his head against Thomas’ hand, which had found its way back to his cheek.. “Not in the slightest. Are you?”

Thomas shakes his head and gives him a quick smile. Then his expression changes to one more troubled.

“Are you alri--”

“I’m trans.”

“...What?”

“Forgive me, I-” Thomas pulls away, shaking his head. “I really didn’t know how else to say it, but I figured I should tell you in case it changed your answer.”

“My answer to what?”

“Would you like to leave with me?” He asks, simply.

Avalon frowns, confused. “Of course I would, but I don’t understand what you being trans has to do with--”

Thomas gives him a very pointed look, eyebrow raised.

“Oooh,” He bites his lip and looks away before nodding. “It doesn’t change my answer- or how I feel about you- at all, but it is nice to know beforehand.” He looks back at Thomas, giving him an easy smile. “Thank you for trusting me with that. I won’t disappoint you.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

The next morning comes oh so gentle. The sheets were soft, the early sun was soft, his lover was soft.

Avalon reaches out to Thomas’ still sleeping form, gently brushing his hair off of his forehead.

Thomas makes a small noise, burying his face in the pillow and hugging it close for a few seconds before turning back to Avalon, his eyes half open, annoyed, at first, but it quickly dissolves into something softer. Warmer. “Mmh?”

“Sorry, did I wake you?” Avalon asks, quietly.

“Yes.” Thomas tries to push his expression back into one of displeasure, but it doesn’t stick. “Unfortunately, I can’t say I mind it.” He moves closer to Avalon, who catches him in his arms and holds him tight. “It’s… been a while… since I last shared a bed with someone.” His fingers gently drift over the flower tattoo on Avalon’s chest. Right over his heart. “It’s nice to not wake up alone, for a change.”

“Oh?”

He shrugs. “I’ve often found other people to be… inefficient when it comes to getting what I needed.”

“And how did I do?”

Thomas leans back slightly to look Avalon in the face. “Well. I’m still here, aren’t I? I think that alone should be a good assessment of what I thought of last night.”

“Would you have left in the middle of it if it was bad?”

“I’ve done it before.”

Avalon can’t help but laugh. “I’m glad you’re still here, then.”

Thomas hums quietly in agreement before placing a hand on Avalon’s cheek and leading him down for a deep, passionate kiss.

It isn’t until an alarm on Avalon’s phone goes off that they finally untangle themselves from each other. He half stumbles out of bed, trying to get to his pants to shut it off. “Oh, shit, is it that late already? I gotta get going…” He looks at Thomas, face down in bed with a pillow over his head. “I hate to do this to you…”

“No, I have somewhere I need to be as well,” Thomas says, peeking out from under the pillow. “I--” He pauses, searching for the right words. “Will I see you again?”

“If that’s what you want, I can give you a call and we can meet up again once my schedule settles down.” He reaches over and brushes his fingers through Thomas’ hair.

Thomas leans into the touch. “I’d like that. Give me your phone.”

Avalon nods. “Give me a moment, I just…” He taps at his phone, trying to find where the contacts are held. “Sorry, it’s a bit new, I ain’t-- I’m not used to the touch screen yet…”

“Let me.” Thomas takes the phone from Avalon’s hand. He starts to search through the apps, but freezes with his finger hovering above the screen.

“Something wrong?”

“I-” He shakes the startled look off his face. “No.” He quickly navigates to the contacts list and punches in his number before handing the phone back.

Avalon leans down and kisses Thomas gently as he takes his phone. “I’ll call you as soon as I can.” He glances at the clock, the smile fading from his lips. “God, I’m so sorry, but I really gotta go.” He pulls away, tugging his clothes back on before heading for the door. He pauses, his hand on the doorknob. He glances over his shoulder at Thomas, who was putting his own clothes on. “Thank you for last night. I really enjoyed all of it, not just where it ended.”

Thomas glances over and nods once. He wasn’t smiling, but there was something soft in his gaze, curious almost. “Good luck. With your career. This town can be… difficult to navigate. Stand your ground and you will find your place.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you. Again.” He opens the door. “I hope we get to see each other again real soon. Goodbye, Thomas.”

Avalon didn’t have much time to get ready for the day before his first class started. If he hadn’t been wearing a suit the night before, he would have gone straight to the campus from the hotel, but unfortunately he had to make a quick detour home to change.

Thanks to his pit stop, he arrives to his first class of the day a bit later than he anticipated-- right along side the majority of his classmates.

Avalon was fully unprepared to find that the lecture hall was actually an opulent auditorium, one more fitting a theater than a college if only it weren’t for the tables between every row of seating.

Young students mill about, chatting as they find seats with their friends, some bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready for the morning, while others seemed to be on second and third cups of coffee.

Avalon moves down the side of the theater, finding a seat near the stage.

Three rows in front of him and a bit to his left, a man he assumes to be the professor of the class sits at a proper desk plunked down in the middle of the row of seats, rifling through papers in his briefcase.

There was something almost familiar about the way the man moves, but from where Avalon sits he couldn’t be too sure. Besides, as far as Avalon knew, white men with dark hair and brown eyes were fairly common in Hollywood. He could think of a few actors off the top of his head that matched that description-- maybe not by name, but he knew the characters they played.

After a few minutes, as the last few students find their seats, the professor gets up from his desk and climbs the stage. The lights dim slightly and the chatter quiets as he takes his place at center stage. He clears his throat, looking out at the auditorium. His gaze glosses across Avalon before snapping right back to him, making direct eye contact. One brown eye, and one blue, he notices.

“Oh, fuck me,” Avalon mutters under his breath.

And judging by the way Thomas’ jaw moves, he quietly says the same.

----

Tags

@choicesficwriterscreations @choicesmonthlychallenge - For Fic of the Week and HWU/HSS Appreciation Week

Let me know if you want to be added to a tag list, for this series or any of my fics!

Title of the next chapter - And Everything Goes Wrong, Incredibly Quickly

#Hollywood U #Thomas Hunt #oc: Avalon Hammond #cfwc fics of the week #HWUHSSAW #Fic Series: The Name Of The Game #gut's fics

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hitinmiss · 3 years

Text

When a mid-level wizard beat ur wizard saint level ass and still isn’t promoted to S-Class

#jellal: this is a matter of my PRIDE that I make you s-class #fairy tail #ft #jellal fernandes #erza scarlet #natsu dragneel #ft 100 yq #ft 100 years quest #like legit I think all the people who were on tenrou deserves to be s-class by now #but we’ve never talked about s-class again like #dude #also this is the Au where jellal accepts erzas offer to join ft #sidenote I love drawing Erza apparently #my art #anyways yeah take this quick shitty comic lmao

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mayihavethisdanse · 3 years

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“What is this, the Dark Ages?”

Or, Arthurian themes and allusions in the Brotherhood of Steel mythos as seen in Fallout 4. (But that’s a lot of words.)

Yep. We're doing this.

First, some obligatory caveats: there is no single Arthurian canon, just 1500 years of assorted fanfic based on the whims of whoever was writing at the time. For this extremely highbrow Tumblr meta, I have ignored most of it and drawn on my favorites. Also Wikipedia.

Also, I am not an expert in Arthurian literature (or Fallout lore, come to that), and I preemptively beg the pardon of anyone who is.

Finally, in no way am I claiming that all these parallels and thematic echoes are deliberate or even significant. In fact, I'd break it down into:

Clearly deliberate allusions, whether in or out of universe;

Probably coincidence, but could be someone deliberately capitalizing on a coincidental similarity;

Almost certainly coincidence, but fun to speculate about; annnnd

Blatant Monty Python references. (Because of course there are.)

I'll start with the big one.

Arthur Maxson, boy king and unifier

(source)

So across all the retellings and variations of King Arthur’s life story, there are a few consistent elements, particularly in his early life and rise to power. Some of these threads are echoed in the Fallout universe, specifically (and unsurprisingly) in the person of Arthur Maxson.

Both the legendary King Arthur and Arthur Maxson were born with a claim to power lying in their ancestry, both were fostered away from their families, and both proved themselves in combat at a young age.

King Arthur united the warring kingdoms of Britain into a single entity, making them stronger against outsiders and receiving general admiration and acclaim. Arthur Maxson united the divided factions of the BoS after the events of Fallout 3 and is held in similarly high regard by his men.

The name Prydwen is a reference to the ship of the original King Arthur. Presumably, Arthur Maxson (or someone in the BoS who anticipated his promotion) christened the airship in a deliberate homage to the Arthurian myth.

King Arthur is associated with his legendary sword. I think it’s notable that Maxson’s legend is associated with a bladed weapon, too. ("He killed a DEATHCLAW with a COMBAT KNIFE!”)

Probably coincidence, but fun: the historical emperor Magnus Maximus, who pops up a lot in early Arthurian legend, was known in Welsh as... Macsen. (⌐■_■)

Round Table, but make it dieselpunk

(Continued under the cut.)

Moving away from obvious allusions and into some looser parallels:

Like the Round Table, the Brotherhood is an exclusive knightly order with its leader being the one able to open it up to his chosen few.

Like the Round Table, the BoS sees itself as defending human civilization against forces of chaos. (I’ll touch on their tech-hoarding tendencies when I get to the Grail stuff.) This idea of civilization in the face of chaos goes back to the BoS’s founding, even though the level of isolationism we see in most of the Fallout franchise is not exactly what founder Roger Maxson had in mind: “Notably, Maxson's ultimate intention was to establish the Brotherhood as an organization that works closely with people outside of the Brotherhood, as guardians of civilizations, not its gatekeepers.” (source) In a lot of ways, Arthur Maxson represents a return to his ancestor’s original ideals.

Renegade knights? Internal politics? Traitors within? We gotchu.

In both the medieval legends and in all chapters of the BoS we’ve seen, there’s a big focus on bloodlines (ew). Ironically, it’s probably Arthur Maxson’s unquestionable ancestry that allows him to be more progressive than either of his East Coast predecessors when it comes to boosting Brotherhood numbers by recruitment (even though you can still see a clear division between “born Brotherhood” and recruited soldiers, but that’s a topic for another day). Maxson sees himself as an Elder who "cares for the people"—however misguided and patronizing that attitude might be—and whatever else you might say about the guy, you can't say he doesn't believe he has a duty. Which brings us to…

Know Your Enemy: Danse as Gawain

Before I start this section, an acknowledgement of authorial bias:

Gawain, as portrayed in the Middle English poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, is my very favorite of King Arthur’s knights. (Other stories aren't always as flattering, but like I said at the outset: I'm sticking to the ones I like.)

That poem is my very favorite piece of medieval Arthurian literature. In this section, I'll refer to the modern English translation by Simon Armitage.

...that’s it, I have no other biases to disclose.

What? 👀

(Art: Clive Hicks-Jenkins)

All right. So in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, you’ve got this himbo loyal knight of Arthur’s who finds himself caught up in... you know what, let me just paste in the Wikipedia summary. (The Toast, RIP, also did a pretty entertaining and more-or-less accurate recap.)

It describes how Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur's Round Table, accepts a challenge from a mysterious "Green Knight" who dares any knight to strike him with his axe if he will take a return blow in a year and a day. Gawain accepts and beheads him with his blow, at which the Green Knight stands up, picks up his head and reminds Gawain of the appointed time. In his struggles to keep his bargain, Gawain demonstrates chivalry and loyalty until his honour is called into question by a test involving the lord and the lady of the castle where he is a guest.

Don’t worry too much about the plot details, though; for this post, I’m more interested in the thematic parallels. The Green Knight story is full of contrasts: order vs. chaos, civilization vs. wilderness, mortal man vs. Other... but let’s start with Gawain himself.

Some stuff to know about Gawain:

He was "as good as the purest gold, devoid of vices but virtuous and loyal". Gawain took his principles more seriously even than the rest of Arthur’s knights, not out of pride but out of humility: "I would rather drop dead than default from duty," he says.

He’s faithful and honorable and never even tempted to betray an oath, even when offered every variety of seduction and riches, except for a single moment of weakness in a desperate desire not to be executed for random shit by powerful forces for reasons he doesn't understand.

Even though he doesn’t really understand why he needs to die, he sticks to his oath. Gawain's one weakness is a moment of desperate, private, human desire for survival. He'll submit to the headsman’s axe if he has to, but he'd still rather live.

Above all, Gawain is the ideal of a human man: he might be the bravest and loyal man there is, but he’s still fundamentally human.

You can probably see where I'm going with this.

A few more fun facts about Gawain that resonate with Paladin Danse’s story:

He’s got a bunch of really shitty brothers. (No comment.)

Gawain (SPOILERS!) doesn't actually end up beheaded, but he does willingly kneel for his execution and gets a cut on the throat as a reminder of his sin. And, uh, Danse can also get his throat cut! It doesn’t end as nicely but it’s, you know, a thing that can happen.

Gawain might be a really good guy, and he tries really hard to be one, but in the end he’s nothing more than that: there’s nothing supernatural about him, he has no special powers beyond his own principles and devotion. He’s just a dude doing his Best.

Wait, why not Danselot?

Oh, that guy? Here’s the thing.

Lancelot personifies the continental ideals of courtly love that became popular in the High Middle Ages. Central to his story is the prioritization of personal relationships and romantic feelings in a way that you don’t really see in Gawain's, at least in the Green Knight tale. (Later stories hook Gawain up with an extremely delightful lady, but even that is a different flavor of romance than Lancelot's and has more to do with Gawain honoring his word and his egalitarian treatment of women (hell yeah). In the poem, Gawain is impressed by Bertilak's wife but resists her temptation; in fact, the biggest risk is not that he'll yield to her advances but that he'll be discourteous to her, i.e., violate his principles and cause dishonor to his king and his host.)

Lancelot is driven by passions over principles in a way that Gawain never really is (at least in the stories I’m talking about; later writers have committed character assassination to various degrees). Yes, you could argue that both Gawain and Lancelot betray their oaths, but Lancelot’s betrayal is never, um, blind. He knows what he’s doing and makes a deliberate choice to prioritize his love for the queen over his love for the king. It doesn’t make him a bad guy—he too is an ideal knight with one fatal flaw—but his character isn’t as comparable to Paladin Danse.

Yeah, Gawain is (in most stories) a prince and a kinsman of Arthur’s, but he’s ultimately a native boy who doesn’t break the mold of a Knight of the Round Table. Likewise, Danse is portrayed as competent and valuable to the BoS, but not exceptional or breaking the mold of what a BoS soldier should be: he simply represents the ideal. Meanwhile, Lancelot is a foreign prince who was marked from childhood as special and fancy, and his storyline goes alllll over the place. (Much like this post.)

For example, Lancelot goes to absolutely absurd extremes to prove his devotion for no other reason than to prove it. (“I’ll do any useless humiliating thing you want. I’ll betray every oath except the one I made to you. That’s what love is!”) Gawain would never. Danse would never.

Ultimately, Gawain's tests are of his character and not of his love. And like Gawain, Danse’s devotion is to service and his principles, not to another person—even Arthur Maxson.

All that said, there are some similarities: both are beloved by Arthur, both are held up as the ideal of what a knight should be. And even if their fatal flaws are different, both make the point that no matter how good and brave and loyal they might be, no human being can be perfect.

(Except Galahad. Who is, as a result, very boring.)

I’ll conclude this section with a quote from someone else’s take on the Greek Knight poem:

I like Gawain. He’s not perfect, but he’s trying his best which is all any of us can do. He’s not like the other knights in the Arthurian legends who occasionally ‘accidentally’ kill women on their little adventures and then feel hard done by when they have to deal with the consequences of that. Gawain holds himself to a high standard – higher, it seems, than Arthur and his knights hold him to considering how hard they laugh when Gawain tells them how bad he feels about the whole thing.

I think Gawain is very relatable in this story. We all want to be better than we actually are.

And that, more than anything else, is Danse.

The Grail myth

What’s that? Lost relics of power? Better send some large armed men after ‘em!

The parallels to the BoS’s tech-hoarding ways are obvious enough that the games themselves lampshade them (albeit by way of Monty Python). But it also ties into the larger themes of “purity” versus “corruption” and the BoS’s self-image as a bastion between civilization and chaos. (See Maxson's line in response to the Sole Survivor’s quip about the Dark Ages: “Judging from the state of the world, it wouldn't be a stretch to say we're living in that era again.”)

But the ultimate futility of the Grail mission is also worthy of note. The BoS might want the power of prewar tech on their side, but they’re no more to be trusted with it than any other group of human beings. No matter how they try, the “corruption” of humanity can’t be overcome as long as they’re striving to harness power for their own ends. You can only achieve power by surrendering control of it.

The death of Arthur

The nature of gameplay being what it is, it's not guaranteed that the Arthur figure will be fatally betrayed, bringing Camelot down with him—but it's not unlikely, either.

Awkward.

Some final spitballing:

Outside the Brotherhood, there are some fun parallels of the Arthur myth with the rest of Fallout 4. Betrayal by one’s own son, for example.

The key difference between the BoS and the legendary Round Table: King Arthur’s knights, for all their flaws and human weaknesses, are usually presented as unambiguous Good Guys. The BoS is... a little more ambiguous...

...but damn if they don’t think they're the good guys.

A-ad victoriam, fellas!

#fallout #fallout 4 #brotherhood of steel #arthur maxson #paladin danse #sir gawain and the green knight #sir gawain #gawain #knights of the round table #king arthur #elder maxson #fallout 3 #fallout lore #maxson #roger maxson #look mom I did a meta

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thismaydestroyme · 3 years

Text

Little Did I know Pt. 2

summary: in this short story, harry is famous, and he moved into a town during the summer to relax and potentially write some new songs for his upcoming album. i included some song lyrics from different amazing artists, and i pretended that harry and y/n wrote it.

author’s note: i wrote the beginning of this two months ago me being lazy i picked up where i left off because i’m too lazy to read through this. so if there’s any major fuck ups then…. i did warn you that i’m incompetent

word count: 3165

“I’m a SLAVE FOR YOU!” Y/N shouts out, and little did you know Harry was front and center watching your trainwreck of a performance.

Harry did a whole french inhale without breaking eye contact with you. “I really wanna dance tonight with you.” Y/N hears Brittany playing in the background which you pause the music, to see what Harry would say about your little ‘performance.’

“Really? A slave? don’t you think it’s pretty dramatic don’t ya think?” Harry says, raising one of his eyebrows. You know he’s just playing around, but you coudn’t help feeling embarrassed how he fucking witnessed… that. You don't want Harry to know that you’re embarrassed, so you did the next best thing.

“That fucking snake was huge. Did you know she was holding an Albino Burmese Python? I bet MTV wasn’t expecting that. Do you think MTV got filthy rich from that performance? Everyone tuned in for that performance and till this day it’s still the most talked about.” You ramble and spew out random information you bet Harry couldn’t care two shit about.” Harry has a smirk on his face, you bet he was enjoying you looking like a damn idiot.

You start profusely apologizing until Harry interrupts you, “Do you want to come over?” He says all nonchalantly and walks away without you even agreeing. You’re all stunned and weren't able to even say one single word or even move your two feet. Harry doesn’t need to turn around to see you not moving, “C’mon weirdo, don’t act all shy with me now.” He threw back.

“Fuck.” You whisper, but your feet finally start to move and your feet are heading straight to Harry.

Harry turned his head and started to smirk, but he kept walking which had you feeling some nerves building up in your stomach. You’re not scared per se, just you’re going to Harry Styles house. This is normal. This is fine. This is just a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Cool.

When you finally get to his entrance Harry is already inside and he disappears somewhere because you don’t see him. You hesitantly walk inside and shut the door behind you. When you turn around you couldn’t help, but notice the disarray this house is covered in. Your mouth gape opened, but you immediately brought your hands to cover up how shocked you are. You couldn’t help but gawk at Harry’s place. There’s a big pink couch in the center of the room which is covered in boxes and clothes. There’s a TV on the floor which doesn’t seem to be plugged in because you don’t see it even plugged in. You try not to be too judgy because he did just move in, so what do you expect? Harry having his life all sorted out in a span of a couple of weeks?

You almost missed the nice white fluffy carpet that’s underneath the couch. Even though Harry’s place is a disaster, you can envision what Harry is planning on doing when he has his stuff all situated. In the back of your mind you hope he might even invite you back if he does a ‘welcoming party.’

Before you could even investigate more Harry walks back in with two bottles of water in his hand. He’s already drinking out of one of them, so he handed the one that hasn’t been opened to you. You reach your hands over to grab it.

“This isn’t safe for the environment.” You states while unscrewing the cap.

“Well.. you belting out to Britney is an endangerment to our society, so I guess we both got the short end of the sticks.”

You immediately start drinking your water because you didn’t have your next rebuttal. You start scanning the room and hoping it’ll have your heartbeat settle down because you can feel it through your chest. Harry moves from his spot and starts taking boxes off the couch and to make some room for the both of you. He had to take down three boxes, so you could both sit comfortably.

Harry walks over to you, but you freeze. Harry was pleased knowing he had you all flustered. It was one of Harry’s turn ons. Harry sits and brings his arms draping on the back of the couch which would have you being in his arm if you decide to sit right there. A couple of seconds of you contemplating you walk towards Harry and hesitantly sit down.

“I’m not going to bite.” he whispers in your left ear. Feeling his breath in your ear made you slightly clench your thighs together, hoping Harry doesn’t notice. But knowing your track record he probably did notice.

You try to come up with a conversation starter that hopefully doesn't hold all the spotlight on you. You look down at her close water bottle and scrambling for something in her head.

“Now you’re shy. The last time I checked up you were coming for my head after that mishap with your dog earlier.”

“You deserved it. You were attacking Cosmo, so yeah. I was in fact coming for your ass.” You glance your eyes to Harry. You’re overly protected over Cosmo. Cosmo is your life.

Harry gave you a smirk. He couldn’t help but to admire your bluntness. He barely comes across people who lit a fire inside of him. They always try to please him because he is a celebrity, and people just want to please him- which he doesn’t mind, but he does wish they sometime bites back. Having you in his presence he doesn’t want to let you go just yet, little did he know, he wants to get to know you more.

“What do you do, Y/N besides piercing people’s eardrums and being a dog mom.”

“Ummm.. that’s a loaded fucking question. But you being Harry fuckin’ Styles I guess I have to come up with something to make myself more interesting and less… chaotic. Well I’m a 21 years old who doesn’t have anything to offer to this world. I live my life accepting I’ll probably be working at Newbury Comics. And on top of that I love music, but I’ll be considered unqualified because I have no talents, and all I could do is muster up some mediocre lyrics that I have stored in my notes app.”

Harry didn’t break any eye contact when you were summarizing your sad life. That created a pit in your stomach because you never experienced anything that could ever compare to Harry’s tense gaze.

Harry never encountered anyone in the span of meeting them baring their skin to him. He couldn’t help, but feel some sort of pride knowing he created a space for Y/N to be able to let your hair down and express herself in full detail. He feels more drawn to you because he knows what you’re feeling. The unknown is a scary thing to feel, but you’re doing that with grace without you even realizing it. Just accepting reality is the biggest thing to acknowledge, and you’re doing just that.

“What do you have on your notes? Could you even help me write my next album.” Harry shrug glances his eyes away from you.

You feel a surge of worries entering her body. You don't know what’s going on, and you don't like it. “What?! You barely know me. My so-called ‘lyrics’ could be shitty and cliche. What are you getting out of this? My humiliation?” You don't like being taken as a joke, but that’s all you could come up with this peculiar interaction. Harry sees a naive little girl.

“You’re pretty,” Harry says. And that’s all he said. He got up and walked out the room. You're left on the couch alone, and not understanding what he just said. Just a few minutes ago he asked for your help, and now just a few seconds ago he said you’re pretty. What kind of fuckery is this?!

You immediately got up and walked to whatever room you could find Harry in. It wasn’t that hard because Harry is in the kitchen.

“Harry! I need you to explain. Talk to me, please.” You say while running her hands down your face. You thanked yourself for not wearing any makeup.

“Uh, you beg. I like that Y/N,” Harry chuckles and closes his fridge door.

“Well…. I do find you attractive and I see a potential in you. I might be wrong or I might be right. There’s nothing wrong with finding out and seeing what you have.” Harry says. Harry isn’t afraid to look people in the eyes, but you sure do. You’re debating if you should take this risk. Harry did say there’s nothing wrong with finding it out.

“Fine. I will take that jump with you.” You say unsurely, but you have some faith in him and a little bit in yourself.

“Good. Now can you stop being tense and enjoy yourself. You’re in fact talking to the one and only Harry Styles.”

“Shut up, doofus.”

One month Later

After Harry made the deal with you a month ago, you guys have been surprisingly working together quite nicely. You guys wrote one complete song, and that song is now called, “Dirty Little Secret.” You can’t wait to hear Harry sing that song with his band because you’re pretty sure it will fit the band theme for his upcoming album. Harry doesn’t want to limit himself, but he does have an idea to make his third album mostly rock.

Harry didn’t expect you to be a fuckin’ genious. Watching you in the corner jotting down lines in your beat up notebook with a pen in your hand made you start feeling someway. You always appreciate the art seeing people enjoy what they do, but Y/N is truly gifted because she has no experience with producing music. One long night two weeks ago you guys were sleep deprived because there was a week where you guys would stay up all night to write and you would stop when you saw the sunrise. Y/N found her love in music because of her father. He was a huge factor that made her who she is today. There was substance in her when she would talk about the accent in a song, how she would bounce that off with the bar while you would play the instruments. Y/N is truly a force to be reckoned with and you couldn’t help but wonder how it would be like to have her on tour with you.

Y/N never felt more alive after her father passed. It’s like Harry woken something inside of her. You never thought you would experiment with music with Harry Styles, the artist for this generation. You’re not going to lie that you would watched all of his interviews and he would talk about when he write songs he has no boundaries, and it’s crazy he upheld that ideology because Harry made sure you know that there’s no right or wrong way, the only way is to play around and see how it goes.

“I’m going to get some water. Do you want some?” You ask Harry dropping your notebook on the coffee table that’s covered in rolled up papers and a lot of take out boxes.

“Yeah. Thanks.” He says. You nod at him, and you got up to grab two cups of ice water for you both.

Your notebook page flipped to a new page and Harry couldn’t help but notice to see “Bubblegum Bitch” written in all caps. Harry got intrigued, so he happily kicked the table so the book could fall, so his excuse could be, “Y/N it fell.”

Harry kicked the coffee table with his big ass feet and the notebook happily splat on the floor. Harry reached for it and started flipping pages to see that title again, and it took him a couple of tries to find it.

“Got a figure like a pin-up, got a figure like a doll

Don't care if you think I'm dumb, I don't care at all

Candy bear, sweetie pie, wanna be adored

I'm the girl you'd die for”

Harry couldn’t help but not try to read all the lyrics. He wants to digest it all, but he knew Y/N could walk in any second. He couldn’t help but make a small gasp when he skimmed to the part of the song that had him falling on his knees

“I'm gonna be your bubblegum bitch.”

“Harry, what are you doing?” Y/N says timidly. On the outside Y/N is calm and cool and collective, but on the inside you’re shaking and screaming. Your songs are attended only to you, not for other eyes to see. You’re still not confident with your writing abilities when it comes to songs for yourself, but knowing your idol probably read more than one line of your song is having you want the ground to swallow you up.

“I’m not going to tiptoe around you and pretend Y/N. Bubblegum Bitch is amazing, fuck maybe fucking brillant Y/N. Shit.” Harry says he looks at you but goes back down to your notebook flipping pages after pages.

You’re stuck where you’re standing. Feeling the condensation of two cups of water you’re currently holding is the only concept you’re able to maintain.

Did Harry say that he likes your songs? Did he say brilliant? You’re not able to speak, all you’re able to do is walk up to the coffee table, drop the cups down and grab your notebook from Harry's grabby hands and collect your belongings. This is too much. You feel too much. You simply can’t right now.

Harry sees you picking up your stuff and shoving your notebook and pens in your purse you bring every time you visit him. Harry couldn’t help, but feel bad that he could possibly make you feel uncomfortable.

Harry stands up and starts walking up to where you are putting the last thing in your bag, “Y/N I’m sorry if me going through your stuff made you angry, but I couldn't help it Y/N. What I read was amazing, you’re amazing.” Harry hurrys out his words because he felt if he didn’t say it fast enough you would vanish.

You’re trying to hold back your tears because it’s getting too much for you. The last time somebody read your stuff was your father, and right now you feel like you’re betraying the intimate moments you had with him. He was the one you would share your songs first with him. Now that he’s gone, you couldn’t put yourself out there to have someone else read it. You turn back around and you try to give a smile to Harry.

“It’s okay, I- I just have to go. I’m sorry. We can talk later.” You push past Harry to make it to the front door, but you feel someone hand on your wrist so you immediately stop.

“Y/N, I can’t have you leave, when I know that you’re not okay. Can you please talk to me? Please?” There’s a hint of sadness in Harry. You couldn’t bring yourself to leave him without having the answer he’s yearning for.

You turn around and there’s Harry. His green eyes are pleading with yours, and you couldn’t help, but do what Harry is asking you to do.

“Okay, I don’t want pity. Okay? Tell me you understand.” You ask Harry because the last thing you want from him is sympathy.

“I promise Y/N. Would you mind if we sit down?” You nod your head and he walks you back with his hand in your hand. You both couldn’t help but feel some sort of palse running inside you both while holding each other's hands. It’s something both of you guys can’t simply forget.

You got to the couch and you both sat down, no longer holding hands. You adjust yourself so you can face him. “Okay. My father died a couple of years ago and he was the only one I let read my stuff first. After he passed I never showed anyone my stuff because it would feel like I’m replacing him. I’m not mad that you read my stuff- I was just surprised, and I couldn’t help it but feel sadness creeping over me. Once again, I’m not angry at you, I’m just adjusting to a new milestone I just crossed without me not realizing it.” You say, and you’re hoping Harry doesn’t say, “Oh I’m sorry” because you’re sorry to.

“Well, I’m not sorry for your loss,” Harry says and you couldn’t help, but smile and laugh. “but I’m not sorry that I read it. You have something Y/N and I know you told me you haven’t had any experience in music industry, but fuck that. You have passion and I feel that every time we write something together in the past month, I don’t think I'll be able to forget about you when the summer is over.” Harry says. There was so much sincerity in what he just said.

You thought it was all one sided because you felt so much being with Harry. You felt you were finally seeing a rainbow you hadn’t seen in a very long time. Harry brings so much out of you that you. Harry was always there when you were scared to take the first step. Him being there with you made it less scary because he was there every step of the way.

Harry didn’t expect he would’ve met someone this summer who would make such an impact on him. Harry thought he would do a lot of hooks up, go to parties and write for the entirety of the summer. But the universe had something planned for him. He met Y/N. He didn’t want to tell Y/N he that he found his first and only love, but he didn’t want to scare her. She could probably feel the same way or she only saw him as a friend but neither of them were ready for that big leap of faith. Even Y/N knew Harry is someone she couldn’t live without because he brings something out of you that you never felt in your entire life and that was courage and faith.

Y/N met her faith. Only time could tell if faith would lead Harry and Y/N the soulmate they both were looking for.

“Harry, I don’t think I could possibly forget about you.” Y/N whisper because you felt if you used your normal voice the bubble you guys created would shatter within seconds.

Faith is a silly thing because faith could have you longing for something that’s impossible to grasp or faith could have you leaving you vulnerable, but that vulnerability could unlock something you never dreamt was even possible.

#harry styles #harry styles x reader #harry styles fanfic #harry styles x y/n #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles concept #harry styles imagines #harry styles angst #harry styles fluff #thismaydestroyme #thismaydestroyme harry styles #harry blurb #harry styles fic rec

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johnsamericano · 3 years

Text

𝓓𝓪𝔂 10:

кιм נυиgωσσ

23 days of NCT masterlist.

taglist: @notbeforelong @silent-potato @whathamelon @unknown5tar @ajhdr @mrcarbonatedmilk @curieouscapt

warnings: unprotected sex (reader’s on the pill), y/n is kinda odd but in a good way, thigh riding (? Sort of.

“Please, Yuta. I need you.” You pleaded, falling onto your knees as you held onto his hand.

“Stop, people are watching.” He pulled you up, slightly vowing to the students staring at the little scene. “I’ve already told you I’m too busy with my own projects.”

“Yuta.” You whined, feeling like you were running out of options.

“I have a couple friends that might be willing to help you, but I can’t promise anything.”

As expected, all of them rejected you. Everyone was too caught up with their own work to care about yours. But one magnificent day, you found your muse. You met him at the cafeteria, he was simply eating pizza, yet he looked like a model.

He pretended not to acknowledge your piercing gaze, but as you started walking to his table he couldn't help but blush, playing anxiously with the pages of his textbook. Why was the goddess of the art department walking towards him?

“Hi, I'm y/n.” You casually sat in front of him, extending your hand towards him as if this wasn't the first time you'd seen him.

“I’m Jungwoo.” He was literally the epitome of cuteness, his pretty cheeks tinted pink and his brown locks casting shadows over his forehead.

“What’s your major?” You rested your chin over your palms, eyeing the book on the table.

“Mechanical engineering.” He surely didn't look like an engineer, but that sort of made him even more attractive.

“That's cool. So listen- wait, before that, can I grab a French fry? I'm starving.” He nodded, his eyebrows knitted together. “Thank you.”

You chewed on the savory fry, moaning at the flavor.

“So, what were you saying?”

“Oh, right!” You cleared your throat. “So for my final project, I have to paint a human portrait, but it turns out, none of my shitty friends wants to help me.” He couldn't help the small laugh escaping his lips. “Unbelievable, right? So I had no other choice but to hunt down the perfect muse by myself. I was about to give up just when I saw you, sitting here all by yourself like some mysterious rom-com guy.”

“Do you want me to be your muse?”

“Well since you're offering, I'd be more than happy to paint you.” He was about to object, but you resumed your nonstop chatting. “Of course, I’d pay for your time, not too much though, my part-time job doesn't pay that well.”

And that's pretty much how he ended up meeting you every Tuesday, sitting for two hours straight while you painted his gorgeous face. The mood was always cheerful with you around, always making small talk and provoking some smiles from him. He got to know you better during the month you spent together. Jungwoo realized you were the most authentic person he'd ever met, maybe that's why everyone on campus was so enamored by you. On the other hand, he was nothing like the shy boy you first met at the cafeteria. He was so bright, his laugh so pretty that it made you want to hear it every day.

“This is our last session.” You announced as soon as your canvas was fixed in place. “Time goes by so quickly, don't you think?”

“Yeah, sure.” You noticed the saddened expression on his face.

“What’s wrong, woo?” He loved the nickname you decided to give him on your first session, it made him feel closer to you.

“It’s just a pity that we won't get to see each other as often anymore.”

“Who says we won't?” You started moving the paintbrush over the canvas, adding the final details to your portrait.

“You still wanna hang out with me?”

“Of course I do! You're finally opening up to me, I won't risk losing the progress we've made.” His heart felt like it’d escape his chest any minute.

“I thought you were just using me for your project.” You gasped, approaching his seating place with the paintbrush still between your fingers.

“How dare you, Kim Jungwoo?” There was a dramatic pause before you painted the tip of his nose.

“You didn't.” You wiggled your eyebrows, running away from him as he stood up. “Get back here!”

“Stop!” You threatened him with your brush, back pressed against the wall. “I won't hesitate to paint you again.”

“Scary.” His chest was touching yours, faces barely centimeters away.

“Where’s the shy Jungwoo I met?”

“I don't know what you're talking about.” His knee positioned between your legs, pushing against your core. “What is it with that face?”

“Have you been deceiving me from the beginning?” You tiptoed, trying to hold back the small whine threatening to fall from your lips.

“No.” He raised his knee, this time, the imminent whine managing to get past your mouth. “I really was shy around you, but you're so easy to be with. I feel like I can be myself when I'm with you.”

“By yourself, you mean your horny self?” He started moving his limb back and forth, making sure to apply pressure on the right spot.

“I wasn't planning to do this, I didn't even know you wanted to see me after your project was done.” His finger pads danced over your neck, causing goosebumps over the sensitive skin.

“Well, then, are you gonna kiss me or should I take The first step?” He giggled before attaching his mouth to yours, a variety of new sensations growing at the bottom of your stomach. “God, I wish my project would've been related to nude portraits.”

“I would've definitely called the cops if you had asked me to be your nude model.”

“Mean.” Your face inched closer to his lips once again, slightly biting into his skin.

“Are you alright with this?” He lightened up the pressure on your heat, making sure you were both on the same page.

“Yes. But I don't know about making love in a classroom, though.”

“Making love?”

“I don't like the way ‘fucking’ sounds.” He chuckled. “Would you rather have me calling it sexual intercourse?”

“Stop talking before my dick gets soft.”

He lifted you with ease, sitting on the stool you usually used with you on his lap. His hands rubbed the sides of your thighs affectionately, slowly lifting the fabric of your purple dress to reveal your panties. He wasted no time on moving them to the side, quickly using his digits to make sure you were wet enough.

You helped him undo his jeans, clumsy hands struggling to get the zipper down.

“Allow me.”

“Be gentle, alright?” You placed your hands behind his head, toying with his brown locks as he aligned himself with you. He nodded. “I need verbal confirmation, woo.”

“I promise to be gentle, y/n.” You felt his tip prodding at your small hole, bracing yourself for the imminent pain. “Look at me.”

He started sliding inside you, your fingers accidentally tugging his hair. He didn't complain, though, too immersed in your face to even notice. You glanced at him, noticing how handsome he was from up close. His eyes looked like they carried the stars- no, the whole universe, you'd definitely have to paint them one day.

“Can I move?” You nodded, holding back the smile creeping up your lips as he started thrusting upwards. “Not even in my wildest dreams would I have imagined we'd end up like this.”

“Well, I'm glad you accepted to be my model.” You let out an open-mouthed moan, his dick hitting your G-spot.

“Pill?” You nodded, letting him do all the hard work while you enjoyed yourself. “Pretty.” He kissed your throat, holding your glutes to push himself further into you.

There were no words needed to know you were both incredibly close to release, just a few more thrusts had your pussy pulsating around him, his warm cum coating your walls.

“This is the best love-making session I've ever had.” You let your body fall against his, causing him to lose balance and almost fall down. “Sorry.”

“Well, we can always repeat this. Maybe I can actually be your nude model for your next masterpiece.”

“Who is this guy?” He chuckled, the corner of his eyes picking the image of the recently painted portrait. “Don’t look!”

But he was already admiring the product of your hard work, and it was amazing, to say the least. It was a picture of him smiling, sunlight coming in through the large window panel beside him and directly hitting his face.

“If you don't get an A, I'll write a complaint.”

“I like your way of thinking. I'm getting the feeling that you and I will be a power couple, only if you want that too, of course.”

“Let’s go out for dinner and I'll think about it.”

#nct smut #nct fluff #nct au #nct imagines #nct ot21 #nct x reader #nct #nct 127 #nct scenarios

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jiminrings · 4 years

Note

hellooo can i request a drabble of uni!au art major tae and biochem major yn? also part one of the would you series is AMAZINGGG seriously i cant wait to read more!! <3

rich kid kim

pairing: taehyung x y/n

wordcount: 5k

glimpse: tae’s cold and probably needs a friend more than he needs a model, y/n feels this nEED to take care of him, a term of enderment then a dash of emotional constipation and a sprinkle of jealousy :D

notes: thank you for the request babes!! writing this made my heart melt and aND!!! thank you omg i’m glad you like would you :((

if you squint or if you’ve read insufferable, this is most probably taehyung and his y/n!!!

taehyung is personally more than willing to pay himself out of this project

oKAY LISTEN

he’s not the proudest knowing that he comes from a rich family and he’s the only kid and he’s never really struggled for much

everything was just given to him without any hesitations whatsoever

and yeah he admits that he can nEVER admit that his pampered and luxurious lifestyle since birth has shaped him to be this way and it’s hard to unlearn these types of things

things were too easy for him and thAt’s what made it hard

tae is the farthest thing from an outcast..,.,.,.,

.,.,. but that’s him in his usual rich boi bubble of elites wherever he goes because he’s surrounded by people like him

hoseok and jimin have got to be his closest friends but of course they pursued business degrees and everyone must’ve probably saw that coming

nobody, however, expected the kim taehyung to pursue a degree based rootly on passion and even major in it

yeah that’s right what are yOU looking at???

he’s an art student and yeah he’s taking this seriously ://

do yOU have a problem with that?? do you?? no what did you say?? step the fuck up ky-

spoiler alert: people do have a problem with that

taehyung could tell that his parents did a complete 180 when they learned through jimin’s noisy-ass mouth (not even through their own son) that he’s gonna be getting an art degree

his dad’s the one who’s most especially disappointed at him because well he’s the only child and uhhhh.,.,.,, so who’s gonna inherit the company now.,.,,,

tae normally feels selfish and this time, he felt like he was being rational rather than being selfish!! this is what he passionately wants!! pls god can i be selfish oNE more time

eventually his parents had no choice because as their son explained,, having an art degree won’t keep him away from the family business at all and he could even expand it!! he doesn’t need a degree!!!

lmao he’s been putting the money he gets on the stock market ever since he was ten years old

and they had to accept it eventually because this is what HE wants and if this is the only thing that he wants... then might as well help him through it, right??

now this is another dilemma

taehyung’s applied at a regular university in which everyone’s blended together and no one really cares about who’s who

it’s not exclusive to people like him.

he submitted his requirements and his portfolios by himself!!

and he got accepted!!

he’s nOT SURE if it’s purely because of his skills and himself and not his parents’ money nor influence

whatever it is, he doesn’t want to know because if it ends up being the answer he doesn’t want?? lol he’d crawl into a hole and mope for a week and would be doomed to wear three-piece suits for the rest of his life

so anyways

yeah..,, this is one of the handful of times that taehyung is completely willing to pay himself out

this project was supposed to be easy enough as what the professor said but uH he’d like to passive-aggressively decline pls and thank you

their final project was to make a portrait

right?? easy!!

a portrait of sOMEONE IN CAMPUS,,, regardless if you know them or not

(( well of course you’d get to know them by the end because yea they’re required to show proof that they indeed met and the model did agree to be painted ))

and by the end of the project, it’s either they keep it to themselves or give it to the model!!

that should be easy, right??

...

....

...... pls say right

oh my god tae should probably drop out now so he doesn’t get to do this

rich people don’t necessarily have to be educated, right???? maybe he’ll just settle into being a himbo

he learned about the meaning of the word through urban dictionary that he tHEN only learned about like six months ago and now he gets so many things

taehyung’s not intimidated by the workload of it all -- in fact, he’s even excited about it because it helps him relax!!

what he’s intimidated about is the fact that he’s kim taehyung and there are only two possible options

either his model would be someone who knows him and would be taking every possible step to ensure that they climb the social ladder through him and they’re not even gonna be dISCREET about it

his model wouldn’t completely care about who he is and in the process belittles him upfront and tbh his hart wouldn’t be able to take that and he’s probably wipe his tears away with dollar bills

there is almost no in-between, that one he’s sure of

so why are you like this?

why are you neither of the two and why are you sO kind and go against his expectations????

do you have an ulterior motive or something????

you who’s a biochem major and is actually another building away from his own

you who’s made the initiative that you become hIS model

you who actually oFFERED and almost begged to be a part of a project that would only be for tae’s benefit

... aha

that’s about -5 points from being a cool laid-back nonchalant gal

+10 for looking like someone who’s had a massively obsessive crush on him since day one and looking like you’d lay his life for him

no but lmao actually you just learned about taehyung in a magazine

you were bored at the dentist’s and scrolled through every possible outlet in your phone and it didn’t satiate you anymore!!! so how about reading a good ol’ magazine :D

then came taehyung

it was a whole issue dedicated to him and you were probably too dedicated into reading it that this time it was you telling the dentist to wait lol

that’s as far as you knew about him

and then you learned just some weeks ago that taehyung happens to study where you also study at and that was.,., inch resting

you never really saw him before around campus because it was too big and well maybe if you put in the effort, you’d actually find him

maybe you had a tiny lil admiration for kim taehyung just from one whole issue alone you read at the dentist’s or whatever

you’ve only known about this final project situation through changbin!!!

changbin, your neighbor at the apartment next to you, who’d crash over whenever his wifi feels the tiniest bit slow

yes you did spend a little more money to upgrade your internet situation (most times it’s the router who makes all the difference) because you were so tIRED of having things slow in the middle of researching for your projects in biochem)

no you will nOT have that <3

and of course changbin’s not having your that shitty wifi either so he pushed you to get that in the first place so he can use it too lmao

he’s told you just a couple of days ago about his final project and that maybe, just maybe, he’d make it into a move for this girl that he likes

nothing’s more romantic than pleading for someone to paint ur face right

and your grade and the decision to whether you’re gonna pass or flunk and graduate or retake are relying on you mostly

and in changbin’s case it’s also hIS heart on the line so yeah no pressure at all luv

“i kinda feel bad for rich kid kim, y’know?”

“what about taehyung???”

“eW do you have a crush on him??”

“addressing someone by their name equals to a crush??????”

your banters never stop because you’re as quick-witted as him and he both loves and hates it

he loves that omg someone can keep up with him and that way he gets challenged to always have the last say!!

he hates that oh god why is he friends with someone who reminds him of himself so much how is hE gonna deal with that??

sometimes he’ll purposely argue with you to fEEL something lmao

but there’s just something here that tells him you’re a little more interested now in this flow of conversation ever since rich kid kim was mentioned

“hm, nothing. i’m pretty sure he doesn’t have a model yet.”

he dodges you in the kitchen to look for peanut butter in your cupboard and oddly... you’re not berating him for decreasing your groceries....?

what does changbin mean by that? whAt model?? model as in taehyung doesn’t have the newest model of whatever car he wants? or maybe he has a model girlfriend and-

hold on wait wHAT

taehyung has a-

“m-model?”

he looks at you weirdly but you don’t even bat an eye when he gets ahold of your marshmallow spread so that he could make another one of his s’mores sandwiches

“uhhhh model as in he doesn’t have someone to paint for our project??”

is that what you wanted to hear or,.,

you and changbin share one (1) brain cell and it SHOWS

the two of you have to open your mouths, then close, then ponder, and then do that aGAIN until the both of you could finally grasp if you were in the same page

“oh cool!! i’ll be his model then!”

“yeah but did he ask”

“it’s gonna be easy!! i’ll just tag along with you to your building”

“yeah but did he aSK”

“we’re probably gonna hit it off instantly and then you’ll have to leech off from someone else for their wifi and food and every other necessity that you already have-”

“yeah but dID HE ASK????”

long-story short: no. taehyung most certainly did not ask you to be his model.

but here you are

saying that you came a long way is a bit of a stretch because taehyung mostly turns his head the other way around when you call out to him in public

progress is still progress :D

you’re eating lunch with him at the same table and this time you’re sat beside him!! when normally he’d just walk home to his apartment (lol that’s not allowed but you won’t be surprised to know that he has a free pass) and eat!!!

before that, taehyung would gLARE at you until you stop asking to sit with him in his table

yea he gets a bit lonely at time because jimin and hobi aren’t with him and hE’S the outcast but he won’t do anything about it,, just scroll through his phone while he eats and tune everyone out

you figured that maybe it’s changbin always linked with you in lunch because your schedules just matched up thAt perfectly like it does with tae’s

hee-hee so you might have elbowed him until he begrudgingly agreed to be tolerable, keep atleast four feet of distance from you, and not call tae rich kid kim

spoiler alert: taehyung doesn’t really care about whatever you do because doing those changes with changbin did nOT work at all

however

H O W E V E R

taehyung doesn’t know at all how you’ve wormed your way into his heart!!

what seem to be cold to you is his warmest he’s ever been in such a new environment and outside of his usual comfort bubbles!!!

it’s like you occasionally stealing the food from his plate when you have the same thing is the equivalent of h*lding h*nds with him

you putting your leg over his before he pushes it after five seconds mUST be the equivalent to marriage

wait he’s lying

taehyung does know how you’ve wormed your way to his heart

“hi! i’m y/n! :D”

ok u are a little bit sweaty and out of breath from doing all that fast-paced walking for the past ten minutes

your new shoes that you still need to break into further aren’t helping your situation in the slightest bit

honestly? this is all changbin’s fault <3

he unknowingly gave you the sign that you were looking for

if he says yeah five times with five minutes?? okay yeah you’re definitely looking for kim taehyung and offering yourself to become his model

you don’t wanna sound weird but you feel sorry for him and you wanna help him :((

he’s not helping you tho because he has long legs underneath those trousers and it looked like he wouldn’t budge at all not unless you jogged and stopped right in front of him

“hi! i’m y/n!! :D”

“...”

“.....”

tae’s a bit... perplexed

because who’s THIS entity and why are you standing in front of him

...

....

“bye y/n.”

he wants to exit from this situation because oh my god??

why r u like this

he didn’t ASK for your name!!

and he doesn’t even know you and giving him your name honestly won’t do anything and he doesn’t get what’s your motive and-

“oh c’mon!! you didn’t even shake my hand :((”

he feels even more lost as he tries to wrap his head around that uh.....

you uh.... you wanted a handshake??

.....

tae doesn’t even hide his annoyance because it’s clear as day!!!

he’s blatantly tilting his head at you rudely with a blank stare omg take the hint pLEASE

realizing it now you mAY have came on too strong to taehyung that looks confused as ever

“hi, i’m y/n.”

changbin’s by one of the lockers taking pics of you beaming at taehyung and him scowling down to show you later how dumb you look and how you shouldn’t do this at all

okay LISTEN

his personality trait is to immediately assume the worst out of every scenario possible and that way when something slightly less worse happens? that’s a win babie ;D

he became ur friend in the first place because you heard him yelling since he’s at the door right next to yours and you could hEAR him throwing things around as he cusses his laptop

yeah he cusses his laptop what about it??

if you close your eyes hard enough, you could hear him throw his router against the wall (you later learned that he was so close to finishing his digitalization but then his laptop decided to die) before punching the air

(( the friendship started when you knocked vERY gently and offered him to borrow your laptop even if you aren’t done with all your homework ))

((( changbin thought at first that u were such an organized and too-friendly social butterfly who’s a kiss-ass to everyone but now he thinks ur the coolest person ever and he treasures you more than life itself )))

although, taehyung’s a lot more vicious and closed-off and critical than changbin

he narrows his gaze at you as you introduce yourself for the second time before merely clicking his tongue

“ok cool”

is that uhm

is that IT good sir

“you’re not,” you’re dancing around your words and being careful to not let a pout grace your lips at the sheer lack of enthusiasm, “gonna introduce yourself to me??”

you got a reaction alright

taehyung sCOFFS and that’s the loudest he’s ever been with you in the span of two minutes

“you followed me for ten minutes just to tell me your name. kinda seems like you already know mine if you do that, no?”

this is why you took up biochem instead of law

how do the lawyers not break down???

why does phoenix wright make it seem SO easy?? especially when he’s spoken to in a confrontal tone???

oh god taehyung broke you already

not to be rude but uh what do you wANT

can you get it over already??

“o-oh! uhm i was wondering if i could uHm,” you sound ridiculous now that you think about it and this is perhaps one of the only times you feel embarrassed, “volunteer to be your model for your project?”

hmm

was that a wrong answer,,,

sHOULD YOU HAVE SAID THAT??

“are you in my class?”

taehyung asks and he’s finally said a sentence to you!!! omg

you’re quite shocked so he had to click his tongue to get you to answer

“no, actually!! i’m a biochem major and-...”

that’s all it takes before he hums and nods his head

and for some reason taehyung looks at you like you’re pREY

“are you a stalker?”

okay wait holy fuck wHAT

you know what

you took a sip from changbin’s coffee half an hour ago but why are you only choking on it nOW

you’re positively sputtering and now ur pressured bc tae thinks you’re a stalker!!! a damn stalker!!

“looked at you long enough. i don’t need a sketch artist and i could just-”

no no no pls no

this meeting is going downhill very quickly

“oh my god taehyung i’m nOT a stalker okay!!!”

that shuts him up because your voice is so firm and okAY then how do u explain this stalker smh ://

throughout the whole time you’re talking about changbin being an art major and also your neighbor and everything in between, tae has such a neutral expression that you feel so intimidated

“-and that’s what!! i’m not taking advantage of you or anything, if that’s what you’re thinking i guess? i swear!!”

he listened and well if he’s being honest,,, okay yea you did make sense and he does know changbin

“okay then. i’ll think about it.”

“are you gonna give me your number???”

it’s either you’re so forward or he’s just not used to being caught off-guard

WHICH FUCKING ONE

“what for?”

it’s been so long ever since someone asked taehyung for his number

usually in galas and any other socialite gatherings you could think of, everyone’s number would just be in your phone automatically and you won’t even rEMEMBER how it got there in the first place

better yet, it’s been so long since he went back to his usual routine lifestyle of being himself

his last gala was two weeks ago and tae had to keep looking at his phone to study pdfs and whatever clear pictures he can get of his reviewers back at home because he had a test tomorrow morning

“so you could text me where we’re gonna meet so you could paint me, silly!!”

okay wOAH there

“i didn’t even say that you’d be my model????”

“lol but you were thinking it huh”

that’s it

taehyung has nO choice but to paint you if he wants to finish this project and graduate and have something of a thicker paper to flaunt

it came as a shock to him that hE took your offer and he could only imagine its effect on you

not to brag but tae didn’t even have to sweat for a little because it’s yOU who came to him with this offer!! not him!!

tae lives in the classiest apartment here in uni and everyone probably knows that

much to his insistence that he doesn’t want anyone from uni going outside his apartment, he had to take an L and invite you over

he wouldn’t risk doing his work in any place else because he doesn’t want anyone thinking and getting the wrong idea!!

speaking of, he’s regretting it now because you seem to be too happy being in his space

you’re pointing around and being awed at every possible thing!!!

what??? is this ur first time seeing a rattan hanging chair :// or a massive couch?? or a canvas painting of something so beautiful?? all of that in what’s supposed to be a student’s one apartment??? christ y/n get yourself together

“so what do you want me to do?? where do i sit oR do i stand instead?? i’m gonna need you to know that-...”

“nothing.” taehyung deadpans before he gets his camera so he could get digital shots as well if ever he needs an extra touch when it comes to his final product

the gears in your head are going bRRR and you’re gonna have to ask him to elaborate but taehyung already sets the pace

“nothing. just be your rEALLY annoying self and pretend i’m not here.”

normally you don’t take his words to heart but this one just hits a little close to home bc it’s early in the morning and taehyung already finds you intolerable

“by pretend, do you mean-...”

“up to you. are you more annoying around me or no?”

how did he read your MIND

tae got the thoughts in your head word per word and you’re so amazed at that because fUcK you originally thought that he’s good at bluffing his way up

click!

it’s you smiling at him

no you’re beaming at him

and you’re in front of his morning-lit curtains and you’re against the light

the portrait itself is already visually appealing and satisfying and man the shadows!!! the value!!!! they’re so raw and dreamy and this is exactly his style!!!

it was just a one-take wonder as soon as he took a picture of you!!! and he may have you to hold that position if he needs the push!! he just needs to translate it to canvas with his own language and emotions and then he’s dONE!!

you’re a pain in the ass

you laugh and you move too much

taehyung had you to to revisit that pose and hold it and you wouldn’t stop giggling bc you were too proud that you did THAT!

you also ask too many things that even hE doesn’t have the answers to

how is he supposed to know if red string lovers exist when you went into a spiel just because you saw a red tube of paint???? and why is he saying his opinions on such trivial things when he has his final project to take care of???

and how is he supposed to know why YOU’RE here hanging out with him instead of finishing your own final project

jk maybe it’s the L word but you’re gonna subdue that as much as possible since taehyung looks like he’d leave you by yourself with any chance that he gets

and you even call him terms of endearment!!! nicknames!! pet names!! names that you’d call someone who’s familiar to you and you probably l*ve!!!

angel

that’s what you call him :))

“why do you call me that?”

“because you look like one”

“and how would yOU know what angels look like??”

“because if they were to exist then you’d probably look like one!!”

“but-”

“ok that’s one minute no more questions taehyung <3″

tae just provides you with all the conviction you need to take care of him without even knowing

not in a maternal type of instinct type of way, but rather in a sPECIAL someone type of way

you find yourself caring for him mOre than you ever could for any regular friend you have!!

you just throw a whole loaf of bread to changbin and call it a day

but for tae??? you go above and beyond!!

“did it ever hit you that rich kid kim never really introduced himself to you?”

oh right....

changbin points out one day and you could see where he was getting at

for some reason he always knew what was in your mind at any given time and sometimes it’s to your disadvantage

you seem to be growing on taehyung though!!

he tolerates you better now!!

sometimes he’ll find you loveable even

he likes having someone around and you’re the perfect contender

if he decides to not talk too much, then you fill up the white noise!!

if he wants you to shut up?? then yOU shut up but of course not without babbling for a little

he’s opened up but with some reservations

some reservations that you don’t mind but it’s normal that you feel sometimes left out, y’know??

because it’s been a good month since you and taehyung properly interacted but he still resents you as much if you think about it

“hey angel!!”

“what is it-...”

taehyung looks up from his meal that he’s been poking at his fork because this has to be the fourth time you call out to him

so he turns to look at you and-

uhm

there seems to be a misunderstanding

you weren’t calling HIM

you were calling out to some other guy that iSN’T him

that’s seungmin!!! omg you haven’t seen him in so long and he just happened to pass by your lunch table!!!

apparently he has something to talk to you about which is why you’re standing up and leaving tae all alone on the table

seungmin’s smile is adorable as always and he gets you in a pretty good mood!!

oh god

dear gOD

what is taehyung feeling in his chEST???

tae’s grip on his fork is starting to get pRETTY tight

and if he’s aware enough, his right eye’s twitching and he’s practically scoffing under his breath

why tf would you call him that

WHO is angel and why is it nOT him anymore????

what he’s feeling is just unexplainable and it tastes something like betrayal

“who’s he?”

he quizzes you as soon as you get back to your table and you don’t waver one bit because you know he’s been asking questions recently

“oh that’s just seungmin!! we were childhood friends then he just transferred here awhile-...”

there’s a bitter taste on his tongue and it shows up in his face and you’re not even paying attention to him!!

“really? thought i was him for a second.”

ok now that got you to stop eating

????

why is he acting weird

taehyung looks even more irked because you look sO oblivious right now

“do you call everyone angel?”

o-oh where is this going

“uhm-”

you’re not even finished and to be honest you’re quite lost and taehyung sCOFFS you to the next century

“‘course you do.”

taehyung angrily finishes his meal and you leave it at that because ok maybe he had a bad day?? and he’s just taking it out on you??

and well tae DOESN’T want you to leave it at that

he wants you to ASK him why he’s mad!!! he’s passive-aggressive and it’s getting unhealthy but he’d rather choke than have him spill whatever he’s feeling

the next few days, taehyung avoids you like his LIFE depended on it

you’re not really bothered by it because he has his days, but this one’s just getting out of control

“are you giving me a time-out or something??”

lmao what did u do now

you nudge him when you see him by changbin’s apartment to borrow an easel even though he’s already got it by his apartment

yeah he’s mad at you and he’s petty but maybe he wants to see you again

tae’s giving you silent treatment and you don’t even question him for it

you don’t bother!!

you’re letting him do whatever he wants as always and he dOESN’T like it anymore!!!

he feels like he’s gonna combust at any given time and you don’t give a shit and he feels like yOU should give a shit because you always do!!

you always hover and worry around him but wHY does he feel like you’re not doing it anymore??

why does he yEARN FOR YOU???

it’s quite an an early night for you

you love biochem but sometimes it kicks your ass and it makes you retch at the mention of all-nighters nowadays!! bc they used to be fun but now doing them because you nEED to?? no thx

you’re already in your pajamas and you’re all washed up!! what could changbin need from you at 9 in the evening??

there’s an urgent knocking on your door and you resist the need to groan because you were about to really knock yourself out!! you need to get back all the rest you’ve wasted over your own final project

is that-

“taehyung?”

the man in question is in his huge yellow hoodie that swallows him up every time and he looks positively spent

his hair’s shaggy and his eyes are glazed and there’s a pink tint to his cheeks :((

he’s holding a baby hydroflask in his hands and you’re pretty sure that’s alcohol in there lol

“don’t call me taehyung!!”

he immediately snaps and you’re lost as aLWAYS

did he really just walk all the way to your complex to snAp at you??

“i’m not taehyung,” he frowns deeply and that’s when you’re a bit more mesmerized, “i’m angel.”

is this what you think it is??

your no.1 deflection move is to laugH and you’re doing that rn

something about this whole situation tickles you funny and you’re not sure what to feel about it

“i like your bottle!! i should get one for myself!!”

he could see right through you though

he ignores your stOOpid statements and goes to hold your hands :((

“no, no. i’m your angel. i-i’m your taehyung, right??”

listen

taehyung is the most confusing being you know and he’s so emotionally constipated that he outperforms changbin but this one,,,

this just feels so different

he’s hugging you

he’s embracing you

he’s burrowing his face to your neck and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t ever imagine what this would feel like :(((

he positively 100% might be in love with you

and you positively 100% might be in love with him too

he’s fishing for your hand by your side to put in between your bodies as he shakes it and that’s because he doesn’t wanna let go of the hug

:((((

you’re melting and this what heaven must feel like :((((

“h-hi. name’s kim taehyung and i’m yours.”

#I SPENT A LOT OF TIME ON THIS PLS LEAVE FEEDBACK PLS AND THANK YOU :D #taehyung #kim taehyung #taehyung imagine #taehyung imagines #taehyung x reader #taehyung x y/n #taehyung drabble #taehyung drabbles #taehyung au #taehyung oneshot #bts taehyung #bts imagine #taehyung fic rec #taehyung fic recs #bts fic recs #kim taehyung imagine #requested drabbles

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dontcallmecarrie · 3 years

Text

No Hero [And Not Made Of Stone]

...I’ve got nothing. Not even sure where the idea came from, but as per usual, the moment my brain had an idea it immediately took it by both hands and ran with it so here you go. Name for this AU might change, but for now here have another song lyric [from Five Finger Death Punch’s “Wrong Side of Heaven”]

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe

Warnings: mild profanity, dysfunctional families, a metric buttload of gender and identity issues, because the protagonist is a possibly agender character [their stance on gender can be summed up as “huh, those parts are new. Weird. Moving on”]. Not exactly Tony-friendly at times, but not for the reasons you’d think.

To sum up: haven’t done a SI-OC fic before, let’s see how it goes. Under the cut, because RIP mobile users otherwise.

Justin Hammer’s name wasn’t always Justin Hammer.

He doesn’t really remember what it was anymore, but he knows that much.

Honestly? This ‘memories of another world’ thing was more a pain in the ass than anything else, at least at first.

It might’ve been cool if they remembered something useful— concrete dates, specific innovations, hell, even any tips of what stocks to invest in— but no, they had to get short end of the stick with weird dreams, identity crises, and a longing for a family they’d never had.

Oh, and another round of puberty, because of why the hell not. Like last time hadn’t been enough of a pain in the ass.

Ugh. They wanted a refund.

...okay, so it probably could’ve been worse.

Justin has vague recollections of going to sleep hungry, of huddling with their younger sibling under blankets because their parents couldn’t pay the electrical bill— so really, in the great scheme of things, being born as part of the 1% this round was. Something.

Trippy as hell, is what it was, honestly.

This family was loaded, and under other circumstances, they might’ve even been able to enjoy it— if, y’know, they hadn’t had the incredibly shitty luck of being born two years before Tony Stark.

“Look at what he’s doing, that could be you” this, “study hard, he’s going to be your rival” that— geez, if any other kid had been in Justin’s shoes, he would not have envied them.

If he didn’t already have a firmly established sense of self, it would have been a mindfuck of a childhood because for some reason, his father kept comparing them? And yeah, Justin could kinda see some of the parallels— they were about the same age, both firstborn sons and heirs to their parents’ respective companies— but that’s about where the similarities ended.

Look, Justin wasn’t a genius, okay? He was fairly bright for his age, but...he wasn’t a one-in-a-million prodigy. And, up until he was 6, that had been acceptable.

But then the press went wild because oh, look, Howard’s son built a circuit board at age four, and it all went downhill from there because suddenly, being normal wasn’t good enough. Not for his parents, anyway.

Sometimes, he wondered what would’ve happened if it had been another kid in his shoes— how they would’ve handled the small army of private tutors and the extra classes they kept being signed up for in the hopes of finding something they excelled in.

The pressure of constantly being compared to a once-in-a-generation prodigy, and always being found wanting.

Justin wasn’t afraid of hard work— but it was grating, even for him.

Really, just about the only silver lining to this ‘second life’ thing was his adorable little sister, Stephanie.

She, at least, looked up to him: her gap-toothed smile didn’t hold any expectations for anything other than the piggyback rides he regularly offered, and this time he didn’t even have to worry about medical bills, or—

Anyway.

His family and the Starks run in the same social circles, because of course they do.

Now that he’s getting older, Justin’s being dragged along to all of the fancy shindigs with his parents, and it’s only due to two lifetimes’ worth of self-control that keeps his polite smile from wavering when he’s introduced to the bane of his existence.

“Hi, my name’s Tony Stark.” The little brat said, and Justin bit back a sigh as he shook his hand.

...so, the Stark heir his father wanted to be his rival was a kid. Actually a kid, which just made this mess that much more pathetic because part of Justin had almost been starting to want to buy into this rivalry thing, but.

In this life, and the last one, they’d been an older sibling.

This time, despite everything, he could tell he was softer— he had never gone to bed hungry, never had to worry about the roof over his head, or being solely responsible for his younger sibling’s health and safety— but.

Old habits die hard.

Of course Justin’s father hears “the Starks are sending their seven-year-old heir to boarding school” and thinks “good idea, why didn’t I think of that?”

Of course.

Of fucking course.

Steph had cried when they’d packed their things, and for that alone, Justin would never forgive their parents.

The other brats at boarding school are more invested in the Hammer-Stark rivalry than they are.

...this was going to be a long 9 years, wasn’t it.

One of the perks to going to one of the most elite boarding schools in the world was the options. Certainly, Justin doubted other places offered skiing and fencing and over eleven languages in their electives.

Not that he was complaining: it was definitely a way to keep busy, certainly much better than the constant attempts at one-upmanship that came part and parcel with cramming the richest heirs, heiresses, and honest-to-goodness royalty in one place.

At the end of the day, though, they were all kids. Bratty, entitled little shits who were still at the stage where they constantly went “my father will hear about this!” and Justin had way better things to do with his time than engage in those petty little playground attempts at power plays.

So he dove into everything the school had to offer, bouncing from elective to elective like a ping pong ball, and trying not to think too hard as to why Spanish had come so easily to him, though he’d never studied it before— or why he’d felt a pang when the instructor had congratulated him on his accent.

Somewhere down the line, Justin...kinda made a name for himself? Apparently?

Ugh, they’d never understand these people.

Okay, so apparently he’d kinda become an older brother figure of sorts to the brats around here? Somehow? Even though he hadn’t exactly been planning on doing anything of the sort when he saw an underclassman struggling during practice, or stopped fights before they could start in the common room because he’d just sat down and didn’t have the patience to move all his stuff somewhere else to study.

Didn’t make sense to him, but apparently it was enough for some of the professors to write ‘good leadership skills’ on his transcripts, so whatever.

As a bonus, it made his old man happy. Not that Justin gave a damn about what he thought about him personally, but the increase in his ‘allowance’ [it was in the triple digits, like hell he was calling it that] was nice.

Among the hobbies Justin bounced between, there were a few that raised more eyebrows than others.

Knitting, for instance, was something some of the more annoying brats liked to laugh about. They eased up when they found out he sent the scarves and hats he made to his little sister, but... eh, whatever.

Sewing, too— apparently it was okay if it was framed as a Boy Scout-esque ‘know the basics so you can always be prepared!’ way, but the moment he did any sort of embroidery there went his respectability.

Well, at least nobody gave him a hard time about cooking. But then, his chilaquiles had some of these guys’ eyes watering just from the smell of it, so.

It still didn’t sit well with him sometimes— kinda like how puberty had Not Been Fun on a number on levels, but hey, if all else failed, he could just ignore it harder.

It hadn’t failed him yet.

Stephanie insisted on going to boarding school with him when she got to the age he’d been shipped off at.

It was...nice, having his little sister around again.

It was a good thing Justin had been okay with being designated the heir of Hammer Industries, because Steph was... exactly like he remembered her.

Cheerful, upbeat, startlingly devious and manipulative when she wanted to be, and just a tad bit spoiled.

...okay, so Justin had probably contributed a bit to that last one. In his defense, he’d been doing his best to shield his sister from the staggeringly high expectations he himself had to deal with, but look, he wanted at least one of them to have some semblance of a happy childhood, okay?

Goodness knew he hadn’t [not this time, nor the last].

Stephanie wasn’t interested in the family business, was more interested in pursuing a career in the arts.

Justin, of course, encouraged her wholeheartedly.

Their parents weren’t entirely happy about it, but...wasn’t like they had much to complain about. Not when Justin was always in the top ten of his year, not when the professors practically gushed over his responsibility and work ethic.

He was no Tony Stark, but he’d made a name for himself nonetheless.

“So, we’re supposed to be rivals?” The bane of his existence said once, at yet another gala. “Howard says so, anyway.”

“Seems that way,” Justin shrugged as they pilfered a flute from a nearby table, carefully not commenting on how he’d referred to his father by his first name. Talk about a strained relationship, right there.

“You’re not really acting like one.”

“Well,” Justin sipped at his flute before making a face when he discovered it was champagne and not apple cider like he’d hoped, “it’s nothing personal, just business. Healthy competition, y’know? Someone’s got to.”

Stark eyed him for a moment, before giving him a brilliant smile. “You know, I think I’d like that.”

Justin would never, ever understand these people.

In the time Justin Hammer got his degree in business, Tony Stark got several Ph.Ds.

Not that he envied him: the idea of being shoved into the limelight after losing his entire family? Hard pass.

For some reason, Tony Stark seemed to think they were friends.

Why.

Sure, Justin tried to be as cordial with him as he did with anyone else, but... how on Earth did that translate into being friends?

“You look at him like he’s a kid,” Steph says once, laughing, “you look at all of us that way, haven’t you noticed?”

“Well, to be fair—”

“You’re only a few years older than us, but you keep acting like you’re dad. More like a dad than our actual dad, sometimes,” her smile dropped for a moment, “don’t think I forgot that time he didn’t even call for your birthday.”

Justin made a face. “But what’s that got to do with anything?”

She sighed, then gave him a smile and a look he couldn’t decipher. “You’ll figure it out eventually.”

By the time Justin Hammer became the CEO of Hammer Industries, Tony Stark had held the same post in his company for over half a decade.

Yet...well, something weird was going on.

Maybe it was because Justin’d had more time to prepare for the cutthroat world that was the defense industry, but—

For some reason, he couldn’t help but think Tony was softer than he’d thought.

No-brainer contracts that would have been a cinch to broker, passed over simply because their distributors didn’t pass their incredibly high standards; buyers who wanted in, but whose past associations— very, very far in the past— meant SI didn’t even consider them.

Justin couldn’t understand it.

For someone in the industry, Stark’s morals were...unusual. Respectable, from one perspective, but remarkably naive from any self-respecting businessman who wanted to turn a profit.

He was fairly certain the only reason Stark Industries was considered number one in the sector was because of the constant influx of new designs; they just were turning down too many contracts for him to consider otherwise.

Sure, sometimes Hammer weapons found themselves in the wrong hands— much more often than Stark weapons, regrettably— but it was one of the hazards that came with the business. They’d both known it from the get-go; Stark weapons were considered the best for a reason, even though somewhere down the line, his company’d gotten a reputation for no-frills dependability and ruggedness to the point where unscrupulous individuals would do anything to get their hands on either. Wasn’t like there was anything they could do about it, not when money talked in ways laws didn’t.

Why Stark was so hung up over it, he just. Couldn’t wrap his head around.

Stark was proclaimed dead, and there was strong evidence to indicate the attackers had been using his guns.

...well, fuck.

“This is fine,” Justin muttered as his personal headache proceeded to come back from the dead only to say his company was going to stop doing the thing it was known for and making an ungodly mess in the stock market while at it, “it’s not like it affects me, anyway.”

Overnight, Hammer Industries became number one in the defense sector.

Justin was not a happy camper about the spotlight.

Even more so, when he had to take additional measures so his sister could continue enjoy the privacy she’d had after pursuing her dreams as an artist because the press didn’t want to leave well enough alone.

“You know, you could’ve given me a warning.” Justin scowled when he saw Tony at the next gala.

“You handled it well enough, didn’t you?”

Ugh.

His headache was back, and worst part was, the smile he got more than made up for it.

...and then I kinda ran out of steam.

tl;dr: MCU canon had Justin Hammer as a foil to Tony Stark, here their dynamic is more along the lines of Beethoven and Mozart [one really respecting the other’s genius, and working their butt off to get to that level of respectability and general acclaim].

in this AU, Stark Industries is kind of like Apple— very futuristic high-tech stuff, all the bells and whistles going on, etc, whereas Hammer Industries is the Nokia in this analogy: not fancy in the slightest but as close to indestructible as it gets.

#No Hero [And Not Made Of Stone]#No Hero [Downward Descending]#My writing #character study of sorts #fic idea #fic ideas #3 am musings #kinda #also #does it count if said 'fic idea' is over 2k long?

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latenightsandbrightdyes · 3 years

Text

One Way Or Another

Summary: A misunderstanding interrupts a snowy getaway with your boyfriend and his brothers.

Jungkook x reader.

Angst. Fluff. Some Smutty Activity. Bangtan Shenanigans.

Welcome to a very random drabble that I wrote at some point and just found the courage to post. Thanks to the lovely @xjoonchildx who not only brightens my days with her amazing stories, and witty intellectual lists, but listens to my random nonsense I message her, and answers back with such sweet welcoming encouragement. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

.......................................................

Your heart was racing. Sneakers squeaking out like a beacon on the hardwood floor as you turned a corner, the quick action propelling you forward into a large living room. Your eyes taking in the beautiful room as you mentally curse this gorgeous house in the woods. Feet still moving, trying to find anywhere that could hide you. Hearing his boots on the floor caused your heart to thunder in your chest. Eyes pinging around the room, landing on couches, a glass coffee table, gauze curtains. Nothing that was going to help. Brain apparently on a whole other level, had you exiting the living room. The hallway options were better but still not ideal. You pass up the idea of going upstairs, not wanting to make one of those fatal horror movie cliched decisions. The kitchen was to the left, that was the one place you knew you would be cornered. “This a maze or a house?” You sounded more winded than you actually were, the adrenaline making itself present in the air. His chuckle echoed from behind you somewhere and you squeaked, feet taking off like a rocket to the right. The chuckle got deeper and louder but not closer. He was in no hurry, confident that he would catch you. It wasn’t until the third or fourth slap of your sneakers on stone that you realized you had taken the stairs down. With a shake of your head, you paused unsure of what was down there. It was bright and only got brighter the further down you could see. Your feet slowly and quietly went down another step, then another and another. A noise from above had your head snapping up, as your hand gripped the railing. Your eyes narrowed, “was that...?” The cheeky bastard was whistling One Way Or Another. It felt like your heart was trying to match the beat, and you decided you didn’t care about the echo of your footsteps as you took the stairs quicker than ever. The room was open and brightly lit up with sunlight streaming in through floor to ceiling windows. Only a hot tub in the giant space, currently occupied by two of your friends. “Hey-“ You flapped your arms and aggressively shushed Hoseok, who looked even more startled than he had when you first burst into the room, intruding on his relaxation. “I’m sorry! I-“ Your head snapped up again, hearing boots on the stairs. Your wide eyes scanned the room again before they met Jimin’s amused ones. You hastily whispered “I was never here!” Before running and practically diving behind the hot tub. “What the hell is-“ “SHHH!” You hissed out at Hobi. “Just go about your business, bestie.” The whisper wasn’t as harsh this time, mostly because you felt bad but partly because you were trying to get your breathing under control. As you tucked your legs close and curled into a ball on the floor, you heard his whistling abruptly stop as his boots slapped loudly against the floor, announcing his arrival into the room. Slowly you pulled the hood to your onesie over your head, wishing it was an invisibility cloak. “Hyungs, have you seen my traitor of a girlfriend?” Jungkook’s voice was smooth, too smooth, as the words caused you to shiver. “What... No!” Hobi’s reply was too quick and had you squeezing your eyes shut. Jungkook’s chuckle and mocking “No?” Had you biting your lip. “Funny ‘cause I’m willing to bet you’re hiding the little sneak.” “What’s going on..?” Jimin’s quiet tone was full of confusion as more footsteps could be heard on the stairs causing you to curl into yourself tighter. “C’mon, just accept-“ “Accept what?” JK’s voice lashed out, cutting Jin off. “Accept that my girlfriend played me?” His tone was incredulous and had your heart sinking. “Wait, what’s...what happened?” Hoseok sounded so lost you couldn’t help but tilt your head to the right and look up at him in the hot tub. His hand held out in the air as if indicating Jungkook and Seokjin. A big huff of air was released adding to the already tense atmosphere. “We were just playin-“ “Playing? You and that little temptress were-“ You couldn’t take it anymore and popped up from behind the hot tub. “I couldn’t resist, okay!?” The pleading whine of your voice ricocheted off the walls as all heads snapped to you. Hobi jumped up from his seated position, turning so fast that he hit his knee in the hot tub. “Oh shit!” He hissed. The look on Jungkook’s face as he took a step towards you had you stepping back automatically. His eyes narrowed, “Oh, it’s my fault then?” Your hands flew into the air like you were tossing a pizza, before pointing at him. “YES! Just be glad that I restrained myself. The situation was under control until you-“ “Until I?” Jungkook ripped the beanie off his head, twisting the material with a harsh laugh before yanking it back on. “Nothing is under control if you’re picking anyone over me.” The force of your head shaking had the onesie’s hood falling down. “I didn’t pick anyone over you!” His shoulder lifted as he motioned to the right, “You took Jin hyung up on his offer.” You looked between Jin and Jungkook, “I wasn’t going to... I love Seokjinnie and all, but I love you so much. And you’re so-“ Jungkook scoffed, “But what do you love most, hmm?” Your eyes narrowed, “I do NOT love ice cream more than I love you!” “Ice cream, the fuck?” Ignoring Yoongi, Jungkook took a step, his voice taunting, “Your actions say otherwise...” You almost screamed, “It’s not my fault!” Your hands were moving all around as you ranted. “Jin offered me ice cream if I helped him win, yes, but I wasn’t... I thought about it for like a second. A. SECOND, okay? But then you bent over the pool table in front of me, and your ass was just THERE! I didn’t know where the pool balls were. Or that you were about to hit, and damn sure didn’t know you’d sink the 8ball!” Jungkook mocked your hand motion which had been a bit wide apparently. “Oh, there?” You jabbed your finger in the air at him indignantly, “Your ass looks great in that onesie, so don’t even!” He smiled at you, which is when you finally took notice that he had been slowly moving closer as he provoked you. Eyes narrowed, and head tilted to look for an escape, “Be glad I restrained myself, because I wanted to bite, but instead I only grabbed.” The shift in his body was clear, he hadn’t been expecting that but he sure seemed to like it. A smile played on your lips, “Oh, did you hear something you liked, Jeon?” lightly snapping your teeth at the end. Jungkook suddenly lunged at you, arm out stretched. You squeaked out a laugh as you hopped back and to the right. Your arm reaching the glass doorhandle and yanking it open, before charging out into the cold. The snow under your sneakers made you nervous but you pushed it down as Jungkook’s boots crunched loudly in the snow. You quickly realized you were more trapped outside surrounded by the frozen forest than you had been in the house. Your foot slid in the snow, causing you to start to fall. Decision made for you, you turned and slid even more landing down on one knee with the other leg stretched out into a half split. With your arms out in the air at your sides for balance, you looked up to face your boyfriend. His handsome face was beaming with a victorious smile, his breath creating puffs in the cold air. All black onesie, beanie, and boots overshadowing all the snowy white. It really wasn’t fair how he looked so good in snow. All you wanted to do was launch yourself into his arms but you refused to give up your little game. You reached down and grabbed a handful of snow, ignoring the cold burn before tossing it at Jungkook. You watched as the snow scattered in the air, a few stray clumps only missing him by inches before they fell to the ground. Laughter bubbles up inside you, and you could feel yourself tipping over. Eyes squeezed shut and head thrown back as your laughter danced with the breeze, you gave in falling back into the snow, only to have a strong arm wind around your shoulders, cushioning your head from impact. “Caught you.” Jungkook’s warm hand on your cheek had your eyes opening, His smile brighter than the sun behind his shoulder. You tilted your head to the side, kissing his palm, as you brought your hand up to rest over his heart before your eyes met again. “Hi.” His thumb slid along your cheek, touching the corner of your lips. “Hiya sweetheart.” Jungkook leaned down, and touched his nose to yours. “I knew you were there.” You leaned your head up to soak in the warmth of his breath as your other arm came around his back, nails tracing random patterns on his broad shoulder. “Damn, Hobi is a shitty alibi.” Jungkook chuckled, “Nah, babe, well yeah” he leaned closer, his lips ghosting over yours, “but I could see the reflection of your pink onesie in the window.” “Well fuck me and my hiding skills.” You breathed on his lips. He leaned his head back and to the side, “We can’t really call them skills, now can we, love?” Your nose scrunched up, “Excuse you, I am very skilled in the art of hide-“ Jungkook’s hand came up, and pulled lightly at the zipper of your onesie, stopping once he exposed where your cleavage and the cup of your red bra met. “Very skilled, indeed.” The gasp that escaped you had nothing to do with the cold air hitting your exposed flesh, and everything to do with Jungkook’s hips pushing into yours. You licked your lips as you hooked your legs around him. “We’re both very skilled, some may even say blessed.” His smirk was intoxicating, and the mischief in his eyes had your breath stalling in your lungs. If your hand would have been anywhere else, you would not of known he was up to something. But as you felt his back muscles shift slightly, you looked to his side and saw snow in his free hand. “Gguk…” The breathy tone of your voice had his smirk widening, and his nose wrinkling. He brought his snowy hand up, and over your bare chest, holding it there. Your eyes met, before you both watched his still hand, and the slowly melting snow shifting along his fingers. Your hand tightened on his shoulder, nails biting in as soon as the first drop of snow started to fall. It hit your chest with a searing silence as your lungs tried to take in all the air around you at once. Jungkook caused all of that air to rush from your lungs in the next moment, as he leaned down and slowly licked the melted snow off your chest. His dark eyes on yours, he placed open mouthed kisses along to the next snow that fell, before his hot tongue came out again to lick the liquid up. The shiver that rocked your body felt like it would of been felt through the very earth beneath you. His lips feathered lightly over to your galloping heart, resting there, as he brought his wet hand up to your throat. He tilted your chin up, before using his three long fingers to paint down your throat with melted snow. The whimper that managed to escape your throat was desperate and eager. Jungkook’s answering noise rumbled from his chest into yours, animalistic and proud, as he leaned up tongue starting at your collarbone, and slowly gliding up toward your chin. Snow fell as his teeth nipped at your pulse point. Your legs tightening around his hips, head thrown back further as your hands pulled him as close as possible. Snow forcefully hit your hand that was on his back, causing you to let go of Jungkook and had him pulling back looking down at you confused. Your brows furrowed as Jungkook shifted up onto his forearms quickly, covering you, right before the sound of snow hitting could be heard. You stared at his chest, as realization dawned, then brought your hands up to cover his exposed neck. A slow clap could be heard as the snow stopped. “Playing grab ass in the snow like a couple of horny teenagers!” Jimin’s voice sounded so proud and amused. “Doesn’t feel good having people storm into your private moment, huh?” Hobi taunted as Taehyung’s laugh rang out just before another smash of snow sounded. Jungkook shifted his head to look behind him, your hands tightening around his neck with the movement. “The hell..?” “Just thought you could use some audience feedback,” came Jin’s reply, “Can’t see shit through your big ass head.” Hoseok’s wheeze was unnecessarily loud, and caused your irritation to skyrocket. “That shit’s not cool, bestie!” You called from under Jungkook. “Shit’s not cool to disrupt my down time, AGAIN!” Hobi shot out. “You and Jungkook with your kinky games…” Jin tried to sound disappointed but his laughter was too clear as another snowball hit your boyfriend’s back. “It wasn’t intentional, EX-bestie! This is kinky? Broaden your horizons to match your shoulders, bitch.” Your annoyance had you letting go of Jungkook’s neck to quickly zip up your onesie, then tapping him so he would move off you, which he ignored. As Jimin and Tae’s giggles rang out, you felt Jungkook tighten himself over you just before the thud of more snowballs hitting his back could be heard. Your hands quickly went back up to his neck, only to be met with clumps of erupted snowballs. You quickly scooped as many pieces as you could and tossed them aside. Jungkook leaned back, his eyes dipping down to see you had zipped up, before looking at you with raised eyebrows. Just as he opened his mouth, you saw a snowball hit the back of his head, the broken pieces scattering around him as his head tipped down with the force. Pushing lightly at Jungkook’s chest, he actually moved back this time into a Half crouch half standing position, amusement written all over his face as he extended his hand to you. Once your hand was in his, he effortlessly pulled you up and into his body, still shielding you. “I’m gonna kick their asses.” You declared fiercely. His hand came up to cup your cheek, fingers tucking some hair behind your ear. “I fucking love you.” Jungkook’s voice was like warm honey sticking to your skin. You leaned up on your tiptoes, hands going to his cold wet neck, “I fucking love you too.” Jungkook’s thumb slid down to your chin, to bring your lips together in a quick promise filled kiss. He pulled back as another snowball hit his back. Your glare was instantly back and aimed in the direction of the snowball launcher, even though all you could see was your boyfriend’s strong chest. His radiant smile had you looking up and ignited your own. “Seems like a good day for war.” Your smile turned into a massive smirk at his competitive declaration. “That’s what I’ve been saying all day!” “Tonight, we celebrate.” Jungkook winked as he stepped back and turned to face his brothers, missing the way your eyes lit up. “Oh shit, Jiminie woke the beast!” Hoseok called out, your eyes easily finding him further back from Tae and Jimin, a pile of snowballs on the ground as he used his gloved hands to make more at an alarming rate. Tae was also trying to stockpile snowballs, but wasn’t getting very far ahead. “Was that a toucan!?” Jimin yelled while turning quickly, stomping on more than half of Taehyung’s snowball collection, squinting at the trees. “Stop, Jiminah!” Tae grumbled as he hunched over, hurrying to make more. “Did you hear that?” Jimin said seriously as he turned, kicking out his leg taking out the rest of the pile. “Whatcha hearing, Jimin-shi?” Jungkook asked from your left. You looked down to see him squatted in the snow, sleeves of his onesie pulled over his hands making his own ammunition. “Sounds like Jiminie’s trying to save himself.” Jin laughed out. You hid your laughter behind a cold hand, wondering where you could grab some gloves for you and Jungkook, as Taehyung reached down, pulled up an arm full of snow, and dumped it on Jimin’s head. The yell that pierced the air sounded like a quack and actually caused birds to fly from the nearby trees. “Forget this, I’m going inside!” Jimin shouted as he turned toward the house shaking loose as much snow as possible. The chorus of boos we all let out were quickly accompanied by snowballs launching at Jimin’s retreating back. Causing him to tuck and roll to hide behind a pile of wood. “It was his idea, wasn’t it?” You asked no one in particular. Hoseok nodded and pointed at Jin too. The grin on your face was full of mischief and anticipated victory as you bent down to start another pile of snowballs. Jungkook sending your eyes to the pile he had been working on, as he placed a snowball into each of your hands. “Let’s get it, babe!”

#Jungkook drabble #Jungkook x reader #jjk x you

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kawaii-harrys · 3 years

Text

MAYBE HE HATES ME

Word: 2k+

Synopsis : Your particularly rude neighbor takes an interest in your friend.

TW : None, just that it gets shitty

______

“KEEP YOUR CAT IN CHECK!”, was the first post-it on your door from an angry neighbor after Small Tinkle managed to scratch the neighbor’s door.

“STOP THE FIRE ALARM”, was the second post-it on your door after you had accidentally managed to set the fire alarm.

And since then, there was silence. Although, the smell of the luxurious cooked meal would waft around the hallways at times and you could hear the clattering of crockery too. You had seen him, once. Once when you had to be stuck in the elevator with him after having a shopping spree. He looked like he hated you. After all, the whole time, he did not look at your side, even once and ignored your presence altogether.

Caitlyn was a good friend of yours. To be said, she was the one who listened to you at times like this. She bothered herself with your business and you couldn’t ask for more.

You could easily admit, you were not even near as lucky as Caitlyn when it came to guys. In a room full of people, if someone like Harry had to walk in, he would easily choose Caitlyn, while you would be left behind in the shadows.

She was kind, beautiful, cheerful, and without a second nature. When it came to studies, she was super intelligent. School, music, dance, cutlery, martial arts, and love, she was good in everything. While you could find nothing good about yourself, she was a walking prodigy. You did feel self-conscious when you were next to her. People who you assumed hated you, were kind to her. You didn’t feel like you belonged by your side.

So, today, you were in the cafe you both always met, all alone. You thought it was fair for her since she was stuck with you ever since college started. You even thought the chances of her getting a guy had gone low since she was stuck with you.

When your phone rang, you jumped a bit at the sound. It was Caitlyn.

“Hello?”, you asked, wondering if everything was okay.

“Are you at the same cafe as always?”, she asked through the phone.

“Yeah, is everything okay?”, you asked.

“Is it okay if I bring over the guy I have been seeing for a few days? I want him to meet you”, she sighed at the other end.

You were in a frenzy mode, though. Your hair was all over the place and your skin was blotchy. It wasn’t like you had put in an effort for your looks like Caitlyn did. You were in a gray shirt with mud brown jeans and you wondered if the guy would leave Caitlyn because she had a friend like you.

“I--I mean, if you feel comfortable enough”, you said, knowing there was nothing you could do.

“Alright, we are nearby so we will drop-in in 5 minutes”, she said hanging up the phone. Your glasses were getting foggy due to the steam of the coffee nearer to your face.

You didn’t really feel confident in yourself. Black braided hair, purple rimmed glasses, a copy of a country-themed book by your side, and coffee that looked near beige due to the amount of sugar you used.

Would her boyfriend really like you?

It didn’t matter though. It was their thing.

When the bell at the door chimed, you looked up to see the fair-skinned, blonde, navy blue-eyed girl, that you had always adored and then, there was the guy who lived next door to you.

In a minute both of them approached you, Caitlyn with her big smile and him with just a small one. But when he looked at you, you wondered if he even recognized you.

“Hey Y/n, this is Harry. And Harry, this is Y/n, the most important person in my life”, she said, giving you a big hug.

“Y/n? Aren’t you--”, he stopped mid-sentence as Caitlyn looked at him expectantly. “You look awfully familiar”, he mentioned, looking closely at you.

“Y/n here is very shy around new people. But, she is cool when you get to know her”, Caitlyn babbled.

“Really? I am waiting to get to see her cool side”, Harry laughed along.

“Y/n, I have told you enough times to not braid your hair. You look beautiful when your hair is open, you know? ”, she said, waving a spoon in her hand as Harry called out in the order.

��I just feel comfortable when the hair is out of my face”, you mutter lowly.

“Well, whatever suits you”, she said, dropping her shoulders.

“So, may I ask why your fingers look toasted?”, Harry asked, noticing the burns you had.

“I was just cooking something”, you lied.

Ever since the last post-it note, you had been dropping variety of sweets at his doorsteps anytime you could. Sometimes cookies, sometimes pastries, sometimes jelly. You didn’t want to know who the sender was, since he might get irked off and throw them in the dustbin. You didn’t know what he did with the sweets though, but not seeing them when you returned to get you relaxed for a while.

“Y/n, are you okay?”, Caitlyn asked, noticing the change in energy.

“Yeah, I just have a bit of stress. Miss Evelyn asked me to submit the homework as soon as possible, but I haven’t even started”, you replied.

“Is Miss Evelyn the one who teaches graphics design?”, Harry asked and you looked up at him, easing for a while.

You nodded.

“She can be uptight sometimes”, he laughed. You looked at him for a while. You had been dropping off sweets, hoping to get on his good side, but, all it took was Caitlyn getting him talking to you. It really showed how you were not fit near Caitlyn.

“Caitlyn talks about it all the time. Although she is a Physics major like me, she has taken an interest in Graphics designing”, Harry laughed.

“Hmm”, you nod again.

The rest of the time, it was Harry and Caitlyn flirting with each other all along, not even noticing your presence.

“I think”, you say to grab their attention, “I will go home first. I have some work to do”, you say and grab your purse. “Sorry, y/n, did we make you feel excluded”, Harry asked, with a gentle smile and you shake your head in a ‘no’ and left. Tears pricked at the end of your eyes as you walked down the chilly road.

Small Tinkle needed you anyways. It was time for his food too.

So, you sped your feet in order to reach home sooner.

Your apartment was around the corner so it didn’t really take you much time. As you entered the empty lift, you had an urge to cry out loud. You would be shamed to accept that you were jealous of your best friend; one who was kind enough to be your friend in the first place. But as you unlocked the door, Small Tinkle jumped to your face, making you fall behind.

“Small Tinkle, what’s the matter?”, you asked as you wondered why she was acting such. You thought, she must have escaped through the window to take a patrol. “Oh, are you hungry?”, you said, scratching the cat’s back and as it purred, you smiled and walked in. It was like a miracle, the way she always knew when you felt bad or sad.

“Sorry, Small Tinkle, but you have to do with the dry food again today. I haven’t cooked any meat or fish, you know”, you speak to your cat and you see it visibly sigh, even if it wasn’t possible. “A cat’s life is difficult, isn’t it”, you say jokingly as you lay out the food and water.

You look in the fridge to see if there is anything you can eat, but unluckily, you seem to have finished the last packet of ramen last night, in the spur of the moment. You sigh, not wanting to make a run to the supermarket. Maybe you can sleep hungry today. But, the angrily rumbling stomach wants food. You could order a pizza or a takeout, but, it’s month-end after all.

“Small Tinkle, stay here until I come back in five minutes. Don’t go patrolling today, the weather looks bad”, you say looking at the particular gray clouds out the window.

You re-wear your coat, get your purse and walk down the hallway to the elevator.

The wind has picked up its speed and is even raising the dust. You walk into the supermarket and look for some cheap meals. The instant noodles have at a 20 % discount and the frozen meal some offers on them too. You rush to take a glance at them, but being clumsy for not having eaten for a while, you feel weak and sway back to fall into a hard chest.

“I am sor--”, your words don’t find a way out as you see Harry holding your arms.

“Yo, you are her friend, aren’t you?”, he asked, despite the fact that you both had met just a while ago. You nodded your head again. “Instant noodles and frozen food. Must admit, they aren’t good for your health”, he said, frowning a bit. “It’s the month-end, I can’t help it”, you mutter and he quirks his brows up. “How long have you been relying on this, may I ask?”, he asks waving the box in his hand. “Not your business”, you say, turning away from him, twiddling your hair in between your fingers.

“Means, nearly every day. Am I right? ”, he asks, and you look away trying not to look like a pauper.

“Then you can stop by my house any time you want. It’s nearby”, he says while you push in all the frozen meals in your cart.

“I am not the one to burden anyone”, you mutter under your breath. “Lately, my annoying neighbor has started leaving sweets by the door too. Well, sometimes they aren’t a treat to the tastebuds, but there is way too much that I can’t seem to finish”, he says, walking by your side. Your breathing had visibly taken up speed. “S--So, ask them not to leave them”, you suggested. “I am not the one to pass up free treats”, he says with a bright smile.

As you walk to the counter, he follows you close behind.

“Do we live close to each other?”, he asks and you gulp in your saliva. He had more ravishing raw vegetables and spices in his bag. Maybe he was going to do something good today too.

You notice his eyebrows crinkle when you both get on the same elevator. And he is more certainly shocked when you walk in the same direction. When he realizes that YOU were the annoying neighbor, he was talking about, his face falls. Small Tinkle comes to you when you open the door.

“Missed me?”, you ask her and she purrs. You cradle her to relieve some of the anxiety now that he knows.

“Wait, Y/n, YOU are my neighbor?”, he asks, shock on his face. You nodded again and walked in the door to close it on his face.

He wondered if you already knew that he was the neighbor.

And as it neared 9 PM, the downpour outside, making you crave something warm, you walked into the kitchen to get one of the frozen meals out and microwave it. Just then, there was a knock at the door. You wondered who it could be and walked to it. There stood Harry in all his glory with a casserole. “What happened?”, you asked him, puzzled. “I am really sorry for earlier and as an apology, I thought I could leave you some mushroom ravioli. I have extra, so…”, he trailed off, biting his bottom lip as you smiled.

“It’s alright.”, you said as you let him in. “I was wondering if you were vegan or not. I was even contemplating if you were allergic to mushrooms, but, I didn’t really have much time, so, I hope you understand”, he smiled at you again.

“Thank you”, you smiled at him through your glasses.

“And the next time you are starving, don’t go to frozen meals, you can ask me instead. I make extra for my roommate and sometimes he isn’t around, so…”, you wondered what his obsession was with leaving sentences open.

“I get it”, you mutter.

You wanted to ask him to eat with you, but maybe if there was a chance of a next time, then. Because today, was eventful.

#harry styles fluff #harry styles angst #harrystylesoneshot #harry styles oneshot #harrystylesfanfiction #harrystylesfanfic #harry styles fanfiction #harrystyles #i absolutely hate it #harrystylesfluff #harry styles daily #harry styles

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