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let-it-raines · 4 years

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Catch Me If You Can (33/40)

298 days. That’s how long Killian Jones was away from a baseball field. It’s less than a year, only part of a season for him, but it might as well have lasted a decade as he alternated between physical therapy and spending an excessive amount of time sitting on his couch.

But then he came back and won the World Series.

It’s something no one saw coming, and it’s certainly not something anyone who knows about his arm would predict. Now it’s a new season with new possibilities, and anything could happen. On-field reporter Emma Swan will be there to cover it all even if she is not his biggest fan right now.

Asking her out live on-air will do that.

Rating: Mature

a/n: This is one of my favorite chapters, but then again, like, 25/40 of these chapter are my favorite. Haha. Thanks to @resident-of-storybrooke for reading all of these words what feels like a million years ago!

I apologize for the erratic posting schedule, but it will probably be like that for awhile. I have all of these chapters ready to be posted. I just have to, you know, post them! 🙈

Found on AO3: Beginning | Current

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-/-

“Woah, what are you doing here?”

Emma turns to look back at Ruby standing in the doorway to the living room. She’s already dressed for work, much like Emma is, but she has no idea why Ruby is asking her what she’s doing there.

“Making myself a bowl of cereal?” Emma answers as she pours the Cheerios into her bowl. “Why wouldn’t I be here?”

Ruby’s heels click against the tile floor, and suddenly she’s standing in front of Emma with her perfectly manicured brow raised. “I sleep here. Like, every night. You, however, do not. Is Killian here?”

“No, he’s at his apartment.” Emma walks around Ruby to open the fridge and grab a gallon of milk, twisting the top open and pouring it in her bowl. “I’m here nearly every day, Rubes. I don’t know why you’re so shocked.” She scoops up a spoonful and takes a bite only for Ruby to still be staring at her. “What?”

“You,” she starts, picking up the milk and putting it back in the fridge, “are here most days, but you don’t sleep here. And if you do, there’s usually a scruffy baseball player drinking coffee and making eyes at you in the mornings. This is a rare sight. The guys made the playoffs last night? You two didn’t go out celebrating?”

“We do not make eyes, and nope, we didn’t,” Emma answers quickly before shoveling more cereal in her mouth. “What time do you want to leave to go into the office today? And do you want to go to the Stadium directly after? Or should we come back here first?”

Ruby’s eyes squint, suspicion obvious in them, and Emma is sure that she’s not going to make it to work this morning without an even more thorough interrogation. That’s exactly why she came here last night after the game instead of going to Liam and Elsa’s. She didn’t want to have everyone asking how her day went or how she’s still dealing with things. There was always a chance that Ruby and Graham would be in the living room awake when she got home, but since Ruby was able to leave the stadium far before Emma was last night, she figured that she had a chance of sneaking in unnoticed.

She did.

This is her first time actually seeing Ruby since Thursday night of last week, and she just knows that Ruby is chomping at the bit to talk more about everything that’s happened.

After all of the stares and cat calls that Emma got yesterday, she doesn’t have the energy to talk about it. Not to David or Elsa or Ruby.

Not to Killian.

She’d texted him and feigned not feeling well, telling him not to worry about her and that she’d spend the night at home.

There’s less than a one percent chance that he didn’t realize that it was lie.

And now she’s kind of freaking out at the implication that she’s basically living with Killian. Emma knows that it’s true, that she’s almost always staying in his apartment to the point that she shopped for groceries for his apartment the other day without even thinking about it, but hearing it in such concrete words freaks her out the slightest bit.

There’s a difference between regularly sleeping over and officially moving in.

It’s been six months. She loves him and wants to live with him at some point, but she’d rather like to keep the option of having her own place.

Possibly. She doesn’t know. It’s…she doesn’t know what she wants right now.

Her mind doesn’t need any extra thoughts running around in there when it’s still running rampant with worry for Killian over how he’s doing and fear of her life getting even more hectic than it was eleven months ago.

It’s already more hectic. She had someone follow her home last night bombarding her with questions about her relationship with Killian. She’s surprised he doesn’t know about it yet and hasn’t called her insisting that he do something to help it stop. What he would do, she doesn’t know, but she knows he would try to do something.

“No, no, no,” Ruby protests, “you’re not getting out of this conversation that easily. I haven’t seen you in days, not even at work, and our texts this weekend are not cutting it for me knowing what’s going on. Are you and Killian okay? Why aren’t you together?”

“Because I’m allowed to spend time on my own,” she bites out, putting her bowl on the counter before crossing her arms over her chest. “Believe it or not, I don’t need a man to survive.”

Ruby practically recoils, hurt quickly crossing her face, and Emma immediately knows that she’s fucked up.

“Hey, hey, Rubes,” she starts, an apology on her lips. “I’m sorry. I didn’t – I didn’t mean to snap at you like that. My mind is all over the place right now. I’ve had a shitty few days, and I didn’t mean to take it out on you. That’s not an excuse, but it’s mine.”

Suddenly, Ruby is reaching forward and pulling Emma into a rough hug, practically smothering her, and all Emma can do is hold on while Ruby rubs circles up and down Emma’s back. Emotion lodges itself in Emma’s throat, and she chokes it back down while holding onto Ruby a little bit tighter.

“I’m so tired,” Emma murmurs into Ruby’s neck. “I couldn’t…everyone just looked at me yesterday like I had a giant tattoo on my forehead telling everyone that I don’t deserve anything I have. And if they weren’t looking at me for that, they were looking at me thinking they knew everything about my life because Killian’s entire past has been splashed out on front pages.”

“How do you know they were looking at you like that?”

“You can just tell. I felt eyes on me all damn day, and now I have to do it again today and tomorrow and pretty much every day for the next month.”

Ruby hums as she keeps rubbing Emma’s back, and Emma doesn’t know what the hell she would ever do without Ruby Lucas. “Remember that time last year when this really hot asshole baseball player asked you out on live television? And remember how stressed you were every time we went out and someone brought it up or every time your name was mentioned online?”

“Yeah,” Emma laughs, pulling back from Ruby a bit so she’s not quite as smothered. “What about it?”

“You made it through that, sweetie. You did. And obviously this is a little different, even if the hot asshole baseball player is still involved, but you’re going to make it through this too. Walsh Osborne doesn’t even deserve to be the trash on the cement. He is lower than that, and he is not going to bring you or Killian down with him, okay?”

“Yeah,” Emma sighs, “okay.”

“Woah,” Graham murmurs as he walks into the kitchen adjusting his shoulder strap over his uniform, “what are you doing here? Is Killian here too? I wanted to talk to him.”

All Emma can do is laugh.

She finishes her cereal, and then she and Ruby leave for the offices, walking the few blocks to their subway station before taking the ten minutes ride to midtown. There’s one camera on her when she leaves her apartment, but Emma ignores it as best she can, making sure not to speak or flash any angry faces. It’s ridiculous, actually, what people will do for the smallest of stories. She’s obviously a journalist, but she would never.

Invasions of privacy like that are a huge deal, and what is anyone really going to learn from how someone looks coming out of their apartment?

Ruby leaves her to go to the fourth floor for some kind of production meeting while Emma rides the elevator up to the seventh so that she can go to her office for a little bit before she has to go to a meeting to talk about the post-season.

Killian: Are you feeling better today?

Emma both smiles and cringes at the text. She didn’t feel well last night, but it wasn’t because she was sick. She shouldn’t have lied to him like that, especially with their history, but she did. She’ll have to fix it tonight.

Emma: Yeah, I am. Can I come over after the game?

Killian: Always.

Emma grins down at her phone before putting it back in her purse and stepping off the elevator. It’s pretty empty, most people not in quite yet, and she takes that as a good sign as she walks the long way around the cubicles back to her closet of an office only to find the last person that she wanted to see standing there waiting for her.

Walsh.

She knew he would be in the office today. David told her that he was under investigation but not fired quite yet. It would take a few days. But still. No amount of mental preparation could have prepared her for the fact that he would be standing outside of her office very obviously waiting for her to show up.

Asshole.

What did she ever see in him?

“What could you possibly want?”

The smile that curves across his lips is downright disgusting, and a shiver runs down her spine because of it. “I wanted to talk about the fact that you’re a bitch, and I’m getting fired because of you.”

Emma scoffs and pulls out her key to open her office door, brushing past him. “Well, I heard that you were simply under investigation, but you’re definitely getting fired after calling me a bitch. That’s against HR policy.”

“Really? HR policy? That’s what you’re going with?”

Could he be any more of a dick?

Emma puts her purse down on her desk and turns to look at him with her arms crossed over her chest, defenses up. This is a man who once made her laugh and who she once thought that she loved. She can’t even see the remnants of that man anymore. She hasn’t been able to in the past three years.

“You fucked up, Walsh,” she states as plainly as possible while trying to keep her voice calm and her anger under wraps when all she really wants to do is slap him. “You thought you got some great exclusive when all you did was write a cheap article spread with half lies you dug into the back alleys of gossip magazines to find and snippets of truth. You can get sued for libel, you know? And since I know you don’t have any particular skills outside of journalism and being an asshole, I’m not really sure what you’ll do when your career goes down the drain. Then again, if you were that good of a journalist, you wouldn’t have slapped your name on the article.”

There was so much shitty stuff in that article, and Emma doesn’t even know how he found out about Milah or the legal dealings of Killian’s accident, but Walsh making unfounded accusations may have been the worst part. He obviously couldn’t help himself.

“You’re so smug. You know that? You’ve always been so damn smug. I always hated that about you, but you were hot enough that I let it slide. Apparently, you’re also hot enough to fuck Jones in an attempt to boost your career. It’s a pity that probably won’t work out. Think about all of the other women who fucked him. What are they doing now?”

Emma flinches and bites the inside of her cheek so hard that she can taste blood. He’s trying to hurt her. He’s already lost. His career is already ruined. The best he can hope for is to work at some cheap gossip mag. The high of knowing he was going to hurt her and hurt Killian obviously pushed him into writing this article, and he figured he could ride on the wave of it.

False articles don’t bring him enough money to ride out the rest of his life.

It’s nothing but momentary fame for him, and honestly, who even cares about the name at the top when all of the information everyone wants is below that?

It’s really damn hard not to slap him right now.

She can barely breathe.

“If you honestly think I started fucking Killian so that I could commentate on a singular game this season, you’re delusional. In fact, I know that you’re delusional. You have always been bitter and petty over every little thing I have done that you didn’t get to do.”

“That didn’t seem to bother you when we were dating. I think you forget that we dated.”

“Oh no, I remember. I remember exactly how demeaning and misogynistic that you were then too. You never congratulated me for any of my achievements. All you did was talk down to me, as if you were somehow better and knew more when we had the same damn job for three years. I have no idea what your vendetta with me is, Walsh. You cheated on me. You betrayed every bit of trust that I had in you. I didn’t do that to you, so I can’t understand what you could possibly still be mad about.”

“You’re so damn harsh, Emma.” She scoffs at that and rolls her eyes while anger practically radiates off of her body. “Hasn’t anyone ever told you to lighten up a little bit? To smile?”

She’s going to get arrested for assault. It’s going to happen. Because there is no way she’s not knocking the teeth out of this bastard.

“You,” Emma spits, straightening her back to make herself eye level with him with the help of her heels, “are nothing to me. You think that you’ve somehow pulled the rug out from under me and that you’re going to take me down while also hurting someone I love, but you’re not. You have accomplished nothing but getting yourself fired. You were waiting outside my office door this morning because you wanted to see the hurt on my face as some kind of sadistic payoff. You’re not going to. I hope you get everything that you deserve in life. Now get the fuck out of my office.”

She expects more of a fight with him with more empty words. He’s never known when to shut up or when the fight is done. But surprisingly, he walks out with a word with his tail between his legs, slamming the door shut behind him so that it shakes in the frame.

As soon as it settles, though, Emma falls down in her chair and hides her face in her hands as she tries to catch her breath and stop the silent sobs from coming. That was too much. This is all too much, and she can’t breathe.

She simply can’t.

Never again does she want to see his face or hear his name.

Never again does she want to allow him to occupy so much space in her mind that it blocks out everything else. He is an asshole who is trying to hurt her, and she has let him.

But he can’t know that. She won’t give him the satisfaction.

Clutching the ring against her chest, Emma sucks in a big gulp of air and turns to her desk as she tries to compartmentalize what she has to do today. She needs to sign this paperwork for her time off requests, go to her meeting, and then get the hell out of this office and go to the Stadium where she can hide away in the seas of people who are going to be there.

One by one. She can do one by one.

(She has to.)

-/-

The Yankees win the game in a shut-out in a little over three hours, probably still riding off of the high of making it to the playoffs. Emma likely is too, even if all she wanted was to be able to go home the entire time and change out of these jeans and heels and into pajama pants.

And she really wants to take off her bra.

Instead, she’s wandering back down the hallways of the stadium to the clubhouse getting ready to do post-game interviews with everyone since she didn’t get any while out on the field. The clubhouse is as crazy as ever after a game, everyone yelling as they talk with music blaring while also being in various states of undress. It used to not bother her to see all of these guys changing clothes or walking around nearly nude (sometimes completely nude if she’s honest), but now that she knows several of them personally, she has to look away and turn her attention to something else.

Will Scarlet is a perfectly attractive man, but she does not need to see him naked. There’s no t a lot of coming back from that.

Quickly, she makes her way around the room to those who are dressed with Jeff following her with the camera and runs through her usual questions about the game, trying to get a little insight. It’s always funny to her which guys give insane insight and treat the game like they’re playing a game of chess and which ones give her little grunts and monosyllabic answers, probably not caring to have to answer her questions along with every other reporter in the room.

Emma gets it. They can be annoying.

Eventually things calm down, the music volume lowering and the yelling stopping as managers and trainers walk to their different offices and some of the players move onto their showers or post-game treatments. Jeff left with the camera ten minutes ago, but she’s still having an in-depth conversation with Booth about their prospects for the Series as well as everyone else in both leagues. He’s always the most insightful after possibly Killian (she’s not biased or anything), and he’s a joy to talk to since he actually doesn’t seem bothered having to be talked to by her.

He’s telling her that he thinks the Dodgers will probably be the last men standing in the National League when someone walks past her and hits her shoulder with force. She turns to see Arthur still walking past as he moves to his locker in nothing but a towel. It’s a huge clubhouse. He had room to walk around, and she knows that he did it on purpose.

Asshole.

Why are men such assholes?

Emma goes back to looking at August only for Arthur to speak up. “So, turns out I was right when I said Jones was fucking you, huh?”

He’s got to be kidding.

There is no way she can interact with this many assholes in a row. There’s got to be some kind of limit.

“So, you think it’ll be a repeat of last year’s Championship?” Emma asks August, ignoring Arthur.

August leans back into his locker and stretches his arms forward to crack his knuckles. “I mean, yeah. Hopefully with the same result too.”

“Hopefully,” Emma laughs. “You guys are undoubtedly the best team, but you never know what can happen over seven games, especially when you may be out of a starting pitcher.”

“I’m hoping he can come back in time and isn’t rusty, you know? Obviously, we have a good line up, but Jones has always been our glue. No one gives a better pre-game speech or rallies us even when he’s done for the night. I mean, damn he’s moody sometimes, but that usually works out in our favor.”

Emma grins as a chuckle passes through her lips at Booth’s spot-on description of Killian.

“You don’t have to talk Jones up to her, you know?” Arthur starts, and Emma’s fists immediately clench at her sides. “She may have slept her way into this room, but I don’t think she’s going to move around to each of us. SoSo, there’s really no need to butter her up.”

“Shut the fuck up, King,” August seethes, getting up from his locker’s seat and walking over to Arthur all the while Emma’s heart starts pounding and the air around her gets a little thicker so that her lungs stop working once again. “Everyone in here knows you’re an asshole who can’t keep his mouth shut, and you should have learned your lesson the last time you decided to talk shit about Emma.”

“What? You’re not interested in the fact she she’s sleeping with Jones? How does everyone still think he’s a hero when he jeopardized our season by lying to us about his injury? And why does absolutely no one find it fascinating that he’s sleeping with the reporter who covers all of our games and no one knew about that too? Because I certainly find it all intriguing.”

Emma can’t hear any more of this. She can’t. she knows that she needs to defend herself, to fight back and not let anyone tell her who she is when they’re all wrong. She knows exactly who she is. She doesn’t need to punch back and yell and scream and cause anything else to happen.

So she runs.

She grabs her things and runs out the door of the clubhouse leaving Arthur and August and anyone else who was in that room behind. Maybe she’d react differently if today had started in some other way. Maybe she would be the one to yell back at Arthur and tell him to stop talking shit about her and too her and to get over his weird feelings over her too.

But it’s been a very long four days, and Emma is tired of screaming words that disappear into the void.

Rounding the corner of the hallway, not entirely sure where she’s going to go, Emma finds a little cut out in the wall next to a set of vending machines and sinks down against the wall until she’s on the cold cement ground with her knees pulled up to her chest and her head resting against her forearms while her fingers clutch at the chain around her neck.

This is not like her to fall apart. Not at all. And yet here she is breaking down next to a machine full of chips and crackers and a melted chocolate bar or two.

Footsteps echo down the hallway, and Emma tries to hide a little further into the wall, hoping that whoever it is won’t see her. But they keep on getting closer and closer until a body is sinking down next to her in Yankee-mandated warm-up pants and a pair of worn-down sneakers that she recognizes.

Will Scarlet.

The realization that it’s him has her leaning into his side as he wraps his arm around her shoulder and his hand rubs up and down her bicep in one of the most comforting touches she’s felt all day.

Emma has got to stop falling apart today.

She’s sure she probably will again when she sees Killian and finally tells him how she’s been coping in the past two days. They can have some kind of pity party together.

“When I got called up from the minor leagues,” Will starts, his voice calmer and quieter than she’s ever heard it, “I didn’t know a soul in New York. Seriously, no one. And I walk into the clubhouse for the first time, nerves consuming me, and the first thing that I see is your boyfriend’s bare ass as he was getting it massaged.”

Emma chuckles, her chest moving, and Will keeps moving his hand against her arm. “I was just thinking a few minutes ago about how you guys don’t know how to stay dressed.”

“No, we don’t,” Will continues. “Anyways, so the first sight that I see is his ass. Congratulations on it, by the way. He’s got a good one.”

“Oh my gosh.”

“It’s true. He does. Anyways,” he starts again, and Emma is reminded of how thankful she is for him. Everyone needs a Will Scarlet in their life. “He is the first soul that I met, and I stuck to him because I didn’t know what else to do. I haven’t always been this outgoing, you know? It’s been a journey. And, I mean, I don’t regret any of it. I don’t regret how I made friends with a guy whose ass I saw before his face and who happened to be going through some really though times off the field. He’s one of the best damn friends I’ve ever had, and he’s part of the reason I’m with Belle. He talked me down from my freak-out when we were getting serious, and I didn’t know what to do. I can never give him enough thanks for that and telling me that being in love didn’t have to burn up in flames.”

Emma leans up back against the wall and Will’s arm then, thankful that she can breathe again as she stares out at the cinderblock wall in front of her. “Why are you telling me all of this?”

“Because you ran out of that locker room faster than I’ve ever seen anyone run while wearing heels, and I know that you’re going through a tough time. I also know that you’re probably freaking out a little bit over your relationship. How could you not? So, I thought it’d be nice to hear a little something nice about your boyfriend.”

“So, you’re being his hype man?”

“Only a little,” Will laughs, and Emma’s stomach settles a little bit more. “I also couldn’t think of anything else to say to cheer you up since I’m sure you’re tired of hearing the same thing from everyone who talks to you. People are assholes, Emma. There’s no denying that, but you can’t let people like King and that ex of yours beat you down. You are damn good at your job, and you’ve earned it. And I can guarantee that if anyone ever talks shit about you and Killian again, I’ve got twenty professional athletes who are willing to back you up.”

“Thank you,” she whispers as she leans her head onto his shoulder. “You’re my favorite catcher.”

“Aww, I bet you say that to all of your catchers.”

“Nope, just you.”

“Good. I get a little bit jealous,” he teases, and Emma’s grin stretches across her lips. It’s a genuine smile, the first one she has felt in hours. “Do you want a ride back home? I can take you so you don’t have to take the train.”

“No, no,” she protests as her legs fall to the ground in front of them, “you don’t have to do that. You should go and get dinner with Belle or something, drag her away from all of those books she is proofreading.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. Thank you, Will.”

“No problem at all, sweetheart.”

-/-

When Emma gets to Killian’s apartment a little over thirty minutes later, she uses her key to go into the back entrance and avoid most of the people out front. She’s tired, even with Will’s pep talk, and all she wants is to be inside the safety and comfort of that apartment and not have to think about doing anything else for the rest of the day.

Killian is sitting on the couch when she walks in, and after slipping out of her heels and reaching up under her shirt to take off her bra, Emma immediately walks over to him and crawls onto his lap, curling around him while his arm comes to support her back and the other hooks under her bent knees.

He’s so warm and smells like the spice of his body wash, and she sighs into it, breathing it all in and reveling in having another set of arms to catch her when she’s falling and feels like everything is slipping away.

Killian’s thumb moves against her bicep, running back and forth in little circles, and she feels him shift her entire body on his lap before the bristle of his whiskesrwhiskers brushes over her forehead.

“Long day?”

“You have no idea.”

“Do you want to tell me about it?”

“Five words: Walsh and Arthur are misogynistic assholes.”

“That’s six words.”

“I added the misogynistic part after I’d already counted the words.”

Killian softly chuckles, and Emma nuzzles a little further into him, her grip on his stomach tightening. “Will and August told me about Arthur. I’m sorry, darling. They won’t do anything about him now because our managers won’t want to lose him before the Series, but hopefully there will be some kind of action taken soon. He doesn’t get to have repeated incidents like that without any consequences.”

“To be fair, you punched him the first time.”

“That I did.” Killian’s hand starts moving up and down the outside of her thigh, and it feels so damn good that her entire body shivers. It’s also what has her leaning back so that she can look in his eyes and see the blue that is written across so many major parts of her life now. “Did something happen with Walsh today too? And don’t think you’re off the hook for last night. I believed you when you said you didn’t feel good, but I know you weren’t sick.”

Of course he knows. Always reading her like a book.

“He confronted me in my office this morning.” Killian’s jaw ticks, and she reaches up her hand to run it across his scruff. She’s too tired for any more anger today. She doesn’t want him to be angry too. “I don’t…he didn’t even make any sense, you know? There’s no reason for him to have done what he did except to hurt me and hurt you since there’s no way he thought he was going to make a lot of money off of this. I think – when he was waiting for me outside of my office, it made me realize that all he really wanted was to finally push me into the ground so hard that there was no way that I’d ever be able to get back up.”

The sigh Killian releases is so loud that she feels it run its course throughout her own body, and his palm stops moving against her thigh before it starts again and moves over all of the curves of her body before Killian is holding her cheek and looking at her like she was the one to hang the stars in the sky and keep them glowing each night.

Being looked at like that will never not cause her breath to still.

“Have I ever told you how incredible you are? Because I…I don’t know how I got to be so lucky to have someone like you in my life. You are walking through fire both for me and because of me, and I don’t deserve that from you.”

“You do,” she promises as her heart does that thing again where it beats a little too fast while her stomach swoops. Emma leans forward and kisses Killian, something slow and lazy and just what they both need. She could spend all day right here in his arms kissing him while everything else fades into the background. “You do, and you’re walking through fire because of me too. We’re in this together, twenty-nine.”

“I think we make a pretty good team.”

“Obviously the best team. We’d win all of the trophies.”

“So many that we wouldn’t even have a place to store them.”

“Oh, well, we can keep them in my apartment because Ruby called me out and said I never stay there anymore.”

Killian raises a brow, a Cheshire Cat grin spreading across his lips. “Well…”

“What?” she laughs, slapping him.

“You really don’t, love,” Killian explains. She can tell he’s holding back laughter. “You’re maybe sleeping over there once a week when you’re not traveling. You’ve kind of taken over my apartment.”

“I have not.”

“I found at least fifteen bobby pins when I was vacuuming today. How do you lose so many of those damn things?”

“It just kind of happens.”

“I found some in the gym. You don’t even go in the gym when you’re here.”

Emma shrugs her shoulders. “Magic, maybe?”

“Yeah,” he laughs as he stands from the couch and brings her up with her while she squeals at the sudden movement, “sure. Something like that. C’mon, Swan. I have missed you terribly these past two days, and I think it’s time you become reacquainted with my bed. It has missed you for at least five days now.”

“For sleeping purposes, right?”

Killian winks at the same time that his tongue runs across her teeth. “Sure. We’ll go with that.”

#catch me if you can #cs fic #cs ff #captain swan fic #captain swan ff #captain swan

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prettywordsyouleft · 5 years

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Through His Eyes - Part 13 [Final]

Summary: Losing your sight after your accident was traumatic, and Jaebum’s guilt of knowing it should have been him instead creates an intricate bond between you both, as you overcome adversity and try to find your way in life again.

Genre: angst / romance

Characters: Im Jaebum x female reader

A/N: This story is emotional and raw compared to some of the content on my blog. It is in no way an attempt to glamourise or undervalue the lives of those who suffer from something similar. This story is purely fictional.

Index: Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13

Jaebum was unable to relax.

Over the last year of your relationship with him, he believed he had mellowed out considerably. You had found yourself when you were apart and only continued to flourish at his side. If anything, you called the shots more than he did.

Which was rather refreshing.

Sometimes he didn’t agree with some of the choices you made, and since both of you were stubborn, it had led to a lot of arguments. Only to end up back in each other’s arms, apologising, compromising, reconnecting.

Jaebum had been adamant about refuting one thing you wished to do, however.

“Come on, like it’ll happen again,” you whined, and he groaned loudly, reaching down to fill Nora’s food bowl and then turning to the breakfast dishes pointedly.

Your arms slipped around his waist soon after, and he paused in scrubbing the plate, your lips finding his bare skin easily. After a series of kisses that led up to his ear, you sighed into him, Jaebum not needing to turn to see the pout now upon your lips. “Just one time, please?”

“I’m not relenting on this,” he announced and for three months, he had successfully stuck to this vow. He couldn’t fathom having you in the same situation as you had been that day. Even if you both agreed that your accident had to happen for you to be this in love with one another, Jaebum still wanted your eyes to see the world that he did. He knew in some sense, you did. Your artwork had been recognised and now you were being offered the opportunity of holding an exhibition. You spent just as many hours working as he did now, sometimes your schedule was fuller than his was. Your paintings and sculpts littered his apartment as much as your own, taking up as much residence as you did in his home.

Not that he minded, he loved whenever you stayed over with him.

But he had to admit your world had grown considerably larger and you weren’t struggling to keep up with it. And that was one of the reasons why Jaebum had eventually been overruled with his protective stance. There were only so many excuses he could use that you couldn’t refute. With the growth of your business-like mind, your tact and articulation exceeded his, presenting him with even a list of reasons why he shouldn’t hold you back from what you wanted.

With the last line of, ‘if anything were to happen, I know you’d be right there’ as a reminder, he had caved, allowing you this one visit.

Jaebum knew that if this went well, you would request more opportunities and that was what accompanied his nerves as he got his makeup done, the realisation that you were dynamic, able to achieve anything you wanted, regardless of how much he tried to ground you.

Once you had taken flight, there was no stopping you.

“It’s going to be fine,” Jackson assured from the seat beside him and Jaebum half-smiled, still unable to accept those words. He had chanted them since waking up this morning, and still, they held no true belief in his mind. He knew he needed it to be fine, a perfect execution with your safety paramount. Sure, onsite accidents had decreased since new regulations came into place after your loss of sight. His company held stringent checks on all places their artists performed now, and Jaebum had been relieved that the concert hall passed all safety checks the day before.

His nerves didn’t dispel, no matter how many reassuring hugs Mark gave him, or firm squeezes of his shoulder that came from Jinyoung. And when you stepped into the bustling environment with the help of his manager, Jaebum’s movement faltered, his eyes holding onto your approach and checking everything that surrounded you as fast as his brain could process.

Why had he agreed to this?

“Noona!” Yugyeom cried as he leapt off the stage towards you, and you grinned, hugging everyone who came your way before slipping into Jaebum’s arms.

You tensed only for a moment, your head snapping up to his, shooting him a reproachful look. “Are you seriously this worried about me?”

“He’s been driving us insane all morning with how anxious he is,” BamBam announced, and Jaebum glared in his younger friend’s direction.

Youngjae chuckled. “I’m convinced you are the most important person in his world after today.”

“Is that right?” you murmured, unable to hide your elation. Jaebum flushed with colour, which you managed to pick up on, allowing him the chance to bury into you. As everyone else moved off, back to their positions in the rehearsal, you gently rubbed circles on his back, soothing his wired body.

Jaebum was exhausted, and he had not even performed yet.

“Relax for me, hm?”

“Easy for you to say,” he retorted, stepping back just enough to look down at you. Now that you were here, Jaebum was conflicted. He felt your effect relaxing some of his physical reaction but his mind was still concerned for your protection.

“If you’re not relaxed then how can I enjoy your performance? You forget how easily I can hear when you’re out of tune or offbeat now. I’ll only be disappointed in myself if I’m the cause to all your fans having a sub-par performance from you.”

He gaped at you. “Y/N, are you playing the guilt trip on me now?”

“No, of course not,” you responded sweetly, a giggle soon escaping you. You patted his arm and then ushered him off. “I’ll be right here, listening on and expecting a good rehearsal from you.”

With a final grumble and farewell, Jaebum headed back up onto the stage, looking out to where you had taken a seat with some of the other staff. You were already animatedly conversing something with his stylist and Jaebum smiled, it was just like you to find a place in any setting these days.

Rehearsals continued for the majority of the afternoon and by the time the last song ended, Jaebum was in a different element. He was no longer fretting about your appearance on set; instead, it had propelled him to put on a better show. The reactions you gave were genuine. He watched all your emotions that you openly showed for each of their songs, laughing with the playful moments in the segments and then rendered speechless with the powerful way he and the six other members performed. Even if it was a dry rehearsal, you were impressed and Jaebum was feeling accomplished because of it.

He knew that taking you on tour now would be something he would no longer fear. Even if something were to occur, you could both face it together.

It was how you had come thus far as a couple, after all.

He didn’t allow himself to focus too much on you when the show actually began. Sure, he would look towards your seat next to where the members’ family sat now and then, grinning when he noticed how bright you looked and the way you fondly held onto his mother’s hand throughout. Jaebum focused on putting his all into his performances, not just for you, or the fans, but for himself as well.

He hadn’t felt this at home on stage since your accident. It was as if having you present could allow him to finally reach for his passion and share it around the arena all night long.

He had been exhausted earlier in the day, but after stepping off stage, he was full of energy.

It was you who was wiped out from the experience.

“I didn’t expect it to take that much out of me,” you admitted as you departed ways from the small gathering after the concert, leaning into his side as he slipped into the driver’s seat of his car. Jaebum glanced at you, leaning in to kiss your head softly. You sighed, your hand moving over his waist and holding him tightly. “It was a success.”

“You told me not to worry,” he reminded you and you sighed, not lifting your head up to face him.

“I’m glad you stopped and allowed me to in your stead.”

He grinned; he had noticed now and then you would slowly look around during the rehearsal, jumping when someone would start banging on something in the stage setup. It would be just like you to take on the universe and ensure him to leave it all to you. He nudged you lightly, starting up the ignition. “Next time, don’t try to take on so much.”

“I’m exhausted mostly because of how many emotions I faced due to your music, not because of that,” you stated, pulling away from your position against him, avoiding the vibration of his chuckles.

Yet you held his hand all the way to your home.

When the car came to stop in the parking lot, neither of you moved to get out of the car immediately, savouring your time together. Jaebum knew your mother would want to have you home tonight. Her concern over you would not always be at ease, even if you were proving to be a capable young woman despite your life changing almost two years ago. It was a mother’s right to worry for her child and in your case, she always would. Allowing you to come out to the concert had been a big thing for her, especially doing so without chaperoning. It was up to him to deliver you back tonight, safe and sound.

That much he would do.

He just didn’t want to say goodbye just yet.

And neither did you.

“What if I went up there, said hello and then came back?”

Jaebum chuckled, shaking his head. “I’ve been with you for most of the day; let your mother have your final hours before bed.”

“If I make an hour, I’m so tired.”

“See, so it’s better you just go home and unwind with her before sleeping. I can come around for breakfast tomorrow,” Jaebum suggested and you let out a small huff of air. He knew that you had conceded, even if you weren’t openly happy about it.

“My bed has space for you,” you attempted and Jaebum leaned over to draw you into his arms, uncaring of the gearbox between you both. “Come stay with me. Mum won’t mind.”

“Not tonight.”

“Why?”

Staring at you, he brushed the hair away from your face tenderly. He couldn’t wait for the time when you would fall asleep and wake up in his arms every day. You stayed over at his whenever he was home, sometimes going an entire week before you trudged back home, albeit with a delighted greeting for your mother when you saw her. You really did love the woman, even if you protested leaving his company every time. It was why he made a point of taking you home even when he didn’t want to let you go.

Jaebum knew your mother had been hinting at putting a ring on your finger lately, her not so subtle answer to allowing him what he craved. Only when you were truly bound to him would she allow you to leave the nest he had first found you within. Back then, your wings were unable to fly to his house, and she had nurtured you more than he could have.

It meant a lot to him that your mother was allowing him the ability to be that strength at your side now.

That’s why he made sure you spent as much time alone with your mother presently. When you moved in with him, he might not be as willing to let you stay away from him.

“You know you have a really bad habit of overthinking and not giving me an answer, Im Jaebum.”

He snapped out of his thoughts with a smile, which you reached out to touch with your thumb. He pursed his lips into you, kissing your hand softly and then undid your seatbelt. “Come on, let me take you home.”

You obliged despite his lack of an answer, swinging your linked arms softly with every step you made together. Soon you were standing outside your apartment and turned to face him, attempting to shoot him a luring smile. He laughed. “I’m not coming in.”

“No? Your loss then,” you tempted and he stepped up to you, hugging you warmly and kissing your forehead. “I’m going to go to bed and dream of someone other than you.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes,” you informed, though you were smiling too much for it to be effective. “Since you don’t want to be at my side tonight, I’ll choose someone else.”

“Suit yourself, Nora will be all too happy to take your spot anyway.”

You huffed again and he laughed. For a moment you were both jovial and then his smile faded, his eyes searching yours.

Even without sight, they were beautiful. The colours, the depth, he had fallen in love with them. In the hallway lighting, he spotted your faint scarring, the lines he had traced upon your face many times over. He had come to love them too.

All of you.

Yet the question remained on the tip of his tongue and he rocked back on his heels, unsure if he should ask it. You placed a hand on his cheek, rubbing it gently. “What is it?”

“Do you ever miss it?”

“Miss what?”

“Seeing the world,” he admitted, watching as you blinked slowly.

And then you shook your head. “No. I don’t any more.”

“Really? Wouldn’t you love to see what’s around you? View the things you haven’t in so long? What about the people you hold dearly in your life now, do you crave to see them at least once more?” Jaebum wondered, holding you back in his arms again. He was confused; he had thought there would be a small part of you that would long for vision of some sort. Some times, on your better days, you could make out vague shapes for moments at a time. That was the extent of your recovery. The doctors had ruled you wouldn’t perform some sort of miracle and gain your sight back.

Smiling again, your hand still on his face shifted, feeling along the strength of his jaw and up his cheekbone. Your fingers lightly dusted over his eyelids that, with instinct, he shut upon your touch there. When you stopped, he reopened his eyes, gazing at you and anticipating your answer.

“I already see enough of the world through you. Why would I crave anything more?”

Leaning into kiss you, Jaebum allowed the tears to fall from his eyes. He never knew what to expect with you sometimes.

But he would take care of his sight as best as he could.

Since he knew you would look through his eyes forever.

The End.

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moonliney · 4 years

Text

I really don’t like her

4.8K wowowow pretty good for the first post if I do say so myself ;)

Genre: Angst with a hint of fluff, Idol!Au

Summary: Yunhee has been BTS’s best friend since they debuted in 2013. 3 years later and stronger friendships than ever, she debuted with her own group as well and is now battling the stress of work, life, and her so called feelings for her best friend Jung Hoseok, also known as BTS very own J-hope. Let’s also mention that she is super naive and does not understand what the fu** love is until a certain girl from J-hope's past comes back.

Really IMPORTANT author’s note and warnings: A lot of “oppa” usage (though it’s meant to highlight Yunhee’s young personality), these are MC instead of Y/N because I’m planning to make a whole series and having names for the girl characters help me keep track so please understand :), might be some confusion in the beginning but it will all makes sense in the end ( think of it like the Reply 1988 korean drama ish), for those who have kept on reading till here, thank you so much and as the great Jungkook said multiple times, “LET’S GET IT”

Inspired by IU “ I really don’t like her” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4fAY-zesnQ

Month December, Year 2016 ~

Hip hop music pounded vibrantly from the practice room as J-hope, Jimin and Yunhee moved effortlessly along the beat of the bass; J-hope with his powerful consistency, Jimin gliding as graceful as an ice skater and Yunhee with her young yet strong charisma looking back at her in the mirror. They occasionally danced together every now and then when they weren’t busy rehearsing or producing new songs. It had been a while though as BTS was rising in fame internationally and Yunhee had just debuted this year from a girl group survival show so schedules were always packed.

“ girl let me know, girl let me know, although I know already everything is over” ~

The once upbeat music suddenly turned solemn and sad as J-Hope ran over to pick his phone up. Jimin turning seductively did a little body wave at the 19 year old girl who laughed, lightly pushed him back.

“ Yoboseyo...Nari-ah?”

Yunhee looked over at J-hope’s shocked face that was blended with confusion as his eyes started glazing, her being so close to him she recognized that as a hint of hurt in those pretty brown orbs. Not less than a millisecond, he blinked and his face now hardened to an expression Yunhee had never seen.

“ No, I’m not busy today…okay, we can go there...yeah just like old times.”

Jimin with eyes wide, scoffed and whispered to Yunhee, “ How likely of him to leave us for Nari noona. After what she did to him, I can’t believe he is agreeing to see her.”

“ Nari?” Yunhee wondered for a second knowing the name sounded familiar but no face appeared in her memory.

“ Nari, remember the one that broke up with Hope hyung for another man. He was so sad about it, he spent days dancing in the practice room trying to distract himself with Dynamic Duo songs.”

“ I can hear you, you know?” J-hope smiled slightly at the younger two who stifled with shock and a little fear of being caught eavesdropping. He then grabbed his jacket and looked over at them with his dimpled smile, “Sorry guys, I’m going to go now. It was nice practice, let’s do it again when we’re all free.”

“ Oppa,” Yunhee spoke up hesitantly as she walked towards him, “ where are you going? Are you going to be okay?”

Some people may have snickered at Yunhee for her bluntness but that was how she was, she had a tendency to say things straight up not on the basis of being rude but more on curiosity and child-like innocence.

J-hope leaned over ruffling her hair, “ I’m fine, don’t worry. I’ll text you when I get back.” He opened the door and walked out leaving the two youngsters alone, both of their expressions filled with concern at the thought of their friend seeing someone who had hurt him so badly.

Later that day ~

Yunhee sat down on the couch with a sigh as she stared out the window of BTS’s dorm. It was getting quite late already, 10:07 PM to be exact and J-hope wasn’t home yet. All of them had schedules in the morning and for both of them to not be at their respective dorms could cause quite some trouble for themselves. She, however, was more worried about her best friend. For the past 3 years of knowing him, she could positively say she knew everything about him and vice versa. She knew the basic things such as his favorite songs and food, how he liked his coffee, and could most likely predict his outfit choice for the day. She also knew the deeper things such as his struggles in making what he considered “perfect” music and the pressure that falls heavily on him if a dance performance was not performed well not only by him but all the members too. However, one thing that seemed to be guarded was his love life. He never spoke about it to her and she had even considered the possibility of him never having a girlfriend as he would have been too busy trying to debut. One rare occasion changed her mind though as Yunhee resurfaced it from her memory.

Month September, Year 2013 ~

It was about 3 years ago when the boys were filming Rookie King and Yunhee was still in high school, their friendship was only 3 months in yet it was possibly the strongest and most friendships Yunhee had ever had. The boys treated her well, most of them seeing her as a little sister with few exceptions here and there specifically, the maknae line who also saw her as a fellow prankster whom they loved to tease.

Humid air filled the warm autumn night as Yunhee walked to their small dorms bringing them dinner; the menu of the night being warm white rice and meat with fresh kimchi to top it off. The boys had just finished filming and she knew they did not have time and money to have a hearty meal so on some days, she would cook more amounts of her dinner to bring to them. Expecting to see 7 pairs of eyes as she opened the dorm’s door, she was surprised to only see 5. The 5 rushed over to her with grins as the scent of home-cooked foods filled their nostrils while she handed them over their dinner smiling at their silliness.

“ Where’s Hoseok oppa and Yoongi oppa?” Yunhee peered around at the tight kitchen. Namjoon engulfing his mouth with his favorite food looking as cute as a hamster, tilted his head at J-hope’s door

Giggling, she walked to the pointed direction opening the door, “ Oppas, I brought dinne-.” She froze as J-hope looked up at her with his swollen teary eyes having Suga next to him with a hand on his shoulder, a sign of comfort. She quickly bowed apologizing and turned to walk out but the sweet voice of J-hope called her name letting her know it was okay to stay. As the young girl turned around, Suga stood up and excused himself out as he gave her a small smile leaving the two of them to stand in still silence, the air conditioning buzzing loudly like it was a full on blizzard.

“Hoseok oppa,” Yunhee spoke up gently as she walked towards him, engulfing him in the most loving hug she had ever given to someone. She didn’t know why she did it or if it was the right thing to do, but her grandmother had always told her that touch was the best form of communication to comfort someone when you didn’t know what was going on. Maybe her grandmother was right as J-hope hugged her back leaning his head on her shoulders. For some reason, this pained Yunhee even more than that time she twisted her ankle and thought she could never dance again. Her oppa was always calm every time she had seen him, yes she knew about his energetic bright side as his fans loved him for and he did have some of those traits in his daily life as well, but sometimes he was quite mellow and serious. Both sides of him Yunhee had loved but this new side of him, the hurt sadness tore at her heart the longer the seconds passed.

Eventually, J-hope let her go but still leaned over to stroked her black hair as he explained the reasons for his tears. Apparently, they had to sing some songs and talked about their past love on the new episode of Rookie King which was not a big deal for the boys except, J-hope had perhaps reminiscent a little too much of his feelings while singing Dynamic Duo “ Solo” leading him to fall into a abyss of what had happened with his past love.

Yunhee now sitting next to him leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder as she listened closely with understanding. The latter had never experienced this so-called heartbreak before but her love of melodramatic movies indicated to her it was painful and possibly the worst thing to experience. With that, she made a conclusion to stay with J-hope that night even though he had protested tremendously worried about her grandmother’s approval. The young girl brushed it off, a hint of her young rebellion showed through her grin and that night, they fell asleep facing each other, J-hope with his wounded heart and Yunhee with the thought to protect J-hope from this girl. In her dreams and reality, she engraved in her own heart that although she has never met this girl, she already didn’t like her.

Present 2016 ~

A rustling of keys snapped Yunhee from her memories as she peered over seeing a tired J-hope walk in slowly until he paused and noticed her.

“ Yunhee? What are you doing here? It’s so late, don’t you have a schedule tomorrow?”

She didn’t know what to say, yes she was worried about him but she worried about the other boys too when they came home late, however, not to this extent. This time it felt like her worries were not only about him coming home late, but Nari, their relationship, what she meant to him and everything in between. Her head started hurting at this new frustration occurring but she ignored it to answer his question, “ Yes, but I was worried. I remember you talked about N-nari ( the name being hard for Yunhee to say) and I… I just wondered when you would be back?” Ending her statement as a question was not the move, she thought groaning at herself, the headache now being a bigger problem than before.

J-hope smiled gently at Yunhee for her kindness, even at a young age, she always looked out for everyone and made sure BTS were always doing well as individuals and a whole. That is why he felt he had to owe her an explanation of what happened today, positive that the young girl would understand him.

“ Yunhee-ah,” he walked over to sit on the sofa and held her soft hands noticing a slight tremble, “ Are you cold?...No? Okay well I have to tell you something okay?” She looked up at him with her big round eyes and furrowed brows wondering if staying late was a bad idea after all. A moment passed before she nodded, afraid to hear, but as the saying goes curiosity does kill the cat.

“ Nari called me to meet up today because her dad passed away and their family was left with a lot of debt...she is still in college and her mother works at part-time job so they don’t have much money to pay it off and she knows I am the only person who could help her pay off the debt until she gets a job.”

“ So she is using you to pay off her debt?” Yunhee bluntly said with a sour expression.

“ No, didn’t you hear me? She is paying me back after the debt. It’s not like she only wants to reconnect for money, she knew me before any of you did.”

The young girl looked at him aghast and hurt at the fact he would even say that. He had never scowled her before no matter how many times she teased or pranked him with the maknae line, yet one girl from his past, the one that left him so coldy could make him turn against her in an instant.

J-hope seemed to notice her upsetness and started to feel guilty himself, “Yunhee-ah, you know this is just a nice thing I am doing for a friend. You are so kind-hearted yourself, you should understand this.”

The latter hearing those words directed at her ,as if she was a little child, stood up and looked at him. “ I do understand. You’re looking out for a friend and that is completely fine, it’s your life...wouldn’t want to get in the way of you and your long-time friend.”

“ Yunhee, you’re also my frie-.” “ I think I should go back to my dorm.” Yunhee hated herself for being so petty but at this moment, she was hurt, confused, and worried so with all those negative feelings, it unleashed an immaturity from her. “ I’m going to call my manager to take me home so don’t worry about it oppa.” Smiling slightly at him, she leaned over and gave a quick hug to prove to J-hope she was okay even though she really wasn’t.

Later that night, Yunhee laid on her bed holding the angel necklace J-hope had given her on her birthday. Feeling the little jewels bump against her fingertip, the girl sighed and sat up to grab her notebook. Emotions were something Suga told her to express through music if it hurts too much to say and at this point, she was feeling that as the early bothersome headache had now traveled down and created the worst heartache she had ever experienced.

Next week ~

Laughters and chit chats can be heard from Big Hit’s break room where the staffs and idols come to hang out, eat, or discuss different things like the new scandal that is occurring on the news, what concept would be best for BTS’s new comeback, Yunhee’s new rising fame in choreography to what foods taste best with soju and if Namjoon really lost his 3rd AirPod of the week.

“ I’m telling you, I remember I put it on the shelf before we left to perform and when I came back, it was gone.” The leader said exhaustingly, how he can lose so many things beats him but at this point, he was getting tired, the new AirPods just came out and for him to lose it 3 times already was causing him to worry about his mental state.

The rest of the members and Yunhee laughed and shook their heads knowing quite well this would not be the last time RM misplaced his AirPods.

“ Hyung, it must be a ghost ooooooo.” Jimin said trying to scare RM with the thought of paranormal activities happening in BTS’s very own dorm.

“ Ah, don’t say that. It scares me.” V pouted cutely knowing he was also sharing rooms with RM and any ghosts that mess with the tall man would have messed with him as well.

Yunhee gave the sulking V a pat on the back, “ It’s okay Tae tae, ghosts don’t exist.” Though whether she was trying to convince him or herself, she was unsure.

“ Namjoon, you’re really lucky we’ve been making more money. How can you afford to spend so much on your lost things?” Suga snickered.

“ I told you it wasn’t-” RM paused noticing a lack of reaction from the otherwise talkative member, J-hope who did not hear a single word of what was going on, his face glued straight at his phone screen. “ Yo Hope, I know we see each other everyday but you’ve been nonstop on your phone this week. Yunhee’s here too so at least act like you are in this conversation with us.”

J-hope looked up at everyone who were now staring at him. “ What? Sorry guys, Nari just got out of class right now and was telling me about it. It’s so interesting seeing how people go to college and live their lives being just...normal.” He smiles, not aware of the maknae line rolling their eyes at him.

“ Nari Nari Nari that’s all he talks about nowadays.” V whispered to Yunhee as the latter increasingly grew more insecure. Is that what oppa likes about her? The girl thought to herself. That Nari was normal compared to their everyday idol lives, that she went to school with her friends or maybe had a cute part-time job as a barista and on some days, walked freely around without hiding and lived her life, that she was like new fresh air compared to the tight suffocating industry they worked in?

“ Yah Hoseok, tell me the truth.” Jin now spoke up a bit annoyed by the dancer’s distraction as well. “Do you like her? You talked about her a lot and we know you two had history.”

The previous loud chatters were now replaced with complete quietness and tension as if one little shake could disrupt the whole place as everyone waited for his response.

“ No, it’s not like that,” J-hope reassured them, “I’m over her, like you said what we had was history. Past. Done. I mean she was in my previous dance team so we’ve been sharing a lot of ideas and tips for choreography but it’s the best thing for BTS right now, a new outside perspective on our performance. If anything does occur with us, I’ll let you guys know. Like RM telling us about Luna, I’ll let you guys know okay?”

Some nodded while others mumbled in agreement, still not convinced this was just two friends catching up but it was better to hear from J-hope than nothing at all. One member, though noticed Yunhee’s down look frown so being the good older brother he was, decided to step up. “Yunhee-ah, do you want to go with me to my genius lab? There’s a new song I’ve been working on and I like to see your outside perspective on things.” Suga said smugly jabbing at J-hope’s reference to Nari’s outside perspective earlier.

30 minutes later ~

“ So then, I left because I didn’t want him to tell me anymore about him and his ex girlfriend. Do I want to know more now? Yes. Should I ask though? No.” Yunhee said while walking around crossed armed in the small yet beautifully designed studio.

The pale man sitting down now thinking for a minute before choosing his next words, “Why shouldn’t you ask? Yes, she had been in his life for a while but she left. If you think about it, you and her share the same amount of years knowing him.”

“...because it’s intrusive...and I’m afraid to know what he’ll say.” Remembering how he scowled her last week about Nari knowing him for a long time before any of them did throbbed at her heart, it wouldn’t have been the first time though as his words were repeated in her mind every night she laid awake since. “ They’ve known each other before he debuted and she’s from the outside world...she’s different. Plus she’s a dancer from his old dance team! She could possibly be the best dancer there is...” Sulking even more now, Yunhee sat down on the sleek couch. It had been a while since this so-called low self esteem appeared in her life especially since after debut, she was praised a lot for her strong dance skills and cheery charm but now it felt like none of that mattered in comparison to Nari.

“ Yunhee, I know Hoseok. Yes he might be enjoying time with Nari now but she’s not the one for him. Whether she is a good or bad person, it just doesn't seem right seeing them together. Hoseok deserves more…. but before you ask Hoseok about his true feelings, you should ask yourself that as well.”

Looking at him wide eyed, she repetitively shook her head. “ Oppa! I have no idea what you are talking about, I am just a concerned friend.”

“ So you’re telling me, your-” he stopped looking at the clock, “ 25 minute rant and pile of insecurity lining up in my studio was just because you were a concerned friend? Okay then.”

Yunhee glared at him before proceeding to stick her tongue out. “ Yoongi oppa, didn’t you have a song you want to show me?” “ No, I just brought you here cause I knew you needed to talk. Besides I don’t need an outside perspective on my new song.” The 22 year old boy smirked.

“ Okay, Agu S T D. I need help on this new song I’ve been working on though. I got the verses and bridge part first weirdly enough but I’ve been trying to make a chorus that really sums up everything. It’s going to be in the majority of the song so it has to be good. Please help me out.” Yunhee asked cutely and handed over to him the notebook she had kept in her bag as he flipped to the bookmarked section.

Is she still so great?

Does your heart drop just by a single phone call?...

Why is she calling you when she coldly left you?

It’s frustrating to see you pick up the call too

As I see you go through this, I still stick by you

For that, I’m the bigger fool

I’m the bigger fool for waiting for you

Suga after reading the song lyrics looked up staring intensely at the waiting girl who was also meeting his gaze , “ Oppa? How is it? Do you like it?...Ow!” Her blue notebook tapped lightly against her head by Suga’s hands.“ Yah, what kind of concerned friend writes like that? If I wrote something like this for Taehyung when he is being weird, people would ship us more than Sope….but it is a good song. I can work on the composing with you tomorrow if you can get the chorus done tonight. You’re at the right place, you just need to look further than the song and think thoroughly about what you want to convey.”

The younger smiled brightly and thanked him with a cheeky air kiss leaving the elder to blush and look away constantly shocked by her outgoingness.

Ah Yunhee, Suga sighed, why can’t you see your own feelings too? Why can’t you understand the one that deserves Hoseok is you?

The next day ~

A bright energetic Yunhee bounced on her way to BTS’s studio floor holding her finished lyrics in one hand and an iced green tea in the other. She spent the whole day yesterday thinking about Suga’s words and was finally able to finish the chorus, ignoring the little voice in her mind though about her feelings toward J-hope. She did not want it to ruin her day and after finishing her first full song, she was eager to see it come to life. As RM once told her, “ Better make use of your emotions because it can turn into something beautiful.” She was doing exactly that as she basically jumped out the elevator and headed towards the passcode studio.

A certain doe-eyed boy though stopped her track. “Noona? What are you doing here?”.

“Oh Kookie, hi! I’m going to Yoongi oppa’s, he’s been helping me write a song and I’m soooo excited!” The maknae now looked at her more wide eyed than before with a hint of nervousness as he shuffled around, “ Ah r-really? Okay, well just letting you know... Nari noona is here with Hope hyung.”

“ What?” Yunhee’s blood ran cold like the iced green tea that was condensing in her hand, “Why?” “ He wanted to show her around a bit, they were dancing together in the practice room and..yeah.”

Dancing in the practice room...that was something we did, Yunhee thought miserably. “ B-but it’s our practice room, no one can just go in… it’s fine. Thanks for letting me know Kook. I’m going to go to Yoongi oppa now.” She then proceeded to walk past the worried maknae ignoring the tears welling up as he stared after her, him hoping there was a way Nari would be gone and everything would go back to normal.

Knock Knock...Beep!

The passcode unlocked as Yunhee walked inside quietly setting her things aside. “ Yun yun, did you fi- hey why are you crying?” “ Oppa,” Yunhee broke, running to hug the older male with tears rushing down, “ He’s with her here. They’re dancing together and I’m so sorry, I don’t mean to cry but my heart hurts so much, why does it hurt so much?”

Yoongi cradled Yunhee in his arms, heart aching at the fact that the girl who was always there for them, the bubbly strong girl who never wanted to see anyone hurt was breaking down herself. “Oppa, is she going to replace me?” Suga froze then quickly pulled her back by the shoulder peering directly into her eyes, “ No Yunhee. No one is ever going to replace you, you’re our sister and no one in this entire world can make you go away… It’s going to be okay, I’ll have a talk with Hope but for now stay here and rest a little.” “... no, please I want to finish the song.”

Suga looked at Yunhee who was now standing up to get ready to sing the final touches. They’ve been working for an hour now arranging things together much to his concern but Yunhee had always been the type to get up quickly or in this case, determined to finish what she started.

Yunhee took in a deep breath, this was it. That last verse and then it would be sent to BangPD to see if he liked it or not. She honestly didn’t know if she wanted it to be sent though, the whole song being a little too close to home and personal for it to be her first released one, but some part of her was even more worried what Hoseok would think once he sees it. Would he know it was about him? Would he know her...feelings? Ugh, yes leave it to Yoongi and his damn Pisces energy to make her realize it, but she did in some ways care about Hoseok...more than a concerned friend.

No, she definitely cared about him way more than that. She felt happy when he was happy, she was sad when he was sad. Everything he felt, she took it upon herself to feel twice as much. If there was something on her mind, she would rush to him in less than a heartbeat and he was always the one she wanted to impress out of everybody.

I like him...I like him a lot, Yunhee thought. He helped her become a better person everyday from his caringness and he was the one person who she would give up her dancing for even though her skills were her biggest pride. Yunhee chuckled lightly. Once emotions were opened they really opened the whole way, but now she has to focus and sing. Yoongi has been looking at her weirdly for a while now anyways, so closing her eyes and gathering all her new found emotions, all of the memories she shared with J-hope and the 11:11 wishes she prayed for him, started to use her ethereal vocals and sing the pitiful song.

How much did you like her to be like this?

How much did you love her to be like this?

What was so great about her?

Why are you like this?

How much did you like her to be like this?

How much did you love her to be like this?

How can you make me be in pain?

I’ve never met her but I really don’t like her

Yunhee let out a sigh due to all the pain and ache she had felt released in this song, it was like a part of her was free now. No matter what happens to Hoseok and her, she would trust in fate to do the bidding, as long as she was content and free she was going to be okay. Who knew fate would hear her that very moment though.

Opening her eyes, she glanced up and went stone rigid as the first pair of eyes she met were the most beautiful ones belonging to the recipient of this song itself, Jung Hoseok. And just her luck, standing behind him was also the muse, a small brown hair girl who could only be named as Nari.

Guess this time Yunhee will really have to meet her and see if she likes her or not. Just great.

Part 2 https://moonliney.tumblr.com/post/619869275003453440/35k-of-pure-love-genre-fluffier-this-time

Aaaaand that’s a wrap people! Omg, maybe I should have put a warning that this would be really bad ahshshjsnahkgkfkfk but thanks for reading! feel free to leave comments or ask questions I’m open to answer anything :) quarantine got me being sooo lonely...bye!

#bts x reader #bts fanfic #bts suga #bts jung hoseok #bts angst #bts idol #idol!au #idol!oc #bts #jhope #godilovejhope #bts fluff #bts imagines #bts hobi #bts hoseok

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dolantmego · 5 years

Text

The Fallout

Summary: You've got the chance of a lifetime. Directing the Broadway premiere of an original script. But your two lead actors throw you for a loop. Especially when Ethan Dolan shows up and just about makes your knees go weak. Professional integrity and family drama? What could go wrong?

Warnings: None really. Mention of an impure thought and some family trauma. Not graphic!

A/N: So this is the first part of a series I’m considering, or maybe its just a one shot. I’m not sure. I was feeling inspired. I hope you all like it? (also this is like 10 pages in Word that is CrAZy) The lines are POV changes? I hope that reads?? I didn’t want to write it in, I was hoping it would come across. We’ll see I guess.

Another opnin’...another show…

Slowly the space begins to fill with people. Some are running around in various states of dress, multiple men are swinging around swords, sounds of tools echo through the expansive area, carts and flats are being pushed from side to side and getting tucked away in corners. You take a deep breath try to expel the morning out of your body, the smell of hairspray, wood, and coffee was usually a comforting one. Usually.

A small girl brushes past you--chased by a small boy who almost knocks you over. And slowly the well oiled machine around you begins to fall apart. The children dash under racks of clothes, crew members are swerving around them with furniture, dancers trip and fall, all while the two children continue dashing around maddeningly.

“Edith! Parker! Slow down!” The resident stage mom, chases after the two children with their mic packs. Usually you’d laugh and enjoy watching the older woman try to wrangle the two kids together. But today? Today you definitely weren’t having it.

You look over to your stage manager--LJ--and your lips press into a hard line. The woman, thank god, already has her lips on the god mic. Her booming voice comes through the speakers in the theatre and everything comes to a halt. Except for you, stepping through the crowd to come to the front of the stage.

“Parker and Edith Dolan to the front of the stage please. Parker and Edith Dolan.”

You turn around and give a thumbs up to LJ in the back of the theatre who nods back. She goes straight back into her conversation with the lighting designer who is pointing around and making angry gestures at the catwalk. A brief sense of relief fills you, yes your producer fucked your morning up, but LJ dealt with more crap in a day than you think you could ever handle.

The two children appear next to you suddenly, both already in costume. Edith has her arms crossed over her chest and a grumpy expression over her face. Parker is smirking not so subtly. The two shared the same dark hair and pretty eyes, both were beautiful kids. But their attitudes were really starting to grate at your nerves. Just as you open your mouth to settle the situation, the stage mom comes running up along with your assistant--who looks like a deer in headlights as always.

“I am so sorry Y/N. It won’t happen again. They got away from me and I’ve already called their mother, but she is out of town so their father is on his way but he lives in New Jersey so it is going to take some time. The two brats are fighting again.” She gives them a hard look, “Not that they ever aren’t being awful. Couple of spoiled monsters who can’t control themselves if you ask me.” The children look off to opposite sides of the room and you wrinkle your eyebrows. This really wasn’t what you were in the mood for today. And the glorified babysitter seemed to only be getting worse at her job. You hold up a hand so that nobody else talks and turn back around to call to LJ again.

“LJ! Can you draft up this young woman’s severance papers. Her voice is starting to get on my nerves.” LJ doesn’t even look up from her cue book and gives you another thumbs up. You turn back around and move your ‘shut up’ hand into the woman’s face, who has already begun spluttering. Your assistant hands you your phone and you smile at her, “Thank you. If you could go work with LJ on her schedule for today that would be great.” Your assistant--is it bad that you couldn’t remember her name? The poor thing barely ever spoke--nods and takes off toward the back of the theatre. You put your hand in front of the woman’s face back around the cup of coffee you’re carrying and take the moment of silence to take a small sip of the warm drink. Your eyes never leave her’s, though you know the entire company is staring at the two of you.

“Why are you still here?” You ask with a raised eyebrow.

“You can’t just fire me! My voice isn’t a good reason! I could sue!” She sneers the last word and tries to get up in your face, but you take this opportunity to take another sip of your coffee. The cup goes up in the air between the two of you and she stumbles back like you’ve hit her. Ah ever the undiscovered actress.

You motion to the two kids behind the woman, who both look enraptured with the scene unfolding in front of them. The argument they were having before clearly forgotten as Parker steps in front of his sister. The kids had turned on a dime, one minute they were acting like the 7 and 11 year old you knew them to be, and the next they looked like they’d seen war. Though both of them were in show business, so they probably had. At least you hoped that’s what it was. Haunted looks in children’s eyes were somehow always 1,000 times worse than in anyone else’s.

“You can’t keep an eye on two children. You’re constantly seeking attention and causing issues. You’re a distraction. And I just witnessed you calling them names. Collect your things. Children with me please.” And with that you turned and headed into the audience to the table set up for you to take notes at. Parker takes his sister’s hand and follows behind you quietly. They stand on the opposite side of the table and watch as you sit down and lay out your notebooks and papers for the day.

“We didn’t know she called our parents.” Parker says. His voice was strong for someone so young and you nod, motioning for him to continue talking. “Edith and I were just playing. She told us we weren’t aloud to leave our dressing room at all. But we’ve been here since 8.”

“We were bored.” Edith speaks for the first time and you nod at her. That woman should have been fired weeks ago. You refrain from dragging a hand over your face, the kids hadn’t done anything wrong. Not really. Well they had, but after seeing who had been ‘taking care of them’ in action, you really couldn’t blame them for acting up. You fold your hands in front of you and lean over the table.

“I understand. I’m sure it is very boring for the both of you right now. However, I don’t believe in treating my younger actors like babies. We keep a stage hand with you both so that you don’t get injured around the others. I expect you to listen to them. Running around like you both were isn’t safe. It puts you in danger. The other actors. All the tech people. I know you both are better than that.” You raise an eyebrow and they both nod. The kids were fantastic actors, which was why you had cast them as leads, but they were some of the most curious, adventure-seeking, accident prone kids you’d ever met. “Okay. Now that we’ve got that over with I want to talk to you both about the end of act two? The scene wh--” You’re cut off by the sound of theatre doors behind you flying open.

The kids lean around you and their eyes go wide. A tall man comes stalking down the aisle toward the three of you. LJ stands and rushes over, your assistant scrambles to him as well, and you recognise him as the father you’d met a handful of times. The two women slow his descent toward you considerably, giving you enough time to stand and right yourself.

“Mr. Dolan. I’m sorry about calling you away from work, your children--” He cuts you off as he gets closer.

“Parker. Edith. Lobby. Now.” The kids give you a sheepish look as they brush past you and down the aisle.

“Excuse me Mr. Dolan, I’m LJ the stage manager. We’ve met a couple of times. Of course you remember the director, Y/N. I understand they are your children, but we are about to start rehearsal. You can’t just--” He cuts LJ off with a dark look. And she shuts her mouth immediately. He’s tall, dark, and definitely intimidating. She looks straight to you and you shake your head, motioning that you’ve got this. She throws her hands up in the air and huffs before walking off back to her station at the back of the auditorium. Edith and Parker have halted about halfway up the aisle, curious as ever. Now the man turns his wrath on you.

“Y/N, right? The voice message I was left by you all was completely unfounded. How dare you? They’re just kids! Of course they’re going to get bored. You’re supposed to keep an eye on them. Their contract--” You hold up your hand to cut him off like you had done earlier and his eyes blaze with furry. They were the same eyes that the children had. It would have made you smile, if the eyes across from you now didn’t hold so much hatred.

“Mr. Dolan--” you start

“Ethan.”

“Ethan.” You put your hand down and try a soft smile. “I’m sorry to hear that the phone call you were given was so inappropriate. That staff member has been taken care of. But I will ask you kindly not to use that tone with my stage manager or I. We, like your children, haven’t done anything wrong. The situation is being sorted out. The children are fine, and I’m sure would like to stay for the rehearsal.” You wave at the children up the row who are both nodding and look to your assistant. “Take them backstage and get them fitted for their mics.” She nods and smiles warmly at the children, who follow her quickly.

Ethan settles a bit and looks around awkwardly. You motion for him to take a seat next to where you had been sitting with the children. You didn’t want an angry parent leaving the building, god forbid you give your producer something else to bitch about. He taps his foot nervously and you wonder where the cool, confident man you’d spoken to over the phone multiple times had gone.

“Your children are very talented.” You offer casually, feeling the uncomfortable silence seeping into your skin. He seemed frazzled at about at his wits end, so you’d let him start the serious conversation if he felt the need.

“My children?” The confusion in his voice throws you off. Realization dawns on his handsome face. “No they aren’t mine. Eadie and Parks are my niece and nephew.” Your face screws up in momentary confusion. They look just like him. “They’re my twin brother Grayson’s kids.” He clarifies with a small smile, “They’re great, sadly not mine.”

That made sense, you could see the differences between the men now. The other Mr. Dolan was a bit bigger than the one in front of you, he had a darker tan too. But Ethan had a sort of genuine air about him that his brother lacked when speaking to you. Grayson had been cool and suave in front of you, a goofy dad with his kids--loud as fuck, but the demeanor Grayson had flashed in front of your eyes wasn’t one that held your interest for long. Not that both of them men weren’t handsome, bit you felt yourself getting far more attached to Ethan than you ever were with his brother. It felt like small tethers had formed in the air between the two of you and had slowly began connecting the longer you stood close.

Despite his wistful smile about the children, Ethan carried a small sadness behind his eyes and it makes your heart ache. How such a beautiful man wasn’t already snached up in the 2.5 kids, white picket fence, american dream you had no idea. Suddenly you’re sucked into the thought of what that would look like with the man sitting across from you, and you don’t know it, but he’s thinking the same thing. Would they have Ethan’s eyes? Yours? What would he look like holding such a small baby in his large arms? What would it feel like to be held in his large arms?

You shake that last thought off quickly. It had been too long since you’d been out, you’d definitely let this production take over far too much of your life. Quickly you stand and he does the same, both of you now standing awkwardly in the middle of the theatre.

“Well. It was nice to meet you Mr. Dolan. But I have to be off to start rehearsal.” You hold out your hand for him to shake and he engulfs your small hand in his large one. The warmth and slight roughness to his skin makes you feel things that were definitely not appropriate for this moment in time. Electricity charges between the two of you, and it is Ethan who pulls away quickly this time. Your eyes widen and you rub your hands on your pants nervously. He has got to go. Now.

Right?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ethan hadn’t planned on all of this for the day. He had to cancel his meetings after assuming that he’d have to pull the children out of the entire production and drag their asses back to New Jersey. Luckily he’d even been in town today otherwise he didn’t know what he would have done. Not that he told the woman on the phone that. The ‘I have to drive all the way from New Jersey’ card usually got him intimidation points from other adults. He learned that early on with the two kids.

He didn’t expect the phone call, but what he certainly didn’t expect was to run into the gorgeous director his brother had told him about, Y/N. Grayson had flirted with you on many occasions according to what he told Ethan, but ‘the woman is an ice wall bro.’ Ice wall was far from what Ethan was getting from the beautiful woman. You were hard and strong, sure. And Grayson always liked the sweet women. Ethan liked all women to an extent, but the ones that kept him interested the longest--more than a couple of hours--were the ones he knew could hold their own. And you most definitely had. He was sure he look terrifying barreling down the aisle like a barbaric wall of muscle. The thought almost makes him flush, but he knew he’d do anything for those kids.

He watches you carefully when you stand, ready to rush off away from him he’s sure. Ethan opens his mouth to say goodbye, but stops when he has a better idea. For some reason he’s suddenly very attached to the idea of spending more time with you. And luckily his guardianship of the munchkins currently backstage provided him the perfect opportunity to do so. Besides, if what you’d done earlier when ordering people around with that cool, strong-- and dare he say it--sexy as fuck tone was gonna happen again? Well he really wanted to be around for that.

“Actually. I’m already in the city, and traffic is going to be hell to get out by now. I was wondering if I could stay and watch the kids?” He smiles his most charming smile and hopes it works, because if he could stay, then you would have to take a lunch break at some point right?

“I’m sorry, but these are closed rehearsals.” A voice sounds off behind him and Ethan whips around to see the short woman dressed in all black with her hands on her hips. Shes got 2 pencils in her hair and a headset around her neck, along with the fury of god in her eyes. Ethan turns back around to you quickly and softens his eyes a bit, hoping the look of hope will bring your pity out.

And oh does it work.

“LJ I’m sure it’s not too much trouble. Right? If Mr. Dolan sits in the back? He did have to come in all the way from New Jersey?” Ethan catches the look you give to the other woman, LJ, who rolls her eyes and throws her hands up again like she did before.

“Whatever! God forbid I have control over my own fucking rehearsal.” She mumbles before halting off to the stage to get actors into places. Ethan tenses up a bit, but when he notices the amusement on your face it’s an instant relaxer. The small smile on your lips and sly look in your eyes made his chest tighten, from the leader, to flustered, to the little minx you’re being now, he was sure he wanted to see what you were like all the time. Everyday.

Fuck. Where did that come from?

Ethan usually likes to shake off thoughts like that. After seeing what Grayson and his wife went through, he was far from interested in getting caught up in the same thing. His little brother, his twin, Ethan’s real other half, had suffered so much dealing with that relationship. Neither of the boys ever said her name, the children only vaguely remembered her. Thank god. He’d never forget the call he’d gotten from Grayson. All the looks their little family had gotten afterword. But Grayson was finally starting to get his groove back, Ethan, Cam, and their mom were helping with the kids, and Parker and Edith seemed to be recovering. They were doing their best.

Standing in front of you made Ethan almost giddy. Watching Gray fall apart like he did kept Ethan far from wanting any woman for more than a night or two. If that. It had been 5 years since everything had gone down. He hadn’t been interested in anybody really. Women had tried, and Ethan was no saint. But committing to more than a night sounded like a suicide mission. But, he felt drawn to you in ways he’d never felt with anyone before. He found himself desiring to make you smile. To play with your hair. To see what you look like in the morning. Under him. On top of him.

His thoughts were getting out of hand.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why in the hell had you asked LJ to let him stay? You want to kick yourself, but the hopeful look on his face brings butterflies to your stomach. He does look really sweet. Exhausted and frazzled, but sweet.

“You can sit anywhere you’d like as long as you’re quiet.” You offer him a small smile, and instead of opting to sit in another row he sits right back down in the seat next to yours. You stiffen slightly before holding back a laugh, and take your spot next to him. It felt very fitting. LJ comes walking back downstage and gives you a thumbs up, you grab your notebook and return the gesture, pen in hand.

The lights in the theatre blink to notify the designers to sit and you settle back, comforted in the moments of peace before the show starts. You’d always loved this moment. The room goes quiet and there is a hint of promise in the air for what is to come. It was one of the things that connects you to your job. The idea that everything happens right there before everyone’s eyes, you get one shot. One chance. That’s it. Holding what becomes your baby up for everybody to see is terrifying, which was part of the reason why you kept such a hard ass persona on. It helped gain you respect and get you where you are today.

LJ calls for go, actors enter, and you are instantly scribbling notes down on paper. Frantically writing while trying not to look away from the action onstage. Usually your assistant took your notes, but you had sent her backstage to keep an eye on the children. So you were back to the messy scribbles you’d have to decipher at the end of the day.

During the stumble through, designers come up to you and there are discussions about costumes and lights, sound and sets. You peak over at Ethan and watch him react to the show, but he must notice that you’re looking at him because he turns to you openly and smiles. Just as you’re about to open your mouth to ask what he thinks, the costume designer taps on your shoulder and starts talking wigs on Edith at the same time the sound designer is asking your thoughts on a crash box vs a recording. You hold up a hand to the costumer and turn to answer the other designer, and Ethan snorts. It almost breaks your cool for a moment. Almost.

A while later you all have finally stumbled through to intermission, and that marks lunch break. You sigh back into your chair tiredly. This was one of the most stressful productions you’ve worked on. You’d never done a premiere before. So here you had nothing to go off of other than your own thought baby. Which at times was great, other times you found yourself overwhelmed and exhausted.

“That was amazing.” Ethan says, you turn and look at him underneath the hand that had floated to cover your eyes. You smile at him tiredly, it really was a great show. You had no doubts. You’d worked hard, but you had rules about talking to other people about the work you’d done. Always give everyone else credit before yourself.

“Everyone is doing a really great job. It’s a fantastic crew of people. If you’ll excuse me for a moment I have notes to give before we release for lunch.” You give a hand signal to LJ who has her crew round up the actors. You smile at Ethan before hoping up with your notebook and strutting through the theatre like you owned the place.

The extra sway to your hips may or may not have been on purpose.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ethan watches as you sashay away from him and up onstage. He sits back in his seat and grins. The way you move so confidently just screamed sex to him. He stops. Again. Not an appropriate thought you dickwad. He holds back a groan when you start snapping at some of the actors for fooling around. He watches as you go through things and explain things to people, almost like a teacher fantasy come to life.

What the hell.

When did he turn back into a horny 19 year old kid? Everything you did just made him want to grab you, or let you grab him? Fuck he really wasn’t sure. He decides to focus on his phone instead of you up onstage, do to the impending possibility of a poorly placed boner.

12 missed calls from Grayson

37 texts from Grayson

Fuck. Ethan quickly opens his phone to texts from his brother freaking out about the kids. Ethan hadn’t texted him back after he’d called Gray to explain that he probably had to go remove the kids from the premises. Just as Ethan starts to text, he gets an incoming call from his brother.

“Hello?” Ethan whispers quietly.

“Hello? HELLO? THAT’S ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY TO ME RIGHT NOW ETHAN? WHERE THE HELL ARE MY KIDS? WHY DIDN’T YOU CALL? YOU SAID YOU WOULD CALL.” Grayson got like this a lot with Edith and Parker. Not that Ethan could blame him. He winces at the sound of his brother’s voice cracking on the other end. He’d really been messed up waiting to hear from Ethan.

“I’m sorry! I’m in the theatre right now. It was a misunderstanding. They let me stay to watch the kids perform dude. I’m sorry I didn’t call. They’re okay.” Ethan quickly pulls his phone away from his ear to snap a picture of the two of them for his brother. Right at the moment where Y/N is bending down next to them. Ethan almost groans. You’re beautiful. Strong. And you’re perfect with the two little lights of his life? Fuck fuck fuck.

Ethan can practically hear the tension slip out of Grayson’s body over the phone when the picture sends. He gets up and slips into the lobby as to not disturb the rest of the rehearsal. He doesn’t tell Grayson, but he saves that picture too. The three of you were smiling at each other and the kids looked enraptured with you, somehow Ethan already knew how they felt.

“You should see them up there Gray. They look great.” Ethan can finally talk at a normal level in the lobby, and he straightens to get some walking in after sitting for so long. Grayson sighs on the other end of the line.

“I’m not sure if that was a dig at my ability as a father or a genuine statement Ethan.” He says quietly. Ethan looks down at his feet, truthfully it had been both. But he’d never tell Grayson that. The kids didn’t want to leave New Jersey and Gray was running the LA branch of their production company. It wasn’t like he’d run off, but still. You could see that they missed their dad.

“No Gray,” Ethan takes a deep breath to hold back the tight feeling in his chest. How had they gotten here? “I just wanted to tell you how wonderful they’re doing. Everyone here loves them. Y/N thinks they’re fantastic actors.” When Grayson responds Ethan can hear the emotion in his voice, he misses his kids. But Grayson was the one with the contacts and the ‘in’ in LA. Ethan had tried, but his branch and contacts were here. Thriving at opposite ends of the country was hard enough for the twins, but Grayson also lost his kids in the mix.

“They are great kids.” Grayson comes through the line quietly and Ethan nods even though his brother can’t see him. They had more tense conversations like this one than not these days. Both taking out their frustration with the separation and distance on each other. Ethan knows things will be more normal when Gray comes back into town for a visit, but the tried look never really leaves his brother’s eyes.

Its at that moment when the double doors to the theatre bust open and a two kids pop out from the other side, making a mad dash for Ethan.

“Uncle E! You stayed to watch!”

“Did you like it E-tee?”

“Did you see me in the air? With the thing and I went woosh?”

“Can you hold me?”

The last one had come from Edith, also occasionally dubbed E, after her uncle. Ethan brightens instantly when the kids bombard him and scoops up Edith in his arms, letting Parker attach to his other side. They looked so much like Grayson to Ethan, but Gray saw so much of their mother sometimes it hurt.

“Hey! There are my monsters, my little loves! Guess who's on the phone and wants to hear all about today?” He nuzzles Edith’s face and she squeals, Parker instantly reaches up for the phone and grabs it out of Ethan’s hand.

“DAD!” Parker yells into the phone, and Edith is already squirming out of his arms and running over to her brother--who’s already got his dad on facetime.

“Guys! Share!” Ethan shakes his head as they continue to argue over the phone, before Edith finally wrestles it out of her brother’s hands and takes a seat on one of the lobby chairs. Parker huffs and squeezes in beside her while she rambles on about something that happened earlier.

“You seem to get them pretty well,” a voice from Ethan’s dreams rings behind him and he smiles before even turning around.

“I was there when they were born. I’ve been here ever since. They have a special place in my heart.” He shrugs and turns to face you, “Thanks for walking them out. What time do they have to be back from lunch?”

“They get a long break right now while the adult actors come back for the knife training. Which none of us are needed for. So I was actually wondering if I might join you all?” Ethan smiles even brighter at your question, which makes you smile back. Your smile makes his chest feel weird, but not the same way that the conversation with his brother had. This was different, warmer. And it warms him even more when you blush lightly.

“Lunch it is.”

#okay wow #this is long #this is the long thing #Idk I want to turn it into something longer #maybe #i may or may not have the whole thing mapped out #dolantmego #ethan dolan #ethan dolan x reader #ethan dolan blurb #ethan dolan imagine #grayson dolan x reader #grayson dolan #grayson dolan imagine #grayson blurb #dolan twins #dolan twins imagine

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not-a-space-alien · 5 years

Text

Into the Unknown, Part 13: Appraisal

Series masterpost

On AO3

Brothers, sisters, and siblings. The Lord works in mysterious ways. This letter is being delivered to announce the return of the archangel Uriel, the most Holy servant of the Most High, to reclaim her position in the Host. Arrange a meeting for me with the utmost haste, as I shall be return within a quarter of an hour.

This was the message sent ahead to Heaven, expertly written in Aziraphale’s careful calligraphy and delivered with enough haste to preclude anyone asking questions before the messenger absconded away. It was just ludicrous enough that it might get them to believe it.

If only they could have seen the flurry of activity that happened in the fifteen minutes following the letter’s reception.

Currently, Uriel was catching the tail-end of that flurry, standing outside the gates of Heaven and seeing the squad of angels mobilised to meet her. Victoria stood to her right, a pristine angelic sentinel in immaculate armor. They both had their wings out. They both, to an observer who had watched them fall 6,000 years ago, would be extremely intimidating.

Uriel had once watched a strange movie she didn’t entirely understand because she had heard Crowley liked the series quite a lot. It was Mission Impossible, and she was humming the theme to herself now.

It had a universally empowering type of energy to it.

“Thirty-nine minutes left,” said Victoria, consulting her watch. She rolled her sleeve back down to conceal it.

The gates creaked open. A cluster of warrior angels fanned out into a semicircle around the gates, and the familiar figure of Gabriel emerged from behind them. Kris, with a proper warrior archangel’s aura, followed behind him.

“Well, well, well,” said Gabriel, coming to a stop a dozen feet from Uriel. “I thought for sure that message must have been deception of some kind, and yet here you are… The prodigal daughter, back in her original state.”

The nice thing about Uriel, and what made her ideal for this particular errand, was that she had an impeccable sense of entitlement. And to go along with it, a penchant for convincing people that just maybe anything she said wasn’t quite as ludicrous as it sounded, simply because of the absolute dead-set confidence that she was always right with which she spoke. “A pleasure to see you, Gabriel,” said Uriel.

Gabriel’s eyes shifted over to Victoria. “And I see the archdemon Vycra has returned to us as well. This represents an interesting dilemma, though. There haven’t been more than seven archangels since before the Fall. This is an irregularity.”

“I’m aware,” said Uriel, striding forwards.

Kris moved his sword out to block her, but she knocked it aside with a sneer. “Please.”

Victoria followed Uriel as she waded through the angels, pushing them aside, and none of them were brave enough to stop her.

Gabriel and Kris watched, flabbergasted, before Gabriel shook himself and jogged to catch up to her. “Surely you must realise we can’t let you just walk in?” said Gabriel. “Clearly you’re an angel and not a demon, but you’re still the Adversary.”

“I have God’s favour,” said Uriel. “If you want proof, look to the fact that I am no longer Fallen. I am here for a special Divine purpose, and you shall not keep me from it.”

“And exactly what purpose might that be?” said Kris.

Uriel ignored him and lifted into the air, hovering about a dozen feet up. Just enough to get a sense of Heaven’s layout.

“This is unprecedented,” said Gabriel to her feet. “No angel has come back into God’s favour after falling from the Light.”

Uriel noted the layout was more or less the same as the Heaven she was used to, with the notable exception that the Judgement Hall and the Throne Room were arranged in a line, rather than side-by-side. Would the Book of Life still be kept in the Judgement Hall? Did they have anyone able to interact with it with Uriel gone?

“All will be made clear soon enough,” said Uriel, returning to the ground. She confidently strode forward, Victoria marching at her side, the other angels swirling around them like flabbergasted tumbleweeds.

“I assume you have called a meeting of the archangels in the Judgement Hall?” said Uriel.

“Yes,” said Gabriel, huffing with his jogging. “Kris and I came to escort you there.”

“Excellent,” said Uriel.

She stopped, her feet thumping on the cloudy street. Gabriel doubled over, panting. “The Judgement Hall is over here,” Kris offered helpfully.

“Right,” said Uriel. “I knew that, of course.”

Uriel changed course; the entourage of lesser angels followed them, whispering incredulously among themselves.

Victoria set the pace of the walk towards the Judgement Hall, walking much faster than anyone in Heaven ever did to eat up the hike as quickly as possible, forcing poor clerical angels to jog to keep up. When they were near, Victoria trotted ahead to get the doors. She leaned in to Uriel as she opened them and said in a low voice, “So far so good, just keep being completely insufferable. Twenty-nine minutes.”

Victoria pushed the enormous golden doors open, and they slid to the side and banged into the wall with a thundering boom. Victoria strode in, sword clacking against her armor, with Uriel not far behind, robes fluttering. Gabriel struggled to get ahead of them to take his seat, looking harried.

The remainder of the archangels were seated at their appropriates places on the bench, elevated and looking properly dignified. Metatron and Camael looked more or less like she was used to, and didn’t merit much attention. Agatha—the Archangel of Grace—known as Agares in their home universe: now there was a player she hadn’t considered very much. She had short, ruffled green hair and a hard face filled with piercings. Next to her sat Miriam—baby-faced Miriam, a facsimile of Maltha, lacking all the maturity and battled-readiness and ferocity that marked Uriel’s friend, looking soft and scared.

And there in the center was Lucifer, with his cascades of blonde hair and disapproving, crossed arms. His skin seemed translucent over a layer of liquid light inside him.

Victoria looked a little afraid of him. Uriel had never been afraid of anybody. She had never had the sense of smallness to feel it appropriate to be cowed by anyone, and she saw no reason to start now.

The Book of Life was conspicuously absent; in fact, the pedestal upon which it typically sat was non-existent here.

Kris and Gabriel rushed to take their places, bringing the number of other archangels they faced up to the full, proper seven.

LET US HEAR WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY, said Lucifer. GIVE US SOME CLARITY ON THIS HIGHLY UNUSUAL SITUATION.

Hearing Lucifer speak with his old voice sent a shiver through Uriel’s spine that fell just short of turning into some strong emotion. She shook herself and noted with dissatisfaction her position: she was down in the dais where a soul to be judged would traditionally be held, where the archangels could lord over them.

Uriel tried not to smirk, but she was sure none of these archangels would have before seen the inappropriate behaviour she was about to display, and she was finally just wicked enough to feel good breaking the rules.

Uriel spread her wings and leapt up onto the bench, flapping to spring up and plant her feet directly into Gabriel’s paperwork.

“Excuse me!” the Metatron gasped.

“You’re excused,” said Uriel. She strolled the length of the bench, putting one leg in front of the other languidly, savouring the upset on their faces.

“Speak your matter, demon,” demanded Camael. “This is still a house of the lord, and you shall respect it as such.”

Uriel stopped in front of Camael and squatted to be face-to-face with him. She patted his cheek. “I think you look better with a pair of horns, for the record,” she whispered. “It suits you.”

Camael stared at her.

“I have been blessed with divine favour from our Father the Most High,” Uriel said, standing and breaking out her booming Voice of Heaven voice. “He has raised me from the depths of Hell for a special purpose.”

She stopped in front of Metatron and let a note fall from her hand, then scooted it closer to him with her foot while making eye contact with Gabriel so he wouldn’t notice.

THEN REVEAL YOUR MISSION TO US, said Lucifer.

Metatron picked up the note and started to read it.

“I require the Book of Life,” said Uriel. “I am our Father’s specially crafted servant, the only one who can properly manage it.”

Metatron went pale as a sheet.

Agatha crossed her arms. “Satan, you expect to just walk in here and abscond with one of our most holy relics?”

“I am Satan no longer,” Uriel thundered. “I am highly favoured among man, demons, and angels.”

“We shall see,” said Metatron. “I shall take Satan—Uriel—to the Throne Room and let God pass judgement on her.”

The other archangels looked uneasy. “Metatron, are you sure?” said Miriam.

“Yes,” said Metatron, standing. “Let’s go.”

Metatron stood. The other archangels gathered themselves to follow. Metatron looked panicked and said, “No, I shall escort the Adversary to face her judgement alone.”

The other archangels looked at each other.

“But would it not be proper to have the Host there?” said Miriam.

“We are not one to question the Voice of God…” said Agatha.

“Then don’t,” said Metatron, hurrying out of the Judgement Hall, away from the questioning looks of the other archangels, and Uriel followed.

Victoria caught her eye as she exited and flashed her watch, which read 23:56 and counting.

The Metatron did not say a word until they reached the Hall housing the Throne Room, opening the enormous doors to the antechamber and scurrying inside.

Uriel stepped in behind them, and they pushed the doors shut, then whirled around, waving the note Uriel had dropped for them, which read I know God is dying, and I’ll tell everyone unless you let me have the Book. “How do you know about this?”

Uriel smiled. The group had put their brains together and guessed that, based on the state of the war efforts here, Heaven was probably trying to accelerate the pace for the same reason their own Heaven had. “It doesn’t matter how I know about it,” said Uriel. “Where is the Book of Life kept?”

“Something very strange is going on,” said Metatron. “I demand to know what.”

“You’ll get it back,” said Uriel. “I just need to use it for a few days. No harm will come to it.”

“You really expect me to believe that?”

“I don’t have time to elaborate.”

“I demand to know what’s going on.”

“I don’t have much time, Metatron. I can’t sit down and explain it all to you. I need it now.”

“Surely you don’t expect me to just give it to you?”

Uriel leaned in, scowling her best scowl. “I’ll tell you exactly what’s going to happen, Metatron. One of two things. One, I’m going to walk out of here with the Book of Life, and you’ll get it back in a few days’ time, unharmed, and you can continue on your way as though nothing had happened and forget this anomaly. Or two, we walk back to the meeting of archangels, I tell them all that not only is God not immortal, but He is currently dying, and the Metatron has been hiding it—”

Metatron opened their mouth to protest, but Uriel trucked on over them, “—and you get to watch the entirely Heavenly Kingdom dissolve into chaos, right when you’re on the cusp of war with Hell.”

“You wouldn’t do that,” said Metatron. “I don’t know who—or what—or when you are, because you’re clearly not Satan, but you can’t be the old Uriel either—but you would get no benefit from that. You wouldn’t dare do that.”

“I’m not invested in what happens to your Heaven. I could watch it all burn and not shed a tear. I’ve burned things I cared much, much more about without hesitation.”

Metatron shook.

“So what’ll it be?”

“The Book of Life is in there,” said Metatron, pointing a defeated finger at the closed doors demarcating the Throne Room.

“You keep the Book of Life in the Throne Room?” Uriel scoffed.

Metatron didn’t answer.

Uriel marched towards the door.

“Please remember it holds all of us,” said Metatron. “Don’t let us burn.”

Metatron walked out as Uriel grabbed the handles. Perhaps they just couldn’t bear watching her.

Uriel pulled the doors open.

Well, the Throne Room here was certainly bigger. The Throne Room in her home universe could by no stretch of the imagination be called small, but this one was extended into a hall, and the foremost chamber of it contained the pedestal upon which the Book sat, bathed in holy light.

And there was God, that pillar of fire and light upon the Throne, surrounded by angels and wheels of fire and clouds. He was pulsing painfully, dwindling, and Uriel felt his Divine Essence reach out to punish her for intruding but fall short, in His agony, in His death throes.

“What are you?” Uriel whispered. “What manner of Creature is this?”

A tendril reached out for her.

Uriel scurried forwards and lifted the Book of Life off the pedestal. “I just need to borrow this for a bit.”

She turned and dashed out as the room shook with a great roar. She sprinted out of the chamber, then out of the hall, slamming the doors behind her.

She slowed to a nonchalant walk when she reached the Judgement Hall. Luckily, Victoria was standing by the door, and the warrior spotted her and slipped out.

“Where are you going?” said Gabriel’s voice faintly, sounding affronted.

“I’ve got it,” Uriel said, sounding giddy. The volume took up practically her entire arm span and would have been impossible to miss.

“I see that,” said Victoria. “And we’ve got sixteen minutes to spare. Let’s blow this Popsicle stand.”

“Let’s what?”

“It’s just an expression.”

Uriel kept her pace and started walking towards the exit. Victoria clomped behind her, a hand on her back pushing her along. The sensation of the warm skin of Victoria’s hand through the sheer fabric of Uriel’s toga was oddly scintillating. “Faster.”

Uriel broke into a jog, her little-exercised legs struggling to keep up with Victoria’s demanding pace.

“The fastest I ever got to the gate from the Judgement Hall back home was four minutes,” said Victoria. “Do you want to try and beat that?”

Uriel’s eyes swept the path in front of her unsurely. “I suppose.”

Gabriel emerged from the Judgement Hall, looking at them hesitantly. The other archangels’ voices could be heard echoing behind him.

“You have a good grip on the Book?” said Victoria through the side of her mouth.

“Yes. Why?”

Kris appeared behind Gabriel. Victoria physically picked Uriel up, sprinting towards the gates.

Uriel probably should have been alarmed by the chase, but all she could seem to focus on was Victoria’s strong arms around her waist.

***************

“Come on, come on, come on,” said Aziraphale, checking his watch and shifting from foot to foot.

Aziraphale, they decided, should be the one they let Hell’s representative see, because he was the only angel they knew hadn’t fallen in this universe and that wouldn’t draw too many distracting questions. For now, they were only trying to convince Satan to bring Crowley up to them, so they could wait until then to bring out the surprisingly large guns to get the jump on her. Keeping the exact extent of their firepower secret until then was essential if they hoped to catch her off-guard.

So for now it was just Aziraphale at the meeting spot. The others were out of sight, but they were nearby enough that Hell’s representative would be able to tell someone else was here in case they got any funny ideas about mugging Aziraphale.

“The others” at this point, worrying, did not include Victoria and Uriel, because they still hadn’t returned with the Book of Life despite the countdown to the meeting pushing five minutes. Aziraphale stood empty-handed in the middle of a field of withered grass feeling quite silly, somewhat like a child with no money accompanying a parent to the grocery store when the parent runs off to attend to some last-minute business, and the items on the conveyor belt are approaching perilously close to the point of payment.

He had the same enchanted notepad Ramial had used earlier, and he wrote on it, What should we do if they don’t show up???

After a moment he got a reply back as the words Look up appeared on the notepad.

Relief flushed his system as he did so and spotted Victoria and Uriel flying towards him, the latter of whom carried an enormous tome. He ran over, spreading his arms. “Quickly! Quick!”

Uriel dropped the Book of Life into his arms. He staggered under the weight, which nearly floored him.

“You take good care of that, now,” said Uriel.

“Yes, yes,” said Aziraphale. “Go hide with the others.”

“Aziraphale, we got the Book,” said Victoria, “but Heaven wasn’t too happy about it. We lost them over the southern hemisphere on the way down, but we need to be ready for them to show up.”

Aziraphale cut her off with a head-jerk towards the hiding spot. “We’ll deal with that later, come on.”

The two archangels flew off to the hiding spot he indicated, just nearby enough for their auras to be felt, but far enough away not to be visible in that wide-open space. That left Aziraphale once again alone in the field.

He shifted under the uncomfortable weight of the Book, wondering how Uriel carried it so effortlessly. He set it gently on the ground between his legs, loathe to get the most precious book in the universe dirty, but unable to carry himself with any reasonable dexterity while holding it.

In his right hand, the notepad blossomed the words Here they come. He felt it then, too: the aura of an unfamiliar archdemon drawing near.

“Show yourself!” Aziraphale shouted.

An archdemon rose up from the ground beneath the dry underbrush, without any aplomb, as though they had simply been lying down in the field and decided to stand up.

She was a warrior, Aziraphale immediately saw, and her aura was just similar enough to Victoria’s for him to be able to tell who it was. “You must be the archdemon Vycra, I presume?”

The newcomer clomped through the weeds to come closer. She looked so much like Victoria, it was strange—those angry orange eyes marked her, though. As did the curious tattoo on her neck—it was an eye, with occult symbols intricately woven into its design. “And with whom do I have the pleasure of speaking, angel?”

Aziraphale had always hated it when any demon other than Crowley called him angel. They always said it with such malice and disdain, rather than Crowley’s affection, like they were different species entirely. “Aziraphale, Principality of Great Britain,” said Aziraphale. “Charmed, I’m sure.”

“I’ve been sent up to confirm that you are in possession of the genuine Book of Life,” said Vycra.

“I am, as you can see,” said Aziraphale, both hands pointed to the Book on the ground beneath him.

The eye on Vycra’s neck flared to life. Aziraphale had to suppress a step back in surprise as the pupil began to move around. A new voice spoke out, “Vycra, let me see. Turn to the side so I can see better.”

Vycra obediently pivoted, drawing aside her long black hair to expose the eye better. The ink writhed under the enchantment, then went wide as if with surprise. “That’s it! That’s the real Book of Life! I don’t believe it!”

“We weren’t lying,” Aziraphale said. “As you can see. Now to discuss the matter of the exchange—”

“Vycra, take it.”

Aziraphale’s eyes went wide. “You can’t just take it.”

Vycra looked at Aziraphale hesitantly. “My lord, I detect the presence of multiple archangels nearby, that would seem ill-advised.”

Aziraphale scribbled a warning on the notepad and immediately felt the auras of his companions hurtling towards him at lightning speed.

“Are you my servant or not?” Satan’s voice shrieked, and Vycra flinched at the proximity of the noise to her ears. “Your master desires that Book.”

Vycra stood and leaned away from Aziraphale. “My Lord, he has reinforcements.”

“All that stands between you and the Book of Life is one Principality right now. Cut him down and take it.”

Aziraphale’s eyes flew from Vycra’s tattoo to her face with terror.

Vycra let her hair fall. “That would be unwise.”

“It certainly would,” Aziraphale added.

“Why? Because you’d have to fight?” said Satan. “I command you to retrieve that Book, regardless of personal injury to yourself.”

Vycra faced away from Aziraphale and spread her wings. “I’m sure we’ll be in contact to negotiate,” she said over her shoulder.

“There will be consequences if you don’t do as I say!” Satan shrieked.

Vycra kicked off into the air, the wind from her wings buffeting into Aziraphale. Just as she disappeared behind a cloud, Mykas arrived beside Aziraphale, panting. “Are you okay? Where did she go?”

Aziraphale stood there sweating, shaking with the realisation of how close to death he had just come.

He started as he felt hands on his shoulders, and Maltha leaning in with a calming voice. “It’s okay. We’ve got you.”

“What happened?” said Victoria.

Aziraphale pushed his spectacles up his slick nose. “I—I do believe we’ve proved to Satan we have something she wants.”

#good omens #my writing #my good omens fanfic

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maple-writes · 5 years

Text

Novel Prep Tag

Tagged by @oleander-fricke and @corishadowfang Thanks!!! This’ll hopefully be really useful as I’m still trying to figure out a whole new wip here

So bear with me lol.

Rules: Answer the questions and then tag as many writers as there are questions answered (or as many as you can) to spread the positivity! Even if these questions are not explicitly brought up in the novel, they are still good to keep in mind when writing.

FIRST LOOK

1. Describe your novel in 1-2 sentences (elevator pitch)

Richard, Volt and Skyler, the three person crew of courier ship the Lord of Chaos (working name for now lol) all have someone trying to track them down. As easy as it would be to live their new lives, none of them can run forever.

2. How long do you plan for your novel to be? (Is it a novella, single book, book series, etc.)

Just one book. I wish I had the patience for multiple books but… I do not.

3. What is your novel’s aesthetic?

It’s a little rough in this department, but something along the lines of romanticized space travel, far future society spread across multiple planets, daring heros and cunning villians. Tbh think like… Spatoon 2 Octo Expansion... but in Space.

4. What other stories inspire your novel?

I am currently seeking some inspiration right now lol. But so far I don’t think there have been any specific stories that really inspired this one as much as just like… General ideas that come up in a lot of different stories like the vague notions of space stuff, fugitives, over-the-top skills/abilities, … I hope to find some outside inspiration soon though.

5. Share 3+ images that give a feel for your novel

*photo credit bottom: Xavier Portela

MAIN CHARACTER

6. Who is your protagonist?

Technically I have three planned for this one, but I’ll focus on Richard for now.

7. Who is their closest ally?

Hands down, Volt Powell. He trusts her completely .

8. Who is their enemy?

He wouldn’t really call the Organization (name in the making still lol) an enemy, but he wants nothing to do with him and fears being captured and dragged back since he more or less ran away (and is VERY valuable to them both financially and practically).

9. What do they want more than anything?

To exist as freely as other people without having to hide away out of sight. He doesn’t want people to think he’s dangerous and he just kind of wants to live his life.

10. Why can’t they have it?

The organization that made him is trying to track him down, and he can’t usually leave the ship in populated areas without running the risk of someone reporting him (he’s not exactly human-looking as he was more or less created through a combination of genetics and engineering by what can kind of be considered space mafia/illuminati stuff?? More on that eventually when I have it figured out).

11. What do they wrongly believe about themselves?

That he’s only valuable/most valued for what he can do, not who he is.

12. Draw your protagonist! (Or share a description)

He’s fairly tall, with black hair that is so dark it doesn’t reflect any light. One eye is similar to that of a cats, with a yellow-orange iris and slit pupil that can dilate wider for better night vision while the other looks less biological, and was made to see light in the infrared spectrum (though has broken by the time the story takes place). He has sharp teeth, fingertips that can convert to claws, and antenna-like things by his ears that allow him to kind of... tune his hearing or something. His skin is fairly pale, with a kind of cool-toned complexion like he’d been outside in the cold for too long.

PLOT POINTS

13. What is the internal conflict?

Since he’s kind of like a cyborg with biological and non-biological parts making up his body, he needs semi-regular maintenance, but its been years since he’s last been with the organization and the lack of upkeep is starting to show. He doesn’t want to worry Volt, and especially doesn’t want to worry Skyler, so he tries to keep it to himself, but there’s no question that his body is wearing out and will only get worse without treatment only the organization can give. But at the same time, if the organization were to operate on him, he knows they would replace a part that had been accidentally removed years ago which alters neurotransmitter function that made him easier for them to control and blocked most emotions except anger. So he doesn’t want that.

14. What is the external conflict?

That parts a little fuzzy right now, but it will involve the organization gaining on their tail, the tyrannical prime minister’s daughter (skyler’s half sister) and a tangled web ready to unravel.

15. What is the worst thing that could happen to your protagonist?

The Organization captures him back and turns him back into a tool for extermination.

16. What secret will be revealed that changes the course of the story?

It’s all up in the air right now, so I’ve got nothing for sure yet. But I’m thinking that there may be one person who ends up being connected to more than meets the eye.

17. Do you know how it ends?

No lol.

BITS AND BOBS

18. What is the theme?

Different kinds of love (ie, family, friends, parental, siblings etc…) and ties between individuals.

19. What is a recurring symbol?

I don’t know if I’ve gotten far enough to have that kind of detail known yet.

20. Where is the story set? (Share a description!)

A solar system… somewhere… maybe our solar system… maybe not? Depends on if I want to make up planets or not.

21. Do you have any images or scenes in your mind already?

Yeah some of them, though I can’t be sure how many will actually make it into the story when I start writing. None of them are in any way connected to each other either.

22. What excited you about this story?

I’ve wanted to do a sci-fi thing for a while (my last two wips were both fantasy based) so it’ll be fun to explore the genera. This story also uses characters that I made when I was still a kid (like, elementary school and early high school) and I’m excited to see how I write them- Rick, Volt and Skyler- now compared to when I first made them. This also gives me an excuse to write about things like genetics and other science things that I find interesting.

23. Tell us about your usual writing method!

Well, it’s kind of lengthy but it works. First I get the idea, then flesh out the characters and sort of form a vague story around them. Next I make a point form, chapter by chapter outline of what I think I want to happen. Then I pick a nice notebook and handwrite the first draft from the outline. After that, I review what I wrote, make a few notes and rewrite it on the computer. After all that than I revise, and finally, I edit.

Thanks again, and hopefully I’ll know more about this unnamed wip eventually!

tagging: @esoteric-eclectic-eccentric, @iwritetypos, @pens-swords-stuff, @lilmissravingwriter, @writingbusinessizzy, @writerproject, @urbanteeth, @iamidentical and @thelysstener have fun.

#tag game #novel prep #space reboot #idk what else to call it yet #thanks!

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bakudekuficlibrary · 6 years

Note

do you know any bakudeku fics with jealousy. preferably a jealous bakugou but i think jealous midoriya would be cute too. tysm i love your blog!!!! 💛💛💛

Hello! Here’s a link to the Jealous Midoriya mini-list, and we’ve made some mini-list about Jealous Bakugou fics, but here’s all of the ones I could find together. (Also, since this is about them being jealous, I’m gonna assume you’re fine with there being Todo/Kiri/etc.+Deku moments!)

-Ellie

26 Works.

[On Hiatus] And He Was Magnificent by Skaii, SugarbabyIzuku ( E | 4,134+ | 1? )

Midoriya Izuku is an omega slave, born into a life of subservience. He’s trapped, never to reach his dreams of something more; until he’s thrust headfirst into the world of Bakugou Katsuki, the crown prince of Incendium Kingdom. Now, Izuku must adjust to a new life as Katsuki’s slave—while a war that threatens to shake the land looms on the horizon.

[Graphic Depictions of Violence]

It’s Okay, Quirkless by VMarus ( M | 31,790+ | 14/? )

Izuku just wants to make his mother proud and to be happy with himself.

AU. Quirkless Vigilante Izuku!

SeriesPart 1 of Quirkless, Not Helpless.

[Graphic Depictions of Violence | Major Character Death]

A Challenger Appears by MariaMediaOverThere ( T | 9,467 | 3/3 )

“Oh, so is Midoriya really seeking a relationship like that then?” And for the first time, there’s a crack in Kota’s impassive stance. Vulnerability. But also a glimmer of something excited- hopeful.

“I don’t give a shit, but if Deku were, hypothetically, looking for a relationship,” and Bakugou would be the first to know if he was, as well as the first to line up, and also suspiciously the only one alive in line. “He definitely wouldn’t be trying anything with some shitty high schooler.” Bakugou sneers, not even attempting to mask the distaste in his tone.

“So stick your obvious fanboy crush up someone else’s ass, okay?”

The kid seems to consider this at first before looking Bakugou dead in the eyes, “Well in ten years when your pro hero injuries are forcing you into retirement, this shitty high schooler will have graduated med school and then it will be you versus a hot young doctor with a stable income.”

With an air of finality, Kota shoulder-checks Bakugou while carefully holding the coveted Deku figurine in his possession.

“…Bitch.”

Summer Camp From Hell by LocalTrashBin ( T | 66,875 | 15/15 )

A fight breaks out between Izuku and Katsuki, it’s the straw that breaks the camels back and the two are forced between the option of working in a summer camp together or expulsion.

Let’s just say it goes just about as terribly as you’d expect.

A Nest for the Best by Camellia_Sinensis ( T | 1,007 | 1/1 )

Deku’s been nesting and asking everyone in 1-A for pieces of clothing for his horde. Everyone, that is, except Katsuki. Cue the jealousy.

SeriesPart 1 of Dorks in Love (oneshots)

Capture the Deku! by MimiPancake ( T | 4,343 | 1/1 )

Bakugou and Todoroki fight for the attention and affection of Class 1-A’s cinnamon roll. Maybe this hero exercise can finally end their rivalry and confess to Midoriya

“DEKU SHOULD BE GAY FOR ME AND ME ONLY"

Stay away from him, he’s mine! by AShippingAddict ( E | 12,143+ | 4/10 )

Bakugou Katsuki knew Valentine’s Day was just a day where everyone went crazy trying to make love happen. He didn’t care for it. He especially didn’t care that everyone seemed to want Deku. He didn’t care. It didn’t matter that people were starting to invade Deku’s space. Or that people kept touching him. He did NOT care, not one bit.

Or people flirt with Midoriya Izuku and Bakugou nearly kills someone because he’s jealous.

Mistaken Identity by SasuNaru22 ( E | 23,829+ | 10/? )

Midoriya Izuku, has a sort of small (big) crush on Todoroki Shouto. He doesn’t quite know how to approach him though, so he sends him a text instead. In response, he’s told to do a series of tasks to prove how serious he is about a possible relationship. Everything seems to be going well until suddenly it isn’t. Who the heck has he really been talking to???

Two Sides of the Same Coin by LocalTrashBin ( T | 72,630+ | 9/? )

Dangerous missions across the continent are one thing but dangerous missions across the continent with zero experience, a cursed bracelet and accompanied only by a difficult, hot-headed protector is a whole other story.

Cozy Onsen Confessions by Unoutan ( M | 7,225 | 1/1 )

It’s the second training camp of their second year and it’s in the forests, the mountains area again. It’s not the same place, but Katsuki is closing into himself again…biting at people, even the one who expressed their love and care for him. Izuku reminds his Kacchan that he’s there for him.

(Warning manga spoilers for anime only folks!!!)

Prompt 4: Comfort

SeriesPart 6 of Katsudeku Week 2017

[Underage]

Regret Brought Me Back to You by zairiko ( T | 7,039 | 6/6 )

Where Bakugou Katsuki ruins his already unstable relationship with Midoriya Izuku and Izuku needs a time-out because he doesn’t want to deal with this shit anymore

Arranged by amiluna ( Not Rated | 22,200 | 15/15 )

Izuku knows as a quirkless he will be married off soon…he had hoped it would be to someone he wanted, but then life always messes with him like that. Add in the childhood friend he forgot and you have one hell of a mess for the boy who just wants to decide for himself for once.

Heart-Shaped Distractions by DMMegsie ( T | 3,070 | 1/1 )

To Bakugou Katsuki, Valentine’s day was a waste of time.

Giving people an excuse to be all lovey dovey in public, wasting money on things that would long be forgotten in the weeks to come.

That was, until he entered his second year classroom to see the eyesore around him.

Yūrei no Eiyū by FandomManiac22 ( T | 4,318+ | 2/? )

“If you wanna be a hero that badly, there’s a quick way to do it. Believe that you’ll be born with a quirk in your next life and take a swan dive off the roof!”

When Katsuki’s comment comes at just the wrong time, Izuku takes his advice. But it is not the end.

Alternatively:In another world where Izuku is attacked by the sludge villain on the way to school instead of after it, his dreams get crushed too soon. With nothing to save him and Katsuki’s words ringing in his ears, Izuku decides to end it all by jumping off his school’s roof. As his body cracks on the ground, Izuku does not pass on to the next world. Instead, he is left as a ghost among many others. When the slime villain escapes from jail and attacks the person Izuku can’t help but care for, he learns that there may be more to his afterlife than he thought.

And maybe he can be a hero after all.

[Graphic Depictions of Violence | Major Character Death]

Show me that you care by sof ( T | 3,767 | 1/1 )

“Well? I’m listening,” he said coldly.“You have to tell me what’s wrong, Kacchan. I-I really don’t know what I’m supposed to do. What happened?”“You even have the nerves to ask, you fucking bastard?” yelled Katsuki[…]

Katsuki founds himself dealing with jealousy and has an argument with Izuku, making things awkward and difficult between them.

SeriesPart 3 of The ride of two Rising suns

We Could Always Be Gigantic by sugarby ( T | 7,143 | 1/1 )

Bakugou’s thick, firm hands slide down his face as shame and humiliation mercilessly shower him again. He hates Izuku for doing this to him, for making him feel like absolute shit; the little nerd should feel so lucky to be noticed by someone stronger and better but when the anger settles, Bakugou still loves him. (a.k.a. Bakugou is coerced in to going camping with a few classmates from Yuuei and hears Izuku, who rejected him, won’t be going. Next, Izuku shows up asking for a lift there).

[On Hiatus] Your Only One by iKrazybear ( Not Rated | 14,528+ | 8/? )

Bakugou gets pretty jealous of how much admiration Midoriya has for Todoroki.

He wants the cinnamon roll for himself.. so much that he can’t control his emotions for him.

The Me you don’t know by Dana91 ( T | 1,391 | 1/1 )

Sequel to "Meeting Again”, same AU.

Just a really emotionally constipated Bakugo and a new “Deku” he is not familiar with.Someone should switch off those emotions for him anyway.

SeriesPart 2 of Shiketsu AU

Getting to know each other (Again) by Dana91 ( T | 6,343+ | 3/7 )

It was time to face-off Deku. And maybe, his feelings for Deku too.But that wouldn’t be Katsuki’s style.

Third part of Shiketsu AU series.

SeriesPart 3 of Shiketsu AU

[Underage]

We are in This Together by MaiaMizuhara ( T | 1,425 | 1/1 )

Izuku reached down to curl his fingers around Katsuki’s and softly squeezed them.

“Don’t worry, it’s a move reserved just for you.”

Katsudeku week Day 1 - Teamwork.

SeriesPart 1 of September KatsuDeku week 2017

[Graphic Depictions of Violence]

Anyways, How Long is Your Dick? by Lololsuckadick ( M | 988+ | 1/? )

I read the text on the website, it was a paragraph on Craigslist about how some dude was in need of a roommate to share the bill with.

Oh god, he also wants his roommate to be his fuck buddy too.

Izuku wants a roommate and a fuck buddy, and guess what? Bakugou seems up to it, expect he doesn’t know it’s Izuku, of course.

[Rape/Non-Con]

(Note: I tried to find out if the Rape warning is between Bakugou and Deku, but there wasn’t any information on it.)

We’re Going To Be Victorious by setsujoumayu ( T | 10,875+ | 4/? )

And by we, I mean Yaoyorozu Momo and Jirou Kyouka OR Bakugou Katsuki and Midoriya Izuku!

Oh wait. That’s not how competitions work, huh?

Actually, how does a “who is the best girlfriend/boyfriend to their girlfriend/boyfriend” competition work anyway?

(In other words, Jirou challenges Bakugou’s assumed title of best partner to his partner in Class 1-A because she can. And maybe because she really, really, really likes Yaoyorozu and wants to impress her BUT DON’T TELL YAOYOROZU THAT OKAY.)

A New Hero’s Legend by RenegadeZer0 ( T | 12,349+ | 2/40 )

Two days ago, he was an ordinary boy. Today, he was being offered a chance to save the kingdom. He did say he was ready to be a hero. It was a lot to undertake, but at least he wouldn’t have to do it alone.

[Graphic Depictions of Violence]

Reputation by Narkaoh ( T | 4,351+ | 1/? )

Everyone has a surface reputation to uphold — from regular people, to pro-heroes. It’s all about looking past that surface to see what’s beneath, but if you look a little too long, it might get you into trouble you can’t get out of. Izuku Midoriya has to learn this the hard way.

Alternatively, the “Imagine Me and You,” AU nobody else has written for BakuDeku yet. Fic and chapter titles taken from Taylor Swift’s album “Reputation,” which has easily proven to be the album of my life for 2018.

Karena All Might by Shinku_Tsuuki ( G | 237 | 1/1 )

“All Might kereeen!”

Hari ini pun Midoriya—Deku—sibuk ber-fanboying ria.

(Untuk Drabbletober Day 14: Geeking Over Something)

SeriesPart 14 of Drabbletober 2k17

please don’t read this I’m not done yet by thaler ( Not Rated | 1,833+ | 1/? )

Remember when everyone went off to get training from different agencies? Well in this fic, Gran Torino takes Izuku (and one other mystery person) with him to New York City for mostly combat training and learning the ropes of the world beyond theirs, but some feelings have been aroused by this… How will our precious Deku react to these newly awakened thoughts about our mystery person, and does he feel the same?

How are we doing? We have a Submitter Feedback Form for anyone who wants to give us a piece of their mind! Thank you in advance if you complete it. If you have never sent an ask, but want to give us feedback, we have a Follower Feedback Form, too!

#BakuDeku #KatsuDeku #BNHA #bkdkfl ask #w:violence #w:mcd #rs:pining #w:underage #w:rape #curator ellie

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rosymaplemoth · 6 years

Text

Ten Husbands and/or Wives and/or Significant Others

Thank you so much for tagging me, @aclockworkschime!

LONG POST INCOMING! I’ve put it under a cut for you lovely people.

I’m terrible about tagging people, so if you want to do this, please take this as an invitation!

This is in no order... except for maybe #1.

10) Oscar Francois de Jarjayes (Rose of Versailles) I can’t decide if she’s life goals or wife goals... though seeing her makes me feel like Rosalie, so I’m guessing “wife” goals.

9) Tenjou Utena (Shoujo Kakumei Utena) When I was twelve, I wanted to emulate her so badly. It’s kind of funny, since watching the series as an adult you kind of realize... oh, you’re not supposed to want to emulate a prince, because the system that allows there to be a ‘prince’ in the first place is unhealthy. My view on her as changed a lot, especially since now I can’t help but see her as a teenager instead of the ‘so cool and heroic’ character I saw as a kid. She learns so much over the course of the series, and I’m so proud of her.

8) Asellus (SaGa Frontier) I played SaGa Frontier for the first time in the ninth grade, and I was spellbound by Asellus’ route. The way she struggles with her attraction for Princess White Rose was earth-shattering for me. I think this was the first time I was so deeply impacted by a character coming to terms with their sexuality

7) Dr. Regal (Rockman.EXE) Honestly, I could have an entire list of just Rockman/Megaman husbands. Dynamo (hello, Showtaro Morikubo!), Shademan.EXE, DOUBLE. FREAKIN’ DOUBLE... but I’m limiting it to this one. He’s made me trip into the Rockman fandom TWICE at this point, and who knows when it will happen a third time.

6) Time Count/Nyarlathotep (Persona 2 and also H.P. Lovecraft) Nyarlathotep is the greatest villain that Shin Megami Tensei has seen, and this is my favorite persona that he takes. He’s just so... cool and chilling, all while giving off this air of sophistication. Aahhh!! <3 <3 <3

5) Victor Frankenstein (Code: Realize) WHAT A SWEETHEART. HE IS SO GOOD. Admittedly he’s pretty high on the list right now because I love Code: Realize so much but I gotta put him on here.

4) Randolph Carter (H.P. Lovecraft) art by @tindalosmalakia and can be found here One of my favorite literary protagonists. I actually feel pretty similar to reading his stories as I do when I read Verne stories: calm and nostalgic. Pretty interesting usually that he’s in horrific situations!

3) Impey Barbicane (Code: Realize) I’m your engine of love! Take me with you, baaaaaaaaaaby~! What can I possibly say about IMMMPEEEEYYY BARBICAAAAAAANE? He’s the greatest force of good that Code: Realize has. He is the personification of hopes and dreams, and his dialogue just makes me melt! “I’d do anything for your smile!” SWOON!! (Plus, he offers kindness to my favorite, who needs it so badly)

2) Wilbur Whateley (The Dunwich Horror) art by @tindalosmalakia and can be found here I... love him. He’s just a kid. Wait, it says that on his shirt. Anyway, I love brooding, troubled men and he’s no different. My favorite Lovecraft boy.

1) Captain Nemo (Jules Verne and Code: Realize) Imagine a tiny four year-old Rosy peering out of a porthole into a lagoon, staring at a spectacle of mermaids, sea serpents, Atlantis, and the terror of a giant squid-- all while being guided by eerie organ music and the calm voice of Captain Nemo. This was my very first introduction to Jules Verne’s classic, and a memory I still hold dearly.

Of course, at that point I was more in love with the giant squid. Insert Lovecraft joke here.

As a highschooler I fell in love with the Nautilus itself, a love which carried on well into adulthood, when I finally took the plunge and fell for the captain himself when I re-read the book.

Fast forward to maybe half a year ago when I’m looking through various Captain Nemo designs (”why is he always white..... he’s Indian...”) and I run across this fucker:

What.

Is this...............

I laugh a little at the design and push it out of my mind, thinking about how OOC this excitable doofus is compared to Verne’s sophisticated, brooding, passionate tragic soul.

Then @scifiromancemachine posts a screenshot and asks me if I’ve played Code: Realize. I do admit that I love his design, it’s so strange, but why are his teeth so yellow?

“They’re metal.”

DOKI DOKI.

So I start looking into the game and it looks like so much fun, but at that point I really wasn’t in a place to devote myself to a visual novel.

So, once more, I push it out of my mind.

THEN I FIND OUT THERE’S AN ANIME.

I sigh. I really have no excuse at this point, and begin watching it as I go to bed. There’s an excitement building in my stomach, though: “Gee, I hope Nemo shows up.”

Then episode 6 shows up, and I GET SO EXCITED FOR THIS RIDICULOUS GUY. He makes me laugh whenever he’s on the screen (and then I played Impey’s route, rip me) and I want him to be happy.

Then the finale of the anime airs and his redemption arc is a full 30 seconds of “FRIENDS??? :D :D :D” and my heart melted into goo.

(THEN I FIND OUT HE HAS THE SAME BACKSTORY AS BOOK NEMO AND I GET REALLY SAD)

BONUS

I can’t believe I forgot Lady Maria I am so sorry I am trash I am unworthy oh my god

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trueloveseyeroll · 6 years

Text

When The Tide Turns (14/16)

Summary: The plan was to go to England, finish the case and head back home in a matter of days. Of course, nothing in Emma’s life ever goes according to plan. Not only does she end up travelling across Europe, looking for a Liam Jones in order to finish her case, she ends up travelling with Liam’s brother - an annoyingly handsome Killian Jones. And she doesn’t trust him one bit.

Rating: T, for language and some violence later on

Beta-reader: I can’t thank Aina enough for being so helpful and kind! Shout-out to @forget-me-not-s !!

Artists: these artists are seriously such talented and amazing people, and they deserve so much praise!!! @theblacksiren - check out her beautiful artwork for chapter 1 here, chapter 7 here and chapter 12 here! @optomisticgirl created the awesome banner - and soon you’ll get to see the amazing masterpiece created by @fairytalesandtimetravel

Word count: ~5098 (68k+ in total)

AO3

Emma glared at the distant island. With her legs folded beneath each other, her right elbow resting on her knee so her hand could support her head, she almost felt like crying - almost. The bigger part of her wanted to yell across the water, frustrated with Neverland and everything about it.

It was just so infuriating; to be so close, but forced to stop right before the finish line. Emma hated giving up. Hated admitting defeat. This island, with its ridiculous magic and tropical-looking trees, it wasn’t going to get the best of her. Not without a fight.

“It’s trying to trick us,” she said. “You didn’t look through the spyglass, but you can still see it. Maybe you do need to look through the spyglass though, if you want to actually get there.”

The spyglass rested on Emma’s lap. She handed it to Killian, and he looked through it without any objections.

No sudden gust of wind appeared. The engine didn’t magically restart. Killian even stood up and tried bringing the engine back to life, but to no avail.

“Good idea-”

“Just didn’t work,” Emma finished for him.

When Killian rejoined her on the planks, he handed her a water bottle from their backpack. “Afraid it’s not the most enjoyable of drinks, but it’s worth staying hydrated in this heat.”

The sun had risen above the horizon, moving eerily quickly across the sky. Emma accepted the water bottle with a thanks, chugging down a few gulps. Killian was right; getting dehydrated wouldn’t help anything, and she could already feel her head thumping. Or maybe that was just the lack of sleep.

A little while later, her bottle almost empty and the sun high in the sky, Killian spoke again.

“I’ve always found it calming - the horizon. Soothed me better than any rum ever could, but regrettably, you can’t carry the sea in a bottle everywhere you go.”

Emma lifted the corner of her mouth in a slight smile. She remembered leaving a foster family in the middle of the night, jumping on a bus to go anywhere but there - and had ended up at the sea. It had just been her and the waves, starlight above, and sand between her toes as she sat on the beach. She’d been chilly, but she’d hardly noticed when everything felt so peaceful for once.

So Emma knew exactly what Killian meant, how the sea could soothe your worries, just for a minute at least. If only she weren’t stuck on it now, unable to reach that damned horizon.

“Guess that’s why you bought a ship, huh?”

Killian chuckled. “Aye - The Jolly’s been a better home than any house I could imagine.”

“The Jolly?” Emma repeated. “As in The Jolly Roger? Please don’t tell me you named your ship after Captain Hook’s.”

“Is there something so wrong in that?”

He sounded so defensive, Emma couldn’t help but smirk. “No, not at all. Hey, maybe that’s our problem - we should’ve taken your ship because Neverland can only be reached by a real pirate ship.”

“Bad form to tease a man about his ship, Swan.”

“Only teasing you about the name, Hook.”

“What, do you not have any childhood fairy tales that somehow stuck with you?”

Emma didn’t need to think long about that. The Princess Bride had always been her favourite film, but during her time at foster homes or group homes where films weren’t allowed, a certain series of books had always been her trusted companion.

“I guess I always liked Harry Potter,” Emma shrugged. “Doesn’t mean I’ve named my car after the golden snitch though.”

“But I imagine you’ve dreamt of going to Hogwarts from time to time.”

“Every kid does that.” Of course, he caught what she wasn’t saying. She’d been an orphan, stuck in lousy foster homes much like Harry. Dreaming of going to Hogwarts had been much more than a small wish.

She could have sworn the sun had only risen an hour ago, but already it began to sink towards the sea again. Emma didn’t feel that warm any more, but she drank the rest of her water, if only to have an excuse not to say anything.

“How old were you when you were adopted?”

It was a simple question, but Emma knew why he asked. He knew she hadn’t been adopted as a baby, or even as a toddler. It was a simple question, giving Emma a chance to answer and talk more about her childhood or just give him a number and leave it at that.

“Sixteen.”

Killian nodded curtly, asking no further questions. Perhaps that was the very reason Emma felt like telling him more.

“I was found on the side of the road in a baby blanket with my name on it - grew up in the foster system, back and forth through homes, never staying in one for more than a year.” She gave him the facts, straightforward. “So yeah, I’d dream about going to Hogwarts or finding out my life was some fairy tale. Discover my family had to leave me to save the world or something. But that never happened, did it? I’m just lucky Ingrid decided to keep me around. She’s all the family I’ll ever need in the end.”

She stopped there, not one to tell big tragic back-stories. Besides, Killian had already heard most of it by now. She didn’t need to say much more to know he understood.

Emma stared at the ripples in the sea, unaware of the way Killian looked at her. He wanted to say something, wanted to curl his arm around her and tuck her into his side. Not out of pity, on the contrary in fact - because he admired her so bloody much.

Instead, he turned to look at the ripples as well.

His eyes widened in realization.

“Bloody hell, Swan, that’s it!”

Emma looked at him, her face resembling a question mark. “What’s what?”

“Family!” he explained. “Emma, look - those ripples weren’t there before. There was no wind, no movement at all, but now the sea’s begun to stir.”

She seemed to understand a bit, but still looked rather questioning. “And what does family have to do with that?”

“In the tales, Neverland was always a place children forgot about their parents, their family, the life they’d left behind - at least for a little while. But they’ve got it all wrong; Neverland isn’t a place you go to forget your family, it’s a place you go to remember them.”

Killian stood to find his satchel, searching for Liam’s letters and opening one in particular.

“Look - amongst all the gibberish, Liam wrote the very last clue.” He crouched next to Emma, pointing at the two simple words Liam had used - amongst many others- to described Neverland: It’s family.

Emma looked from the letter to Killian. “So, what, you talk about your family and the sea starts moving?”

“Aye, thinking surely isn’t enough, for I’ve been thinking about Liam throughout every minute.”

“Uh, then let’s talk about family. I guess.”

Killian’s satchel caught her eye. Before he could respond with more than a scratch behind his ear, Emma had a better idea - even if it made her question her sanity. “The lullaby - you said it was one your mother used to sing to you, right?”

Killian nodded, already seeing where Emma was headed.

“Liam didn’t write that lullaby in one of those letters for nothing - he didn’t leave behind his music box for nothing. Killian...” she paused, looking as if she couldn’t believe what she was about to say, “Maybe you need to sing it to reach that island.”

“Does sound like something from a fairy tale,” Killian muttered. He straightened his legs again, standing up.

So... he really had to sing for them to get to Neverland? Well, awkward as it seemed with Emma sitting there, looking up at him, Killian could have thought of worse things to do.

He closed his eyes, letting the words of the lullaby find their way to his tongue. He knew it by heart, but hadn’t sung it in years. Standing there now, the sun setting on a silent sea, he was almost afraid to do so.

This had better work, he thought, licking his lips before opening his mouth.

In a sea of grey and blue, I’ll find my way to you, and I will make a bed of foam and sand. I’ll be there to hold your hand

Killian’s voice was soft, barely carrying through the air. With his eyes closed, he could see his mother before him, a faint ghost of a memory.

He opened his eyes when he felt the first gust of wind.

You’re a soul meant to be free, your home is with the sea, we’ll be safe there in the crashing storms, and I’ll hold you in my arms

He dared to glance at Emma, reflecting her smile as soon as he saw it. The wind picked up, taking hold of the sails.

Close your eyes and taste the salt, rest your head from thoughts of fault. Through the dreams of endless worlds to roam, together we’ll find home

Swiftly, through no other possible means than magic, the boat made its way through the water to the island. Killian felt as if he were soaring, the boat only gracing the surface of the sea. The three verses of the lullaby faded into a low hum, but the boat carried on through the water.

His smile broke into a laugh. It was insane - absolutely brilliant - but insane; he had sung his way to Neverland.

When Emma’s laughter joined his own, Killian could have sworn his heart started soaring as well. No sound could ever compete with that of her laughter. No moment in his life had ever felt this magical. Except, perhaps, when she’d kissed him the night before.

(He’d never tell her that though, knowing she’d call him a miserable sap.)

(The thought only made him smile more.)

Of all the things Emma had done, nothing would ever be as weird as sailing towards Neverland, the wind in their sails powered by song. And there was a sentence she never thought she’d say.

Within minutes, their boat reached the beach, gliding effortlessly through the sand until it came to a gentle stop. No sudden halt, no jerking movements.

Emma was either dreaming or dead. Nothing real could ever feel like that.

Too amazed by the magic of the island, neither she nor Killian noticed the small group of people gathered near the jungle at the edge of the beach; not until they stepped off the boat and looked to their right.

Emma’s first thought was that her dream had turned into a nightmare.

One man stepped forth, crossing the beach towards Emma and Killian. He wore different clothes than the rest of the people; a simple white dress shirt and dark pants. He had a somewhat stocky build, light skin and dark sandy hair, curled and tangled in the wind. Emma knew who he was from the moment she saw his eyes.

Liam.

“We saw your boat and thought we’d come and welcome you. I must say though, little brother, it took you quite a while to get here.”

Killian stared at him, eyes wide and jaw slack, as if he couldn’t really believe what he saw.

Emma couldn’t blame him. He hadn’t seen his brother for nine years - had almost thought him dead - and here he was, right in front of them. Looking healthy as ever. He spoke clearly, his accent resembling Killian’s. From what she’d heard of the supposed rambling crazy man, Liam wasn’t exactly what she had expected.

Killian quickly found his bearings again, clenching his jaw and narrowing his eyes at Liam.

“You mean younger brother. And bloody hell, who are you to talk about quite a while? I’m not the one who disappeared for nine years leaving nothing but idiotic clues. Not even an explanation.”

If Killian had only been angry, Emma would’ve been able to handle it. But the crack in his voice echoed a long-buried pain that made Emma turn her head away. She shouldn’t be there. She had no right to witness something like this. An intruder, that’s what she was.

“I’m sorry, Killian.” Liam’s words were genuine, but Emma understood why they weren’t quite enough for Killian.

“You’re sorry? Liam, you let me think you were dead. For years you didn’t bother to contact me, and when you did, it was only to write about Neverland - as if I care about this bloody island!”

“I wasn’t in my right mind, you know that, Killian -”

“But you were lucid enough to make a little life for yourself in Norway,” Killian cut off his brother.

“Yes, but only with Elsa’s help-”

“And you don’t think I could’ve helped?”

Liam paused before answering, staying calm throughout Killian’s anger.

“I didn’t want to burden you, brother - no, let me finish,” he held his hand up to stop Killian from cutting him off again. “When father died, you became my responsibility, Killian. Perhaps not in legal terms, but even before father’s death, your happiness and chance for a good life rested on me. I didn’t want you to ever think you weren’t good enough, Killian. I watched you grow and work hard at everything you did, and I couldn’t be more proud of you. But when I came back from my journey nine years ago, I couldn’t stand letting you see how broken I’d become; a shell of a man, just like father. I had strived to be your role model throughout all of your life; I couldn’t bear failing you like that.

“I see now, Killian, how wrong I was to leave without telling you everything, but I thought it was for the best. And the longer I stayed away, the less I thought you’d want to see me again. Elsa tried to get me to call you ever since she learned I had a brother, but you see; I couldn’t. I was scared, Killian. I was a coward, and I let you down, and for that I truly am sorry.”

Emma watched Killian’s jaw tick, tears brimming in his eyes. She almost felt like crying herself, thinking of those tv-shows Mary Margaret loved to watch, where people were reunited with their long-lost family. It seemed she’d caught the live version.

“You succeeded, you know,” Killian said, his voice small. “You were always my hero… and I’m beginning to accept that even heroes are allowed their flaws. Even cowardice.”

Emma saw the meaning of Killian’s words sink in as the tension from Liam’s shoulders lessened. A smile started to spread from the corner of his mouth, and before Emma could turn to gauge Killian’s thoughts, Killian surged forward to bring his arms around Liam in a tight hug. Liam returned it without hesitating, his grasp around Killian just as firm.

Emma wanted to look away, feeling awkward just standing there and looking at them, but for a moment she allowed herself to smile. When she couldn’t bear it anymore, her eyes flickered towards the waves now lapping at the shore. She wasn’t sure she’d be as quick as Killian to forgive her parents if she ever found them. Forgiveness in general had never been her strong suit. Then again, she’d forgiven Killian for all his lies, hadn’t she?

She glanced at the brothers again, Mary Margaret’s words coming to mind; forgiveness itself might be the hardest thing ever, but in the end, it will rarely make your life harder to live.

“You could have been less of a pain in the ass about leaving that trail though,” Killian said as they pulled away from each other.

Liam only laughed. “I had to make it hard, didn’t I? And if you managed to figure it out, it can’t have been too difficult anyways.”

“I doubt I’d have figured it all out without Swan here.”

Emma tensed as both brothers turned to look at her. She felt a blush creeping up, and hoped to god she didn’t look as red as she felt.

“Ah right, I think it’s about time you properly introduced me to the lovely lady, little brother” Liam smiled, holding his hand out for Emma’s.

“I’m Emma Swan,” she introduced herself as she took his hand.

“A pleasure to meet you, Emma,” Liam said, and gave her hand a small peck. She should have known he’d be a charmer just like his brother.

“Nice to finally meet you too.” Knowing that she’d been searching for this man for the past week because she wanted him to sign some documents was almost laughable. And it was impossible now, knowing that the documents were in her suitcase in Kristoff’s car, somewhere on the west-coast of Norway. And she really didn’t give a damn about them anymore anyway.

“Now what prompted you to help my brother find Neverland? Surely it couldn’t have been for my - or his - benefit.”

Emma wondered how to explain everything with a few words.

“Actually, it’s kind of a long story.”

“You’ll have to share it with me some time,” Liam smiled.

“Perhaps when there’s not a rather large group of strangers staring at us,” Killian cut in, bringing Emma’s attention back to the group of people that, indeed, were still standing on the beach, looking at them. She felt kind of relieved though - at least she hadn’t been the only one staring at a private moment between brothers unfold.

“Those would be the people of Neverland,” Liam explained.

One of the women stepped forth when she saw Emma, Killian and Liam had turned towards them. She crossed the sand, and Liam met her halfway, Emma and Killian just behind.

“Tiger Lily, this is my little brother Killian and Miss Emma Swan.”

The woman - Tiger Lily - nodded her greeting, keeping her arms folded a few inches in front of her. She reminded Emma of a Native American, as did the rest of the people staying near the shade of the trees. Weren’t the inhabitants of Neverland Indians too in the stories? And wasn’t there a Tiger Lily involved as well? Perhaps this Neverland wasn’t as different as the one she knew as a child.

Emma and Killian returned Tiger Lily’s nod, both unsure of how to proceed.

“Pleased to meet you, Killian - Liam has spoken of you several times. I’m not certain I’ve heard your name before, Emma, but be sure, you’re just as welcome to our island,” Tiger Lily smiled. “I believe you call it Neverland.”

“That we do,” Killian answered, finding his charming self and smiling back at Tiger Lily. Emma saw right through it though - whenever Killian wasn’t sure what to do or how to act, he’d try and flirt his way out of it.

“A strange name if you ask me.”

“What do you call it?” Emma asked.

Tiger Lily looked at her and smiled again, a fiery glint in her eye. “Home.”

Well, that was a practical name at least.

“Our ancestors discovered the island centuries ago, after sailing on open seas for months on end, unknowingly having entered a certain pocket of the world where realms meet once every few centuries,” Liam said. “They called the island Neverland, as they’d thought they’d never see land again.”

“Clever,” Killian said, dryly. “They were the ones who forged the objects, aye?”

“Yes - and founded The Brothers Jones which passed on through the family along with the stories of their adventures.”

“The objects you speak of were forged here actually,” Tiger Lily said. “A gift from my ancestors to yours, to help them find their way back home. It seems though, that they work both ways, and in the wrong hands, those objects pose quite the danger to the peace of our island.”

“Which is why our uncle and I decided it was best I hid them properly once we discovered the stories about them were true,” Liam elaborated.

“And I’m guessing once you’ve already been here, you don’t need them to come here again, or else you wouldn’t be here,” Emma said, looking at Liam.

“Precisely.”

“However you have the objects with you now, I trust,” Tiger Lily surmised.

“Aye, they’re in my satchel,” Killian nodded towards the boat.

“Perfect. Then we can finally get around to healing your brother properly.”

What?

Liam chuckled at Tiger Lily’s bluntness - or perhaps at Emma’s and Killian’s perplexed looks. Before either could ask, Liam answered their question.

“You’ve met Elsa, I presume, or talked to her at least.”

Both Emma and Killian nodded.

“I believe she told you the nature of my illness and this ring that kept me alive?”

They nodded again.

“Well, the ring was meant to keep the poison of the nightshade from reaching my heart, but it wasn’t as efficient as we could have hoped. I lost part of my sanity and with time, the magic of the ring wore off. As long as I’m here in Neverland, I’ll live. But if I want to leave this island alive, they need the magic in those objects to create the proper cure.”

“In the process, the objects and their purpose will be destroyed, meaning that no one - not even you - can return to Neverland,” Tiger Lily added.

“A small price to pay for my brother’s life.”

“It’s probably for the best actually,” Emma said, thinking of how Gold wouldn’t ever be able to fulfill his plans of turning Neverland into his own personal stock.

“Then let’s not waste more time,” Tiger Lily said.

Killian went to get his satchel from the boat. They left their coats behind - traversing Neverland in clothes meant for Norway did not sound ideal.

While the rest of the inhabitants of Neverland that had come to see Emma and Killian turned towards their village, Tiger Lily led them to a place she called Dark Hallow. A pretty ominous name, if you asked Emma.

Neverland was mostly one big jungle. Liam and Tiger Lily said there were open fields on the other side of the island, and cliffs with several hidden caves, both large and small.

Killian asked a lot of questions about the island. Emma preferred to stay silent, soaking everything in. She was still half-convinced she was dreaming. Something about the heat made her feel dizzy, and the further they ventured into the jungle, the more Emma’s head started to hurt.

“Everything alright, love?” Killian asked, sagging behind with Emma, just enough so that Liam and Tiger Lily wouldn’t listen in. Emma was surprised that Killian would even take the time to talk to her, what with finally having found his brother after nine years. You’d think he’d rather talk to Liam than her.

“I’m fine. It’s just all a bit much,” Emma added, knowing Killian wouldn’t be satisfied with a simple ‘I’m fine’.

He handed her a water bottle from his satchel. “Aye, it’s a lot to take in. At least they’re a peaceful folk.”

Emma drank several mouthfuls and handed the bottle back to Killian. He drank a few mouthfuls as well.

Killian was right - they were a peaceful folk. Emma didn’t make a habit of trusting people easily, especially not in situations like this, but well, she’d never actually been in a situation like this. And though she stayed wary, she didn’t really think there was a reason to worry. She just didn’t want to be caught with her guard down.

Ahead of them, Lily hacked her way through a couple of overgrown bushes. She was always sure to point out which plants to avoid touching, lest they ended up with another person to heal.

“How are you holding up?” Emma asked Killian in return.

“If I’m entirely honest, I could do with a glass of rum right about now.”

“I don’t blame you there.”

They continued to walk in a companionable silence, the path soon becoming too narrow for them to walk alongside each other. Killian let Emma pass first. She almost wished he hadn’t though; it irked her to have him walk behind her, him able to see her but not the other way around. Not that Killian made her uncomfortable, on the contrary actually. She had gotten too comfortable around him, and not having him in her line of sight only made her think about him more.

“I was meaning to ask actually,” Liam turned around, mainly addressing Killian, “how is our dear uncle? I hope he wasn’t so austere he denied helping you find the objects.”

Emma all but froze mid-step. She didn’t need to look at Killian to know he probably felt the same uncertainty about how to proceed.

In the end, Liam’s question led to Killian explaining how Barrie’s death meant Liam now owned the family business - and that’s where Emma entered the picture, explaining how she was actually the lawyer working on getting the business sold. Not that she intended to follow through on that any more though, she quickly added.

Liam clearly had more questions, but Tiger Lily interrupted before he could ask them.

They had reached Dark Hollow.

Emma understood the name now. The trees were so thick and all but knit together, letting no sun- or starlight pass through their leaves. The ground was a bumpy weave of roots and Emma had to take care not to stumble and fall.

Killian had his flashlight, and Tiger Lily had somehow procured a torch, lighting the way to a small clearing, that wasn’t really a clearing at all. Branches overhead still blocked the view to the sky. A few vines hung from the trees, and roots still covered the entire forest floor. It wasn’t as much a clearing as, well, a hollow.

“Why here?” Emma asked. “I mean, it looks more like a place you’d murder someone, not cure them.”

Tiger Lily chuckled. As if things weren’t creepy enough. Emma readied herself to make a run for it soon, if need be.

“We call it the darkest place on the island.” Yeah, you’re only proving my point by saying that, Emma thought. “And you’re right; it doesn’t seem the obvious place to heal someone. Usually, one would think of a field under the stars or a bed of flowers. But this place has its own charms, you’ll see.”

Tiger Lily turned to Killian, asking for the objects. He handed them over to her and she placed them on a tree stump in the middle of the hollow. At her request, Killian turned off his flashlight and the three of them stood around the stump, Liam placing his hand on the compass. Where Emma and Killian were rather suspicious and wary of the whole ordeal, Liam seemed perfectly calm. As if he knew what was about to happen.

“I can promise this will be quick, but I’m not sure it will be painless,” Tiger Lily said, and before Emma could say something or even think about getting the hell out of there, Tiger Lily thrust her torch towards the sky.

The leaves parted above them. Moonlight danced through, like tiny particles spinning down towards them, and for a second, Emma was spellbound. Her eyes met Killian’s, seeing the same daze that she felt.

And she saw his panic the moment she felt the pain sear through her own body. As if something was being ripped from her - or no, she was being ripped from something else. The ground shook beneath her and she struggled to breathe.

On instinct, she reached for Killian’s hand as he reached for hers.

Their fingers almost touching, Emma blinked.

And when she opened her eyes again, the light was gone. The trees had vanished and neither Killian nor Liam stood beside her anymore. The ground still rocked beneath her - except there was no ground. Only planks.

She was on the boat again.

Clouds covered the night sky, and a brisk wind hit her face. Only then did she notice that she was wearing her coat again, her beanie as well.

Emma had a strong feeling she wasn’t in Neverland anymore. But where were -

“Bloody hell.”

Emma whirled around to see Killian standing by the helm.

She’d never felt so relieved in her entire life.

Killian went from seeing a blinding white light to crisp white sails, to the dark sea around him.

And then there was Emma.

Swan whirled around, eyes wide. Bloody hell, she was a sight to behold. He couldn’t block out the image of her panicking when the pain that took hold of him must have taken hold of her too, but it washed away when he saw that she was alright. She was alright.

She was wearing her beanie again, he noticed. And her coat. And he was wearing his own, come to think of it.

Emma looked everything from confused to relieved and he felt much the same. But they were out of Neverland. They-

No.

“Where’s Liam?” The relief he felt faded into a new bout of panic.

Emma opened her mouth as a hand clasped his shoulder. “Worry not, little brother. I’m right here.”

Killian turned around to meet Liam’s grin. Once again, relief washed over him, accompanied by immense joy. Killian wrapped his brother in a hug, both of them laughing as they finally started to calm down.

Killian turned to Emma again, wanting nothing more than to wrap her in a hug as well and not let go for hours. She was pointing at the water though.

Or rather, the harbour.

“Looks like we’re back,” Emma said.

“Aye.”

Between the three of them, getting the boat docked - even in the dark of night - was no problem. Liam spotted the boat he’d sailed to Neverland with a month ago, and Killian felt relief on the behalf of Kristoff’s cousins.

Everything had turned out just the way it was meant to. Everything was going to be okay.

They weren’t sure where to go, but anywhere with food, some warmth, and a couple of beds sounded heavenly. Liam mentioned calling Elsa to tell her they were back, alive and well.

They never made it to the end of the pier though.

Blocking their way stood three people, one of which Killian had hoped never to see again.

Gold.

#csbb #my writings #when the tide turns #cs ff #cs fanfic #chapter 14 #another cliffhanger I'm afraid :D #it's time to finally reach neverland though!#and perhaps meet a certain Jones brother....#enjoy!

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knightofbalance-13 · 7 years

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I’ve decided to switch focus for a moment from RWDE to this, a sort of hyperbolic series of videos criticizing Video Games. I will might also cover his Twilight Princess/Skyward Sword too but I wanna hit this because I am very well versed in Pokemon and I have been a fan of the series since I picked up an old Red Version back in the early 2000′s so yeah, I have been a long term fan having played the games from Red to X and the only reason I don’t play Sun or Moon is because I haven’t gotten the games. I have done quite a bit of research on them though so I feel confident that I can debate this. So let’s begin: