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bobbiworks · 4 months

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Beyond the Bell's Chimes | Part 40

riize ff: wonbin, eunseok, seunghan, sungchan, sohee, anton, shotaro, original characters genre: youth, romance, teen, fluff, angst, slice of life

"I'm home," Jiwoo gently spoke as she stepped into their house, opting not to wait for her friends and heading straight home. The inexplicable heaviness she felt was a stark contrast to how fine she was when she woke up that morning.

"Jiwoo, I made some peanut butter cookies. Would you like to try some?" Her mom asked, holding a tray of freshly baked cookies.

"I'm not hungry," Jiwoo monotonously replied, proceeding directly to her room. Mrs. Shim, concerned but patient, continued with her chores. However, worry set in when Jiwoo didn't come down for dinner and went straight to bed.

Worried, Mrs. Shim called Wonbin to inquire about Jiwoo's day. Surprisingly, Wonbin revealed that Jiwoo hadn't gone home with him, prompting concern. Mrs. Shim prepared light snacks—a glass of warm milk and freshly baked cookies—and reminisced about a similar episode last year when Jiwoo faced bullying.

"Jiwoo," she softly spoke, massaging Jiwoo's feet. "Are you sick?"

"Hmm," Jiwoo hummed, wide awake for hours, her exhaustion evident. "Mom, I am so tired," she sobbed. Mrs. Shim pulled her up, revealing Jiwoo's tear-stained face. She had been quietly crying since she got home.

"What's wrong? Oh, my poor girl. What happened?" Mrs. Shim sighed, hugging Jiwoo tightly as she cried on her chest. "Did someone make you cry?"

"I am so tired, Mom... Nothing happened, but I am just so tired. I feel so weak even if I am not. I feel like I only burden people. They look at me as if I'm going to break."

"It's okay. Let it out, hmm?" Mrs. Shim hummed, comforting her daughter. Jiwoo continued to share her pain, expressing anxiety and a desire to be happy without feeling anxious.

"I hate myself nowadays. I am anxious about everything. I want to be happy without feeling anxious... Mom, it hurts."

Jiwoo eventually calmed down, falling asleep. Mrs. Shim decided to stay with her daughter, concerned for her well-being.

...

The next day, Wonbin visited Jiwoo's house early in the morning, having received a message about her not feeling well. He brought medicine and was greeted by Jiwoo's father, who let him in after a scrutinizing look.

"Good morning," Wonbin shyly greeted Mrs. Shim, who was busy preparing Woojae for school.

"I am so glad that you came!" Mrs. Shim sighed in relief, hugging Wonbin. "Have you eaten breakfast?"

"Not yet," Wonbin replied, noting his usual routine of grabbing something at the convenience store. However, he'd developed a taste for Mrs. Shim's home-cooked dishes. "Is Jiwoo awake?"

"She is, but she is staying in bed. Can you try to make her eat? I already called Mr. Park about it," Mrs. Shim sighed.

"I'll try to make her eat," Wonbin said, excusing himself to go to Jiwoo's bedroom. The Shim's residence had become familiar to him, and Jiwoo's room, adorned with her artworks and materials, offered a glimpse into her creative world.

Her bed was small, and he could see her curled under the sheets, her hair disheveled from all the turns she did while trying to doze off.

Wonbin knocked gently to get her attention, but Jiwoo did not move. "I am entering." He sat next to her, tapping her shoulder. Jiwoo shifted a bit, thinking it was her mom, but when she felt it was Wonbin, she immediately turned to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face on his chest as she began to sob.

"I'm sorry; I was rude," Jiwoo said, a revelation that surprised Wonbin, who never thought she did something wrong.

"It's okay. I'm here," Wonbin assured her in his gentle voice. He fixed her hair, noticing how much she had cried with her eyes puffed from tearing up the entire night. "What made my girl cry? Hmm?" he asked. Finally, Jiwoo lifted her eyes to look at him, only to bury her face into his chest again.

Wonbin made himself comfortably seated on her bed as she rested on his chest with her arms wrapped around his waist. Jiwoo soon fell asleep, looking peaceful and pretty. A smile crossed Wonbin's face momentarily before he pondered what she had been through to make her like this.

"Wonbin..." she softly spoke, finally awake, and managed to pull herself away from him. He carefully helped her up and went to fix her hair. "Does your mom know that I'm your girlfriend?" she asked.

Wonbin paused for a bit and shrugged, "I haven't mentioned it yet." Jiwoo nodded and sighed. "Are you alright? Did you meet her?"

"Well, she was with Mr. Park," she replied. "She called me shabby..." she scrunched her nose as she tried to make light of what his mom said. "I told her I was your friend... a shabby friend."

"She did not mean what she said," Wonbin said. Jiwoo nodded and ruffled his hair.

"I know, love," Jiwoo replied. "I just realized that the apple didn't fall far from the tree. Remember when we first fought? You called me weird."

"That was just—" Wonbin wanted to defend himself, but Jiwoo held his hand.

"It's okay. I was hurt a bit about being called shabby, but that doesn't mean I can be shabby forever, right?" she asked.

"But you are already perfect," Wonbin replied, his lips jutting a bit as he looked at her with his puppy-like eyes. "But aside from my mom, are there other things or people bothering you? I want to be of help..."

Jiwoo smiled at him, "I just needed to let out my frustration this way," she admitted. "People say I am strong, but I get tired too..."

"You are really giving yourself out to almost everyone you know. You help others more than you imagine," Wonbin commented. "I noticed that a lot, but I want you to focus more on yourself, Jiwoo."

"I want to be helpful to everyone; it is the only way I could give back to the kindness they gave me," Jiwoo shot back.

"Hey," Wonbin cupped her cheeks and made her look at him. "Don't look anywhere. Look at me. You are the kindest and the most helpful person I have ever met," he smiled sweetly. "I don't want you to lose that by tiring yourself... If you are mad, then tell me. I like you not because you are always okay with everything... but because you are strong and brave to tell me anything that makes you sad. Hmm?"

Jiwoo bit her lips as she felt his words reaching her warmly. She then covered her face and hid away from him.

"W-What? Did I say something wrong?" he asked, but Jiwoo shook her head.

"No, you didn't say anything wrong. It's just that it feels embarrassing to hear those sweet words from you," she smiled, reaching to pinch his nose. "And you've gotten more handsome than before."

"Really? Well... Because I am in love," Wonbin winked. Jiwoo broke out laughing in tears before jumping on him to hug him tightly.

Suyoung and Sohee were enjoying Sohee's birthday at a cafe in the district. Sohee's girlfriend, Suyoung, had planned ahead to celebrate his birthday first before the upcoming celebration with their friends. They were treated to special service at the cafe where Suyoung's cousin worked as a manager.

"It is quite embarrassing to have all of these," Sohee chuckled, but Suyoung was more than happy to ensure Sohee had the happiest day.

"This is what you get to date me; you know I love to make everything special," she smiled, cupping his chin to squish his cheeks. "I love you~"

Sohee chuckled and replied with the same energy, "I love you too," grinning.

A small cake with a thin green candle was brought to their table. The server lit it up, and Suyoung encouraged Sohee to make a wish. Sohee quietly prayed for something with sincerity before blowing out the candle.

"Happy Birthday!!" Suyoung cheered, singing him a happy birthday. They took numerous photos together until Suyoung was satisfied. Then, it was time for her to give him his gift.

"And I have this for you," she said, bashful this time as she handed him a big pink rectangular box wrapped in a fancy ribbon. "I hope you like it."

"What is it?" He asked, shaking the box. Sohee opened it with excitement, revealing a hoodie similar to what Suyoung was wearing. What made it special was the embroidered name on the right sleeve. "This is..."

"It's your name," she said. "I took a stitching class just to make that. It's a bit weird, but I hope you like it."

"I don't like it. I love it so much," Sohee replied.

"Really?" Suyoung gleamed, and Sohee went to sit next to him. "Can you wear it now?" she asked.

"Of course," Sohee chuckled and put on the hoodie. Suyoung helped him fix his hair, and when he was done, he looked at her with adoration.

"Why are you looking at me that way?" Suyoung asked, but Sohee didn't say anything. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you; this is the best birthday ever!" Sohee chuckled, continuing to shower her with soft kisses. Their lovely moment was interrupted when a tall boy stood between their table, holding a spray bottle and a damp cloth. He had the face of an angel but an aura of a devil. Anton, Suyoung's younger cousin, looked at them with disdain before Suyoung snapped.

"Are you going to just stare at us?" She crossed her arms, addressing Anton. "Anton, don't be a creep and work somewhere else."

"Anton? Anton?" Sohee stammered, having only heard of him from Suyoung and Jiwoo but never seeing him in person. He imagined the middle schooler to be as cute as Jiwoo's younger brother but was proven wrong. Anton was more bulk and stronger, making Sohee feel small next to him.

"Where is Jiwoo?" Anton asked.

"She is not here. She is with her boyfriend," Suyoung replied casually. Although it was common knowledge, it was the first time Anton heard that Jiwoo had a boyfriend.

"Who is that despicable human whom she calls a boyfriend?" Anton's voice was cold, sending chills down Sohee's spine.

"Oh, yeah, I haven't told you. It's Park Wonbin. He is very popular for his looks," Suyoung explained, showing a photo of them in her wallet. Anton took the photo, stared at Wonbin's face, and returned it to Suyoung.

"Looks normal. Are they going to break up?" Anton asked.

"Hey, that's not a question you should ask. You're talking like you like Jiwoo. Don't be ridiculous, Anton!" Suyoung snapped.

"I am going to marry her," Anton declared. "So, that Park Wonbin should be careful," he said and walked away.

"Is he for real?" Suyoung scoffed.

"Why? What's wrong?" Sohee asked, clearly concerned about Suyoung's stress regarding her cousin.

"He quit the swimming team and asked to transfer to our school next year as an advanced student," Suyoung explained. "It's okay for me to have him transferred, but he is very serious about Jiwoo."

"Wow, Jiwoo's really popular," Sohee sighed in defeat. "It's like Wonbin has so much competition."

"Sohee, how would you feel if a lot of people liked me?" Suyoung suddenly asked.

"What kind of question is that?" Sohee chuckled, but seeing the serious look on her face, he bit his lips and held her hand. "I'd be worried, and at the same time, it would make me trust you more."

"Why is that?" She asked.

"Well, you are only looking at me and no one else," Sohee replied with the sweetest smile. "Am I wrong to say that?"

Suyoung blushed and looked away. "No, you are not wrong," she said, pouting. "I just thought that Jiwoo seems to be oblivious about her charm and tends to attract a lot of popular guys."

"Well, she is the type you just want to know more about," Sohee commented. "I am curious about how she was back in middle school."

"Well, she told me she was bullied pretty bad, but during the last year, people just started getting scared of her," Suyoung explained, piquing her boyfriend's interest. "If only that Miri girl tells me..."

"Sounds like you are more curious than I am," Sohee chuckled.

"You know, every time I am with her, everything is just so at ease. She is so transparent and nice. She gets mad, but that's it. She is so selfless to the point that she breaks down all of a sudden," Suyoung shared.

"Are you happy that you are friends with her?" Sohee asked, and Suyoung nodded with her cheeks blushed. "Jiwoo is really a good girl, and it only takes a few people to see her."

#riize #fanfiction #eunseok #sungchan #anton #shotaro #seunghan #sohee #wonbin #kpopfanfiction #beyondthebellschimes

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skinnyducky · 3 years

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excuse me, i love you // v.h.

requested by @thatmultifandomlovingmf

a/n i hope this lives up to your expectation ! i had an idea prior to writing this and i thought it would be nice to sort of mingle the two ! sorry, if this wasn’t what you wanted ! and also same, i still don’t know my ff terms that well either :D

Word Count: 1535, edited

WARNING: fluff, language, fluff.. and more fluff.

---------

Vinnie and you were chilling in his room, lying on his bed. Well, at least he was chilling. You were cuddled into his side and fast asleep—college will do that to you. He took this chance to admire you. He truly loved everything about you, and it made him think: how was he so fortunate to have someone like you? Sure, you’d been best friends for a long time, but that didn’t mean anything—at least to him it didn’t. This thought danced around in his mind, and he recalled back to the event that started your relationship…

Two years ago…

It was a Friday night and Vinnie was sitting in his room, scrolling through Instagram and liking whatever random photos popped up on his feed. This wasn’t how he typically spent his Friday nights. Normally he’d be with his best friend, you. However, due to a series of unfortunate events—aka Jackson Dougland asking you out on a date—he was left to his own devices.

As he sat at the edge of his bed, he wandered why him? What made Jackson Dougland so great that you actually entertained going on a date with him? He was just your average dimwit who cared more about his sport achievements than anything else. You deserved better than someone who was just going to use you as a trophy; you deserved Vinnie—or at least that’s what he thought.

Vinnie was unsure of when and why he started to develop a crush on you. Maybe it was because you’re the only girl who really understood him, maybe it was because you’ve been best friends for years, or it could be from the fact that you appeared in every one of his dreams—and that includes the nightmares with Elmo. There was just something about you that made his love for you shift from platonic to romantic, and he had no clue why. He couldn’t tell you that though. For one, it’d be embarrassing if you rejected him. And two, he couldn’t bare to risk your friendship. So, he thought it’d be better to conceal his feelings than to let them pour out.

As he mindlessly stared at his phone, he heard a slight tap at the window. He fell into confusion as he looked over to see nothing there. Shrugging it off, he went back to looking at the small screen in his hands, but once again, there was a tap at the window.

“What the hell?” Vinnie muttered to himself, getting up and going to check out the ruckus. He opened the window and stuck his head out, finding no sign of where the tapping could’ve come from. That was until he was hit in the face with a pebble.

“OUCH, dammit!” He shouted as he rubbed his throbbing cheek. He looked down to see who the culprit was, only to find you standing there. “Y/n? What the hell?”

“Sorry,” you sighed. Vinnie noticed something different about your demeanor. Normally you were happy and cheery, but right now you were the complete opposite, from the slight frown on your face to your hunched stature.

“Can I come in?”

Vinnie nodded and rushed downstairs to open the door for you. Letting you in, he led the two of you back upstairs and into his room. Once you were inside, he shut the door and watched as you plopped down face-first on his bed.

“What’re you doing here?” Vinnie asked, leaning against the door. “Aren’t you supposed to be on your date with Dougland?”

You let out a groan and sat up, looking your best friend in the eye. “I was, but then I found out he had other motives.”

“What do you mean by ‘other motives’?”

“He didn’t really wanna go out with me. He was just using me for sex.” You said, fiddling with your thumbs. “I was just another notch on his belt; another girl he could brag about getting with to his buddies.”

Vinnie frowned as he sat next to you. “I’m sorry that happened.”

“It’s like, why me? What did I do to deserve this?”

“Completely nothing.”

“I thought he was so sweet. He went on and on about how we were gonna go to homecoming together, and that he wanted to spend the rest of high school with me. But come to find out, it was nothing but lies.”

“I know, I know.” Vinnie sighed. He hated seeing you down, especially in this instance. You deserved nothing but complete happiness, and the fact that someone came along and ruined that for you, it pained him. “You don’t deserve that.”

“Maybe I do,” You replied, your voice breaking. “Maybe this was a sign that love isn’t for me.”

Vinnie shook his head as he looked at you. “Now, Y/n.”

You groaned, “It’s the truth. Think about it, no guy has ever shown interest in me before, and if they have, they’re either like Jackson or they’re in middle school.”

“That’s a lie and you know it.”

“No, it’s not. I’m just gonna have to face the facts: I’m meant to be alone.”

“Y/n-“

“I should’ve known better.”

“Y/n-“

“Nobody would ever want me.”

Vinnie growled, getting up from beside you. “There are people who want you, Y/n! You’re just too blind to see it!”

You scoffed. “Oh yeah, and who might that be? And if you say one of your baseball boys, I swear to god-“

“Me, Y/n…it’s me.”

You finally stopped your yapping and sat there in shock. Vinnie felt at peace, glad that he was able to get you to calm down. However, that peace was disrupted once he soon realized what he had said. “Oh, shit.” He mumbled to himself, although it was loud enough for you to hear.

“What’d you just say?”

“Oh shit.” He repeated, though he knew what you were referring to.

“Not that, idiot, what you said before that.”

He sighed, sitting back down. “Fine. I said that I want you. And before you go off the rails, I truly meant what I said. I don’t know when I started having feelings for you, but I do know that they’re strong. I get that we’ve been best friends for a while and it’s weird, but I just can’t help the way I feel for you.”

“Vinnie, I-“

“I completely understand if you don’t feel the same, I don’t expect you to.”

“Vin-“

“Just promise me that we can still be friends. I don’t know what I’d do without-“

Before he could finish his sentence, you smashed your lips against his. He was taken aback; so many thoughts were roaming around in his head which was nearly on the verge of combusting. When you pulled back, the two of you looked into each other’s eyes for a good minute.

“Wow.” He breathed, causing you to laugh. “I was not expecting that.”

“I could tell.” You grinned. “Do you really mean all of that…all of what you said?”

He nodded. “Of course, I do, Y/n. I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it. I care about you, and it sucks to hear you go on and on about not finding someone when I’m right here, someone who wants to be with you for you and not for your body or anything. I love you, like so fucking much.”

A smile crept onto your face as your hands found their way to the back of Vinnie’s neck. “You are absolutely too pure for this world, Vin.”

The boy laughed keeping his eyes fixed on yours. “I honestly don’t know what to say. No one has ever said something that sweet and meaningful to me. Maybe it’s because you’re my best friend but hearing it from you feels ten times better.” You smiled. “You mean a lot to me, Vinnie. The fact that I mean that much to you, it’s sweet.”

“This feels like a friendzone speech.” Vinnie said as his shoulders fell.

“I wouldn’t have kissed you if I was planning on friendzoning you.” You chuckled, stroking his head. “I really wanna try this out.”

“You mean like…you for real wanna go out? This isn’t for play-play?”

“Yeah. I feel like we’ve always been a couple. It just took some maturing, a moment of weakness, and one of us to say something for us to figure it out. And now, since we’ve figured it out…I think we should try and see where it goes.”

Vinnie gulped, “But what if it doesn’t work out? I don’t wanna lose you, Y/n.”

“And you won’t.” You reassured. “We’ve been in each other’s lives far to long to just walk out. I have no intention of leaving anytime soon.”

“If that’s the case, then I guess all that’s left to ask is…Y/n, do you want to go out with me?”

“Yes, Vinnie. I would love to go out with you.”

Flashback over…

As the scene left Vinnie’s head, he couldn’t help but grin. Two years ago, he would’ve never thought being with you would be possible. But here he was together with you. He had all he could ask for.

And he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

#vinnie hacker #vinnie hacker x reader #vinnie x reader #vinnie hacker imagine

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hacash · 3 years

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Ted Lasso 2x03 thoughts

SAM OBISANYA EVERYONE

SERIOUSLY

JUST SAM

EVERYTHING ABOUT SAM

IF YOU DON’T LOVE SAM YOU’RE WRONG

I - just - I saw a preview saying Sam was going to have a ‘protest in sport’ storyline this season and I thought that the writers could probably pull it off, but nonetheless it was a relief to see that they did pull it off. The fact that the momentum of the protest was pushed by Sam and the Nigerian players rather than someone like Ted or Rebecca was good - the fact that Sam fully held his own with dignity and integrity all the way through the ep was good - the fact that we had Ted acknowledging that when bad things happen to white dudes like him the press covers it without encouragement was good….

On a slightly more baseline reaction: I love every second I see Sam’s lovely smiling face on my screen and will continue to do so.

There’s literally nothing I can say about the taping-up-the-shirts scene other than it made me tear up at 9.30AM and that’s not a thing that usually happens in my life.

We’re finally getting more Richmond FC screentime! It’s pertinent that we see this on the ep where Jamie returns - how much camaraderie and genuine friendship has built up since he left - but just any excuse to see those daft happy faces together. The general ribbing of Sam’s ad, the post-match party together - I adore these himbos.

A special shout out to: ‘I’m nervous and excited, kind of like whenever Colin takes me somewhere in his Lamborghini’ ‘Yeah it’s way too much car for me.’ As a fellow Welsh person, I can confirm that flash speedy supercars really aren’t part of our national DNA.

I’m also hoping that Richard talking in French and Zoreaux translating for him becomes a regular thing.

I love how they wrote Jamie’s return: it would have been so easy for him to come back and have all be forgiven, but they made it messy and complicated and have forgiveness come in dribs and drabs. I love that Jamie didn’t immediately understand everything about the team’s feelings and that his first impulse was to buy their acceptance back (that’s a painful little snapshot into his psyche right there) and that we saw people like Sam and Nate and Colin be allowed to be petty with him returning. I also loved seeing Keeley not being put into the role of ‘Jamie’s minder’ again but instead pushing him to speak with Sharon, a person who is actually paid to deal with this crap - it was an understated but neat little moment of a woman demonstrating personal boundaries with the men in her life.

What I absolutely adored, though, was that the final reconciliation comes after Jamie puts his own fame and reputation and wallet on the line by joining in with Sam’s protest. It was a proper ‘I’m part of this team even if it hits me where it hurts’ sacrifice when before Jamie has only ever been about himself, and such a neat resolution to the rift.

Is anyone else concerned about Coach Beard’s relationship with Jane? All these fights do not sound healthy.

I really like how the boys react to Keeley now - it seems to be a genuine friendship between her and the team, as opposed to the mutual objectification on all sides that we saw in the first episode. Her becoming the entire team’s big sister warms my cold heart.

Nora was a delight. I was a little worried about her inclusion because so often TV writers can’t get teenage girls right - they’re always a bit too sassy and perfectly put together and smarter than every adult in the room - but Nora was the perfect blend of snark and teenage insecurity. Her crush on Sam was both adorable and the most relatable thing about her; and her bonding with Rebecca was adorable - I really enjoyed the email composition scene, and hope we get more of her in the future.

Rebecca ‘Ally Who Stands By Her Boys At All Times And Takes No Shit’ Welton is an absolute queen.

For a show about Ted Lasso there wasn’t so much Ted in this ep (the Led Tasso scene was pretty fun, admittedly), but all I can say is a dating app with no pictures that both Ted and Rebecca are on, leading to a YOU’VE GOT MAIL AU TED AND REBECCA???? PLEASE. I need this like air.

Also: Ted Lasso as a sexual partner who is, and I quote, ‘so eager to please’??? Rebecca take notes, girl.

Similarly not so much Roy in this ep, but his appearance on Sky Sports was once again a thing of absolute beauty. (’I hope he dies of the incurable condition of being a little bitch’ is a line I am going to use all the time now.) I would pay Brett Goldstein any amount of money to join Sky Sports and commentate on real life football as Roy.

Higgins being so easy around Rebecca and lying (unsuccessfully) to a teenage girl to big up his boss in front of her granddaughter was a perfect and underrated moment. Their friendship just makes my heart explode.

I’ve already shrieked my head off about Colin being all but confirmed as on Grindr and how it will take a lot to disabuse me of my ‘bisexual disaster who drives like an idiot’ headcanon (I mean, they put the two lines in the same scene ffs), but it does bear repeating. I actually love him, your honour.

Probably my favourite episode of the season so far. Next Friday’s Christmas shenanigans cannot come soon enough.

#ted lasso #ted lasso spoilers #jamie tartt #sam obisanya #rebecca welton #nora #theodore lasso #isaac mcadoo #colin hughes #coach beard #nate shelley #roy kent #keeley jones

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spacewizardtrek · 3 years

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WARNING: This post will ruin you. Like Medusa; look at your peril.

But here is is. It’s the one you’ve all been waiting for.

Kirk bod appreciation #7: The RIDICULOUSLY BEAUTIFUL FACE. A highly technical and academic review.

This is a rather nebulous one. And not, on the face of it (pardon the pun) very philosophical, as it’s essentially about Kirk being stupidly pretty. This post probably will (it will) descend into just screaming and sobbing, but there will be, I promise, *some* meaningful insight into the meaning of ‘beauty’ and textual analysis of its role herein.

Beauty is subjective. But look at him. It’s not just being aesthetic, but it’s the *way* he’s aesthetic. Here I might repeat myself a bit, but stay with me. I may have mentioned before once hearing him described as ‘beautiful in the way women are often described as beautiful’. He is PRETTY. He is indeed often conveyed in the way the women stereotypically (not necessarily rightly) are on screen: perfect, smooth skin; soft, big eyes; luscious lips (his body is sensually curvaceous and furthermore it’s emphasised). He’s not androgynous though. He’s masculine. And yet I still sense what was meant in describing him as ‘beautiful in the way women are often described as beautiful’. He is a rather uncommon form of gender fuckery. He is a form of stereotype-subversion not commonly acknowledged. He seems to be everything at once, ALL THE GENDER; combines whichever traits he desires from those categories, and yet is undeniably a man and masculine whatever the ingredients. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE, one might wonder. The fact of the matter is, that it IS. And it teaches us something.

The FUCK. nO. You are not allowed to be that pretty, and you are NOT allowed to look at her like that. We’re trying to have a SENSIBLE DISCUSSION here.

Sorry, that was a non-sequitur / nothing to do with what we learn by Kirk’s embodiment; I was just ambushed by my own gif. Only the control of a Vulcan. ONLY that could possibly withstand this onslaught. And even that won’t hold up forever AS WE WELL KNOW

God.

This is going well, as you can tell.

OK. So, it’s claimed he has Eyes and Stupidly Long Weakness-Inducing Eyelashes. You know, from all that fanfic that goes on about ‘big, sparkling eyes’ and him fanning his ‘long, copper eyelashes’. I mean, yeah right, tropey mc tropeface -

IT’S TRUE. HE IS LITERALLY AN ANIME PRINCESS.

There are some moments where he just BLINKS and, how to describe it...how does a BLINK have that effect. It’s NOT ALLOWED.

...I’m sorry. It IS allowed. All of it. I am not shaming you your beauty. Never change, Jim. Never.

OK. I’m ok. 3 pics down, we can get through this -

Oh you are joking. Stop.

I don’t understand how anyone can be so beautiful. Life is a lie. Reality is fake -

- you did NOT just turn your big anime eyes on Spock. You do know this is why he ran away to PURGE ALL HIS EMOTIONS?

And for that matter, you know when Kirk looks his most beautiful? Literally WHEN HE’S LOOKING AT SPOCK. Spock talks some bollocks and Kirk just sparkles like a fucking angel:

Unbelievable. But utterly undeniable.

Sigh. Moving on.

Oh - someone once suggested I talk about The Lips. Lips are so wonderful aren’t they. So many wonderful things they can do.

And Kirk’s. They’re there in every picture: perfect, rosy, soft and madness-inducing. My advice is just...don’t think about them. But since I’ve been asked to draw attention to them, well, you’ve just sealed your fate. Scroll down at your peril.

I WARNED YOU.

I am pulling NO punches.

I’ve seen this great meme going around:

Excuse me though....CUTE?

That’s the understatement of the 23rd century.

Try impossibly beautiful, mind and body: heart of solid gold, soul deep in love with you. Those eyes and all their passion burned into your memories a thousand times over, along with - maybe, suggestibly, idk I’m extrapolating from all the goddamn tension - even the one unforgettable time he laid between lily-white sheets and gave himself to you; every gift of the mind, body and soul - and your ostensibly-forced Vulcan conditioning, that completely ignored how incompatible one part of you was with it, caused so much dissonance that you thought the only possible course of action for you both to survive was to BREAK UP, tear yourself from this beauty and love and sweetness to PURGE ALL EMOTIONS because nothing, nothing equipped you for this; you were set up specifically to fail, and fail hard in the face of transcendental love and beauty by those who rejected such things and didn’t understand you and could never imagine this for you and who instead of helping your beautiful neurodivergent brain flourish taught you to repress and caused you pain and shame and Gol was so hard and Kirk was so sad, so very sad and depressed and hurt and yet he couldn’t stop loving you with a bond so strong he called to you across the stars and Gol was all for naught yet you still didn’t know how to live like this, it was torture, torture until the mind meld with the living machine flashed your BIOS and you knew, love.exe was suddenly running with no errors and he came after you and held you and you held hands and, and -

*sobbing*

just...give me a moment

YOU WONDER WHAT THE SUBTEXT (FRIKKIN’ MAIN TEXT) OF STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE WAS ALL ABOUT???

The pain?? The angst?? The two logical entities seeking contact, love, THIS SIMPLE FEELING? That fucking moment when spock walks on the bridge and the only way he can control himself is to be SUPER Vulcan, while his love gazes at him with those EYES, fucking huge and glittering and hurt and loving?? Is it so much a mystery what memories these two are carrying, what’s behind the searing tension???????

Love him. Love him Spock. Take him in your arms and love him. He’s for you. All for you. Fucking hell guys. The fuck. This movie.

ok.

ok I can do this

CAN U NOT

those damn eyes I swear

It’s obviously not all just superficial physical beauty. What IS beauty? Narratively we do sometimes find this ‘prettiness’ enhanced and emphasized like the old vaseline lens to set the tone of a scene (he’s vulnerable and delicate, or someone’s indeed in love with him so we see their ‘lens’ on him); but it is somewhat intangible and nebulous and changeable. I don’t think aesthetic beauty, if one deems it so, on its own, would be enough for the likes of Spock (indeed, no woman could charm him thusly); it's about something deeper. It’s about who he is. Who he is inside: the beautiful AND the imperfect. How his good and bad - how his ‘all’ - chimes with Spock’s 'all’. The Enemy Within deals with this, and shows how Spock loves all of Kirk, wants him complete, with both his light and shadow. The beauty of all of us is this totality and variance, not one intangible quality.

I’ll bet Spock’s parents knew immediately. Can you imagine Sarek trying to be a total bitch over Kirk, having heard the rumours and just wanting to have one more thing to reject Spock over, immediately projecting onto Kirk as some blow-up pretty-boy and how Incredibly More Disappointing My Son Is for being Obviously In Love With Stupid Illogical Human Doll Face Bubble Butt Bimbo Captain, and Amanda’s like, stfu, let me remind you Kirk is actually a Fucking Amazing Highly Decorated Starship Captain who Saves Your Life and don’t you DARE resent him just because he’s got tits/ass/tum/lips that won’t quit and is obviously the freakin’ sun Spock orbits. Mr ‘I married a human but that was special because it was logical’ or some bullshit. How is Kirk an illogical choice? I mean literally, Spock is a Science Genius™ on the federation’s FLAGSHIP whose well-matched Genius Captain™ understands him, accepts him, brings the best out of him, helps him fulfil his whole potential and is in love with him in the deepest and purest way and will be his bonded soulmate for ALL OF TIME and that fucking sour-faced bih at the start of that ep, ffs.

Of course Amanda stays in touch with Kirk, adores the fuck out of him, sends him old Vulcan lit on t’hy’la bonds (yes sarek, a T’HY’LA bond, so revered freakin’ poets write about it) etc because frankly her son could do FAR FUCKING WORSE.

FAR. FUCKING. WORSE.

Don’t...just don’t slip the bod into the equation, the face is enough for one post. We’re all in therapy for this already, let’s not relapse.

Oh, what’s the use. I’m gonna die. This is it. This is like the Monty Python joke that is so funny it kills you. This man is lethal. I need to stop this thread and purge all my emotions

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

That’s it. I’m dead. You’re dead. We’re all dead.

I hope, however, seeing this post was worth it. See you at Gol everyone.

The Forbidden Texts, DO NOT READ:

Kirk bod appreciation #6: The Curves. The Front. The...chest. AND THE AMAZING GREEN WRAP

Kirk bod appreciation #5: The Paws

Kirk bod appreciation #4: The Curves. The Back. Poetry in motion.

Kirk bod appreciation #3: Season 3 (Part 1)

Kirk bod appreciation #2b: The Gluteus Maximus

Kirk bod appreciation #2a: The Gluteus Maximus

Kirk bod appreciation #1: The Tum

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wefoundloveunderthelight · 3 years

Text

Love or Duty by GleefullyCaptainSwan - Chapter 7/8

Or on FF

Stacy's Tortured Crew: @teamhook @kmomof4 @stahlop @lfh1226-linda @ilovemesomekillianjones @itsfabianadocarmo @mariakov81 @qualitycoffeethings @zaharadessert @jrob64 @jonesfandomfanatic @natascha-ronin @tiganasummertree @xarandomdreamx @therooksshiningknight @batana54 @superchocovian @onceratheart18 @ultraluckycatnd @snowbellewells @karlyfr13s @the-darkdragonfly @xsajx @deckerstarblanche

Chapter 7: The Gift of Nobility

Emma stared wistfully at the horizon from her place on the balcony. The last week had been a whirlwind affair, they had made the trek from Misthaven to Jonesboro immediately after Prince Liam’s arrival. Regina’s forces were advancing closer to both Kingdom’s, the destruction she was leaving in her wake was causing the villagers to panic. Both King David and King Brennan realized that they needed to act fast if they were going to unite their people against the cause.

Emma looked down at her dress, the white fabric flowing onto the floor as she spun around. It should be the happiest day of her life, her wedding day. The tears slid down her cheek as she thought about giving herself to Prince Liam, knowing that she would forever belong to Killian. The pair had been separated once they arrived at the castle in Jonesboro, and Emma was cautious not to be caught alone with the younger brother of her betrothed.

“I found it.” Her mother entered the room with her tiara in her hand. “This will look perfect with your…” She paused, taking in her reddened cheeks and swollen eyes. “Emma, are you quite alright?”

The tears fell quicker down her face as she tried to take a deep breath. “I’m fine. I just…” She sucked in her breath. “I always thought I would be doing this with the man I loved and now…” Sobs escaped her throat as she threw herself down on her bed.

She felt the bed shift behind her, and her mother’s fingers slipped into her hair. “My dear sweet Emma don’t cry. I’m sure you will learn to love Liam, maybe not today, but one day.”

“But he’s out there, the man I love, waiting for me, he’s real.” She said through her tears, knowing how hard it was going to be today to walk out there and marry the brother of the man she loved. “I can feel my heart breaking knowing I can’t be with him.”

“Emma, maybe Liam is that man.”

“The man I love is not Liam Jones.” She said angrily. “My heart belongs only to the man I love.”

“Then you should follow your heart.” Her mother sighed, causing Emma to sit up and stare into her eyes with hope. “Instead of following this thought of yours that Liam could not possibly be the one you love, perhaps you can follow your heart and it will lead you right to him after all.”

Emma groaned and threw herself back onto her bed. If she followed her heart she would walk straight into Killian’s arms! “You do not listen.”

“Oh Emma, you are being childish, it’s time to grow up and become a woman.”

“I am a woman.” She stated angrily. She wanted to shout at her that she was a woman in more ways than her mother realized but she knew it was pointless. She needed to follow her duty, her responsibility and appease her family. She stood from her bed and walked over to the window. “Can we just get this over with?” She said dryly, her mother moving behind her to place the tiara on her head.

“One day, you will look back on this day as the day when your entire world changed. The day you blossomed into a beautiful woman, a wife, and the future Queen of Jonesboro.”

Emma rolled her eyes as she faced away from her mother. “Of course, you are most wise.” She said sweetly. “Thank you mother.” She turned and wrapped her arms around her mother. “I’m sure you need to prepare; I will be alright on my own.”

“Are you sure?”

“I promise.” She smiled, and her mother hesitantly walked away, leaving her alone in her room. One day, she would look back on this as the day hope died and light faded to black. She heard the door open behind her and she exhaled. “I told you I was fine, mother.”

“You look stunning.”

She spun around quickly at the sound of his voice. “Killian, what are you doing here?” She rushed toward him, her hands burying themselves in his hair as she pulled him toward her, their lips crashing together in a heated kiss. When they broke apart, he was staring at her with blue eyes that looked through to her soul, as if he were memorizing every part of her.

“I had to see you one last time before…” He shook his head. “I’ve been trying to be right with this all evening. This duty you must uphold, but Emma you can’t go through with it…”

“Killian, please don’t do this.” She pleaded through tears-stained eyes.

“I cannot bear to witness you joined with my brother, not when you are all I long for. Marry me, Emma, marry me and we can run away together, and I will always, always be by your side.”

“I want nothing more than to marry you.” Her voice shook. “If we were any other people, if this were any other time, I would never leave your side, but we aren’t other people, I can’t turn my back on everyone who needs me. I have to go through with this.”

He stepped away from her, narrowing his eyes. “Then you do not love me.” It was like a dagger to her heart.

“I love you more than anything.” She whispered. “I’m doing this because I love you. Marrying Liam will allow us to defeat Regina, it protects you as much as it does them.”

“Don’t…” He said loudly. “Don’t use that as an excuse. If you loved me, you would stand up for us, as your mother did when she refused to marry my father.” Emma felt as if she had been slapped. “The Emma I know, the one who stabbed through the heart of a bandit to save my life, that Emma is brave. That Emma would choose love, she would choose to find another way to save our kingdoms without sacrificing her soul.”

“That’s not fair. How dare you put this all on me!” She said angrily. “Everything I have done is because I do not have a choice.”

“You always have a choice, love. And apparently, you’ve made yours.” He bowed to her. “I’ll take my leave and my place beside my brother, my future King. All hail Queen Emma.” His eyes did not meet hers as he turned and exited her room.

Emma stared at the wooden door standing between her and the man she loved, the tears falling freely from her eyes. How did he not understand that she had to go through with this? She wiped her face, a new determination overtaking her as she squared her shoulders, straightening her dress and taking a deep breath.

The door opened once more, and her father stepped into the room. “Oh Emma, you look beautiful.”

She smiled at her father, ignoring the pain in her heart. “Thanks, daddy.”

He stepped toward her, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “I’ve been looking forward to this honor for so long.” He said reverently. “I know this wasn’t what you wanted…perhaps you’ve settled on the idea?”

“Liam is a good man.” She said softly. “There are worse men I could have been matched with.”

“Can you be happy?”

“I’ll learn to be.” She said with a sad smile.

“It’s time.” A man entered the room announcing the start of the ceremony. Emma took her father’s arm and walked down the large hall toward the ballroom. With each step she got closer and closer to her eventual fate, Killian’s words continued to echo in her ear.

If you loved me, you would stand up for us, as your mother did when she refused to marry my father.

When they turned the corner, her mother was standing waiting for them. Emma paused her steps once they approached her. Her heart was beating out of her chest. She stared at her parents, the way they smiled at each other.

“Mom, why didn’t you marry King Brennan?”

Her mother stared at her in confusion, “What?”

“Your duty was to marry King Brennan and yet you chose daddy. Why?”

“Emma, now is not the time for this, we can reminisce after the wedding.”

“Mom, please.”

Her mother sighed, taking her father’s hand. “I loved your father from the moment I laid eyes on him. I was already promised to Brennan when we met, but I knew that I would never be able to survive a day without your father. I tried to deny my feelings, but he never stopped fighting for me, he never gave up.” She said with a smile.

“I need to speak to Liam.” Emma announced.

“Emma, the wedding has already started, you can’t just stop the ceremony to speak to…”

~*~

Killian paced the room as his brother readied himself for the wedding. After speaking to Emma, his last plea to try and convince her to leave with him failing, he realized that the only thing left for him to do was to support the union and then join the fight against Regina, getting as far away from the castle and Emma as possible.

He watched his brother standing at the window, he was the perfect picture of royalty, he had the build, the height, the posture, Liam was everything that Killian was not. He knew that his brother would be a good King one day, and Killian would follow him anywhere. Being loyal to his brother was never the issue, but was it really fair that Liam could embody perfection, wear the crown, and possess the only thing that Killian had ever truly loved? He could never hate his brother but in this moment he had thought about tossing him off the balcony, but only for a moment.

“You are deep in thought.” His brother’s voice brought him away from his thoughts.

“Aye, it’s a big day brother.”

“Come now little brother, one day you will become a man and take a wife of your own.” He teased. “A woman who will interest you for more than a single dalliance.” His hearty laugh made Killian’s jaw tense in anger.

“As I have told you before, your younger brother is capable of enjoying a woman’s company outside the bedchamber.”

“Come now, Killian, don’t take offense. I am merely teasing.”

Killian exhaled loudly. “What makes you think I have not already found a woman I wished to take for my bride?”

His brother’s brow rose as a smirk grew on his face. “Have you now, do tell? Who is the lucky lass? Is it Matilda from the Boars’ Nest, or perhaps Bertha over by the Rusty Anchor? Come now brother, do not keep me in suspense.”

Killian crossed the room angrily. “You jest as if you know anything about love. You do not marry for love; you marry because of your duty. You are not about to take a wife, you are merely enlisting a hostage to take as a trophy to sit by your side.”

His brother laughed again, “What’s gotten into you? You are behaving as if you do not understand the situation we find ourselves in.”

“And you are behaving as if the situation has no other alternatives except to thrust a ruse upon our people.”

“This decision is not my choice; it has been willed by better men than me. You would be wise not to question them.”

Killian scoffed. “How bloody horrible for you that your duty leads you to Emma’s bedchamber.”

“What on earth is this about, brother?”

The door to the room swung open and a man entered with a bow. “I’m terribly sorry to interrupt, but Princess Emma has sent for you.”

Killian’s heart pounded in his chest as he stared hopefully at the man, only to have it shatter the moment he watched his brother step forward. “But the wedding is about to begin.”

“Understood, she only stated that she needed to speak to you before the ceremony began.”

“I shall return in a moment.” Liam said with a nod. “We can continue this conversation then.”

Killian turned away from his brother, wondering what had caused Emma to summon him right before the ceremony had begun. Perhaps she had changed her mind and was calling this sham off. He didn’t dare dream of it, yet as he leaned against the stone wall, his eyes pinched closed, his only thoughts were of Emma and a possible future.

~*~

Emma paced the stone steps of the spiral staircase in front of her, she had no idea what she was going to say to Liam, she just needed to speak to him.

“Emma, is something wrong?”

“Liam, I’m so sorry, I needed to see you before…” She closed her eyes. “Before you and I.” She groaned. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

He stepped toward her and took her hands in his. “Relax, Emma. Remember, we are in this together.”

Emma looked up into his eyes, so like his brother. “I’m in love with another man.” The words slipped out of her mouth before she could stop them, a tear forming at the corners of her eye. “I know what everyone wants me to do, but my heart is breaking.”

He exhaled softly, his chin dropping as his eyes stared at the ground. “I am truly sorry, lass. I was not aware you had a previous suitor.”

She laughed lightly. “Fate is cruel.”

“Emma, I know this isn’t easy. It is hard to reconcile the cold responsibility we both bear, especially when you crave the warmth of another. I’m afraid I must confess, I too am in love with another, yet the law of the land forbids our relationship.”

Her mouth dropped. “You have a mistress?”

“I have been in love since I was a young boy, yet she is not of noble blood and thus, it is forbidden for us to be together. Please understand it was not my intention to deceive you and once we are wed, I will not take my mistress into our bed.”

“You’d give up this woman, your heart, to save your people?”

“It is my sworn duty, and yours.”

Emma bowed her head in resignation. He was right. They were born to protect their people, to honor their lands, their King, and their duty. “You are right. I am sorry for speaking out of turn.” She said softly. She felt his hand on her cheek, brushing away her tears.

“I promise you, whatever we are to become, let us at least be friends.”

“I think I can do that.” She said with a sad smile.

~*~

Killian stood at the front of the large hall, anxiously awaiting word from his brother. Secretly hoping that they would burst into the room and declare that the wedding had been cancelled.

He looked around at the people sitting happily in their seats, smiles all around at the happy occasion. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs that the entire affair was for show, a fake excuse to gain their loyalty.

His eyes met Elsa’s and they exchanged a knowing glance, one that told her he was there for her, that he knew her heart was breaking. He only wished he could share with her how much he understood her pain. That his heart was torn apart knowing this his brother was about to destroy his only chance for happiness.

The door opened behind him, and his brother stepped from the room, an apologetic smile on his face as he took his spot next to him.

Call it off, announce that the event is over… he pleaded silently with a clinched jaw.

Harps began to play, a tune for some that was melodic and joyous, but to him the melancholy notes tore his heart asunder. He stood rooted to the ground as the woman he loved entered the hall, the pale see-through material covering her face, concealing the look of sadness behind her eyes that he had seen earlier when they had spoken in her room.

Her eyes did not leave his as she made her way toward his brother, the slow and steady pace that tortured him with each step. When she finally reached them, each breath he took was labored and full of grief as he tried to hide the emotion threatening to overtake him. She glanced sadly in his direction as she was handed off to his brother, taking her place in front of the priest.

“Blessings and merry meet. Gentle lords and ladies, we are here today to join the fair Princess Emma and the Noble Prince Liam together.” He paused and turned toward Emma. “Princess, art thou here this day in pledged troth of thy own free will and choice?”

He watched as she swallowed, staring at the man in front of her. “Yes, Father.” She said as her tiny voice cracked.

“In as much as this Noble Prince and Fair Princess have pledged their troth to be married this day, we call upon Heaven to bless this union. Therefore, if anyone can show just cause, why they may not be joined together, by God's Law, or the Laws of the Realm; let them now speak, or else hereafter keep silent for all time.”

Suddenly the door was flung open as a handful of armed men stormed the room, at the center of the men a menacing woman stepped forward into the crowd.

“Imagine my surprise when I found out there was going to be a wedding between the heirs of Misthaven and Jonesboro and no one invited me.” Regina swirled her hands around her as she stalked toward the couple.

Killian reached for his sword at his side, gripping it in his hand.

“Regina, you are not welcome here.” His father barked as he met her in the middle of the room.

“Brennan, has it really been so long since we last saw each other, I can hardly believe how much Liam has grown.” She winked in Liam’s direction. “And David, your daughter is simply gorgeous.” She walked closer to Emma, grabbing a lock of her hair in her hand and tugging.

“Get away from her.” David growled from his wife’s side.

“Where are my manners?” The woman shrilled, “I came to bring a gift for the happy couple.”

“Try giving us your absence.” His brother responded calmly; his arm wrapped protectively around Emma’s back. Killian turned his attention to the woman in front of him.

“You aren’t welcome here.” He said, stepping toward her.

“Oh, my Brennan, is this scrumptious little treat, the baby? My, my, how much you have grown.” She mewed as she ran her hand against his chest. “Aren’t you just a delicious little morsel.” She squeezed his chin with her finger and Killian jerked away from her.

“Leave Regina.” His mother shouted as she stood from her bench. “Now.” She added, a fire burning in her eyes which brought Regina’s full attention toward her.

“Oh Alice, you must be so proud of your son, plugging his nose in order to drown out the stench of Nolan blood.”

Turning toward Emma’s mother the woman pounced. “Mary, Mary, Mary, the sins of the mother.” She taunted. “Your indiscretion saved you from the fate of becoming a Jones, but you doomed your daughter to that dreaded fate herself.”

“We aren’t afraid of you, Regina.” Emma screamed causing the woman to spin around, advancing on the blonde as Killian held his breath.

“You dare open your mouth to me, Princess?” She seethed, her eyes glaring into Emma’s as Killian took a silent step toward the woman, his hand clinching around the hilt of his sword.

“You said you brought a gift.” King Nolan interrupted, stepping closer to his daughter.

The woman flung her arms theatrically into the air. “Ah yes, how could I forget my present to the happy couple.” She gestured toward her men who scattered around the room, weapons at the ready as they surrounded and separated the King and Queen of both families. Strong arms were suddenly on him, grasping him from behind as he struggled to break free.

Regina stood in front of his father, a grin across her face as she reached out and caressed his cheek.

Turning around she glared at Liam. “I bring you the gift of nobility.” She said with a smirk, “For on this day, you will be King.”

The rest happened in slow motion as he realized the woman’s intent, with a swift jab of his elbow, he scrambled out of the guard’s grasp, rushing toward his mother before the sword plunged into her from behind. Her face crumpled, the blood spreading across her chest before her eyes met his, the light leaving them as she hit the floor.

“No.” He screamed, struggling to get to her in time, feeling his chest constrict with both sadness and an untamed anger as he watched Regina turn and cut down his father where he stood. He fell to his knees, crawling the last few feet until he reached his mother’s side, his parents lifeless bodies lay side by side on the rock floor. They were gone, slain by a Queen most evil.

He took one last look at his mother, brushing his hand lightly against her face before turning a murderous glance toward the object of his anger. “You’ll pay for this.” He growled, climbing to his feet, his weapon held firmly in front of him, biting back tears of anger as he set his sight on his prey.

#love or duty #stacy's fics #killian jones #emma swan #captain swan fics #captain swan au #captain swan

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dimigex · 3 years

Text

I Won’t Lie - Kakasaku

It’s finally done!! I started this piece years ago but never finished it. It’s the follow on to my story Distraction, but you don’t have to read that to understand it at all.

Distraction, I Won’t Lie, Part One, Part Two, Epilogue

Here’s the first part, the rest is linked above and also available on FF.

"So, have you put the moves on the Hokage yet," Ino questioned, applying black eyeliner with a practiced flip of her hand. Her aqua blue eyes stood out in sharp contrast, seeming larger than they had any right to.

Sakura groaned from the bed, falling back to cover her face. "I never intended to put the moves on him," she mumbled, hoping that Ino wouldn't be able to see the crimson flush of her cheeks. "And, it didn't work anyway. Kakashi doesn't know that I exist."

Ino jerked the pillow away and leveled her best friend with a stare. "He definitely knows that you exist, but you need to remind him that you're a woman now, not a little girl." Her gaze swept over Sakura from head to toe. "Why don't you put on something a little more interesting tonight?"

"What's wrong with what I have on?" Sakura frowned at her outfit. Okay, the leggings that she wore were more comfortable than provocative, and her mother would have approved of her shirt, but that didn't mean there was anything wrong with it. She always dressed like this when they went out. It wasn't her fault that Ino had more outfits than any other girl that Sakura knew, and an uncanny way of making everything look sexy.

"Nothing," Ino answered, with a smile curving her cherry-red lips. "As long as you want to die old and alone."

Sakura threw the remaining pillow at Ino's face, narrowly missing. "Shut up, Ino-pig," she grumbled, reverting to the insult that had become a friendly nickname over the past few years. Sakura tugged at her shirt for a moment, chewing her lip "If I agree, can you make it look like I'm not trying too hard?"

A grin split Ino's face. "Of course. We have to find just the right outfit to show off that body you worked so hard for."

Before Sakura could protest, the blond pulled her off of the bed and toward the closet. Nearly an hour later, Sakura examined her expression in the mirror, shocked at the illusion that Ino had created. Long lashes framed her green eyes, making them stand out against her pale skin. The faint dusting of freckles that Sakura usually hated had taken on a soft glow from the highlighter Ino used. Glossy lips completed the expression, in a shade lighter than Sakura ever thought she could pull off. Ino hadn't stopped there. She'd transformed Sakura's hair as well. The pale tresses piled on top of her head, falling in artful curls around her face.

Ino pulled Sakura from musing about how she looked like an entirely different person by tugging on the dress. The blond dragged the black fabric to the side, baring one shoulder. It draped Sakura's body, accentuating enough to suggest that she had more curves than she really did. Chuckling, Sakura pulled the fabric toward her knees. Ino slapped her hands away. "Stop that, it's supposed to be short."

"I can't wear this," Sakura complained even as she turned to admire herself from the side. It hugged her body in a way that none of her other outfits had.

Shaking her head, Ino walked over to the closet and tossed a pair of heels to Sakura. "You can, and you will. No one will be able to keep their eyes off you, especially not Kakashi."

Color flamed in Sakura's cheek, hidden somewhat by the makeup. "What if he isn't there?"

Ino's devious grin made Sakura nervous. "Then you'll go home with someone else. You look too damn good to go home alone tonight"

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

When Ino and Sakura swept into the pub nearly half an hour late, dozens of heads swiveled in their direction. Ino linked an arm through Sakura's and pulled her into the room before she could back away in a fit of self-consciousness. Her gaze swept over the people gathered for Naruto's birthday, trying to ignore the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Kakashi wasn't there yet or not coming at all, everything they'd done had been a waste of time.

Forcing the hopelessness down, Sakura caught sight of an overbearing ball of sunshine cutting through the room. Naruto's grin probably had more to do with the atmosphere than alcohol, but she couldn't be sure. He threw an arm around Sakura's shoulder and pulled her into a side hug. "I was beginning to think nobody from my team was going to show up tonight."

When Naruto released Sakura, his blue eyes slipped lower than her neck. The blush on his whiskered cheeks was obvious even in the dim lighting. "You look nice tonight. I mean, not that you don't always look nice-" Sakura's laughter cut off the awkward exchange, and Naruto managed a nervous smile before rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't think Sasuke is going to make it tonight."

"Unfortunately, Sasuke's mission has him delayed outside the village." The proximity of Kakashi's voice made Sakura jump. When she turned, she realized that he stood just inside the doorway behind them. Their gazes locked, and Kakashi's eyes widened, perhaps only just now realizing that she'd been the one standing with Naruto. While pink hair was unusual in the village, a few girls had started imitating Sakura after the war. She hated it, but the element of surprise was nice.

Ino unwound her arm from Sakura's and moved away to speak to someone that Sakura didn't recognize. Completely oblivious of the tension of the moment, Naruto caught Kakashi with his other arm and pulled them both into a hug. Sakura felt the warmth of Kakashi's chest against her side. "I'm glad you two made it, at least."

Kakashi pulled away, chuckling in the back of his throat. "Of course I came, I have to keep an eye on you kids to make sure you don't get into any trouble."

"We aren't kids," Sakura grumbled, challenging Kakashi with a glare through her mascara lengthened lashes. "We're adults now."

"That's right, sensei. We don't have to listen to you anymore." Naruto laughed, giving Kakashi a cheeky grin.

Kakashi frowned, the barest movements of his mask. "I'm still Hokage, though."

"For now." Naruto's banter eased the conversation into playful jabs that allowed Sakura to stay silent. Kakashi hadn't even responded to her comment about being an adult now. Her heart sank lower in her chest.

As the men exchanged barbs, Ino reappeared from wherever she'd been. Grabbing Sakura's hand, she led them to the bar. "It's pointless," Sakura complained, leaning close so that the words would only be loud enough for Ino. "He'll always view me as a kid. I'd be better off chasing Sasuke."

"Absolutely not," Ino hissed, vehemence dripping from her voice as she raised a hand to order drinks. "Sasuke isn't even on the radar for you. Do not put yourself through that again."

Sakura nodded and toyed with the silver teardrop earring that Ino had loaned her. She knew that Sasuke was a bad idea. The boy had never acknowledged her, not really. And now, it was the same with Kakashi. At best Kakashi saw her as the child that he'd mentored years ago. At worst, the annoying girl that she'd been during those early days. She'd never change that.

"Let me tell you my secret, Forehead." Ino shoved a shot glass into Sakura's hand. "It just takes five seconds of insane courage to get whatever you want. That's it. Just five seconds of bravery, then the hard part is over. You either have the thing you want or you don't, but at least you'll know."

"Is that how you landed Sai?" Sakura asked, closing her grip around the glass of liquid courage without questioning what was inside it. The idea that Ino actually liked Sai and wanted to be with him when there were so many men that she could have had was something that Sakura had trouble wrapping her mind around.

Ino laughed and tucked a strand of hair behind one ear. "Yes, Sai. And, all the others."

Gossip suggested that Ino had worked her way through half of the eligible shinobi in the village. There was a great deal of truth to it. Ino had dated Shikamaru for a couple of weeks before the pair decided that friendship was less troublesome than a relationship. She and Kiba had been fireworks from the beginning, fighting almost constantly. Choji was too gentle, Lee too exhausting, Shino too quiet, and the list went on and on. Somehow, Ino landed on Sai and found that the man matched her surprisingly well. Sakura had already noticed the girl looking for him in the crowd.

"Drink," Ino commanded, nodding toward the alcohol. Sakura steeled her nerves and tipped the glass up. The liquid burned the entire way down, making her gasp for a breath. Ino clapped her on the back. "Good, now let's go and find someone to make him jealous over."

"Ino, no." Sakura pulled away from her best friend with a firm shake of her head. "It doesn't matter. It's just a silly crush."

The look on the blonde's face suggested that she didn't believe Sakura's excuse, but she didn't force it. Sakura let her gaze wander over the people brought together to celebrate Naruto's birthday. He had touched so many lives, and since the war, most people recognized that. Naruto had wanted to do something at Ichiraku, but the stand was too small for all their friends. They'd made arrangements for the celebration to be held here, but white bowls of ramen dotted most of the tables.

Kakashi drew Sakura's eyes like a beacon. He stood in the shadows beside Captain Yamato, heads close together as they spoke. It had surprised Sakura to learn that the men were old friends, especially since Kakashi held so many people at a distance. Sakura and Naruto had grown closer to him, of course, but there didn't seem to be many others. Tsunade and the other jonin perhaps, but the ease between Kakashi and Yamato spoke of actual friendship. Sakura felt a twinge of jealousy. Why couldn't it be that easy for her?

Ino leaned close, the scent of alcohol drifting from her lips. "You know, Yamato isn't bad looking either."

Sakura considered the words. While Yamato didn't hold the aura of mystery that Kakashi did, his easy smile and kind eyes made him attractive in his own way. Even so, no matter how much Sakura watched the pair, her eyes strayed to Kakashi. As she'd expected, he'd worn his uniform to the party. The sleeves of his black shirt were rolled up against the heat of the room, while his hands were tucked into the pockets of matching pants. Kakashi's mask remained in place, of course, but the headband that used to slant across half of his face was missing. Two charcoal eyes stared out at the room, silver hair falling into them.

"Oh, it's definitely just a little crush," Ino teased, pulling Sakura from her longing gaze. "Why don't you just go and talk to him? Ask him to dance or ask him back to your place. Just do something besides staring at him."

When Sakura started to protest, Ino rolled her eyes. "Come on, I've seen you kick ass so many times, but you're scared to talk to a boy? The worst thing he can do is turn you down. And, if that happens, it's his loss."

It isn't that easy, Sakura started to argue. Only, she knew that it was. She'd been pining after Kakashi for months, treasuring stupid, little moments that probably meant nothing: the way that his arms had curled around her on the training field, how his eyes lit up when he laughed at her joke about Tsunade trying to kill them both with reports, or the startle when her fingers had brushed his wrist. Those things made her wonder if there might be something more, but Kakashi was impossible to read. The sudden intake of breath when Sakura touched him could just have easily been discomfort as desire.

"I think I need another drink," Sakura declared, putting away the miserable thoughts for another day.

It didn't take long for the pleasant warmth of alcohol to loosen the tension that seemed permanently attached to Sakura's shoulders. She relaxed enough to dance a couple of turns with Naruto. He was far more awkward on the dance floor than any shinobi had the right to be. After two dances, Sakura begged off and pushed him toward Hinata. A few months ago, the girl had finally gotten brave enough to let Naruto know that she liked him. The pair was slowly turning into a couple, but the transition was painful to watch. They were both too shy for their own good.

Sakura stumbled back toward the bar, surprised to admit that she was having more fun than she'd thought she would, even if Kakashi ignored her. As she reached for her glass, Ino flashed a pleasant grin that warned Sakura that the girl was coming up with a plan that Sakura wasn't going to like. Without explaining anything, Ino linked their arms and dragged Sakura back into the crowd. Three steps into the walk, once she realized where they were going, Sakura tried to stop the inevitable. But, it was too late. Ino stopped beside Kakashi and Yamato.

The men looked up in surprise, their conversation stopping abruptly. Sakura felt Kakashi's gaze on her face for several heartbeats before it slid toward Ino's. With another signature grin, the blond moved into Yamato's personal space. "You sent my boyfriend on a mission just before the party, and now I have nobody to dance with. It seems only fair that you take his place." Ino held out a hand expectantly.

"Um-I-uh-it was unavoidable," Yamato stammered, a delicate pink blush tinting his cheeks. Sakura almost rolled her eyes. It was pathetic to watch how easily Ino turned him, or any man for that matter, into a stuttering mess simply by batting her eyelashes. She'd thought Yamato was better than that.

To Sakura's surprise, it was Kakashi who spoke next. "I think she has a solid case." Yamato gaped at the man, but Kakashi continued as if he hadn't seen it. "You deprived her of enjoying the evening; you should make up for it. Within reason, of course."

As the implication hit home, the pink on Yamato's cheeks deepened to crimson. Sakura struggled not to laugh at his expression. Ino cleared her throat, moving her hand closer. For a moment, Sakura wondered if Kakashi was going to have to push the man forward. Finally, Yamato dipped his head and took Ino's hand. Sakura couldn't stop her mirth as the pair disappeared onto the dance floor. "He's going to be furious with you later, you know that right?"

"It's good for him. Yamato is too shy." Kakashi leaned his shoulders against the wall, and for a moment Sakura couldn't take her eyes off of the smooth stretch of his body and the way his armor shifted with the movement. Half a second later, she realized that he'd said something. Deciding that it probably wasn't important, she nodded and he continued. "Of course, she doesn't mean anything by it, does she?"

Sakura shook her head, watching as Ino attempted to guide Yamato's hands toward her hips as she moved to the music. He kept moving them back to her waist, embarrassment obvious. Sakura chuckled under her breath. "No, she's quite taken with Sai actually."

"Our Sai?" Kakashi asked, eyebrows rising in surprise.

Sakura nodded, watching as Yamato finally relaxed into the dance and loosened up a bit. "She and Sai balance each other well, like Naruto and Hinata."

Kakashi followed Sakura's gaze toward the bar where Naruto and Hinata were talking. The blond leaned against the edge, telling some kind of story while the girl gazed up adoringly. Two years ago, she'd been too frightened and embarrassed to speak with him, and Naruto too stupid to realize why. With a little gentle prodding, they'd finally caught on.

Kakashi made a sound that might have been agreement in the back of his throat. "You're all pairing off these days, falling in love and getting married."

"Not all of us," Sakura grumbled. Frustration bled into her voice as she continued. "Some of us accepted the weight of duty instead."

A silver eyebrow arched skyward as Kakashi turned to face Sakura. A look of understanding crossed his features, but Sakura doubted that he realized she was talking about him as well. Undeniably handsome, Kakashi could have his pick of women in the village, but he remained alone. He had thrown himself into the role of hokage, even though he hated it. Sakura had done the same at the hospital, though she enjoyed her work for the most part. The two of them weren't as different as he seemed to think.

A stir went through the room. Naruto pushed away from the bar, his voice cutting through the din of music and conversation. "You made it!'

As much as Sakura wanted to continue admiring Kakashi, her attention drifted toward Naruto. He stood in the doorway, arms thrown around-Sakura's mind temporarily shorted out, taking several seconds to catch up with her eyes. Sasuke stood in the spill of light, Naruto's arms wrapped around his shoulders. Raven dark hair and equally black eyes swept through the crowd, taking in everyone and everything. His gaze slid over Sakura, then returned and lingered.

Despite everything, Sakura blushed under Sasuke's gaze. Beside her, Kakashi shifted away from the wall. A hand pressed almost imperceptibly against Sakura's lower back as Naruto approached, Sasuke trailing behind like a shadow. Sakura half turned toward Kakashi.

Naruto interrupted the pair before Sakura could get her thoughts in order. "Look guys, Sasuke made it back in time."

"So, he did," Kakashi answered for both of them, voice cool but not quite unfriendly. "Welcome back."

Sasuke turned, oozing arrogance as he inclined his head toward Kakashi. Dark eyes roved over Sakura a second time, an almost smile curling his lips. Even so, Sakura read the tension in his shoulders. Despite the years that had passed, Sasuke remained something of a pariah in the village. There were some groups who would never forgive or forget the time that he had spent trying to destroy the Leaf, despite Naruto's efforts to change their opinions. Sakura knew that Kakashi had helped save Sasuke from execution or life in prison, but the Hokage's intervention had ended there.

"Sasuke!" Ino appeared from nowhere, throwing her arms around Sasuke in a hug that the man shrunk away from. "Welcome back."

Sakura flashed her friend a thankful smile at the interruption. "You're looking well," Ino continued, pulling all of Sasuke's attention to herself by keeping her hands on his upper arms. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Maybe later," Sasuke answered, voice sounding strained as he shrugged away from Ino's touch. When she released him, the man turned and smiled. "Hello, Sakura."

Sakura couldn't remember how to draw a breath. A thick strand of black fell across Sasuke's eye, adding an air of mystery to his already captivating appearance. Warmth suffused her face when he moved closer, near enough to reach out and brush her cheek if he'd wanted. "Hi," she answered, toying with a silver bracelet circling one wrist.

Sasuke slid between Sakura and Kakashi, angling his body to face hers. "How have you been?"

"I've been doing well." Sakura's answer barely scratched the surface of everything that had happened in her life since the last time she saw Sasuke. She couldn't seem to remember a single event that she wanted to talk about. Yamato approached the small group and squeezed in beside Kakashi while running an appraising eye over Sasuke. He didn't acknowledge the Uchiha's presence. Instead, he leaned closer to Kakashi and whispered something in his ear.

Pulling her attention away from the exchange, Sakura realized that she'd been asked something. It would be rude not to keep talking to Sasuke, so she smiled. "How about you? How have you been?"

"I stay busy following up on leads," Sasuke answered, revealing nothing about his time outside of the village. Maybe he thought that Sakura wouldn't accept his reasons for leaving her behind, or maybe, he didn't care if she did.

After all, how could Sakura expect Sasuke to understand the hours of work that she poured into the hospital, sometimes losing a patient despite her best efforts? Would he care that she pushed herself in training as hard as she's ever done in case they went back to war? Sakura imagined Sasuke teasing her efforts to create orphanages in Konoha. Would he understand Sakura's version of sacrifice when it didn't align with his?

Sakura's eyes drifted back to her group of friends. Naruto stood beside Ino with a silly grin on his face, undoubtedly because Sakura and Sasuke were talking together. He still believed the two of them could make it work somehow. Yamato and Kakashi watched them both without seeming to do so. Sakura couldn't help but wonder if they deemed Sasuke as a security risk, even after all this time. Her gaze settled on the tension in Kakashi's jaw, wondering why he seemed on edge.

Kakashi understood the passion that drove Sakura to fight for those causes. Or, if not, he humored her. Sakura and Kakashi had worked hand in hand to train additional medical shinobi, create orphanages, and work through various issues at the hospital. She'd assumed that Kakashi wanted to see the same outcome that she did. Would Sasuke want that? Did it matter? He wouldn't be in the village long enough for it to make any difference.

Despite the way that things between them had changed, Sasuke still reduced Sakura to a lovesick teenager. It wasn't that her feelings had stayed the same, but Sakura had spent half of her life chasing after Sasuke. She couldn't shake the memory of nipping at his heels, of being willing to throw everything away if he'd only acknowledge her. As Sasuke spoke, Sakura's mind responded on autopilot, answering with soft laughs and smiles.

After several minutes, Ino caught Sakura's attention and half nodded toward Kakashi. He and Yamato had fallen silent, allowing the conversation to flow around them without interruption. Sakura raised her shoulders in a helpless shrug, silently asking what she was supposed to do about the situation. Ino frowned, then leaned in to speak. "So, Sasuke, did you know that Naruto and Hinata are dating?"

The question cut off the conversation. Surprise flitted across Sasuke's face as he looked over at Naruto. The blond's cheeks flamed crimson and he sputtered over his words "Well, Ino is dating Sai," he managed, red from his hairline to his chin.

Ino grinned, tossing her long hair over one shoulder with an air of dismissal. "You say that like it's a bad thing. Sai happens to be far more interesting than you'd anticipate. Not to mention adventurous."

The suggestive nature of Ino's comment made Naruto choke on his breath. His eyes bulged and Sakura couldn't help but laugh; he was still so innocent. Naruto grabbed Sasuke's arm. "Come on, it's definitely time for a drink."

Without waiting for an answer, Naruto pulled the Uchiha toward the barkeeper and further away from Ino's insinuations. Laughing, the girl watched them go. Then, she turned back to Yamato. "I thought you were going to dance with me? And, you," Ino studied Kakashi, "should dance with Sakura so she isn't left alone over here."

For all the nudging that Kakashi had done when Ino asked Yamato to dance, the man seemed less than enthused about taking his own advice. "It isn't befitting of the Hokage to indulge in-"

"Oh no you don't, senpai," Yamato interrupted, already pulling Kakashi away from the wall. "I did my duty, and now it's time for you to do yours. Off you go."

Yamato's brown eyes shone with an inordinate amount of amusement, and Sakura didn't know whether to be thankful that he was pushing Kakashi toward the dance floor, or embarrassed at being some type of twisted payback. Either way, the indecision lasted only a moment. Ino grabbed Yamato's hand and guided him toward the dancers, leaving Sakura alone with Kakashi on the edge of the room.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck as he turned to face Sakura. Embarrassment raised the temperature of the room several degrees until it felt impossible to draw a breath. "You don't have to dance with me," she murmured, trying not to sound as disappointed as she felt.

"Ino and Yamato would never let me hear the end of it if we didn't." Kakashi held out one hand, and Sakura slid hers into it. Her pulse pounded in her ears when he leaned closer. "Besides, we only have to dance long enough to get them off our backs."

Sakura didn't trust her voice to speak without breaking, so she nodded and followed Kakashi onto the dance floor. Music blared over the speakers, bass line making her heart pound in tempo. She drew a deep breath and looked into the eyes that had been hidden for so long. Even now, months later, Sakura hadn't gotten used to seeing more of Kakashi's face. She remembered the intensity of his gaze on the training field and the way that she'd wanted to pull him close and lose themselves in the storm.

Just five seconds of insane courage, Ino's voice whispered in the back of Sakura's mind. She could press her body against Kakashi's under the guise of dancing and admit that she wanted more than that. Butterflies the size of elephants trampled over Sakura's chest. If Kakashi rejected her, it would hurt, but she could mask the pain long enough to make it home. Then, she'd be free to deal with fallout. She had done the same thing over Sasuke nearly a year ago. But, if Sakura never took a chance and told Kakashi, she'd never know if there could have been anything between them.

Kakashi spoke, interrupting Sakura's momentum. "You look different tonight."

"Ino begged me to let her try something special for Naruto's party." Sakura chewed her lip, wondering if the words were technically a lie. She wanted to look more enticing as well, more like Ino and less like herself, in hopes that she'd capture Kakashi's attention.

The tempo of the music increased; Sakura allowed her body to follow. She felt the hem of her dress riding up her thigh and tugged it down with one hand. Kakashi followed the movement then snapped his eyes back to her face. He asked something, but the words were lost in the din of the crowd. When Sakura scrunched up her face in confusion, he leaned closer. "For Sasuke?"

For you, Sakura thought, holding the words tight between her lips. The accusation in Kakashi's tone surprised her. "I didn't know he'd be here."

Kakashi inclined his head at the words, expression unreadable. He rested his hands at Sakura's waist without a hint of familiarity or desire. Kakashi moved to the music, half a foot between their bodies. Sakura flashed back to the way his arms had wrapped around her like a glove on the training field. He moved on protective instinct, not to get close to me. The realization left a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Sakura surrendered to the rhythm of the music, turning to present her back to Kakashi's chest so she wouldn't have to meet his gaze. She closed her eyes, willing the ache in her heart to stop. This entire situation was so stupid. Ino was right about everything; Sakura needed to tell Kakashi how she felt so that she could pick up the pieces and move on. She had done it before, and she could do it again.

Fingers curled against Sakura's hips, the thin fabric of her dress hardly masking the feel of Kakashi's touch. Sakura wasn't sure if he pulled her back, or if she moved of her own accord, but she felt the warmth of his breath against her neck. She focused on the sensation, electricity rushing through her body. His damn flak vest separated Sakura from the heat of his chest, but she imagined that she could feel it anyway.

The song ended and the weight of Kakashi's hands fell away as if it had never been. Light pulsed around them as another song started. Sakura turned back to face Kakashi, drawing a shaky breath. "Do you think that dance met their requirements, or should we do another, just to be sure?"

Sakura's name left Kakashi's lips in a strangled sound. Whatever he'd been planning to say was lost when someone bumped hard into his back. He stumbled through the almost nonexistent space between them. Sakura heard an apology, but she couldn't match the voice to a face before her arms were full of Kakashi. She stumbled backward under his weight, tripped over her heels, and then they were falling. Vaguely, some panicked part of Sakura's mind wondered if she was about to give everyone in the room a free peep show.

Kakashi twisted in the air so that Sakura wouldn't be crushed beneath him. His left shoulder absorbed most of the impact half a second before she hit his chest. The air whooshed out of Kakashi's lungs in a soft hiss as their bodies pressed together. Exposure forgotten, Sakura felt his hands grip her, one near her shoulder and the other dangerously low on her back. They were close enough for their noses to brush, Kakashi's eyes wide. The charcoal tone wasn't as dark as Sakura had anticipated, but shot with silver through the iris. She noticed the outline of Kakashi's lips beneath his mask. Kami, it would be so simple to—

"Hokage-sama?" Genma's familiar voice cut across Sakura's thoughts. The man pushed through the crowd to reach Kakashi's side, undoubtedly on guard duty for the night. Sakura raised her head to glare at his poorly conceived timing.

Kakashi released Sakura like he'd been burned, hands coming to the floor instead as he pushed into a sitting position. She half fell into his lap from the sudden change of position. "I'm fine," he answered the unasked question. "I'm hardly old enough to get injured from falling down."

"Especially beneath a beautiful woman," Genma quipped, flashing his senbon-studded grin. Then, his leer slid toward the woman in question and his expression changed to something contemplative as he offered a hand. "Oh, hey, Sakura."

Sakura had no choice but to accept Genma's offered hand. Cheeks flushed with embarrassment, she let the tokujo pull her away from Kakashi. Belatedly, she remembered to adjust the slinky dress lower on her thighs and higher over her chest. Hopefully everything had happened so quickly that she didn't have any reason to be embarrassed. A small crowd gathered around them. Kakashi pushed through them as the music started back up; Sakura followed him to the edge of the room.

"You aren't hurt are you, Hokage-sama," Ino gushed as she hurried to the pair's side. Her brow creased with worry when Kakashi tried to wave her off. Sakura barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her best friend. The ploy was obvious.

"I'm fine," Kakashi grumbled, looking distinctively embarrassed by the attention. "I'm not made of glass."

"Still," Ino pressed, reaching out like she might touch Kakashi's arm. "You hit your shoulder hard when you fell. I saw it."

Sakura could see the wheels turning in Ino's mind. No, please, Ino, don't do this. Sakura's silent plea fell on deaf ears. Kakashi raised his arm to prove that he could, but Ino didn't drop the subject. "You should let Sakura take a look at it, just to make sure. I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

And, there it is, Sakura grumbled internally. Annoyance bled through Kakashi's embarrassment as he tried to wave the blonde's concerns away. Sakura interrupted the exchange before it could get out of hand. "Doesn't anyone care about me? I fell too."

"I could take a look at you," Genma offered with a cheeky grin from his position at Kakashi's shoulder. "In fact, it'd be my pleasure."

"No," Sakura and Kakashi answered in the same breath, dragging a knowing laugh from Genma. Kakashi looked almost as surprised as Sakura felt. Cheeks warming at the insinuation, she continued. "I don't need anyone to look at me, I am fine. But, shouldn't you be more worried about me?"

Genma chuckled in the back of his throat. "Because you're such a delicate little flower? I saw the damage you did to the training grounds the other night. I think I'd rather take my chances with Kakashi, to be honest."

"Probably for the best; she's stronger than you think." Sakura's stomach clenched at the unexpected praise from Sasuke. She hadn't noticed that he and Naruto had rejoined them in the chaos.

"Damn right she is," Ino answered, fighting to keep the attention on anything but Sasuke. Her eyes met Sakura's with silent pleading. While Sakura knew what Ino wanted, some things were easier said than done. Sasuke watched them with a smug satisfaction on his face that Sakura couldn't begin to understand as Ino continued. "What will Tsunade say if you leave Hokage-sama injured until tomorrow?"

Kakashi shook his head as Sakura groaned under her breath. She loved Ino, but sometimes the woman went a little overboard with her matchmaking. "Tsunade would say that it's nothing, and no more than I deserve if I can't keep my feet under me. But, if it'll put your mind at ease, I'll get it checked out."

"It would," Ino breathed out, her concern almost palpable. Sakura wondered why the woman didn't become an actress; she certainly had a knack for it. Ino pulled her forward. "There's no time like the present."

Kakashi cast a withering glance at Ino, then faced Sakura. For a moment, the rest of the room disappeared. Even the overwhelming presence of Sasuke shrank to insignificance. The sheepishness that Sakura had noticed earlier had evaporated, replaced by something darker in Kakashi's gaze. Though Sakura couldn't put her finger on it, the expression made chill bumps erupt on her arms. "Would you mind?"

It wasn't the first time that Sakura had healed Kakashi, not by a long shot. But, it was the first time that he'd asked. Sakura's heart did somersaults in her chest. "I don't mind," she breathed, forcing strength into her words. "But, not here. I need somewhere quieter, with better light."

Kakashi inclined his head as if the words made perfect sense. Naruto groaned, his voice turning whiny. "You're going to miss my party? This is the first time we've all been together in years."

"We won't be gone long," Kakashi assured the boy. "Just long enough to satisfy Sakura."

Ino choked on her laugh, eyes shining. Sakura's cheeks flamed crimson at the insinuation. Kakashi either didn't notice or didn't want to draw attention to it. He nodded toward the door. "Come on, let's get this over with, shall we?"

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

As she and Kakashi emerged from the pub, Sakura drew a breath of the chilly air. Naruto had been the only one to raise an objection to them leaving the party together, but Sakura felt the heat from a dozen gazes as they crossed the room. When they stepped into the street, Sakura's hand slipped out of Kakashi's, and neither made a move to retake it. He stared at the darkness, the stars above, and the benches by the door as they stood under the hazy light of the neon sign.

"I'm sorry that this took you away from the party," Kakashi began with a sigh. When his gaze turned to Sakura, it swept over her body in a way that suggested that he hadn't missed the tiniest facet of Ino's hard work. "You clearly wanted to be there."

"I can always go back later," Sakura answered, knowing that she wouldn't. She didn't want to face Sasuke or Ino after leaving with Kakashi, regardless of what happened next. Kakashi's shoulders seemed to tense at the response, but Sakura wasn't sure if it was her imagination or not. Undeniable nervousness settled in her gut.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "You don't really need to look at my shoulder. It's fine, but I needed an excuse to get out of there."

"I know," Sakura agreed. She would have realized if Kakashi was hurt, probably before he did. "But, I gave my word, so we should at least check it."

"Do you want to go to the hospital?" Kakashi moved down the street as he asked the question, forcing Sakura to follow on his heels. He didn't turn back when he continued. "Or, would my apartment be okay? It's closer."

Sakura's breath caught in her throat. She knew where Kakashi's apartment was, of course, but she'd never set foot inside of it. That he'd allow her into his world, even for a moment, stunned her. He continued walking, shoulders tight and hands stuffed into his pockets as he waited for an answer. "Your apartment is fine."

The silence gave Sakura unwanted time to think back over the night's events. She had seen appreciation in more than a few eyes when they noticed the changes that Ino had made, but she couldn't be sure that any of it had registered with Kakashi. He'd said she looked different, not better, not beautiful, just different. That word could mean a million things, or nothing at all. Ino was right though, if Sakura couldn't have Kakashi, she could always go home with someone else. Hell, even Sasuke had noticed and appreciated the extra effort in her appearance. There was only one problem, Sakura didn't want to go home with anyone else.

Sakura nearly walked into Kakashi's back when he stopped in front of her and nodded toward the steps leading up to his apartment. Though she knew it was entirely platonic, Sakura's heart pounded in her throat as she followed him higher. Kakashi unlocked the door, flicked the lights on, and pushed it wider. Sakura slid under his arm and into the room, taking in a million details at once.

Kakashi closed the door behind them and bent to remove his sandals. Sakura admired the smooth stretch of his body for a heartbeat longer than she should have. Tearing her eyes away, she rested one hand on the wall and bent down to unbuckle her heels. It felt good to be out of them, if it was only going to be for a few minutes.

"Does your shoulder hurt at all? They're notoriously fragile as far as joints go." When Kakashi didn't speak, Sakura opened her mouth to repeat the question, then had another idea. Five seconds of insane courage. She took two steps forward and reached for Kakashi's arm, the healing glow surrounding her hands.

When Sakura touched his shoulder, Kakashi startled and jerked away. 'I'm fine," he ground out. "You don't have to—"

"Your heart is pounding," Sakura responded in awe, letting her fingers fall away from his arm. The touch had been brief, but the spike in Kakashi's pulse was obvious.

Kakashi forced a harsh breath through his nose. "You're supposed to be checking my shoulder, not my heart."

Five seconds of insane courage. "Your shoulder," Sakura repeated, trying to think over the blood roaring in her ears. Just five seconds. She reached for the straps of Kakashi's flak vest.

#My writing #Dimi Writes #Naruto #KakaSaku #Kakashi Hatake #Sakura Haruno #Mutual Pining #Don't read this at work #Smut #and fluff #There's a lot of fluff

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scrawnytreedemon · 3 years

Text

Shit I’ve Been Winding Up For A Long Time Now But Am Very Aware Will Probably Hold No Relevance Should I Actually Go Into This More--

This is about Bhunivelze.

You know, when I was chilling out, on my bed, that evening on that half term in early June, deciding to check up on ClementJ64′s FF retrospective because-- Hey! It’s been awhile, I wonder if he’s got around to doing the final bit of the FFXIII saga --You know, I was there, chilling, just for a laff. Just a laff.

The rest of that week was spent spiralling into a hyperfixation I absolutely did not anticipate in any way, shape, or form, because the way they introduced that character was “wwhdhfjjhHJDFJKHKJHW H A T??”

That retrospective and a good amount of wiki-scrounging is all I have as a basis for this. This is not a coherent character analysis-- Though I might tag it as that for ease of access. This is not, by any means, the thoughts of someone deeply familiar with FFXIII on the whole beyond plot synopses and overarching themes.

I don’t think I’m brave enough for that.

Reading the vast yet surface-deep lore on those wiki pages on my birthday while in a delirious state of mind was enough to make me somewhat nauseous.

Do you think I’m going to go through all of that in real time?

(Someday, someday.)

Ugh, I don’t know how to begin, but let us, I guess. I’d recommend you read this church-mime-demiurge’s FF Wiki page if you want the same level of base-knowledge I had, and maybe the aformentioned retrospective if you want the experience, because I don’t think I have the wherewithal to get into all of that from the bottom-up.

I am also, so, so fucking sorry for any remaining FFXIII fans in advance. There is like, a good chance I may be butchering the characterisation completely, so bear with me here.

With that... we begin?

Where do we even start with this guy?

How on earth to you begin to explain the absolute monolith you’ve constructed from crumbs of a Guy, some material no doubt spliced in from the Pale King, Sephiroth, y o u r o w n G o d O C and other characters, and the mountains of religious trauma you carry around at all times that is probably the only reason you’ve been able to latch on as hard as you did?

I’m going to try.

What gets me, in summary, about Bhunivelze is how he’s a prime example of how love and concern can become deadly forces if in the wrong hands. His first acquainting with human emotion was by deceiving and possessing Hope, reverting his body to a teenage state, and planning to live among humanity through him. He sees human sorrow and suffering, and decides that, to End This(because it must be ended, you see) he’s going to destroy all the souls of the deceased that make up the Chaos that’s been eating this world for the past five-hundred years so they all forget and Are Happy. :).

Capital G God here hasn’t been present for the vast part of human history because he’s hidden himself away from Everything due to paranoia from killing his own mother and throwing her body into the Cosmic Basement, THEN creating the beings that would come to create humanity and OTHER beings because he didn’t have the keys to the cosmic basement. And also he believes death is a thing because she’d’ve somehow cursed all things to pass(including him) out of Spite.

Which explains why he’s so fucking averse to it and anything to do with it.

Bhunivelze, to put it lightly, is Shit at stepping into others’ shoes and Getting their experiences-- All the FalCie in FFXIII are, but him especially. It’s clear(again, in the f u c k i n g JP--) that he makes attempts to sympathise with them and does what he can to help, but it’s with such a loftiness and a complete inability to Understand why anyone would want grief, The Worst Fucking Experience In Existence, and even less why they’d be willing to Go Up Against Him And HisThe New Perfect World just for it-- And what would it matter, anyway, forgetting their loved ones. It’s not like you can grieve lost memories, right?

Right.

It reminds me of when at the end of the story of Job in the Bible, where, after putting this man through hell on earth, God rewards Job by giving him ten new children to make up for the ones that he lost. I. And that’s fucked! Nothing can replace the sheer uniqueness of each individual person you loved so dearly! But if you were a nigh-omnipotent deity high and mighty, with a cursory, almost mechanical knowledge on the functionings of the human psyche, that would seem adequete; enough.

Bhunivelze is doing that on a cosmic level.

I now want to get onto the romance: that being, his affections for Lightning. I don’t know how much I’m going to say, but it’ll probably be alot. It’s something that hits very close to home.

There is this... thing, within certain branches of Christianity, perhaps even in those of various Abrahamic faiths, where God’s love is posited to be the love-- The ultimate, most-fulfilling, all-encompassing love you could ever imagine --Because, well, he is love, so the story goes, and so often the best way to convey that is through the imagery of...

Marriage.

Giving up yourself so completely, to serve, to be the Bride; to be bound by him for all eternity; and for there to be no higher bliss than this.

This angle is pushed on young girls and women the most; from the mere parallels to the woman’s role in marriage, all the way down to downright-horrifying ultra-Evangelical purity pacts. With men, God is your dad, your best bud and confidant, your boss, your king, your this, your that, and the ‘marriage‘ as it were is relegated to a sort of half-thought; a metaphor.

For me, God was an attempt at all that, and my arranged groom.

(It was almost incestuous; was incestuous, that my own Divine Father would reach for my hand in marriage.)

Bhunivelze experiences Emotions™ for the first time through Hope, experiences Hope’s sheer overwhelming admiration for Lighting(whether there were any baby-crush feelings mixed in, I can’t say), and promptly falls into a nigh-romantic obsession with Lightning, deciding that she will be Etro(his all-but daughter)’s replacement, will be his Goddess of Death to-be-- He even calls her as such, before the final boss-battle--

...In the JP.

What happened in localisation, probably due to a number of factors, all the way back in early 2014, was that everything emotionally challenging about Bhunivelze was scraped off, like it was extra fat, and tossed aside, leaving us with the bland, clichéd shell of a foe-god we’ve seen time and time again. And I mean everything. I mean his very love for humanity; the fact his ploy was, in his eyes, to save them. Because if they’d left that all on, then it would raise the question of even if there was such a seemingly pure, all-knowing, loving being hell-bent on setting things “straight,“ would they truly be unquestionable? Would we have the right to fight for our humanity in the face of the Creator of the Universe?

To reject a love so personal?

That’s what gets me about FFXIII’s tackling of God, no matter how hackneyed and poorly-executed. It’s personal.

It’s from a feminine experience.

I know that terming is... vague, and problematic, but the way Christianity and much of the video game industry handle femininity itself is weird and problematic, so as it stands, I’ll have to simplify it. Apologies.

What sets FFXIII’s Let’s Kill God™ plot aside from most JRPG Let’s Kill God™ plots is that with our protagonist being a woman, and one who is very in touch with her femininity alongside her sheer strength; often, in these stories, God is reduced to Yet Another Foe, expected or unexpected, and you are tasked with taking him down unquestioningly for the Good of Mankind-- You will fight God, because you are right to, and you will go man-to-man-to-however-many-men you decide to bring along for the bloodbath.

And that just, doesn’t speak to me.

Even as an Extian.

Especially as an Extian. And an AFAB one with a deeply complicated experience with my gender, at that.

Leaving Christianity was painful. Questioning God was painful. Coming to terms with the fact that I had been mentally, emotionally, and spiritually traumatised under the guise of All-Encompassing Love was so, so fucking painful. I had been taught since I was five years old to devote myself to him, spent my life desperate to feel something, anything, to stay connected because I just, I never could Feel It on a deeper level, never could Give Up Myself, all I was, couldn’t Die A Spiritual Death And Be Reborn As His Eager Vessel, thus deeming myself to be worthless and a broken vessel for years and years on end... And for all that to have been... Nothing.

Lightning is hollowed out, the shards of her dead sister ripped from her in-stasis, leaving her emotionally numb for the majority of the game, Bhunivelze sweeps it under the rug, pretends he’ll perform a miracle and return Serah to life in exchange for her compliance, then sends her on her way to do his work, all the while knowing he’s going to pull said-rug from under her and elevate her such dizzying heights in the aftermath--

That he’ll deny her humanity.

Sand down all the rough edges that make her her, and polish her up afterwards, gild her as he is gilded, make her a Goddess.

And he’ll do it all because he loves her.

You can’t fight God like you can everything else. To fight It is the fight Existence Itself; FFXIII even conveys that by making Bhunivelze’s model part of the arena; it’s baked into the fabric of the game, no matter how minute.

While Lightning Returns is far from perfect in its execution of this concept, and that in itself makes me wince, not even taking into account the horribly botched excuse for a localisation Bhunivelze endured, it speaks to me more than anything else I’ve seen so far.

And it’s helped uncover some things within me. Helped me untangle them, just a little more.

So, yeah. I have alot of Thoughts on Bhunivelze, I want to share them, and I’m kinda really sad I have no one but my currently-absent friend Vee to share them with. I could get into alot more, like his very Fucked relationship with familial bonds, and how Lightning’s role as saviour so deeply parallels the overwhelming panic and never-ending guilt of Evangelical proselytisation, but I think I’ll leave those for another time.

In short, Bhunivelze is the epitome of Divine Love gone deeply wrong; on all fronts.

And if all of that isn’t enough to intrigue you, then, in Vee’s words, Lightning and Velze are literally canon endgame Sefikura lmaOOOOOOOOOOOOOO--

#ffxiii #lightning returns #bhunivelze #analysis #scrawny speaks #scrawny rambles #this was written on and off over the course of a couple months #i know this will only get two notes #if even that #but fuck it i love this guy and i'm going to puke words for his sake #religion mention

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soramel · 3 years

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Curiosity didn’t kill the cat | jjk ff

Part 2

jjkxreader Prompt: “You’re early,” said the grim reaper with a hint of amusement.

Fantasy au, grimreaper!jungkook, reader, romance, slow-burn

Words: 1.5k approx. Part 2/5

A/N. Omg help me, I’m doing my best to cut this story short without compromising the love story. This is just supposed to be a drabble in 3 shots but now I’m currently on the 4th. 7.7k words and counting. I hope to end it soon.

Check this out on my wattpad account! I post one part ahead there.

"Good morning, Sir," Jungkook greeted the man clad in white behind the humongous desk.

The man nodded back, "Jungkook, Y/n, have a seat."

You sat down after Jungkook did. If you're being honest nothing felt divine in this place. You wonder if this is heaven or just a penthouse office in Gangnam.

The man breathed in before speaking, "I pulled out Y/n's profile from the database and she's currently under your roster, Jungkook."

You looked at the two-faced grim reaper. His posture went rigid at that, as if a silent understanding of something grave.

"As she's not yet supposed to pass, as per her fate line... I still need to hand this over to the board for deliberation."

Hearing that pissed you off. So you decided for them to hear your piece, "Then what? Clearly, this is a mistake on your part. Do you take human lives this lightly? I've been hearing the same over and over. That this is not supposed to happen. I have family, friends, dreams, all of them gone in a blink. And you're passing me around like a ball. To a person of authority, to this committee, to be deliberated. I didn't know heaven is this bureaucratic ass much like humanity."

Jungkook gasped at your slander of the higher ups, much more on the expletive word you used to describe Heaven.

He stared at you in shock and worry, his eyes begging you to apologize. For him, your words and actions are much as well as his. You're in his roster. Meaning... if he failed to deliver you to the Gate before the 7 Trials, he'll be one soul short. He won't be able to leave this limbo. Forever. He got 10 souls left out of 700 that he's supposed to guide to Afterlife. You must not piss off a spirit guide.

You just raised a brow at Jungkook. His face painted red out of anger.

He suddenly stood up and bowed to the man. "Apologies, Sir. She must still be in shock. I may have failed to brief her enough before this meeting," he explained, still head down.

"I ask for your kind understanding, Sir," he followed.

The man waved his hand and let out a chuckle. "It's fine, it's fine. I've heard worse."

"Please, take your seat, Jungkook."

In which Jungkook followed.

The man turned to you, breathing in, "Y/n. How entitled of you to think that this is Heaven. We're still on Earth, but aren't. We are your messenger before the Afterlife. Heaven's still a long long way."

"I need to know first if your case is entwined with another fate line," he paused, thinking of a way to explain it in simpler terms.

"There's much more behind the dimensions known to humanity. This world, the universe, is a series of strings. Each called a fate line. Relatively, you have diverted from your path. You may choose to continue on the one you're travelling now or go back at the crossroad and live out your life."

"I can still go back?" you confirmed. The man nodded. "It's just like untangling your fate line, bringing it back to its place. It's not easy, but it's doable."

"How? How can I do that?" you eagerly asked. He breathed out and leaned back on his chair.

"Let the water flow its course first. I promise you I'll figure it out. For now, you have to stay under Jungkook's protection. You're living as a spirit for now, but your energy may attract unwanted beings. Humans are safe from them because they're in an unconsumable form."

At this Jungkook nodded. "I can feel it. She's like a meat flavored tofu to the roaming souls."

You winced at his metaphor.

The man clasped his hands as he gave his dismissive remark, "You'll receive a call, Jungkook. Keep Y/n safe until then. Give me 2 Julian weeks at most."

When the grim reaper stood up, you followed suit. Jungkook bowed and thanked the spirit guide. "That's generous of you, Sir. I know how busy you are. Thank you for your time."

When you didn't pay the same respect, Jungkook pulled your hand down, forcing you to bow. "Thank you," you muttered.

As you both turned back to the door, the man watched you intently. Jungkook's hand clasping yours. He let out a sigh as he looked above. "What now?"

The door fell shut as he thought he could only stall time.

Jungkook and you whirled out of a cobblestone wall. To him, passing through a wall seemed nothing, but to you, it's a wonder. You stared back where you came from before bumping to his back.

"Ow," you winced, massaging your nose.

He passed you to the other side of his back, his left arm caging you.

"Stay close," you heard him whisper. Out of curiosity, you peeked over his shoulder only to find a hideous ghost. Her hair sticks out in all places, large veins protruding around her eyes. Its color dilated in black at the desire to get to you.

If you still have a beating heart, you might have passed out then and there.

Your grip on Jungkook's coat tightened. He casted out a scythe on his right hand as he pulled a phone from his pocket to call someone.

"Taehyung, I found your assignee. She's here outside Jongno HQ."

After the call, Jungkook stepped back, thinking the roaming soul wouldn't dare to challenge a grim reaper.

But she stepped forward, garbling noise falling out of her mouth. Her grimy hands reaching out. She disappeared in front of him then you felt a pair of cold hands grabbing you from the back of your neck. You yelled in horror as Jungkook spun around whirling out a whip to cuff her hands off you. The being retreated as she let out a blood-curdling scream. You couldn't bring yourself to look. Your head buried in Jungkook's chest as you held on to him for your dear life – ironically.

His other arm wrapped around you. "Don't face her," he muttered as he snapped the whip back to scythe, pushing back the roaming soul back with an invisible force. It sent her flying a few feet back.

Taehyung arrived just in time to rope in his assignee.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, I told you I'd find you. Nice choice of hunting grounds. In you go," he then pushed the unruly soul to the wall. He quickly sent a salute to Jungkook and followed right after into the headquarters.

Silence passed but your breathing's still ragged. You've been staring at the pavement for you could only remember her face, her hands reaching out to you, when you close your eyes. You could still feel her cold hands at the back of your neck. You flinched when Jungkook tried to soothe you. His hand caressing the spot where you were grabbed awhile ago.

"I'm sorry. Ghosts like her usually wouldn't dare. She seemed out of it," he muttered. You broke down, your knees wobbling, and you cried your heart out.

What did I do wrong to deserve this?

You died out of some mistake, what now of the people and things you left behind? You still have hope to go back if not another starving soul would get to you before the man on the penthouse figure everything out. Your whole life depends on a grim reaper whose job is to take souls.

The irony.

I don't deserve this.

You thought as you shook your head. Jungkook crouched down, concern filled his eyes. He called your name calmly.

Then again, in a whisper.

You looked up to him with your tear-stained face, your eyes and nose red from all the crying. He held your face in his hands as he wiped away your tears, tucking your hair away from your face.

Then he said, "I'll protect you at all costs. My life is in your hands as much as yours is in mine. Trust me," his eyes filled with sincerity.

At a beep, the door to his apartment unlocked. He ushered you in. His place is overlooking the Han river. It's minimally designed, wood and stones adorned the space. A sleek leather sofa served as the centerpiece of the living room you just entered.

He then led you to a door, "You can stay here with me. Here's my bedroom," he said as he entered.

"Excuse me?"

"Why?" he asked.

You didn't want to come off as an old-fashioned lady. You slept with your friend, Jimin, with no malice at all. But this... the man before you is a stranger. It feels weird.

"I... I can take the couch," you replied instead.

He nodded nonchalantly. "Okay, if that's what you want."

"I'll give you a duvet," he followed.

"Thank you," you uttered.

#bts fanfic #jungkook fanfic #jungkook fantasy au #jk x reader #jkxreader #jjk

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sweeethinny · 3 years

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Wildflower - Chapter 1

one more chapter, i'm excited about this story, i hope you like it as much as i do <3

Thank you @startanewdream who read and opined on some things <3

AO3 | FF. NET | PLAYLIST

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| L. E |

The room was quiet, everyone paying attention to what the Professor was saying and presenting on the slides, with all those graphs and statistics that made Lily almost sleep with her eyes open. She loved her course, but calculus class wasn't her favorite, it wasn't even in her top three preferences.

Lily would rather have a full day of Environmental Chemistry with Professor Hagrid than one more with Burbage.

"Aren't you going to write down what she's saying?" Severus muttered beside her, making her nearly jump in her chair in fright, her heart racing at being pulled out of the quiet of her mind. "Hey, calm down."

"I already wrote down the important one." Lily shrugged, seeing her representation of the chart in the notebook and her lazy scribble of what the Professor had said.

"I won't lend you my notebook to study," he whispered, a smirk on his lips. Lily rolled her eyes, resting her head on her hand again, no longer listening to Burbage's voice.

Was it so early, why did she like to make students suffer like that?

"I don't need to, thanks." Severus didn't respond, but he kissed her on the cheek and then turned his attention back to class, much more interested than she was.

She still hadn't forgotten about their fight after the party Saturday, and all the embarrassment he put her through, and Lily was still hurting, even though she didn't understand why it hurt so much. He explained to her that he was trying to protect her, and the next day, he took her for brunch at her favorite restaurant, which was near a flower shop where Severus bought her flowers. Her favorites.

He was sorry, and Lily had to stop mulling things over even days after they had happened.

"Excuse me, Professor?" A female voice woke her, looking toward the door where one of the cheerleaders was standing.

The girl was beautiful, Lily had seen her before in the presentations in between games - the few she went to - and in the hallways of college; she had long brown hair and eyes almost the same color, and Lily knew the line of boys wanting her wasn't short.

“Say it, Miss Fortescue,” Burbage said, not looking overly excited at being interrupted. ‘I have no time to waste.’

“It'll be quick, I swear.” The girl walked into the room, wearing her red college sweatshirt and simple jeans, and even so, she looked stunning. Lily was a little jealous of her.

‘Me, and the Hogwarts Cheerleaders team, are passing by to remind you that applications to join the Team begin today. You need to have a minimal knowledge of ice skating, and be able to train three times a week, and twice a month on Saturdays. In addition to keeping in mind that if chosen, you will have to travel with us when necessary, and participate in our activities off the field.'’ She smiled, looking at everyone there waiting for questions or any interruptions, but when no one raised a hand, she continued;

‘’To apply you just need to talk to me, or any other cheerleader, and fill in the form. The tests will start next week, so you have plenty of time to think about whether you want to or not.” She waited a few more seconds, then smiled at the woman. "Thank you so much, Professor, excuse me." And she left.

Side conversations began, even though Burbage was trying to restrain the students, but Lily didn't care too much, wondering whether or not she should take the test. Of course she didn't have a body like the other girls, their waists looked almost unreal, but she could try, right? It looked so much fun the few times she watched it, and Lily had been balletting as a child until her mid-teens, when she started to put on weight and Petunia kept saying she was getting too fat to dance.

She could at least try. Maybe she couldn't get in, there were probably girls who had trained her entire life for it, Lily knew it was a competitive sport that many took very seriously, but… She could try.

Lily skated really well too, another reason she should try, and-

"You'd think she'd at least be embarrassed to appear in public, but no," Severus whispered, making Lily look at him not quite understanding what he was talking about, having once again become lost in her thoughts. "God, Lily, pay attention!"

‘‘Sorry, I was thinking. Who has to have courage?’’

‘‘Alice. That captain of the cheerleaders. She was seen having sex in the car with one of the players late last year… Such a bitch.” Severus rolled his eyes, looking almost offended by what she had done. ‘‘But what to expect, all are.’’

"I wanted to take the test," Lily whispered, feeling a weight drop in her stomach that made all her courage drain away.

'’Why? Do you want to wear those short skirts and show your ass for a bunch of men to see? And still call it dancing? Christ, Lily, have a little respect for yourself.” He turned forward, not seeming to want to hear her answer, but Lily ignored the movement and continued;

‘But… it looks so cool, and maybe I don't even come in and-’

‘Lils, I'm a man, listen to what I tell you, these girls don't dance because they like it, they dance because they want to have a dick to suck at the end of the day and get something in return; sometimes a higher note, or sometimes just the gratification of having sucked that dick. You're not like them, you don't need that.”

| J . P |

"Look who's here, our Geppetto!" Remus said, a wide grin on his face and the glass of orange juice raised to James, who was now bitterly regretting not having changed after his carpentry practice class.

"Dude, shut up." James chuckled, not even wanting to argue about how old this joke was getting and that they should try harder. "I can't believe we're not joking about the fact that Sirius needs to wear a wig in his class."

"We did, but you were late, mate." Remus seemed indifferent to James' attempt to shift his attention to Sirius, drinking all of his juice before looking at him more closely. "Marlene put makeup on you?"

"Yeah, is there a problem?" He put his hand to his jaw, no longer as purple and sore as it had been on Saturday, but still too disgusting an orange color to show everyone on the first day of his sophomore year. James had a bit of self-esteem even though it kept him from doing that. "It was horrible."

"Yeah, it's not pretty now." Peter pulled James' face to the side, wanting to see more detail, and that made the pain in the back of his neck return. "But it's better than before."

"Peter, my head." James pushed him away, touching where the back of his neck ached and trying to ease some of the pain that was still bothering him. The doctor had said it would hurt for a few more days, but James couldn't take the headaches anymore. "That asshole was lucky I was drunk."

"I still don't understand why he punched you," Sirius said, the pink wig still in his hands, trying to untangle the strands. "The girl said you didn't even touch her."

‘’I didn't touch it. Man, I don't even remember her face, I was trying to stay upright and not pass out right there, there were like ten redheads in front of me.’' He sighed, taking a sip of his own juice and denying it, still not believing he had stopped at the hospital because someone thought he was harassing the girl. "Was he her boyfriend?"

"I think so, but she didn't look too happy about what he'd done to you, so I don't know if they're still together," Remus said.

"Was she beautiful?" James didn't remember much of that night, least of all the details of her face, the only thing he could remember was that she was wearing an all-black outfit and had red hair. Everything else was just a blur in his mind.

"Yeah," Peter smiled. ‘’Was she wearing weird clothes? Yeah. I mean, who wears sweats to a party? But, she was beautiful. Don't you have a class with her?” He glanced at Remus, who looked like he was in another world as he watched a table next to theirs, full of girls chatting and laughing, one in particular standing with her back to them.

‘’Moony, if you keep drooling on Amelia like that, I'll punch you in the face. She kicked your ass, bro, part to another, forget about her.'’

"James, have you ever been in love yet?" James took a deep breath, thinking they would go back to that same subject Remus always brought up every time someone said something about his ex. '’Answer me.'’

"This wasn't love, Moony, it was a trap." James said the same thing every other time, but it was like he spoke to a wall when it came to Remus. It was frustrating. "She betrayed you."

“It was a slip.” He repeated as usual.

‘’Remus, slip was when I mistook James' aunt for his grandmother, and congratulated her on her 90th birthday. That was a slip. What did she do to you,” Sirius dropped his wig and looked at their friend, a tired smile on his face. It was the tenth time they had had that conversation. ‘It was low. She cheated on you the second you quarreled with her, without a second thought. Besides,” He held up a hand, preventing Remus from saying anything. "She never told you, you only knew because her friend felt sorry for you."

"She was going to tell me!"

"Let's not discuss this again." Peter interrupted the fight that was likely to ensue, but even if he hadn't, someone else did for them.

A girl stopped at their table, arms back and cheeks already on fire, she looked like she wanted to get inside a hole instead of being there.

"Hm. I’m sorry..er..." Her low voice was barely heard in the din in the cafeteria, but James was at the end of the table and could hear her speaking. It was the girl from the party, he recognized her sweet voice, her red hair was in a bun and she was wearing a sweatshirt today too, this time it wasn't black but dark blue, and James thought it didn't look comfortable because it wasn't that cold and that fabric seemed to be very thick and warm. ‘I came to apologize.’

"Sorry?" James looked at her, now everyone at the table was silently paying attention to her, and her cheeks got even hotter, which he thought was cute. Her green eyes fell on James, and he hated even more that he was wearing that ridiculous protective clothes.

"For what Sev did," She bit her bottom lip, filling her lungs with air and smiling gently afterwards. "I'm sorry he punched you."

'But…'

"You're not the one who should apologize," Sirius said, sitting at the other end, looking almost as shocked as James. The guy couldn't be such a coward, what did he think they were going to do, punch him up in the middle of the cafeteria?

The girl looked uncomfortable with this, but stayed there, stuffing her hands inside her sweatshirt pocket. ‘‘I know, but… He wasn't coming, but I'm going to feel really bad for not apologizing, because it was my fault, I- ''

"It wasn't your fault," James cut her off, pausing before placing a hand on her arm to soothe whatever was making her nervous. Who knows what her crazy boyfriend would do if he saw James touching her. "It's okay, really."

"You ended up in the hospital." She reminded him, not that James needed it, but he shrugged.

‘’Nothing too serious. And I was drunk, and…” He didn't know what to say, so opting to just smile at her. '’Everything is fine. If it makes you better, apologies accepted.”

"Sorry again, really," The girl said, her hand over her heart and a slightly sad smile on her face, seeming to notice the makeup on his jaw. James nodded, still not quite sure what to say or what to do, and she left.

'’Oh, I knew I knew her boyfriend.’' The four of them looked at the redhead walking back to her table, where three other guys dressed in black were, none of them looking at James' table but the boy next to her didn't look the least bit happy with her attitude, putting an arm around her shoulders in an almost possessive way. "She dates that idiot who tried to fight with Frank."

"Does he fight everyone then?" James continued to stare at her table, a bad feeling burning in his chest. He remembered that she looked so happy when he came to ask about his glasses, but then, now it seemed like there was none of that inside her anymore.

"He doesn't fight, he talks and talks, but when the time comes he runs away." Remus smiled humorlessly, pulling James back to look at him. "Don't want the three of them to come at you, just because one of them is a coward doesn't mean the others are too."

"She looked sad." Peter rambled. "Didn't she look like?"

“Dating a guy like that, who's happy?” James ran a hand through his hair, looking once more at the table the redhead had gone to before giving up and settling down on the bench, putting her image out of his mind and refocusing on Remus, who had turned to face Amelia again.

| L. E |

Lily was nervous, as if she was about to commit a horrible crime, her stomach churning and bile burning in her throat every time she focused her vision on that paper.

It was a mistake, a huge mistake, she shouldn't be there, she didn't even know how she got there. Get out of there Lily! She screamed to herself.

“Need help?” A voice startled her, her heart nearly leapt out of her body, and she ended up dropping the form to the floor, her shaking hands not even good enough to hold the paper. ‘Hey, I’m sorry. Everything is fine?'

"Yes, yes." Lily didn't look at the girl, but she knew who she was; Alice. Severus' voice reverberated in her mind, and she remembered Mulciber - Sev's best friend, who, like Avery, lived with them - saying; "You don't want everyone to think you're a bitch too, do you?" when Lily spoke of her willingness to take the test.

She thought they were wrong, she knew they were wrong, but her mind seemed unable to say anything against it at the time, her body paralyzed, just nodding and going back to eating, even though her hunger was gone.

'’Are you going to sign up?'’ Alice didn't seem to notice that Lily was uncomfortable however, because she went behind the now empty cafeteria table and sat on the bench there, looking at Lily in such a welcoming way that she felt guilty for not looking her in the eye. '’It's fun. We train a lot, but we are a family too, and as some girls are already graduating and leaving, we need new members.’’

"Family?" Lily looked at her, confused, blaming her mind that it was having to deal with the guilt of thinking she was a bitch, and the boys' voices telling her about her having sex in the car.

She's free to do whatever she wants, Lily thought, taking a deep breath.

‘’Yes, we take care of each other and make sure no one feels left out. If you need a house, we have room for you. It's just girls, no boys in there.” Alice took a folder from her purse, it was full of other completed forms, but at the bottom, there was a blank paper. She reached for Lily. "If you want it." She shrugged, and Lily saw it was another form, but this time, to rent a room.

"Oh I don't have to, I live with my boyfriend." Lily felt her cheeks flush, her eyes automatically returning to the team's blank form. Did she want this?

"But if you ever need to, we're always getting a spare room, just in case." Alice smiled. ‘’So having problems with the questions? I know there are many, but we need to know a lot before we call someone in. We've had bad experiences with this.’’

“I'm still wondering whether I'm going to try or not.” Why was she being so kind to her? Alice didn't know what everyone was calling her? Didn't she care?

‘’Do it. The most that can happen is that you won't be accepted.’’

"Yeah…I think it is." Lily nodded, swallowing the ball of nervousness that rose in her throat. "My boyfriend doesn't think I should apply." She didn't know why she'd said that, it just slipped off her tongue without going through her brain first, but as usual, Alice didn't seem to mind.

'’Why not? And you're the one training and dancing, so it's up to you to decide whether you want to or not.” She ran a hand through her brushed hair, and Lily noticed there was a silver ring on her finger. She dated the guy she had sex with in the car? Lily didn't know his name. '’Unless you have labyrinthitis… But, we already had a girl with labyrinthitis on the team, she didn't just participate in the spins, so there's nothing really stopping you from joining us.'’

"Yeah, maybe you're right." Lily took another deep breath, her nervousness lessening a little.

'Sit down.'

"What?" She looked up from her paper, Alice still with that welcoming look from before, but now more attentive.

"Sit down, you've been standing a long time." She did, placing her bag beside her and taking the pen firmly in her hand, signing her name at the top of the sheet, then moving on to the other questions.

Alice was quiet, doing something on her cell phone while Lily concentrated, trying not to show how anxious she was getting at such a silly and simple task. It was like her mind was hazy and the questions started to no longer make sense, Sev's voice telling her that Lily didn't need it because she wasn't like the other girls, making her even more nervous.

"Have you done any dancing yet?" Alice asked, but not taking her eyes off her cell phone.

‘’Ballet. As a child.” Lily glanced at her quickly before turning back to the paper, writing her age and course.

‘’I did artistic gymnastics, but I always wanted to do ballet. It's a very beautiful dance.’’

"Yes, it is." Lily took a deep breath, answering about her schedule and whether she was able to travel out of town during game season.

"I learned to skate when I got to college, Marlene taught me."

"She's also a cheerleader, right?" Alice looked at her, a sweet smile on her lips, then nodded.

"Many say you need to be afraid of her, but that's not true, Marlene is melted butter with the people she likes."

"I hope she likes me." Lily went back to ticking the form, and no, she wasn't using any narcotics or prescription drugs.

"She definitely will," Alive said, and she seemed to speak the truth, winking at Lily and then turning her attention back to her cell phone.

#jily #james x lily #jily au #muggle au #james potter #lily evans #marauders #my fic #wildflower

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il0veyoujk · 3 years

Text

New house, new roomies

Sixth Chap.

This is a tickle related series, so if you are not interested in that type of content, I’d suggest ya to find another ff to read, thank you :)

Mini series based on a request from an anon and one of my ff Self-Esteem (I think you should better read it firstly so you can understand more what’s going on)

Summary: Nefeli (14) has just moved in with the boys and Jimin, but she is still not comfortable around them, so each one spends a day with her in order to get her to open up and to know each other more.

Warnings: None

Notes: None

Lots of love Nef 💕

“I’ll grab your waist and I’ll lift you, okay?”

“Are you sure I am not too heavy for ya?”

“For the last time Nef, you are not!”

“If you say so, I am just warning you”

Today Hoseok and Nefeli had decided to learn a new dance. Well, Nefeli had asked Hoseok to help her learn it. They currently were in the living room, in front of the TV and loud music was bursting from the speakers. All the rest of the boys were out of the house for various reasons. Yoongi and Jungkook were out, playing basket, Namjoon was in the local library, Jimin and Taehyung were somewhere in the park and Jin had gone to the stores to buy the blue cheese the boys had forgotten to bring.

“Come on Nefeli, you have said that so many times and you are never heavy!” Hoseok smiled his famous shiny smile and raised his sleeves up to his elbows.

The young girl sighed deeply as Hoseok turned the music louder and bent his knees, getting ready to catch her.

“Fine, but if we fall, don’t say I didn’t warn you” the young girl took a step back and started running up to the lad in front of her, who just rolled his eyes playfully.

In a swift movement, Nefeli jumped in the air, waiting for Hoseok to catch her. However, as soon as he caught her, Nefeli immediately curled up, giggling in the air on his arms. Hoseok raised an eyebrow but before he could say something else, she had already fallen on the floor.

“Is everything alright love?” Hoseok asked Nefeli who was still on the floor, grinning from ear to ear.

“Yeheheah don’t worry, everything is fihihine” she giggled in response, getting back on her feet and getting in position to jump on him again.

Hoseok, who had understood something, raised his arms again and stepped a little behind, ready to catch the still giggling girl again.

“Okay 3... 2... 1... Jump!” the young lad yelled, smiling widely, signaling for Nef to run again.

Which she did.

Nefeli started running again, still grinning and mentally drumming her head in the rhythm of the music. She jumped again in the air, stretching her body as much as she could so Hoseok could get a better grip on her.

What she didn’t expect tho was Hoseok to grab her by her sides, gripping on them and wiggling his fingers there so as he could keep her still. But he had managed to do something else...

The young girl busted in loud, belly laughter, shaking her head side to side and thrashing around in the air, trying to escape the devilish feeling.

“What is it Nef?” Hoseok smirked, wiggling his fingers more, knowing full well what he was doing.

“NAHAHAHAO LEMME GAHAHAHAO AHAHAHA!” Nefeli was kicking out nonstop, while her arms were falling everywhere they could reach.

“What happened? Am I doing something wrong?” the boy’s fingers moved to her lower ribs, squeezing and kneading there, touching some of her most sensitive nerves.

“PLEAHAHAHAHASE NAHAHAO AHAHAHA!” Nefeli kicked out more, squirming in the air, way more than before.

She couldn’t imagine that someone would have noticed how sensitive her midsection was just like that. And being tickled in the air was making everything ten times worse. It was like she couldn’t escape and she was stuck there, only able to laugh and squirm around.

“Now tell me Neffie, does it perhaps tickle a little?” his teasing made the young girl snicker louder, sending a tingly shiver down her already sensitive spine.

One thing Nefeli couldn’t stand was teasing. She knew that if she tries more, she would have escaped the tickled, but teasing is something she cannot stop. Only if the teaser wanted it to stop. And getting teased makes her feel even sensitive.

“YEAHAHAHAHAS AHAHAHAHA!” the girl blushed deep red, not really wanting to admit that. She hated saying that word out loud or even say she is sensitive.

Hoseok smirked wider and moved his right hand on her hips while the other remained in its place, squeezing endlessly the two spots.

Nefeli felt her nerves being set on fire while every hair she had on her body was now straight. Her legs were falling everywhere they could while she was gripping tightly on his wrists, trying to set herself free. But nothing seemed to work. “HOSEOK AHAHAHAHA NAHAHAO AHAHAHAHA!”

“Aw, you are so cute Neffie!” Hoseok finally laid Nef’s body on the carpet, on her back, while she was panting hard.

However, the young girl didn’t have much time to react before Hoseok pinned her arms above her head with one arm and started clawing her tummy with the other one.

Nefeli let out a mini shriek and fell into hysterical giggles, shaking her head side to side in order to make the feeling less intense, but nothing was working.

Hoseok’s fingers were touching and kneading softly her lower tummy, occasionally shaking his fingertips in the middle of her stomach “Your laughter is so sweet sunshine!”

Nefeli felt a blush appearing on her cheeks from the tease, while she was kicking out nonstop “PleahahaHAHAHAhase nahaHAHAhahao ahahaha!”

“Please what? Please more? Oh, I was planning on letting you go but if you insist” Hoseok fastly sat on her arms and started scribbling his fingers there.

The girl was immediately thrown in loud laughter and was trying hard to pull her arms down. Oh well, she had no chance obviously. Her tiny frame was no match for Hoseok’s one.

“NAHAHAHAHAO! NAHAHAHAT THEAHAHAHARE AHAHAHAHA!” Nef was kicking out and squirming around, not stopping for at least one second. Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t. The feeling was making her so sensitive she couldn’t control it.

“Aw, are you a little too ticklish to take it, Neffie?” he smirked, running his fingers on her bare armpits, making her scream in laughter.

But guess who is too stubborn to admit it. Yes, Nef. She would never say how sensitive she is. And of course, she could never use the word ‘ticklish’. She just couldn’t.

“NAHAHAHAHAO I’M NAHAHAHAHAOT AHAHAHAHA!” she shook her head cheekily, her laughter raising an octave when Hoseok sped up his fingers.

“Oh, what was that? You are not? Hm, then you won’t mind me doing that, right?” in a swift movement Hoseok’s fingers found their way on her lowest ribs, scribbling and running there.

Nefeli immediately was thrown in loud, belly laughter, shaking her head side to side and kicking out nonstop. It tickled so much that she was feeling like she would explode anytime soon. Her ribs were really sensitive and the fact that she was pinned wasn’t helping the matter.

“BWAHAHAHAHAHA NAHAHAHAHA HOSEOK PLEAHAHAHAHASE!” Nef kept kicking out and laughing loudly while Hoseok’s fingers were still dancing all over her lower ribs. His nails were dragging and scribbling all over her poor bones while his thumbs were squeezing the back of her ribs in the most ticklish way Nef had ever experienced.

“What’s the matter, sweetie? What’s so funny?” Hoseok asked innocently. If Nefeli could glare at him, she would, but she couldn’t. She was busy laughing and getting tickled.

“NAHAHAHAHAOTHING AHAHAHAHAHA!” Nefeli screamed in laughter when Hoseok’s fingers touched her middle ribs, pinching and scratching them with no mercy at all.

“Oh is that so? Then why are you laughing? I thought you weren’t ticklish, are you?” his teasing was making everything worse for the poor girl. His devilish fingers were digging and sometimes slipping in the space between her ribs, bringing to the surface some of the loudest laughter Nef had ever experienced.

“I REMEMBERED SAHAHAHAHAHAMETHING AHAHAHAHAHA!” Nef couldn’t come up with a better excuse other than that. But there was no way she would ever admit that she was sensitive.

The young lad raised his eyebrows teasingly. He was still wearing a wide grin when he moved his body fastly so that he was now straddling her waist and placed his hands on her waist “Really?! What did you remember, little one?!”

“N-Nohohone of your businehehehess!” Nef was laying there, regaining her breath, some soft leftover giggles leaving her. A wide smile was on her face and her hair was messy. She was recovering but one thing that was for sure was that she wasn’t thinking about what she was saying in between her giggles.

“But why? I wanna laugh too!” Hoseok squeezed her waist only once with the tips of his fingers.

Little did he know was that this squeeze was enough for her the poor girl to let out a scream.

“AGH NAHAHAHAO!” Nef bucked her his in the air and pushed her body upwards so as she could escape but Hoseok’s weight was preventing her from that.

“Wow, I’m barely touching you and you are already screaming! Is this a bad spot?” Hoseok smirked before he did the unexpected. He bent down and started nibbling on the poor girl’s waistline and the spot where the ribs meet the sides.

Nefeli was immediately thrown into hysterics and was shrieking in loud laughter. She was feeling like someone was tasering her with ticklish sensations, making her almost lose her mind “BWAHAHAHAHAHA NAHAHAHAHAT THEAHAHAHAHARE PLEAHAHAHAHASE HOSEAHAHAHAK!”

To be honest, the boy looked a little taken aback by Nef’s reaction. He wasn’t expecting her to react like that. However, the golden new spot he found made him smirk wider than he already was, while Nefeli’s almost hysterical laughter was filling the room, probably annoying everyone around them from how loud it was “Your laughter is my favorite sound, Neffie! I can do this all day!”

A feeling of panic rushed inside her as soon as the lad said that. She knew she wouldn’t last if her older friend kept going for too long.

“NAHAHAHAHAHAO! I’LL DIE!” Nefeli screamed in between her laughter, squealing louder when the boy chuckled on her skin from how hyperbolic the young girl was.

Hoseok’s sharp, front teeth were munching lightly yet fastly on the girl’s skin, sometimes touching her ribs while Nef was only able to lay there and take it. His torso was preventing her from escaping and her attempts to push his head away were doing nothing.

“Y’know I would never let you die, little one!” Hoseok sent her a wide, loving smile before he blew a long raspberry on her side.

If Nefeli could melt, she would completely. He was probably the sweetest person in that house and his smile could make someone’s day. However, at this point, the only thing she was focused on was the torturous sensations of the nonstop raspberries which were furious blows on her tummy and sides.

At the same time, Hoseok was scribbling with his blunt nails on Nefeli’s hips as his toes were softly scratching her soles. Her loud shrieks were filling the air while she was kicking her legs up and down, wiggling side to side while the ticklish sensations were kept going.

“Y’know, it’s so cute how you haven’t said stop this whole time!” Hoseok exclaimed, turning around and scribbling fastly Nef’s sole with his nails, sending her in fits of pure hysterics.

Nefeli’s face flushed deep red while she was trying to kick Hoseok’s fingers away from her with her other foot, only to get it trapped and tickled as well. Well, why would she say stop...? However, Hoseok was the first person who pointed it out and that made her extremely shy.

“STAHAHAHAHAHAP AHAHAHAHAHAHA!” she yelled out of reflex, trying to prove to Hoseok that she wasn’t enjoying this as much as he believed, even tho both of them knew she was lying.

“Now do you reeeeeeally want this to stop? Because I don’t think you do!” Hoseok’s teased as he pulled back Nef’s toes, scribbling their base, making her laughter raise an octave and crystal tears start rolling down her cheeks.

Nefeli was feeling like her entire torso was tingling. Even her palms. Her feet were always a death spot and now that Hoseok is tickling her like that, she feels like she is gonna explode any time soon. Every hair on her body was straight and her back was arched as her toes were being tortured and scribbled unstoppable. The young girl was hitting Hoseok’s back and was thrashing around, screaming in loud, belly laughter. She was trying hard to curl her toes again but it was too hard since his fingers were preventing her.

“Hm... Do you remember that song? La la la laaaa~” Hoseok started playing her toes like piano, occasionally nibbling them. Nefeli let out a higher scream every time she was getting her toes nibbled, slowly losing her mind from how much it tickled.

“HOSEAHAHAHAHAOK PLEAHAHAHAHASE NAHAHAHAHAOT THAHAHAHAHAT AHAHAHAHAHA!” she screamed in laughter, trying to escape, but nothing was working.

“Aw, so you ARE ticklish! That’s adorable!” the young lad pressed tiny, fast kisses all over Nefeli’s foot and on each toe separately, before going back to nibbling.

“BWAHAHAHAHAHA NAHAHAHAHAOT MY FEEHAHAHAHAHAT AHAHAHAHAHA PLEAHAHAHAHASE!” Nef’s voice came out raspy and tired, and after that, she fell into silent laughter.

She was feeling like her lungs were burning and her mouth was stinging from how much she was laughing. Her stomach was aching and her head was spinning around.

“Coochie coochie coo Neffie!” Hoseok pulled her legs higher and nibbled the middle of her soles, making her let out a loud scream and then stop moving at all from how tired she was and how weak her body was at that point.

The boy must have sensed how Nefeli had stopped responding and let the poor girl go, pulling her onto his lap. He kept rubbing delicate circles on her back soothingly, helping her breath come back to its normal and her body relax and recover faster “Okay okay, calm down now, sunshine”

Nefeli leaned her head on Hoseok’s shoulder, while the music from some minutes ago was still playing as a background. She was relaxing under Hoseok’s touch while a smile was still on her face and her legs were brought on her stomach.

“That was sohohoho mean!” she giggled out tiredly, covering her red face.

“Well, I know, but it was fun, wasn’t it?” Hoseok nudged her lightly, making her giggle a little more and blush.

However, she couldn’t help but nod in response. She knew Hoseok had already understood how she enjoyed it, so no point in lying to him.

The young lad chuckled and kissed her cheek, helping her up and shaking her a little “Now let’s go back to dancing, alright? We left a choreo in the middle”

Nefeli chuckled and changed the song, getting ready “Just in case you need to touch my sides again”

Hoseok laughed loudly and got into position, waiting for the lyrics to come up “Ohohokay okay don’t worry, no more tickling. At least for now” he winked.

As the lyrics started coming up, the two friends started dancing, while Hoseok was occasionally poking Nef’s side, making her squeal and giggle. And lemme tell you the boys found the young girl on the floor panting and giggling while Hoseok was poking her tummy.

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demetriandelibinaryboyfriends · 3 years

Note

"Remember when you told me that Demetri was always going to be your only friend?"

Her tone was sharp and Eli felt obliged to avoid her gaze, staring at his hands instead.

"I do."

"Yeah well, Demetri's mother called me to tell that someone broke his arm and she doesn't know who did it."

His silence was almost as loud as a scream.

"I know who did it. I didn't know the reason though, but then I saw those Cobra Kai kids with you outside and I put it together. You have a bunch of new friends now, don't you?"

Eli glanced at his mother and regretted it instantly, she almost looked as if she was talking to a stranger. Like she didn't knew him.

"Well, Demetri isn't your only friend now, is he?"

No.

"Was it worth it?"

No.

God, no.

Hey wow look never in my life have 142 words CRUSHED MY SOUL FASTER

This drabble punched me in the gut, grabbed my wallet, looked through it, snatched all my $20s, and then ran away mercilessly.

Legit though, it never sat quite right with me when Eli was venting to his mom in that one flashback and he just wails out “I’M NEVER GONNA HAVE ANY FRIENDS BESIDES DEMETRI!” like it’s some like...goddamn death sentence or something. Like yeah, Demetri is far from the perfect best/only friend, and he can certainly be an insensitive ass at times, but like...yo, the boy is LOYAL AF, he’s stuck with your ass and been your best friend through YEARS of bullying and tried to protect you from getting hurt, in his own little way (even if some of his efforts are kinda misguided, as they basically boil down to “just avoid engaging bullies if at all possible” and “don’t try any new activity (i.e. karate) that could cause even slight pain or discomfort and rock the boat” lol) and tried to make you laugh with dumb jokes about you being the homecoming king when NO ONE ELSE would bother, and you clearly just DON’T appreciate him??? Like the way Eli’s like “I’m never gonna have friends...besides Demetri, obviously” just reads like he’s absolutely just taking Demetri for granted and it PISSES ME OFF. Then again, I think it might just strike a nerve with me in particular, since I remember all too well being a ragingly insecure, introverted child watching my friends make other friends besides me and just being so confused and hurt, like “...am I not good enough for you?” Of course, now that I’m older I see that it’s valid to want more friends while keeping the ones you have, obviously, and I don’t think Eli was inherently wrong for wanting to expand his social circle or anything, but the way he’s just...so dismissive of Demetri’s friendship and instead focuses on crying about all the cool friends he doesn’t have just PEEVES me to no end. Like ffs, some of the kids at that school who get bullied probably have NO friends and have to tough it out alone, so maybe be like...a little more appreciative of the fact that you have a BEST FRIEND who clearly cares about you??? Again, it’s valid for Eli to want more friends--I imagine you’d get tired of only having one person your age to really talk to--but the fact that he kinda phrases this in a way that makes it sound like Demetri and their friendship is dismissable and trivial and not all that important to him has always bugged me a lot. I mean, Eli obviously DOES care about Demetri and Demetri’s opinions of him, as we see several times in the show, but like...hearing him say “I’m never gonna have any other friends besides Demetri” still makes me wince every time. STOP TALKIN BOUT MY BOY LIKE HE DOESN’T MATTER

Yeah yeah yeah I KNOW I’m reading way too much into a simple comment okay but this statement has implications and I DO NOT like them

“Someone broke his arm and she doesn't know who did it." Oh yeah, Demetri absolutely did not tell his mom Eli broke his arm. Given how smothering and overprotective she seems (I mean, she gave him a note to take to a KARATE CLASS excusing him from EXTENSIVE ARM AND LEG MOVEMENT even though that’s ALL KARATE IS), she’d probably NEVER let Eli near him again if she knew--hell, she might even get a restraining order or make Demetri transfer schools or something. And Demetri definitely doesn’t think that’s her decision to make--and he ain’t about to give up on Good Old Eli just yet, even after everything that’s happened. Perhaps against his better judgement, he still has hope for his old friend. He just tells his mom his arm got broken by one of the newer Cobra Kai recruits, some burly thug guy he’d never seen before. He didn’t get a good look at the guy, naturally, since he was pinning his face to the ground and fled the scene almost immediately after the arm-snapping.

And oh my god how I WISH we’d gotten a scene in Season 3 where Eli’s mom just brutally calls him out like this, because god knows he needed it and it could’ve been THE wake-up call (or at least one of a few big wake-up calls) that shit...he’s getting farther away from the person he’s always been than he ever has before, and maybe...maybe it’s not a good thing after all. Maybe it’s not a good thing if his own mother barely recognizes him, if his own mother is maybe even a little scared/wary of him and what he’s become. I mean I get there was a lot going on in Season 3, and there probably wouldn’t have really been room to bring back a character as minor as Eli’s mom, but I would have loved to see her reaction to all the shit he was pulling throughout the season. She highkey seems like a helicopter parent if she’s willing to call the school over Eli being bullied, so there’s no way she was just suddenly completely disinterested in everything he was doing after school and that she didn’t at least suspect there was some sketchy shit going on. (I mean...the boy presumably came home with a MOTORCYCLE one day??? Isn’t she gonna wonder where on earth he got that??? Y’all don’t expect me to believe SHE got it for him, do you???)

Also, Demetri and Eli’s moms are absolutely friends!!! Speaking as someone who had the same group of childhood friends for like 12 years, your moms can’t NOT be friends when they’re forced to see each other that often XD It’s kinda depressing to think how much it must have hurt their moms too when they started fighting, since these women would presumably have been good friends for years at that point and now have to watch their sons, who used to be best friends, just constantly be at each other’s throats :( I love how quickly Eli’s mom puts two and two together and figures out Eli broke Demetri’s arm. Eli can’t hide SHIT from his mama haha

Also wow it’s so fucked and depressing to think that maybe, in the heat of the moment, Eli broke Demetri’s arm to LITERALLY shatter the notion of Demetri being his only friend and try to DESTROY that time completely with that arm break so he could fully embrace his new, “improved” identity as the “cool badass” with lots of awesome and formidable friends who were obviously far superior and much better for his image and his intimidation factor than nerdy little Demetri...ouch.

"Was it worth it?"

No.

God, no.

JESUS I’M SOBBING

AS SOON AS ELI HEARD THAT BONE SNAP AND SAW DEMETRI CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR CRYING HE REGRETTED ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING I AM HERE TO TELL YOU

IT WAS A BAD DAY FOR EVERYONE AND I AM GOING TO MURDER JOHN KREESE WITH MY BARE HANDS FOR SLOWLY MINDFUCKING MY BOY ELI MOSKOWITZ INTO THINKING BREAKING HIS CRUSH’S ARM WAS THE MOVE

#hawk x demetri #demetri x eli #binary boyfriends #hawkmeat #eli x demetri #demetri x hawk #elimetri #demetri cobra kai #eli moskowitz #cobra kai #cobra kai season 2 #cobra kai season 3 #hawk #demetri #eli #my askbox

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