#hello back for a second with some vent art i guess

[knightish-angel]

#hello back for a second with some vent art i guess #not doing great lmao #uh #yep #ily all very much im sorry #sobs #knightish draws #vent art #digital drawing #eyestrain #eyestrain cw #drawing #sketch

[dianapana]

SH Day 1 – Waiting for you – Right person wrong time

Hellos, I am once again back from the dead. I wrote this day a bit in advance, but for the rest of them I may be a bit slow. I'll still try my best! Have a wonderful SH month Everyone!

~Love Dia.

TW: Unfulfiled love

~

“Was it a bad day?”

Hinata’s hand extended to tuck some of his bangs behind his ear. His face is red and sweaty, hair sticking to it. He’s beyond drunk. The owner of the bar contacted her asking for someone to come retrieve the buzzed gentleman.

But Sasuke does not wish to leave yet.

So here she is, an unsuspected Wednesday night having a drink with him too.

“You could say so”

Muttering, his head barely held up by his hand on his cheek. Eyes closed.

“Work related?”

Sasuke is a private detective. So even when he does have bad workdays, he can never truly vent to her. He has way too many signed NDAs for that. A simple nod from the man tells her that there will be no further questions from her.

Moving her stool a bit closer to his. Caressing his back softly, guiding his head onto her shoulder. She can’t give him more comfort that this. Letting him know she’s there. That’s who they are, who they’ve always been since university when they met through some common friends.

Friends, best friends, the closest of friends.

“Come. Let’s go. I’ll take you to my place.”

Probably he does not want to be alone for today.

Sasuke stumbling to sit up. “Won’t that be an issue?”

A genuine and reasonable question. Her boyfriend has made a few comments about her friendship with Sasuke, shown jealousy. Tiny frown on her lips.

“It’s alright. He won’t” shaking her head vehemently. She’s unsure but won’t think about it now.

It hurts that now there are such questions that need to be asked when they used to simply show up at each other’s place without a second guess. She could take him to his place, knows his pin code, has a key to it. But…

*

Hinata is preparing breakfast for both of them, Sasuke probably still asleep in the bed, or if he is awake he’s dealing with a huge hangover. She did leave some ibuprofen and water on the nightstand for him.

As she pours the egg mixture in the pan to make some scrambled eggs, she can hear the shower running. So, he’s awake.

“How are you feeling? You were quite drunk yesterday.”

He’s putting a white t-shirt on, already has on sweatpants. Yes, he has multiple clothing items at her place.

“I feel oddly fine.” His head is killing him, Hinata looks at him with a knowing gaze. She remembers how badly he reacts to alcohol the next day, have seen it all in university. He too knows how she acts when drunk.

They’ve both seen each other at their highest, were there holding the other’s hand when they got their dream job, got the scholarship money they needed and so on. But they were there just the same when they were at their low, failed grades, evictions from dorm rooms due to some fights with roommates.

But most importantly, they were there at each other’s lowest. When Neji was killed in an accident by a drunk driver, when Sasuke’s father almost lost his life on duty as a police officer.

No matter how many partners either of them went through, Hinata is still his emergency contact, she’s the one his phone calls automatically when pressing the unlock button three times.

“Here; have some food. It may help”

*

Hinata is a high school English and art teacher, thankfully her university roommate Sakura also works at the school as the nurse so they always eat lunch together.

Today Sakura seems to be flinching and acting odd, she opens up her mouth multiple times but does not say anything. Hinata observes and lets it go for a while, but even her patience does not last forever.

“What’s wrong?”

Green uncertain eyes looking at her.

“I’m not supposed to tell you this.”

???? “Umm…ok?” confused, but if Sakura can’t tell her, who is she to insist.

“But I feel like I should!” Frustrated hand through pink hair.

“I’ll tell you. But you can’t blame me for ruining the surprise, ok? I just…I just feel like you should know…”

“Umm…ok” Same answer as before. Hinata’s anxiety raising too. What could Sakura know that is tormenting her so?

“Ok.” Multiple nods. “Here it goes.

…

Kiba is going to ask you to marry him.” Whisper-scream from the woman and then she covers her mouth, as if she cannot believe herself the words she just let out, somewhat regretting having told Hinata.

Her own heart beating at a rate that is truly scary. She’s happy, of course she is. She loves him, why else would she be dating him? But…but there’s still a tiny part of her that feels…sad.

“That’s amazing” Finally answering the secret. Putting her sadness away. She’ll deal with it at another time.

Hand over her heart. “That’s amazing”

Sakura’s shoulders relax. “It is! I just- I know that…”

But she doesn’t say anything after. There’s no need for her to. Hinata knows what she means. They talk about it more. Hinata asks her how she knew, Sakura tells her how Kiba ask her to take Hinata to get her nails done by the end of the month, and that she knows what that means. That she told him congratulation and he blushed shyly but proudly.

*

Home at the end of her day, eyes closed as she lays in bed. The room still smells of booze a bit, but mostly it smells of Sasuke.

She can’t help but think of their university days. Their last year, when she finally became aware of her feelings for him. When she’d look at him for seconds too long, think of him even when he was not there.

How one time when it was just them, when her head was resting on his shoulder she almost reached over to hold his hand. But fear is a much stronger feeling for her than love ever was. She feared rejection, feared ruining their 4 year long friendship.

They’ve also each dated multiple people throughout their friendship, how there was almost never a time period in which both of them were single. That each time she almost got the courage to do something she’d cower in fear. So, she just waited. Waiting for him to give her a signal, waiting for him to make a move. And it just never happened.

She was still waiting until 2 years ago when she met Kiba, when she started dating him casually, but now…now he’s the one she calls first after a hard day. He’s the one she thinks about the most.

Hands covering her face. Fading unfulfilled love is not what she thought her and Sasuke would turn into.

*

Hinata is melancholic and thinks about all of their interactions for the following few days. So when Sasuke calls her, asking her to come over she still has all those thoughts into her mind.

Arms around him the moment the door opens. Sasuke taken aback, chuckling. Asking ‘Did you miss me that much’ jokingly. But when she doesn’t reply his heart rate spikes up, pushing her slightly to look at her face, a few unshed tears into her eyes.

“Hinata? What’s wrong?” Cubbing her cheek, wiping her tear away with his thumb.

Her eyes closed, heart heavy and confused. Fear makes her fingertips numb, but she cannot back down now, she needs to know, it’s important. She cannot answer Kiba’s question with a truthful and enthusiastic ‘yes’ unless they talk about this, unless they move on.

“I loved you” Her words echoing into the hallway. A moment of silence that urges her to open her eyes and look up at him, he has a sad smile on his lips.

“I know. I loved you too”

Her whole body is tingling, shocked. “What?”

Sasuke caresses her hair and pulls her into a hug.

“I didn’t know all along. I suspected at times, but then you’d turn around and do things that made me believe I was a narcissist for thinking you might feel the same. I was waiting for you to say or do something, tell me I wasn’t wrong.

But time went on and…well…”

Her mouth wide open, fist clenched, and she hit his shoulder. “I was waiting for YOU!”

More frustrated with both of them than anything else.

“By the time I realized that perhaps my feelings were indeed reciprocated, so many things happened, so much time passed and it felt like a shame…to change”

Looking at him somewhat in disbelief.

“Kiba asked me to marry him” He didn’t yet but that’s just details. “I said yes” she didn’t yet but she will.

Sasuke’s smile dims a bit, but he hugs and congratulates her nevertheless.

They remain in a hug for a long time before she breaks the silence.

“We both said loved. In the past”

“I still love you, but it is different now…”

Small nod. She agrees. She feels the same. The feelings faded in time, no longer having a romantic aspect to them.

They both waited for each other, but the wait was just too long

~

@sasuhinamonth

#hinata #sasuke #sasuhinamonth #sasuhina #sasuhinafanfic #sh #shmonth #shmonth2023 #sasuhinamonth2023 #fanfic #day1 #waiting for you #unfulfilledlove #oneshot #sasuke uchiha #hinata hyuuha

[liminalkandlez]

well, hello!

wanted to make an actual personal blog since what was supposed to be my one and only blog didn't feel all that personal to me, so here we are. introduction and the like under the cut!

[NOTE: WE'RE REDOING OUR PINNED EVENTUALLY]

(hi i'm sneaking this in here hoping no one notices erm we are a system. this is the host. a while ago we made the collective decision not to be too open about it unless we're comfortable with people but like. fuck it this is LITERALLY our personal blog. can't wait to get yelled at by my headmates 😁... uh. might make a section for system stuff eventually if i don't get yelled at LOL) (update yeah we're gonna make smthin seperate and link it here instead of this thing... we would make a carrd but!!! how the fuck do we work those. what)

hiii (this is the host still), i go by like, a ton of names, and i don't feel like listing every single one, but the most preferred ones right now are rex, kel or mack! i use they/he pronouns plus a lot of neos that i might actually list at another time.

i draw and write like, a ton, so expect some of that if i remember to post (unlikely)! i roleplay a lot too, and i'd love to find more roleplay partners!!! if you spot any fandoms that we have in common, since i primarily do fandom roleplay, you can message me!!!

also, do note that we are bodily 16.

current fixations of ours are OMORI, Incredibox, Rain World, Warrior Cats, Wii Deleted You, and Project Moon Games.

current project(s): Tragibox Retake (over 100k... CLAWING AT THE WALLS) , Evadare AU, Fungibox, Liminalbox... a lot more things. help.

oh also, these are important since these are our tags for this blog, so they're getting put here. hooray

🌟: constellations_chatter -> general posts.

🌟: moonlight_friends -> chats with moots or anons that'd came around a couple times already.

🌟: starfall_vent -> general vents. yeah. i don't think i need to say much more.

🌟: sun_love -> comfort character stuff.

🌟: bleedingmoon_trigger -> any post with general triggers. said general triggers are mentioned in the second to last section.

🌟: liminal_art -> any art...

most of our writing and art rules are on my other blog, which will also be linked here instead of rules... we don't intend on logging back into that account for a while so uh!!!! please don't send requests over there!!! ignore the fandom list on there too it's probably like severely outdated

hosts sources;

(under construction...)

Evelin (The Mandela Catalogue)

Bandu (Dave & Bambi)

Susie (Deltarune)

Skyblue (Skyverse)

Kel (OMORI)

Dante (Project Moon Games)

Angelica (Project Moon Games)

Rui (Project Sekai)

Cinderpelt/Cinderheart (Warrior Cats)

Teruko (DRDT)

Mack (Incredibox Tragibox)

and finally, a DNI list. because we kind of need one of those.

DNI;

Proship/Comship/etc, get the fuck out. as someone who had experienced abuse and all, seeing the romanticization of it is fucking disgusting to us.

Zoophiles. Out. You are not apart of the LGBTQ+ community and never will be.

If you intend to make fun of Selfshipping or fakeclaim. tbf, we don't care!!!! speak your shit i guess!!!! if you want to talk to a wall, then be my guest

anything triggering will be tagged. although we will only be tagging the general sensitive topics, like; blood/gore, yandere/obsessive, vent/vent fic, s/h, etc ; although if you want a particular thing tagged, tell us what that thing is and tell me what name you want used so we can make a tag that's like "(Your name) don't look", just to make it easier on us.

speaking of as well, if you are my mutual, i'd prefer you tag things regarding SA/r*pe, p$d*philia, and NSFW in general aside from jokes to be tagged with "Rex don't look". things may be added at a later time. (again, jokes are 100% fine!!! i find them funny, as long as they aren't like... super explicit)

User Boxes will go here eventually because I like them and think they're neat but uh. later. don't feel like grabbing em rn LMAO (edit: it's been weeks and i still haven't done it lmfao😭) (edit 2: MONTHS.)

#pokemon #project moon #Lobotomy Corporation #library of ruina #limbus company #omori #omoriboy #murder drones #creepypasta #fnf Lullaby #project sekai #sdra2 #dra #drdt #super danganronpa another 2 #danganronpa another #danganronpa despair time #blush blush #rain world #vocaloid #twomp #homestuck #aggretsuko #incredibox

[cann1ballistic]

Hello!!!

I just wanted to say I’m a fan of your art!!! Both here and on twitter!!! Unfortunately I’ve never said anything before, I also don’t follow you on twitter because of the antis. It’s also why I’m dropping an anonymous ask instead of showing my account.

I’ve watched the trolls movies before but the third movie was what got me into looking for art and fiction cause I wanted to see more of Branch and his family. And new official content takes a long time to come out, so I decided to look for more content online since there are many artists and writers that are always creating more content!!! Sometimes it’s even better than the official stuff 😂!!! I was looking for more stories about Branch and his brothers growing up together and stuff like that, more family centered stuff.

I was however, a little surprised with the Trolls fandom base because of the antis, I’ve been reading and seeing art from different fandoms for many years now and so far, at least for me, I’ve never seen such intense anti pro shippers. In fact, I’ve never quite understood what the word meant before, I thought it had to do with problematic ships, which I thought had to do with shipping for example heroes and villains or if two people have a big age difference.

I never even realized that incest was part of it. In all the fandoms I’ve read stories that include incest before magic or technology or natural biology, etc solved all the problems. Same with age differences, some characters would be aged up. Villains would turn out to have tragic backstories or one of the supposed good guys was tricking the protagonist. And I never noticed people being overly vocal about it. I mean I knew there were antis out there but it never got out of hand. An example of that, at least for me, was the Harry Potter fandom, I never had problems with antis or feared being blocked by certain artists because of what I read or who I followed.

But with the Trolls fan base some artists are very vocal about it. If a certain artist sees that you follow a pro shipper artist or if they see you comment on any of their art or if you say anything about the subject that they don’t like you are immediately blocked!!!

And twitter isn’t very private, everyone can see who you follow, your likes, retweets, your comments, etc and that makes it super easy for the antis to block you immediately!!! To avoid that, any pro shipper art I like I bookmark it, since that is the only thing other people on twitter can’t see. I don’t leave comments or like the art, cause I know if any of the antis find out about it they will block you, screenshot your account and tell everyone to avoid and block you cause you are a pro shipper or neutral. And I really don’t know what a neutral is!!! I’m guess it’s someone that doesn’t care either way, I think?

The antis will also talk shit about you behind your back!!! I also don’t leave comments on the stories on AO3 and I’ve considered making a second twitter account so that I can follow the pro shipping artists from the Trolls fandom I like in peace but!!! I’m so paranoid about the fact that the antis will discover my original account somehow that I haven’t done it!!! Here on tumblr you can at least keep your likes and who you follow private.

There are so many amazing Trolls artists out there, unfortunately they are for the most part very outspoken antis, at least from what I’ve seen.

Sorry!!! I’m venting a little here, it’s just… for the longest time I was ok with whatever showed up in front of me, story and art wise. For me it didn’t matter the pairing or anything else as long as the story was interesting!!! I’ve read stories where the only thing in common with the cannon content was the names and appearances of the characters everything else was completely different and I was fine with it because the story was super interesting!!! And there’s also the fact that it’s FICTION!!! Just because you are ok with what people write or draw doesn’t mean you’re ok with it in real life!!! I mean there are authors out there that write horror, gore and murder mysteries but that doesn’t mean that they want to actually kill some in real life!!!

The Trolls antis got me so out of sorts that I actually had the balls (metaphorically speaking) to ask my psychologist if it was ok to like this sort of stuff!!! And I told them about the antis, liking stuff like incest art and stories, the whole just because you are ok with it in fiction doesn’t mean that you’re ok with it in real life, etc!!! And they agreed with me!!! Told me that I shouldn’t worry about it and that some people just take somethings to seriously!!!

So… Again sorry for venting, but I wanted to share my experience and opinion with you.

I also want to say that you and all the other artists and writers that are ok with pro shipping should keep producing your amazing content and ignore all those nasty antis!!! Cause you are amazing!!!

So please keep up the amazing work!!! And don’t let anyone get you down!!!

Thank you for the encouragement, i appreciate it! To be honest i’ve become so jaded over this topic in general that it’s nice to be reminded that there are people online who do in fact enjoy fandom more than starting slapfights lol (not scolding you for talking about it of course, feel free to vent!)

my own rant below the cut lol

I’ve found that a lot of fandoms with audiences who skew to the younger side tend to be the most combative, so it checks out that you’ve found the Trolls fandom to be like this. A stark example that i’ve seen is the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fandom, specifically around the Rise of the TMNT series, which came out in….2018, i think? (i didn’t get into it til 2022 so idk) BUT fans have been shipping the brothers together in that fandom since the 80s and largely nobody bat an eye until Rise happened, and brought a lot of the younger crowd into it. NOW, suddenly it’s Too Far to ship characters that have been shipped since before most of the new fandom members were born 💀

a lot of these younger fans had the misfortune of coming into fandom around the same time that a lot of TERFs and other conservative types were getting REALLY vocal on here around 2015-2018; of course, they grow up into really conservative types who spread the same nonsensical rhetoric to those younger than them, and so on and so forth.

i cannot emphasize enough that NO fandoms were like this (on a wide scale) pre-2015. this is coming from my perspective as someone who had VERY vanilla tastes for most of my fandom career…the fact that the term proship even exists is a testament to how much fandom has changed; proship is a term that popped up as a reaction to people using Anti Shipper as a way to tout their fandom activism (derogatory) & purity politics.

(being Neutral, btw, means basically nothing afaik because being Proship means that you mind your business, and people who are neutral just say that they mind their business and want nothing to do with the entire argument. Antis call them pros and pros also call them pros so idk how it’s even useful as a label 🤷‍♀️)

ALSO I FEEL THAT SELF DOUBT!! talking to your therapist was a good idea though, it’s good to get a reality check when you need it, haha. I had a moment several years back where i was questioning why i, as an adult, was into a fandom whose target audience was teenagers, before i realized that it’s not that deep and you can do what you want forever lmao

I would love nothing more than to dismiss the entire pro vs anti argument if i’m honest, but i can’t ignore the real life abuse that comes from it. I understand why you’d be afraid to be public with your opinions; especially on a garbage website like twitter, where reporting accounts only ever seems to work for the wrong people 🫠

The best way to do fandom has always been and continues to be to find your group of friends and be insane with them. (AND TO BLOCK LIBERALLY!) I hope you can find some people to chill with 🫂

#asked n answered #anonymous #ALSO TY AGAIN FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT i appreciate it ;w; #💿🐎 #long post

[jjksblackgf]

BTS Reaction - He’s jealous of s/o’s relationship with another member.

a/n: here you go boo. you didn’t specify the group (so I just assumed BTS) or the kinds of relationship, so I just mixed romantic and platonic relationships. Hope you like it <3

kim seokjin

You and Tae went to an art gallery that had recently opened. Jin was indifferent about it, since he trusted you and the members, he was just a little sad because he wanted to spend quality time with you on rare days off like these.

But that sadness was about to change for jealousy once you two came back giggling with inside jokes. No one can make you laugh except for him. Why were you laughing so hard at Taehyung's joke? So what he wasn’t there to understand? 

So he got territorial with you, hugging you tight and kissing you until it made you dizzy. “Ready to have fun with me now?”

min yoongi

He was starting to get worried about you, you were supposed to be here by now, right? You said you wanted to visit him in the studio, and he was happy to have his friend there. So when you texted him that you were on your way, he waited patiently. 

But almost an hour had passed, so he texted you. You replied saying you were with Hoseok since you got here. The jealousy started to kick in.

“I got worried about you” he said as soon as he laid his eyes on you.

“I’m sorry, I should've texted you once I was here” you answered with an apologetic tone

“It’s okay…” he spoke after taking a deep breath “Let’s leave Hobi alone and order some food, shall we?” 

jung hoseok

Ever since he introduced Jin to you and you started dating, all you know what to do is spend time with him. He barely gets a ‘hello, how are you’ anymore, you just go straight to Jin’s room to hang out with him. 

At the same time that he wants you to be happy, he still misses his best friend. There are days where he even regrets introducing you in the first place. Like today, for example. You said you were too busy to hang out with him, but you’re in the dorm watching TV with Jin.

“Hello, stranger” he spoke after you, his tone being half playful, half sarcastic. “Want to hang out just the two of us? You know… like old times?”

kim namjoon

He adores that you have a nice relationship with the other members, but not always. He was just there watching you and Jungkook play a video game that he has no interest in.

Jungkook is just being a nice teacher, being attentive and sometimes kinda touchy to show the controller moves to get the best combos and everything.

But he doesn’t say anything, just sits there watching the teaching session. He knows you have no interest in Jungkook like that and it’s mutual, he’s just human and sometimes jealousy is part of it. He’ll just wait until you two are alone to talk about it.

park jimin

You were upset about work today, and your best advice-and-hype-man Jimin wasn’t home. He said he would take about 30 minutes to get home, so you sat in the dorm’s living room and waited.

But Yoongi was there and he was a very welcoming friend, so you just took the opportunity and vented. After a few minutes, you heard some loud steps outside the apartment and some keys getting rushed into the lock.

“I’m here! I’m here!” Jimin shouted as soon as he stepped inside, rushing again to lock the door and ran to your encounter on the sofa, hugging you so tight you could feel his fast heartbeat. “I came running as soon as you said you were here, tell me everything, I’m here for you.” he spoke almost out of breath. 

“It’s okay, Yoongi was here and he gave me some pretty good advice.” After that, Jimin spent a few seconds switching his gaze from you and Yoongi’s poker face. Not cool, Y/N, not cool.

kim taehyung

Dating ½ of the 95 line is very fun, the boys are always together and they have very much in common, and not only that, but they have a lot of stories about each other. So Jimin encouraged your friendship with his best friend, so everyone could feel included in this new phase of life.

But you and Taehyung got very close, having things in common and the differences between you two were the glue that kept the friendship thriving. One could learn so much from the other. But after a few weeks of getting close to his best friend, you wanted to spend some alone time with your boyfriend, getting Taehyung’s feelings hurt in the process.

“Do you like him more than me?” Taehyung asked once you talked to him

“I like you both, but in different ways” you answered, not sure why this was being an issue with him. You thought he would understand. And in fact, he did, he wasn’t sure himself of why he was acting so hurt. He could only guess he liked having a new friend.

jeon jungkook

Getting deeper into reading, it was always nice to have someone who was also a book worm and could not only discuss the books with you but give nice recommendations, and Namjoon was that friend to you.

Your boyfriend didn’t seem to mind this friendship blooming, he always saw Namjoon as a mentor and the coolest guy he knew. But that’s where his insecurities came into place, he thought Namjoon was much cooler than he was, and he seemed to notice you had more in common with his leader than with him.

After a few days of hearing about all the book recommendations, Jungkook started getting a little territorial towards you. You noticed the shift right away, and after asking him, he finally had the courage to speak his mind.

“I’m with you because I love you. You don’t have to worry about it.” you reassured him “It’s nice to have a friend to talk about things that I like, but we can talk it out and see what’s going to make all of us comfortable.”

#bts #bangtan #bts ambw #bts reactions #bts scenarios #bts fanfiction #bts fanfic #kpop ambw #black kpop fans #black kpop stans #black reader #kim namjoon #namjoon #kim seokjin #seokjin #min yoongi #yoongi #jung hoseok #hoseok #park jimin #jimin #kim taehyung #taehyung #jeon jungkook #jungkook

[mmvalentine]

The Pianist pt 4 | Jurdan

Modern AU. Part 1 part 2 part 3 part 5

Jude woke up with a bad taste in her mouth and cotton wool in her brain. She groaned, groped around on the night stand for her phone and had to look at the screen through one eye because the light hurt her.

Does Cardan wake up like this every day? Jude wondered. And if so, how was he not dead?

Cardan. Shit.

Jude had a vague memory of kissing Cardan at Locke's party, but she was not entirely sure that she hadn't dreamt it. Fuck it. Cardan had been with so many girls she very much doubted one drunk kiss at a party would even register for him. Jude refused to be embarrassed.

In fact she was pretty sure that what she was actually feeling was annoyance, since he a) had managed to get under her skin even though she absolutely didn’t want him there and hadn’t invited him and b) was now striking up some exercises on the piano that sounded like he was playing them on the inside of her skull. Since when did Cardan start anything before lunch?

Jude tried to roll over and go back to sleep. Luckily for her, this was her one day a week off from all three of her jobs. Unluckily for her, Cardan was only just getting started.

Twenty minutes later, there was a pause. Jude sighed her relief as the infernal exercises finally stopped- only for a furious Baroque piece to begin. “No no no no,” Jude yelled. She flung back her covers, still dressed in the black dress from the night before, with bed hair and yesterday’s makeup, and stalked out the door barefoot.

Through the fire door, up one flight of steps, and down the hall to Cardan’s flat. She hammered her fist on his front door.

"Cardan!" she barked. "Cardan you insufferable ass!"

The piano stopped, and before he could get to her she yanked the door handle. It was unlocked, and Jude opened the door to a very surprised Cardan who was himself just reaching for the knob.

"Jude?"

"Yes Jude, hello it’s me your downstairs fucking neighbour who cannot sleep through this racket!"

Cardan just stood and stared at her. Some quiet part of Jude’s mind was sure she looked like a madwoman, but the louder part ignored it and continued the tirade.

"I mean for fuck’s sake Cardan what do you have against sleep?" She flung the words at him. “You keep me up all through the night because you refuse to operate during daylight hours like a normal person, and then the one time I want to sleep in, the one time- Cardan do you know I never ever ever sleep in? And then this one time I think maybe I’ll just relax a little, here you are like you’ve got some kind of personal vendetta against me getting a full eight hours!"

She paused to draw breath, and still Cardan just stood there. It was infuriating.

"Well?" She demanded.

And then Cardan put both his hands around her face, and pulled her mouth to his.

The heat was instant. Jude burned up under it in for a second, then realised what was happening and cut the kiss off.

But Cardan was having none of that. He pulled her right back to him, and Jude did not have enough willpower to break away a second time. The shocking fever of it wiped out all logical thought and the next thing she knew she was folding her arms around his neck. Cardan wrapped his own around her waist, stooping a little to reach her and then pulling her up against his body. He took a step back and Jude let him lead her into his apartment, the door closing softly behind them.

Cardan moved his mouth against hers and when his tongue lashed out she was only too eager to meet it. She scraped her nails against his neck as his hands slid into the tangle of her hair.

Jude took another step forward, and Cardan backed into a lamp. It toppled over noisily, but he didn’t let her stop the kiss. Just moved them to the side, where Jude’s back hit a shelf and two books fell out. Cardan didn‘t seem to care at all. Pushed her further into the wall while his teeth found her bottom lip, and knocked a frame down as his hand hit the plaster behind her.

Jude tugged him closer at the waist, and returned every one of his kisses. She might have kept kissing him all day, he tasted so good, but then in between one breath and the next he whispered her name, and she realised.

She was making out with Cardan.

Jude shoved him away, hard, and stormed out the door without a word.

////

Cardan didn't see Jude for a week after that.

It was strange, they had been in each other's proximity for a long time now and not had a lot to do with each other but now, somehow, he was quite sure she was avoiding him.

He didn't know quite what to feel about that kiss.

In his defence, she had started it. That night of Locke's party- no, before that. The night she started singing him to sleep through the air vents. She had floated into his life through his ears and now her absence chafed like a burr in his shoe. Of course, in the past days there was no singing. Not even when Cardan lay there for an hour, waiting to hear her voice.

Locke had seen her.

In spite of the mess that had been that party, and the morning after, it seemed that Jude had taken on Cardan's advice and agreed to meet with Locke for the play.

And according to Locke, things were going very well. He raved about Jude's voice, which irritated Cardan to no end. He had put his ear to the carpet just to hear her, and now he had to share her with Locke? Prick.

Locke, as always, had an easy time of assembling the rest of his cast. Cardan did not think him a bad writer, but he did suspect the queues for his casting call had more to do with who his father was than with his skills as a playwright.

He had been auditioning for a couple of weeks now, and with Jude in place, he was ready to call his first cast meeting. Cardan, Nicasia and Valerian were expected to attend too- Nicasia and Valerian never missed a chance to be on stage, and Cardan was invited for his "musical ear."

So there they all were, on a Friday evening, in the old theatre Locke's dad let him use. Waiting for the last few people to arrive. When Jude walked through the door she nodded to Locke, but avoided Cardan's gaze.

Fine, he thought. If she didn't want to talk to him, he certainly wasn't going to force her. He thought of the rant she had loosed on him that morning last week, and figured it was probably better this way.

Finally, Locke called them all to attention, and Cardan sat in the back row with Nicasia and Valerian as Locke addressed them all from the stage. Cardan put his feet up on the chair in front of him, and let Nicasia doze on his shoulder while Valerian picked things out of the soles of his boots with a pocket knife.

"So without further ado,' Locke was saying, may I present to you our stunning leading lady, Taryn."

Cardan looked up. The small group were politely clapping as a tall, thin woman stood and nodded at them all. She was all blonde hair and heroin chic, just Locke's type. But what about-

"And of course our vocalist, discovered by yours truly and pulled from the bowels of the subway tunnels, Jude!"

The group applauded mildly again, but Jude did not stand up. Locke continued. "Jude is going to provide the singing voice for Taryn, although I haven't decided whether we're going to pre-record or get her to sing live backstage."

What?

"What?" Jude demanded. The cast went quiet. "You want me to sing for Taryn?"

"Yes, of course," Locke said. "You've got a lovely voice, Jude, but Tarym looks more the part, don't you think?"

"Well you didn't fucking tell me that when I agreed to do this, Locke."

"Jude," Locke held up his hands. "Please stay calm. I'm sorry if you misunderstood."

"If I misunderstood? You lied to me. Why in the hell would I want to stand around behind a curtain so that someone prettier than me can get the credit?"

"Aw come on, Jude. It's not like that. This is a very common practice in show business," Locke insisted.

Now that the drama was amping up, Nicasia and Valerian were suddenly paying attention.

"Yeah come on, Jude," Valerian called down. "It's a compliment, you have a great face for recording!"

"Darling, these are all Juilliard trained performers," Nicasia added. "You didn't actually think you were going to be on stage did you?"

"I didn't ask to be here," Jude said, picking up her bag. "Fuck this, and fuck you guys slowly with a fork."

She strode out the door, right past their row.

"Jude, wait," Cardan said, scrambling out of his seat.

"You stay the hell away from me," Jude hissed, then the door slammed behind her and Nicasia burst into hysterical laughter. Cardan looked back down toward Locke, who was shaking his head tragically.

"This is why you never hire amateurs," he said sadly, and in that moment, Cardan hated them all.

****

Hooo boy okay a lot happened in this chapter! We are in a two week lockdown after a COVID break out so I guess you get lots of writing this weekend. Someone please hug them for meee

JURDAN MASTERLIST

TAGLIST: @asteria-of-mars @swankii-art-teacher @loosingdreams @feysand-loml @cityofbookish @story-scribbler

#jurdan #jurdan fic #tfota #mine

[fortunatelyfresco]

Hi hi. Loved your post about Moist Von Lipwig and narcolepsy! I’m trying to learn more about narcolepsy since I suspect I may have it, and I noticed your post mentioned several symptoms I hadn’t read about on any symptom lists (but which I also relate to strongly)—can I ask what resources you used to learn about them? Thanks and have a great day

Hello, Anon! I'm glad you liked the post, and I hope you find some useful answers.

I have been on a fruitless quest for years to figure out exactly which symptom list made me go “!” back when I was tiredly googling sleep disorders. But I will gladly give you all the resources I can think of.

1. Narcolepsy Network. Specifically you could start with their About Narcolepsy page here https://narcolepsynetwork.org/about-narcolepsy/ though I will note a couple of things:

a) They say MLST instead of MSLT, though they get the full name correct. Just good to know if you want to google it because MLST is a real acronym for a couple of other things.

b) "PWNs [people with narcolepsy] typically have no difficulty initially falling asleep." Ehhh I'm being anecdotal, but not in my experience??? I struggled a lot with insomnia before medication, and I've seen other people say the same.

I haven't scoured the site so there might be other issues, but it's the organization that jumps to mind for me when it comes to resources and information.

  2. NN also has a list of support groups https://narcolepsynetwork.org/resources/support-groups/

The only one I have any personal experience with is their Facebook group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/narcolepsynetwork/

It's... useful. I would suggest searching it for keywords related to your questions before making any posts yourself. Most people on there are fine and I think everyone genuinely wants to help, but sometimes you'll get (unintentionally?) negative comments that don't actually answer your question. We're all tired, I guess.

At any rate this is the first place I would suggest searching things like "sleep paralysis" or "vivid dreams" or "insomnia" etc. if you're interested in hearing other people's experiences.

  3. The other FB groups I have any experience with are

https://www.facebook.com/groups/NarcolepsySupportGroup/ Narcolepsy Support Group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/760324190697068/ Narcolepsy Humor

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1611167005839496/ Zebra Butterflies (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Narcolepsy)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1508288736139122/ Service Dogs for Narcolepsy

https://www.facebook.com/groups/narcolepsyart/ N[ART] narcolepsy art

I'm in one more for a specific medication but I'm not sure if there's a rule about linking it publicly??? And you're almost definitely not on the medication without an N diagnosis, but feel free to message me privately if you'd like a link.

I don't use Facebook much these days and I'm not really active in any of these groups anymore (so unfortunately I cannot give you a clear picture of the overall attitudes within them), including NN, but I read through the posts that show up when I check my feed. Joining these helped me learn a lot about other people's experiences with narcolepsy, and other things like sleep apnea, circadian rhythm disorders, and idiopathic hypersomnia.

If you're an active Facebook user I would recommend limiting the number of groups you join, just to avoid becoming overwhelmed by strangers' vent posts, especially if you're already nervous or frustrated about the possibility of having N. Keep in mind people are often more likely to post about bad days than good ones.

4. If you're more interested in academic sources that you could cite for a doctor (or just because), I am no expert and am Too Tired To Read Things(TM) but there may be something for you in NN's Educational Materials https://narcolepsynetwork.org/resources/educational-info/ or Conference Materials https://narcolepsyconference.org/2019-materials

5. Finally I would honestly suggest just googling "Narcolepsy [keyword]" and clicking the newest articles that look trustworthy. New research is popping up all the time. I think a lot of what I've picked up over the years was just stuff I absorbed back when I had more time/motivation to google it every once in a while and see if anything had changed.

I would say to read as many sources as you can, because most of them will get some things right and some things wrong, or just have differing opinions on things that aren't settled or are subjective, or make statements about "typical" narcolepsy cases that might be statistically accurate but not apply to some people's lived experiences.

Like, I googled "narcolepsy vivid dreams" just now and found this page, updated February 18, 2021. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/narcolepsy/symptoms

It's got some interesting stuff about hypocretin/orexin, and atonia, and other stuff. It also states that narcolepsy doesn't typically worsen with age, which may or may not be statistically supported (I don't know), and which does not apply to some people's experiences and may make them second-guess things.

It also states "People with narcolepsy fall asleep quickly". I take issue with the entire premise of that, because I think it conflates sleep latency with sleep attacks, and can cause problems for people when they take the MSLT. This page does list insomnia as a possible comorbidity, but (like most resources in my experience) does not list it as a possible symptom.

Okay that’s probably enough of my own soapbox but please do feel free to ask me more questions if you’d like! Good luck!

#narcolepsy #anon friend #i have Issues with the MSLT in general honestly #i got very lucky with a sleep doctor who just kind of went 'eh' and dxed me even though i only entered REM during two naps #'lie down for 20 minutes in a strange place and if you don't fall asleep we can't help you' is just #Such A Bad Way To Diagnose Literally Anything #and even the REM onset latency doesn't seem right to me #i've seen people say that their narcolepsy is characterized by not ENOUGH rem #and even for those of us who get too much of it that doesnt necessarily mean it happens right away every time we sleep #Anonymous

[haikyuuscreaming]

hello!! can you write something fluff with kenma, please? some friends to lovers if possible. loving your blog 💕💕

OH SHIT SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG SDFSDFJKD this is. 3.5k words roughly and im so sorry idk why my fics always come out longer than 1k words :(((

The first time you meet Kozume Kenma, he’s hiding behind the wall that is Kuroo Tetsurou and you’re both in your first year.

“Oh?” The Nekoma volleyball captain stares you down in the Chem class you share with him. “You’re [Surname]-san, right?”

“Yeah,” You say, never breaking eye contact with him but secretly eyeing the quiet boy behind him. He’s your classmate in a few other of your periods, but not this one. This class is an advanced Chemistry class, placing you conveniently with the second-years and a handful of equally smart first-years. “I need help with the homework and you’re my best bet. Could you help out?”

Kuroo narrows his eyes at you, which you don’t exactly appreciate but you don’t say anything. “You sure you don’t want me to just give answers?”

“I kinda need to understand this to pass the class, so no thanks.”

He hums in approval, like you’ve passed some test, and nods. “Sure thing. I wanted to teach Kenma this anyway.”

Oh, that’s his name… you think to yourself, and you noticed the mentioned Kenma doesn’t look up from his Nintendo Switch, even at the mention of his name. You watch Kuroo turn around to his companion, coercing him, “Kenma, get up, we’re learning Chem.”

“Can’t we do it later?” Kenma’s voice doesn’t hold anything akin to bitterness or complaint- it’s kind of devoid, actually, in a soft and cute way- and you try to tune out the sound of Kuroo scolding him but he’s so loud when he’s right next to you.

“C’mon, we’re about to go home now, we can stay after school a little longer. Plus, we get to teach this lovely lady about nuclei.”

“I’m right here, you know,” you roll your eyes lightly but before you know it, you’re defending Kozume-san. “We can always work it out, um… I dunno, maybe over lunch on Sunday? I mean, it is Friday and this thing’s due Monday and… we can have more fun studying this if we have food.”

Stupid fucking Kuroo only grins. “Oh, so you’re asking me on a date? Kinda bold, if I don’t say so myself, kouhai-chan.”

“Kuro, stop.” Kenma speaks up and his quiet voice somehow speaks volumes. “We can meet with her on Sunday to do it.” And just like that, he retreats to his Switch without another word.

Kuroo turns to you and shrugs indifferently, contrasting his previously provocative and shitfaced attitude. “The man’s laid down the law. How’s boba on Sunday sound?”

The second time you meet Kenma is on that promised study session.

He has inconspicuous earbuds in, his face illuminated by the glowing light of his DS. He has a DS, too? He still looks cute.

And there’s Kuroo of course, but he’s irrelevant to your case unless it has to do with your god forsaken chem homework.

“You want me to go order some drinks next door?” Kuroo quirks an eyebrow. “My treat.”

“Just a brown sugar milk tea, thanks,” You tell him gratefully. Thank god for men and their dead sense of chivalry.

“No boba? You’re crazy.” Kuroo scrunches his nose at you and you wish Kenma would start talking so you could avoid this big, annoying cat. “What about you, Kenma? Your usual?”

“Yeah,” is all Kenma says.

“Alright, see you nerds later,” Kuroo practically sings out, patting both of your heads like an old man, and takes something from Kenma that you don’t quite catch, but it makes Kenma glare at him.

As soon as Kuroo’s out of sight, you find it a little awkward to keep conversation with Kenma especially with his whole gamer complex, but-

Oh.

Kuroo took Kenna's DS.

“Kuroo-san’s pretty bothersome, huh,” you sigh out in an attempt to stir conversation. Lucky for you, Kenma goes along with the conversation without fight, his eyes peering over you like reflective pools of honey.

(They’re really pretty, you think.)

“Yeah,” Kenma slouches down a little bit more in his chair at the mention of his taller friend. “He’s kind of like my second mom… but not really. Always nagging me to do things.”

You laugh at his solemn, depressed answer. “It’s fun to have him around, though, right? He’s kind of funny sometimes-- the rest he’s annoying-- and he’s decently smart even though I’m pretty sure he’s got, what, three braincells.”

To your unprompted delight, Kenma laughs softly at you poking fun of Kuroo, and the conversation between you and him starts piling up into more, and more, and it all feels so short. You don’t even notice Kuroo coming back and hovering over the table.

“Eh? You and Kenma getting along without me? What a shame, you know. I really do get third-wheeled.” Kuroo lets out a wistful sigh akin to an old man and sits down, drinks in hand. “So, who’s ready to study?”

The third time you meet Kozume Kenma, it’s at your mall’s arcade.

You and your friends are playing one of those claw machines, trying to get that really cute Miku figurine and those adorable plushies, wasting all your coins on these sucker games like the dumb teenagers you are. But a glimpse of familiar, two-toned hair catches your eye.

“Hold on,” you tell your friends who’re still busy trying to get that stupidly gorgeous Sakura Miku figure. “I’m gonna be right back.”

You wander your way to the familiar head of hair, and gratefully, your instinct was right. “Kozume-san? What’re you doing here?”

Kenma practically jumps at the sound of your voice, turning around, eyes wide. “Oh. I just got lost from the team. You’re here too?”

“Mhm,” You smile, pointing at your screaming group of friends. “My friends and I are here just to chill out and have fun. You can hang with us if you want!”

He shakes his head, his hair gracefully framing his face. “Nah, I’m fine, thanks.. I’ll just hold out until Kuro sniffs me out or something.”

You furrow your brow- geez, this kid’s gonna get lost so fast-- and you gently clasp the phone he’s holding in his hand. “Can I give you my number? I’ll pick up immediately if you ever call, just give a ring.”

You fail to notice the surprise that flits over Kenma’s face, but he reluctantly hands you his phone and you tap in your number quickly. “See you around, Kozume-san. Don’t get into trouble.”

And Kenma smiles on his own accord, his face lighting up softly like a lamp under moonlight. “You too.”

The fourth time you meet Kozume Kenma, he’s at your house working on an Japanese Lit assignment.

“Oh? Kozume-kun!” You’re pleasantly surprised when your teacher pairs the two of you up. “Nice to talk with you again.”

“Yeah, “ Kenma blinks a little awkwardly and he shyly grins, which you find even more stunning than it already is because he’s usually held up such a calm, unaffected facade. “Uh. So do you want to meet up at… your house for this? So we can do the project.”

“Oh, yeah,” You wave dismissively, beaming at him because this is your chance to get closer with him. “My little brother’s a nuisance, though, so he might bother us. I hope you don’t mind?”

“No problem.. you can text me the address, because… yeah.” You find it cute how Kenma doesn’t want to mention that the two of you have been texting a lot more lately, and the slightest blush tints his cheeks.

“Of course!”

Flash to your house, the two of you are on the floor, slaving over a giant posterboard with paint and art supplies scattered about.

“I hate making movie posters, it’s so tiring…” You groan out, trying to paint Yukio Mishima’s face with the utmost care. “And this book’s so creepy… why would we wanna make a poster of it? He commits seppuku!”

Kenma grins a little bit and he looks really cute, with his hair tied up in the back and his gaze focused on the painting at hand. “You’re so easily grossed out.”

“But he made it so detailed! You're immune ‘cause you play all those gross horror games.”

He laughs quietly, and you think you're going to heaven. “You couldn't even handle Ao Oni, stop.”

You scowl at the mention of Kenma’s dumb horror games. “He’s this weird deformed grape, okay?? It was kinda scary!”

The two of you end up nowhere near finishing your poster, and you collectively decide to put it off for maybe another day. The rest of your day is spent-- c-cuddling? (no hetero, you reassured Kenma, although you were thinking otherwise)-- and playing more horror games, much to your chagrin.

(But it gave you a reason to hug Kenma tighter.)

You can’t even count the amount of times you’ve met up with Kenma now. You’re in your second-year of high school now and your bond with him as only strengthened.

He invited you eventually to walk to school with him, along with Kuroo, and you find out that it was Kuroo’s coaxing to do so. But you’re still delighted that Kenma agreed on, what, the second time Kuroo nagged him about it?

You and Kenma have gotten fairly close. You’ve vented to him, cried to him, he’s shown his emotional side, too. You’ve even gotten a little closer to Nekoma’s god, Kuroo Tetsurou (to which your friends always complain about- “you can’t take all the cute guys for yourself”). But, in your opinion, the most important part is that you’ve been getting closer to Kozume Kenma, who you once thought would always just be the quiet classmate to you. Who would always be your unattainable, close-guarded crush.

"Kenma!” You yell out, rushing over to him with your backpack practically bouncing off of you with each step. “Wait up, would you?! How do you get out of class so quick??”

 "I was waiting for you either way,” Kenma mumbles and hunches his shoulders together. “Do you wanna go to my house? I have new games and Kuroo won't be bothering us.”

“Can’t we get snacks first?” You know you sound a little bit whiny, but you’re hungry as fuck, and Kenma’s smiling either way.

“I guess.. you’re paying, though.”

“That isn’t fair at all!”

Eventually the two of you walk to your nearest 7/11 and get chips and snacks before leaving promptly, with you holding your chocolate milk and Kenma sipping apple juice. The walk to his house is full of conversation, Kenma equally engaged as you are. But as soon as you arrive at his front doorstep, the hollow noise of an empty apple juice box makes its appearance.

“You drink your juice too fast!” You tease Kenma lightly as he frowns, unlocking the door.

“You just drink too slow,” he replies and shoulders the door open. The two of you make your way inside and flop onto the couch, Kenma crouching near the TV to boot up his newest game. “Damn. I’m still thirsty, too.”

“Language, Kenma,” You chide him, throwing a pillow at him as soon as he sits down next to you on the couch. “And-” it takes every ounce of your willpower not to turn bright red. “-do you want some of my chocolate milk?”

The silence that follows is very short (probably only, what, a second or two?), but it feels like hours of painful quiet. Kenma blinks at you and the pink that dusts his ears becomes more and more prominent each second.

“Yeah… sure,” Kenma finally says and you beam so wide that you’re sure not even the sun could battle the brightness of your happiness right now. You hand him your nearly untouched chocolate milk and his fingers brush against yours as he takes it, sipping at it cautiously like he was afraid something would happen.

(Oh my god he’s so cute.. he looks so cute… he’s drinking my chocolate milk!! He’s so-)

“Oi, Kenma! My mom told me to pick up some tomatoes from y-” The door bursts open to reveal Kuroo Tetsurou.

You freeze, since Kuroo just witnessed you passing a chocolate milk box to Kenma and the latter sipping at the straw. Kenma kind of flushes, his mouth still wrapped around the plastic straw with chocolate milk halfway up.

“Eh? Sharing drinks now?” Kuroo tsks and shakes his head, a smirk gracing his stupidly arrogant face. “You know, you two could get mono. Or any other communicable diseases. Kinda risky, you know?”

“Kuroo, stop!” You’re wildly embarrassed to be caught in this not-so-platonic situation (in your opinion, at least), before Kuroo lets out a hearty laugh.

“You know, that’s an indirect kiss!”

“Didn’t I say stop?!”

“Ah, youth. Indirect kisses! You put your mouth on the straw, then he did. Romance at its finest!”

You know, deep inside, Kuroo just likes to rile you up, but you still bite the bait. “Kuroo, shut up, please??”

And Kenma speaks up for the first time during the whole banter. “Kuro, the tomatoes are on the kitchen table. Go.”

The Nekoma captain quirks an eyebrow before shrugging and heading towards the kitchen. “Thanks. Don’t do anything risky.”

“Kuroo!”

You and Kenma awkwardly glance at each other-- you note he’s still sipping your chocolate milk-- and eventually he stands off to ward Kuroo off (who keeps chuckling for no goddamn reason).

You two are alone again, and his burnt-gold eyes stare into yours.

“Did Kuro bother you?” His ears are still pinkish, but you notice that he’s still comfortable, although you can see a sheen of sweat starting to form on his face.

“Nah... “ You force your voice to stay level. “Why does he keep doing this?? God, he’s so annyoing sometimes… it isn’t like- it isn’t like we’re dating or anything.” God fucking damn stuttering.

Kenma’s eyes widen for a fraction of a millisecond, and you almost miss it, before he clears his throat. “Yeah. Not like that at all.. let’s just go back to playing.”

The atmosphere morphs into the usual, playful one that is held between the two of you, and you’re becoming proud of how much better Kenma is at redefining conversations and shifting the mood whereas in the beginning he would struggle in topic changes.

You’re so proud of him.

(And you’re kind of in love with him.)

You have a group chat with Kuroo and Kenma, unsurprisingly.

It’s, what, midnight on a school day, and the three of you are texting. Kuroo offers a game of ‘truth or dare’, and you accept out of sheer boredom. Plus, dares are so much easier to do online because you can fake nearly anything.

kuroo >:/: kenma truth or dare

kenma :): i’m not playing

YOU: yea you are !! ur not getting out of this

kenma :): fine

  don’t say anything stupid though

kuroo >:/: so whats it gonna b???

Kenma takes a good ten seconds to respond.

kenma :): truth.

kuroo >:/: you got a crush on anyone?

YOU: oooh spicy

kenma :): kuro why

Your heart races a little bit at the comment.

YOU: oh? kenma i thought we were besties :(( why wouldnt u tell me

kenma :): it isn’t that….

  kuro you already know why are you asking me that here

kuroo >:/: for my favorite kouhai [name]-chan

YOU: fuck off kuroo we all know im ur fav bc i pay for ur boba

kuroo >:/: fair

You get impatient with Kuroo’s mindless banter, so you end up texting Kenma privately.

YOU: so who is ur crush????

kenma :): why do you assume i have one

YOU: i mean….u wouldve denied it if u didnt have one?

He leaves you on seen for two minutes and you’re about to text him and complain but his reply shoots back.

kenma :): it’s you

And your heart doesn’t skip a beat. No, it just beats even faster.

The blood is rushing to your face, you can feel it, and a smile tugs at your face subconsciously. Your brain’s running a mile a minute, and you’re so outrageously shocked and unprepared that the aftermath of it all hits you just about a minute later.

(What if he’s lying? What if someone made him say that? What if-)

YOU: fr?

YOU: kenma dont mess w me

kenma :): i’m not

kenma :): you wanted to know so yeah. it’s you

kenma :): i like you and idk kuro says it’s “more than just like” and maybe he’s right

kenma :): see u at school tmr

YOU: WAIT KENMA COME BACK ???

You cute little rat, you seeth internally, happiness still radiating off of you. Is this a dream? Oh my god. Kozume Kenma likes me.

… Kozume Kenma feels the same way I feel about him.

The next day, you anxiously wait for Kenma at your doorstep. You even woke up early and had gotten ready as soon as you could, just so you could catch Kenma ASAP.

You slept surprisingly well, despite your anxiety from Kenma, and your body was filled with energy. You check your phone every two minutes, glancing at his ‘good morning text’ and praying for another one.

kenma :))): gm i’m still walking to school with u if you want… i’ll pass by your house just in case

YOU: oh!!!! yea id love to walk to school w u :))

Silence fills your ears as you anxiously pace back and forth from your doorstep to the curb of your neighborhood. You can’t help but worry as your gaze flits across every house, begging for a sign of Kenma.

(What if you’re too late, you realize in panic. What if your efforts weren’t enough?)

But then the sound of quiet-paced footsteps snaps you out, and you look up to see Kenma, standing in front of your house, an adorably shy expression painted across his face.

“Kenma!” You hate how your voice comes out kind of squeaky and high-pitched but you don’t care right now. You practically launch off of your doorstep and bound toward him, settling by his side.

He gives you a shy, adoring look but you can see the anxiety in his eyes as he points forward in the direction of Nekoma. “We can talk while walking, right?”

You smile breathlessly and your fingers brush against his. He smiles at you, and you notice the same pink dusting his ears like when he was sharing chocolate milk with you.

Two hands intertwine and the conversation begins.

You’re in your third year of college now, out on a “boys (and girl) night out”, as Kuroo deemed it.

Kenma’s got it well-made for him, striking good on his company to which you supported him through the entire time, and Kuroo’s on his way to be the scientist he’s always dreamed of being even as a nerdy-jock kid. He claims he’s practically a professional volleyball player, too, just on the side, but both you and Kenma know better.

You and Kenma have been dating ever since your second-year in high school. Which makes it just about… four-ish years now that you’ve been dating.

(Kuroo claims that in your first-year, you and Kenma were basically dating each other spiritually, but you pay him no mind.)

The three of you are out on the beach on an autumn day. It’s pretty empty, despite the warm evening sun that casts a golden shine on the sand and ocean, so you’re all making epic sandcastles in peace.

“We should make a moat,” Kuroo says, already digging out a ring around the lopsided sandcastle.

“We haven’t even finished the castle itself!” You protest, pushing him lightly as you use your other hand to pat down the base of the castle.

Kenma packs sand into a small bucket and delicately places it on top of the half-finished sand “castle” to make a tower. You find it cute how he’s the only one putting in decent effort, so you help him out by packing in another bucket of sand. “Kuro would be a terrible architect,” Kenma comments.

“You right, you right,” You sigh out while Kuroo squawks in protest. Kenma leans on you, out of instinct you think, and you kiss the top of his head gently. Kuroo covers his eyes and complains about his youth and young love before Kenma haphazardly bumps into you. Which leads to the sand castle collapsing.

“Ah- Kenma!” you cry out in panic, sweeping the sand together in a half-hearted attempt to piece it back into a cohesive castle. “Be careful!”

“No, look,” he says quietly, a small smile gracing his face.

“You worked so hard on the base too, to make it big and flat- oh?” You sit up a little bit when you see a small velvet box in the middle of the sand pile.

Kuroo gasps very loudly and you stare at Kenma in shock.

Oh my god. What’s happening, what’s happening, oh my god-

You slowly reach out for the box in the middle of the mess and take it delicately, brushing off the sand clinging to it. Your fingers pry it open with shaking fingers and you feel Kenma place his hand on your arm gently, his gorgeous honey eyes staring at you. The same honey eyes you fell in love with.

You're also in love with the gorgeous, sparkling amber ring that sits in the middle of the cushioned box.

“[Name]. I want to be married. To you. Will you marry me?” Kenma’s voice is soft and sweet but you know with the convincing sureness in his voice that he’s been practicing this line for at least a month and he’s become confident in it.

You start crying immediately (god damn it, you think to yourself) your heart blooming with joy and your entire body feels like it’s about to explode of pure happiness.

You kiss him, full on the lips with tears streaming down your face and he kisses back, his arms wrapping around you and you realize he’s crying too. With the possibly happiest voice you’ve ever used in your life, you cry out, “Of course I will!” on the beach with Kuroo clapping in the background.

Two years later on that beach, you two become the happiest couple on Earth.

#kenma kozume x reader #kozume kenma x reader #kenma kozume #kozume kenma #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu #hq x reader

[edengarden]

Hello and if asks are still open may I have a regular match up for BNHA?

Name: Nox

Gender: FTM

Occupation: Student (16 almost 17 yrs old. Jan 4th is b-day)

Sexual orientation: Omniromantic Asexual (male/masculine leaning)

Quirk: Transformative/Mutant, "Zoologic shift" (This quirk allows the individual(s) to transform into multiple animals, but the individual has to have a emotional/special connection or feeling towards the animal and to know it's physical structure to properly shift into the said animal (mythical/made up creatures can be acquired but it is extremely difficult due to the fact of anatomy and bone structure). The user only has a limited time to be in their animal form before they start going feral, if the person is angry or has a different strong negative emotion in animal form, the fast they can become feral (once the user becomes feral they will not remember anything until they have calmed down or are somehow distracted), if the user becomes feral for too long they will not be able to transform back unless they are hurt tremendously or their hatred may take a physical form and eventually kill them from the inside (I guess look at the demons from Princess Mononoke to get an idea of what that is).)

Animals acquired: White Dire wolf, Raven, Orca, Clydesdale, Black Mamba, Barn Owl, Russian Blue House cat, Ram, Fire Dragon, Phoenix, Snake Basalisc

At least 3 positive attributes:

Empathetic (emotional and animal, riots and civil conflict bring me to tears as well as I can feel my friends' pain I and want to cuddle ever dog, cat, etc. I see)

Intelligent (at least in certain subjects like language, art, biology, and physical/hero training), serious (it may come off as intemidation but I just usually mess around)

Diplomacy (I try to avoid any physical fights that can but I will fight as a last resort)

Calm (in most situations I try to keep a level head and it works since when most people need serious help they come to you for advice or to vent)

Justful (kinda speaks for itself)

Soft Blunt and Soft Honest (I am honest with people as well as blunt, but I am not mean or hurtful when I say it)

At least 3 negative attributes:

Anger issues (even though usually calm and serious, when pushed over the edge I can become furious and using my quirk will not help at all)

Self sacrificing (since due to personal circumstances I have started to put other people above me (my friends mostly) and I would do anything, even get myself physically or emotionally hurt for them. It is sorta in a way for having approval for those I care about but mostly is just showing that I care for the people I care about)

Self deprecating with imposter syndrome (it's mostly a form of humor, but I take it far enough where people start to worry)

Dark humor (idk I just like it)

Confrontational (if someone confronts and tries to provoke me I will tell them off but never physically fight back)

Self Righteous (The righteousness is good but usually my self righteousness comes up when it comes to someone's safety or when revenge and anger cloud my judgement)

Children (I don't care for children, but I'm afraid my anger will get the best of me and I'll lash. So that's why I stay away from kids as much as possible for tr he fear of accidentally hurting innocence)

Hahahaha...daddy issues...

Hobby(ies):

Hiking in the woods

Drawing (it's usually vented or dark in some way, but sometimes I like drawing people and animals or characters)

Cosplaying

Cooking

cApTuRinG sOuLs-

Learning about Witchcraft/Supernatural/Celestial

Music Taste:

Lofi

Anti-Nightcore/Nightcore

Viking Chants

Sea Shanties

Celtic instrumentals

Death metal

Instrumental

Old Rock

Classical

Bands/song writers: Skillet, SKÁLD, Faun, Black Briar, MARETU, Steampianist, Temporex, Penelope Scott, Mirical Music, Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd, Angel Maker, Forest Music, Panic! At the Disco, MESA works design, , Harrison (not too much into bands but here are the general ones I listen too)

Appearance

Eyes: Brown/Black has bags under eyes

Hair: Red (henna dyed), it's frizzy at the tips and it's long (cab length) and thick (I hate it's length, but parents...)

Skin: Pale (warm tone)

Body type: In between Skinny and overweight, wide shoulders, actually muscular

Anything else?: Teeth have tiny canines, sometimes can have wolf ears and tail showing, kinda thick thighs-, 5'6ish, usually wearing school uniform. Hero uniform includes a black Cape with under it being a black mechanical suit that is bullet and elemental proof, boots are sharp and steel toed resembling a wolf's paw, wears a head mask that looks wolfish as well in the front but in the back of the mask has fur in the back (look towards some reference of the princess mononoke headgear) (not completely like a wolf but sorta resembles one), the mask also helps with muffled hearing and sight because I am sensitive to those things.

Traits I look for S/O: Empathetic, kind, cooperative, someone who also finds comfort in darkness or the shade, someone that knows how to take things seriously but also having a humors side, trusting and loyal, someone that can work with others (I'm usually a loner but I try to work with others), someone that would at least like to have a relationship that includes physical affection (I am a touched starved peep-), I guess someone that works, likes, or even somehow resembles an animal, some that doesn't get angry easily and is patient, introvert an extrovert doesn't matter to be (I guess if I had to choose maybe someone in between the 2?), and I guess someone that just tolerates my presence and doesn't or call me a piece of shit.

Traits I cannot be around with a S/O: Anger...I can't be around angry people because they scare me to the point I become panicked, people that work towards apathy (I may be empathetic but with someone that can't or won't return the same comfort when needed, they exhaust me), untrusting, someone who is a dick to everyone except me (it just seems suspicious and hurtful), someone who is closed minded, someone that has joy in hurting other maliciously, someone who loves bright lights/areas/lives by the sun, guess someone who wants a 24/7 therapist (again it can become exhausted and I know how it is...it isn'tthat nice.)

Star sign: Capricorn (sun), Gemini (moon), Cancer (rising)

Personality type: INTJ, Lawful Neutral

HP House: Hufflepuff that isn't afraid to kickass

Fun facts!:

I'm somewhat of an animal whisperer

Obsessed with herbs and Crystals

I know it seemed edgy with my hatred towards light, but in all honesty the late does infact bother and irritate me, especially when it's hot

Intrested in the celestial and supernatural

I look at horror and nature documentaries

I've trained my dog to come when I howl

I guess if loving spicy food counts as a fun fact then count that in

Ehhhhh...switch sub-

cAndLe bOi-

I must apologize if this is a lot, I just wanted the matchup as accurate as possible, but again thank you for having the ask box open and I hope you have a good day!

Honestly while I read your description, all I could think of was Tokoyami!

I think it’s pretty obvious why?? You two share a lot of things in common. The two of you are very calm individuals, and I can see you both being voices of reason not only to the people surrounding you, but to each other as well. In a way, I think you can even tend to challenge each other and even push (to a healthy extent) the other to become the best version of themselves.

The VIBE you two have. It’s almost too good. And while Tokoyami isn’t affectionate in public, he’d be more than happy to indulge in your starvation for touch behind closed doors! Don’t tell anyone, but he’s a straight up cuddlebug. And I can totally see him digging the spiritual/celestial stuff?? Maybe he won’t actually know anything, but he’d be so hyped if you were willing to teach him omg I can totally see this as your go-to type of date, that’s so sweet 🥺

Songs!!

- Breathe (In the Air), Pink Floyd (I honestly see you and Tokoyami straight up vibing to Dark Side of the Moon like no other to be honest)

- In the Lap of the Gods, Queen

- Sense of Doubt, David Bowie (THIS VIBE IS SO DARK AND URGH I CAN SEE THIS AS A V I B E FOR YOU TWO - However, Neuköln could be a close second to portray this vibe!)

- Killing a Little Time, David Bowie

#mha matchup #mha #bnha #bnha matchup #tokoyami fukimage

[bisexualboyinterrupted]

A Love Letter to My Tumblr

Hello there my dear!

We have been through a lot of rebranding. Remember tumblr porn? Remember when you were princejoshuabrendon and your posts were mainly about Disney, then you rebranded to fashion? Remember rebranding and making it alienghosttype because you’re weirdo who writes fanfictions? Remember rebranding it again as kingjoshuabrendon? And here we are, as bisexualboyinterrupted.

Tumblr, you were my online diary. I write to you as way to vent. It is very cathartic. I have written to you many essays, many poems, many short stories, and many original quotations. You have seen my ups and downs and was a witness to how my writing evolved, since high school.

You are a big part of my life. You saw the many stages of my life, from teen angst and grunge, to the hipster, to the fanboy, and many more. You were a witness to my changes. And you’re close to being the only one who knows who I truly am.

Many of my peers have stopped writing to you. Some visit you from time to time to reblog and to write. I admit, at one point in my life I did the same, and I will do it again.

Tumblr, I will try not to write to you for now. The next time I will write to you again is when I will announce that the books I have written are about to be published.

I have written two manuscripts actually, and you were a witness to both. The first manuscript, Jayden & Julian, is based off of I’ll Never Stop Loving You, the chaptered fanfiction I upload to you on a weekly basis back in college. I managed to re-write it and rebrand it. As you already know, it is an amorous note or letter to my first love. He was the inspiration behind I’ll Never Stop Loving You. Tumblr, you know how much I loved him. I still love him. But this time, he’s more of an inspiration to my craft. You know who I’m talking about.

The second manuscript, Boy, Interrupted, is, well, a collection of all the things I wrote in you. I managed to create a story out of it. You know me. My life is an art and I have to fill in everything to make it a complete masterpiece. It starts with my writings to my first love and ends with my writings for Matthew. You know Matthew. I love him. But this novel is not about them. Rather, it is an amorous letter to myself. It is me making sense of all the things that happened to me, because I believe that there is always a cosmic connection to everything. We hurt but we keep moving. It is sardonic but hopeful.

Tumblr, I really want my manuscripts to get published. Just this morning, I received a rejection email for Boy, Interrupted (I guess 2020 is the year I get rejected by many in order for me to be stronger). I emailed back asking for a reconsideration. I see potential in it. It is my art. It is me. It is me, damaged and vulnerability exposed. If I don’t get it published, then what’s all the pain and suffering worth? I will just be damaged and nothing came out of it.

I really want to leave something behind before I die. And a novel is one of those things I want to leave behind.

Tumblr, these novels will get published. The 4th of October will be the 7th week of deliberation for my other manuscript before I find out if it will get published or not. I am hoping. Tumblr, I have you to thank for this. You collected my thoughts and feelings. You helped me grow in writing. Without you, I guess I have no safe space to write.

This is not the last time I will write to you. But I will stop for now. Again, I will see you anytime this year to announce that my novels are about to be published. I am claiming it.

Goodbye for now.

#personal #thoughts #spilled ink

[iam93percentstardust]

The Meet Cute

Written for @cap-ironman Bingo prompt S-1: Romantic comedy

Find on AO3 here (watch out for the read more!)

Fury’s apparently sent a car to pick them up from the gym. They’re walking out when the director passes him a folder. It’s got the SHIELD logo stamped across the front, the words “Avengers Initiative” underneath. Steve flips it open to see a picture of a young woman dressed in a black skintight suit with flaming red hair.

He doesn’t know who she is but, as he flips through the other pages, he realizes that he can guess. “This is my team?” he asks.

Fury gives a short nod. “Natasha Romanoff,” he says. “Ex-Soviet, now works for SHIELD.”

He keeps talking but Steve’s not listening anymore. He’s paused on a picture of a man, bright brown eyes, fluffy hair, and the sort of manic energy that makes itself known even in a photograph. “Who’s this?” he interrupts.

Fury pauses in his explanation of… well, Steve’s not sure who. He doesn’t think he’s still talking about Natasha Romanoff but the last thing he’d heard was her name and then he’d tuned out. “Tony Stark,” Fury says. “Iron Man.” He gives him a shrewd look. “Why?”

“I know him.”

“Yeah, you would. That’s Howard’s kid. Twice as clever but don’t tell him I said that. His ego’s big enough as is.”

Steve frowns. The man does look like Howard, has that same devil-may-care grin, but that’s not why he knows him.

Six Months Ago

Steve comes out of the ice on a Tuesday. Fury finds him in Times Square, tells him that he’s been asleep for seventy years, and advises him to take a few months off to adjust to the new time period. Steve spends one day wandering Brooklyn because he’s clearly a masochist and one day sitting at a café sketching a phallic looking tower that he doesn’t recognize from his earlier life (at one point, a red and gold robot flies overhead and his heart aches as he realizes how much Bucky would have loved the future). By Friday, he’s back in Fury’s office pleading for another mission.

Fury tries to talk him out of it, tries to tell him to take more time off, but Steve refuses each offer. He doesn’t tell him that he thinks he might walk off the side of a building if he has to sit in his apartment one more day and think about what he’s lost.

Two months later, he’s bouncing from mission to mission, spending the entirety of his free time in an old-style gym he finds a few blocks from his new apartment. He suspects that the gym is SHIELD-run because Brooklyn seems to be entirely skinny guys with bad haircuts and girls wearing flannels and fake glasses these days and everyone who frequents his gym is big and burly and way too good at boxing to be anything other than an agent. He doesn’t say anything though. The gym’s open late and even though it painfully reminds him of the 40s, he likes the style.

Besides, who would he tell? Everyone he wants to talk to is dead.

Fury hands him a file one day. Steve flips it open on his way out the door. He skims, stops less than two steps from Fury’s door, and turns around.

“Sir, this is a reconnaissance mission,” he points out.

Fury raises one eyebrow. “And?”

“Well- sir- I-” He stops. He’s not the person people pick for reconnaissance missions. He’s not the kind of person who blends into the background, not after he got the serum and not even really before.

There’s an uncomfortable look of pity in Fury’s one good eye. Steve ducks his head. He’s tired of people looking at it like that. He got a shitty hand, sure, but it had happened. The best he can do is now try to move on from it- or at least, look like it. 

“You’ll be fine,” Fury tells him. “I’m sending a senior agent with you. He’s in your file.”

~

He meets Clint Barton only a few steps down the hall as the man literally rolls out of an air vent near the ceiling. Oddly enough, he’s snoring so Steve fully expects him to hit the ground in a crumpled heap but he lands in a crouch and dusts himself off.

“I meant to do that,” the man says casually. He holds out his hand for Steve to shake. “Clint Barton. I think I’m in there.”

He jerks a thumb at the folder Steve’s holding. Steve glances from him to the folder and flips to the back where Fury’s provided the dossier on the other agent working the case with him. Sure enough, Clint’s picture is provided in the corner along with a list of his abilities and a few of his past cases.

Steve resumes walking as he skims the page. He reads over the words Gifted in fifteen fighting styles and Trained in espionage and then raises his eyes to watch as Clint trips over thin air- or maybe it was a dust particle. Steve’s not sure.

“You don’t have to act around me,” he says.

Clint glances at him. “What?” he asks. “Oh, sorry.” He reaches up to his ear, where Steve notes some sort of earpiece, and fiddles with it. “Turned off my hearing aids for my nap.”

“It’s an act,” Steve says. “You can stop now.”

Clint grins lopsidedly at him. “Enh,” he grunts. “Keeps the baby agents on their toes. So where are we off to?”

Steve flips the folder back open. “A coffeeshop,” he states aloud. “Downtown Manhattan.”

Clint takes the folder from him and skims it. Steve runs a hand over his face. He’s got the beginnings of a beard. It still feels a little weird. He hadn’t been able to grow one before the serum and during the war, all standard kits were equipped with a razor so it’s new to come off an undercover mission in Bolivia and realize that he’s got a beard coming in.

“Possible Maggia front,” Clint reads. He catches the confused furrow on Steve’s brow and continues, “Like the Mafia but worse. A lot worse. Fury likes to try and cut them off whenever they pop up but he doesn’t normally tackle ‘em this fast.”

“What’s the address?” Steve asks, thinking of possible reasons for Fury moving in so quickly.

“205 Park Avenue,” Clint replies. “Oh- it’s near Stark Tower. Fury probably doesn’t want them near Stark.”

“Stark?”

“Yeah,” Clint says distractedly. He winks at a pretty redhead walking in the opposite direction (she rolls her eyes). “Electronics and robotics company but their last shareholders meeting announced that they’re moving into clean energy or something like that.”

“Oh,” Steve says quietly. Not related to Howard then; Howard had been moving into weapons the last time he saw him.

Clint turns a page in the file. “Hey, how good’s your latte art?”

“My what?”

~

They spend three months working at the coffeeshop. The horrors of working in retail and customer service are nothing new. People apparently haven’t changed much in the seventy years he was in the ice. He gets pretty good at latte art, excellent at remember regulars’ names, and terrible at managing the occasional assholes who come into the shop and expect faster service just because they’re rich. 

The owner laughs hysterically when he sees the dent in the wall made by the guy who grabbed Katie’s ass as she was dropping off his coffee. “That’s gonna be hell to explain,” he says.

“Sorry,” Steve offers, not sorry at all.

The owner just waves him off. “Did he deserve it?”

“Yep.”

“It’s fine. I know firsthand how bad these guys can be. Just don’t let it happen again.” (It happens again three more times but Steve always makes sure to throw them into the same spot on the wall).

~

He and Clint end up deciding that the coffeeshop is decidedly not a Maggia front and that the men frequenting it happen to be a coincidence. Clint puts in his two weeks’ notice about a week before Steve does. The last week without him is a lot quieter. Clint as an agent has a very quiet presence (when he’s not acting out to “keep the baby agents on their toes”) but Clint undercover is loud and bumbling and cheerful. He fills a room. Steve isn’t entirely certain which version of Clint he likes better- or which one is actually real- but it is definitely an experience working at the café without him around.

It’s his last day working there and Steve’s just barely opened the shop when the front door slams open. It bounces off the wall and nearly rebounds into the face of the man opening the shop. 

Steve starts to reach out a hand to help but then realizes he’s all the way on the other side of the room and can’t do much from there. It doesn’t matter though because the man manages to dodge the door. It takes Steve a moment to recognize him but he does eventually place him as one of the regulars. It’s just odd seeing him there at six in the morning when he usually shows up just before closing. He looks manic and bright and awake, a far cry from the usual exhausted circles under his eyes. Katie says he’s a fantastic tipper. Steve wouldn’t know; he’s never personally served the man.

The man traipses up to the counter, gaze fixed on his phone. “Morning, Katie, my love,” he says. “Usual please.”

“Not Katie,” Steve says. “And I don’t know what your usual is.”

It takes a moment for the voice to register in the man’s mind and then he slowly raises his eyes to meet Steve’s. They widen a little in shock, then narrow, then turn dark and heated. Steve catches his breath. It’s been a long time since anyone looked at him like that (he thinks it might have been the blonde SSR agent who’d kissed him). For a moment, it’s a little surprising seeing that look from a man but then he remembers the files Fury had given him on LGBT rights. Things have changed since his time and entirely for the better.

“Hello, darling,” the man purrs. “You must be new here.”

Steve’s offended for all of a second and then he thinks about the clear exhaustion that’s usually dripping from every line of the man’s body and the way it had often seemed like the promise of coffee was the only thing keeping him standing.

“Nope,” he says amusedly.

The man looks at him confusedly. “No? I think I’d remember seeing someone like you.”

Steve has to fight to keep the blush from his face. “I wouldn’t. You’ve been pretty tired every other time you’ve come in here.”

The man grins at him. “Aw,” he croons. “You remembered me.”

He doesn’t know what possesses him to say, “Pretty people aren’t hard to remember.”

His grin grows wider. “You think I’m pretty?”

“Your beard!” Steve blurts out. “I like- it’s the- I’m just digging myself into a hole, aren’t I?” He drops his head into his hands.

“It’s okay,” the man says and leans across the counter.

“Would it help if I said I’m an artist?” Steve asks, voice muffled.

He can practically hear the delight in the man’s voice as he says, “You think I’m pretty enough for art?”

“You must know-” Steve begins and then raises his head. For the most part, the man looks incredibly smug as Steve expected but there’s the faintest hint of awe in his expression like he really doesn’t know how he looks. “Yeah, I do,” he finishes quietly.

The smile on the man’s face turns small and private. “I’m Tony,” he says.

Steve starts to answer with his name and then it all comes crashing down on him. He’s living a lie. This- this- whatever it is- isn’t real. He can’t actually have this. The smile that he hadn’t realized he’s wearing disappears from his face. He turns abruptly and grabs a coffee cup. They only carry one size here so it isn’t hard to pick one. “Your order?” he asks gruffly as his back is still turned.

It takes a long moment for Tony to say anything. There’s a line of decorative metallic plates along the back counter and, in the reflection of one of them, he can see the confusion and then disappointment cross Tony’s face.

“Oh,” Tony says softly, so softly that Steve, even with his hearing, has to strain to hear him.

He closes his eyes briefly. “Your order?” he repeats.

“Actually,” Tony begins and Steve’s heart drops. “I think I’ll skip the coffee today. Sorry to bother you.”

The bell above the door tinkles.

#tw: suicide mention #stevetony #mcu #marvel #stony #cap-ironman bingo #alle writes

[vivian077]

Is There Still Anything Love Can Do?

I am lost in mind, Is there still something love can do?

Marinette's Pov

I can’t take this anymore. I can’t forget what Lila said to me. Tikki said Marinette don’t listen to her. I said it’s even worse that Adrien supports her. Maybe I truly don’t have a soulmate. Tikki said don’t say that Marinette. Of course you have a soulmate. Just be patient. He or she will come sooner or later.

“Flashback At the Gotham Art Museum”

As I was walking around looking for inspiration for new clothing designs. Lila came to me and said, Marinette. Why are even on this trip. You know that this class is against you. Why don’t you just get lost. I said It doesn’t matter what you or this class think. You may put the teacher and this class against me but know this Lila all of your lies will crumble down and I won’t stop until you tell the truth or I expose you. Adrien came to see what is going on with us. He said, Marinette. Why can’t you be nice to Lila. Lila said Oh Adrien don’t worry about me. I wish that you are my soulmate. I bet Marinette doesn’t have a soulmate and is destined to alone for the rest for her life. Adrien said, Now Lila I know you are not my soulmate but I have to agree with you that Marinette doesn’t have a soulmate. I pity her since she used to be the everyday Ladybug but I guess that title goes to you Lila. Lila said, Oh Adrien I am so honored of your words. Come let’s go see the art sculptures. Lila whispers in my ear and said I hope you have a miserable death. Adrien and Lila went off to see the art sculptures. I had tears flowing on my face. What it hurts more is that I may truly believe that I don’t have a soulmate and Adrien supports Lila in bullying to me. I can’t believe that I used to have a crush on him. I ran to the bathroom to freshen up and Tikki comforting me. I came out from the restroom and when I come out my teacher and classmates abandoned me.

“Flashback Ends”

I was born into this world. With nothing with my open arms.

Caught between eternity. I am wallowing around to live.

Only people who give in and people who are smart to move.

When I know they will always win. I can’t find a place to breath.

Why do I even fight back. My only friends are Tikki, Chloe, Max, Alix, Kim, Kagami, and Luka. I can’t deal with this anymore. I’m tired of suffering. If my soulmate exists. I hope to see him or her soon. I wish they are by my side comforting me. I wished to be loved by my soulmate and never leave my side. I keep walking until I went to a park and sat on a bench and started crying again. Tikki was by my side comforting and hugging me.

Even rulers, Even God

Act like they don’t understand. But they must know what’s going on.

But they must know what’s going on. They sure know enough.

Bravery, hope and love. Everything that’s magical.

Damian's Pov

I am walking towards a park since I wanted to get away from my annoying brothers. But I feel that my soulmate is calling out to me. He or she is really depressed and can’t take her situation anymore. My mark on my shoulder is bothering me since it is starting to glow when I’m getting near the park. That mark on my shoulder is a ladybug on top of a apple blossom. I hope that my soulmate is alright. As I continue walking, I notice a girl with black hair that looks like blue when the sun shines at her hair and it is in twin tales . Her clothes are a pale pink jack and underneath her jacket is a pale pink shirt. She is also wearing white jeans and white converse shoes. I noticed that she is crying and something glowing on her shoulder. Can it be that she is my soulmate. Only one way to find out. I approached to her and said, Hey are you alright?.

Not knowing how to use it right. Adults just like to walk away.

But still you stand in who I am. From that day all along. You be in the center here. In the middle of all my rights.

Even when the world betrays. Turns its back against us still. I can still see you here. Facing everything you see. I am lost in mind. Is there something love can do? I am lost in mind. Is there is something I can do?

Marinette’s Pov

As I sat on the bench and crying. I noticed my mark is glowing. My mark is a robin bird but I ignore it and continue crying. Tikki heard someone coming and went inside my purse. Then a shadow appears in front of me and looked up and saw a handsome guy with the most beautiful green eyes I seen. He approached me and said if I was alright. I said to him, I’m alright. I was just crying because my problems. He said can you tell me? I said are you sure? It's a long story but let me introduce myself. My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. He introduced himself as Damian Wayne. I said ok I’m going to start telling you my problems. It all started when the new classmate came. I thought I could be friends with her but she started telling lies about meeting celebrities, saving the president of France. But it gets worse. She was telling lies about me bullying her and yet she is one who bullies me and makes my life miserable. Even worst is that my formal crush and friend Adrien supports her. He would tell me to take the high road and to not expose her and he agrees with her. All my classmates prefer Lila and my teacher doesn’t even help. She always demands me to be a model student. That I shouldn’t cause problems. I am sick and tired of this! As I was starting to cry again suddenly something unexpected happened. Damian hugged me.

You are the one who gave me all this bravery. So you are the only one I want to use it for.

You and me, shared all this love between us now.

You have to be the one it can be no one else.

I am lost in mind. Is there still something love can do. I am lost in mind. Is there something I can do.

Damian’s Pov

She introduced herself as Marinette Dupain-Cheng. In my eyes she is so beautiful. She looks like a angel. As she is telling me about her situation about her teacher, classmates and a bully named Lila. I notice she was close to cry again mostly when she mentioned some idiot named Adrien. I am so glad she doesn’t have a crush on this Adrien. He doesn’t deserves this angel. As she finishes venting, she started crying again. The only way I could comfort her is to hug her. I got closer and put my arms around her and giving her the hug she desperately needed. I notice our marks are in tune harmoniously and I knew from that then she is my soulmate. I said Marinette, I know your being so strong and I admire it. Things will get better. Your class doesn’t deserve the selfless being you are and you deserve better. Adrien doesn’t deserve you as a friend. Your teacher is neglecting you and doesn’t help you. Don’t give up. In case you haven’t noticed our marks are in harmony. I’ll be honored to be by your side as your soulmate.

Why do we get to dream when we don’t have anything to lose anymore.

Why do we get to have little hopes when we know we can’t live forever.

Why are we only giving things that disappear slip right though our fingers…still

Oh do we look hideous to be clinging on what we can not touch or are we beautiful

Oh answer me

Normal Pov

Marinette saw her mark glow and said my mark is glow. I can’t believe that your my soulmate. I thought I would alone. Tears are flowing to her face due to being happy. Marinette hugged Damian. Damian said if it's no problem if I call you Angel. Marinette said as long you don’t call me princess. I don’t like it since a Paris hero named Chat Noir would call me that and he wouldn’t leave me alone. He is obsessed with Ladybug and he would vent to me and I know his real identity. But that’s a story for another day. Damian said are you sure you don’t want to tell me. I could help you since I have resources due to being from a wealthy family. Marinette said wait, don’t tell that you’re THE Damian Wayne. Blood son of Bruce Wayne. Damian said at your service my angel. Then Damian kissed Marinette’s knuckle. Marinette said enchante bon monsieur. Marinette giggled softly. Damian said if it’s no trouble if I can kiss yon in your lips? Marinette said It’s no trouble and I’m honored. Damian's face comes closer and closer until lips met each other. The kiss was gentle yet sweet. For Marinette it was like a dream come true. The kiss lasted 10 seconds until Damian separated himself from Marinette. Both their faces were flustered and yet they enjoyed it. Marinette hoped that they would enjoy more time together. Their makes glow so beautifully. The colors were a mix of dark green and silver. Dancing in harmony as the two lovers embrace. Damian received a call and he answered. Hello

Dick: Where are you?

Damian: I’m at the Gotham Memorial Park with my newly discovered soulmate. Why?

Dick: Bruce is getting worried and he wants to know if you’re alright.

Damian: Yes I’m alright. Just pick me and my soulmate up.

Dick: WHAT! YOU HAVE A SOULMATE! JASON, TIM YOU GOTTA HEAR THIS! DAMIAN HAS A SOULMATE!

Jason: WHAT! DEMON SPAWN HAS A SOULMATE! THE WORLD IS ENDING! DID YOU BLACKMAILED HIM OR HER?!

Damian: SHUT UP! Yes I do have a soulmate and her name is Marinette and if you think you can tease me about it. Well prepare to get yourself killed.

Jason: Alright alright I won’t tease you much. But Bruce is going know more about Marinette from herself or you.

Damian: How about this I’ll invite her for staying at our mansion tomorrow? Let me ask her.

Marinette would you like to stay at my mansion tomorrow night? Marinette said are you sure it's no trouble? I don’t wanna intrude. Damian said it's no trouble. Marinette said it's a honor to stay at your home.

Dick: What did she say?

Damian: She said yes.

Dick: Excellent. I’ll tell Alfred to pick you guys up. He’ll be there in twenty minutes.

Damian: Ok bye

Hangs up

Damian said my butler Alfred is going to pick us up. Where are you staying? Marinette said my class and I are staying at the Wayne Resort. Damian said alright it’s just 20 minutes from where we are. While Alfred is coming. Why don’t you tell me about yourself. Marinette said my likes are fashion design, baking, hamsters, Jagged Stone and Clara Nightingale, videogames, listening to music when sketching a new design and stargazing. My dream is to be a fashion designer. What about you Damian? What do you like? Damian said well I love animals and I’m a vegetarian. My likes are Alfred the cat and Alfred, Titius the dog, my family *don’t tell them I said that since they will never hear the end of it* Jon *don’t tell him as well since he will cry* and martial arts. Marinette said wow. That’s is so sweet. Don’t worry I won’t tell anyone. 5 minutes passed and Alfred came and opened the door to Damian and Marinette. He said Master Damian and Miss Marinette I hope you didn’t wait long. Damian said no Alfred, you’re just in time. Please take us to Wayne Resort. Marinette is staying there with her classmates. Alfred said of course sir. I heard from Master Dick that Miss Marinette is going to stay with us tomorrow night. Damian said yes Alfred. She is going to stay with us tomorrow. Alfred said alright sir I’ll prepare the guest room for tomorrow night. We arrive at Wayne Resort. Damian said Marinette. Will 6:45pm will be alright for Alfred and I to pick you up? Marinette said sure. That time is perfect. Marinette leans towards Damian and kisses him on the cheek. I see you tomorrow Damian. Damian was smitten and only gave a nod. Marinette got out of the limo and went straight for the lobby. Damian and Alfred went to their home. Marinette managed to sneak past her classmates mates and went to her room. Luckily she is the only one who has a room all to herself. Tikki came out and said Marinette you are so lucky. You manage to find your soulmate. It’s so romantic. Marinette said I know Tikki. Damian is so handsome. He is such a gentlemen. I thought I would never find my soulmate but now he found me and comfort me. Tikki said see Marinette. I told you that you will find your soulmate. You just needed to be patient. Marinette said you were right Tikki. Well be better get some sleep. Tomorrow is a big day and I want to enjoy it with Damian. Here you go Tikki a treat for supporting me all these years. Tikki said aww thank you Marinette. You’re the best Ladybug I ever have. Tikki went to hug Marinette's cheek. Marinette giggles and said time to get ready to bed. I can’t for tomorrow. Marinette puts her pajamas and went to sleep.

Love has bees sung in songs over and over yet.

Love has been told in films over and over and standing here in wilderness

I was born into this world and you but still I know.

I believe there is still something left that love can do

I believe there is still something left that I can do

Bonus:

Dick: I better tell Cass, Stephanie, And Barbara about Damian having a soulmate. Oh man a lot of teasing for him. I’m going to enjoy this.

Jason: Demon spawn has a soulmate. Well if she is against her will. I’m going to rescue her. I just hope she isn’t like demon spawn.

Tim: The end of the world is here! I better prepare. I hope his soulmate is not like Damian. God I don’t need another one like him.

Bruce: Damian has a soulmate. Huh. Well I better welcome him or her to our home tomorrow.

Alfred: I better prepare for tomorrow. Miss Marinette is so good for Master Damian.

Tikki: Damian is going to be good and gentle to Marinette. He better be or I’ll give him a taste of his own medicine. I wonder if he is the true Chat Noir. Only one way to find out.

Author's Note

Oh man over 2,500 words. I really enjoyed doing this one shot. I may make more in the future. Have a awesome day!

#maribat #maridami #damien x marinette #marinette deserves better

[jj-lynn21]

You will remember things that we never said ch 2

Warnings: Drunkenness, smutty flirting,

Song mentioned: Vent by Hate Theory 

ch 1   ch3   ch 4 ch 5  ch 6  ch 7

Bella gets Stephanie up at one in the afternoon to go to brunch. Stephanie is groggy. She puts her hair in a bun and throws on some sweats with a little bit of make-up. Bella stays in her Shorts and Tank top pjs and grabs a sweatshirt before they leave the dorm. Bella follows her roommate blindly to the student union where many eateries are located. They go to the Coffee Palace first.

“Hey Albre,” Bella said to the counter person. “I’ll have my usual. What would you like Steph?”

Stephanie grumbles, “I don’t like coffee.”

“You will love this coffee.” Bella insisted. “Albre, give me two of my usual.”

Albre said, “No problem, babe.”

She hands the first cup to Stephanie. “It tastes like a snickers bar. You will love it.”

And this is how Stephanie’s caffeine, coffee addiction started. It was love at first sip. Her brain unclouded. Her senses awakened. It was smooth, sweet and chocolatey unlike the bitter flavor of her first drink of coffee years ago when she was thirteen. Bella introduced her to other flavors she liked through the years. But she often went back to this one Mocha nut that reminded her of good memories.

Stephanie and Bella sat across from each other sipping coffee. Bagels and cream cheese on their plates.

“Another tip from me to you.” Bella spread cream cheese on her bagel. “Bread is always best the night after.”

Stephanie laughs, “Alright, I’ll take your word on that. I am still a bit out of sorts from last night.”

“No,” Bella looks at Stephanie seriously.

“What?”, Stephanie looked at her confused.

“You know what,” Bella said. “I saw how you looked at him.”

“Him, who?”  Stephanie tried to comprehend what Bella was saying.

“Axel isn’t for you,” Bella insisted. “He’s a good enough guy but just, No.”

“Alright, Mom.” Stephanie laughed. “Other than telling me what or who’s not good for me, what else do you have going on today?”

“I guess I should read a few of my assignments before tonight.” Bella laughed. “Or I’ll just nap so I can go out tonight to Coperhead. You can join if you want.”

“Cool,” Stephanie said.

“He’s not playing,” Bella smirked.

Stephanie shrugged, “Is that supposed to matter?”

“I guess, not.” Bella laughed. “You have a car?”

“Yes,” Stephanie said.

“Then you’re designated driver buttercup.” Bella said. “The club is about an hour off campus. We are taking Albre and Ryan if that’s cool? You remember Ryan, the blonde with the Mom Tattoo on his wrist?”

“Yeah, cool.” Stephanie really didn’t remember Ryan at all.

Stephanie studied the rest of the day. Taking only a short break to microwave a cup of soup and go get a second coffee to keep her going. She closed the books at eight to get ready to go out. The thought crossed her mind that even though Axel’s band wasn’t playing maybe he would be there. She might just get the nerve to ask him to sit for her to draw him for class.

They pick up  Albre and Ryan. Bella got out and sat in the back seat with Albre. Ryan sat up front. Stephanie set her gps to the address given her and they were off on an adventure. Ryan talked about his classes and books he had read, and Stephanie thought he was nice since they did read some of the same books. Not her type for dating but you can never have to many friends which is something her Mom always said.  They get there about five minutes before the first band is supposed to play.

Todd is taking money at the door. He smiles at Stephanie. She smiles back and thanks him when he gives her change. When he smiles it’s like his whole face smiles including his blue eyes.  Bella sees Rick and a few others so Albre, Stephanie and Ryan follow her over to say hello.

Bella taps Rick on the should and he turns around, “What’s up buttercup?”

“Not much caterpillar.” he chuckles. “We go on in about five minutes.”

He looks to the others. Seeing Stephanie, he winks at her, “Hey pretty girl. How you doing?”

Bella shakes her head, “No, Rick.”

Stephanie smiled, “I’m fine thanks.”

“What Bella?” Rick keeps his eyes on Stephanie. “Ask around, one person said she’s a pretty girl and the rest of us agreed.”

Stephanie blushed which no one could really see in the darkened club. “Who said I was the pretty girl?”

Rick shrugs.

Mick yells, “Come on Rick we are going to need you to play tonight.”

Rick goes and hops up on the stage. Other than Light Bulb their music makes all hell break loose. The mosh pit gets so aggressive one of the big guys standing between Stephanie and the pit, picks her up and places her on top of a big speaker to sit.  Bella and Albre stay standing in front of the stage laughing every time they get knocked around a little.

Stephanie sees Axel and Todd standing against the wall opposite of her. She smiles as he catches her eye and nods not showing any emotion just slight acknowledgement. Axel says something in Todd’s ear. Rick comes over to play the bass right in front of Stephanie and she turns her attention towards him. The music more hardcore than Zeigeist, but everyone needs to Vent ,which is the name of the song being played. And Stephanie loved Rick giving her attention while others standing in the front row were practically begging with their eyes for him to come nearer.

Axel and Todd were gone when Stephanie glanced back across the room. Other bands played and Stephanie kept her spot on the speaker. Rick came over with two bottled waters and handed one to her.

“I heard you’re the designated driver tonight.” He said. “I can’t let the pretty girl driving one of my best friend’s home get dehydrated. I don’t think you are getting through this crowd to the bar any time soon either.”

Stephanie giggled, “Thanks Rick. Great set. People got crazy.”

“Yeah, that happens.” He said. “Glad you’re digging the music.”

Bella turns to them, “And what are you two discussssing” She slurs.

“Just how beautiful you are, babe.” He grabs ahold of Bella to help her balance.

“SSSuch a charmer,” She kisses his cheek.

“Stephanie you want to take this beauty queen home?” Bella lays on him her eyes barely slit open.

“We came with Ryan and Albre.” Stephanie pointed out.

“I’ll clear a path so you can get out with Bella.” Rick started yelling. “Out of my way. My girls need to get outside.”

The crowd magically parts like the red sea. Stephanie follows him. He is holding Bella upright. Stephanie gets Ryan and Albre’s attention to follow her. They make it out of the stale air to the fresh outdoors. Bella pukes in a trash can as Rick holds her hair back. It’s the kindest thing Stephanie ever saw a man do. Usually they are laughing at the drunk puking girl. Here everyone seems concerned. Someone brings out a ginger ale from the bar. When she feels good enough, they head home.

Stephanie drops Ryan at his door. Albre helps get Bella into her room. Stephanie gets Bella a ginger ale from their shared mini refrigerator.

Albre takes it when Stephanie goes to Bella’s bedroom door. “I’ll take care of her tonight Steph. Go ahead to bed. I’m used to sleeping with her when she is like this. I’ll keep her on her side and hold her hair if she pukes anymore tonight. But I think she will be out cold until tomorrow afternoon some time.”

Stephanie takes a shower and passes out in bed sometime around six in the morning. A few minutes after noon she wakes. Exhaustion has set into her body, but she knows she needs to get some more studying done. At this point she’s not going to be ahead.  She hopes to just get the coming weeks work done and maybe by mid-week start on next weeks work.

But first and four most coffee. Oh yes, a shot of expresso just for that extra kick she needs. And a bagel. She is going with the bread theory. She starts reading. Doodles on the sides of her paper as she takes notes. Makes an outline for a paper that is due in two weeks. And reads as she takes notes some more. The sun has set when her stomach finally growls loud enough for her to want to do something about it. Albre steps out of Bella’s bedroom at the same time Stephanie is headed out to grab dinner.

“How is she doing?” Stephanie asked.

“I got her to eat some bread this afternoon.” Albre said. “We have been studying. Now she is hangry (hungry/angry) so I’m going to get some burgers and fries.”

“Me to,” Said Stephanie. “I’ll walk with you.”

They chatted about the fun night before. Then parted ways when they got back to the dorm room that had two separate bedrooms with a shared lounge area. Albre was a nice girl with a small frame and short blonde hair. She had been dating  Bella for a year so knew how to deal with her hangovers.

Stephanie went back to studying as she ate. She must have been more tired than she thought. The next thing she knew her eight in the morning alarm was going off for her to get ready for class. She had it set extra early so she could get to class a few minutes before Axel to ask to paint him. She was nervous about it.

Stephanie was leaning on the wall by the class door when Axel got there. He looked blandly at her as she smiled.

“Can I ask you something?” She bit her lower lip unknowing of the effect it had on him.

He nodded yes and stepped away from the door. He leaned on the wall on her other side.

Stephanie turned to him, “Can I draw you? For our Art Project I mean.”

He sucked in a breath before answer, “Yeah, can I draw you?”

“What like one of your French girls?” Stephanie giggled.

Axel kept his face placid. “Yeah, if you want me to draw you naked that’s cool.”

Stephanie turned beat red, “How about just a regular portrait. I didn’t know if you would get the titanic reference.”

“I got it Stephanie,” He paused studying her for what seemed like to her a long time. “I’m done with classes at four this afternoon. Can I just come by your dorm?”

“Yeah, 121 Sethers tower.” She tried to breath normally, but she could hear her own breath and his since he was so close.

“Cool,” Axel cracked his neck as he turned to open the classroom door. Then he waited for Stephanie to go inside first before shutting it behind them. Even though class hadn’t started yet it seemed everyone looked at them when they came in. Stephanie scampered to the front of the class. Axel sat in the back as he always did.

Axel sat on the couch as Stephanie attempted to capture his soul on her paper. She had offered him a drink when he entered her dorm room. He held up a beer he had brought with him. He took a swig before setting it on the table. He had been very quiet for the last three or four minutes. So had Stephanie. He looked so intense just sitting there but she didn’t know how to break the silence. Bella had classes scheduled later in the day, so they were alone.

Axel clear his throat. “So, you a virgin?”

“No,” She barely glances at him trying to get some lines and shading how she wants them. He is making it very difficult to focus.

“How long have you been with your boyfriend.” His expression hasn’t changed since he walked in the room. But he is trying to gage if he can get with her any time soon. “Do you have good sex regularly?”

Stephanie throws the art tablet on the table almost knocking Axel’s beer over on it, but he grabs his beer and finishes it. “

“I had sex with my high school boyfriend,” Stephanie spit. “We had sex I guess you could say often but I still always finished myself off. Is that what you wanted to know?”

“So, he didn’t go down on you or help you cum in anyway?” Axel just kept his voice casual as he moved closer to her.

His hands brushed over her tense outer thighs making her gasp. “No,”

“No one has every made you cum even by sucking your clit until they can lick up all your juices,” Axel closes his eyes. “mmm...” He opens his eyes sliding his hand over her jeans where her slit lays close underneath. “Your ex-boyfriends sounds-like a real prick.”

She feels dampness between her legs. “Axel.”

“What Stephanie?” His phone buzzes. The doorknob turns. Axel gets up as he answers his phone. “What’s up?”

Bella comes in seeing them. “Oh, I didn’t realize you had company Steph. Put the do not disturb sign I put over on my door on the main door next time. I mean since you’re obviously not going to listen to my advice.”

Axel smirks at her as he listens to who called him.

Stephanie grabs the drawing she was working on to show to Bella, “I was just drawing him for a school project.”

“Ok,” She said but threw eye daggers at Axel.

“I’ll be there shortly Derick.” Axel said to the person on the phone. “I fucking lost track of time working on a project with a friend.” He hangs up. “Did I give you enough to finish Stephanie?”

“Um…” Stephanie wasn’t sure how to answer with the phasing of his question. And she was more than a little flustered.

“Can you finish the drawing I mean,” Axel said.

“Yes, you were great Axel.” Stephanie smiled.

He chuckled, “You haven’t experienced me being great yet.” Axel headed out the door. Bella rolled her eyes.

“Wait what about you drawing me?” Stephanie stood in the doorway. Axel only a few steps away.

“I have you right up here” Axel points to his forehead.  He turns to walk away with a big grin on his face knowing he made the impression he wanted.

Stephanie watches him. Bella shakes her head a few steps behind Stephanie. 

#au #axel cluney #bill skarsgård smut #bill skarsgard #college life #university life #rock life #fantasy #fiction #smut #rocker axel

[my-creative-hell]

Sick (Normal au)

Waking up slowly, Grave frowns and hums in concern as she notices Scarlet beside her. Though that wasn’t what was concerning, they had gone to sleep in the same bed. But Scarlet, someone Grave knew to always be cold, was now very warm, her skin pallid as she sleeps beside Grave.

Glowing in worry, Grave moves in the bed, shaking Scarlet gently in an attempt to wake her up, though Scarlet doesn’t stir, body heavy and limp in a deep sleep.

Feeling more worry flood through her, Grave shakes Scarlet more, starting to panic as Scarlet stirs slightly, a hushed whine escaping her, sounding groggy and disorientated.

Buzzing quietly, Grave continues to shake Scarlet gently, wanting to be able to help her as Scarlet seems to stir, weakly lifting one of her arms to cover her eyes, the world scorching itself into her sensitive retinas.

Opening her mouth, Grave quickly shuts it again as she realises she doesn’t know what to say to eased the situation, her worry making it impossible to form a coherent thought as Scarlet groans, trembling slightly.

Frowning, Grave kisses Scarlet gently, in hopes of healing whatever’s wrong. But Scarlet groans again, moving slightly as she shakes, her skin still pale and covered in a thin sheen of sweat.

Feeling confused, Grave gives her another kiss, glowing more as Scarlet coughs quietly, her eyes forcing themselves open sluggishly to look at Grave.

“But??? Why?” Grave questions softly, kissing Scarlet repeatedly in hoped something will work, not wanting her to be in pain any more. But Scarlet scrunches her face, whining in confusion as she stirs more, feeling groggy.

Frowning more, Grave thinks as she curls herself into a ball, feeling scared as Scarlet reaches for her weakly. She attempts to sit up, but her body seems too tired to even do that, leaving Scarlet to sink back down to the bed.

Grave pulls Scarlet into a hug, holding her gently as she shakes, feeling Scarlet lean into her as she struggles to keep herself awake, feeling groggy and disoriented.

Trying to comfort her, Grave strokes her hair softly, hearing Scarlet hum as she dozes slightly, her body not wanting to deal with the illness as Grave presses a gentle kiss to her forehead, some small tears forming in her eyes.

Interrupting them slightly, someone knocks quietly on the door to the room, forcing Grave to get up from the bed to answer it.

“Hello?” She questions, her voice quiet as she pulls the door open slightly, enough to see Lola standing outside of it.

“Oh good I am at the right place.” She comments, tapping her foot against the floor impatiently. Deciding against letting her in, Grave immediately closes the door in Lola’s face.

“Don’t you think that was a little rude?” Lola questions, scoffing softly as she continues to knock on the door.

“That’s a compliment compared to the way you treat me, dickhead.” Grave insults her in return, keeping the door closed.

“Look I’m not here to play catfight with you, alright?” Sighing, Lola lowers her voice as she speaks again.

“Mhm, s u r e you aren’t, Lola.” Grave responds, sounding sarcastic as she snorts in dull amusement.

“I’m really not. I heard Scarlet got sick.” Lola explains, her voice turning serious as she speaks now, making Grave hesitate.

“Come in.” She gives in, opening the door for Lola, despite not liking that she has to let her inside.

“Thank you.” Lola moves inside the room to sit beside Scarlet on the bed. “When did this happen?” She questions, looking to Grave for an answer.

“Today…” Grave explains, sitting down on the floor as she closes the door behind them, feeling more worried by the second.

Frowning, Lola moves to check Scarlet’s temperature, who has already fallen back asleep on the bed as Grave watches, curling into a ball as she fiddles with her fingers, unsure of what she could say.

“Well, the good news is it can be fixed.” Lola explains, sighing as she stands up from the bed.

“Really?” Lifting her head to look at Lola, Grave feels some excitement build at the idea that Scarlet can be helped, a tiny smile spreading on her face.

“Yup. Just gotta get some shit and find the dick who did this.” Lola explains, moving away from the bed.

“Yaaay.” Grave smiles, but its less happy as anger rises within her, making her glow in response.

“Pretty much. Coming with to catch em?” Lola questions, huffing quietly as she looks down at Scarlet.

“Of course, the fuck type of question is that?” Grave asks, standing up from the floor quickly.

“Just askin. Scarlet should be fine for a while so we can get it done and over with.” Lola explains, leading Grave outside with her.

“Gonna fight some assholes!” Grave exclaims softly, a small smile on her face as she follows Lola.

“Kill em maybe, depends on how much they annoy me.” Lola explains. “My cars outside.” She continues.

“Oh… we’re taking a car… c o o l.” Grave looks at Lola in confusion before noticing the car parked outside.

“Quicker than walking, and I’m sure you can agree we want to get this sorted as quick as we can.” Lola explains, unlocking the car for them both.

“I wasn’t talking about walking either, but this is cool too.” Grave explains, playing with her hands as she gets inside the car.

“Either way, we don’t wanna be too noticeable. The dudes who did this don’t play nice.” Lola explains, getting inside the car and placing the keys in the ignition.

“Oh really? I never knew.” Grave’s voice is dripping with sarcasm as she curls into herself.

“Look, I know you’re stressed and all but you don’t gotta lash out at me. I’m stressed too.” Lola counters, staring the car as Grave sighs, nodding

“Alright, sorry.” She apologises, half meaning it as Lola huffs quietly, starting to drive away.

“I know we don’t get along but I’ve been trying to lay off recently.” Lola explains, able to see Grave rocking gently in the corner of her eyes.

“T-That’s good…” Grave comments, her feet tapping carefully against the floor as Lola looks at her for a moment.

“Well it just makes sense given the… situation.” She explains, driving down the road quietly.

“Yeah… it sucks ass!” Grave explains, glowing in both good and bad energy as she watches the world go past them.

“Well yeah, there’s this… and you also are kind of dating my family.” Lola explains quietly, focusing her eyes on the road.

“Cuz we h o m e o f s e x u a l s.” Grave explains, feeling confused by Lola’s words, but not willing to question her on it.

“She really didn’t tell you anything, did she?” Lola questions, frowning as she looks to Grave.

“Nah… its fine though.” Grave explains, shaking her head as she looks out of the window, away from Lola.

“Well there’s some things you should know, and I can only assume Scarlet kept them from you for fear of being left.” Lola explains, sighing quietly as she focuses back onto the road.

“O-Okay…” Grave comments, biting on the string of her hoodie nervously, fiddling with her hands.

“Its only her being paranoid since she likes you so much…” Lola continues, huffing quietly. “Well I guess you should at least know my relationship with her.”

“I… sure, why not.” Grave agrees, trying to smile as Lola sighs, focusing on driving to their destination.

“I’m Scarlet’s sister. Twin sister, to be more precise about it.” She explains, sounding calm.

“T-That’s cool…” Grave comments, nodding as she prevents herself from asking questions, fearing being yelled at.

“I know it’s probably a lot to process, feel free to ask things.” Lola explains, flicking her eyes to glance at Grave quickly.

“A-Are you sure? I don’t wanna ask to many and bother you…” Grave argues softly, feeling confused.

“Nah, I don’t mind. We normally get questions so it’s not new.” Lola explains, snorting indifferently.

“That’s not related at all…” Grave argues, frowning as she shakes her head, thinking it through.

“Look, it wont bug me so go for it.” Lola continues, a small smile on her face as she looks to Grave.

“Why were you so mean to me most of the time? A-And why arte you even being nice to me?” Grave questions, frowning.

“…It’s a defence mechanism. Me and Scarlet… don’t have the safest life.” Lola begins, frowning as she stares out the windshield. “I don’t wanna bring people into it. If I’m a bitch, no one will ever like me. I’ll never make friends; never have anyone close enough to get hurt. But now… Scarlet’s in danger and… I don’t know what to do.” She admits, sighing softly.

“Oh…” Grave trails off, fiddling with her hands. “I-I’m sorry for asking.” She apologises.

“Its fine.” Lola reassures her, a small smile on her face. “It doesn’t really matter.” She continues.

“It does though!” Grave exclaims, frowning as she shakes her head in concern, watching as Lola sighs.

“Grave, look, once this is over I can go back to being hated and you can go back to hating me. It’s a win win.” Lola explains.

“Do you want that?” Grave questions, frowning more as she wraps herself into a ball, watching Lola shrug.

“Want or not, it doesn’t matter. Its what I know. Our mother hated us and left, and father is busy most of the time. Am I just supposed to let people get close?” Lola vents quietly.

“You could try it…” Grave explains, trying to smile as she thinks, glowing softly as Lola frowns.

“And if they get hurt? Then it’s my fault.” Lola frets, turning to look at Grave, slowing the car more.

“Nope! Its not your fault unless you hurt them yourself.” Grave explains, tapping her feet against the floor as Lola stops the car.

“Won’t I mess it up? I’m not good at this shit…” Lola continues, Grave seeing a genuinely distressed expression on her face for the first time in knowing her.

“I could help you!” Grave exclaims, holding herself back from holding Lola’s hand, unsure if she would want that.

“Why help me? Haven’t I kinda fucked this up already?” Lola questions, a sad smile on her face.

“W-We could always… try again? Only if you want to tho.” Grave offers, frowning as she looks away from Lola.

“I-I wouldn’t hate it…” Lola admits, looking at Grave slightly as she processes her words.

“Good!!! You wanna start now?” Grave questions, smiling sweetly at Lola as she parks the car,

“Lets start with getting the fix for Scarlet.” Lola explains, flashing Grave a genuine smile.

“Yeah, the sooner the better.” Agreeing, Grave clips outside of the car, glowing softly as Lola follows her, locking the car behind them. Stretching silently, Lola pulls out a gun from a hidden pocket in her clothes.

“Oh, shooty shooty.” Grave comments, wiggling as she looks at the building in front of them.

“Yup. I’m gonna shoot at the fuckers while you grab the antidote to the poison they managed to slip Scarlet.” Lola explains, smiling.

“I thought we were gonna yoink the antidote and then blow the whole place up but that’s easier.” Grave smiles in amusement as Lola points to a door in the building.

“The antidote is in the locked office pas that door in a safe, though I doubt that’ll be an issue for you.” Lola explains the route quickly.

“Good!!” Ceasing her glowing, Grave cuts the conversation short, running to the door as Lola snorts, firing a bullet upwards to gain the attention of the people inside.

“Its… an office. Totally unexpected.” Grave speaks sarcastically as she clips through the door, looking around the office as she notices a safe in the corner, faint sounds of shooting coming from outside.

Moving over to the safe, Grave quickly clips her hand inside, a loud shot sounding off outside before things go quiet.

Feeling worried, Grave quickly grabs the cylinder inside of the safe, clipping outside to see what is happening. As she gets outside, she can see bodies of some men strewn about, riddled with holes, though one seems to be holding a shotgun.

Frowning in concern, Grave hides the vial quickly, ceasing her glow as she looks around, seeing Lola’s feet from behind the car.

Deciding quickly, Grave runs over to the car, revealing Lola lying near it, turned away from Grave.

Moving to her, Grave shakes her gently, a worried frown on her face as Lola remains unconscious, the wound in her abdomen bleeding profusely.

“Oh yeah, that’s kinda really fucking bad.” Grave frets, glowing in concern as she notices Lola’s pale skin from all the lost blood.

Not hesitating, Grave presses a gentle healing kiss to the wound, hoping to help at least a little, watching in relief as the wound closes itself up, some life returning to Lola’s skin.

“Fuck yeah!” Smiling softly in relief, Grave keeps herself quiet as Lola shifts slightly, not yet waking up as a small frown appears on Grave’s face, gone as soon as it appeared.

“That’s fine, that’s great.” Reassuring herself, Grave opens the car door as Lola stirs slightly, seeming very groggy and disorientated. Unsure of whether to wait for Lola to wake up or just move now, Grave watches as Lola opens her eyes slightly.

“Uh… hi.” Grave waves quietly as Lola groans, feeling out of it as she struggles to focus.

“Grave?…” She questions, voice hushed and unsure as Grave nods in response, wanting to calm her.

“Yeah, you passed out. It wasn’t good.” Grave explains, trying to reassure Lola calmly.

“Did you get it?” Lola questions, whining as she attempts to sit herself up on the floor.

“You mean this? I dunno, maybe.” Grave pulls out the vial, holding it up for Lola to see and confirm.

“Then it’s worth it. That’ll help Scarlet.” Lola relaxes at the sight of the vial, nodding to confirm it is the correct one.

“Good! Do you think you can stand up or do you want me to carry you?” Grave questions, smiling gently.

“I think the second I try and get up I’m gonna pass out again.” Lola admits, a soft sigh escaping her.

“I’ll carry you then!” Grave exclaims, carefully picking Lola up, watching her close her eyes as she relaxes into her.

“I would ask you if we should just n y o o m back but… car.” Grave explains, putting Lola in the seat gently before getting in beside her.

“Can you drive?” Lola questions. “I’m still n the verge of passing out again.” She explains quietly.

“I can drive very well!!!” Grave reassures her, nodding as a soft glow spreads over her.

“Good…” Smiling, Lola leans into her seat in the car comfortably as Grave starts it up.

“Ssseatbelt…” Grave remembers, doing Lola’s for her as she starts to drive, speeding a reasonable amount as Lola struggles to stay awake in her seat.

Grave increases the speed slightly, but not too much for fear of hurting Lola, who is half asleep as she shifts in her seat to get comfortable. Giving up on being reasonable, Grave speeds faster, too worried about Scarlet’s health. Lola winces as the car moves quicker, but she soon relaxes back into the seat, dozing quietly.

“Sorry, Lola…” Apologising, Grave frowns softly, keeping her voice quiet as Lola hums in response, calming as she slips in and out of consciousness.

“We h e r e!” Grave exclaims, pulling up in front of the house and clipping outside of the car excitedly, Lola stirring slightly, though her movements seem sluggish.

Thinking, Grave carefully picks Lola up out of the car, carrying her inside as Lola curls into herself, eyes opening slightly to watch Grave.

“Hi…” Smiling softly, Grave glows as Lola wakes up more, a small smile of her own gracing her face.

“Hey…” She answers quietly, still sounding slightly groggy as she speaks, voice low and tired.

“I’m gonna give Scarlet the antidote, you still want me to carry you?” Grave questions, giggling softly.

“You can leave me down here, Scarlet’s the priority.” Lola explains, smiling up at Grave as she speaks.

“O-Okay…” Grave agrees, placing Lola down carefully as she moves upstairs to Scarlet, feeling nervous as she glows.

Opening Scarlet’s room, Grave can see that she is still asleep in her bed, her skin pale and sickly as she trembles.

“She’s gonna be fine soon, its okay.” Grave reassures herself, keeping quiet as she administers the vial of antidote to Scarlet, watching some colour return to her face as she relaxes into the bed.

Grave glows happily, wanting to give Scarlet kisses as she waits for her to wake up, Scarlet shifting slightly in the bed as she stirs from sleep.

Squeaking happily, Grave’s feet tap against the floor as Scarlet scrunches her face up, her eyes opening a tiny bit as she starts to wake up more.

Grave opts to sit beside Scarlet on the bed, giving her space as she smiles, fiddling with her hands as Scarlet opens her eyes more to look around, feeling groggy and weak.

“H-Hi…” Waving, Grave gently pokes Scarlet’s nose in greeting as she hushes her voice, watching Scarlet smile.

“Hiya…” She responds quietly, leaning into the gentle touch as Grave pulls her into a hug, littering her face with love filled kisses.

“Are you okay?” Scarlet questions happily, a light giggle coming from her at the affection, giving Grave a gentle kiss of her own.

“Of course I am! A-Are you okay?” Grave squeaks as she returns the question, giving Scarlet a gentle kiss.

“I’m still tired and weak, but I think I’ll be okay…” Scarlet explains, smiling tiredly as she leans into Grave.

“Good! I like it when you’re okay.” Grave explains, smiling as she presses a soft kiss to Scarlet’s forehead, hearing her hum as she closes her eyes, hiding in Grave comfortably.

“I love you…” Grave comments, holding Scarlet in her arms, glowing softly in happiness as she speaks.

“I love you too…” Scarlet returns the sentiment quietly, nuzzling into Grave’s warm body as she grows sleepy.

“Wanna pretend all this never happened and we just hung out all day?” Grave offers, feeling Scarlet nod as she pulls her in to cuddle.

Returning the cuddle, Grave presses one more gentle kiss to Scarlet’s forehead as she falls asleep in her arms, following behind swiftly.

#writing #My writing #original writing #writing with friends #not my oc #others ocs #original story #original characters #tw injury #tw blood #tw gunshout wound #tw gunshot #sleepisafuckinglie #House of Hell

[minyoongijjangjjangmanboongboong]

Ephemera Chapter Fourteen

Ephemera: In art, transitory written and printed matter (receipts, notes, tickets, clippings, etc.) not originally intended to be kept or preserved.

Alternatively, things that exist or are used for only a short time.

Description: Nobody knows who Vante really is. Everything about the popular artist is shrouded in secrecy: from his face to his name to everything in between. After years of working for his art gallery, Y/N feels she may just be the closest thing he has to a friend. Between her success at work and her relationship with campus hot-shot Jeon Jungkook, Y/N’s life has never been better. But is Jungkook truly who he says he is? And who will Y/N protect now that she knows Vante’s livelihood may be on the line?

Genre: Romance, Drama, Fluff, Angst

Pairing: Jungkook x (f) Reader x Taehyung

Word Count: 6.5k

Tags: Non-Idol!Au, Gang!Au, Art History Student!Reader, Film Student!Jungkook, Art Student!Taehyung

Warnings: Swearing and mentions of alcohol, although infrequently

A/N: Hello you guys! I still can’t believe I’m going to see BTS in a few months, whew. If you guys will be at the Rose Bowl concert on May 4th, please let me know! I’d love to meet you guys. I hope you like this chapter! We’re slowly moving towards some resolution, but we’ve still got quite a lot of story left so don’t worry! Anyway, please don’t be shy and send feedback, critique, questions, theories, and comments my way. I’ll be sure to respond to all asks I receive within a day of receiving them! Links will be added later, so for now check my masterlist to find previous chapters!

And again, if you want to follow my Twitter, my username is @/plzpunchmebts. I’m super active over there and hopefully in the future I’ll do some livestreams/chats with you all! And concert videos!!

- Mercury

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Jin squared his eyes with mine, cocking a single brow as he scanned me. It was clear from the set of his jaw that he wasn’t convinced, and when he crossed his arms and leaned back a half-step I knew I’d have more convincing to do. Jungkook simply stared slack-jawed, looking not quite at me but through me at something else, and the only tell that he was even breathing was the arhythmic rise and fall of his chest.

I sighed, leaning over my lap to untie my ankles and rubbed those too. “Did you hear me?” I asked, meeting Seokjin’s eyes as I bent at the waist.

He cleared his throat and nodded. “Heard it,” he said, then cocked his head to the side. “Didn’t believe it though.”

With a nod, I pushed myself to my unsteady feet, using the back of the chair to keep me stable and upright. “I get it,” I said, eyeing him. “Since I’m friends with Taehyung.”

Seokjin shrugged. “Well, yeah,” he said.

I glanced at Yoongi, still focused on his laptop, and realized twice over that he really wasn’t concerned about Seokjin. Whether this was due to Jin’s obvious naivety or his usually gentle temperament, I wasn’t sure. But I knew that the immediate danger wasn’t in front of me.

And that meant that, after all, I could become the danger if I wanted.

I coughed a little, rubbing my sore cheek. “He screwed me over.”

“How?” asked Seokjin.

Jungkook, scanning me, stepped forward. “At the charity event,” he offered, eyeing me like he was uncertain about whether or not to proceed. I simply nodded. “He used her to get to me.”

“And you used her to get to him, so what’s the point?” Seokjin asked with a scowl. “Listen, sweetie, if you’re gonna go after every person who’s used you you’re gonna have a long list. Even just people in this building.”

I shook my head. “It’s different,” I said, letting just a fraction of my real hurt leak into my voice, threading through my words like veins. “Because he was the one who wasn’t supposed to betray me.” I lifted my eyes severely, meeting Jin’s and not so much as blinking as he thought.

I set my jaw, clenched my lips shut, and watched him, crossing my arms and trying to impart every ounce of sincerity I had into my gaze alone. Seokjin’s furrowed brows relaxed by fractions as the seconds ticked on in silence. Jungkook, standing beside him, wouldn’t look away from me. I wasn’t yet sure what I’d do about him. Recruiting him was likely out of the question for many reasons, but did I have to deceive him?

Could I not try to rely on him just a little?

I swallowed hard. Of course not. He’d lied to me from the beginning, and only when he’d been caught did he begin begging for a chance to explain himself. Seeing him now, despite knowing all this, my heart felt like something was squeezing it from the inside. And that alone was enough to convince me not to tell him the truth. Not for now, at least.

At least…that’s what I told myself.

Seokjin finally yielded with a sigh and let his head dangle a little, rubbing the back of his neck. “Alright,” he said.

Jungkook’s back went stiff and he looked towards his roommate. “Wait, really?” he asked.

Seokjin nodded with a shrug and held out his hand to me. “If I find out you’re double-crossing me, I’ll kill you,” he said, without even a microscopic change in his expression.

A chill crept up my spine because I knew he meant it. It wasn’t worth it. Not really. Nara was smart and could easily get a better job on her own. Not to mention she was working on her major anyway. Only a few more years of shitty work until she could find herself some gainful employment. It was a massive risk to sabotage a gang leader’s master plan, and the reward was comparatively small. I loved Nara with my whole heart, but not to the point of foolishness.

Still, I reached out my hand and clenched Seokjin’s, shaking it twice.

Because I’d realized something as he’d evaluated me like a specimen under a microscope. Maybe I’d realized it a long time ago, when I’d first discovered his involvement at the boys’ apartment.

I wasn’t just doing this for Nara. Not really, anyway. Perhaps it had never really been about her at all.

Looking into his calculating, dark eyes, my head aching with each heartbeat from where it had struck the wall, I felt the inescapable urge to ruin him.

Jungkook spun me around by the crook of my elbow and I turned to face him. It had been about an hour since Seokjin had beckoned me toward the front of the warehouse and down some stairs into a quiet basement, lavishly furnished despite the ground floor’s relative squalor. We’d discussed the particulars of my involvement and — perhaps luckily for me — because of the nature of the business, no contracts were required on either end. Just a handshake and a threat.

But rage had been wakening in me for a while now, and I’d finally given the flames the air they needed to breathe and grow.

Jungkook and I now faced each other with equally wide eyes in the dark night, my body sore and my eyes dry from the lack of sleep. I was sure I looked a mess, and the vain part of me longed to adjust my appearance, splash some water on my dirty face, clean the crusted blood off my knees. But Jungkook and I were past that now, weren’t we? Past the formalities of ego and image.

He sighed and scanned me. “You going to the station like that?” he asked, like he’d read my mind.

I swallowed hard and shrugged. “I guess,” I said, glancing down at my phone, which Seokjin had so graciously returned to me during our tense meeting, and sighed at the time. “Might have to call a taxi instead.”

Jungkook sighed and, without a word, simply let his hand slip into mine and led the way down the unkempt street toward his car, parked by the curb. “Jungkook, I can get home myself-,”

“I know,” he said, eyeing me over his shoulder. “But I’m feeling crazy right now, so I’m not doing it for you.”

I felt flush, and not wanting to risk speaking again and revealing my lingering feelings, I simply sighed and shrugged as he opened the passenger door for me. I ducked inside the car and eased back against the car’s upholstery. So familiar. Even his car smelled like him. Sweet, slightly fruity. Shampoo?

He opened the door and started the engine right away, cranking the heat and turning all the vents toward me. He gripped the steering wheel with both hands, eyes forward. I noticed he was a little sallow, eyes dull and shoulders slumped with fatigue. I opened my mouth to ask if he’d been sleeping, but shut it just as quickly and glanced out the window to my side, sighing into the glass and fogging the cityscape like a vignette.

“I could kill him,” said Jungkook, knuckles bone-white.

I eyed him, but he wouldn’t look my way. “Huh?” I asked.

“Seokjin.”

I set my lips thin and glanced down at my lap, lacing and unlacing my fingers. “Don’t do that,” I said.

He clenched his jaw, his bone straining against the skin. My heart kicked up. “He shouldn’t have touched you.”

“Would you be saying that if it was anyone else?” I asked, but cursed myself for sounding so interested, so probing. I sighed and rubbed my chilly thighs. May as well push while I’m at it. “If it was another innocent person.”

“We don’t deal with innocent people,” he said, shaking his head.

I hummed. “You sure?”

“Why are you doing this?” he asked, like the tension had finally become to much and he’d snapped. He slid his dark eyes toward me and a chill ran through me. Not the bad kind, but the kind I didn’t hate all the way. I swallowed and averted my eyes. “You don’t approve of any of this. I know you didn’t have a change of heart.”

I shrugged. “Like I said, Taehyung hurt me. In a different way than you did,” I said, then sighed. “Maybe it’s worse because it’s him.”

“Why…?” asked Jungkook, voice softer now as he turned on the radio to play gently in the dark cab of the car.

“Because he’s been watching me for two years,” I said, leaning my head back on the headrest. “Because he knows better than anyone that playing me is the worst thing he could’ve done.”

“You’re really mad?”

I nodded.

“Mad enough to ruin his relationship with one of his best friends?”

I set my lips thin and said nothing, just crossed my arms and glanced back out the fogged window.

He sighed. “Listen…you don’t have to tell me,” he said, and at this my body stiffened a little and I eyed him sidelong. He was still looking right ahead like he couldn’t bring himself to look my way. “I don’t have any right to press you to be honest with me.”

I watched my laps, legs shaking. Probably a delayed reaction to the adrenaline, or maybe the chill that even the heaters couldn’t fix. “You’re right,” I said.

He nodded. “I’m not telling you to tell me the truth just…tell me if you’re lying or not,” he said, glancing at me with knit brows and straight lips. “Because I can’t get my hopes up right now.”

Disarmed, I stared at him with wide eyes and parted lips. “I…”

He sighed and looked back toward the road. “I’m trying to be okay with never seeing you again. With you hating me forever,” he said, then shook his head and gripped the steering wheel tighter. “But with you here…is it wrong for me to hope that maybe you’re here for me? That you really left that Taehyung guy behind?”

I inhaled sharply, my heart racing and my skin hot. Such a direct question: it left me breathless. “I…I mean, I…”

“No, right?” he asked with a sigh. “I was stupid, huh? You’d never betray that guy.”

“Jungkook-,” I said, reaching out to grab his forearm but stopping a few centimeters away from his skin.

He noticed, glancing down at my outstretched fingers before meeting my eyes with a sad smile. “Don’t worry. I’m not gonna tell Jin. Or anyone, for that matter.” He clenched his jaw and shook his head. “After what he did tonight, I can’t trust him as far as I can throw him.”

“Really?” I asked, timid.

He glanced at me and nodded. “He knows how much I care about you. And he knows you’ve done nothing wrong to get mixed up in all this. How can I trust someone like that?”

“Do you wanna get out?” I asked, turned toward him halfway, imploring him with my gaze.

It was stupid. So stupid it was almost painful. But I longed more than anything else to have him as my ally again, to have someone as my ally. Someone who I trusted enough to share delicate information with, someone I knew would watch out for me no matter what.

No…

Not just someone, I longed for him.

His skin tinged pink and he cleared his throat, avoiding my eyes and watching the road. “After tonight?” he said, rubbing his neck with his right hand. “Yeah.”

“You mean it?”

“Mhm.”

“Jungkook…,” I began, finally grabbing on to his forearm and holding it tightly, trying desperately to impart even a fraction of my need into my fingertips. He jumped like he’d been shocked by an electric jolt and stared at me with round eyes. “Can I trust you?”

“I…of course,” he said, slowly guiding the car off to the curb, idling on the side of the road as he parked and turned to me properly. There was a severity in his eyes that caught me off guard. “I know my word doesn’t mean much to you, but I mean it with my whole entire body. I won’t ever do anything to hurt you ever again.”

Again…

I scowled. What a stupid qualifier. “You already know I’m not here to trade secrets with Kim Seokjin.”

Jungkook nodded, scanning me. “Yeah. Of course.”

“So there’s no use lying,” I said, rubbing my forehead. “Namjoon offered Nara a job at his company in exchange for proof of who’s been attacking him. I don’t know what he’ll do once he gets it. Suing, retaliation…I really don’t know what he’s capable of, but…”

“For Nara’s sake…?” asked Jungkook with furrowed brows.

I nodded. “Y-Yeah,” I said, but cursed the uncertain waver in my voice.

He cocked his head to the side and pursed his lips. “I was gonna scold you about being too kind, but that reaction was weird.”

I stiffened and glanced away, toward the dashboard, and shrugged. “I dunno what you’re talking about.”

He smirked and leaned toward me, eyeing me. “Y/N, are you looking to get revenge?” he asked.

I flushed and shoved him away, crossing my arms. “Forget I said anything. Just take me home and don’t bother me at the warehouse.”

He laughed and raised his brows. “Really? My Y/N, trying to get even with a shady dirty business leader?”

I pulled my knees to my chest, pouting, and looked away. “Seriously, just drop it.”

He chuckled once more and peered at me with a knowing smile. “Huh,” he said, nodding once. “Seems there are still things I don’t know about you.”

“Of course there are,” I said, sighing. “We were only dating for a few months and it was fake.”

He cleared his throat. “Well…uh…Jin and Yoongi did some background digging on you, so…I know quite a bit, actually. Like, interests and stuff.”

I turned to him, cheeks flaring, and smacked his knee. “What? You guys collected data on me?”

He laughed, nodding. “Yeah! What’d you expect?”

I flushed and crossed my arms again, sulking in my seat as Jungkook eased the car back into the light flow of traffic. “Whatever.”

“I’ll help.”

I sat up straight and stared at him in profile. “What?” I asked, searching his features for any indication of insincerity.

I found only a gentle smile and eyes focused on the road. “Yeah,” he said with a shrug. “Tonight kinda helped me realize that this business isn’t for me. You’d think after everything else, I’d have realized it but…seeing you get hurt…I dunno, it crossed a line for me.”

“It did?”

“Yeah.”

I swallowed hard and stared at him. Wasn't it okay to trust him a little bit? Even though I knew it might bite me, even though I figured it was probably a mistake…wasn’t it okay? He seemed so genuine, smiling and tapping his fingers against the steering wheel, humming along to the pop song on the quiet radio.

“How’d you know to go to the warehouse?” I asked, settling back into my seat with a sigh.

He hummed. “Common sense.”

“So you knew he was keeping me hostage?”

Jungkook shook his head. “He told me today and tried to justify it, but right away I knew it wasn’t okay. I wanted to go to you immediately, but he held me back and we fought a little,” he said, pulling down the collar of his shirt to reveal a myriad of fresh bruises blooming on his skin from his neck down his chest. The closer I looked, the more I realized he was littered with bruises, even on his face. “After a while, he decided he needed to restrain me so he put me in the bathroom at the apartment.”

“He locked you up?!” I asked, shocked.

He laughed and nodded. “Yeah. I guess he was gonna try and use me as bait to extort you for information, and if I came blazing in he knew I’d ruin it.”

“So he locked you in the bathroom?” I shook my head and covered my lips with my fingers.

He smirked at me and shrugged. “After about an hour of trying to find another way out, I eventually just broke down the door,” he said, like it was nothing.

“Jungkook!” I shouted, gaping.

“What? I wasn’t just gonna leave you there!” he yelled back, but he was playful while I was horrified.

“Your landlord’s gonna kill you,” I mumbled, rubbing my jaw.

He smiled. “It was worth it.”

“Hm?”

He chuckled and I noticed that warm blush in his cheeks. “Because I’m here with you now.”

My heart leapt and my stomach dropped like I’d crested the top of a very big hill on a very fast rollercoaster. I swallowed hard and played with my hands, rubbing the palms together and twirling them over one another, trying to ignore the heat in my cheeks.

“It…it’s not wrong…,” I murmured, watching my hands as I smoothed the palms against my thighs, avoiding looking directly at Jungkook.

I saw him glance at me out of my peripheral. “Hm?” he asked.

“For you to hope a little,” I said, glancing up at him almost like a nervous kid. His eyes were wide, lips parted, irises flashing back and forth between my own. I chewed on my cheek and let my gaze drop once more to my lap. “It’s not wrong.”

A quiet enveloped us that I couldn’t quite describe. I couldn’t bring myself to say anything more, having thoroughly embarrassed myself and wiped out my burgeoning street credit in one fell swoop.

But eventually, I heard him release a few breathy chuckles and watched as he lifted his hand to rub the back of his neck, exhaling with a smile. His eyes darted around, not looking at one thing out the windshield too long, and his smile was unwavering, cute front teeth visible.

“Ah,” he said finally with a nod, not looking my way. “Alright then.”

“You’re going to what?!”

I shrugged and stirred my tea with the small spoon Mr. Kim had slid to me with the platter. “I’m gonna get evidence of Seokjin’s involvement and ruin his life.”

Nara sputtered a cough and widened her eyes at me. “Y-You-you can’t just, like, do that!” she said, emphatic as she waved her hands around.

I eyed her. Her complexion was brighter today, eyes clear and free of dark circles. “You’re sleeping better?” I asked.

She nodded. “Yeah, a little bit. For some reason, the boss stopped scheduling me for late shifts,” she said, spitting it out quickly like she was only saying it out of obligation to me. “Anyway, that’s not the point!” she groaned and gripped the bridge of her nose. Mr. Kim continued working without so much as a second glance our way. “The point is you shouldn’t be getting any more involved than you already are.”

“Regardless,” I said with a shrug. “There’s a benefit besides just personal vendetta.”

She opened one eye and peeked at me through her long lashes. “Hm?”

“How would you like to work for Ori Technologies?” I asked, seeing if she’d take the bait.

She hesitated for a moment, clenching and unclenching her jaw, and ran her fingers through her silver hair, the roots growing in black at the top. “I mean…in a perfect world, that’d be awesome.”

“And what if me doing this got you a job there?” I asked, lowering my voice so no eavesdroppers could catch my words.

She inhaled sharply and looked me dead in the eye. She scanned me, perhaps searching for something in my expression, but after a few moments she simply sighed and leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest with a scowl.

“I’d say thanks but no thanks,” she said, nodding her head. “I want it bad, but not at the expense of my best friend’s safety.”

I opened my mouth to rebut, but Mr. Kim leaned over the bar to stare at the two of us, severe eyes set squarely our way. “Gettin’ busy,” he remarked, eyeing the guests as they filed in.

Taking notice of my surroundings for the first time since I’d arrived at the coffee shop, I glanced around. Indeed, customers were filling up the quiet space rather quickly. Milling about in the courtyard admiring the perennial plants or taking up residence at one of the several mismatched tables, guests seemed to be everywhere.

“Any idea why?” I asked, peering over Nara’s head to get a good look at the rest of the shop, still just as packed as the front.

Mr. Kim nodded. “Seems someone endorsed us,” he said, taking a sly glance at me.

I stiffened, pointing to my chest. “Me?” I asked.

He shook his head. “That Taehyung kid,” he said. “Comes by a lot these days and just sits in the corner drawing on a tablet.”

My mouth felt dry. There was so much I was keeping from Taehyung, and yet he still came by this place? Why did I feel so guilty when he was the one who planted the initial seed of dishonesty between us? I crossed my arms and shrugged, watching the steam rise from my teacup.

“So they’re here to see Vante,” said Nara with a knowing nod. “Weird.”

“Well, I won’t turn away paying customers,” said Mr. Kim with a hearty laugh. “Just a bit understaffed.” He looked back at us like he was trying to send us a message with his eyes alone.

Message received.

I took a big sip of my tea and stood to my feet, wandering back around the bar to join Mr. Kim among the coffee machines. “Where are the aprons?” I asked, giving him a smile.

He returned it and jerked his head back towards the kitchen. “Grab one for Nara too,” he said, turning a frown towards his daughter who sat, puzzled, completely still.

Before I took my leave into the kitchen, Mr. Kim glanced back at me and smiled in that fatherly way that made me homesick. His eyes squinted a little, revealing deep crow’s feet, and there was a fondness there that never failed to catch me off guard.

“Looks like Y/N’s nunchi has improved,” he said with a chuckle before returning to the espresso he had brewing.

My back went rigid before a small smile overtook me and I rubbed the back of my neck, turning on my heel into the kitchen.

I guided a coffee cup onto the corner of one of the waiting tables, bowing my head as the patrons thanked me, before turning back toward the bar and gabbing yet another. Such was the rhythm of this sort of work. Back and forth like a tide or something. Every now and again when Mr. Kim would get swamped — usually during university exam season — Nara and I would help out around the shop. But it’d been quite a while since the two of us had worked this way, and with so many new customers needing attention we couldn’t so much as spare a moment to crack a joke or nudge each other with our elbows passing by.

I approached one of the outdoor tables and found an older couple sitting in the sunlight, chatting easily. My arm was aching from the weight of the tray, and I furrowed my brow when I paused to look at its contents. I hadn’t taken their order, likely Nara had while I was off doing something else, but as I looked down at my serving tray I noticed a vast array of food and drink. Puzzled, I walked closer and began unloading the tray one item at a time. A slice of persimmon cake, sautéed pine mushrooms, two chestnut cookies, a caramel latte, roasted sweet potatoes, two cups of green tea, and pumpkin porridge.

“Thank you,” said the woman with a motherly smile. Quickly, I bowed and turned to take my leave, but the woman called after me. “Wait!” she said, and I heard her metal chair scrape against the floor.

I turned around, anticipating a scolding. “Yes, Ma’am?”

“You’re that girl, aren’t you? Y/N?” she asked.

For the first time, I took a proper look at her and noticed to my shock that she was vaguely familiar. Alcohol had dulled my memory, but hearing her voice was enough to conjure an image. Her beside her husband, the two of them chuckling as they sat at a bar in an ornate ballroom.

I snapped my fingers, resting my tray on my hip, and nodded. “Ah! Mrs. Hayoon,” I said, grinning.

The man finally turned to face me and his eyes went wide. Again, the warm rush of familiarity gripped me and I gave him a bow. “Ah! That young girl from the gala!” he laughed, voice as booming as before, and rubbed his strong jaw. “My, isn’t this a surprise.”

I chuckled and rubbed my forearm. “Yes,” I said, a blush rising in my cheeks as I remembered that strange drunken encounter. “What brings you out here?”

“Our son gave this place high praise, so we figured we’d stop by,” said Hayoon with a soft smile.

I nodded. Perhaps he was a fan of Vante. “It’s a really nice shop,” I said with a grin and a thumbs-up.

Hayoon laughed and rested her chin in her hand. “It’s very good to see you again, Y/N,” she said.

It was strange. What would a rich couple like them think of me anyway? To be so happy to meet me again… I smiled. “Well, I’d better get back to serving…,” I began, hinting at an early exit from the conversation.

The man, Jaesun if I remembered correctly, waved his hand a few times with a huff, dismissing my concerns. “No, no. There’s lots for us to discuss anyway,” he said, then patted the extra seat between the couple twice. “Sit, sit!”

I stiffened and glanced over my shoulder at Nara running around like a woman possessed trying to tend to all of the guests. “Ah, we’re actually swamped. I don’t think I can-,”

“We’ll pay your hourly, so give us an hour,” said Jaesun with a laugh as Hayoon furrowed her brow at him, disapproving. The air of the courtyard was beginning to grow quiet, watching our exchange in the peaceful afternoon sun.

I chuckled. “Ah, no. I-I don’t work here or anything,” I said, waving my hand. “I’m just helping out.” I met eyes with a few onlooking patrons over my shoulder, trying to let them know through slight bows that everything was fine.

Jaesun hummed and rubbed his chin, pensive. Quickly, I returned my full attention to him and found him imploring me from below. “Well, when will you be finished?” he asked, eyeing me from his seat.

I glanced away. Those eyes were familiar in a way I couldn’t quite name. “I guess…whenever the rush is over?” I asked.

He laughed and nodded. “Well, how about we come back here tomorrow and we’ll treat you to some steak,” he said, adjusting the sleeves of his sweater as he took a sip of tea.

I shook my head. “Oh! No, Sir, that’s alright. I wouldn’t feel right letting you-,”

“Nonsense,” he said. “We wanted to get to know you anyway.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but Hayoon silenced me, grinning as she sipped her own tea, lashes dusting the high apples of her cheeks. Still, people watched us from about the courtyard. “We’ve been trying to find you since the gala.”

I stiffened. Why on earth would they do something like that? I cleared my throat. “Ah, well I’m really flattered, but I don’t think I can accept. I don’t want to take advantage-,”

“If someone’s offering something to you, then they mean it,” said Jaesun with a curt cough, nodding his head once. Hayoon covered a chuckle with her teacup. “No need to turn people down when they wanna do something for you.”

I swallowed hard. How did these people not see this was strange? A foggy memory resurfaced of the two of them comparing me to someone. Hwayoung? Could that perhaps be a daughter of theirs? I scanned them, idling just beside their table, and tried to discern anything from their faces alone. Weathered and greying, the two looked like any other middle-aged couple in Korea. They didn’t seem the type to be overtly generous this way, but they also didn’t seem the type to seek a surrogate daughter while their’s was missing.

“Y/N! I need your help in here!” called Nara, practically begging, from inside the shop.

I clamped my mouth shut and looked back toward the couple. “Um…I guess I’ll meet you here tomorrow then,” I said, feeling not only Nara’s eyes but the eyes of numerous patrons boring into my back with every second I wasted in indecision.

I was curious anyway.

Hayoon smiled and gave my hand a pat from her seat. “Good, good,” she said, urging me back to work with the flick of her wrist. “We’ll wait right here.”

I nodded and bowed, turning on my heel and rushing back toward where Nara stood in the doorway.

“Wanna stay over with me tonight?” asked Nara as the two of us wandered toward the sidewalk outside Nunchi, sunset ushering us into the empty street. She eyed me from the side, crossing her arms. “Someone in my family ought to repay you for your help today anyway.”

I chuckled. “I’m fine, Nara. Don’t worry,” I said, then sighed. “I won’t do anything reckless on my own.”

“Hard to believe,” she said. She kicked the sidewalk with the tip of her Doc Martens boot and sighed. “You’re doing all sorts of things lately. Feels like you’re getting kinda far away.”

I stiffened, turning to her. “Huh?” I asked.

She sighed and shook her head, turning to me with a smile. “Forget it. I’m just worried about you.”

I felt my expression go sour, worry running through me. Was I being a negligent friend? Pushing Nara away? I wrung my hands and panicked, unplaced guilt running through me.

She laughed and gave my shoulder a light shove. “Forget it, alright? It’s nothing,” she said.

I lifted my eyes and grabbed her hand tightly in mine. “I’ll stay over with you,” I said with a severe nod.

She laughed, trying to free her hand from my grip, and leaned away from me. “God, don’t be so serious!” she shouted, wiggling her arm.

I shook my head. “Let’s go.” I led her by the unwilling hand toward the subway station.

Nara and I sat beside one another on the couch, Hyun perched between us with his head propped on one paw. I leaned into the cushions with a yawn, Train to Busan playing gently on the TV. Nara hadn’t said much, and I remembered that night I’d come over after the gala. How she’d simply let me sit in my silence.

This time, however, I felt stronger.

And for her sake, I was the one who broke the comfortable quiet. “You have more to say, don’t you?” I asked, snuggling into my blanket. “Our conversation got cut off back at Nunchi.”

She glanced at me before shoving her hand into the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table. The living room was entirely dark save for the glow of the television, but even in the low light I could see the trouble in her eyes.

“I don’t like the idea of you putting yourself in danger for me,” she said, then sighed. “Even though I know it’s not just for me. It…just feels kinda bad knowing I’m part of the reason.”

I nodded. “I understand,” I said, then sighed and remembered the swelling hope in Jungkook’s eyes. Frustrated by the thought, I shook my head and ran my fingers through Hyun’s fur. “But…after everything that’s happened…I guess maybe I’m sick of watching people get away with bad things.”

Nara stilled beside me, popcorn half-chewed in her mouth. “That’s kind of out of character…”

“I know,” I said.

Nara was quiet for a beat too long and I looked at her, desperate for some sort of consolation. Instead, she gave me a glance before quickly looking away. “I’m just…not so used to this side of you.”

“Do you dislike it?” I asked quietly, almost timid.

She shook her head. “Just new.”

Was she right? Was I going too far for something that didn’t even matter that much? In the grand scheme of things, getting myself further involved with all of this was likely a mistake. I’d probably regret it. But…something in my gut told me I had to do it. Because, in the end, I might regret not doing it more.

If man makes himself a worm he must not complain when he is trodden on.

The old quote returned to me in a surge of memory and I inhaled sharply. Taehyung had said that. He’d said that, he’d given me the necklace, given me strength. He’d seen this something in me before I had.

But was this something worth compromising my oldest and deepest friendship?

I glanced at Nara, troubled, and a storm brewed in my chest. How long had I been living this way? Terrified of being left behind, being forgotten? So fearful to take a single step out of line that instead of moving at all I stayed still? How long had I allowed my fear of people abandoning me to make me abandon myself?

Nara was a dear friend. Dearer than any other.

But in the end, the one I had to face when I looked in the mirror was me. And the only person I knew I’d always have was myself.

So the only person I had to answer to was me.

“I’m sorry,” I said, twirling a tuft of Hyun’s white hair into a spiral between my fingertips.

She sighed. “Remember when we were kids and Hyuna convinced everyone to leave their classroom duties to you? How you just…did it?”

The memory struck a discordant note with me and, with a scowl, I buried my chin in the plush blankets. “Mhm.”

“You’re different now,” she said with a small nod. “I don’t think you’d do it now.”

I watched the TV without really watching, just listening to the rhythm of my own heartbeat as the two of us sat side-by-side. “You still don’t approve.”

She sighed. “No,” she said, then eyed me. “But I get the feeling that that won’t stop you.”

I met her eyes. A charge of energy passed between us, like we finally understood one another after a long time of silence. I nodded. “Probably not.”

Finally, she cracked a smile, easing back against the couch with a chuckle and a knowing nod. She returned her attention to the movie. “That’s what makes you different now.”

It was one in the morning when I got a frantic phone call. Drowsy after having fallen asleep leaning against Hyun’s pillowy side, I strained at the sound of my cell buzzing on the floor beside one of Nara’s mismatched socks. As far as I remembered, I’d fallen asleep first but with the TV still playing, I saw Nara was now passed out, snoring slightly as a little bit of drool dried on her cheek. She groaned a little as I moved away from her side, her head lolling back against the couch cushion, her laptop still open on the coffee table. When had she brought that thing out to the living room?

Groaning, I leaned down and grabbed the phone, pressing it to my ear without so much as opening my eyes properly for fear of the TV light burning my sensitive retinas. “Hello?” I mumbled.

“Y/N!”

My face scrunched up and I rolled back onto the couch, resting my head on Hyun’s back once more. “Jungkook?” I asked. There was no mistaking his voice, the honey-sweet but somehow mischievous tone. I hummed a little, still half-asleep, and pressed the phone closer to my ear. “It’s nice to hear your voice.”

“I…,” he began, then cleared his throat. “Y/N, are you playing around with me?”

I stiffened, my senses slowly returning, and sat upright. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and shook my head. “What? What do you mean by that?”

He sighed, clearly frustrated, and took a moment before speaking. “Are you saying that because you genuinely don’t know or because you’re playing dumb?”

“If I was playing dumb why would I tell you?” I asked, then shook my head. “Anyway, no. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He was quiet. “Really?” he asked, voice softer now, gentler.

“Really,” I repeated, feeling my cheeks flush at the tenderness that had taken over the empty space between us.

He exhaled slowly. “It must be a misunderstanding then,” he said. “Sorry about it. I didn’t mean to wake you up or anything.”

“What’s a misunderstanding?”

“Huh? Oh…well, just…there’s this article that came out, like, an hour ago and-,”

“Article?” I asked, shaking my head. I fell onto the floor and crossed my legs, tapping the space bar on Nara’s computer. “What article?”

“Uh…just talking about this ‘mystery girl’ and Vante,” he said, then scoffed. “The state of journalism in Korea really is shameful.”

I furrowed my brow as the computer slowly roused to life. “Mystery girl? Me again?”

He cleared his throat. “Um…yeah, looks like it,” he said, then sighed. “I didn’t wanna ask or anything, but that first article with you and that Taehyung guy…was it-,”

“Wasn’t true,” I said, then paused and shook my head. “I mean, yeah I did give him a hug, but it wasn’t like that.”

“You hugged him?” asked Jungkook quietly.

I snapped my mouth shut and keyed in Nara’s password: hyunnie101. “I…yeah. It was…really complicated,” I said. Like I was confessing something to a lover…

Wasn’t I though?

I shook my head, disgruntled, and opened up a web browser, surprised to see she’d left her last session open to view. “I mean, I’m not really the jealous type, but…I don’t really like it when the girl I like is hugging other guys, you know? Not that you can’t! You can do whatever you want. But I just-,”

“Jungkook, hold on,” I said, stunned as I looked at the open browser.

“Huh? Oh, yeah of course,” he said, supplementing the silence with a laugh.

There, in full color, was a photo of me standing beside Hayoon and Jaesun’s table at the coffee shop, my serving tray carefully obscured by my right thigh and my face blurred by a tasteful pixelated square. The two of them beamed up at me as I apparently spoke without looking their way. I couldn’t wrap my mind around how that couple could possibly be related to Taehyung. Confused, I scrolled up to the top of the browser. Why hadn’t Nara woken me up to tell me about this? Was she really mad at me?

“Shit…,” I mumbled as I saw the title.

Vante’s Mystery Girl Meets the Parents?! Seoul’s New Mysterious ‘It’ Couple Is Getting Serious!

#jungkook fluff #jungkook angst #jungkook fanfiction #jungkook fanfic #taehyung fanfic #taehyung fluff #taehyung angst #bts fanfic #bts fanfiction #bts imagines #bts reactions #bts reader insert #taehyung fanfiction #bts series

[honestgrins]

Do you accept prompts that you didn't come up with, I don't know if you have a list or not. But I just thought up a prompt and I would give my firstborn child to read the story. I know you may not have seen the Originals but Esther tried to body-switch Rebekah and Klaus said 'take me instead.' So the prompt is Esther grants Klaus’s request and body-switches him instead of Rebekah. He’s put into a teenage boy not much older than Caroline, he finds Caroline in Mystic Falls. Chaos ensues.

Ummmm, sorry this took SO long!! I’m slowly working through my lists, I swear. Thanks for your patience, and I really hope you like it! Takes place near the beginning of TVD S6.

Familiarity || Klaroline

“I’m going to fix this.” Rebekah’s voice was steely as she cupped his face, looking for any resemblance to the brother who had selflessly taken her punishment instead. Her thumb traced the new line of his cheek. “I promise, Nik.”

Klaus smirked, the familiar expression almost eerie on his human vessel. “It’s only temporary, Rebekah,” he murmured quietly.

She glanced just behind him to glare at their mother. “I don’t trust her,” Rebekah hissed.

“As if I don’t already have a plan.” Rolling his eyes, Klaus turned to face Esther. “Satisfied, Mother? Here I am, human and non-threatening.”

Esther’s eyes remain cold as her smile spread to something almost like warmth. “It’s for the best,” she nodded sagely. “The mere lifetime ahead of you will be worth more than the millennium you’ve already lived, Niklaus.”

Stepping toward the body he once inhabited, Klaus swallowed back an odd, hollow feeling when faced with his desiccating form. “Rebekah.”

“No!” Esther screamed.

In a second, Rebekah flashed both Klaus and his body away from the compound. Too focused on the body swap, Esther had failed to maintain the barrier spell on the house, allowing her children to escape.

With his too human senses, the sudden speed was disorienting for Klaus. By the time Rebekah stopped at the compound, his chest was heaving, the urge to vomit nearly overwhelming the dizziness. “Now-” He had to pause, focusing on deep breaths to remain steady. “We’re going to need a witch for cloaking spells. Elijah has one of his computer techs working on a false identity I can assume in the meantime, just out of sight of Mother Dearest.”

Nodding, Rebekah had yet to look at him in his new body; she pushed back the hair against his graying skin, instead. All the times he had daggered her, yet she couldn’t take any joy in him forced into submission. They’ve all lost each other too many times, and by their own family. “Where will you go?”

“Once the spells are done and my body is reasonably secured,” Klaus shrugged, “I have an idea where I can lay low, the last place Esther would think to look. There’s even a built-in resistance should she manage to find me.”

She frowned, finally turning to face him. Her eyes looked for any sign of her devious brother among the unfamiliar features. “Tell me you’re not that stupid.”

His smirk fell into a stern glare, the resemblance becoming clear in the violent expression. “Careful, sister. I may be human now, but-”

“Shove it, Nik,” Rebekah snapped, steel in the reminder that she was more powerful than her brother for the first time in her long, long life. “What could you possibly hope to gain by going back there?”

Klaus narrowed his eyes, a cunning smile curving his lips. “It seems the quarterback hasn’t been keeping in touch,” he teased, enjoying her angry hiss in response. “My sources say that Mystic Falls is protected against magic.”

“And Mother can’t get to you,” Rebekah realized. “But you’re magically in a human body.”

Sighing, Klaus ran a hand through his hair and startled at the smooth, dark strands. “I don’t know, Bekah. It’s merely an option should Mother make herself a further nuisance. Plan A is to ingratiate myself nearby.”

Rebekah blinked, irritation rising in her expression. “Oh, you must be joking.”

“Whitmore University Academic Advising Office, Caroline speaking.” Her fake smile stretched like elastic with the standard greeting, voice strained between professionalism and complete irritation with the human condition. The office job seemed like a good bet for work-study hours, even if the endless phone calls panicked over registration made her want to eat everyone who didn’t understand basic instructions. “Yes, you received an email with that information, I’m not at liberty to discuss it with you,” she answered tightly. “Then check your student portal, it’s also listed there.”

Sighing at the barrage of angry explanations for why that was so hard, Caroline mentally reminded herself that murder was bad. Even if she was short on blood and super hungry, hunting down some freshman who got snippy with the wrong vampire was so not worth the effort and resulting guilt.

Not so much about the feeding; since she’d been magically locked out Mystic Falls all summer, Caroline goaded her mom into taking advantage of the relative peace with a long vacation. The beach resort had plenty of booze for her to sublimate, but blood bags were few and far between. Liz managed to grin and bear the glassy-eyed guests on their way to sleep off the blood Caroline gave to heal them, but not without a stern reminder for her daughter to use good judgment once back at school.

“Mystic Falls might be safe from the supernatural, but Whitmore isn’t,” Liz had warned just before crossing the border back into town. “Getting sloppy can get you killed, draw the wrong attention.” What she left unsaid had Caroline nodding back grave tears. The Travelers were finally gone, but not without losing Bonnie to wherever she and Damon ended up when the Other Side collapsed. Stefan fled to grieve his brother, Elena walked a fine line between miserable and losing it on a good day, and Matt seemed to enjoy his exclusively human experience.

Once Caroline made it to campus for her sophomore year, then, all that left her with was-

“Hello, gorgeous.” Enzo appeared before her desk, handing off a coffee cup that didn’t smell like coffee. “Thought you might be needing a pick-me-up.”

“Enzo!” She kept her admonishment to a harsh whisper, glancing around the open office to make sure no one noticed his too sudden entrance. He’d become an unexpectedly reliable companion, though she still wasn’t sure why he stuck around. After a hundred years in a cell, Caroline half wanted to send him on a world tour. But he brought her blood and let her vent about statistics homework, so…only half. “Some discretion would be nice.” His roguish smirk told her exactly what he thought about discretion, but she accepted the cup anyway; her crabbiness would only get worse without blood. “Suspiciously warm,” she noted. “Anyone I know?”

Shrugging, Enzo made himself comfortable in the waiting area next to her, legs kicked up on her bookshelf until she shoved his feet away. “One of the parents passing through, per your request. No one likely to build a lingering grudge over time.”

Caroline sighed in relief. “Thank you.” The scent of blood darkened the veins under her eyes, and the tips of her fangs just grazed her lip when a student knocked at the door. Ducking her head to fake a cough, she took a calming breath to greet him with a more human face. “Hello, can I help you?”

He just stood there, staring at her for a too long moment. “Uh, hello?” Caroline asked again, ignoring Enzo’s amused recline as he watched the show.

“Sorry.” The guy seemed to straighten his leather jacket before folding his hands behind his back. “I wasn’t expecting- Hello. I’m a new transfer from Tulane, and I received an email to confirm my schedule here.”

Enzo perked up in his seat. “New Orleans?” Wincing, Caroline reminded herself to never drink with him again. New friend bonding time had turned into story time, which included a fair amount about the Mikaelsons, the havoc they wrought, and the greener pastures they apparently found down South. “I hear it’s a great town to get in trouble.”

“And then some, mate.” He glanced between the two of them, though, his fond smile turning into something darker.

Her eyes narrowed, some wave of suspicion dawning upon her. “Name? I’ll need it to find your advisor.”

Surprisingly, he didn’t waver from her gaze, instead meeting it with a challenge of his own. “Nicholas Mills. Call me Nic.”

He had forgotten what it was like to truly be in the presence of Caroline Forbes, the whirlwind that she was. For a whole month, Klaus had been able to chat, flirt, and even befriend her in his new body. She invited him to movie nights, caught up with him at the library, it was the utterly human life he had wanted her to leave behind.

As much as he hated his own humanity at times, he could admit that this glimpse of another life was…tempting.

Klaus knew he would have to tell her the truth at some point; the excuse for protection would only hold her attention - and her patience - for so long. He would have to explain when the time was right. Unable to contact Rebekah without drawing their mother’s attention, though, Klaus could not begin to guess when the right time would be.

Until then, he simply tried to enjoy the time she spent with him as Nic Mills. Dreadfully bored from the rest of his college experience, Klaus couldn’t help but allow bits of himself bleed through the mask. He spent his days in art classes, rolling his eyes through poor interpretations and misinformed history lessons. Often, he would duck into the music wing to while away at the piano. Whitmore had more to offer than he’d expected, but too much longer in this game would surely drive him insane.

But watching Caroline dance, smile bright among the party lights of the frat house, was a different sort of hell entirely. A red Solo cup of cheap beer was shoved into his hand, and he glanced over to find Enzo smirking at him. “Thanks,” he bit out, taking a sip. The strange vampire had been an unpleasant surprise, to say the least. It had only taken Klaus a day to catch onto his supernatural status, what with the unsubtle jokes about going for a bite and bloody t-shirts. Finding him so close to Caroline was even worse. Those nicknames. She had brooked no such casual friendship with Damon; why she put up with this fellow, Klaus didn’t understand.

“Following our girl again, huh?” Enzo drank from a flask instead, his eyes darting around the room. “Gorgeous has a tendency of collecting hangers-on.”

“Apparently so,” Klaus noted, none too generously. “Where’d she get you, then?”

Shrugging, Enzo waved back to Caroline who’d noticed both of them in the corner. “Would you believe that I was held captive for a hundred years, only to be abandoned by the closest thing I had to family, with just a gorgeous blonde to pester me back to fighting shape? Of course not, that’d be impossible.”

Klaus blinked, suddenly wanting much more of that story. But with Caroline approaching, he had to quash his instincts to threaten Enzo for information. “Hello.”

“Just in time, Gorgeous,” Enzo teased. “I was telling Nic here all about how we met. See, she pretended to hate me for a bit, but I grew on her. I hear it’s a habit with her, actually.”

Rolling her eyes, Caroline stole his flask before turning to Klaus. “Don’t believe a word he says. You don’t strike me as the frat party type.”

“You’re here,” he answered simply, much to Enzo’s amusement.

With a hoarse laugh, Enzo barely dodged an elbow jab from Caroline. “Careful, you’re a bit more breakable than her usual boyfriend. Don’t have fur, do you?”

Her hand pushed him away until she could slip between them like a barrier. Klaus wanted to push on that, wondering if he was included in that usual. Her smile turned placating, a reminder of all the times she acted as the distraction for him. “Seriously, ignore him. He’s already drunk. Do you want to da- Hold on.” Caroline reached into her pocket, frowning at the display as it buzzed. “This is…weird. I should take this.”

Lifting the phone to her ear, Klaus tried to decipher the sudden pinch in Caroline’s expression, only for the reason to become all too clear. “Rebekah?”

Klaus froze and wished he had his supernatural hearing. He didn’t want to show his hand too soon, both his safety and Caroline’s good favor depended upon him play his cards right. Worse, Rebekah might be in trouble when he was in no position to help. As his brain ran wild with the possibilities, he forced his face to remain passive. After all, he was just a human with no clue as to the Original family’s existence.

Thoroughly concerned with her conversation, Caroline didn’t seem to pay him much mind. Her eyes went wide; Klaus assumed Rebekah told her of Esther’s return and his own sacrifice. “No, Bonnie’s-” She choked up a bit, likely taken off guard. He hadn’t been pleased to discover the joy of Damon’s death cost a Bennett witch as well, though he knew Caroline was impacted on a more emotional front. “She’s gone. Where did Klaus go? Is he okay?”

Warmed at the note of worry in her voice, Klaus figured he had best be the one to come forward with the truth. Holding out his hand, he let himself fall back into his natural accent. “I’m fine, love. Give me the phone.”

Caroline hesitated only a moment until her eyes slid shut. He could practically feel the frustration rolling off her as she pressed the phone into his hand. “Unbelievable,” she muttered seconds before flashing them both out of the party. When they arrived in her off-campus apartment, Klaus took deep breaths to prevent vomiting. She scoffed at the utterly human reaction. “Seriously? Start talking, Nic.”

“You wanker,” Rebekah’s tinny voice yelled through the phone. “Is it really you, Nik?”

Sighing, Klaus held the phone up to his ear. “Yes, Rebekah. It’s been a dull few weeks. I assume you’ve been trying to reach me.”

“Your voicemail is full.”

“Phone’s locked in my studio at the compound,” Klaus answered. “I didn’t want to give Esther’s minions a means to track me.” He watched as Caroline crossed her arms, clearly unsettled.

Rebekah mumbled some obscenities at the holes in that plan, not that they’d had much time to develop it. “Well, I have you now. Elijah and Marcel have brokered a truce with Mother, I was going to bring your body up to Whitmore to avoid any interference with the spell.”

“What truce?” He certainly didn’t approve any such agreement, especially given their mother’s ill will toward their very being.

“We have Finn, it’s a trade. His life for your freedom. If the Bennett can’t do the spell, however, I want Caroline to escort you back to New Orleans. Davina will have to be the one to return you.” With a click, Rebekah hung up before either of them could protest.

Playing idly with the phone, Klaus struggled to meet Caroline’s eyes. “Sweetheart-”

“Please, don’t.” She sounded tired. “This is just…weird. Why would you do this? You made me a promise.”

I will walk away, and I’ll never come back.

Klaus opened his mouth, only to close it again. Dragging his tongue across his bottom lip, he bowed his head. “Where else would you have me go?” He glanced up to see the indecision on her face. “I wanted to tell you. Several times.”

“And yet, you didn’t. Several times.” She combed her hands through her hair, and Klaus watched forlornly as paced the room. “Well, it looks like you finally got me to New Orleans. Let’s go, we can make it there by lunch.”

“Caroline-”

Pressing her hands to her mouth, Caroline shook her head. “We’ll be trapped in a car for hours, I swear, we’ll talk about boundaries and honesty and common courtesy, I just…need a little time to process for myself. Okay?” She stared expectantly until he nodded in answer. “Okay. And I get to pick the music, it’s my car and I haven’t been lying for weeks.”

“No arguments here, love.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Stop that. I need to pack.” Flashing around her apartment, she came to a sudden stop with a suitcase in her hand.

A flare of hope clenched his stomach, though he wisely stayed quiet; still, a suitcase seemed more appropriate for an extended visit than a mere delivery. Soon, curiosity overwhelmed him. “Did you like him? Nic?”

Caroline, half buried in her pantry looking for road trip snacks, turned to face him in speculation. “I wanted to,” she finally said. “It’s been a while since…” The woods. “Plus, dating a human is such a recipe for disaster. I always kind of knew it would only be a temporary thing, which is fine. But I don’t like being temporary.”

Immortal. Fearless. “For what it’s worth,” he breathed, almost scared to invite her derision once more, “temporary is the last thing I want from you.”

“I know.” She didn’t sound sad or resigned as he’d expected. Rather, Caroline stated it as a matter of fact - that what they might be, would be forever. Shrugging, she managed a small smile. “Not yet.”

Klaus blinked, all too human heart pounding in his chest. He was about to have Caroline all to himself for hours, then in New Orleans, in his own body. She wasn’t ready for forever.

Not yet.

Read on: AO3 and FFnet

#klaroline #klaroline drabbles #to rely on the kindness of strangers #fic: familiarity #my writing #thedisdainfullysilentvisitor #thanks for the prompt! #i hope you like it! #this dragged on for weeks; i've had 4thewords for three days and actually finished #miracle writing tool