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sytco · 3 years

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common blessings [joochan]

pairing: childhood friend!hong joochan x reader

word count: 3.5k (!)

requested: "toothrotting fluff ft. joochan"

dedicated to @sahiflowers.

a/n: im SO SO sorry this took so long and i hope u like it even a little and that it makes u smile thank u for being so patient ily!! ily!!! reminder im always here for u!!

In which you find that time is meaningless when Joochan is not by your side.

wonderboy.

Sometimes, you speculate whether Joochan has some kind of genius for finding you as soon as the school bell rings, signalling the end of another day.

Today, he surprises you behind the auditorium where you lean against a maple tree, hugging your bag to your chest, because you’ve skipped your last period (Introduction to Psychology) in favor of lying on the grass so you can watch the clouds in peace. And Joochan smiles a fond, fond smile because you have that look on your face again that you only get when you’re lost in thought.

“Missed me?”

You tense from shock before relaxing at the sight of your boyfriend who widens his arms so you can walk right into them.

“How’d you find me?” Your voice is muffled in the fabric of his vest and Joochan reaches up so he can play with the back of your collar.

“Just had a little hunch you might be here.” And this is the answer he always gives, accompanied with the same smug smile each time.

You pout even if Joochan can’t see it. “That doesn’t explain anything.”

“Well now,” he says in an affected voice that sounds like the narrator from that National Geographic documentary on penguins the two of you watched last week, “I can’t afford to have you getting your hands on all my secrets, can I? I’ve got to keep some things to myself so that in ten year's time, you’ll still think I’m the most amazing and magical boy in the universe.”

It’s ridiculous, you think, how it’s nearly winter but the way you can feel the laughter that starts in his chest and electrifies you to your fingertips is more than capable of keeping you warm and making you feel like you’re really alive.

“Doesn’t matter if I find out all your secrets or not,” you mumble, “you’ll always be the most amazing and magical boy in the universe to me.”

From the courtyard around the corner, you can hear Jaehyun shouting a loud “Oi Joochan!”.

Joochan ignores him and instead casually pecks your cheek with a kiss that feels like a blessing. “Always?”

You tilt your head as though unsure. "Well… for at least fifty years, probably.”

“Fifty?!” Joochan echoes in mock outrage, and you playfully poke his side to which he flinches slightly.

“I was lying. I meant for all of time ever.”

And despite him doing his best to hide it, your boyfriend melts instantly, burying his face in the crook of your neck where he’s probably smiling his brilliant smile that feels like the sun against your skin.

Jaehyun’s voice interrupts the peace and quiet once again with a noticeably louder and more panicked tone.

“Hong Joochan! We’re going to be late for soccer practice!”

Joochan groans exaggeratedly and you can’t help but giggle at his theatrics. “Wish I didn’t have to go to stupid practice,” he grumbles.

“You know, I’ll wait for you in the library until you’re done,” you offer and Joochan perks up - if only slightly because your arms still feel like heaven after years of loving you, and two hours of kicking a ball around (while Donghyun and Jibeom brainstorm inventive ways to trip each other up, much to Coach Lee’s chagrin) just can’t compete. He tells you as much in the way his arms tighten around you.

“You’re the best,” Joochan declares suddenly, “I might be the most amazing and magical boy in the universe, but you’re the best.”

You snort. “Go to practice already before Jaehyun starts going spare, wonderboy.”

Joochan kisses your forehead one last time before he detaches himself from you with a dejected sigh and picks up your bag, slinging it over his shoulder despite your protests. “Walk with me to the oval?”

You slip your hand into his hand only to find it a perfect fit and wonder briefly if there is anywhere in this world you would not walk to with Hong Joochan, the boy who has a smile like sunlight and a personality like a billion shooting stars.

“Of course.”

fm.

There is the occasional moment in which you wish that your boyfriend wasn’t so exceedingly talented in nearly every field he tries his hand at, because the various extracurriculars that Joochan (being the naturally energetic and enthusiastic person he is) involves himself with have an awful way of making tremendous demands on his time towards the end of the semester.

Right now is one of those moments when Joochan trudges into your room and dives face first onto your bed without even bothering to shake his coat off. “So what was it today?” you ask in a voice that betrays your concern and Joochan can’t help but smile at it.

“Theatre rehearsal,” he yawns, “then string quartet practice. Also an hour of soccer drills with some of the boys. Even though it’s a Saturday.”

You get up from your chair at the desk so you can sit on the bed where Joochan immediately moves his head onto your lap, lifting your hand and resting it on his hair. You absentmindedly start stroking it, staring out the window at a soft grey sky.

“Did you eat?”

Joochan shakes his head. “No time. My dumb E string broke again so I barely managed to have half an apple before we went straight into a new Mozart piece today. Think we might perform it at the next concert. You’d come, right?” And he asks that in a self-assured tone, because he already knows what your answer is going to be.

You give it to him anyway because there’s no point in hiding your blatant admiration for all that he does. “No matter what.”

“And just to see me, right?”

You fake a pause that has Joochan peering up at you suspiciously.

“You do know I have friends who aren’t you that are participating in the concert, right? Like Jangjun and Sungyoon?”

Joochan scowls. “But none of those hooligans are your boyfriend, who - in case you forgot but I do know you’d never - is me.”

“That’s quite true,” you concede before leaning down to kiss his cheek with a smile that makes Joochan’s stomach fill with butterflies which are probably colored pink and green and blue. It never gets old, he thinks: your talent for turning his world upside down in a look or a word or an action. And you don’t even know you’re doing it most of the time.

“Mean,” he accuses but in a half-hearted manner and your smile only widens because you know that Joochan is supremely happy despite his exhaustion, if the way his brow has smoothed completely and he has started drawing little stars on your knee is anything to go by.

There’s a gentle lull in the conversation while you continue to run your fingers through Joochan’s hair, and especially his fringe. It’s almost as though time has passed you by, leaving you together in your own little reality where things like hazy futures and big concerts and broken violin strings do not dare draw near.

“Wanna order something later on for dinner?” you ask quietly.

“Maybe,” he grins through closed eyes, “but nap first.”

Your radio continues to run, and you drift in and out of listening to the DJ duo while watching the rain finally fall outside.

“It’s been pretty cold recently, hasn’t it?” one of the DJs opens the conversation after a small stream of ads.

“Sure has, pal. And speaking of the cold, apparently our first snow of the season is scheduled for next week Friday!”

“So do you have any plans lined up with a special someone?”

“Just had to remind me of how single I am, didn’t you”- rambunctious peals of laughter crackle from the speakers - “but maybe some of our lovely listeners will send in their plans for next Friday.”

“I sure did - and wow, they’re already pouring in! Do you wanna read one out?”

“Let’s see… Listener ha_miii_ran says: ‘I’m planning on confessing to my crush of two years. I’m pretty nervous about this so I’m hoping the two of you will wish me luck!’ All the best of luck to you, Ha Miran-nim, from the both of us. I don’t know how you’re planning on it, but hopefully the first snow will act as a good luck charm for you!”

“Yeah, good luck Ha Miran-nim!” the other DJ chimes in. “Be sure to update us on how it goes!”

“Well, we’ll be back with some more stories after this excerpt from a famous piano concerto - maybe some of our more classically-inclined audience will recognise its globally renowned composer.”

A beautiful melody begins to play and you’re on the cusp of losing yourself in the music when you are most abruptly interrupted by a sleepy, but decisive, “Gershwin.”

You blink down at Joochan. “What?”

“It’s Gershwin. The composer. Don't you think your boyfriend's clever for knowing that?"

“I thought my boyfriend was asleep, actually,” and you narrow your eyes.

“I was,” Joochan protests, “I only woke up when they were talking about the snow or something. And then they talked about that person who’s confessing to their crush of two years - got me thinking about how I can relate because I vividly remember having a crush on you for at least three before I could muster up the courage to confess. Which ended up working out for the best, you know,” he adds in a thoughtful tone, “but sometimes I’d get so nervous just thinking about it that I couldn’t sleep at all. Anyways, I’m really hungry now, so can we order something soon please?”

Maybe it’s the way he so nonchalantly wears his heart for you on his sleeve, or maybe it’s the way he looks at you as though you have strung the Milky Way itself together and made a gift of it to him. Maybe it’s the way you simply realize that you might not be able to live with yourself if you were to lose your boyfriend, ever. But for whatever reason it is, a thousand smiles bloom in your heart and you lean down to give Joochan a kiss that hopefully tastes like everything you cannot possibly put into words.

“Anything you want,” you whisper, and Joochan draws a heart on your knee in response.

enchanted.

You’re outside the auditorium again but in front of it, this time, and not behind. The post-concert hubbub has died down, mostly owing to the fact that much of the audience has left already whether it’s to a late congratulatory supper or down to the boardwalk where fireworks are scheduled to go off at midnight. The bouquet of lily of the valleys in your hand trembles slightly as you use your other hand to fumble around for your ringing phone.

“Hello?”

“You’re waiting outside, right?” Joochan asks.

“Yeah, I am.”

“See, Donghyun, I told you I was right about - wait. Wait! Don't move!”

And then you have less than two seconds to process exactly what is happening before your boyfriend catches you up in a running embrace that sends the world spinning in a flurry of snow and stars and kisses that Joochan plants all over your cheeks. He remains blissfully unaware that somewhere in the vicinity, Donghyun has started making gagging sounds at your very public display of affection, punctuated by Jaehyun’s giggling. (You pay them no mind.)

“Did you enjoy the concert?” he asks, fond expectation twinkling in his eyes.

You nod too much. “You were incredible,” you tell him honestly, and Joochan beams.

“I was, wasn’t I?” he says in a satisfied voice as he pulls you closer. “Guess all those hours of practice paid off.”

“It’s almost like that’s the whole point of practicing,” you tease.

“It’s lucky you’re cute and I’m hopelessly in love with you,” Joochan crinkles his nose in contrived distaste for your little jab before hugging you again so he can hear you whisper just how proud you are of him, right into his ear.

And the two of you stay like that for a little before you remember the gift you brought with you.

“For me?” And the look in his eyes reminds you of how he looked at you when you first told him that you loved him too - or maybe of every time you’ve told him that you love him too.

“Who else?”

He snaps up the bouquet, pressing it against his nose and inhaling deeply with a smile. "This is a nice surprise."

"They mean 'return to happiness'," you say, gently touching a little white bloom that looks like a star against the backdrop of Joochan's black school blazer. "Thought it was cute. And the florist was sold out of roses anyway."

Joochan laughs with the warmth of a thousand sunbeams and puts your hand in his so he can start gently tugging you away.

“But your violin”- you begin protesting.

“But nothing,” he shushes you as the school gets smaller and smaller behind you in the distance. “I don’t even want to see that thing for a week. Hey, and guess what - I found a secret place for just you and me so we can watch the fireworks without being pressed up against everyone else like sardines in a tin can.”

“You and I are going to watch the fireworks?” you echo, surprise colouring your voice.

Joochan’s exhale turns into a giggle. “Who else?” And you dig an elbow into his side, hiding a smile at his antics.

The two of you stroll down quiet streets and you lean into your boyfriend’s comforting warmth. Most shops are closed with the exception of some fast food chains and convenience stores, but you notice almost none of them now as Joochan picks up the pace, his excitement bleeding into the quiet song he sings that floats up in the air and is lost somewhere in the stars above.

“Here we are,” says Joochan proudly and he helps you up into the little gazebo at the top of the hill you hadn’t realized you were climbing. “Take this,” he adds as he tosses you a torch that brightly illuminates the space you’re in as soon as you switch it on. You turn to the rustling sounds on your left, finally seeing the wooden bench that Joochan is busy spreading a rug over.

“You planned this beforehand?” And there’s a note of wonder in your voice - the same kind that only Joochan ever seems to be able to evoke. “I thought we were going straight home.”

He gestures for you to sit next to him with a charming smile and you do so immediately. “Told you I can’t give up all the secrecy. Not yet.” Or, he thinks privately to himself, not when you look at him like that.

The golden light from the torch casts long shadows over the grass and gives Joochan’s face a nearly ethereal glow that reminds you of summer sunsets despite the cold. You slip into a soft and easy silence - one that comes from memories built upon memories, resulting in a code made up of gazes and touch that only the two of you will ever understand. And so when he squeezes your hand gently, you instantly open your arms for him to sink right into.

There’s only a few minutes left until midnight when you finally speak.

“Joochan,” you murmur.

“Mm?”

“You ever think about where we’ll be this time next year?”

Joochan shifts his posture slightly. “Often, actually. Especially when I go to sleep at night and think about tomorrow - then I’ll wonder if it’ll even remotely go the way I want it to.”

“And how do you usually want it to go?” you ask.

“Someone has a lot of questions today,” Joochan remarks with a droll look on his face that makes you laugh briefly before his expression sobers. “But usually I want it to go safely. You know? Everything in its proper place and things like that. And more importantly, I want to know all the time that I’ll be able to see you.”

You’re silent for a moment, looking out over the view of the city. If you squint, you can just make out the boardwalk by the beach and the crowds of people who have gathered there, young and old alike. “I’m scared sometimes.”

Joochan frowns. “Scared of what? I’ll fight it off for you,” and he waves a threatening fist at nothing in particular.

“The future, I guess. It sounds silly but… sometimes I don’t know if we’ll always be okay. Like this, the way things are right now. Whether it’s tomorrow or next year or even after that.” Your voice fades in volume until it’s nearly lost against the threads of your scarf, and Joochan’s heart breaks a little when he hears it: the genuine uncertainty and timid fear that seeps past the smile you give him in an effort to hide it.

“Why do you think we might not be okay?”

You look down at your feet, almost embarrassed by your own honesty. “Well, people… change, Joo. They move places, and have goals to achieve and dreams to chase down. And we’re not immune to that either.”

It’s Joochan’s turn to be silent for a bit as he mulls over your words before he straightens in your hold, turning his face towards you so he can affectionately bump his nose against yours. “You’re right,” he says in a voice that mirrors your sadness, “and it would be a lie to say I don’t think about the same things you do. But”- and he leans in to give you a quick kiss that’s shaped like a smile - “it’d also be a lie to say that every dream doesn’t feature you in it. Because every dream of mine that I’ve ever had places you centre stage.”

He kisses you again, a little longer - a little more wistfully.

“You see, the real problem here is that you have me perpetually thinking that I can’t do any of this without you,” he says simply. “Whether it’s late night phone calls or early morning messages; or maybe we’ll find ourselves having to book flights for each other, holding bags full of gifts that remind us of us. And maybe it’ll be hard and maybe I’ll wake up some days, knowing I won’t be able to see you. But that doesn’t mean we won’t be okay.”

You swallow and Joochan watches you carefully, the urgency in his eyes prompting him to lift your chin so you can see it too.

“Even if we change,” he continues in a whisper, hoping you will understand the heart in his words. “And we should. And we will, and we’ll still be okay. You believe me, don’t you? Seeing as I’m the most amazing and magical boy in the universe?”

Somewhere, midnight comes and goes and the fireworks start, dousing you and Joochan in bursts of coloured light.

“Of course I do,” you smile with eyes that glitter with tears of relief and he pulls you into a tight hug, so tight you can feel every movement of his rib cage as he breathes in and out.

For once, you do not feel that fear deep down that threatens to taint your time with the only boy you think you cannot live without. And so you unreservedly hold him in return, fingers running through his hair as he tells you that he loves you, over and over again.

up, up and away.

There had been a time during your childhood when your one greatest wish had been to go see the stars.

So your friend Joochan, in all his clumsy sincerity, had done his best to make you a rocket out of a box he’d found at home. He’d then brought it to your house after he’d finished it, blue marker staining his fingertips and glitter shaped like stars lost in his thick fringe.

The two of you had sat in it together and looked up at the moon, holding hands from childish innocence and recounting thrilling tales of adventures you’d never had. And before having to go home to bed that day, he’d made you a promise that present-day Joochan complains about not being able to fulfill.

“I know I said I’d take you to the stars,” Joochan sighs in displeasure from where he lies on your bed, right next to you, “but while your boyfriend is exceptionally talented, you do know I’m no astronaut, right?”

You hold his hand in response and look into his eyes that sparkle with mirth and deeper in, shine with a love that always gives you peace.

It may be that Joochan will never be able to keep his promise of taking you to space in a real, functioning rocket. But, as you drop a kiss on his mouth that soon widens into a brilliant smile, you can’t find it in yourself to really care.

After all, it’s hard to miss the stars when for you, they all start with Joochan and end with him.

if u liked this please consider dropping a like and reblogging with ur thoughts because feedback is!! always appreciated thank you!!!

#SCREAMS IT'S FINALLY DONE WITH I'M FINALLY FINISHED #golden child #golden child scenarios #golden child imagines #hong joochan #golden child hong joochan #golden child joochan #joochan #ju writes #gncd #golcha #im now off to go cry. or nap. both

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ixalit · 4 years

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For some reason 300 people have decided to follow me, and I wanted to give you guys a gift to say thank you... So here’s some short evanstan fluff and comfort.

Thank you so much for the support!

Beta’d by my lovely friend @darter-blue

Read on AO3!

•••

Chris’s arm is asleep. Not that he minds. Couldn’t possibly mind, when the cause of the pins and needles is the man he loves. He smiles fondly down at Sebastian with a softness reserved only for him. Sebastian is nestled against his side, leg hitched over Chris’s thighs and back cocooned by the hammock. His eyes are closed, eyelashes fanned lightly against his cheeks, and he looks more at peace than Chris has seen him in a while.

With a happy sigh, Chris turns his head toward the trees and listens to the summer evening surrounding them. It doesn’t get better than this, not with Sebastian’s light puffs of breath against his neck and the last of the day’s sunlight filtering through the trees.

He tightens his arm around Sebastian, and when the other man burrows further into his neck, he swears he feels his heart swell. When he looks down again, those sleepy, grey eyes are blinking up at him, full of love.

“How’d I get so lucky, huh?” Chris whispers as he pushes the curled locks off Sebastian’s forehead.

“Could ask you the same thing,” comes the mumbled reply against his chest.

“You warm enough?”

“‘Course. I got you.”

They settle back against each other, Sebastian drawing lazy patterns on his chest while Chris rubs a thumb back and forth over his hip. For the first time in months, he can feel the stress drip from his body. Through the hammock, down the trunks of the trees to the earth, where it’ll be absorbed by the solid ground.

On a deep inhale, the smells of the woods fill his lungs and remind him of the endless summers he spent in these mountains as a kid. Running with his siblings, chasing butterflies, and climbing the tallest trees. Now he’s older than his parents had been then. It hits him once in a while; how fast time moves. The thought used to paralyze him, make him feel like no matter how much he tried, he’d never be fast enough to keep up.

It still gets to him sometimes, but now he has Sebastian to keep him grounded. He’ll take Chris’s hands, look him in the eye, and tell him there’s no timetable for life. He’ll remind him of how much he’s accomplished and changed people’s lives for the better. No matter where they are, Sebastian always refuses to let go until he decides that Chris truly understand how loved he is.

It’s nice—to have someone who knows him inside and out. Someone who sees every part of him, from his insecurities to his prowess, and loves him not in spite of it but because of it. Sebastian’s the first person Chris has felt that kind of love with, and now that he’s had it, he knows he could never give it up. Not even for more time.

As they gently sway to the heartbeat of the nature around them, he feels Sebastian speaking against his skin. The words can barely be heard over the crickets, but he'd know them anywhere. Knows them in his soul.

“I love you.”

#this is for everyone but especially for L #hope you like it #my posts #evanstan #rpf #real person fiction #drabble #ixalitwrites

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pucksnsticksnhockeyboys · 4 years

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into you

request: 51 w Makar? I love that smiley guy sm !

prompt: “Smile.” - “No.” - “You’re smiling, though!” / number 51 off of this list with Cale Makar.

summary: Cale’s teammates like you, but that doesn’t mean they’re not going to chirp him for how into you he is.

warnings: none

word count: 1.8k

“I don’t know how you managed to trick me into this.” You huffed as you exited your apartment, your ever-smiley best friend waiting patiently for you to lock your door.

“Because you love me?” He offered, just enough teasing in his voice to have you grinning despite the sleepiness that still had its grips on you. Cale, the redheaded boy who occupied most of your thoughts, led the way to the elevator, chuckling softly to himself at your response, which was little more than an annoyed grumble.

See, you couldn't let him know just how accurate his teasing response was. You had been head over heels for the sweet boy the moment you saw him offer to pay for an old lady's coffee at the small cafe you worked for. He was cute, sweet, and the way he stumbled over his words as he ordered endeared him to you almost instantly. After him coming into the cafe a few more times, he was brave enough to ask when your shift ended so you could get a cup of coffee with him. You wasted no time in agreeing to go with him, hoping that it would be an impromptu first date, but he gave no sign that he was interested in being anything other than friends. So, you remained in his life, but as the supportive best friend.

Which was how you found yourself in your current position, waking up early on your day off just to go shopping for a charity event that you weren't even sure you wanted to go to.

The charity part wasn’t the problem, the whole getting up early to shop for a completely new outfit was why you were so annoyed. And since Cale insisted that he paid for you, no matter how vehemently you told him no, he had to come shopping with you.

Cale, bless his heart, was doing his best to find something you liked. You had given him a gist of what you were looking for, and he finding pieces that actually fit your style. Still, he not everything his picked were winners.

“What about this?” Cale asked, brows furrowed as he studied the fabric. You knew he was serious, but the clothing his picked out was so absolutely ridiculous, you couldn't help but giggle.

“Cale, it’s neon yellow.” You explained when he looked to you to explain what was wrong with his choice. The redhead’s cheeks turned even more rosy, and you turned back to the rack to try and distract yourself from intrusive thoughts telling you red was now your favorite color.

He was going to be the death of you.

A few days later found you all dressed up and following Cale into a ballroom packed with people. Your hand was clasped tightly around his wrist as he used his hockey frame to maneuver you through the crowd. A few times you were stopped by someone usually thirty years Cale’s senior to talk to him about hockey statistics and all things related.

You could tell he was just humoring everyone while looking for an escape. His usual smile replaced by a tight-lipped one that told you he wanted to be anywhere but where he was, though he would never admit it.

Just because he had to entertain the old men didn’t mean you had to, and when you spotted three blondes standing off to the side, somehow avoiding attention, you knew it was your one chance to get away. Waiting until it was Cale’s turn to talk, you squeezed his forearm and whispered that you were going to talk to Mel before separating. He shot you a pained look that only you spotted, and you grinned mischievously at him. You both knew what you were doing, but it didn't make you feel bad about leaving the redhead with the men that were asking a thousand and one questions.

As soon as she spotted you, Mel Landeskog was calling your name. Her husband Gabe was standing next to her, arm wrapped securely around her waist. Beside them, Erik Johnson stood, having decided this was an occasion to wear his fake teeth. Shortly after your friendship with Cale developed outside of the cafe you worked at, he introduced you to his team. They were fun to hang out with and you grew close to Mel like she was your older sister, with Gabe and EJ being the annoying brothers.

“You look fantastic.” Mel complimented, pulling you into a hug as soon as you were within arms reach. You returned the sentiment, Gabe and EJ both taking turns to embrace you annoyingly tight after. The smug look on both of their faces almost made you want to turn back and rejoin Cale in the stifling conversation about Colorado’s third period goal statistics and how to improve them.

“You two make me nervous.” You chuckled, looking between the boys before raising a brow at Mel for an explanation. You knew you were screwed when you saw she was also grinning at you with a mischievous look on your face.

“So you’re the rookie’s date, huh?” EJ started, wiggling his brows dramatically and in a way that made you cringe.

“We're just friends, Johnson.” You huffed. Your relationship status with their defenseman was always a topic of interest between the two blondes, and it got even worse when the rest of the team jumped in on the joke—Burky could be relentless in his teasing when he wanted to be.

“Mhm.” He hummed, looking thoroughly unconvinced, much to your chagrin. Instead of taking the bait like you knew he wanted you to do, you rolled your eyes and turned to Mel, engaging her in conversation about anything other than hockey and boys, more specifically, hockey boys. To give Gabe and EJ credit, they knew when to draw the line and take a step back. Well, at least you thought they did when they let you and Mel be for all of two minutes before their teasing started up again. Only this time, it wasn't directed at you, though you still were at the center of attention.

“How’d you get such a good-looking date, Cale?” Gabe started, unable to resist the jab and a chance to cause his teammates cheeks to darken. Cale appeared at your side, cheeks just as rosy as you figured they would be but he was taking the chirps in good humor. You, on the other hand, were getting a little annoyed. With the boys constantly making jokes it would only be a matter of time before Cale put together the fact you had a massive crush on him. You were dead set on the idea that of he found out about your feelings, he would be weirded out and you would lose one of your closest friends.

“I asked nicely.” Cale teased, earning a barking laugh from his teammates. You rolled your eyes at his adorable comment, having expected nothing less from him.

“I’m not that good-looking.” You absentmindedly commented, causing Cale’s head to whip around to face you. Your own cheeks started to get rosy, and you could only meet his confused look with one of your own.

“You look amazing, I’m lucky that you came with me.” Even more so, your face flushed at his compliment to the point where you were certain that you matched the color of his hair.

“Oh, my god. I’m just going to tell them.” EJ sounded so exasperated, but there was still traces of his smug grin. You and Cale both looked to him for answers, but he was just looking to Gabe and Mel. Gabe seemed to be on the side of EJ spilling whatever it was but Mel was shooting him a stern look. There was some silent discussion, Mel nudging her husband’s shoulder in reprimand for a fault you weren't sure he had made.

“Remember what we were talking about the other day after practice?” Gabe turned his focus to Cale, who for a moment looked at his captain dumbly. You watched with confusion as Cale registered what Gabe had been talking about, before nodding slightly, his lips set in a firm line. Gabe gestured with his thumb over his shoulder towards the balcony, and Cale nodded once more.

You tried not to jump out of your own skin as Cale threaded his fingers through yours and tugged you in the direction his captain had just suggested. You shot Mel a look over your shoulder, but the blonde only gave you two thumbs up, and encouraging smile on her face.

The Denver night was cold, but it felt nice against your flushed skin. Once the balcony door was shut, Cale dropped your hand and moved to stand at the railing, his grip tight on the metal. Your heart was pounding in your chest as you moved closer to him, placing a shaky hand on his bicep to try and silently coax an answer of what was going on out of him.

“The guys chirp me a lot.” He leads, and you stay quiet, knowing that was not what he needed you to follow him outside for. “Mostly because I’m the rookie, but also because of you.”

“Me?” The question fell past your lips in little more than a whisper. Cale nodded, turning to face you. You weren’t sure if he meant that his teammates didn't like you, but you felt like that wasn't the reason. At least, you hoped.

“I’m like, so into you, and they give me so much shit for it.” He confessed, and you felt the corner of your lips turn upwards.

“I mean, if you’re being sappy then I don't blame them.” You couldn’t help but tease, and you could tell he knew you felt the same when you noticed you beaming up at him. He groaned at your comment, dropping his head back at your comment as he cheeks turned red. “Smile.”

“No.” He shot back, but despite his comment you could tell he was grinning widely.

“You’re smiling, though!” He chuckled at you comment, tilting his head forward to look at you once more. His smile was soft, gaze flicking from your eyes down to your lips and back up. You leaned forward a bit and that was all the invitation Cale needed to duck down to your level press a gentle kiss to your lips.

The kiss was slow and sweet, just as you expected it to be with Cale. Ever the gentleman, his hands found home on your waist but never explored any further. When you pulled away for air he used his grip on you to anchor you to your spot right in front of him. You weren't sure who was grinning brighter, but you were certain an argument could be made on both of your behalves. Cale was the first to break the silence, you were still too shocked to do speak.

“Yeah, I am smiling.”

#cale makar #Cale Makar imagine #Cale Makar x reader #Cale Makar imagines #colorado avalanche #colorado avalanche imagines #colorado avalanche imagine #Colorado Avalanche x reader #hockey #hockey imagine #hockey imagines #nhl #nhl imagine

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selfproducingfanfictionauthor · 4 years

Text

to be treated this way - chapter i

pair: shownu x reader

summary: When your alpha - sort-of - found his true mate, you’re stuck dealing with the aftermath and the coming of your next heat. So when your friend suggested a “dating service” to aid you, signing up seemed like a no-brainer. So, you’ve prepared yourself for the dominance, the adrenaline-fueled by fear and arousal and the constant out-of-this-world sex but when you meet Shownu, everything you know about Alphas is challenged. He’s soft - for the lack of better word. He cooks you meals, he takes you out on dates… all of which are not really necessary for an Alpha - Omega relationship… right? Whatever. You’d just really, really, wish he’d touch you now warning: this story may be slow-paced at the start, no other warnings for now - also, boo seungkwan’s appearance! a/b/o dynamics!

Many poets and writers have tried, failed and came close to describing what true heartbreak is. Such fundamental human experience is so universal that many men and women across history have drawn inspiration from it and created amazing works of art - sculptures, plays, books and songs. At the back of your mind, you remember reading something like - “If nothing saves us from death, at least love should save us from life” and although it’s beautiful and you certainly want to be saved, you feel like it’s too dramatic to apply to your own situation.

Even though you certainly feel like dying right now.

Mouth dry and head pounding, you blearily open your eyes to the sight of your blinking alarm clock. The numbers 1:03 pm mocks you in all its inherent cheeriness. Underneath the cocoon of your warm bed, you squirm, sweating and uncomfortable – feeling like you just want to crawl out of your skin just to reach the itch between your skin and bones. Fists closing and unfurling, you try to resist the urge to scratch, knowing that there’s nothing to find beneath, nothing to offer you relief.

Kicking off your sheets, you try to reign in the uneasiness. At the back of your ears, you feel the itch worsen, crawling down your nape burning down its path. Rubbing yourself against the scratchy texture of your bedsheets feels like heaven and hell alternating between five seconds – the brief relief only highlighting the torment of your hormones tenfold.

Time seem to pass too slowly as you try to muster the strength to get up. But your body refuses to cooperate, your limbs heavy and your mind foggy. This is what you hate the most about suppressants, the side-effects feels like punishment for being born an omega. Your head feels like it’s submerged underwater, and you don’t hear your apartment door opening with a bang.

“I’m here!” Seungkwan sings, grocery bags hanging from his arms. His eyes roam your kitchen before landing on you through your open bedroom door. At the sight of you, his mood drops. ”Oh my god, what are you doing!”

Your best friend rushes over to you and grasps your wrists, quickly pulling it away from your arms.

Streaks of scratches marred your neck and arms while you tremble. He notes with a small amount of relief, that at least, you didn’t break skin.

Aish, this girl.

Relief flood you at the familiar smell of your friend and his cool hands, drawing away from the heat marked by your nails. You let him drag you up to your couch. Sitting down, he grasps your wrists with one hand and reaches for one of the grocery bags with his other.

“Next time I see him, I’m gonna kick him in the nuts.” Seungkwan swears, agitated. Between the two of you, there’s only one person he could be referring to. You wince at the thought of Geun-woo, the alpha who had once frequented your bed. Pulling you out of your thoughts, Seungkwan fishes out a sheet of tablets and pops one open for you.

Trusting you to control yourself, he lets go of your wrists and hands you a bottle of water from the same bag.

“It’s not his fault he found his true mate, Seungkwanie.” You sigh, after swallowing the pill. You don’t know if it’s placebo or not, but immediately, the irritating itch and heat under your skin recedes.

The beta rolls his eyes. True mates, bah – people throw it around like a free pass. “True mate or not, it doesn’t mean he gets to drop you like a hot sweet potato – which you are, sweet and you look like a potato, woman, get yourself together! – and ride off into the sunset. Any decent alpha knows that omegas need weaning –”

Seungkwan goes off on a rant that you’ve heard on loop for the past week.

Geun-woo was a friend from the university. As alphas tend to be, he was popular and well-liked by your peers. His designation spurred him to be in the best shape he could be, drove him to win championship after championship for your university football team. After graduation, he went on to train for the national team and was – is – on his way to being a national athlete.

You could talk on and on about who Oh Geun-woo is to many people, but you could summarize what he was to you in three words: not your boyfriend.

The arrangement between the two of you was simple. You were adults, busy people living busy lives interrupted almost monthly by your heats and ruts. It was a logical and practical way to ensure that neither of you spend your vulnerable biological ~events~ alone. It was a good arrangement and after two years of it, you could honestly call Geun-woo a good friend.

However, the downside with spending such time so often with someone you’re not bonded with is you develop what experts call, a quasi-bond. It has all the effects of being bonded but dialed down by almost a hundred. You think it’s an exaggeration but you, an unbonded omega, really isn’t in the position to do so.

So when, Geun-woo found his true mate at some meet abroad, he dropped you faster than you could blink.

You don’t blame him, but man, it sucks.

Seungkwan glanced at you, sighing at your silence. Sending a prayer above, he fishes his wallet and takes out a card. “I have a suggestion.”

With your heat coming at you, barreling in the next two weeks, you’re just about open to any suggestion so, you hum behind your coffee mug, “The floor’s yours.” Well, at least the little of it that’s still visible under your clothes and knick-knacks.

“Before you say anything, know that I am suggesting this out of the goodness of my heart. But why don’t you consider this?” Seungkwan implored, handing you the card.

The black and purple card reads; “SS Matching Services” and under it, their company motto; “We’ve got the match for you.” With their office address and contact number.

“A pimping service?”

“Ya,” Seungkwan protested, red-faced, “Take your 19th century standards out of the gutter.”

His adamant protest startles a laugh out of you. For the guy who used to glare at anyone holding hands in public, your best friend has grown well. “Actually, it was worse in the 19th century but go off, I guess.”

Seungkwan leveled you with a flat look that had you raising your hands in surrender. No good can come from antagonizing the guy who just quite literally saved your life. “I’m listening.”

“Look, it’s just an option and it’s legit. Tough screening process too.” He takes out his phone and shows you the company’s website. Briefly, you glance at it before taking the card. Physically, it weighs like nothing but in your mind, it weighs like something amazing.

“How’d you know that?”

“My sunbaenim, uses this from time to time. It helps with his ruts. Win-win.” Seungkwan shrugs. You wonder which sunbae he’s referring to, given his many hobbies.

The website doesn’t look like it’ll give your laptop a virus, you’ll give it that. It’s classy and clean, and no random photos of just naked torsos. Good sign.

“You’re surprisingly blasé about this.” You laugh, eyes warm and surprised at how maturely Seungkwan delivers, only to laugh out loud at the sight of his burning ears.

You promised Seungkwan that you’ll check out the site but as soon as you got back to work, everything just swept you away.

That’s what happens when you work with kids.

Eyes warm with fondness, you quietly pat the bottom of one of your snoozing students. It’s nap time and your classroom has turned into some sort of sleepover area with all your students wrapped up with their soft blankets, nuzzling into their softer pillows. The early afternoon light filters into the room through the curtains, painting over the children with a soft glow.

Across you, another teacher takes the opportunity to get some of her own sleep in, curling herself protectively around two kids. Your classroom smells like baby powder and sweet treats, littered with small pastel chairs and tables. Its walls decorated with your students artworks and colorful cartoon characters.

This, this is one of the many moments that remind you why you became a pre-school teacher.

Many of your peers assumed it’s because of your designation. Omegas are naturally more inclined to take positions that require caretaking, given the innate desire to give care to others. Just like alphas are more likely to take positions that require leadership.

However, you muse, cooing as the young beta in front of you snuggle closer to your lap, many tend to gloss over the many manifestations of one’s designation. It’s true that by virtue of being an omega, you’re naturally more inclined to take care of your peers. Your so-called softness being the defining quality of your group.

But your omega manifestation is… a bit different. Sometimes, it makes you wonder how you got hired as a preschool teacher in the first place.

“Teach’r, sleepy time?”

Glancing down, you see the young beta pout at you. Waving away your thoughts, you slide down to her side and let the afternoon light lull you to sleep. All thoughts about your heat fading away quietly.

Soon, naptime was over and so is the day. Parents slowly trickle in, one after another, to pick up their children. Most of them harried from work, but still smiling at you and your co-teachers in gratitude.

“See you tomorrow, Rahui!” You call, as the last student leaves.

The little girl in her puffy sweater turns and smiles at you sweetly. “Bye, bye, teacher! Sleepy time!”

You flush at your student’s comment much to her mother’s confusion. After falling asleep earlier, you’d woken up to a clean classroom and several of your students hovering over you. Your pre-heat symptoms felt like they’re coming too fast for your taste.

Waving her off with a smile, you untie your apron and walk to the staff room where the others are. It’s almost 6 pm, and your daily staff meeting’s in session. In front of the room is your superior, an older bonded omega, with deep dimples on her cheek.

“Good job today, everyone.” She starts off, smiling at the soft cheers from everyone. “As you know…”

Your superior continues on to talk about the children’s upcoming activities. Vaguely, you hear her talk about a field trip, or is it a field demo? Shaking your head, you try to clear your thoughts but it seem like everything’s underwater, and no sound is escaping from her lips.

“… right, y/n?”

Blinking, you focus, and sent her a sheepish smile. “Sorry, you were saying?”

Your superior smiles forgivingly, “I was asking about that self-defense class you’ve been wanting to teach. When would you like to schedule it? Of course, pending approval with everyone’s schedule.”

Immediately, a large smile appears on your cheek. It’s approved?? You’ve been proposing that seminar for months. Most of the omega teachers were wary of the thought but warmed up to it recently. Especially when you mentioned how it’ll help them protect their kids – their students – more.

“How about two weeks from now?”

“Anytime!” You offer. The enthusiasm isn’t lost on your co-workers, some of them shaking their heads in amusement.

Your superior looks over your office board and hums at the chart. It contains all your schedules, including leaves, conferences to attend and heat cycles. With one look, your heart drops.

“Actually…” you start off, wincing at the thought of inconveniencing everyone because of your biology. “My heat is coming up in two weeks…”

Surprisingly, or not, omegas are actually quite liberal in discussing things like this. It’s simply part of the biology you live with. So your mortification is unfounded as your co-workers nod in understanding, quickly suggesting different dates.

Your superior nods, and glances at your work log book. “Well, we could schedule maybe four weeks from now to get you time to recover? Don’t forget to file your leave.”

Right.

“I still can’t believe she flew you in for her rut.” Jooheon’s laugh and disbelief reaches Shownu’s ears before he even steps inside. Smiling to himself, he finds his friends lounging in his living room, completely comfortable and completely unexpected.

Jooheon looks up at his arrival, “Hi, hyung! We let ourselves in!”

“I can see that.” Shownu nods in greeting, trying to remember who he gave his spare keys to. He’s pretty sure he didn’t make six copies of his set. Shrugging off his coat, he look on, realizing how his living room looks smaller with a bunch of guys occupying it. Jooheon and Minhyuk are on his couch, Changkyun’s on his stomach on the floor, playing with his phone and, Hyunwoo and Kihyun are by the window drinking a can of beer each.

That’s one, two, three… four, five…

“Hey, you’re home! And – are those protein bars?” The paper bag is snatched from his hand, before Shownu registers, blinking slowly as Wonho disappears once again into the kitchen.

The smell of jajjangmyeon invades his senses. Ah, yes, guys’ night.

Shortly after his arrival, everyone gathers in the dining room. With the two youngest improvising chairs out of the boxes Shownu hasn’t had the chance to unpack, having just moved into his new home a month ago.

To the eldest’s surprise, everyone pitched in with dinner, bringing different dishes and filling the dining table. Assorted cuts of meat are sizzling over the portable electric grill Wonho brought, several small plates of side-dishes and… are those buttered crabs he’s seeing? “What’s this?”

Minhyuk shoots him an amused glance over his beer, “You don’t really think we’ll let you off without a house warming, right?”

Shownu blinks, a small bashful smile forming on his lips, “But I’ve been here a month.”

An arm wraps around his shoulder and a weight shakes him back and forth. Kihyun rolls his eyes, getting into his personal space. “This is the first time we’ve been complete for a month! Just enjoy it!”

Jooheon hums, his cheeks filled with lettuce and meat from the grill. “Yeah, I mean, though it’s only Minhyuk-hyung that hasn’t been around, too busy getting his dick wet.”

“Oi!” their youngest protests, ears burning and nearly spitting out his drink. “We are eating.”

Wonho heartily “taps” Changkyun’s back, laughing. “We’re all adults here. It’s not as if you haven’t heard or said anything worse, Kyunie.”

“Yeah, daddy~” Hyungwon hits, reminding everyone of one very particular incident in college that featured a younger Changkyun and a girl from the bar, and the very thin walls of their shared apartment.

Changkyun flushes before rolling his eyes, “At least I get some. Can’t say the same to you.”

Scoffing, Minhyuk raises his hands, “Excuse me, I have no problem with that.”

Before Minhyuk starts to dive into his sexual exploits, Kihyun saves the day and shoves a piece of meat into his mouth and diverts the conversation to work.

Over food and drinks, Shownu and his friends catch up on their personal lives – not having as much time to get together as before. Not with Wonho’s celebrity coaching taking off, Jooheon and Changkyun’s new artist, Kihyun’s voice academy and Hyungwon’s and Minhyuk’s modelling.

Sometimes, Shownu feels left behind by the big dreams his friends are living but every day, he wakes up and goes home happy as a chef and food blogger. His appetite thanking him for the career path he chose. Besides, as Changkyun said, he could go big time if he wants, it’s just a matter of self-promotion which he’s terrible at given his shy personality.

Dinner passes by with a blur and they find themselves nursing their last beers when Jooheon circles back to Minhyuk’s vacation.

“So, hyung. How does it feel to fulfill your sugar baby dreams?” The young alpha jokes, his dimples appearing on his cheeks as he elbows Minhyuk.

Stars appear in the latter’s eyes and with a dreamy sigh, he responds jokingly, “Just as I’ve always dreamed.”

The one of the only two omegas of their group has never shied away from talking about his exploits, his looks and all the advantages he gets from it. Often, he jokes that’s why he became a model – to be admired and to fulfill his duties to the world and bless them with his godly looks.

“She flew me to her family’s island, and we spent her rut and my heat underneath the blanket of stars.” Minhyuk recounts, all dreamy-eyed, “I felt really spoiled.”

“I bet.” Kihyun remarked, smirking. “Is this the girl you’ve been telling us about?”

Ignoring Hyungwon’s cough of which one, Minhyuk nods, “Yes!” and turns to Shownu, “She’s actually friends with Nayeon – who, by the way, is asking me about you, hyung.”

Shownu blinks, before handing a can of beer to Wonho across him. “Me?”

“Yeah, she asked why you never called her.”

A chorus of ooh’s echoes in the room followed by a few gruff laughter. Shownu ducks his head and nurses his drink. Nayeon’s a nice girl, a model that he met when Minhyuk called in a favor for him to substitute as one of their shoot’s models after the original model called in sick. She gave him his number on a piece of paper before departing with a sultry look and a flying kiss.

Contrary to popular belief, Shownu is not dense – or, more like, he’s not that dense.

“Ah,” Shownu starts, “Um. I don’t think we’re looking for the same thing.”

Wonho pauses and eyes him, before levelling the younger guys with a look that has them catching their teasing remarks and keeping it to themselves. Wonho has known Shownu the longest and knows that though his friend’s an alpha, physically, through and through, his disposition often throws people off.

He’s soft when others are hard. Soft-spoken, patient like a saint and very careful with his actions and words. Wonho doesn’t even remember if he’s ever seen his friend get angry or aggressive in the span of their long friendship.

A romantic at heart, through and through.

“Well,” Kihyun claps, breaking the quiet, “You know, no point in pursuing something that you know’s a dead end, right?”

Minhyuk pouts, sometimes a little bit insensitive in his enthusiasm, “But she’s cute! And she’s an omega too! Besides – wait—how do you even deal with your ruts?”

Shownu’s face lights up like a lantern, the drinks doing nothing about the flush crawling up his neck. It’s not like he’s never spent it with someone, but every time, after the week of his rut, he always feel tired and empty. So for the past ruts, he’s been dealing with it - “Alone, with suppressants.”

“Yah, I thought you’d stopped taking those!”

Constant use of suppressants for an alpha fucks up their cycle and even their moods. Wonho knows this the best because he was on it for several months back in college, before he started becoming confident enough in his newfound muscles and height.

“I did.” Shownu nods, assuring his friends. “I don’t use them anymore. Just when I’m… you know. It’s just easier to deal with.”

All the alphas in the room scoff under their breaths. Yeah, it’s easy if easy felt like walking and dancing on hot coal in the middle of the hottest summer day. It’s not as if their eldest can’t get a woman just by standing by the bar, being his awkward self.

At their little corner, Jooheon and Changkyun glance at each other, years of friendship evident in their wordless communication. Changkyun tilts his head, eyes widening and jaw clenched, “Go”, he mouths.

Jooheon pouts, “Do you know how hard it is to get into their mixers, punk?”

Shrinking at Changkyun’s flat stare, Jooheon rolls his eyes and sends a prayer to the universe asking for good karma.

“Hyung, what do you think about dating services?”

Notes: The stage is set for our two protagonists! I tried to incorporate as much world-building and character backgrounds as I can without it being over the top. Please leave comments and asks! :) I’m trying to stick to weekly updates. Also, support Monsta X’s next comeback!

#shownu x reader #monsta x shownu #monsta x imagines #monsta x fanfiction #abo dynamics #seungkwan cameo appearance #because im a moncarat #seungkwan's a pimp #sort of #alpha shownu #omega reader #quite the lore for abo #monsta x comeback #monsta x x reader #monsta x #son hyunwoo fanfiction

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aereres · 4 years

Text

Christmas With The Mendes’ - Werewolf!Shawn AU

Summary: Shawn finds his mate in the streets of Toronto, and makes her spend her first real Christmas with his family.

A/N: Wanna try for the Christmas @shawnblrficawards so here I go...

Word Count: 1,4k

Warnings: none?

Christmas at the Mendes’ house was something amazing. The first time I experienced it was when I first met Shawn. It was during the most difficult time of my life, just when my parents kicked me out of their house because, as they said, I wasn’t something to be proud of.

I was shivering while sitting on a sidewalk in the periphery of Toronto, the cold air making its way down my lungs. I was hugging my small frame in my arms, trying to find some comfort and warming myself up, the jacket I was wearing too thin to keep me warm, maybe perfect for the spring’s chilly air.

It was Christmas Eve, most of the shops were closed and no one was supposed to be walking near here.

But there he came.

He was tall, he had a Christmas hat, too small for the nest of chocolate curls on top of his head, and his long legs were carrying him just towards me. He was handsome. I could sniff his cinnamon smell when he bent down in front of me.

“Hi,“ he said.

“Hi,“ I shivered, softly.

“Here, take this“ he handed me his big coat to wrap around my shoulders. “A beautiful girl like you shouldn’t be out here with this cold weather,“ he chuckled out.

“I’m Shawn,“ he smiled, revealing his fangs. He was a werewolf, just like most of my old friends.

“Y/N,” I said, shaking his hand. When our hands connected, I felt a spark spasm my whole body. A bunch of different emotions made their way to my brain as I looked at his face, both of us looking completely shocked.

“You’re my mate,“ he whispered, a hand resting on my cold cheek. “I found you”

“How can this be possible?” I said, too shocked for this whole conversation.

“I don’t know. But you can feel the sparks too, Y/N, I know you do,” Shawn said.

“I-I do,“ I whispered as I rested my hand on top of his, somehow feeling the connection between us.

“Do you have a place to stay?“ he asked after looking at me in the eyes for a couple of seconds.

“N-not really, “ I said, looking at the ground, ashamed of my conditions. His hand lifted my chin up so I could look at him in the eyes again, his filled with concern and... Love?

“Come with me, you can stay at my house,“ he said as he held my hand in his. My first thought was to just stay there in the cold air, I mean I didn’t know the guy, but my heart told my brain to give in and follow him. I nodded my head softly following him through the streets as I still felt sparks all over my body.

------

A small car ride later and we were facing a big family house, two other cars pulled up in the driveway. The front yard and the porch were surrounded by Christmas decorations and lights that illuminated the whole house.

Shawn held my hand as we walked to the front door, knocking with the other one as he looked at me. A man in his fifties opened the door, a shocked look on his face as he saw my small frame beside Shawn’s tall one.

“Son, I didn’t know you were such a gentleman with ladies. You got out of this house single ten minutes ago and got back with a girl by your side,” the man joked, fully opening the door for us to get in.

“Karen! Shawn brought someone home!“ he screamed at probably his wife in the kitchen preparing the food for the family dinner that night.

“Dad!” Shawn scolded his dad. “Y/N, this is my dad Manny, and that’s my mum Karen behind the counter,“ he said, growling softly at his dad.

“Hi, sir. Shawn, don’t growl at your dad!” I said, shaking Manny’s hand.

“C’mon sweetie, it’s not a big deal, call me Manny,“ he said as he took Shawn’s coat off my shoulders.

“Thanks, Manny,“ I said, a small smile playing on my lips as Shawn led me to the kitchen so I could properly greet his mother.

“Hi honey, call me Karen. Sorry, I can’t shake your hand right now,” she said with her sweet British accent as she kept making her cake.

“I’m Y/N. Do you need a hand, Karen?“ I said.

“No, don’t worry, hun. Go have some fun with your mate,” she winked as she shooed us away from the kitchen.

“How do they know?” I ask Shawn when we sit on the couch, facing the TV that played an old Christmas movie.

“I mind-linked them, and they can feel our connection,“ he said as he pulled me closer to his frame.

I felt it too, the connection. It was strange: I met this guy just half an hour ago and here I am, resting in his warm embrace like a long lost lover.

“It’s weird. You know, this mate stuff. I feel like I’ve known you for years but I just met you,“ I whispered as I looked up at him, my hand drawing patterns on his broad chest.

“I know, but I promise you we will keep it slow,“ he whispered, kissing my forehead softly.

“C’mon, you’re spending Christmas with us, let’s go get prepared,“ he said, patting my thigh as a way to tell me to stand up.

------

Dinner was amazing, the Mendes' were treating me like I was someone from their family and honestly, I've never felt that way with my own family. It was the best Christmas I've ever had.

I got to meet Aaliyah, Shawn's little sister, and her boyfriend Jordan and his parents. After staying at the dining table for more than two hours, we decided to get ready for bed. Instead of sleeping in the guest room, I decided to sleep with Shawn is his childhood room.

We laid down facing each other, one of his big hands on my hips, as we looked at each other in the eyes, the dim lights of the lamp on his bedside table making his already pretty face even prettier.

"Thank you" I whisper.

"For what, pup?"

"For helping me. I mean, without you at this point I would have been freezing in the streets of Toronto" I said, caressing his cheek.

“You don’t have to worry about that, it’s what everyone would have done,“ he said, kissing my forehead sweetly. “Go to sleep, pup. Tomorrow there’s gonna be my whole family over, it’s gonna be so exhausting,”

“Okay. Good night, Shawn,“

“Good night, pup,“

------

The next morning I woke up around eight, I made my way down the stairs and helped Karen with preparing all the food for Christmas Day. Aaliyah eventually made her way down the stairs half an hour later, helping her mum too.

Manny was the first man to come down, giving Karen a small peck on her lips and starting to make breakfast for everyone. After him, Jordan appeared in the kitchen, sweetly greeting everyone with a sleepy ‘good morning’ and kissing his girlfriend’s cheek.

Shawn was the last one to come down, his curls were all over the place as he scratched the back of his head, a yawn coming out of his oh too soft lips. He reached the kitchen, leaving a kiss on top of his sister’s and his mum’s heads, then moving onto me.

His long and muscular arms made their way around my waist, holding me close to his chest. “Merry Christmas, pup,“ he whispered as he kissed my temple, the simple gesture making my insides clench.

“Merry Christmas,“ I said too while I kept helping Karen with the meal.

“How’d you sleep?” he asked.

“Like a baby,” I giggled out as I rested my hands on top of his on my stomach.

“Same,” he said as he poured a cup of coffee for the both of us, making me sip from it every now and then.

“You’re the best Christmas present I’ve ever had,“ he whispered in my ear, not letting the others listen to what he just said. “Really, you won to my first guitar, pup,“ he chuckled.

“Are you really comparing me to a guitar, Mendes?“ I giggled.

“Sorry,“ he laughed out, kissing my cheek softly.

And it was at that moment that I realized how lucky I was: to have someone who really loved me, a family that treated me like I belonged with them, to see my future right in my lover’s eyes.

I was the luckiest person I knew, and I couldn’t stop the happiness that radiated off me because of it.

All just because of him: my man, my lover, my mate.

#love #christmas #shawn #shawn mendes #werewolf #mates #nominee

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istheresomebodywhocanimagine · 5 years

Text

Tomorrow Never Came PT. 13

The final installment of the Tomorrow Never Came time travel series with your favorite soft boy, Roger Taylor. Thank you so much for reading all the way through, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Finishing the last few paragraphs was quite emotional, but it was time to say goodbye to this series. So read on and hopefully enjoy! :))

“Forty-one, forty-two, forty-three, forty-four-“

“One, one, one, one,” Roger counted over you, speaking excessively loud, and you laughed as you shoved him away, losing count of the train cars in the process. “What?! I’m just counting!”

“You’re insufferable,” you giggled, leaning into his side as his arm automatically went around you, his legs kicking out and swinging back and forth as they dangled over the edge of the bridge that passed over the tracks below. He was warm, a welcome respite from the chilly fall air around the two of you, and he felt a shiver run through your body as you rested your head on his shoulder.

“Cold?” he observed, smiling softly when he saw you nod minutely, and the action made him draw the blanket tighter around the two of you, swaddling you both into the heavy quilted material. “Hey, in the future, do you lot still have trains?”

“Yes, Roger,” you snickered, closing your eyes as you felt the last of the train rumble by underneath you.

“What about…. Clogs? Please say no.”

“Not even shitting you, they become rubber. But they lose the height for the most part, thank god for that. Don’t tell Brian.” Roger laughed at that, resting his head on yours as the twilight sky dwindled around the two of you, making it hard for him to see much farther past the tracks below.

“I won’t tell him,” Roger replied softly, turning to press a kiss to the top of your head that was so soft and sincere that you opened your eyes, looking up to him with a bashful smile. His big, blue eyes met yours, and an abundance of affection overflowed from the irises, his pupils dilated noticeably as he smiled back at you, leaning down to capture your lips in a chaste, sweet kiss.

There was no affection in those baby blues, not now. As the door next to you opened, you whipped your head around to find Freddie and Roger stepping out, their conversation faltering when Roger’s eyes met yours. No affection at all. Curiosity, maybe a spark of it, but as far as Roger was concerned, you were just another pretty resident in the building, and so both men headed down the hallway as Roger started to complain about roommates again.

“If we don’t get another roommate by next month, Freddie, we’re toast.” The stack of flyers and a stapler were in his hand again, Freddie nodding in agreement and brushing his bangs out of his face.

“Think we could make Bri drop out and movie in with us?” Freddie questioned, Roger sighing in response and shaking his head.

“How could he graduate in ’74 if he didn’t keep going?” And then they were gone, leaving you with the crushing realization that a year’s worth of adoration, love, and respect was gone. You were nothing more than an insignificant speck in the life of Roger Taylor, and he could care less about the woman he’d just spotted carrying a pink dress in the hallway of his apartment building.

“Oh, God,” you croaked out, staring down the empty hallway in absolute distress. You were heartbroken, a few tears leaking out of your eyes as the world came crashing down before you. It was all reversed. Everything was the same again. Everything was right, except for you and Roger. So much of you still longed for him, for his voice, his eyes, his touch, his love. You longed for what it was like before, when you could crawl into bed with him at night and listen to him talk about his day, play with his hair until he fell asleep. Gone were the days where he’d saunter into the café, checking you out and deliberately sitting in your section so that he could playfully harass you while you worked.

Always in good fun – everything about Roger was fun. His intelligent jokes, his smile, his drunken antics, his date ideas, the way he danced around you while you made both of them breakfast. The way he’d try to elbow his way in and help sometimes, or distract you by feeding you blueberries. But he’d always compliment you on the food, no matter what, and said you were the second best personal chef he’d ever had. When prompted for the first, he always said his mom would be number one out of obligation, even though you were loads better. ‘But don’t tell her that!’ he’d begged, suddenly looking a bit afraid, and he’d whined when you teased him about it for hours afterwards.

You’d miss nothing more than those moments. He was so playful, so exciting to be around, and yet, you knew you’d miss the more intimate, serious moments just as much. When he’d rub your back, listening to you vent about a rude customer, and never interrupt as you got heated about the way they’d sent back their dish three times before they were finally happy. Talking about your frustrations, about world issues, about personal issues until the wee hours of the morning with him and Freddie, falling asleep on his lap when you got too sleepy. And he’d tuck you in when he and Freddie shuffled back to their rooms, Freddie always bringing out an extra pillow.

Damn, you’d miss Freddie just as much. Your other roommate and closest confidant besides Roger. He was so loving, so flamboyant, and so clever. God, if he only knew what an impact he’d make on the world in the near future, he’d keel over. His mind was unexplainable, an enigma that would shake the music industry and the entire world in the next couple decades. And that’s what was the most harrowing and simultaneously inspiring about his situation – he would only take two decades to make an impression on the known universe, doing work that took some people a lifetime to accomplish. Your smart, witty, adoring roommate Freddie Bulsara deserved everything, and you wish you could tell him that.

But that was impossible now. Strangers once again, you had no idea how to approach the two best friends you’d ever had. All of those memories were false now, distant and fabricated now that the timeline you’d just experienced was genuinely toast. But you couldn’t just leave it at this, cut it off all of a sudden without at least one more look, one more conversation.

And you supposed that’s what possessed you to remain far past your welcome again, leading you to be sitting here on the barstool of some pub down the road that you remembered Roger frequenting a lot in the early days of your stay. You’d changed into the Biba dress, having stuffed your regular clothes back into the closet you’d emerged from, and you were sipping on some lager that you bought with the money for the stupid Guinness your mom had given you. Thankfully, the bartender didn’t check the date of the notes before pouring the drink – you didn’t even want to think about what would have happened if they had.

Freddie was just walking in when you got the beer halfway down, and he was beaming at someone he’d recognized, pulling them into a warm, firm hug that only lasted a second or two. And then came Roger a few seconds later, followed by Brian and Mary. They were all in good spirits despite the roommate situation, and you wondered if they’d got the flyers up when you realized that Mary was eyeing you curiously, then whispering something to Rog and patting his back before seeming to excuse herself. Rog glanced your way, and for a brief second, recognition flickered on his face. Your heart stopped, and though it was impossible, a small part of your mind wanted to believe that somehow, everything hadn’t been erased. But then he was looking away again, off to greet the guy that Freddie had just hugged. You didn’t get a chance to see if it was someone familiar, though, because Mary was making a beeline for you, for whatever reason.

A million thoughts whirred through your brain all at once, but you tried to remain calm as the bright-eyed blonde came up to the bar next to you, ordering a beer before turning to face you with a curious, almost somewhat envious look.

“I love your dress,” she commented, and you looked down at the velvety pink fabric in befuddled surprise. Smoothing out the skirt slowly, you lifted your head again and shot her a convincing smile, trying to keep your breathing calm.

“Thank you, yours is gorgeous as well!” It wasn’t a lie. She was in a pink dress as well, a chiffon cocktail dress with bell sleeves that slimmed her up even more, and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t wish you had that dress on instead right now. The crushed velvet, although pretty, wrinkled very fast.

“Do you work at Biba?” she asked, seemingly offhanded as she grabbed her beer, taking a sip of it and smiling. The smile faltered on your face as you stared at her in confusion, and she took it as an opportunity to continue. “It’s just that I didn’t think that design was hitting shelves for months! It was supposed to be a fall/winter exclusive, how’d you manage to snag it so early?”

“I don’t work there,” you laughed nervously, reaching up to tug at the bottom of your hair as you looked off nowhere in particular and tried to fabricate a lie. But the best you could come up with was weak at best. “I just know people, if that makes any sense.”

“You must know some pretty important people then,” Mary remarked, smiling encouragingly after you giggled nervously. “I’m Mary. I actually do work at Biba, if you want to put in a good word for me with the boss. Mary Austin.”

“Mary Austin.” You repeated her name softly, moving your mug of beer so it was in both hands, clasped tightly as you turned to face her on the barstool more. “I’ll have to remember that, yeah. I’m Y/N.”

Mary nodded as you introduced yourself, but her attention was directed elsewhere as she heard her name called out by Freddie, who was waving at her from across the bar. When he saw you, though, he raised an eyebrow quizzically before his brain put two and two together. Once he recognized you as the girl from the hallway earlier, his mouth formed into an o-shape for a second before he grabbed Roger’s arm and said something you couldn’t even begin to pick up from just reading his lips. Roger licked his own lips as you watched, focusing on Freddie speaking intently before looking back at you and nodding. Then, the both of them were headed towards you, Mary making a quiet noise of acknowledgement.

“Sorry, that’s my boyfriend and his roommate. They don’t have inside voices, be warned.” Giggling softly, a wondrous smile lingered on your lips as you fixated on Roger helplessly, unable to take your eyes off of him and his unbelievably confident strut over to the two of you.

“Was there a pink dress code thing tonight I was unaware of? You never tell me anything, Mary,” Freddie pouted playfully as he gave her a kiss on the cheek, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. When Mary only laughed, he smiled down at her for a moment and rolled his eyes teasingly before looking up to you. You were still watching Roger as he joined the fray, resting his weight on one foot and giving you a pleasant smile. “I don’t believe we even slowed down to get your name earlier, you were in our flat complex, weren’t you?”

After a pregnant pause, you finally registered that he was talking to you and you inhaled sharply, nodding before tearing your eyes away from Roger and shooting a nervous smile at Freddie. “Yeah, I live there. I was… trying to find the utility closet. Sorry if I scared you both.”

“Oh, no worries, love, we were just leaving.” Roger’s voice made you jump, and your heart began to race as you met his gaze, his lively blue eyes holding a hint of amusement at your flustered state. “Not sure you’d be able to get anything in that one next to our flat anyways, the light never works.”

A small ‘oh’ left your lips, and you chewed on the inside of your cheek before Mary took the liberty of introducing you all. Or, rather, attempting. It made your heart hurt, the fact that all of those memories with these two men were absolutely nothing more than that anymore – a memory. “Y/N, this is Freddie, my boyfriend.” A quick pat to Freddie’s chest made you nod, holding back a pained expression at the rambunctious spirit that you could no longer call your best friend standing opposite of you. “And this is Roger, but we call him Rog most of the time.”

“Rog,” you whispered, your eyes searching his face for a moment, just lost in the fact that he was so unfamiliar with you now, and yet he still had that same undying smirk.

“This is Y/N, boys. I was talking to her about her dress, apparently she knows some pretty high up people at Biba because this beauty doesn’t come out till August!” she exclaimed, squeezing Freddie’s side. He hummed in appreciation, Mary continuing on after sipping her beer a bit. “So, she’s going to put in a good word for me with the higher-ups and hopefully I can get off the floor.”

“Why would you want off the floor?” Roger asked curiously, eyeing Mary with a guarded look, but she seemed to see right through him as she moved her beer to the other hand, rolling her eyes and running a hand through the back of Freddie’s hair.

“You can still go ogle at the girls on the floor, Rog, I don’t need to be down there for you to find an excuse to do that.” Now it was Roger’s turn to roll his eyes, and he dismissively waved at Mary before looking back to you shaking his head.

“She’s joking.”

“She’s not joking,” Freddie immediately added, Roger whining a bit and giving his roommate a ‘What the fuck?’ look before crossing his arms and again turning back to face you.

“Whatever. Mary’s right, it is a beautiful dress. Very sweet-looking… flirty, like a little Cupid’s bow and arrow type thing.” Ouch. Your small smile faltered a bit as the mention of Cupid, and memories of Valentine’s Day edged their way into your mind. Taking a deep breath, you forced them out and pushed the smile back on your face, even if it was a bit fake.

“Thank you. You’ve got good taste, clearly.” Mary’s knowing gaze shifted from you to Roger, then back to Freddie, and Freddie only laughed before deciding to let go of his girlfriend and grab a drink from the bar, leaving the conversation to just you and not-your-boyfriend-anymore. “I wonder, do you go to Biba often to browse the selection?”

Mary snorted at that, barely audible due to her back being turned to the both of you, but Roger only looked mildly annoyed with her as he rubbed the side of his neck, pushing some of his golden brown locks back over his shoulder. “Not as often as Mary thinks I do, that’s for sure. But you can’t blame a man, can you?”

“For what?” you questioned, your grip still tight on your beer as you turned to face him fully on your barstool, crossing your leg. It was eerie, sitting here and chatting with Roger as though he was a stranger. You wanted to go back to the flat with him, smoke out of his window, listen to a few records, and help each other make dinner like old times. But now, if you were leaving this bar with him to go back to that flat at the end of the night, it wouldn’t be for those intentions. This time, you were nothing more than eye candy to Roger, and it killed you inside. To know that you weren’t that person to Roger anymore, no matter how much he was that person to you? Devastating.

“For….” Roger paused for a moment, seeming to be looking for the right words as he smiled a bit to himself and cast his gaze to the right momentarily. “For appreciating the female existence in all its shapes and forms, regardless of aesthetic standards and relative beauty.” An exaggerated gagging noise from Mary, and the other two made their way back across the bar, leaving the two of you alone.

“Wow,” you drawled out as you watched Freddie go, feigning surprise that he’d just pulled together such a beautiful sentence. After a moment, you let your gaze wander back to Roger, and you smiled slightly. “Smart and cute, what a catch.”

Roger looked rather pleased with himself after your comment, that self-assured smirk that had made you fall in love before playing at the corners of his lips. His hands slid into his pockets as he shifted his weight to the other foot, giving you a quick once-over. It set butterflies off in your stomach, ones that refused to be ignored as a light blush settled on your cheeks. You attempted to hide the blush by lifting your beer to down the rest, but he’d already seen.

“I’d like to think so. You’re pretty fit yourself, how come I haven’t seen you around the building more?” When you sat the empty glass on the bar, he pulled his wallet out of his pocket as he approached the open stool next to you, tossing a few notes on the bar and calling for two more drinks before climbing onto the stool and raising an eyebrow at you. “What were you having? It’s on me.”

“Uh, lager, thank you,” you replied quietly, turning to face the bar again and leaning forward on your elbows as the bartender fulfilled the request. Roger gripped the edge of the bar tightly with one hand, propping his head up on the other hand as he watched you curiously. You realized he was still waiting for an answer as the bartender served both of you the respective drinks he’d ordered, and you cleared your throat before taking a sip. “I just moved in. I’m new around here, so…”

“Well, as resident intellectual and Kensington specialist, I’d love to show you around the city a bit, if you’d like, that is?” he offered, also taking a sip of his drink as he let the offer sit on the table. The brief thought that you could stay a bit longer and have one last fling with Roger suddenly occurred to you. After all, what would one last time hurt?

Everything. It would ruin everything. As strong as you thought you could be, you know that one time would lead to another, and then leaving him after getting attached again would probably be worse than the first time.

Looking around at the bar patrons for a moment before settling on Roger, you sighed inwardly. This was your home, your everything, but it was never meant to be. As much as you desperately wanted to stay here and spend the rest of your life with Roger, you knew that Weston was right. But Roger was patient as you once again ran through your inner turmoil (shocker). He ran the calloused pad of his middle finger along the side of his glass and collected some beer that had spilled over before swiping it over his tongue just briefly, his blue eyes catching yours. You couldn’t decide between staring at his tongue that just barely poked through his teeth or the Tiffany blue irises framed by pretty blonde lashes.

Damn it, he was too tempting. “Sounds exciting. What about right now?”

“Right now?” he questioned, raising a light eyebrow in surprise. When you responded by chugging down the rest of your beer and jumping off your stool, an amused look came onto his face as he slid off the barstool as well, finishing his drink. “I guess we are going right now. Let me go back over and tell Freddie I’ll be home later. Wait here, yeah?”

“Alright,” you agreed, smiling up at him and hugging your waist as he began to head over to the table, glancing back at you once or twice in wonder before he got there. And you intended on waiting, really, but something distracted you.

Well, someone. Propped up against the doorframe next to the entrance was Weston, and your blood ran cold. You were sure that every trace of happiness in your expression as well as your body disappeared, and instead a defiant look took its place. But as much as it was defiant, there was also a defeat evident, a hardened way that your jaw set, and Weston could tell you were pissed as you glanced at Roger one more time before reluctantly making your way towards Weston, lips pressed into a thin line.

No words were exchanged as you passed him, bursting out onto the street angrily and storming back towards the building. But Weston just followed, an ‘I told you so’ lingering on the tip of his tongue as he was just a couple steps behind you, hands shoved in his pockets.

“I mean, I’d say it, but you already know what I’m going to say based on the fact that I didn’t trust you enough to leave you alone here again.”

“Save it, Weston,” you hissed as you held up a hand over your shoulder, signaling for him to stop talking while you were still in such a livid state. “I can’t tell whether I want to punch you or cry right now. Or both.”

“Hey, kid, I know how you feel. Trust me. I’d let you punch me, but that would just be stupid.” You rolled your eyes at that, a few tears threatening to spill over as you refused to turn and look at him, instead rounding the last corner before you’d be headed straight down to the cursed old flat building. “You just wanted to try it one more time, yeah? With him?”

“Why does it even matter to you?” you muttered, angrily wiping away the tears, but you slowed down a bit, letting him catch up to you and match your pace. “Yes. I wanted to see him one more time. Quitting cold turkey kind of sucks. Like, a lot.”

“You’re preaching to the choir,” Weston chuckled, crossing the street with you and looking around at London for a moment before sighing and tapping his fingers against his thighs. “Listen, I tried countless ‘one more times’ with Abigail. It will never get better. You’re only making yourself more miserable.”

“Yeah. I know.” He didn’t seem surprised by your answer, and said nothing as you reached the door to the stairs, his hand immediately going out to pull them open and let you in. Following you in and up the stairs, nothing was left to be said until you’d both reached the door, the sign staring at you like a death warrant as you slowed to a stop, brushing away a few more tears. “Thanks for coming to get me. I know that you just didn’t want to see me get hurt, but I had to see him again. Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.” Taking a deep breath, he exhaled slowly before reaching out and opening the door, holding it for you. “You did what any normal human would do. We all want what we can’t have.”

“Yeah.” You stared at the darkened closet, a bundle of your clothes laying just inside the doorframe. Snatching them up and clutching them to your chest, you closed your eyes and shook your head. “Yeah, you’re right. Thanks.”

And then you marched forward into the pitch black abyss of the utility closet, Weston’s eyes following you the whole way.

Lake Geneva was beautiful, if a bit cold. It wasn’t overcast in Montreux, but a looming dark cloud in the distance threatened to soak everyone headed into Casino Barrière, including you.

It was Freddie’s 73rd Birthday Party. As pricey as the tickets were, you’d managed to save up enough to snatch one before they were gone, with promises of one singular complimentary drink and a t-shirt, plus a cover band playing The Miracle album front to back. And you knew Roger would be there. Sure, it wouldn’t be the Roger you knew, but it was worth trying to catch a glimpse of the one who got away at some point that night.

Since last year, you’d visited Weston quite a bit. As much as you knew he thought you were still a kid, weak and willing to succumb to every temptation, you actually grew to enjoy his company a lot. And he enjoyed yours, even going so far as cleaning up his guest room whenever he knew you were coming. It was an odd relationship, sure, but he felt like a father to you, and he decided you weren’t as spineless as he’d originally thought.

Dan wasn’t trying anymore. A long, tear-filled intervention with you and Weston put a stop to the attempts, and now the portal was patched up and made to look like a part of the wall, the door never to be opened again. Now, it was your apartment.

Sure, it was painful looking at that church every day, but since you’d checked your mom into assisted living facilities, the cheap rent and familiar location served as a new home to you. The café you’d worked at had closed down, but you frequented the coffee shop that had sprung up in its place. And although you weren’t alone by any means, there were times that the loneliness was overwhelming.

Now was not one of those times. In the true spirit of keeping Freddie’s legacy alive, the crowd was lively, animated, and all decked out in silly hats. Freddie had apparently held a silly hat party for his 40th back in 1986, and this had been chosen for the theme this year as the casino came alive with Queen fans, family, and friends alike. People were so nice, chatting with anyone they’d see, and you’d met quite a few lovely people by the time the night was dwindling to a close. People were slowly filtering out after the cover band had played the last song and had been replaced by the regular live band, and you decided to just get one more drink and stay a bit longer at the casino. Even though you hadn’t seen Roger, you still felt like a night hadn’t been wasted as you climbed onto the barstool that was at one corner, waiting patiently for the bartender to help you while you scrolled on your phone.

Deep into Twitter, you almost didn’t notice the glass of white sparkling wine placed in front of you, but you looked up at the bartender as he cleared his throat, nodding over to the far side of the bar. “Gentleman down there already paid for it. Cheers.” With that, the bartender was gone, and you shifted your gaze over to find a white-haired, bearded older man with robin’s-egg eyes, staring you down very curiously.

It took you a moment to register who it was, but you had to choke on the surprised noise in your throat as Roger climbed off his stool carefully, sidling over and taking the stool on the other side of the corner, a respectful distance away. “Didn’t mean to alarm you, love. What’s your name?”

His voice was still so soft, if a bit more raspy than you remembered, and you felt a bit dizzy as you let your fingers wrap around the stem of the wine glass, swirling it a bit. “It’s okay. I just didn’t expect anyone to buy me a drink,” you managed to respond, a bit too quiet, but then you cleared your throat in an attempt to not sound so overwhelmed. “Y/N. Thank you for the drink. You didn’t have to-“

“I wanted to, don’t worry,” he laughed, cutting you off before you could sell yourself short. “You were alone and looked like you could use one. I’m Roger, by the way.” His eyes shifted to the hat you’d placed on the bar next to you, and another chuckle left his lips, the laugh so inviting and familiar that you had to take a sip of wine to distract yourself. Music started playing over the speaker that seemed to be in the kitchen that was just past the bar, and you couldn’t help but smile as All Along The Watchtower’s familiar wailing guitar started in.

“Hendrix,” you both mused at the same time, an embarrassed blush painting your cheeks a soft red as Roger laughed, looking towards the kitchen and giving you a chance to take him in. He was far more wrinkled than the last time you’d seen him, obviously, but that didn’t take away from the playful gleam in his eyes, the smirk that constantly played at his lips. He looked good in a beard, you decided, but there was still a part of your heart that longed for the wavy, dirty blonde shoulder-length locks of the 70’s. Scruffy looked good on Roger, but he’d cleaned up since then, and he looked unbelievably spotless and quite young for his age. Then, he began to speak, drawing you out of your trance as he turned his head to look at you again.

“I always loved Hendrix. Thought that he did this piece loads better than-“

“Bob Dylan. Of course.” You nodded in agreement, sipping at the wine again and smiling at the memory of laying in Roger’s room long before you were ever an item, listening to him go on and on about how much better Hendrix’s interpretation was.

“You know your stuff!” he remarked in amusement, hitting his fist down against the bar lightly in emphasis. “Who taught you?”

“My boyfriend,” you answered honestly, face screwing up for a moment before you shook your head. “Well, my ex. He loved Hendrix, Zeppelin, Van Morrison. He even liked Bob Dylan…. Just liked Hendrix a bit more.”

“Well, he’s got great taste in music, then.” Roger was all smiles, and it hurt your heart to see him so blissfully ignorant of the fact that you were talking about him. It was him who loved Hendrix, who idolized Led Zeppelin, who thought that Bob Dylan was good, but Hendrix was just on another level, so much better.

“Yeah,” you replied softly, scanning over his face for a moment before averting your eyes to the live band on the opposite end of the ballroom, playing some slow, brass-heavy tune that clashed with the sound of Hendrix. “He had the best taste in music. Had a good ear for it.”

The live band switched into another song, a slower one, and Roger noticed your eyes lingering on them as he followed your line of vision. After seeming to ponder it for a moment, he turned back to you and nodded towards the dance floor, raising an eyebrow. “Do you like to dance?”

A furious blush returned to your cheeks as you finished off the wine, sitting the glass farther away from you and flicking your tongue out over your lower lip to clean the remaining wine off. “I’m afraid I’m no good at that. Ex never taught me how to dance, he wasn’t like that. Too much happening up here.” You tapped on your head, knowing that it was only hurting you more to talk about Roger with Roger, but it wasn’t like he’d ever know. His unwavering gaze stayed on you, though, and you pursed your lips before laughing a bit. “I do like to dance, though. Don’t get that opportunity often.”

“Well, we’ll just have to get you out there, then.” With that, Roger got off his stool and held out his arm. “No use in wasting an opportunity.”

The offer remained on the table as you glanced from his arm up to his eyes, chewing on the inside of your cheek as conflict raged on inside your head. Would it hurt to do this? Probably. Would you be sad once it was over? Definitely. But the realization that doing this only put you in danger was putting your mind at ease. Even when you said yes to this dance, you wouldn’t be risking anybody’s health but your own by doing so. Roger would be safe, and that was okay with you.

Leaving your things on the bar, you slid off your stool and linked your arm into his, beaming up at him. “Lead the way.”

Grinning just as wide, Roger looked forward again and led the two of you onto the dance floor. Once there, his hand took ahold of your gently as his other hand came to rest on your waist, and the two of you began slowly swaying to the music as you let your free hand come to rest on his arm. This was something that was somewhat unfamiliar, the soft, dancing side of Roger having come out very rarely in the year you’d spent with him. But it was nice, and you couldn’t have wiped the smile off your lips if you’d tried.

“To be honest with you,” Roger started, his voice just audible over the strong melodies and harmonies of the live band, “I bought you a drink because you reminded me of a time when I was younger.”

A mild panic fluttered in your heart as you tried to think of the safest way to navigate the subject. You didn’t particularly want to expose time travel to him, well, ever, so this was a tricky subject to tiptoe around. “Did you buy a lot of girls drinks when you were younger?”

“If I had the money!” he laughed, rolling his eyes at himself before shaking his head. “Even if I didn’t have the money, I usually did anyways. Bought drinks all the time for beautiful ladies at the bar, like yourself. You actually look like someone I probably bought a drink for back in my college days, but that’s-“

“Impossible,” you finished for him, confirming what he assumed to be true as you tried to subdue the shake in your hands from nerves.

“Sure you didn’t have a grandma in the area?” he asked playfully, and you laughed out a negative as you avoided his gaze, instead dropping your own to the boutonniere he had stuffed partially in his front pocket. The swaying motion of your bodies, in sync, was almost sleep-inducing, but it would have been a bit out of pocket for you to fall asleep in his arms like that. That wasn’t your privilege anymore. “Figured. It’s all a blur, so maybe I’m just imagining things. Wishful thinking... Happens a lot when you get older.”

“Maybe so,” you agreed softly, a small smile gracing your lips for a moment as you looked back up to him. His eyes were just as beautiful as the first day you’d looked into them, and you got lost for a moment before continuing. “Thank you for asking me to dance. It’s nice – not a lot of guys my age like dancing.”

“When I was your age, I really didn’t either, so I don’t blame them,” Roger chuckled, twirling you carefully before speaking again once he’d rested his hand on your waist respectfully. “But I grew to appreciate it when I got older. Decided that it was sweet. A lot changes between now and then. Plus, my wife enjoys it, so I’ve got to keep the missus happy, right?”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” you practically whispered, the live band slowing to a stop. Taking a deep breath, you forced a smile onto your lips as you gave him a hug, ignoring the unfamiliar cologne that now lingered on his collar. “Thank you again. Have a good one, yeah?.”

“You too,” he murmured, reciprocating a friendly hug before letting go of you and nodding amiably. A sweet smile rested on his lips, and you had to take one last glance before you turned away, heading back towards the bar slowly. It seemed like time had stopped momentarily as you grabbed your hat, heading for the back exit of the casino/resort that led to the lakeside, and you didn’t feel like you’d stepped out of slow-motion until you reached the edge of the lake, leaning over the railing.

It was dark now, the impending storm directly overhead and obscuring any moonlight, so the only lights around were reflecting off of the lake’s surface. The water lapping up against the rocks below looked pitch black, and you stared down at it, entranced by the beauty of the rhythmic waves. You were so focused on the water that you hardly noticed the light rain that began to fall, a welcome, gentle force that contrasted with the angry black clouds that the tiny raindrops fell out of. And as you felt yourself getting soaked to the bone, you couldn’t help but smile, letting a few teardrops of your own mix with the water gathering on your skin.

Maybe he wasn’t yours, and maybe it didn’t work out, but he was alright, and that was alright with you. Things weren’t as bad as they could be, and that was okay. Everything was okay, you decided.

Life would go on.

PT. 1 PT. 2 PT. 3 PT. 4 PT. 5 PT. 6 PT. 7 PT. 8 PT. 9 PT. 10 PT. 10.5 PT. 11 PT. 12

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forestwater87 · 6 years

Text

Underrated Characters Appreciation Weeks I’m too lazy to set up....

...but I’m proud of myself for having created. So if y’all wanna adopt any of these, you can go wild (please tag me though! I wanna see them!). Otherwise, shower me with praise.

(They’re very writing-heavy and often just a list of questions, so if you borrow anything feel free to tweak as suits your inspiration; the questions/suggestions are really just to get people thinking!)

I’m gonna put them below the cut so it doesn’t get too long, but you have to look forward to:

Jasper Appreciation Week

Cameron Campbell Appreciation Week

Gwen Appreciation Week

Bonquisha Appreciation Week

Dirty Kevin Appreciation Week

QM Appreciation Week

Other Secondary Characters Appreciation Week

Elevated Extras Appreciation Week

Nerris Appreciation Week

Space Kid Appreciation Week

Ered Appreciation Week

Harrison Appreciation Week

Dolph Appreciation Week

Nikki Appreciation Week

Preston Appreciation Week

Nurf Appreciation Week

Flower Scouts Appreciation Week

Woodscouts Appreciation Week

Jasper Appreciation Week

Who doesn’t love this good good ghost boy?

Day 1: 90s Kid -- Depict Jasper doing something radical.

Day 2: Jasper’s Camp -- Show off Jasper’s time as Camp Campbell’s golden boy.

Day 3: David -- It’s the only character he has a real canon relationship with . . .

Day 4: Life After Death -- What does he do with himself on that there island all day?

Day 5: All Grown Up -- We’ve all thought about it.

Day 6: Best Friend to Campers -- Pick a non-David character and develop his relationship with them.

Day 7: Spookily Ever After -- How does Jasper’s story end? On Spooky Island forever? Leaving this realm? Becoming the camp’s new mascot? Or was he somehow alive the whole time? Let your imagination go wild!

Cameron Campbell Appreciation Week

He’s sleazy. He’s morally bankrupt. He’s everyone’s favorite non-blonde-twink villain!

Day 1: Shady Business Dealings -- What’s Campbell up to when he’s not at camp? What does he want with Camp Campbell? Was that Nazi gold in his vault? Something’s fishy here, and I’m curious what everyone thinks is going on.

Day 2: Mysterious Past -- How on earth does someone like Campbell happen, anyway? This could be stuff about his childhood, how he got into . . . whatever illegal nonsense he’s up to, how he met QM, even how he got away with not getting in trouble for what happened to Jasper.

Day 3: Spooky Island -- Seriously, what on earth was going on in that house? Focus on the coolest/creepiest thing in there and go nuts.

Day 4: Fears & Other Random Headcanons -- Basically your Free Space day.

Day 5: Boss Man -- Focusing specifically on his relationships with the counselors.

Day 6: (Relation)Ships -- Yeah, yeah, gotta have it somewhere. This one is pretty open to interpretation, and should be considered platonic or not. Just depict the most interesting/fun relationship you think Campbell has. Is that cold black heart even capable of affection, anyway? (If you think he’s a foxy grandpa, go wild today.)

Day 7: What Happens Next? -- Is he gonna ever leave that cave? Team up with Daniel? Gone for good? What’s up ahead for the most notorious criminal who’s ever run a summer camp?

Gwen Appreciation Week

I mean, come on. You knew I was gonna do it.

Day 1: Background -- There are a lot of interesting headcanons about Gwen’s backstory, cultural heritage, etc. City girl or country bumpkin, Latina or African-American or rich or poor or college dropout or whatever, pick what you think is the most interesting headcanon for Gwen (something that’s related to her time before the show, that is) and go nuts.

Day 2: Favorite Camper -- Pick one of the kiddos and have them bond with their grumpiest caregiver.

Day 3: All Dolled Up -- She’s always in that counselor uniform. What does she look like outside of camp?

Day 4: Ships -- Obviously.

Day 5: That Tragic Plot Twist -- If you have an idea what makes Gwen such a grumpy disaster of panic and unemployment -- or just want to have fun making things unnecessarily dark for such a lighthearted cartoon which I know you do; I’ve read the fanfiction -- it’s time to unleash the angst.

Day 6: Anywhere Else -- AUs! AUs in all directions! Gwen doesn’t want to be at camp, so let’s plop her into another world where she might be happier . . . or might not be.

Day 7: A Campbell Camper? Whether you think Gwen was one of the kids who grew up at Camp Campbell or not, I think we’d all agree it’d be fun to imagine.

Bonquisha Appreciation Week

Because she deserves it and will probably kill you if you don’t appreciate her enough.

Day 1: Those Wild Shirts -- Draw her in another fantastic outfit, or speculate where her amazing fashion sense (and vanity plates) came from. She has a filthy mouth and a whole lotta confidence, and the first day of this week is to celebrate that!

Day 2: Home Sweet Trailer -- Put her in her house on 69 Dirt Rd. and think about what kinds of things a girl like Bon would call home.

Day 3: Dog -- She has one. Tell us about it!

Day 4: Work/Hometown HCs -- What does someone even do in a town that small? Whether you think she’s a waitress alongside that cute pink-haired gal, or if she lives out of town and drove up to see David, ponder a little bit of what Bonquisha does in or around Sleepy Peak and show it to us.

Day 5: Bonvid -- How did that relationship with David crash and burn so hard, anyway? And what does it look like after that episode?

Day 6: Other Relationships -- Bonquisha vs. Tabii, or Gwenquisha, or bffs with Dirty Kevin, or any sort of connection you’d like to expand upon or forge between Bon-Bon and another character in the show. Hell, draw her and Jacob if you think that’s cute; it’s canon, after all.

Day 7: Muscles to Die For -- She’s big and beautiful and could absolutely murder everyone. Let’s just spend out last day appreciating how very much of a badass Bonquisha is.

Dirty Kevin Appreciation Week

The very goodest alternative Den Mother there ever was.

Day 1: Probably a Real Brat -- What was he like as a kid or teenager?

Day 2: Drugs & More Drugs -- Show us Kevin hard at work or tell us how he got into this crazy business.

Day 3: That Red Hoodie -- It’s kind of his trademark, and this is a day to appreciate it.

Day 4: From Sleepy Peak to Mexico -- Take your favorite part from Kevin’s debut appearance and do something fun with it.

Day 5: Den Mommy -- We’ve all thought about Dirty Kevin as a Flower Scout mother, and if you haven’t, you’re lying.

Day 6: Cleaned Up -- Get him a nice facial grooming and some good clothes, and you could have a handsome gentleman right there. What on earth would that look like?

Day 7: Not Such a Lone Wolf -- Whether you have an OTP or just love the idea of Kevin being friends with certain characters, show us who you think he has a soft spot for.

QM Appreciation Week

Listen, we’re all a little afraid of him, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve the spotlight for a bit. Even if we know he’ll probably do unspeakable things in and to that spotlight.

Day 1: God or Just Crazy? Whether it’s his apparent inability to age or how he can magically find little woodland paradises in the middle of the camp, there’s a lot of weird going on there. Celebrate the man who may or may not be a murderer and may or may not actually be a literal deity and all his strange, often supernatural weirdness.

Day 2: Hook -- Hey, how’d he lose that hand?

Day 3: Man vs. Squirrels -- He has a blood feud with many woodland creatures.

Day 4: QM Store -- There’s a lot of wacky stuff in there. What did you like best, or what do you think was hidden in the corners that we didn’t get to see?

Day 5: Bonding -- QM’s been there for a long (long long long) time, and he’s clearly known Campbell and David at least for years. Pick a character and explore what their relationship with the Quartermaster might be like.

Day 6: Tontine -- So what on earth was going on there?

Day 7: Camp Specter -- Regardless of how you approached Day 1, the fact remains that for whatever reason, the Quartermaster is at Camp Campbell for good. You can speculate why he’s there or just show us him hard at work doing . . . whatever he does, but today I just wanna see our beloved QM lurking around the camp!

Other Secondary Characters Appreciation Week

To all those characters who hang out in the background, making the campers’ shenanigans more fun.

Day 1: Daniel -- I don’t consider him in any way under-appreciated, but he’s a pretty spectacular way to kick off Season 2, and also this week.

Day 2: Platypus -- Mother of six five four three two one lunch and terror of the camp.

Day 3: Cute Waitress -- Y’all sure do love her. Show your love!

Day 4: Jermy Fartz -- Oh yeah. I went there.

Day 5: Darla & Gregg -- How can anyone who isn’t David be that excited about camping? Were they totally secretly dating? Where are they now, and how did they get there?

Day 6: The Denizens of Sleepy Peak -- Whether your heart belongs to Lester, Fred, the old geezers, or any of the others populating the nearby town, it’s time to show them some love.

Day 7: Parents -- How else would we end this week but with some family bonding?

Elevated Extras Appreciation Week

They’re not as memorable as the secondary characters. They don’t even have lines. But they’re ours and we love them.

Day 1: Former Campbell Campers -- we see in the picture on David’s bulletin board that there were a lot of kids who used to come to the camp. Show or tell us about your favorite!

Day 2: Camp Counselor of the Year Judges -- What was up with those guys? Were they even human?

Day 3: Other Camps -- Lake Lilac is home to Teen Church Camp, Pirate Camp, and who knows how many others? Let’s enjoy them!

Day 4: Larry -- Poor, poor undeserving Larry. RIP, my fuzzy man.

Day 5: Scotty -- Visual comedy camp? Seriously?

Day 6: Chucky -- What happened to him anyway?

Day 7: Your choice! Think I forgot the most important one? Time to correct that mistake! (Listen, if you’re mad I didn’t include Jen, consider this the Jen space.)

Nerris Appreciation Week

Devoted to the real(?) magic kid.

Day 1: The Cute -- Artists, draw how cute she is! Writers, maybe think about how the nickname came about! Or do something completely different! I don’t care!

Day 2: Magic War -- Explore her relationship with Harrison.

Day 3: Elf-kin -- What does that even look like? What does it mean?

Day 4: Bonding with Mere Mortals -- The camp is full of people and animals. Pick one and play with their relationship with Nerris.

Day 5: Dice -- What do they look like? How did she get them?

Day 6: Fandom -- A girl that excited about fantasy has to be quite the fan of a lot of things. Show us her interacting with her favorite stuff.

Day 7: Her Party -- Her relationship with her slightly-clueless mother and extremely-geeky dad.

Space Kid Appreciation Week

The most obvious appreciation week in the entire world.

Day 1: Astronaut -- Whether you want to show him all grown up or as a little kid, give us a glimpse of what Neil the real-life spaceman would be like.

Day 2: Aliens -- Another type of spaceman.

Day 3: Fishbowl -- A day to just appreciate his adorable, impractical costume.

Day 4: Punching Bag -- He’s been pushed around and disregarded by Max, Nurf, Max, the counselors, various animals, and Max. This is a day dedicated to his unfortunate luck and indomitable good spirit.

Day 5: Sick -- After that trip he took across the lake to the moon, and barely surviving the flu zombies, Space Kid could probably use some patching up.

Day 6: Science Guys -- The two Neils, bonding.

Day 7: SPACE!!! -- Give us Space Kid interacting with his favorite hobby ever.

Ered Appreciation Week

A very very cool week.

Day 1: Skater -- Even on the camp’s awful cardboard halfpipe, Ered’s still a budding Tony Hawk.

Day 2: Dye -- Dedicated to her awesome -- dare we say cool? -- hair.

Day 3: Camp Kool Kidz -- Celebrate her short-lived tenure as the head of Camp Campbell.

Day 4: Extreme -- What other extreme sports does she like to get up to?

Day 5: Queen Bee -- Her relationship with one or more of the other campers.

Day 6: Wipeout -- She gets injured a lot, doesn’t she?

Day 7: Cool Gay FBI Dads -- They’re the most wholesome family that regularly gets into gunfights.

Harrison Appreciation Week

Devoted to the . . . real(?) magic kid? (Didn’t we already do this?)

Day 1: Harry’s Son -- His outfit is pure Vegas showman, his VA and accent seem to suggest Israeli descent, and he may or may not be a literal wizard. His parents are terrified of him, but his mom says he’ll grow into his looks. Give some backstory to this lovable kid and his love of illusions.

Day 2: Actual, Real, Terrifying Magic -- This kid isn’t messing around. From summoning fireballs to making both objects and living things appear and disappear, he has some serious supernatural chops.

Day 3: Apprenticeship -- He and Nikki’s relationship consists of equal parts mutual admiration and mayhem. What do the two of them get up to behind the scenes?

Day 4: Brother -- Time for theories (and angst, of course angst) about how and why he “made his brother disappear.”

Day 5: Any Resemblance to Bill Cipher is Pure Coincidence -- . . . probably. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to imagine that crossover!

Day 6: Frenemies -- Harrison has a habit of getting on people’s nerves. Pick at least one character and develop their relationship with the magic kid.

Day 7: Hufflepuff Pride -- Jordan Cwierz confirmed it! This last day is about celebrating all things yellow and black and (mostly) well-intentioned.

Dolph Appreciation Week

I know, he’s controversial. But he’s a kid with a passion for art and no understanding of history, and he could use some love as well.

Day 1: Painting -- Exactly what it says on the tin. While he is clearly skilled at lots of different types of art, this is the one he seems to like the most.

Day 2: Where’s the Yellow? He is the only one who doesn’t wear anything camp-themed. Give us a glimpse of what might’ve happened to that signature yellow clothing.

Day 3: Stage Manager -- Multiple times throughout the series Dolph is shown as Preston’s right-hand man by helping him design sets and acting in his plays; Preston even returns the favor by posing for a painting. Today is dedicated to the strange relationship of the theatre and art kids.

Day 4: Camp Counselor of the Year! Incredibly, Dolph appears to be quite the competent leader for his age, and his one day of running the camp went smoothly for the most part. Maybe he has the makings of a great counselor after all.

Day 5: The Elephant in the Room -- We all knew it was coming. Whether you find the Hitler jokes hilarious or offensive, everyone has an opinion about this particular character choice. Now’s the time to speculate what happens when he gets older, or completely retcon this aspect of his personality, or do whatever you’d like to with his . . . peculiarities.

Day 6: Father Issues -- According to the show’s wiki, “his father is an American lieutenant, who raised him on a German army base where he supposedly gained a love of art and soccer like many Europeans, much to his father's dismay.” Oof, that’s a lot to unpack. Time for backstory!

Day 7: Not Such a Bad Kid -- Despite his . . . controversial elements, Dolph as a character seems fairly sweet and oblivious, and is loved by a significant portion of the fanbase for these qualities. A free day of sorts, this is about accentuating the positive and appreciating the awkward, artistic weirdo underneath the jokes.

Nikki Appreciation Week

I was really close to not including this, because I don’t consider her an underrated character exactly, but Neil has a week and, let’s be honest, it’d be fun.

Day 1: Rough n’ Tumble -- Nikki isn’t afraid of fighting, and she’s no stranger to getting dirty or even hurt. Show the wild child doing something fun, reckless, and probably not very smart.

Day 2: Raised by Wolves -- Imagine an AU where she actually was as much a literal daughter of the forest as she wants to be.

Day 3: Just a Tiny Bit Traditional -- Despite being such a tomboy, there’s a part of Nikki that is deeply romantic and even maternal. Whether through a version of her that’s a bit older or a quiet moment at the camp, show us a little bit more of her gentle side.

Day 4: BFFs, Potential Step Siblings, Sidekicks -- A day to appreciate Neil and Nikki’s relationship, whatever you see that as.

Day 5: Flower Scout Nikki -- What was her time across the lake like?

Day 6: Parent Troubles -- She and her mom have a difficult relationship, and her dad doesn’t seem to be around that much. Show us Nikki and one or more of her guardians, and what that relationship might be like.

Day 7: Holidays! Her first and greatest love is Christmas, but there’s probably not a holiday she wouldn’t throw herself into. Give her a chance to celebrate any holiday you want!

Preston Appreciation Week

Get ready for some high-octane theatrics!

Day 1: A Flair for the Dramatic -- I don’t care what you do with this one, just give it lots of DRAMA!

Day 2: Speak Up -- Preston and his grandmother are really close, but his parents seem to be AWOL. Every Appreciation Week needs a backstory- and/or family-centric day, and that’s what this is.

Day 3: Cosplay -- What’s Preston’s favorite play? Let’s have him dress up like a character in that show.

Day 4: Stage Presence -- Give the boy a spotlight and an audience!

Day 5: The Bard -- He seems to love writing and directing even more than performing. Show him creating the next Hamilton (or more likely, Hamilton’s weird sequel involving pirates and aliens).

Day 6: Theater Nerd -- Either as a high school AU or just some time in the future, image Preston fully engrossed in that drama club life.

Day 7: Tribe -- Every weirdo has their group of friends. Either through OCs or other characters in Camp Camp, give or describe the people that make up the group in which he belongs.

Nurf Appreciation Week

Gaylord Nurfington, much like Shrek, is like an onion: smelly, surprisingly layered, and will probably make you cry.

Day 1: Big N Tough -- He’s built like a brick shithouse and mean as a bear, and that’s part of why we love him. Celebrate the fact that this guy can (and probably will) kick anyone’s ass.

Day 2: Theater Kid? -- We’ve seen Nurf involved in Preston’s productions more than once. Have some fun with his apparent interest in the performing arts.

Day 3: His Mother’s Boy -- Mother and son time!

Day 4: Surprising Depths -- Show Nurf doing something no one would ever have thought he would enjoy and/or be good at.

Day 5: A Thoughtful Bully . . . -- As the self-proclaimed most self-actualized character in the show, Nurf has proven to be remarkably cognizant of his own issues and respectful of others’. Give him a positive-ish interaction with another character.

Day 6: . . . Is Still a Bully -- But let’s be real: Nurf can be a total jerk. Let the kid be mean today!

Day 7: Knives -- Where the hell is he getting all of those, anyway? Regardless, show Nurf with his favorite toys.

Flower Scouts Appreciation Week

They’ll kill you with a smile and fantastic hair, then they’ll use their drug contacts to bury the bodies.

Day 1: Grace & Class -- No one is prettier and daintier than these angels -- and nobody knows it better than them.

Day 2: Nicer than Disneyland -- Whether you’d like to focus on their shady cookie dealings, the washed-up Miss Priss, or even invent your own Scout, give yourself a chance to explore a part of the Flower Scouts that hasn’t been given much screentime yet.

Day 3: Sasha -- A day dedicated to the quintessential Queen Bee. Manipulative, clever, and pretty damn selfish, Sasha is undoubtedly the leader of the Scouts, and you better respect it.

Day 4: Erin -- If your heart hasn’t been captured by this heterochromatic science nerd, this day is not for you. But for the rest of us, grab your pumpkin spice and head off to Fraaaaance to celebrate her!

Day 5: Tabii -- What she lacks in common sense she makes up for with being absolutely terrifying. Tabii-with-two-eyes-with-one-eye is an emotional rollercoaster, and she deserves a little bit of love today.

Day 6: Not-So Delicate Girls -- From drug empires to vats of acid, the Flower Scouts have proven that they can kick a whole lot of ass. Show off how tough these girly-girls can really be!

Day 7: Garden Mother Kevin -- Come on. You knew it was coming.

Woodscouts Appreciation Week

They might be the cartoon answer to what would happen if Stormtroopers were body-swapped with Boy Scouts, but that’s part of their charm.

Day 1: A Shadowy Organization -- No girls are allowed, they don’t appear to have a troop leader, their camp is impenetrable, there seem to be maybe 5 Scouts at most . . . Pick something cool about this creepy camp and play around with it.

Day 2: Bitter Rivalries -- Between risky bets against Camp Campbell and popcorn/cookie sales against the Flower Scouts, it seems like the WS have a problem with basically everyone. Depict one or more interaction between them and their most bitter enemies.

Day 3: A New Recruit -- How on earth does Jermy fit into the Woodscouts’ routine? How has he not accidentally (or not-so accidentally) been incapacitated yet?

Day 4: Fearless Leader -- He’s slimy in more ways than one, but he keeps Troop #818 together and has even managed to snag a few recruits. That alone is worth a day of appreciation.

Day 5: Strong & Silent -- For someone who doesn’t talk much, Petrol has a lot of good advice and personality. Let’s celebrate his bromance with Snake, his willingness to be sacrificed for the WS, or even just his stubborn refusal to try leg day even once.

Day 6: Call him Snake -- Prince Zuko Billy might not be the most dignified character on the show, but he’s certainly the most honorable and is deadly with a candy cane.

Day 7: Like Family -- I just want to see some Woodscouts bonding, with each other or a character of your choice.

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neocassity · 7 years

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Uncalled|3

A/N: Okay~ I’m on a roll, I guess? like updating the series right after 24 hours... I wonder what’s up with me. However, I’m happy to say, that I’m happy! I love hearing from you guys, about how you liked it and everything. So please, drop by the ask box with your thoughts, and I’m very open to criticisms that could allow me to grow. Thanks again! ♥

GENRE: Fluff, Smut, Angst WARNINGS: mentions of alcohol, swearing, a pretty matured read. WORD COUNT: 1,647

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Jaehyun’s eyes bore into yours as he subtly swallowed, his lips pressing into a thin line as he looked at you pensively.

“Jaehyun, I… I’m sorry. It was inappropriate and very, very harmful to our friendship and I-”

“So, it wasn’t a dream?” Jaehyun promptly interjected, before you could ramble on about how you felt embarrassed and guilty since he wasn’t going to let you verbally acknowledge it, not yet.

“What- wait, you thought it was a dream?”

“I wasn’t sure, so I wanted to confirm.” he tried not to smirk but his lips curled subtly. You were somewhat mad at him for being so insensitive about a rushed and impromptu confession.

‘Well, how’d he understand?’ you thought to yourself, ‘He’s the desire of desirables, after all.’

“Hey, I’m sorry…” he apologised as your brows furrowed and your lips parted, followed by a dismissing shake of head. He kept his hand on yours and you pulled it away.

“It’s okay, because I cannot expect you to be understanding. To you it must be a joke, the fact that you’re sexually attractive for a very platonic friend of yours.”

“Y/n…” Jaehyun whispered, soft and tender, quiet and tranquil. It felt like your heart quivered strongly at its place, the discomfort from there spreading throughout your whole chest. You felt like a sixteen-year-old, those girls who do not realise that their lives don’t necessarily need to revolve around their crushes, who tend to lose themselves in their crush’s mere presence, forget that they themselves are more valuable than the flimsy feeling that makes them more sentimental, more foolish, more prone to make mistakes. You didn’t want to feel like that, you wanted to be more sensible.

“Don’t treat me like one of your high school friends, who definitely fell head-over-heels for you and were rejected by you.” a corner of your lip lifted in a grimace as you picked up his plate and put it over yours, setting the forks and knives on top and taking them to the sink.

“Let me do the dishes for you?” Jaehyun stood behind you, his hand softly pulling onto the sleeve of your shirt.

“No, thanks.” Your voice was unemotional, “You don’t have to feel sorry for me.”

“Y/n, I don’t feel sorry for you.” Jaehyun’s voice, which was usually lower and calmer, then loudly exclaimed, “I admire you a lot. Despite all your hardships, you’ve maintained everything so well. You’re the last person I’d feel sorry for, ever.”

“Then don’t offer stupid helps.” you snapped back as you finished watching the forks and one of the knives.

“Wow y/n, that actually hurt. Thank you so much.” you heard a sneer in his voice, causing you to turn around.

His jaws were clenched tightly, his hands balled into fists, his ears and neck crimson red. You had never seen him this angry in almost two years of having known him then.

“I never expected so much pettiness from you!” he said, taking a step closer to you.

“Whoa, whoa!” you pushed him away softly, “Slow down, bro. I’m being petty now when you were literally making fun of my- of my thoughts just five minutes back?”

“Did I ever laugh at you?” he questioned through gritted teeth, “I just made sure you don’t get to lie about it-”

“Why do you even care?” you disapprovingly shook your head as you looked up at him, right in his eyes, your hands on your hips and your back straightened, “It’s not like you’ll sleep with me to ‘fulfill’ my fantasies.”

“Well, what if I said I would?” Jaehyun asked, cocking his head to the side.

You laughed out shortly, looking away since you couldn’t look into his eyes anymore, “You must be kidding me… is it that simple for you? Thank you so much but I don’t need your favour-disguised-as-your-dick!”

“Well, what do you expect?” Jaehyun asked with a shrug, “I thought you know me, y/n.”

“And I thought you know me as well, Jaehyun.” you said in disbelief, “You think sex is that easy for me?”

“Well, you’re the one who said that you want me-”

“Well, it’s just fucking lust and unlike you I know how to control my desires, pretty boy!” you shouted at him, pushing him away as you walked past him out of the kitchen, into your bedroom.

You slammed the door shut, your lips trembling as your eyes welled up. You were never good at expressing how much you cherished Jaehyun, and the fact that he was more than just a very sexy person/an amazing friend to you finally dawning upon you was wrecking you on an emotional level. You silently sat at the edge of your bed, your ears picking up the soft footsteps from the other side of the door. The footsteps stopped at the door, and it was completely silent for a minute before he softly knocked, “Y/n… open the door, let me talk to you.”

You looked up at the ceiling, trying to blink the tears in. You wiped your eyes clean, before catching your uneven breath and inhaling a long breath.

“Y/n, please…” he sounded pained, “I feel horrible, please open the door.”

You finally opened the door, meeting his eyes only for a split second before walking back to sit in your bed, hugging your legs to your chest. Jaehyun stood at the threshold as he observed the sunlight caressing your skin, the ends of your hair protruding from your messy bun and shining back to the sun. It was an oddly beautiful sight, a sight he wanted to trap in photos, a sight he wanted to ruin with precision as he removed every layer of clothing that covered your beautiful skin and marked as he liked. And to just catch a glimpse of your face contorted in pleasure, he’d look up at you, sun-kissed. He could then kiss your cheeks, your nose, then fully on your mouth, as he rammed in…

“You may come in, Jung Jaehyun.” you laughed as he stared at your hair, “And take the dirt off my hair, or whatever it is that you’ve been gawking at…” you ran your palm over your hair to feel for anything that must’ve caught his attention, little did you know that it was you in general. That, to find what he’s been eyeing, you would have to palm your whole body (and you’d rather it’s his hands instead).

He smiled, his dimples adorning his flawless cheeks as he walked toward you. He hopped on the bed, sitting right beside you, hugging his legs to his chest in a similar manner.

He smiled at you as you fiddled with your own fingers, not meeting his eyes as your heart thumped so hard against your chest that you were fretting he could hear.

He softly nudged you once, not being able to draw any response he did so again, in a manner almost childlike, playful, innocent, affectionate…

Your cold exterior shattered under his smile, sunlit and somewhat electric to your senses. You laughed shortly, looking away from him as your hand smoothed over your eyes one last time.

“Hey, I’m sorry…” he apologised, “I really got mad without any reason.”

“I’m sorry,” you said sincerely, turning to face him hesitantly, “I overreacted, very embarrassing.”

“It’s okay…” he kept his hand on yours, “at least I know now that… you’re not easy.”

Your eyes welled up again as you laughed a little. You liked him, and he thought of you as only a friend. You knew, you could tell.

“Wait, y/n!” his hands cupped your face as his thumbs reached to wipe off the tears off your eyes, “I’m so, so sorry,” he stressed on his words, “I can’t believe I made you cry…”

His brows were softly furrowed and his lips parted, and he wasn’t breathing as he looked at your face. He tried to look into your eyes, which were then wandering all around the room. You were embarrassed beyond word. ‘I must look so helplessly lovestruck,’ you thought to yourself, your eyes closing as your lips pressed in a fine line, ‘How ridiculous!’

“Y/n, look at me,” he softly shook your face in his hands, cradling it with immense care, “I’m sorry…”

“Hey,” you opened your eyes and smiled, “It’s okay. You’re nothing to me if you cannot draw even one tear out of my eyes.”

He laughed, biting his lower lip, “You are interesting, in a good way.”

“You’re good itself,” you complimented back, “Thanks for… not walking out on me.” you were at a very vulnerable state emotionally, and you only thought about how your conversation with him kept on getting more mortifying for you at the back of your mind.

“Hey,” he softly cradled your face closer to his, looking into your eyes deeper (if that were even possible), “I could never…”

You smiled, your cheek pressing into the warmth of his hands, “Thank you!”

He smiled back as his eyes skimmed through your entire face, stopping at your moist lips. He tried hard, but he couldn’t take his eyes off your soft, kissable lips. “Can I…” his right hand moved slightly from your face, “touch your lips…” it wasn’t even a question as the pad of his thumb smoothed over your lower lips, so smoothly and with such caution that you felt like a cheap crystal doll.

“I’m not as tender as you’re…” you drifted off as his thumb glided over your upper lip.

“Let’s check to confirm then.” his voice was quiet and sleepy, almost dreamlike; as if it tied you two in a trance, imperceptibly light and soothing. He closed his already half-lidded eyes, drawing in to meet your lips with his as you felt your eyes fluttering shut on reflex, your head moving to the side.

‘It’s happening.’ you both thought to yourselves.

p.s- it’s so cringy fluff im dying

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sarahjane0886 · 7 years

Text

Fix a Heart 18

Chapter 18 - Shake It Out

Regrets collect like old friends Here to relive your darkest moments I can see no way, I can see no way And all of the ghouls come out to play

And every demon wants his pound of flesh But I like to keep some things to myself I like to keep my issues strong It's always darkest before the dawn

"Hey you." Val's sleepy voice shook Sharna from her thoughts early the morning of their first therapy appointment.

"Morning." She said as she shifted to look at him for a moment before returning her gaze to the ceiling.

"Good morning." He said sliding closer to her.

"How'd you sleep?" She murmured. Val rested his head on her and pressed a kiss to her shoulder. She shifted slightly into him, settling her head on his.

"I slept alright, I don't think you did though, did you?" He said as he found her fingers and squeezed them gently. Her head shook slightly against his, confirming that she did not sleep much last night.

"I'm scared." She whispered. Val's heart broke at her announcement and at the same time, he wanted to strangle Paul for all he had done to his girl. He shifted his body away from hers before sliding up on the pillow and tucking her into him. Her arms looped his body as she buried into his chest, breathing deeply.

"I know I can't fix this fear for you. It's part of why we're going but you know I'll be with you every single step of the way and I'm so proud of you as it is. I love you princess." Val said as his hand rubbed her back gently. She murmured that she loved him as well however stayed pressed into him, needing his comfort right then and there.

"What if she says I'm not fixable?" Her voice finally came out, muffled slightly from his shirt and chest.

"Babe, she's not going to say that." Val said as his lips pressed gently to her head.

"You don't know that." She argued weakly.

"Oh but I do. Come here." He said as he shift her up on the pillow so he could see her face. He reached out and brushed a piece of hair out of her eyes.

"I liked the other spot better."

"I do, but I wanna see your beautiful eyes. Now, back to you not being fixable. They are not going to tell you that because for one, it's unprofessional and if by some slim to none chance that happens, I'll be reporting her. But secondly, you are always fixable in fact, I don't even think you're broken. You're just a little bruised."

"Or a hot mess. You're going to yell but I honestly don't get why you love me and why you've married me sometimes. You could have found someone so much easier and much less work."

"But anyone else wasn't you. They weren't going to be the person I wanted to talk to when something great went on in my life or when something horribly wrong occurred. They weren't going to be the person I wanted to wake up to every day."

"Even if that person makes you pep talk them every morning?" Sharna said with a slight tease and Val could see her settling a little.

"Princess, I would pep talk you every hour if that's what you needed." Val said pressing a kiss to her nose.

"You're too good for me."

"Never good enough sweetheart. Now come back here, let me hold you for a bit before we have to get ready." Val said as she slithered back down his body and curled into his chest as tightly as she could. She hummed as she breathed him in and he felt her nerves settle some. They laid there for a while before they need to get ready. Val also made an attempt at getting Sharna to eat breakfast but it was pretty much a lost cause. She did however eat a few bites of his bagel.

The car ride over to the facility was a quiet one as Val left Sharna to her thoughts. He had learned as much as he needed to be there for her, sometimes he just needed to let her be. Sharna rested against the window however reached for Val's hand at some point during the drive. He had put on some softer music and let her grip his hand.

"What if we hate her?" Sharna said suddenly as they took the exit off the interstate.

"Then we find a new one."

"We had to have Jeff pull strings to get us in here this quick, we can't do that." It had taken 3 weeks for them to find a therapist that they both liked. Once they did, they realized that she was basically booked solid for nearly the next 2 months. 2 months with the recurring nightmares and panic attacks was not an option so Val and Sharna went back to the drawing board. However, their friend who had recommended Dr. Parker, was actually a friend of the doctors. After he had explained what was going on, Dr. Parker had agreed to see Sharna and Val as a favor.

"Babe, if you don't like her, then we'll find a new one. I don't care what strings we had to pull to get in here. That's more important than anything."

"What if she hates us?"

"Same thing." Val said as he ran his thumb back and forth across the back of her hand.

"What if...." She trailed off as he pulled into a parking space.

"We'll figure it out." He said stopping her. She sighed and looked at him sheepishly.

"I'm..."

"Uh huh, don't say it." Val said teasingly knowing what was coming next. He pulled her hand up and pressed a kiss to her knuckles before letting going and coming around to open her door. He linked their fingers together again and they headed in. They signed in at the receptionist's desk and they were both given a handful of paperwork.

"I hate doctor's offices." Sharna said once they had finished the paperwork and she had slid her hand back into his.

"Yeah, me too. Although you'd think for us we'd be used to it. Considering with dance and everything." He said as they waited.

"I think there's a difference though, like dance related stuff verse this kind of stuff. Like if you told me I needed to go for a physical, I'd be like got it. This stuff, makes me want to vomit." Sharna said causing him to laugh slightly.

"Mr. & Mrs. Chmerkovskiy, I can take you back now. Dr. Parker will be with you shortly." The receptionist said as she took them into a teal colored office. She shut the door behind her.

"Now what?" Sharna said looking around nervously.

"Sit." Val said moving towards the one sofa and pulling her down with him.

"Don't let go." Sharna said latching her hand onto his.

"Never." He said pulling her knuckles up to kiss them gently. Then he looked around the room. The office was very comforting and bright but not in a childlike way. The walls were a deep teal with brown and white accents in the decor. The couch they were sitting on was soft leather in a deep brown. There was accent pillows that tied the walls and sofa all together. The room was mainly lit by the numerous amount of windows but had can lighting as well.

"It reminds me of the beach." Sharna said as she pressed into Val's side while she took in the room. The teals and whites reminded her of the waves, sky, and sand while the dark brown reminded her of driftwood.

"Calming." Val commented back as he turned and pressed a kiss to her head.

"Hi, sorry I didn't mean to keep you waiting." A dark hair young lady came into the room. Dr. Kate Parker had come highly recommended as well as seemingly a perfect fit for Sharna. She was newer to the therapy field however she already had huge achievements in many aspects. Sharna had been adamant that when they had started looking that she did not want a guy. She wasn't afraid of men per say however they still made her skittish and she just felt that it wouldn't be as helpful.

"No, we were just taking in the decor. I'm Val and this is my wife Sharna." Val said going to stand however Sharna kept tight to him and he opted to stick his hand out instead. Kate took note and smiled at the two.

"I wanted it to be calm and inviting. I love the ocean so while that's my safe place, I felt these colors would work for others as well. I'm Dr. Kate by the way. It's nice to meet you both." She said as she shook their hands and settled on the oversized recliner next to the sofa they were seated on.

"We live where you can look over the ocean. We aren't near it but we're on a hill so it's in our view." Val explained trying to give Sharna time to relax some.

"Ohhh that would be my dream. So peaceful. I need to move my office there. I'm going to guess we have some nerves here today."

"Maybe a little." Val said as he released Sharna's hand to slip his arm around her instead. Her hand moved to rest on his leg.

"Well, I know from the paperwork that Sharna, you're experience is namely the reason why you guys are here. So while I'm here to be your therapist and help you work through all this, I want you to think of me as your friend. The way I do all this is to make sure you're comfortable first. So today we aren't going to get into anything heavy, we actually won't get into anything at all unless it just happens. We're just going to get to know each other."

"I like that. How about you Prin—Shar? Sorry, that's been her nickname forever. It's probably going to slip out from time to time." Val apologized quickly.

"Its fine, like I said, I want this to be a safe place where you're comfortable. If that's the name you call her on the regular that's what I want you to use here. Sharna, how are you?" Kate asked gently.

"I'm....nervous." Sharna said meekly although Val was proud of her for admitting it.

"That's normal, I promise. It'll get easier with time although I'm sure as we delve into things more in depth there will be times when you'll dread coming here. But I promise, I will do my best to help you. I may not be able to fix everything because some things aren't fixable because the memories and scars are deep. However I will teach you things to do and use when those things bubble up so that they aren't present in your daily life."

"Thank you." Sharna nodded in appreciation. Her nerves were still at an all-time high however it was nice to hear those comments.

"Deep breaths. I promise that I will never push you to do something that I think you can't handle. Things may seem scary but it's only to help you. The both of you." At that point, she realized that for Sharna to relax it was going to take much more than just the words. She was going to have to show her that it was safe there. So she proceeded to move forward with the appointment. True to her word, they didn't get into anything heavy. They actually played a few card games and just talked. As the session went on, Sharna relaxed and released her death grip on Val. By the end of the session she was talking more freely. She wasn't giving information on her own however she would answer anything asked freely.

"How are you?" Val asked once they got home.

"I'm okay I guess. I don't know. The whole thing still scares me. Especially how she said about getting more in depth with things however I know at the same time, that I won't get better if I don't try." She said as she leaned against the counter top. It was only 1 in the afternoon however Sharna felt like she could already go straight to bed.

"You're right, and it sounds like she is going to go slowly with you and you can tell her to stop at any point. I feel like she's going to listen and take into account anything you say back to her." Val said moving and standing next to her.

"I hope. I want this fixed. As scared as I am, I want it fixed. Or well manageable. I want a regular life with you. I want a family and I don't want this hanging over my head anymore." She said as she picked at her nails.

"I know princess. I know." Val said as he reached forward and pulled her into his body. She sunk into his chest as her arms slipped under his and she held onto his shoulders.

"Thank you for coming." She murmured into him making him shake his head hard. She knew he was going to argue with her so she tipped back and kissed him quickly halting his words. He returned the kiss before resting his forehead on hers.

"Come on sweetheart, let's go change into comfy clothes and have a couch day. Maybe I'll even convince you to nap." He said seeing the exhaustion on her.

"Movies?" She asked like a small child.

"Sure. Marathon." He said as he let her go and slipped his arm around her shoulders. They headed to their bedroom to change into more relaxing clothes before they returned to the living room. Val found a handful of blankets while Sharna picked out some movies for them to watch. Then they proceeded to spend the day curled up on the couch just recouping from the stress of the past few weeks.

And I've been a fool and I've been blind I can never leave the past behind I can see no way, I can see no way I'm always dragging that horse around

Our love is pastured such a mournful sound Tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground So I like to keep my issues strong But it's always darkest before the dawn

Over the next month and a half, they went together and saw Dr. Parker or Dr. Kate as she had them call her. She attempted to get them to call her Kate but the Dr. stuck so she let that stay as well. True to her word, Kate stuck to a slow path. At the second appointment she went over a brief history of what had gone on with Sharna and Paul and what Sharna wanted to accomplish through this. Which ultimately was to figure out a way to deal with what Paul had scarred her with and how to handle her anxiety when it did bubble up. They went slow, each appointment they talked about a different aspect of her past. Kate had decided that her main goal was for Sharna to be able to believe in herself.

"I don't know how about I feel about this today." Sharna said as she gripped her husband's hand in the car as the pulled into Dr. Kate's office. It was their 8th appointment and Kate wanted to talk about Rose and the aftermath of that however she wanted Val to keep his distance during the talking.

"I don't either honestly but I see Dr. Kate's point. I don't like it because I know what my instinct is going to be." Val said as his thumb stroked the back of her hand.

"I just...I'm used to you. And...I don't know. I guess we'll see." Sharna said as she slipped out of the car. Val met her in the front and they headed in. They went through the usual process of signing in and waiting for their turn before Lynda took them back to Dr. Kate's office.

"Hi you two, how are you doing today?" Kate said as they entered the room.

"Nervous." Sharna quipped immediately which was a huge change from their initial appointments. The first few it took a good bit of time for her to actually talk at the beginning of each session.

"Understandable, we'll go slowly I promise. And we won't jump right into it. Let's discuss your homework first."

"Ha." Val stated almost immediately as he looked at his wife. Her homework had been to find one thing at the end of every day that she liked about herself. It had honestly been a struggle each and every night.

"Shush you. Umm, it was hard. I mean, I there's...well you know." Sharna getting frustrated with getting the words out.

"A lot of the nights she would pick something that wasn't really her but more a part of her. And we struggled at first with that. I wasn't sure that was what you wanted the exercise to be but then we compromised. She used those at first and then we worked toward more personal things." Val explained giving Sharna a few moments to collect herself.

"That's a perfect way to go about it. You were correct Val, that wasn't exactly what I was going for however it is still parts of Sharna that she enjoys and likes so that was a good compromise. And a lot of times, it's easier to find attributes like that when you're already working toward positive things. So what were some of your things Sharna?"

"My relationship with Val, with Shai, and with Peta. My drive with work and dance. And then Val made me pick one physical thing at least and I picked my eyes." She said shyly as she leaned toward Val.

"Those are perfect and honestly they speak to what's most important to you and the fact that you like those things and realize it is a good thing. It goes towards adding up the things in your life that are worth it not only to you but to those involved with you. Like your relationship with Shai. That's something that's important to you and you know it's important to Shai, so it gives you drive to work towards something to improve yourself. And then there's the physical things like what Val had you go for towards the end. It's not about being pompous or self-center it's about enjoying pieces of you. Pieces that Paul had tried to take away from you when he belittled you and made you feel worthless. We can all believe that you are worth it and love things about you but you also need to do the same things. You have to believe you are worth it and that you are loveable and I don't believe you believe that right now, do you?"

"I....no. Sometimes I do. I know I want it but I get so wrapped up in everything that it wins and I lose."

"Right, so that's what we want to work on, you believing that you're worth it and that you can do it which I why I want to try today's exercise."

"Oh." Sharna said softly as her hand almost went straight to Val's however she laid it in her lap instead.

"I'm not punishing you. I don't want you to think that and what support Val does give you is amazing and Val I commend you for that. You have learned how to help her, when to help her, and when to let her breath. She wouldn't have come this far had it not been for you. What I need you to realize, Sharna, is that you are capable of it yourself. I feel like at this point, you're relying on Val because he's been there this whole time. Now there's nothing wrong with that, it's actually ideal but I feel like at this point in your journey you have to find yourself and learn your capabilities again. So for now, Val, I'm going to have you move to the chair behind Sharna."

"Okay, I mean, if it gets bad, I'm allowed to step in right?" Val said nervously. He sure as hell didn't want to just let Sharna panic without knowing he was there.

"Yes, I just want her to try first on her own. Trust me, I won't let it get out of hand. Just watch for my motion. And if you feel that you won't be able to keep from assisting her, you can always..."

"No, I'll be fine. I don't like it but I get it and I'll do what you're asking." Val said before leaning over to press a kiss to Sharna's head.

"Val." She whispered softly and he could see she was scared. And honestly he got it. Anytime she had talked about Rose, he had been right there. Anytime that she had a panic attack, he was right there or she came to him. She knew that he was her safety net. But he also got what Dr. Kate was attempting to accomplish.

"You're alright princess, I may not be right there with you but you'll be safe. Dr. Kate won't let anything happen and I'm right behind you if it gets too bad. I love you baby and I believe in you. Remember the breathing exercises Dr. Kate's showed you and the focusing techniques." He said tipping her chin up to look in her eyes. They were nervous but also determined. He pressed his lips to hers and squeezed her hand before standing up. He moved behind Sharna so she couldn't see him and he folded his hands in his lap clasping them tightly.

"Okay Sharna, so we're just going to talk. Just us, okay. And I want you to remember your safe word. If you feel it's too much you say it and we'll stop." Kate stated. At the beginning of the sessions when they had discussed Paul and the different things that had occurred, Kate implemented a safe word so that Sharna knew if things were too much she could say it and they would table the discussion for now.

"Sugar." Sharna said making Val smile. He wasn't sure where the word came from but when asked to pick a word it immediately flew off of Sharna's lips.

"Right. Exactly. So we're just going to start slow. Can you tell me about the morning after Rose?" Kate asked gently. Sharna's eyes opened wide. She had figured Kate was going to ask her to discuss what happened during the miscarriage and losing Rose, not after everything.

"The morning after?" Sharna asked blankly as her hands clasped tightly in her lap.

"Yes, after everything happened. I know how it started because we've briefly discussed that but I want to know about after. We haven't talked about after."

"I, well, I went back to work."

"I know that part, but you took a day off right?"

"I...umm, yes."

"Okay, so what did you do on that day?"

"I....well....I called off work. I told them I had the stomach flu. I promised Nick that I would make it up to him."

"Then what? Did you go home?"

"No. I didn't want...I didn't...no. I didn't." Val could see she was starting to shake already. When Kate had started this topic, he realized this was something they had never actually discussed either. They had only discussed during. He, like Dr. Kate, only knew that Sharna had called off practice with Nick that day and felt guilty as all hell.

"You didn't want what Sharna? Deep breaths, remember, you're safe here." Val watched Sharna's body shudder. He saw her breath deep a few times before he heard her begin to speak.

"I didn't want to go home to Paul. I didn't want to be around him. I didn't want him to know. And I knew that I couldn't even process anything there with him. If he was there, it was just going to cause a fight or he was going to come after me again and I couldn't handle that."

"Understandable, you just received the worst news of your life, he wasn't exactly your source of comfort."

"Not at all. He was the last thing from it. I actually didn't have any comfort at that time. I couldn't tell Peta or Val or anyone because it would require telling them what was going on and I knew that Paul was threatening me and them and everything else so it made more sense to keep it to myself."

"Even though it required you to hold all the pain in."

"Yeah, the thought of them being hurt or getting hurt wasn't an option. I had some solace knowing the people who were close to me, were safe. It was kind of the only thing I had control over in my mind even though I didn't have control of it at all. He just made me feel like I had it. He did that a lot. It was part of his games. Making me feel like he was giving me choices when in reality he was just controlling me even further, just in a sadistic way."

"That tends to be their game. They know they only have so much control in reality so they find the pieces of their captive and they exploit them. Paul knew your safety was your friends, family, and dance so he did his best to ruin that. Because if that was ruined, then you only had him to fall back on."

"I didn't have a choice. Well I did....I should have not chosen him. I should have fought. I should have done something. Then maybe I wouldn't have lost Rose. Then maybe I wouldn't be here dealing with all this. Why wasn't I strong enough to make that choice. To realize that he was manipulating me to no end. That if I broke free that I still would have been safe."

"That's not something that we can really have the answer too. I know some people believe that as hellish as the journey was, that they needed to get to that point for some reason or another."

"So people think they needed to go through hell to get out of it?"

"Not necessarily, but they needed to have something to make them truly see what was going on. Like you with Rose. Rose didn't give you an escape but it was part of your turning part."

"But I wouldn't have told Val what was going on, had he not heard Paul on the phone."

"You thought about it though right? You thought about escaping. You thought about leaving. You thought about telling someone didn't you?"

"I did. Honestly that's what happened after Rose. I started coming up with plans on how I would escape. How I would find a way away from him. I never acted on them because I wasn't sure what Paul would do but I thought about them."

"Which was key. You were realizing that the situation wasn't okay and that there were options, you just weren't sure how to execute them right?"

"Right."

"Good. Now I want to go back to the morning after Rose. You said you didn't go home because you didn't want to see Paul. Where did you go Sharna?" Kate asked and she could see Sharna's panic rise in her eyes.

"I...I went to a park." Sharna said softly as a few tears started to slip out of her eyes. She wiped at them quickly. She was determined to not cry.

"What happened at the park Sharna?"

Sharna had just been released from the hospital and had gotten in touch with Nick. She knew from the recovery steps that the doctor had given her, there was no way she could practice that day. She promised to add extra hours in to make it up to him. He agreed readily and told her to rest and let him know if she needed anything. She ran to the drug store to pick up the prescription and antibiotic she had been subscribed.

"Now what?" She murmured to herself. She was sitting outside the drug store attempting to figure out where to go. She couldn't go home. She didn't want to deal with the aftermath that was Paul. She could go to Peta's but then she'd have to explain herself. Val wasn't an option because he'd see right through her and know it was more than a stomach flu.

"I'm going to have to go home eventually. I can't end up anywhere else." Sharna groaned as she rested her head on the steering wheel trying to process the day at all. It was like a never ending ring of hell in her life. Her hand drifted down to her stomach and she choked back a sob. Just a few hours ago, her baby had laid there safely and now she was gone. Someone that she hadn't even known was in there, was taken away.

"Why? Why? Why? I'm so sorry baby girl, Mommy should have protected you better." Sharna said softly. She pulled out of the drug store and started to drive. After about an hour of driving she found herself parked at a playground. She got out of the car and headed to a bench. She watched the little ones play on the equipment. Some of them brave and fearless while others were timid. She became entranced in watching them play, allowing herself to mourn her loss while the squeals and cheers of the little ones surrounding her comforted her because they were all safe. Even though her baby wasn't, these ones were.

"Ow! Michael! That wasn't nice!" A little girl's voice broke Sharna out of her trance. She looked to her left and saw a 4 year old little girl with brown pigtails laying on the ground while a little boy of a similar age stood over top of her.

"I told you I get back at you for telling Mommy I didn't feed Chance yesterday. See if you do it again." The little boy sassed as his sister's eyes filled with tears.

"Hey, that's not very nice. You shouldn't do that to your sister." Sharna heard her voice saying as she moved over to the little girl.

"You're not the boss of me." Michael stated puffing his chest out.

"I'm not but sometimes it pays to listen to grown ups. Here sweetie, you're okay." Sharna said helping the little girl off the ground and dusting her off.

"Thank you." She said softly.

"Don't tell her thank you, she's a stranger. You're so stupid." Michael rolled his eyes.

"She might be, but at least she's nice. Mommy is right over there. I'm telling her what you did."

"Laila, Michael, what are you two doing?" A blonde lady appeared next to Sharna.

"Michael pushed me."

"Laila is talking to strangers."

"She helped me up when he pushed me."

"Whoa, both of you freeze." The lady said holding her hands up.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. I was just visiting cause I was missing my daughter and I heard them fighting. I didn't see what happened but Laila was on the ground and I helped her up that's all." Sharna explained quickly.

"Well thank you. I appreciate that. These two. They are twins and I swear, they fight more than anything. I'm sorry for your trouble."

"It's no problem. I hope things settle." Sharna said as she headed back to her bench. As the family walked away. Laila waved goodbye while Michael glared at her. It was at that moment that something clicked and Sharna felt the panic rise in her. What if Rose would have made it? How would Sharna have protected her from Paul? Maybe it was best that she was gone? Wait, who wishes that on her child, that makes me just as bad as Paul."

"Sharna. Sharna. I need you to listen to me. You need to breath. Deep, deep breaths." Sharna suddenly heard Dr. Kate's voice and she knew that she was in the office. She wasn't in the park anymore with all those thoughts flying through her head. She was here. It was over. She felt like something major was sitting on her chest and she couldn't breath. She felt herself gasping as she felt her body temperature rise and she began to sweat.

"Breath Sharna. Just like we practiced. In through your nose, out through your mouth." Dr. Kate said watching the young woman. She caught Val's eyes and could see him ready to jump in. She raised her hand and halted him for a minute. She wanted Sharna to try this on her own and if it got worse she'd let him step in.

"Sharna, open your eyes, honey. Open your eyes. Find something to focus on, just like we talked about. Find something in the room and focus on it. Did you find something?"

Sharna's head shook rapidly as she found a painting on the wall that she had used other times.

"Okay, keep your eyes on that. You know it's in my office and you're here and safe. I want you to breath deep, count to five. Ready? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Now out, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Keep doing it. You're here, you're safe." Dr. Kate watched her closely making sure that it really was working. She could see Sharna's breathing begin to even out as her eyes stayed focused directly on the picture. Her breaths spreading out as she stopped gasping.

"I'm sorry. I should have protected her better. I should have been a better mom. I should have done more. Or maybe I shouldn't have? Maybe that's what was supposed to happen. No, I can't have wished that. No, not my baby." Sharna said as her breathing settled and tears started to fall. Kate motioned Val over and he quickly was beside his wife, holding her tightly as they rocked back and forth. Sharna's apologies eventually stopped as she just held tight to Val.

"We're done today right?" Val asked looking at Kate.

"We are. I know it doesn't look like it but we've gotten to the root of a lot of the issues she's experiencing. I knew them, you knew them, she knew them, but we needed her to admit them. We can work on a lot more now. It will take some time and work on both your parts, but we'll get her there. We'll make her scars beautiful again." Dr. Kate said as she sunk back into her chair. It was one of the worst parts of her job. Putting her patients through this never-ending hell to determine the root of the issue. They still had major work to do here but they definitely had a break through today even though Kate was certain Val & Sharna didn't see it that way.

I tried to dance with the devil on your back And given half the chance would I take any of it back It's a final mess but it's left me so empty It's always darkest before the dawn And I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my road And I'm ready to suffer and I'm ready to hope It's a shot in the dark and right at my throat 'Cause looking for heaven, found the devil in me Looking for heaven, for the devil in me Well what the hell I'm gonna let it happen to me

****That's a wrap. Disclaimer, I know nothing about therapy so if any of that makes no sense or is completely backwards from what a therapist would really do, I apologize. It's fictional so I went with what felt right. I hope you guys enjoyed. I'm sorry it took so long to get the update out to you all. My personal life has been a bit of a hot mess these past two weeks. I promise I'll get back to a more regular schedule soon. Don't forget to like this one up and let me know what you thought in the comments. Love you guys bunches and bunches!

#Chmergess #chmergess fanfic #chmergess fanfiction #sharna and val #sharna burgess #val chmerkovskiy #florence and the machine #shake it out #fix a heart

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