#i could spend my long-awaited free time answering asks buT NO.. I HAVE TO FIX ALL MY THEMES

[yostresswritinggirl]

and, if Albedo have his own personal botanist, what about xiao have his own personal chef, or something like that? the reader working at wangshu inn as the chef or maid 👀 (this the request... If you want to make something from this absurd idea 👀👀)

Hehe I like your thought process, anon. Albedo and Xiao really just: 😏👉👉 *finger guns* 👈👈 😑 for having reader assistants in my masterlist huh.

Making this solely a personal chef/maid thing would defo make this response hella short so I added in more info and background just like I did with Albedo's, so I hope you guys end up enjoying this one too!!

It isn't an absurd idea, but I sure as hell made an absurd answer to it kek

Xiao's Devoted "Chef"

Xiao with a Reader who is not only his Personal Chef but assistant

Background (let's gooo)

The arrival of the Adepti Yaksha in Wangshu Inn was really something I've been intrigued about for a while now, but I won't make much assumptions here because his banner is coming and more info would be given to us.

Xiao had long since been residing in and spends a majority of his time in this Inn yet its owners, Verr Goldet and Huai'an, barely knows anything about the adepti or his lifestyle.

So on a sunny, quaint day like any other where calmness passes through the lands without worry, they expected the Adepti to resign himself to a moment of peace and rest too.

So color them surprised when they save the familiar silhouette of the adepti ascending to the top floor. Porcelain white skin and clear tank top glittered with fresh blood as a broken and bruised figure lays unconscious in his arms. The couple was thankful that there were no customers out and about that day, because it would be a disaster for an audience to witness such a thing. Also bad for business, but they'll hold that in at the back of their mind.

Skilled workers were quick to work with their seemingly extensive experience with such a protocol. As they tended to the victim, the Boss stayed behind to tend to and inquire with the Adepti. Yet such a conversation between them came out strained:

There were no visible wounds that require immediate medical attention but there was a look in his eyes that feels much more broken than anything they can fix. Verr's hands hover over him in an attempt to urge him to clean up his still bloodied form. His amber eyes that were usually sharp looks through a distance light-years away.

"Xiao," the woman started and the eyes snapped out of its reverie, subtly looking around to ground himself. "What happened? And are you okay?"

"Their- the parents died from a Hilichurl ambush, I was only able to save the child," his crossed arms gripped at his forearm in the realization of his utter mistake. "32 seconds."

"32 seconds?" The Mondstadtian offered a fresh set of hot towels he had taken, and he had flinched when he saw the carnage that stuck close to his skin.

"I was 32 seconds late."

Your parents were adventurers who brought you with them as big fans of traveling and nomadic lifestyle, no set home yet freely living by. You were in your younger teens and you'd clarified you had no other family to go to.

The death of your parents came as an obvious shock to your young self yet you grieved in silence and sobs, as the only person you trust hovers next to where you rest in silent contemplation.

Verr knows that look, and it was something she hasn't seen on the Adepti before. Of pure guilt and a sense of responsibility.

That night you rested surprisingly nightmare-free as your savior stands his ground next to where you rest.

Present Times

The couple had adopted you into the Inn family without a second's hesitance and you were thankful for them as you were to Xiao. You were no heavy expense or disadvantage and that made it all the more easier to adapt into your new lifestyle.

Despite no words or explanation, you were perfectly aware of the deeds your savior had done to save you and keep you alive, and with that you had sworn to serve him until the end of your time. A life for a life, equivalent exchange.

Coming into terms with being in Liyue and the Inn, your life choices were meddled with commerce and the importance of livelihood. You were young but your guilt of being under the care of such people forced you to take on any and every responsibility you can handle.

Despite your background you were expertly skilled with cooking. Your mother and father always taught you the importance of a meal for adventurers whenever you'd camped out. And your special touch on dishes that saves adventurers had drawn in many appetites.

Business boomed and the Inn wasn't just famous for being a temporary residence, but a sanctuary that offers tastes paired with the divine sense of Celestia. You became Wangshu Inn's Head Chef, with your sous-chef Smiley Yanxiao.

At times where Xiao is forced to make rounds to seize looming threats, he'd find himself picking fresh and healthy ingredients he'd find on the way back and present to you for new recipes to experiment on.

But you also pride yourself with a different title, or titles: The Adepti's Personal Chef, Tender of the Yaksha, Adepti's Devotee.

This title was emphasized by the Sigil of Permission sewn into an armband hanging by your right arm, something you proudly wear even beyond the walls of the Inn.

You found out the Adepti's favorite during your daily visit and breaks, usually done so by hanging out in the balcony with him with a brand new recipe you recently made and wanted to test out.

While he sat parallel to you, he eyed the transparent syrup and the gelatinous substance in the obvious curiousity he shows for all your new creations, silently awaiting your opinion by watching your expression: whenever you show even the slightest distaste, he'll pointedly ignore his curiousity and the dish altogether. And if you express such pride and achievement, his interest will get the better of him, if you haven't offered the dish quickly enough.

"What is this?" He'd finally ask after your delighted moans, indulging on your own creation.

"Mmm, Almond Tofu... do you wish to try it?" Without an answer he'd pick up the only spoon on the plate and tasted it himself. And just like that, he'd froze, eyes full blown in surprise and awe.

"Do you like it?" He can only hum in response as he scarfs down the plate by himself, chewing respectfully yet with a hint of vigor in every scoop. "It tastes... like dreams..." the way he looked at you, with eyes possessing such childlike wonder, you couldn't help but fall.

After that, Xiao had requested a daily plate/offering of it. It became a routine to the point that all workers heard of the favoritism and are encouraged to learn the recipe. But it's usually your dish that is served, unless special occasions calls for someone else.

There has been an influx of dormers and adventurers recently as citizens around Teyvat flock to the Liyue continent in hopes to watch the most extravagant celebration of the new year, the Lantern Rite Festival.

Your best efforts manning the kitchen together with Yanxiao took gruelling hours just to prepare for the dinner's first course even with hours of prep time available. Even both bosses had to lend some hands as your sous-chef can barely keep up with your stride. And after the dishes are finally distributed to the dining hall, you were already set in cleaning up the kitchen, and before you knew it-

"It has been an hour."

"It was a busy day, I'm sorry, Xiao." You could only muster a mumble in guilt as you kept your head down on the usual table, refusing to look at the disapproving expression he definitely wore, except he doesn't. His face has the slightest hints of worry and wonder at your deflated composure.

But his focus now was on the food he has been craving the whole day, already digging into his dessert. And you just tried your hardest not to fall asleep on the cold, wooden tabletop. Until your tummy rumbled through the silence.

A hum. "You haven't eaten?" You shake your head as you lift your head, gazing at the cute sight of your guardian tilting his head to the side in slight distaste for your lifestyle. You open your mouth to retort until you felt the cold utensil touch your bottom lip. "Here, I saved you the last bite. After this, get yourself a meal and retreat to your quarters, I don't want to hear any excuses." He softly urges a little push with the spoon so you get the hint, and you wrap your lips around it, chewing and gulping down cold dessert. He offered his favorite food, used the same spoon, and spoon fed you with it—

"Wha... don't- don't bite the spoon," you squeeze your eyes tight from the embarrassing thoughts in your head.

When people wish to have an audience with Xiao, most of the time they head to you for guidance after inquiring with Verr. They require a sigil of permission, and most of the times, your own sigil has been under fire a lot in their desperation.

An old merchant who desperately wants to hire the adepti to aid his caravan with personal security once tried to claw at your armband, but a split second after the tip of his fingers had touched the cloth, he was blown away to the nearest wall.

"What-," a pressure on your left shoulder pulls your other against a lean chest, protectively squeezing as a polearm materialized in front of you. You can feel the ragged vibrations of the Yaksha's unusually heavy breaths, his amber eyes sharp and dangerous, dilated like a predator.

"What gives you the idea that you had the authority to lay a hand on my assistant?" Black and teal embers conjure around you two as a dark shadow slowly creeps up from the ground. "That is their sigil of permission; I want nothing to do with you mere mortals."

If not for Verr and the other staff, things would have gone gruesome and unsightly for the business. Yes, business. Everyone disliked the guy enough to care more about the Inn than his actual well-being. When he'd come to, he was forced out of the Inn (he would have done so himself anyways as he was already traumatized).

"Sir Xiao, why did you do that?"

"He didn't have a Sigil, he was pretty much asking for it. And why have you gone formal?" You pouted at him and his only response was a quirked eyebrow. Walking over to stand behind him, you slowly wiggled your arms through the gap between his waist and slack arms, finding it easy enough with how thin his waist is as you wrapped him in a hug.

He tensed from the secretly ticklish feeling before letting down his guard in your arms. This was one of your leeway as his most devoted follower. Your constant exposure with the aid of the divine sigil has made you immune to the negative effects of Adeptal energy, enough to make him nigh worry about your safety around him anymore.

And him letting you hug him like this... let's just say it's from your mannerisms of comfort when you were still young and around him.

"Take an indefinite leave," Xiao broke the silence a few minutes after, forcing you to crane your head to the side to look at him. He meets your gaze with an amused glint. "You have no debt to pay here, you shouldn't be holed up in a place like this."

"It is true that me leaving wouldn't have majooor repercussions, but what's with the sudden idea?"

He huffs. "You're my only follower and yet you divide your attention serving temporary mortals that will pass by without remembrance. And besides," you tense at the sight of an upturn on the edge of lip, pearly whites subtly peeking, "personal does not mean sharing."

You were an adventurer at heart and it's time you indulge in that glorified life of excitement, with your guardian by your side. It was the only gift he can come up with for your undying devotion.

Holy - I had to cut this thing A LOT because I wrotE A HECKIN LOT WTF?! It's not even done in my mind, my goodness, there should be an adventuring unit here too but hhhh I got too conscious of the length sksksks I'm so sorry! P-Part 2-?

I enjoyed writing this a tad bit too much sksksks but now that the second to the last installation of this even is published, the next request should be the last one! And that means I'll have to stop the poll and start working on the requests for the 100 followers one! So if you haven't voted there, you should before it's too late!!

#exile.flower #exile.goblet #genshin impact #genshin impact headcanons #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact imagines #genshin impact oneshots #genshin impact xiao #xiao #xiao x reader #i. fucked up #why do i always go haywire when given a simple prompt #i think this went too far hmm #followers special #gender neutral

[nastybuckybarnes]

Of Kings and Beasts  -  Four

Pairing: King!Bucky X Princess!Reader X King!Steve

Summary: Born a bastard of the King of Orlen, you’re thrusted to the West to marry the Kings. However, the greeting you get is anything but warm, and your life with the King is far from enjoyable. He knows it isn’t your fault his husband is gone, but that fact alone won’t prevent him from taking it out on you.

Warnings: Language, Kinda Slow Burn, Injuries, Fluff, SPOILER AND TRIGGER WARNING: miscarriage, 

Word Count: 3K

A/n: I took a nap so this is a little late, but I hope you guys enjoy!!! Also, I sprained my good wrist at work yesterday lmao so now I’ve got a brace on each wrist. Anywho, here you go! Have a wonderful night!!

THIS SERIES CONTAINS SMUT AND VERY DARK THEMES THAT MAY BE TRIGGERING TO SOME AUDIENCES!!! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

~*~

You spend nearly every free moment with the King now.

He is at your door every morning, waiting to escort you to breakfast, of which he provides all the conversation. Afternoon tea is spent together as well as dinner, all of which you go to simply because you do not have the energy to fight.

However, you would be lying if you said you weren’t starting to enjoy his company.

He tells you tales of his battles and stories of him and Steven when they were children. He explains the story of how he lost his arm but doesn’t let you see more than his metal fingers.

You find yourself missing him in the moments when he is not with you. And he feels the same. Although you haven’t said a word to him, your presence is one that he longs to have in the moments when you are not with him.

He hasn’t come to you at night yet. Still far too ashamed of his behaviour, and for that you’re grateful. You’re not sure if you could handle being with him in such a way again. Not yet, anyway.

“I hope you like the flowers I sent you. I do not know which types are your favourite, but my mother was partial to daisies so I thought perhaps you may like them as well.” He looks nervous as he pours you a cup of tea.

“If you do not, I shall have them taken back and new ones will be brought until I figure out which are your favourite.” You bite your bottom lip, wanting to speak the single word to tell him which flowers you prefer, but after so much silence you’re not sure you’d recognize your own voice.

He hisses, the teapot nearly dropping down to the table, and you jump, looking up at him in surprise.

“I apologize. My shoulder has been acting up with the coming winter. It does not do well in the cold.” You raise your eyebrows in question and he sighs. “They did their best to fix it, but the nerves are not all proper and there is a fair amount of damage beneath the scarring.”

You hesitantly rise to your feet and walk over to his side of the table, your fingers trembling as you reach for his left shoulder. He stands tall, eyes focused on you as you cup his shoulder through the fabric of his shirt.

Your eyes ask the question that your lips cannot, and he nods. Your shaking fingers move to the buttons of his shirt and you slowly pop one open, then another, and another, until he stands before you with his shirt open.

A shaky exhale leaves your lips as your eyes roam his muscular torso. He’s built beautifully, and you can’t stop yourself from touching the warm skin of his chest.

He inhales sharply and your eyes snap up to his, hand jumping off of his skin.

“Your touch... it feels nice,” he whispers in explanation, smiling softly at you as you lift your fingers back to his chest. You press your hand against him, his heat warming you to your bones, and the thrumming of his heart pounds against your palm.

Slowly as to not startle him, you move your hand up to his left shoulder, pushing the fabric of his shirt away and down his arms in the process.

Your eyes widen a bit at the scars covering where metal meets flesh, and you can’t help but feel sorry for the man before you.

Soft fingers brush over the angry skin and James sighs, his eyes falling closed. He hasn’t felt the softness of a woman’s touch in... years.

One of his hands instinctively comes to your waist and you freeze for a moment before realizing back into his touch.

This is easily the most intimate moment the two of you have shared.

You slowly lean forward and press a gentle kiss to the scars, repeating the action when you hear the noise of appreciation coming from his lips.

After a moment more and a few lingering kisses, you pull back. His other hand has found your waist and his thumbs are rubbing gentle circles against your hips.

“This is how we should’ve started our marriage,” he whispers, his eyes shut tightly. He peaks one eye open in time to catch you nodding.

“How I have treated you... it is something I am not sure I will ever be able to properly apologize for. I do hope that one day we will grow to love each other. I... You have not spoken, and yet I am already finding myself entranced by you.” You raise your eyebrows in surprise and he chuckles, one of his hands moving to the small of your back. He pulls you flush against his chest and you gasp softly, the warmth of his body seeping into your skin through the layers of your dress.

“I should have been gentle with you.” His nose dips down and traces gently over your throat.

“I should have treated you like the delicate flower you are. Instead... I deprived you of sunlight and water and forced you to wilt. I only hope... that with the proper care... I can nurse you back to the beautiful bloom you once were.” His lips press a kiss to your throat and you sigh, fingers splayed on his hard chest.

You slowly bring one hand up, shaky fingers threading through his thick hair.

“I-” The door bursting open cuts you off, much to the King’s dismay.

“What is it?!” He snarls, glaring at the intruder. Natalia and Samuel stand in the doorway, Nat smiling widely at the two of you.

“He’s here.” Your stomach drops and you look over at your Husband.

The anger on his face melts away and he takes a half step away from you.

“He... You’re sure?” You can hear the hope in his voice. The absolute unfiltered desperation. Nat nods, Sam copying the motion.

“They’ve brought him to see Doctor Banner, but he was awake and on his feet. From what I gather, he escaped from where we went searching and walked back. He’s... he’s here. He’s alive.” Glossy blue eyes turn to you and you smile softly, nodding at him.

“I promise I will come and get you as soon as I know he is in stable condition. I know he is beyond eager to meet you, so much so that he will put his own health aside.” He leans forward and presses a sweet kiss to your forehead before running out of the room, following behind Sam.

Natalia stands in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest and a small smile on her lips.

“Come. Wanda has drawn you a bath in preparation for the King’s return.” You and her walk to your chambers in silence, you pondering all that has happened in the span of a few minutes and what awaits you with the return of the King. Nat, on the other hand, is proud of the change in the dynamic of you and James. It’s about damn time he realized what he has in front of him, in her opinion.

The bath is lovely and smells of lavender, however, it does little to ease your nerves.

What if King Steven doesn’t like you? What if King James goes back to treating you badly? What if-

“Stop worrying, Your Majesty. King Steven will love you. And if his behaviour today is anything to go off of, King James will not go back to how he used to be.” You look over at Nat, fear in your eyes and she smiles gently.

“What happened with the King today?” Wanda asks curiously.

“When we got word of King Steven’s return, Sam and I ran to find James. We... interrupted what looked like a tender moment between the King and Her Majesty. And before he left he kissed her in front of both of us.” Wanda raises her eyebrows, a smile on her face.

“Well, I would agree with Nat on this one then. King James has truly been different towards you. One might even say that he has been kind.” You nod in agreement, happy to have gotten one of your questions answered.

“Come now, let us get you dressed.”

You step out of the tub and Nat inhales sharply, her eyes on your rounded tummy.

“Your Majesty...?” You wrap yourself in a towel and give her a nod, letting her know that her assumption is correct.

“Have you told his majesty yet?”

You shake your head ‘no’ then sigh, gently stroking your stomach.

They dress you in a lilac gown that is fairly tight around your midsection. Tight enough to show off the little bump you’ve grown if anyone were to look long enough.

"The Kings will be thrilled! You must tell them today!” Nat exclaims, her face alight with glee. The edges of your vision get blurry and you shake your head, both at her and to try and clear your sight.

“It is up to you, your Majesty but I would recommend doing it soon.” You simply nod, one hand on your stomach gently.

A knock on the door nearly startles you out of your skin.

“The Kings have asked for the Queen,” a male voice says. You exchange nervous glances with the two women, however, they smile encouragingly despite the situation.

You take a deep breath and lift your head up high, determined to make a better impression on King Steven than you did on King James.

Natalia walks with you towards King Steven’s room, the room that the Kings shared before one of them was lost.

As you’re descending the staircase you stop, hand gripping the railing so tightly you’re surprised it doesn’t break.

“Your Majesty?” Nat questions, confused and concerned.

You open your mouth to tell her you need Doctor Banner, but nothing comes out. No, instead, you collapse right there on the stairs.

“Your Majesty!” Nat shouts, diving down to stop you from falling down the stairs any more than you already have.

“Someone help!” She shouts, holding your head gently in her lap to protect your neck.

Guards are rushing in, shock colouring their features as they see their Queen on the stairs unconscious.

“Pietro, carry the Queen back to her chambers and have Wanda gather water for her. I need to find Doctor Banner.”

~*~

There are tears in the King’s eyes as soon as he sees his husband.

Steve sits on his bed, eyes trained on the doorway while doctor Banner cleans some of his wounds. As soon as the two are in the same room Steve is on his feet.

“Buck,” he whispers. The brunet takes slow steps forward before reaching out and cupping his cheeks.

“Steve.” It comes out almost like a whimper and the blond frowns.

“I’m here, my love. I’m back.” They embrace tightly, the brunet’s shoulders shaking as he tries to control his sobs.

“Your Majesties... I need to tend to King Steve’s wounds,” Doctor Banner says softly. James pulls away and nods, sitting down on the bed beside his husband.

The two simply gaze at each other for a long moment before Steve finally speaks.

“Is she here?” James nods, a small smile on his lips. “She is. And she is everything we’ve wanted and more. I fear I have not been kind to her, but we are rebuilding our relationship.” Steve nods, his hand held tightly in both of James’.

“The King will require much rest before he sees anyone. I know it is hard, but he has undergone a lot. I will have food brought to him, but right now all he needs is rest.” The two Kings nod, content to spend time with each other and forget about the world, if only for one night.

Any semblance of peace is shattered, however, by Natalia throwing the door open.

“Doctor Banner, it’s the Queen. Sh-she’s taken a fall.” The doctor is on his feet quickly.

“Send for the midwife immediately,” he says, gathering his things and running out of the room.

“Wait, midwife?” James asks, rising to his feet. Steve follows suit and soon enough they're all sprinting through the palace towards your chambers.

Before the Kings can enter, Nat is pulling the door closed. Right as she does, a scream comes from behind the wood.

“What the Hell are you doing?” James demands.

“I do not believe this is how she would want to meet her husband for the first time. Allow her space.” The King shakes his head.

“My wife is in there, and she is carrying my child. I have every right to be in there with her, especially if she is in danger. I have only just got my wife back and I will not lose her.” Nat sighs but steps aside, allowing the two men into your Chambers.

You’re on the bed, one hand clutching your stomach while the other grips the bedsheets tightly.

“What's happening, Doctor?” Steve demands, moving to your side quickly. He gently takes your hand in his and you squeeze it instantly.

“It does not look good, Your Majesties. I cannot tell whether it was the fall or the stress on her body, but I can no longer hear the heartbeat.”

A sob bubbles out of you at his words and the Kings are moving quickly.

Steve climbs onto the bed behind you, propping you up on his chest and smoothing your hair gently away from your face.

The way he’s instantly able to care for you in a way that James still has trouble with causes the brunet pain, but he pushes that aside and kneels beside your bed, taking Steve’s place in holding your hand.

A heartbreaking cry of agony leaves your lips, the back of your head digging into the blond King’s chest as the Doctor urges you to push.

“Is there anything that can be done for the pain?” Steve asks softly. The doctor shakes his head solemnly. “We can only give it time and hope that she is able to push swiftly.”

Tears rain down your cheeks and James is reminded of the events that occurred to cause your pregnancy.

“I’m sorry, (Y/n),” he whispers, pressing a kiss to your knuckles.

~*~

Hours after your pain started does it finally end, with you bloody and sweaty and childless on your bed, your husbands both sitting by your side.

Steve presses gentle kisses to your clammy forehead while one of his arms wraps around your upper torso. You grab at his forearm with your free hand, bottom lip wobbling as the reality hits you.

You look to King James, fear evident in your teary eyes.

“W-will you have me beheaded for losing your heir?”

The first words you’ve spoken in weeks and he’s nearly crippled with guilt by them.

“Beheaded? Of course not. No one could have anticipated this. You need only rest and recover.” That’s the voice of King Steven, and for a moment you find yourself feeling embarrassed at the fact that this is how he’s meeting you for the first time.

“I will never be able to apologize enough for the pain I have caused you,” James whispers, raising his hand to wipe a tear off of your cheek. You subconsciously flinch away and Steve stares at you in shock before turning his gaze to his husband.

The look on his face is enough for the blond to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

“I know you do not know me, but I promise you that all I want is for you to be happy and healthy. Heir be damned.” You sniffle and nod, pulling your hand out of James’ grip and holding onto Steve tighter, anchoring yourself to him.

You cry yourself to sleep, body and mind exhausted after the trauma of the day.

The two Kings, however, do not sleep.

“What have you done to her?” Steve asks bluntly. The brunet closes his eyes tightly and shakes his head.

“You need to understand that I... I wasn’t myself. You were gone and she was meant to be for both of us.”

“Answer the question.”

“I... forced her. And I struck her. And by the Gods the words that came from my mouth... I will spend eternity in hell for all that I have done to her... all the pain I have caused.”

If you were not asleep against his chest, Steve would be on his feet beating his husband to a pulp.

Instead, he takes deep breaths to reign in his anger, determined to keep his cool with you so near.

He wraps both arms protectively around your figure, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of your head then closing his eyes tightly.

“I cannot excuse my actions, but if you will listen, I will attempt to explain them. Although there is nothing I can say that will ever make what I did right. And I regret every moment of what I did.” The blond slowly opens his eyes, giving his husband a glare.

“We will have words. Until then, she is my priority. I cannot bear to look at you knowing what you’ve done. Leave us.”

The brunet doesn’t argue, knowing that he’s getting far better treatment than he deserves considering all that he’s done to you and the pain he’s caused. He rises and leaves silently, avoiding the knowing eyes of Natalia as he heads towards his chambers, spending yet another night alone.

Steve presses kiss after kiss to the top of your head, his heart heavy with what little he knows of what you endured.

How the man he thought he knew could treat you so poorly is beyond him, but he’s determined to make up for it, even if James cannot.

#king!bucky #king!steve rogers x reader #king!bucky x Princess!reader X king!steve #king!Steve X reader #dark!royal au #bucky x reader royal au #bucky x reader royal au #steve rogers x reader #steve x reader #Steve/Reader #steve rogers/reader #bucky barnes/reader #James/Reader #bucky/you #bucky/reader #stucky/reader #stucky x reader #stucky x reader au #stucky x reader royal au

[ecoamerica]

Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

#ACLA24 #ACLA24Leaders #youtube #youtube video #climate leaders #climate solutions #climate action #climate and environment #climate #climate change #climate and health #climate blog #climate justice #climate news #weather and climate #environmental news #environment #environmental awareness #environment and health #environmental #environmental issues #environmental justice #environment protection #environmental health #Youtube

[waiting-for-motivation]

black leather jacket

summary: To celebrate his loves birthday Wolffe takes a day off. They go for a walk and share a lot of kisses. At night they meet up with the 104th and have a heavy make-out-session in the bathroom of 97s.

request: Hiii i was interested in submitting a Commander Wolffe x f!reader request. I was wondering if it could be fluff/soft smut (maybe something to do with reader's bday since mine is in a few days heh?) thanks queen i love your work! ~ anon

pairing: Commander Wolffe x Reader

warnings: fluff, soft clones, drinking, smut, unprotected sex, mirror sex

words: 1511

a/n: your birthday is probably over by now but I still hope you like it so sorry it took me so long to write this

MASTERLIST REQUEST RULES

The loud knocking at her door wakes (Y/n). At first, she tries to ignore it but then decides to leave her bed and tell the person to leave her alone. Her naked feet sip over the cold floor, and she has a blanket draped over her shoulders to keep her warm.

The moment she rips open the door, all tiredness leaves her body. In front of her stands Commander Wolffe with a small smile on his lips and a bunch of flowers in his right hand. Instead of his gray and white armor, Wolffe is now wearing a tight shirt, a leather jacket, pants as well as boots - all in black.

“Cyar‘ika“, the Commander whispers in his significant rough voice. He takes a step forward and holds out the flowers. His eyes wander from the bouquet to his love. In a matter of seconds her expression changes from confused to happy. The grip around her blanket loosens, and she jumps into Wolffes strong arms. He manages to save the flowers from getting crushed. His free hand is wandering to (Y/n)s lower back, whereas she moves her arms under his jacket.

“I want to wish you a happy birthday...and tell you that we have the whole day to do whatever you desire“, Wolffe explains his sudden and unannounced appearance. The only answer he gets is a kiss placed against his neck. His girlfriend has her face nestled there and takes in his intoxicating scent.

“Come inside“, (Y/n) tells her boyfriend as she looks up from his neck to catch her curious neighbor watching them. So she takes Wolffes hand and drags him inside, closing the door with the back of her foot.

Inside her small apartment they have privacy. So (Y/n) pulls the Commander towards her body and presses her lips against his. The kiss is messy at first because Wolffe is taken by surprise but soon turns into an affectionate as well as lovely make-out-session.

“Cyar‘ika“, Wolffe breaths against his loves lips and has to place a hand on her cheek to stop her from deepening the kiss any further. Her eyes shine full of love. There is a very happy smile on her lips. This is the best birthday she ever had.

“The flowers“, the Commander of the 104th whispers into their staring and raises the flowers between the two of them. He can hear his beloved girl giggle. Their fingers touch as she takes the bouquet from him and a weird tingling fills his whole body.

“You want a caf?“, (Y/n) asks as she walks inside her open kitchen, taking out a vase and filling it with water. The flowers look even more beautiful inside the vase now. But Wolffe has only eyes for his girlfriend, humming in agreement.

“So what would you like to do?“, Wolffe asks as (Y/n) places a cup of caf in front of him and sits down next to him on her couch. She is sitting sideways so her knees meet his thighs, and she can easily take one of his hands. Absently she starts playing with his rough fingers.

“We have all day. That is, except for tonight. The wolfpack, actually Sinker and Boost, have a surprise for you at 79s“, Wolffe explains with an annoyed eye roll and takes a sip of his hot caf. At once, he feels more awake. “We can do whatever you want!“

“Then lets go for a walk“, (Y/n) decides with a sweet smile which Wolffe returns. Turns out the short walk is filled with eating ice cream and sharing short kisses in alleyways. Luckily the sun is shining and so the couple spends the rest of their time in one of the few parks on Coruscant.

“How are you even here? I thought...well you have no days off“, the clones girlfriend says after some time sitting in between Wolffes legs while he leans against a tree. The Commander laughs in return.

“So Sinker is wearing my armor and is in command. And this new pup, his name is Ati I believe, pretends to be Sinker“, Wolffe explains with a proud expression.

“That is your plan? You remember your General is a Jedi right? He will sense your absence“, (Y/n) returns as she looks over her shoulder and presses a kiss to Wolffes forehead. He frowns and sighs. Then both of them laugh heartily.

Time for their departure to 79s comes. They walk hand in hand and while Wolffe looks out for possible dangers, his girlfriend has only eyes for his forearms. The Commander has cuffed his leather jacket to his elbow. For no reason at all, maybe even for too many reasons, (Y/n) feels giddy all of a sudden at this sight.

Finally arriving at 79s almost the whole 104th awaits them and greets (Y/n) with heartwarming hugs. Sinker and Boost only appear when all the pups, the newest clones of the battalion, step aside. The two have a cake in their hands. Wolffe rolls his eyes because he is pretty sure (Y/n) will only get one single piece because his brothers will devour the cake when she turns her back on it. At least every clone has a sweet tooth, so the chocolate cake wont last long.

The night is spent with eating the cake, drinking liquor and dancing. Although a lot of the clones of the wolfpack try their luck to have a dance with (Y/n), Wolffe is always at her side and scares them away.

“Have I mentioned that you look rather handsome in this leather jacket“, (Y/n) tells her boyfriend from in front of the mirror in the bathroom. Wolffe locks the door behind himself and walks towards his love with a huge grin. He only stops when he is standing right behind her, wrapping one arm around her waist and pressing his firm chest against her back. (Y/n) swallows hardly.

“I want you right now“, the Commander whispers into (Y/n)s left ear and starts nibbling at her earlobe. A giggle leaves his beloved girls lips. Then she turns her head so that their lips meet in a passionate kiss. At the same time Wolffe lets his hands explore his cyar‘ikas whole body. They caress the soft skin of her waist. And while one hand wanders to (Y/n)s boobs, the other finds its place between her legs, still covered by her trousers.

“Wolffe“, (Y/n) moans as his fingers brush her clit and massage her breasts. His skin is rough against hers but feels just right. Slowly his left hand slips under her waistband and panties. Wolffe is surprised to find his love already wet. The sight of him in the black leather jacket must have done things to her. It’s easy for him to slip one and then a second finger inside her while his thumb caresses her clit. (Y/n)s moans fill the bathroom.

“We have not much time“, the Commander tells his girlfriend and takes his hands from (Y/n). Quickly he opens his fly and takes out his cock. Then he almost rips (Y/n)s trousers as well as panties down. With one arm wrapped around her waist he steadies his beloved and presses his chest against her once again. (Y/n) can feel his arousal against her ass and presses a sweet kiss to Wolffes chin.

His face is buried in (Y/n)s hair the moment Wolffe aligns his cock with her pussy. Both groan as he seats himself inside her with every inch. Even though they have sex every chance they get it’s always a tight fit for (Y/n) so she needs to take a deep breath.

Then Wolffe starts moving slowly at first, but it soon turns rough. The reflection of himself and his love turns him on. While the hand steadying (Y/n) takes ahold of a boob, the free one starts drawing circles on her clit. She looks so perfect in the mirror, all messy hair and a moaning mess.

Every single time his cock meets a certain spot inside her, (Y/n) makes this sweet sound that keeps Wolffe going on. The sound of skin meeting skin and the smell of sex fills the bathroom. The sides of the mirror even fog up.

“Best birthday ever“, (Y/n) says breathless and can feel herself getting close to coming. Wolffes cock fills her so perfectly and hits her just right. The Commander seems to be close too because his thrusts get erratic.

And then both of them find their release at the same time.

“I love you so much, cyar‘ika“, Wolffe confesses as they both come back to reality. Of course, he helps is love put back on her clothes and fix her hair, before he even tugs himself in.

“I love you too“, (Y/n) returns as she turns around and presses a sweet kiss on Wolffes nose. He laughs but stops her as she turns to the door. Quickly he takes off his leather jacket and places it over (Y/n)s shoulders. Her eyes widen as they wander all over his exposed muscular arms.

“So you don‘t get cold, cyar‘ika!“

taglist: @lightning-wolffe @gwenebear @skippyhopperwisdom @jojos-trooper @rex-meshla

#wolffe #wolffe x reader #commander wolffe #commander wolffe x reader #wolffe smut #commander wolffe smut #clones x reader

[sunnyrosewritesstuff]

12. All About Bilbo from the POV of...Thorin

And FINALLY I’m done. Thank you guys so much for all the notes/comments/reblogs/etc. I appreciate each and every one of you. If you haven’t been keeping up and want to see all 12 POVs, you can click on the masterlist here or I may just go ahead and post them to AO3. Please enjoy the long awaited Bagginshield conclusion.  😉

***

Thorin knew after the battle, after laying in that healing camp, after finally being free to have thoughts not consumed by his treasury, there was only one edict he could make as his first one as king: the hobbit had to stay in Erebor. An advisor, a cook, a gardener, he did not care what occupation he took. He would invent a position if he needed to! He just needed Bilbo by his side if he were to be of any use to the mountain. Of course, convincing the hobbit of this was easier said than done.

 In all fairness, Thorin could have gone about it a lot better than all but demanding he stay. The hobbit ranted and raved, he seemed on the verge of lashing out physically (which Thorin would reluctantly admit he would have deserved), and he spent several long agonizing nights in Dale. Finally, Bilbo came back to inform Thorin that he would be returning to the Shire, he would be allowed six months to make his choice, and Thorin would respect it. Balin had to remind Thorin it would be within his best interest to accept. Thorin couldn’t argue with that. In fact, he needed Bilbo to know just how much he appreciated him before he left.

It was their first real conversation since the Battle. Thorin made his apologies and explained just how much the hobbit’s unconventional wisdom was needed both in his kingdom and to the king personally. In return, Bilbo expressed his fears during Thorin’s goldsickness and why exactly he turned over the Arkenstone. It was far from fixed, but it did go a long way towards regaining their former friendship. The hobbit would cite it as what finally convinced him to come back just under two years later. It should have been the happy ending Thorin had been waiting for. He never would have guessed just how wrong he was.

“I’m going to kill him.” Thorin growled.

“You’ve said that before.” Balin reminded patiently.

“This time, I’m really going to kill him. Whose idea was it to make him ambassador to the elves anyways?”

“I believe that would be...yours, Your Majesty.”

Thorin had no energy to deal with Balin’s misplaced amusement as he marched towards the hobbit’s room. He pounded on the door making sure this time that the sneaky burglar couldn’t claim not to hear him.

“I’m not answering if you’re going to be in a mood, Thorin Oakenshield.” Came the muffled response.

“You approved further negotiations after I told you I would not go to that despairing Mirkwood if my life depended on it!”

“Yes, I remember the conversation vividly.” Bilbo sighed.

“Then why…!”

“Your Majesty, if I may?” Balin interrupted. “Perhaps the hall is not the appropriate setting for this discussion.”

Thorin glared at his friend and advisor before turning that look onto the door before him.

“Let me in.” He ordered.

“Only on your word that you will quit raising your voice to me.” The hobbit conditioned.

“I will raise my voice if I please! I AM KING!”

“And with that winning attitude, who could forget?!”

“By Mahal.” Balin swore softly, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

Thorin silently fumed as he glared at the stone before him. Any that claimed dwarves were the most stubborn creatures on Arda clearly have not met Bilbo Baggins. Thorin took a deep breath to center himself before trying again.

“Master Baggins, will you please let me in so we can discuss this in private?” He all but hissed.

It was silent for a moment before the door swung open to reveal the curly haired hobbit who was currently sitting as the bane of Thorin’s very existence.

“There, was that so hard?” Bilbo answered snidely.

Thorin’s fists clenched at his side, and Balin rolled his eyes before turning to go the other way.

“I’m done with the two of you. Fetch me when you’ve figured it out or someone’s dead.”

Thorin gladly slammed the door on the traitor, leaving him and Bilbo alone. However, now that he had the hobbit before him, he found himself unfortunately speechless. He loathed that. As if his mere presence could steal all Thorin’s words away. His rather impromptu first words upon their meeting came to mind. Clearly, he was wrong about this burglar of senses.

“I’m not apologizing.” Bilbo began, crossing his arms. “They asked for a show of good faith from Erebor, and frankly I couldn’t see a reason to fault them.”

“You couldn’t?” Thorin raised a mocking eyebrow. “Clearly you remember our last stay in their wooded halls differently from me.”

Bilbo’s eyebrows furrowed with a scowl. “See! That’s exactly what I’m talking about. If you want this alliance to work, you’re going to have to bury past slights. Goodness, I couldn’t even imagine what the Shire would be if we held onto grudges the way dwarves do.”

“And I can’t imagine the state of my kingdom if I allow flippant hobbits to not hold people accountable for their actions!”

Bilbo pointed a finger at him. “You’re shouting.”

“A'lâju Mahal (Shame of Mahal)! You are...irritating!” Thorin bit back.

“So you’re saying people shouldn’t be forgiven?”

Just like that, the fire that had been steadily building in his breast was snuffed out. Still, Thorin Oakenshield did not bend completely.

“I believe there is a difference when that forgiveness is desired.”

“And I think Thranduil fits the bill...in his own way.” Bilbo shrugged under Thorin’s disbelieving look. “He’s let his son go, he’s lost Tauriel to Dale due to his actions, he’s gotten back the gems he’s been denied. I think he’s ready to make amends. I’m not saying we have to pretend he’s not hurt us. I’m just saying, it would be a good show of...neighborly airs to meet with him and see what he has to offer.”

There was logic in the hobbit’s words, even if Thorin did not want to hear them. And that simple thought probably was the single summary of all their hard feelings as of late. He turned to leave before he had to accept any more difficult truths.

“Fine. Have it your way.” He spat. 

The long disappointed sigh that followed him cut quicker than any blade.

***

The journey to Esgaroth where they would spend the night before continuing into the dreaded woods the next day was...tense to say the least. Even Dwalin was uncomfortable, and that was saying something. The inn was a welcome sight if only to get an ale and free Thorin of the abrasive atmosphere surrounding the hobbit. The man who owned the inn was tripping over himself to welcome the King of Erebor, and when Thorin was finally allowed peace in his own room, he was reluctant to leave. However, that ale was calling his name, and he waited long enough that surely the hobbit’s final meal was complete to avoid any awkwardness.

That was too little credit to the brilliant burglar. He waited until Thorin was sat down at the bar halfway through his ale before he appeared at Thorin’s elbow as if out of thin air.

“Why are you avoiding me?” Bilbo demanded. “In fact, what possible excuse could you have to be angry at me if you are in fact angry?”

Thorin was choking on the amber liquid that had rushed down the wrong pipe. 

“Well, you see…” He edged around his persistent cough.

“Need I remind you, I’m only doing the job you gave me. Going back further than that, I’m only here in Erebor because you insisted I be.”

“If you would just let me…” Thorin growled only to be interrupted again.

“Is this some sort of punishment for taking the Arkenstone? You lure me back with words of forgiveness and then argue with every single decision I make when I’m only trying to help…”

“IT’S BECAUSE I LOVE YOU! You confounded creature!”

Thorin nearly sighed in relief to finally see the hobbit’s mouth had stopped moving. It was as he took in the widened eyes and nervous stance that his words were able to catch up to him. His hands shook as his eyes darted around the significantly quieter room.

“You love me?” Bilbo whispered.

Thorin didn’t want to have to deal with this in front of all these men and dwarves, especially Dwalin’s irritating smirk. Grabbing the hobbit’s hand, he led him into the hallway where it was a little more private.

“You love me?” Bilbo repeated once they were alone.

Thorin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. This was one secret he had hoped to hold onto for a little while longer. Not that he was never going to act on his feelings, just he was waiting for a little more time to pass. For the chasm between them to be bridged stably once more. But they hadn’t been able to stop arguing! He certainly didn’t expect Bilbo to accept him right now, but he also would not lie to him.

“Yes.” He answered, holding steady for the ire that was sure to erupt.

Instead, the hobbit all but flung himself at the dwarf king, his mouth immediately meeting Thorin’s. It was abrupt, it was warm, it was wet, and it was wonderful. When Bilbo pulled away it was to utter a phrase he never even allowed himself to hope to hear.

“Thorin, take me to bed. Now.”

The dwarf’s jaw dropped at the invitation and the open lust dilating the hobbit’s pupils.

“Wait. Now?” Thorin repeated, his mind whirling but not connecting.

“Now.” Bilbo asserted as he wrapped his arms around Thorin’s neck to kiss him again.

“Shouldn’t we...discuss...this?” Thorin persisted through their kissing, rather stupidly in his opinion.

One that seemed to be shared by the hobbit if his sigh and impatient glare were anything to go off.

“Discuss what?” Bilbo demanded. “I love you. You love me. I’ve bloody been waiting for you to do something about it for months. Now are we going upstairs...or would you rather we postpone until after our meeting with the elves?”

Thorin all but slung the hobbit in his arms making his way as quickly as he could to his bedroom. The sly, conniving, extremely frustrating hobbit. And finally, finally he would be his.

#follower event #all about bilbo #bagginshield #thilbo #bilbo baggins #thorin oakenshield

[heliads]

Cherry Bomb

You and Peter Maximoff hate each other. Loathing doesn’t even begin to describe the sheer dislike you have for each other. So why would Peter be so troubled when you were injured in a fight?

masterlist

You breathe in and out slowly, doing your best to focus. Your gaze is riveted on your hands, and under your watchful eye a small spark blossoms to life on the tips of your fingers. You squint in concentration and the spark grows into a flame, dancing along your hand. Grinning, you start to let down your guard, and the flame grows larger and larger, reaching its blazing tendrils up to the sky.

There’s a sudden sound behind you, and you lose your treasured focus. The fire spirals out of control, jumping to double its previous height. Cursing, you shake your head and try to clamp down the flames, watching as they slowly shrink down. Once the fire is gone, you whirl around in anger to face the source of your sudden disturbance.

“What was that for?” Peter Maximoff just laughs. He had appeared right behind you, using his powers of speed to startle you. “I thought you were working on control, Cherry Bomb. Looks like that still needs some work.” With that, he speeds off again, leaving you to grumble angrily after him.

See, you and Peter have hated each other since the second you arrived at Xavier’s School. It was pretty obvious that you had to be there- you barely had any control over your mutation, which allowed you to manipulate fire. Although it was pretty amazing, you needed a lot of help to make sure that you didn’t burn down whatever was closest to you.

You hadn’t hated Peter at first, nor he you. He just seemed like another student at the school, and the two of you never really crossed paths. Once it became apparent that you’d need a lot of help, though, Peter had transitioned to not giving you much thought to dedicating a good part of his day to tormenting you. 

You suppose he had a few reasons not to like you, such as his friends spending a lot of time helping you meant that they spent less time with him, and he kept insisting that you were a danger to the school and shouldn’t be there. You, on the other hand, hated Peter because he hated you, and because he had given you the nickname ‘Cherry Bomb’, which you absolutely despise. Peter had been pretty proud of the nickname, saying that it suited you because you were likely to destroy everything at a moment’s notice, but you couldn’t stand it.

When Xavier calls you into his office, you assume he’s heard about your momentary loss of control over your powers and wants to talk about it. You slump down into a seat in front of him, ready for another lecture, but he just adopts a faint smile. “I’m not here to admonish you, Y/N, in fact just the opposite. Let’s wait for the others to arrive and I will explain further.” Knowing that you’re not going to get yelled at, you relax a little bit.

Eventually, Jean, Mystique, Scott, Storm, and Peter all file into the room. The Professor laces his hands together on top of the desk and starts speaking to the group. “There’s been news of a disturbance in a town not far from here. Apparently some mutant with the ability to grow in size and strength was kicked out of town for his powers, and decided to take revenge by attempting to destroy everything. He’ll come back in an hour’s time, and I believe that we should be there to stop him.”

Everyone agrees, and Xavier leads you all to an awaiting plane. On the ride over, most of you remain silent, with Peter sending the occasional glare to you, which you return with equal animosity. 

You land in a small town, and it is quickly obvious as to how you’re supposed to find the rogue mutant- simply follow the trail of destruction. You and your friends soon come across the man, who has chosen to grow to the size of a giant and wreak havoc on the town. Battle plans are quickly exchanged, and you all set off to your respective positions for the fight.

Your task is to light fires on the giant, thus distracting him from the town. You race towards him, igniting your hands in a blaze that you launch his way. The giant roars in agony, turning away from the buildings to focus on you. Gulping, you throw more fire his way, but you’re so intent on finishing your part of the plan that you don’t notice the giant’s arm swinging towards you. 

When his rocky fist collides with you, the breath is instantly knocked from your lungs and you are thrown into a brick wall several yards away. You find you can’t stand up or find the energy to move at all, and you can only watch as blackness rushes in from all around you.

You’re only aware of a few sensations- pain from your head, after it hit the wall. Blood, trickling down from your wounds. Then, arms lifting you up off of the ground. There’s a worried face above you, one with silver hair that seems all too familiar. The boy holding you starts to run, faster than you can even blink. Before you know it, he’s standing at a crossroads, looking left and right as if to see which way he needs to go. You must have moved a little, for the silver-haired boy looks down at you, and you realize he looks absolutely terrified. “Don’t worry, we’re almost there.” He starts running again, and moving at such high speeds knocks you into unconsciousness once more.

When you come to, you are still being carried in the boy’s arms, but he’s speaking to someone. Distantly, you realize you’re back at Xavier’s School. “You have to heal her. She needs help- she was hurt pretty bad. Promise me she’ll be alright!” After receiving the necessary promise of safety, the boy finally allows your body to be taken from him, but not before you notice the fear lacing his voice and the look of panic as he watches you be carried away from him.

You’re not sure how long you’ve been lying in the hospital bed, but the bright light of morning is shining when you finally gather the strength to open your eyes. A student is standing next to you, checking a few readouts. You blink, trying to focus, and you realize that the student is Jean. Your friend smiles when she notices that you’re awake, and sits down next to you.

“How are you feeling, Y/N? You took a pretty hard hit.” You cough tiredly. “I’ve been better. Were you able to subdue that giant?” Jean laughs. “You’ve been unconscious for three days, and the first thing you ask about is the fight? Typical. Yes, we got him under control, with no small amount of help from you.” You relax at that, but then look at Jean curiously. “How did I get here so fast? We had to take a plane to get to that village, how was I here in time to get help?”

Jean grins at you, and the satisfied gleam in her eyes makes you more than a little worried. “Well, none other than your favorite mutant, Peter. The second he saw you hurt, he raced over to you and ran all the way back to school with you in his arms. We didn’t even have to ask him, he just did it without thinking. I should tell him you’re awake, actually. He’s been stressing every second you’ve been unconscious and I think the Professor had to tell him directly to go to class, or else he would have been here all day too.”

You look confusedly at Jean. “That doesn’t make sense- Peter hates me and I hate him. Why would he be so interested in my wellbeing? Last time I checked, he was doing everything in his power to get me removed from the school so he could be rid of me.” Jean just smirks again. “I guess we all have our own motivators.” With that, she turns to answer a beckoning student, leaving you to wonder what on earth she’s talking about.

A few hours later, it has been determined that you are well enough to leave your hospital bed and go back to your classes. It feels great to be up and walking again, after so long lying down. A few friends wave to you in greeting, but you’re headed on a decisive path to one person in particular.

When Peter Maximoff notices you approaching him, he pauses his music and tucks his hands casually in his pockets. “Looks like Sleeping Beauty’s finally awake. I’ve been treasuring these Cherry Bomb- free moments, but I guess all good things have to come to an end.” You feel yourself bristle at his comments, but you can’t help but notice dark rings under his eyes and that he looked more than a little relieved to see you alive and well.

“Whatever you say, Peter. Look, I have to ask you something- why were you so worried about me? You treat me like I’m your worst enemy in the world, but Jean says you dropped everything to carry me back to the school when I got hurt. What’s with the big change?” When Peter hears what you have to say, his carefree expression quickly shuts down and is replaced with the usual malice. “I don’t know what you’re trying to say, but I was just trying to help. Is it that out of the question that I might actually do something good? I mean, I know you’re sick of me, but come on.”

You take an involuntary step back when Peter raises his voice. “Okay, calm down. I’m just messing with you. No need to get upset.” Peter just rolls his eyes. “Of course you were. Everything’s a joke to you anyway, that’s why you can’t control your powers that well, Cherry Bomb. You just don’t care enough.” That struck a nerve, and you look at Peter with hurt. “I didn’t ask for these powers! I didn’t ask for any of this! How long will it take for you to realize that your friends, and your fellow students, and everyone in this school wants me here! I guess the only problem is-” You stop talking, realizing that you’re taking things too far. 

Peter, however, has already guessed what you’re about to say. “The only problem is me? Of course. Well, don’t worry. If me being here is a problem, I’ll solve it for you.” Your heart drops in your chest. “What’s that supposed to mean, Peter?” Peter’s laugh is cold, and the hurt within it breaks your heart. “I’ll go. Doesn’t that make you happy?” Your eyes widen and you shake your head mutely, but Peter just fixes you with one cold stare and speeds off into the distance.

You feel horrible about what just happened. You immediately head to Peter’s dorm, but he isn’t there. Same thing with his classes, and with his friends, and with any part of the school he would usually haunt. Eventually, you turn to Jean, frantic with worry. “I think I lost him. I think I made him leave.” Jean shakes her head, trying to comfort you but to no avail. “Peter’s probably just at the store or something. Once he cools down, he’ll come back. He’s done stuff like this before, and it never lasts more than a few hours.”

Jean is wrong, though. That night, no one sees Peter, and his dorm room is empty. The next day, he doesn’t show up for his classes, or the next day, or the next. You’re forced to live with the fact that Peter, the boy who saved your life, is gone because of what you said. It doesn’t feel good at all.

One week later, you’re listlessly clicking through stations on the battered old radio in your room when your focus is drawn to one frantic reporter. He’s talking about some freak storm in a distant corner of the country, and you realize with sickening dread that it’s happening right outside Peter’s old neighbourhood. Before you know it, you’re grabbing your gear and the keys to one of Xavier’s cars. It’s time to go find Peter.

By the time you reach Peter’s neighbourhood, you realize that there’s no mere storm damaging the area. It’s another mutant- this time, one that can control the clouds. He’s enveloped the town in fog as dark as night, making it impossible to see anything. You quickly light a fire on your palm, and use it to guide your way through the town.

You walk slowly to the center of the storm, keeping your bearings by walking towards the darkest of the clouds. Sure enough, you find yourself on the outskirts of the eye of the storm, and you realize with horror that there are two figures inside: the mutant, laughing with manic glee, and Peter. The enemy mutant is making some grandiose speech about how he’ll rip the town to shreds. “The worst thing is, no one could stop me. I mean, who’s going to do anything about it? You?”

You find yourself speaking. “He’s not alone.” With that, you extend your arms, flames dancing around them and growing until they’re several feet tall. You step into the clearing, and the mutant looks terrified of you. Peter, on the other hand, smiles, and the two of you charge the enemy mutant.

It doesn’t take long to take care of the cloud controller, and before you know it, he’s running as fast as he can in the opposite direction after swearing that he would never pull a stunt like this again. You extinguish your flames, and realize that Peter is walking towards you. Before he can say anything, you start speaking quickly. “I’m sorry, Peter. Truly I am. I never meant anything I said, and we need you back at the school.”

Peter just nods. “I’m sorry too, Y/N.” You smile at that, and Peter looks at you in confusion. “You called me Y/N. Not ‘Cherry Bomb’.” Peter laughs. “You know, I can still call you Cherry Bomb if you want.” You shake your head, pretending to be horrified. “After I saved your life? Absolutely not!” Peter puts on a mock frown. “As I recall, I saved your life first. That means we’re equals, and I can do whatever I want.” You can’t help but laugh at that. “Maybe so.” You extend a hand to him. “Head back to school with me?” Peter smiles, and takes your hand, pulling you close. “What else would I do?”

#peter maximoff #peter maximoff imagine #peter maximoff x reader #peter maximoff imagines #quicksilver #quicksilver imagine #quicksilver x reader #quicksilver imagines #xmen #xmen imagine #xmen x reader #xmen imagines

[hotchscvm]

love me, hate me - part one

Warnings: swearing, angst if you squint, mild violence

Word count: 3.7k

Summary: Who knew Ransom would get so worked up about a few stolen beers?

Or: In which he's a sucker for you but those were his favorite beers.

He didn't know why he put up with your shit. If you had been anyone else, you'd be working at a dead end job that barely covered your bills instead of walking around the mansion in your brand new Lois Vuitton purse, Jimmy Choo heels that screamed for him to fuck you, and a tight dress he wanted to tear off.

You even had the balls to call him Hugh, a name he specifically reserved for the help. When he informed you, you had rolled your pretty powdered eyes, sneering at him for being an inconsiderate asshole before asking why he wasn't calling himself Hugh due to the massive help sign that was disguised as his cashmere sweater.

Ransom didn't know if he wanted to hurt you or make you his. He preferred the latter but with the way you were pushing him, he wouldn't be surprised with himself if you somehow found yourself in the backseat of his car, tied up and awaiting for him to fuck you senseless. If you had been anyone else, he would ruin your life without hesitation.

He tried to hate you, he really did and usually, it wouldn't be hard for him to hate someone. Most of the time it barely took him a glance for him to decide to loathe the person. But as he tried harder to hate you, forget you, and ignore you, the more you wiggled your way into his every thought. Even then he couldn't hate you. It made part of him want to ditch family gatherings where he knew you would show, being Meg's best friend, and another part of him was exhilarated.

You on the other hand dreaded being dragged into another Thrombey's family gathering where it all ended in arguments and racists comments. The only people you were able to stomach were Harlan, his adorable nurse, Martha, and of course, your best friend Meg. Whenever the conversation began to look like a shouting match, the two of you would sneak away to get high with the maid, Fran.

Ransom was an asshole, a hot, smoldering asshole with enough snarky remarks that would make any sane person hang themselves. You knew he wasn't a fan of yours, which was only good news for you; you hated him, too. The expression "there's a little bit of good in everyone." applied to everyone except him, not that you weren't surprised. Truth to be told, you wouldn't put it past him to kill a family member if they pissed him off enough.

With the number of jabs you made at his expense, you were shocked he hadn't ruined your life yet. Maybe you had a death wish dangling over you, or maybe you just liked pushing him but you made it your little mission to ruin his evening since yours would be the second he stepped in the room.

Meg nudged you with her elbow, leaving a sore spot on your ribs. You gave her a dirty glare, looking up from your Instagram feed. She motioned to the large mansion ahead, the car slowing. "Okay, the plan is to get drunk, but not enough for my drunk relatives to notice and once they're having one of their dumb-ass debates, we sneak off to Fran's room and smoke a few. That sound good?"

Stretching, you nodded, tucking your phone away. "Yeah, that's fine. Remind me how I ended up spending Thanksgiving break with you, again? What did I ever do to deserve such a punishment?"

"You crushed your parent's wishes on becoming a lawyer, instead became an Instagram model, and the holidays with them are too long for you to hear how their daughter could've convicted criminals instead of posting bikini pics," Meg replied, grinning at your sarcastic pout. She stopped the car right beside her mom's. "Come on, it won't be that bad."

"That's what you said last time. Do you not remember how that little reunion ended?" you asked, opening the car door and getting out. The little gravel on the cemented driveway crunched under your new heels, making you grimace.

Meg shut her door, grabbing her purse. She waited at her side of the car and you both walked up to the door. "Actually, I don't. I'm surprised you can especially with all the weed you smoked."

Rolling your eyes, your mind wandered to the man who had killed your buzz. "Your asshole of a cousin ruined my buzz just by opening his mouth. He could be so much hotter if he never utters a single word ever again."

"Please stop talking about Ransom, it's making my lunch come back up." Meg whined, her feet trudging up the steps. Your heels clicked on the wooden porch. "Which reminds me, he kept asking if you were going to be here. Be careful, he might have a little trap to humiliate you in front of my family. If that happens, just knee him in the balls, and we can go to Cabo or something."

You made a face, cringing just thinking of Ransom asking about you, let alone imagining some kind of plan to embarrass you. "Ugh, what a dick. It's time like this that I regret not going back to my crazy family for holidays."

"You'll be fine. Hopefully. Let's go see Harlan." she opened the door, taking off the lush coat draped over her shoulders before placing it on the spacious coat closet by the entrance. She held her hand out for yours and you slid it off handing it over for her to hang up.

Martha greeted you before you could take another step, the Latina smiling at both of you. "I'm so glad both of you are here. The rest came in before you and they've been bickering since."

You both gave her knowing smiles, the loud discussion so heated you could hear it from all the way across the house. Meg sighed, snaking an arm around yours and Martha, pulling you towards Fran's quarters. "Looks like Harlan will have to wait. I'm not going in there sober."

Martha shook her head, slipping her arm out from Meg's grasp. "Sorry, I don't drink and I have to serve them before they get any rowdier. Between the three of us, I'd rather not see another fist brawl this holiday."

You let out a dry chuckle, fixing the hem of your dress. What were you thinking wearing such a tight dress to a party where Richard Drysdale would mentally undress you with his beady eyes. "We'll come with you, now won't we, Meg?"

She groaned, getting pulled by you, her feet dragging on the hard floor. "We're spending Christmas at your parents' house. You can suffer the family drama because I've had it up to here with mine."

"Oh, you big baby." you teased, following Martha to the living room with Meg in tow. You'd think with all the drama she endured from her crazy mother she'd be able to handle a little more from her crazy relatives. "Wanna mess with that racist, whiney troll?"

Meg's lips lifted into a smile. "That's why you're my best friend."

Martha took a turn towards the kitchen instead of the living room, leaving you and Meg to enter the roomful of crazies alone. Some heads turned but not enough to stop the little debate happening.

Jacob sat at the uncomfortable seat in the corner of the room, watching and tapping the screen in front of him, his eyes never tearing from the device. Linda and Donna sat side by side while their husbands had a screaming match with the other. Joni stood by the fireplace, sipping her wine, and occasionally input some random Pinterest inspirational shit. Your eyes landed on the man you thought would take his sweet time arriving.

Hugh Ransom Drysdale sat at his self-proclaimed seat, eating his Biscoff butter cookies, a smirk evident on his face as he watched you walk into the room. He tried to ignore the way his heart raced, blaming it on the cookies and his seven-month dry spell.

You broke free from Meg's arm, pouring yourself a flute full of champagne, swallowing every last drop before making your way to the plush couch, sitting beside your best friend. Your perfume whiffed in the air as you passed Ransom, making him sit up in his chair. You sat close enough for him to reach over and touch you, but he didn't.

Linda gave you the warmest smile she could muster, interrupting the men's argument to greet you. "Hello, darling. Glad you could make it. At least now there's someone in the room with half a brain."

Walt sneered at his sister before giving you a half-hearted smile. "Hey, kid. Your dad still adamant you become a lawyer?"

"Yup," you answered, pulling out your phone, seeing a bunch of notifications from said person. "Why else do you think I let Meg kidnap me, Walt? No offense, but Thanksgiving at the Thrombey's doesn't classify as peaceful or relaxing."

Ransom guffawed, earning glares from his family members. He smirked at you, biting off a piece from his cookies. "Finally, someone who speaks the truth. No wonder she's his favorite."

That subject launched another debate: deciding who was Harlan's favorite. It was no doubt, Martha was but you did come at a close second. Ransom knew, and he didn't want to miss an opportunity to watch his relatives fight. He was a dick that way. He glanced at you, seeing your phone light up as you whispered a secret to Meg. You ignored the phone call, turning over the phone.

While the rest of the family argued, you left Meg's side, getting up from the uncomfortable couch, and walked out of the room. Ransom watched you, licking his lips at the sight of sashaying, hips swaying, and heels clicking. The crotch of his pants grew uncomfortably tight.

Meg watched him watch you with narrowed eyes, suspicious by her cousin's behavior. He may be 33 but he still acted like a teen, and with her best friend pushing him, there was no telling what he'd do. "If you do anything stupid or remotely offensive to her, I'll make sure to send her your head for her next birthday. Maybe she'll have it taxidermied, and hang it up."

Ransom smirked, tossing the last of his cookie in his mouth, chewing as he looked down at his cousin. "That'll only give me a view of a lifetime. My, this college you go to doesn't seem to teach manners does it? Charming as ever, Meg."

She scowled at him, getting up in the middle of the argument. She couldn't stop whatever he was planning if she didn't know what he had in mind but she wasn't going to ruin this holiday for her best friend. Meg followed you to the kitchen, seeing you take a shot glass from Martha. "Drinking already?"

"Don't judge me. Lemme wallow in the warmth and love of the alcohol that your family isn't capable of," you replied, drinking the clear liquid, grimacing as it burned your throat. Martha handed you the chaser, her timid personality making her put a comforting hand on your shoulder. "Thanks, Martha."

Meg took the bottle of vodka, pouring herself a shot before offering it to Martha who had shaken her head. "You sure?"

She nodded, placing the bottle back in its place. "Yeah, I don't need to be drunk when serving those people. It seems like it's even worse out there than before."

"Thank Ransom. That bastard decided to start another fight just by opening his mouth," you said, sipping on a glass of water. Sniffing the room, you smelt the Thanksgiving dinner Martha had to cook by herself. You knew she had to make a special meal for Ransom since he wouldn't dare put the traditional food in his mouth. Too bad, it'd shut him up. "Why is he here, anyway? Isn't he usually the last one to get here?"

"Usually, but he came with Linda and Richard. Don't worry, you're not the only confused." Martha answered. The oven timer beeped and she opened it, taking out the pumpkin pie. She held it out. "What do you guys think?"

"Looks delicious," Meg replied, looking around the room. The sun was setting and soon you would have to face Ransom again, for dinner. "Do you need any help, Martha? We could help you set up the table or something."

"No, it's fine. I have everything taken care of," she said, nearly dropping the big turkey. Meg helped her, carrying it to the counter. Martha smiled sheepishly. "I guess I could use some help. Meg, do you mind stirring the gravy? And [Y/N], would you please place some knives at the table?"

Both you and Meg nodded, helping the poor nurse. Harlan must've let Fran have the day off or else she'd be all over this. Meg grabbed a plastic ladle from the drawers while you took a handful of knives, leaving the kitchen and walking to the dining room. The long table had been filled with plates, glasses, and napkins, the only thing missing was silverwares. Harlan would have to give Martha a raise.

You had just placed the first knife down when Ransom came in the room, leaning against the arch, arms crossed as he took you in. Watching you, he realized he might have a knife kink, only when it comes to you. You raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to make some kind of remark.

When he didn't, you sighed, tossing a knife onto a clothed napkin. "Yes, you pretentious asshole?"

He chuckled, pushing himself off the wood and walking towards you. "Hello to you, too. Why exactly are you doing that? Shouldn't that Mary girl be taking care of everything?"

Oh, the urge to stab a knife in his face--it was almost too much to resist. "It's Martha and unlike you, I'm nice enough to offer help rather than be a lazy prick who no one loves. Karma's gonna bite you in the ass one day, baby."

Ransom snorts, walking up next to you, so close you could feel the heat coming off of him. "You know, my dear cousin mentioned something about some prank she thinks I'm going to pull on you. Do you know what's going on in that stoned brain of hers?"

"Ransom?" you asked, making your way around the large table, placing knives where they belonged. Gritting your teeth into a smile, you turned to him. "I mean this in the best way possible: fuck off."

He would never dare admit it, to himself even, but that hurt him a little. Not enough to break his smug exterior. "Aw, I like you, too, sweetheart. Hurts when you don't admit you do, too. Want some help on the other silverware?"

Your jaw dropped, the knife slipping through your fingers and Ransom caught it quickly. He placed the knife on the empty, designated napkin. "You're fucking with me."

"No, but I sure would like to fuck you." he grinned, the hidden objective twinkling in his eyes. You rolled your eyes, returning back to the kitchen with Ransom following. "Can't a guy help out around here?"

Ransom grabbed your hand before you could push the kitchen door open. He gently led you to the dark, almost hidden hallway beside the dining room. You snatched your hand back, your elbow grazing the wall behind you. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Spending time with my favorite person," Ransom answered, the smirk gone as he backed you to the wall behind you, leaving you no room to escape. Not that you wanted to. His eyes dropped to your lips, only to darken when yours flashed to his. "Why're you so special? Why do you keep invading my thoughts, my dreams, huh? What're you doing to me?"

That made you smile, amused he couldn't stop thinking about your body. You drag your manicured finger down his blue sweater, earning a shaky breath from him. "Glad to know you have wet dreams about me, Hugh. Hmm, what do you get off to, anyway? Degradation? BDSM? Or are you vanilla in bed? With the way you act, it makes me wonder if you even have a dick."

He growled, slamming you into the wall so hard your head made a loud thud. You'd be lying if you said it didn't turn you on a bit. You did like it rough. "Your a guest here, act with respect, [Y/N]. Close that mouth before you say something you'll regret."

"Wouldn't you like it if I used my mouth for something useful?" you breathed, hands resting on his shoulders, pulling him closer to you. His eyes drifted to your lips, tongue darting out to moisten his own. "Yeah, you would."

"What that mouth do, sweetheart?"

You heard the oven timer ding and you smiled, moving your lips to his ear. "Eat."

—

His thigh brushed against yours, a hand "accidentally" landing on your bare thigh, his fingers wrapping around the leg. You flashed him a hard smile before moving your thigh away, almost kicking his wife across the table. You scooted closer to Ransom, hoping to avoid his father's uncomfortable advances. If it wasn't for Linda, you would've stabbed the knife you were holding in his hand.

Apparently, you scooted a bit too close to Ransom for him to raise an eyebrow at you, the hint of a soft grin appearing. You glared at him. "Don't."

Ransom chuckled softly, moving closer, close enough for your shoulders to touch. "Now who likes my company?"

"I do like your company... said no one ever." you snapped, keeping enough distance from Richard's wandering hands. If you could, you would've rip his fingers off, but the Thrombey's were too powerful. Ransom threw you a glance, looking between you and the gap between your chairs. You grit your teeth. "What?"

"I didn't say anything."

You pushed away from the table, frustrated with everything about your situation. Tossing your napkin on your plate, you stood up, catching everyone's eye. "Excuse me."

Meg was in the middle of eating her share of the turkey, looking up with a piece of the skin hanging from her mouth. If you hadn't felt so uncomfortable, you would've laughed. She sat up, tilting her head in question as she covered her mouth. You shook you head, assuring her you'd be fine.

Ransom's eyes followed you as you walked by Harlan, giving him a gentle peck on the cheek and a hug before walking out of the dining room. He didn't think he'd ever be jealous of his grandfather. He waited a few seconds before following you, Meg's narrowed eyes watching him as he walked with purpose—he just didn't know what that was yet.

He heard your door slam before he could take a step up the stairs, leaving him confused on what to do. Ransom knew you would reject his company, not that he would blame you. Yet, he felt a little pang in his chest that he ignored, blaming it on the salty turkey. He'd have to go to the doctor soon, check out what was going on with his heart. It might be something serious like palpitations.

Sighing, he went to the kitchen, grabbing a beer and dragged his feet back to his room, trying to forget about the effect you had on him.

It didn't work.

—

Crawling out of bed, you tiptoed down the hall, careful not make a sound as you made your way downstairs. The stairs were loud and you cringed, hoping everyone was deep asleep. Meg had passed out after smoking Fran's stash, plopping down on her bed in your shared bedroom. She reeked of weed and that hadn't help you sleep at all.

You snuck into the kitchen, the soft counter lights bright in the dark room. Walking over to the fridge, you pulled it open, seeing Ransom's alleged "best" beer right at the front. Rolling your eyes, you grab one, popping the cap off. You took a sip, agreeing with the asshole; it was great beer.

Unfortunately, he chose that right moment to have a midnight snack. The kitchen door opened and Ransom was greeted by the sight of you drinking his beer in your tight tank top and booty shorts. It was enough for him to lose it.

Angrily, he walked up to you, snatching the beer from your hand, some of it dripping on the floor. He held it up in front of you with a sneer on his face. "What the hell do you think you're doing with my beer?"

You flinched when he threw it across the room, the shards sprinkling out on the floor. If his yelling hadn't woken up anyone, that certainly would've. Rolling your eyes, you sighed, crossing your arms. "Don't you mean Harlan's beer? It's not like you bought that beer from your own pocket since you don't do shit."

"Oh, I don't do shit? Unlike you I don't depend on horny men and lesbians for likes in order to keep a roof over my head." he spits, pushing you back against the counter.

"No, you just take money from mommy and daddy." you fired back, amused by his anger. You decided then you had a death wish. Or maybe it was just hot seeing Ransom so riled up. Either way, you weren't complaining.

Ransom growled, hands gripping your waist so tightly you were sure it would leave bruises. "Shut up."

Smirking, you lean towards him, lips hovering his. "Make me."

Before he could kiss you, you shoved him away, took another beer from the fridge and walked away without giving him a second look. Ransom stared after you, gripping the kitchen counter.

This wasn't over.

part two

#chris evans #chris evans fanfiction #chris evans masterlist #chris evans x reader #ransom drysdale #ransom drysdale x reader #knives out #steve rogers #captain america

[ecoamerica]

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[just-come-baek]

get in, loser 3

Pairing: Taeyong x female!reader

Themes: smut | mafiaboss!taeyong | streetracer!reader | carthief!reader

Word count: 6.8k

Summary: Taeyong has another assignment for me, and though it seems quite simple, I could not foresee these complications. Also, why do actions have consequences? Somebody should’ve warned me before!

Warnings: mentions of murder | alcohol consumption | assault attempt | roofied drink | police negligence | drug smuggling | drug usage | poor stress management | drop dead goregeous men | foul language | 

A/N First of all, special thanks to Ally for supporting me through ko-fi! 🥰 Also, sorry for not updating it sooner, I’ve been busy with work and college, the next chapter will be probably around New Year, since I’d like to write something christmasy. 🎄Enjoy~~ 

There’s something unexplainable about Taeyong.

He’s a living paradox; on one side, he’s a ruthless mafia boss who won’t hesitate to attack people who had dared to wrong him. However, on the other, he’s a caring leader that is ready to go out of his way to protect his loyal associates.

Though it was, give or take, two weeks since I got to know him personally, I could deduct this much. There was nothing he valued more than loyalty, and I made a mental note to myself to never let him down, especially in this department.

Despite witnessing him murder Haechan and Jisung, I felt oddly safe in his arms, and it was alarming as fuck. Only God knows how many red flags I decided to ignore this night for the sake of his warm embrace. Perhaps it was stupid and reckless, but I didn’t care.

I was scared, and it provided me with warmth and comfort. Taeyong was the one who inflicted the wound on my mind by making me torture Haechan. However, at the same time, he was helping me to treat it with his support.

I didn’t do anything wrong. However, according to Taeyong’s twisted sense of justice, it should be me to punish them – an eye for an eye and all of that bullshit.

As soon as Taeyong led me out of the basement, he leaned in. His whisper tickled my sensitive skin as he ordered me to wait for him in my new car. With a slight nod of my head, I exited the mansion, awfully glad he let me go. Though I tried to forget it even happened, my mind was replaying all of the events from the last hour, making me sick.

The cold fresh breeze hit my face, making me shiver. Wrapping my arms around my torso, I made my way to the vehicle. Once inside, I turned on the music player, looking through for my therapy playlist.

The first song on the playlist was “Don’t Cha” by The Pussycat Dolls, and I nervously began tapping my fingers against the steering wheel in the rhythm. At some point, I unconsciously started singing my heart out, and it actually helped me calm down my nerves.

Unfortunately, the sensation was short-lived. As soon as Taeyong sat down in the passenger seat and closed the doors, I once again became a nervous wreck.

What did he want to discuss with me in private?

“Your opponents didn’t make it easy for you, did they?” Taeyong asked with a mischievous smirk upon his face after he saw the current state of the car.

“It’s just a couple of scratches; it’s no big deal,” I stated, trying to brush it off. Though it pained me, I knew Doyoung would gladly help me fix the vehicle in exchange for a fancy bottle of booze. (And some free ride coupons if he happened to be extra whiny.)

“So…” I cleared my throat, trying not to seem overly intimidated by his presence. “What did you want to talk to me about?” I asked, avoiding his dominant gaze. Under the influence of Taeyong's penetrating eyes, I’d most likely agree to anything in a heartbeat, and that’s not what I wanted at the moment. I had to be assertive and stand my ground.

“First of all, where is the money you won tonight?” Taeyong inquired, and I tilted my head toward the glove compartment, where I had stuffed all the cash I had won in the race. With a playful smirk, Taeyong reached in, pulled out the bag, and looked inside.

“You made me really proud tonight,” he commented, staring at the money before he put his hand into the bag and threw a handful of cash on my thighs. “That’s the tip, spend it wisely,” Taeyong added, and I smiled sheepishly, having no idea what I could spend this money on.

“Thanks,” I answered out of courtesy.

“I know you must be exhausted, so I’ll be quick,” Taeyong started, and I smiled, glad he understood my state. I had survived a couple of terribly tiring days, and right now, I just wanted to return to my tiny apartment, crawl under the covers, and sleep to my heart’s content.

“Yeah, what is it?”

“Next Saturday, I have a business to tend to, and I’ll be needing a driver,” Taeyong explained vaguely, and I nodded my head, making a mental note of it. “Normally, I’d ask Lucas, but we’re a bit understaffed right now, so he’s going to be pretty busy.”

If I wasn’t half-asleep by now, I would be outraged. Ever since I had stolen Taeyong’s vehicle, I put my blood, sweat, and tears into proving I could be a legit gang member. And now, they were looking for recruits, the nerve! Partially, I might’ve been an indirect reason they were understaffed at the moment, yet it still managed to anger me.

“Yeah, sure, I’ll do it,” I replied dismissively, not even bothering to ask for any additional information. The case seemed too easy; there must’ve been a catch, but at this point, I didn’t care. I just wanted this conversation to be over with. Taeyong wouldn’t assign me to this task if he didn’t believe I could pull through, so I naturally agreed, hoping I wouldn’t regret this negligence.

“Someone will text you more details sometime next week until then, get some rest, you look like you need lots of it,” Taeyong spoke teasingly as he once again eyed me from head to toe. I could only guess how awful I looked with the bruises, the eye bags, and an unimpressed frown on my face.

“Gee, thanks for that,” I jested, making Taeyong smirk in response.

“See you soon, doll,” having leaned toward me, he whispered before pressing a delicate kiss in the corner of my mouth, confusing the hell out of me.

What the hell was that?

***

Though at first, I was doubtful, I somehow managed to get better over the week. I still had a vivid picture in my mind of the crime scene unfolding in front of me, but it didn’t bother me as much as it had earlier. Also, I didn’t feel like throwing up out of stress when I thought of Taeyong. As time passed, all the intensity seemed to wear off, and I was glad because I wasn’t ready to take in any more stress.

Right now, I felt great.

Most of the bruises already healed, and I slept to my heart’s content and even went to the fitness club for some yoga classes. Last night, Doyoung and I had a sleepover at my place with classic 90’s movies, unhealthy snacks, and fruity face masks.

Life’s beautiful, I’d say.

Just as Taeyong had said, someone had texted me the details about the next gig. It was Lucas, and as much as I liked hearing from him, I’d much prefer a face-to-face encounter. He was hot as fuck, and though out of my league, I would love to appreciate his ethereal beauty in person instead of imagining him in yet another gorgeous outfit. I just couldn’t help myself; it was his fault he looked like his place was on the cover of Men’s Health.

His message was short, but it provided me with a lot of information, and in all honesty, I was glad he didn’t give me too many details. All I had to do was to escort Taeyong and his friend to a nightclub outside the city and drive them back to the mansion. The car would await me in Taeyong’s driveway, and I should arrive about half an hour before the departure. Oh, and of course, what the dress code was – nightlife extravaganza.

I had no idea what business they were to tend to, but I decided it was for the better. The less I knew about Taeyong's dirty dealings, the less trouble I was getting myself into. If I knew what they were about to do, I might’ve found myself in yet another one stress-heavy episode. It seemed like the only reasonable option to stay the hell away from any possible stress factors.

“How do I look?” I asked Doyoung as I stepped out of my bathroom, letting him check out the outfit. I was wearing a black two-piece, consisting of a cropped top with straps around the waist and a pair of high-waisted leather skinny pants. With ankle strap red high heels, a matching quilted purse, and sharp make-up, I felt sexy and empowered.

“You look like a badass CEO, is this the look you were going for?” Doyoung stated after carefully judging my outfit. Sighing, he put one leg over another. “I like it,” he smiled, giving me thumbs up. “Top it off with that leather jacket, and you’re good to go.”

“The black one or the red one?” I asked, looking at the jackets, wondering which would suit me better, ignoring ‘the really???’ look that Doyoung was giving me. “OK, never mind, sorry I asked,” I groaned, throwing the black jacket at Doyoung’s face, putting the red one over my shoulders.

“Mr. Bad Boy won’t be able to take his eyes off of you,” Doyoung remarked in a snarky manner, and I stuck my tongue out, trying to ignore the verbal jab. Very sophisticated conversation between two best friends, I had to admit.

“I won’t even reply to that,” I sighed and went to the mirror to check out if my make-up needed any retouch. Doyoung must’ve really thought I was trying to impress Taeyong with the outfit, and to be honest, it was the least of my worries. Though we barely spoke with each other, Taeyong didn’t seem to understand the meaning of personal space, so I doubted he cared what I was wearing. As long as I’d let him take it off, he would be satisfied.

Not that I thought about letting him do that…

I was a professional, and sleeping with my boss, or even thinking about it isn’t at the top of my priorities. I’m a skilled car racer and a thief, and that’s what I’m planning on focusing on.

“I don’t know when I’ll be back. Close the doors when you leave, okay?” I told Doyoung, and he smiled, lying on the couch, reaching for the TV remote.

“No worries, I’ll just watch the game, clean up the mess you made, and leave,” he said before he stuffed his mouth with a handful of potato chips. “Go get ‘em, tiger.”

***

Punctually, I parked my cute Fiat on Taeyong’s driveway right next to a big ass black Hummer. Having got out of my tiny vehicle, I made my way around the monster truck, seeing Lucas in the driver seat, setting up the navigation system. I knocked on the window, and the man turned his head around in a second, sending me a playful smirk.

God, he’s ridiculously hot. My memory didn’t do him justice. With his hair swept back, in a loose red jacket and a low-cut black t-shirt, he looked mesmerizing. A minute later, he exited the vehicle, and I saw him in all his tall glory, and for a brief second, I forgot how to breathe.

It was the effect® Lucas had on regular people.

“The keys are in the ignition, the location already typed into the GPS system. Taeyong and the other guy should be here in a few,” Lucas said, and I nodded.

Who’s the other guy?

Not even Lucas knows his name?

Strange…

“Hello to you, too,” I spoke, smiling at him. Taeyong was nowhere to be seen, so I cleared my throat before firing a question, initiating small talk. “How is recruiting going?” I inquired, genuinely curious about the progress he must’ve made.

“Nothing much yet, but I’m full of hope,” Lucas answered honestly, scratching the back of his head. “Actually, you inspired me to broaden my horizons,” he added, and I cocked up my eyebrow, wanting him to continue. Did I inspire him? Wow.

“Really?”

“Yeah, you’ve done some impressive shit,” Lucas confirmed, and I blushed at the compliment. “I’ve figured we need more women in our field, and I’ve talked to two best female candidates I could find. Right now, we discuss terms of recruitment,” Lucas explained excitedly, and I was positively shocked to hear such news.

Did someone hit him in the head with the feminism manifesto, or what?

“I don’t know what to say…” I whispered, trying to wrap my head around the newest revelation. Having experienced the treatment I received from most of them, it was hard to believe it took them so little time to change their mindset. I mean… it was just Lucas for now, but the change was already visible. “I’m happy to hear that; I can’t wait to meet them,” I added, turning my head to the side upon seeing Taeyong and his friend.

“Meet who?” Taeyong asked in confusion as he didn’t know the full context of our conversation.

“We were just talking about new recruits. I fill you in as soon as I have everything confirmed,” Lucas spoke. Taeyong nodded his head in comprehension, not even half as interested as I was. “Have a safe trip. I’ll get going,” he excused himself before walking away to a white Lamborghini Huracan.

“Missed me, doll?” Taeyong asked with a suggestive smirk decorating his face, as he bit on his bottom lip, glancing at me from head to toe. Yikes! It was unprofessional, and I wanted to scold him for being such a caveman. However, on a second thought, I decided to straighten my back to assert my confidence. Taeyong just wanted to express his appreciation for my fantastic outfit. Even though he chose the creepiest way of doing it, I chose to ignore it with a subtle eye roll.

“Is he always this nasty with you?” The mysterious man asked me as he walked past Taeyong, stretching his hand, greeting me like a regular person. “Pardon him, I’ve told him many times to work on his manners, but it’s like talking to a wall,” he added, and I chuckled, respecting the man already. He was talking shit about Taeyong in his presence – it was admirable.

“Who’s nasty? Speak for yourself!” Taeyong yelled, but his shorter friend just brushed it off.

“I kind of got used to it,” I replied casually, trying to give him a neutral answer.

“I’m Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul, but since no one can pronounce it right, everybody calls me Ten,” he introduced himself, and I replied with my name, hoping he would use it instead of yet another infantile nickname.

“Nice to meet you, Ten,” I answered, smiling at the man politely.

“Should we get going?” Having cleared his throat, Taeyong asked, urging us inside of the vehicle. Following Taeyong’s order, I smirked, thinking of his ridiculous behavior. It was the first time when I didn’t give him my full attention, and it was evident it bothered him.

It was new and refreshing, and it was kind of cute of him.

“Yeah, sure, get in, losers, we don’t have all night,” I added, growing a little bit impatient with their slow movements.

“You really have to stop calling me that,” Taeyong whispered in a low voice as he put his hand on my thigh and gave it a firm squeeze.

“And you really have to fasten your seatbelts, or we’re not going anywhere,” I teased with a big, artificial smile, scraping his hand off my thigh. “Those rules apply to you, too,” I added, looking into the rearview mirror, catching Ten sitting comfortably, ignoring seatbelts.

“Is she always like this?” Ten asked, yet obediently following my instructions.

“No. Usually, she’s way cooler,” Taeyong answered, pouting slightly.

***

A little over an hour later, I parked the Hummer in front of a night club. Apparently, all types of shady dealings were meant to be discussed over strong liquor and with a half-naked lady sitting on their laps.

“Good luck, boys,” having turned off the engine, I spoke, sounding awfully like a mom, dropping her kids at another soccer practice.

Annoyed, Taeyong smirked. “Oh no, you’re going with us,” he added, and I cursed under my breath, displeased that Taeyong managed to ruin my plans of staying behind and not getting involved in whatever business they were about to discuss. The less I knew, the better, and Taeyong was really making it difficult for me.

Trailing slowly behind them, I entered the club.

“Get anything you want. We’ll be back in a few,” Taeyong whispered into my ear as he slid his platinum credit card into my palm. “Don’t cause any trouble,” he added before they both walked away to the booth at the back of the establishment.

I still could see them, though they were outside my earshot. It couldn’t get any better. I wouldn’t have to worry about hearing anything that wasn’t meant for my ears. However, at the same time, I could appreciate their natural beauty, fashion sense, and confidence in their original habitat.

I was a designated driver tonight (duh), and it was more than irresponsible to buy myself an alcoholic drink – especially with my ridiculously low alcohol tolerance. Leaning over the counter, much to the bartender’s dismay, I ordered a virgin Mojito.

Having checked whether or not the bartender spat into my drink, I picked up the glass, wrapped my lips around the straw, and took a sip. Though it was delicious, I’d much prefer it to have some alcohol in it. Maybe next time, perhaps tomorrow on my day off, I told myself as I spun on the barstool to have a look at Taeyong and Ten.

They both looked gorgeous, though they didn’t fit the typical mobster description.

Taeyong had his now baby blue hair styled down, a white suit jacket, a baby blue T-shirt, and light pants that made him look like some lawyer on a business trip. Ten, on the other hand, with his messy parted bangs hairstyle, an olive bomber jacket, black hoodie, and a pair of black cargo pants, resembled a lost college student.

The men, who they were meeting, were a completely different story, though. All of them seemed like lethal mobsters with their short hair and all leather outfits. I knew for sure I wouldn’t like to stumble upon them in a dark alley. Without any doubt, they had guns on them, and I was fearful enough to turn my head around and return to my drink.

Not knowing how much time it would take them to discuss all terms of whatever agreement they wanted to sign on, I decided to text Doyoung to pass the time. Unfortunately, before I managed to pull out my phone, my drink got knocked over by a very drunk girl sitting on the barstool next to mine.

“Hey, watch it!” I shouted as I jumped off my stool, not wanting to get all wet. In a matter of a few seconds, the bartender rushed over, helping me wipe off the counter.

“I’m really sawwy,” she said in a drunken haze, and I rolled my eyes, not really wanting to start an argument with an intoxicated person. When drunk, I also tend to be more clumsy than usual, so I simply decided not to hold her accountable for such a minor mistake.

Having apologized for spilling my drink, she excused herself, leaving her date at the bar alone. A good-looking man ordered another round of cocktails for him and his date. I cocked my eyebrows at his behavior. She was already drunk; another drink wouldn’t make her any good.

In a minute, the bartender placed two cranberry vodkas on the counter, putting it on the man’s tab. At first, I wanted to mind my own business and not attract any unnecessary attention. However, when I noticed the man slipping something into the woman’s drink, I knew I needed to intervene. He wanted to hurt her, and I just couldn’t let that happen.

Sighing, I jumped off the barstool and marched to the bathroom, wanting to warn her. Thankfully, she was standing in front of the mirrors, washing her hands when I found her.

Casually, I stopped next to her and pulled out my lipstick to reapply it.

“Are you alright?” I asked her, watching her wobble in her ridiculously high stilettos. She was barely standing on her feet – she was in no condition to have yet another drink, let alone a drink spiked with some type of drug.

“I feel funny. I had one drink, yet I feel like I had five,” the woman commented, placing her purse next to the basin, searching for cosmetics to touch up her make-up. “It must be because I barely ate today, I was so stressed about this date, so I only had breakfast,” she added, but it didn’t calm me. If anything, it made me even more alert.

“Is it your first date with him?” I inquired, trying not to sound intrusive. She seemed a bit naïve, and I wanted to look out for her. If I could prevent her from getting hurt, I had to try.

“Yeah, he asked me out yesterday in a coffee shop next to my building. He’s so romantic,” the woman explained dreamily, and I refrained from groaning in distaste. What kind of dudes did she date in the past to think this guy was romantic?

That was all I needed to know to figure out that he just wanted to get laid and toss her aside. He just wanted to use her body without even earning her consent. No matter how good looking he was – it was unjustifiable. I couldn’t let her go to him and become a victim. I had to try and prevent her from getting hurt.

“Are you sure you want to go back to him in this state? If I were you, I’d reschedule,” I commented, trying to talk her out of continuing this date.

“What is your problem?” asked she, her tone laced with anger and irritation. “I’m on a date, and you keep ruining it. What’s your deal?”

Wow, that was rude.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. She couldn’t be for real, right?

“Listen–” I started, trying to defend my case, but she, once again, interjected me.

“No, you listen! I’m on a date with his hot man. You may try your luck somewhere else. I can bet you’ll find someone willing to fuck you but buzz off from me, and my man,” she hissed, and I just blinked a couple times, trying to comprehend what just happened. Though she was annoying the hell out of me, I still had to help her. Perhaps she didn’t fully deserve my saving, but I had to try. Friends or enemies, she didn’t merit to be taken advantage of.

Trying to flee the scene, she grabbed her purse and turned around to storm out of the bathroom. Fortunately, I managed to wrap my hand around her wrist before she made her way to the doors.

“Get a grip, woman!” I shouted at her, hoping she would listen to my loud voice – especially when she didn’t seem to particularly enjoy my calm and worried tone. “He roofied your drink and wants to take advantage of you. You better get yourself a ride home and leave.”

She looked at me, and I looked at her, having an intense stare contest. She must’ve been weighing her options before she tore her arm from my grasp.

“I can take care of myself,” she added before leaving the bathroom.

I tried, I told myself, but it still made me uneasy. She didn’t listen to my warnings, and she was about to get hurt, and it made me feel remorseful. I didn’t do my best. I still could prevent her from getting assaulted.

Heaving a deep sigh, I left the bathroom, determined to stop the man from drugging her even if I had to swallow the poison myself.

They were sitting by the bar as earlier. She was laughing at his joke, and he had his hand on her thigh. They seemed comfortable, but I knew enough to realize it was superficial.

Slowly, I approached them, stumbling over my legs, pretending to be shitfaced drunk. Once the drink was within my reach, I fake-tripped, spilling the alcohol on the man’s laps.

“You bitch,” he yelled in absolute anger. Apparently, he didn’t like it when his plan fell through. “Look what you’ve done!” He jumped to his feet, trying to wipe off his jeans.

Unfortunately, his furious outburst brought lots of attention to us. Instinctively, I turned to look at Taeyong. He was staring at me, mouthing, get out.

It was my much-awaited cue, so I gave this gross man some half-ass apology and left the club without any second thoughts. I had enough of this drama; I’d rather wait for them in the car.

Patiently, I waited for Taeyong and Ten to return. Time flew by quickly as I browsed my social media feed, forwarding the funniest memes to Doyoung.

Maybe thirty minutes later, Taeyong knocked on the window, wanting me to open the trunk. Two huge men with heavy leather jackets and gold chains around their necks threw four enormous black bags into the trunk, shutting it close with a loud thud.

I had no idea what the cargo was, but it didn’t sit right with me. Whatever it was, it must’ve been illegal, and it made me jumpy.

“What’s in the bags?” I asked carelessly, regretting my questing the second it left my mouth.

“Do you really want to know?” Taeyong challenged, and I vigorously shook my head in firm denial. Chuckling, he added, “Just samples.”

“Right,” I answered, dismissing the topic. Quickly, I turned on the engine and drove away, wanting to get back to the mansion as fast as it was lawfully possible.

Unfortunately, not talking about the cargo didn’t make me stop thinking about what’s inside the bags. Taeyong’s business has many branches, varying in dozens of illegal activities. Regardless of what was sitting in the trunk, we would all go to prison if caught.

“What kind of trouble did you cause when I specifically requested you didn’t?” Taeyong asked somewhat throughout the ride. His hands were squeezed in fists, resting on his thighs as he waited for my answer.

“I know, I’m sorry,” I genuinely apologized before I began pleading my case. Hopefully, with proper justification for my actions, Taeyong would understand. He was a human, after all. “I just couldn’t stay idle and watch this nightmare unfold in front of me. I had to help this girl out, even though she didn’t seem to appreciate it."

“Jaehyun was right about you,” Taeyong whispered mysteriously, making me raise an eyebrow in confusion. What kind of prejudice Jaehyun held against me? “You’re way too nice for this job,” he added, and I took a deep sigh, expecting a much worse response.

Though it pained me, it was understandable that being good was a bad thing in this line of business. Typically, I’d be glad to hear such a compliment, but under these circumstances, it made me upset. I wasn’t a saint, but I had some sort of a moral backbone.

“I wouldn’t necessarily put it that way,” I trailed off, thinking of the best way to present my abilities in the most fitting way.

“It was admirable if you want some second-hand opinion,” Ten interjected, pretty amazed with my attitude. “You should’ve punched him in the face, though. I’d love to see that,” he added, and I giggled, picturing my fist colliding against his jaw.

That would be a very nice picture.

“Can you drop me off at the Moonlight club? I’d like to meet with a friend of mine if that’s not a problem?” Ten asked, and I hummed in agreement, punching the club location into a navigation system. It was on our way, so it really wasn’t a nuisance.

“Sure thing,” I added, returning my focus on driving. Unfortunately, as soon as I shifted my attention to the front of our lane, I saw a car overtaking the Hummer. A second later, it flashed red and blue lights right, mentioning for me to stop the vehicle on the side of the road.

The police cruiser.

FUCK.

It was impossible. After doing so much illegal stuff, it was ironic to get caught when properly driving. It was a bad sign, and in a matter of seconds, I turned into an anxious ball of stress.

What a lame way to the end of my career!

OK, you gotta keep calm. Normal women can bullshit their way out of getting a ticket, so you can do it, too! I tried to psych myself up, though it didn’t help much. My mouth was still dry, and my hands were all sweaty. They’re about to discover I’m hiding some illegal stuff in the trunk. I couldn’t go to prison – orange is definitely NOT the new black.

“You can do it, doll. Don’t lose your cool,” Taeyong whispered, giving me an encouraging squeeze on the knee. Admittedly, it didn’t work.

“Yeah, don’t even think of all the drugs we have the trunk stocked up with,” Ten added, and I angrily turned back to yell at him for giving me info that I did not want nor need.

“Why would you say that?!” I shouted, trying to collect my thoughts. Cool, cool, cool, cool. You got this. You’ve survived worse. “If we make out of this alive, I’m gonna kill you,” I warned Ten before I straightened my backs, rolling down the window for the policeman who approached the vehicle.

“Good evening, Mr. Officer,” I beamed innocently, trying to read the policeman’s surname off the uniform, yet in vain. “I didn’t go too fast, did I?” I asked, batting my eyelashes in a poor attempt at flirtation.

Yikes, so much cringe!

“Driving license and vehicle registration certificate,” said the police officer coldly, completely ignoring my pathetic wooing. Unwillingly, I handed him the documents, praying to all the gods for him not to investigate the trunk. “Please, step out of the vehicle,” he added, and I followed his orders, ready to cooperate if he was willing to overlook the car inspection.

Obediently, I entered the backseat of the police cruiser, awaiting the interrogation.

“I’m an experienced driver. Did I make a mistake?” I inquired, waiting for them to give me the reason for pulling me over. My driving skills are mastered to perfection. I was really interested in what lame-ass excuse they were about to conjure to give me a ticket to fund the city’s budget.

“It’s just a routine checkup,” one police officer spoke dismissively, checking my data in their database. “All cops were asked to do routine checkups. Apparently, tonight some gang was doing drug drop-off, yet we stopped dozens of suspicious cars, and nothing came out of it. It must’ve been a false lead.”

What the fuck?

How, on Earth, did the police find out about this? Even I, who was a part of the drop-off, didn’t know what was inside the bags until two minutes ago. Was there a mole in the organization? Or maybe the police sent an undercover agent?

Thoughts were running through my head at a ridiculous speed, my gears were shifting swiftly as I tried to make any connection. Unfortunately, I didn’t connect shit. One thing was sure, though. If, by any chance, they let me go without investigating the car, Taeyong wouldn’t be thrilled to hear the news.

“Really? Drugs? And here I thought I live in the safe neighborhood,” I commented, feigning my cluelessness. Surprise, surprise, it actually sounded natural. Almost as if I was born to be a benighted dumb-dumb. “You better catch those smugglers.”

“We’re doing our best, miss,” the other policeman chimed in, and I tried my best not to roll my eyes at his for this evident negligence. They had culprits right under their nose, and it seemed they did not suspect me.

How could a dumb chick like me be involved in such a shady operation, am I right?

As much as I felt the urge to prove them wrong, I decided not to. As tempting as it was, it was extremely unbeneficial. I just wanted to get the hell out of the cruiser, drop the guys at Taeyong’s mansion, get my paycheck, and go home.

“Where were you going at such a late hour, miss?” The policeman asked, handing me back my documents after not finding anything worth further investigation.

“My friends were at the bachelor party in the club outside the capital, and they got really drunk, so I drove all the way there to pick them up,” I explained, though I got a feeling they weren’t listening to what I was saying.

“Uh-huh,” one of them muttered, quickly writing a messy note of the routine checkup, handing me back my documents. “That would be all, thank you for your cooperation,” the cop added, and I politely smiled, bolting out of the cruiser.

Phew!

Having fastened my seatbelts, I drove away. I just wanted to get the hell away from them, hoping they wouldn’t change their mind and order a thorough vehicle inspection. Taeyong and Ten must’ve had a dozen questions; however, I just turned up the volume of the radio, ignoring their concerned glances.

“Get out,” I barked when I abruptly stopped by the Midnight club. Perhaps it was rude, but I didn’t care. I’ve had a very stressful night, and politeness wasn’t on my mind.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow; good luck with miss grumpy,” Ten spoke before he jumped out of the vehicle, almost as if he was afraid I was going to talk back to him.

“What’s with the attitude?” Taeyong casually asked, and I sighed, trying to calm myself down. “I get you’re stressed, but you shouldn’t take your annoyance on us. Besides, if you’ve forgotten, let me remind you. I’m your boss, and Ten is my close associate.”

“I’m sorry,” I apologized before I revealed what exactly happened in the police car. Truth to be told, Taeyong didn’t seem particularly surprised.

“That’s not the worst thing I’ve heard today,” Taeyong whispered, looking at my profile. “Jungwoo from Busan division called me today. Some of Yuta’s men crossed the border. Apparently, he didn’t appreciate our little prank,” he explained, and I grew speechless.

Karma was getting back at me.

Why do actions have consequences?

“That’s not good,” I answered, unable to form a coherent response. I was royally screwed, yet at the time, I was overwhelmed by the revelation.

Why couldn’t I just wait for Taeyong to put an ad on Craigslist, for fuck’s sake?

“Hey, look at me,” Taeyong ordered, and I obediently tore my eyes off the road to gaze into his eyes. “Don’t think too much about it; it’ll be fine,” Taeyong promised, yet his words didn’t make me feel assured. “You’re one of us; we’ll protect you.”

“You better,” I added, clutching my palms around the steering wheel in yet another stress-fuelled episode. There better be a professional health care program for Taeyong’s employees. Otherwise, I may need a therapist. Stress factors don’t stop coming, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to carry on much longer.

“Do you want to hang out?” Taeyong inquired, taking me by surprise. He, the mafia boss, wanted to spend some time with such a peasant like myself. That concept was wild, and it actually made me wonder. I couldn’t really say no. Some people would die to get a chance to wander around his big-ass mansion with Taeyong himself. “We can order some take out and just chill. What do you think?”

“I’d love that.”

***

Since the police knew the registration number, Taeyong ordered me to park the vehicle in a large garage under his majestic mansion. Having turned off the engine, we got out of the car, and I handed him the keys, lifting some heft off my shoulders. It was a nice car, but the memories it held were terrible. I’d rather forget that I even drove that thing.

“Give me a sec,” Taeyong said, taking a handful of samples, stuffing his pocket with them.

“What are these exactly?” Having creased my forehead in contemplation, I asked.

“These? Oh, it’s a new type of drug. It’s called the punch,” Taeyong explained, showing me a single dose of the drag. It was nicely wrapped like candy, and inside it looked like a mint. “It’s like LSD had a baby with shrooms,” he commented casually, winking at me. “And it tastes like bubblegum; you want to try some? The first batch is in the house.”

“Maybe later,” I answered dismissively, not really keen on having my first trip with Taeyong. But on the other hand, who was a better candidate to do drugs with? “I’d rather have some take out first if that’s not a problem,” I added, hoping he wouldn’t press me into doing anything out of my comfort zone. Not that I expected Taeyong to force me to do things against my will. I didn’t. After all, he was a really considerate man.

“Sure, what cuisine are you craving? I’m thinking… maybe something spicy. How about Mexican?” Taeyong proposed, and I vigorously nodded. Either he was my soulmate or really was able to read minds. “I’ll order something delicious.”

This time around, his mansion felt odd.

It was still majestic and glamorous, yet at the same, it was quiet. Back then, it was packed with Taeyong’s minions, but right now, they were in hiding, giving Taeyong his much-needed privacy. Following behind him, roaming around the spacious corridors felt like being guided through a museum during a private tour.

Once settled in the day room, Taeyong walked up to the bar, brought two glasses and a bottle of tequila, and set them on the coffee table.

“You want some? You look like you need a glass or two,” Taeyong offered upon seeing me all tensed up and anxious on the leather couch, nervously scanning the room.

“I’d rather hear some good news, but the alcohol will do,” I answered, reaching for the glass, downing it in one go, only to regret it a second later. “Pour me another one.”

“Take it easy,” Taeyong suggested, yet obediently filled my glass before turning on music, letting me know what type of songs he was into. Apparently, for late night’s chilling EDM hits were his to-go playlist.

With some liquid courage, it was easier to relax at Taeyong’s place. I took off my shoes and stretched on the sofa comfortably, all unpleasant and stressful occurrences slowly fading away. Unfortunately, these feelings were about to come back in the morning.

Twenty minutes later, the food was delivered, and it was absolutely mouthwatering. Fresh corn tortillas, spicy ground beef with a ridiculous amount of cheese made a perfect combination, tasting orgasmic. If I had less self-control, I’d moan at the foodporn laid out on the table for us to devour.

“So… how did the meeting go? Was it a success, or did I fuck it up with my shenanigans at the bar?” I inquired, narrowing my eyes, carefully watching his reaction.

If I could make out an emotion that his eyes were conveying, it was amusement.

“We will see,” Taeyong whispered, reaching into his pocket, playing with a single sample in his hands. “I only distribute the goodies. I gotta check first if this innovation is worth my time,” he added before popping the substance into his mouth like candy. “Is ‘no’ your definite answer?” Taeyong questioned, looking like a cute innocent hamster with the pill dissolving against the inside of his left cheek.

After a few tequila shots and delicious Mexican take out, I was much braver. However, at the same time, I became a way less assertive version of myself. Consenting to his kind proposition was too easy. Besides, what’s the worst thing that could happen? His mansion’s probably the safest place in the country.

“Fine, gimme,” I gave up, reaching out for the pill.

At first, nothing happened. A few minutes later, still nothing, and I even began to think Taeyong gave me a sample from a faulty batch. It was until it hit me good.

The couch melted like milk chocolate swallowing me in its soft waves before I crashed through the floor of nonexistent colors splashes.

#taeyong smut #nct smut #neosmutcollective #nct angst #taeyong angst #taeyong #lee taeyong #nct #get in loser #taeyong fanfic #nct fanfic #taeyong fanfiction #nct fanfiction

[pickalilywrites]

for @certainbonksaladranch, whose kind words always give me a reason to continue writing. thank you for always being a beautiful soul in the rivetra fandom 💖

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

If You Have Some Time, Would You Like to Marry Me?

Rivetra. My Girl + My Strange Hero AU.

A Love More Than Diamonds Series: Chapter 1

10175 words.

Read on Ao3!

The first time Levi encounters her is at a wedding.

Levi does not know the bride nor the groom. He actually doesn’t know anyone at the wedding. The only reason he’s attending at all is because the bride is the daughter of a businessman who has been a close associate of his grandfather’s for years. Because Levi’s grandfather was unable to attend due to his poor health, Levi had come in his place. He should be used to it by now, attending all these business meetings and social events with people whose names he can’t ever remember, but Levi still finds them tedious. This wedding is no exception.

After being greeted at the front of the garden and handing off his wedding gift to a staff member, Levi wanders aimlessly around the garden trying his best to be sociable even though so many unnecessary conversations leave him exhausted. He has to remind himself several times not to glance at his watch lest he appear rude. He does one round around the garden, making sure he doesn't miss anyone, before giving up on socializing completely and spending the rest of his time standing beside the fountain and remarking to everyone that passes by that he had never seen such a beautiful wedding before even though it’s a lie. He’s probably been to half a dozen ceremonies that were just as good if not better than this one.

When it’s time for the wedding ceremony to begin, everyone falls into place easily. It seems Levi is the only one stumbling about searching for a free seat. There isn’t anyone he wants to sit next to nor anyone that seems to want to sit next to him, so he sits in the very last row in the corner where nobody will take too much notice of him. He fidgets in his seat, frowning when the orchestral quartet begins to play Pachelbel’s Canon.

It shouldn’t be too long now before Levi can leave. He just needs to wait until the bride walks down the aisle and says her vows alongside the groom and then he’ll wait for the appropriate amount of time before leaving. He just needs to be patient.

Levi turns his head, expecting to see the bride making her way down the aisle. He doesn’t expect to see another woman hurriedly running towards the area where Levi and all the other guests are seated. Other staff members in their monochrome suits chase after her, hissing at her about trespassing because they’re too afraid to raise their voices and ruin the bride’s moment even more. It’s only when the woman pulls out an invitation from her purse and flashes it at the staff that they stop chasing her, although it might be in confusion over how a guest could possibly be so rude as to show up this late. The woman finally reaches the seating area and Levi glances at the bride at the end of the aisle, but it’s difficult to tell her expression under the covering of her veil.

When Levi turns around to check where the late guest has decided to seat herself, he’s almost horrified to find her sliding into the seat next to him. The woman doesn’t seem to notice his horror because she settles in easily next to him, brushing her ginger hair out of her face and flashing a smile at him.

“Ah, my ride was late,” she tells him as if he had asked. At least she has the decency to keep her voice low. Leaning her head towards Levi, the woman asks, “Do you think the bride hates me?”

“I don’t know,” Levi answers. He doesn’t know why he replies at all. He should have ignored her. The woman already made a small scene by arriving late to the wedding, and nothing good will come out of associating with her. He’ll probably have to apologize to the bride’s father for being seated next to the woman even though she was the one who sat next to him. He knows all this and yet he still finds himself saying (quite unnecessarily) to the woman, “I don’t know her at all.”

The woman doesn’t look surprised, only curious. “You’re a friend of the groom’s then?” she asks as they begin to untwist their necks and sit properly in their seats now that the bride is walking down the aisle through the rows and rows of seats.

“No,” Levi replies. “Not really.” He should have lied and said it was true or even made up some kind of distant relation between him and the groom. He doesn’t know why he doesn’t. Maybe he’s so surprised that he’s even having this conversation that he doesn’t think to tell any lies.

To Levi’s confusion, the woman looks absolutely delighted. She leans in even closer, her smile dazzling as she grows ever near. “Me neither. I don’t know anyone here at all,” she confesses, which only confuses Levi all the more.

She had clearly shown an invitation to the staff earlier or she would have been dragged out of the garden when she had first waltzed in late. Why, then, is she claiming not to know the groom or the bride? It might be the case that she is like Levi, only there to maintain a business relationship with either the bride or the groom’s family, but the more he studies the woman, the more unlikely Levi finds this theory.

The woman isn’t dressed in the same black-tie attire that everyone else is wearing, Levi realizes. While all the other women wear gowns with skirts that trail on the grass, the woman’s skirt barely ends at her knees, revealing smooth legs and open-toed shoes. Her hair hangs in a simple bob, ginger locks framing her heart-shaped face, instead of done up in an intricate hairstyle or set in elegant curls. It makes Levi wonder if she had perhaps missed the dress code on the RSVP, but he thinks it’s more likely that she doesn’t belong here at all.

He’s about to ask her how she was invited to this wedding when she suddenly lets out the tiniest squeal and whispers to him, “This is my favorite part!” She sighs with the most wistful smile on her face. “This whole thing is awfully romantic, don’t you think?”

Levi forces himself to look up front where the bride is standing with her groom. The groom’s back is turned to Levi as the bride’s veil is lifted, the bride’s smile blinding as she looks up at her husband. Levi assumes the groom is equally elated to have his soon-to-be-wife by his side. As the bride and groom recite their vows to each other, Levi watches the woman beside him from the corner of his eye.

She sighs almost wistfully as the bride and groom share their vows, chest heaving with a longing sigh and eyes sparkling. Levi doesn’t know how someone can look so enamored with the matrimony of two people they don’t even know, but maybe she’s a hopeless romantic who watched too many romcoms. He expects her to get teary-eyed when the minister asks if anyone would like to “speak now or forever hold their peace,” but she doesn’t. Instead, the woman does something much worse.

At the minister’s words, the woman stands up and Levi has no choice but to watch her even though he wants nothing more than to drag her down by the arm and ask her in a hushed whisper what the fuck she’s doing disrupting the wedding of a perfect stranger. He watches helplessly as the woman stands, her face cold and steely as if she hadn’t told Levi a few minutes before in an awestruck voice that she found the whole wedding awfully romantic, and says the absolute worst thing that can come out of her mouth:

“She can’t marry him.”

And then somehow even more unexpected and horrible:

“I love him.”

She’s staring directly at the groom, Levi realizes, the same groom she had claimed not to know when she had first met Levi. At first, Levi thinks this is just some terrible joke or that he had heard wrong, but everyone around him looks equally horrified and it’s clear that they’re all in the same state of disbelief as Levi.

Tears are welling in her amber eyes, an elegant tear even dripping down her cheek as she looks at the stunned couple. All eyes are on her, but it’s as if she doesn’t notice. Her gaze is fixed on the groom whose hands have fallen from the bride’s. As if entranced, she walks to him, stopping only a few paces away. With tear-filled eyes, she looks to the groom and stretches a hand towards him.

“Darling,” she says. Her voice is hardly a whisper but it seems to ring in the stunned silence. “Darling, run away with me. I love you.”

Everyone’s gaze turns to the groom now. The man looks just as confused as the other wedding guests, but he takes a tentative step towards the woman, then another. He takes another step and then one more until he’s finally reached the mysterious wedding crasher. His hand reaches out to meet the woman’s and she smiles as she intertwines her fingers with his. The woman’s face breaks into a dazzling smile and, without another word, she pulls the man after her and the two run down the aisle while the bride begins to shriek for the wedding staff not to let the runaway groom get away.

Levi watches as the poor maids and butlers try to chase after the groom and the woman who has just spirited him away, but the escapees manage to slip right through everyone’s fingers. The groom and woman make it to the entrance of the garden where an idle van awaits them. As soon as the woman slips inside after the groom, the door slams shut in the sweaty faces of their pursuers and the van takes off. Everyone watches as the van grows smaller and smaller until it finally vanishes and all the while the bride sobs like her heart is being torn out.

꘎♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡꘎

The second time Levi sees her is at a bar that he had initially no intention of going to.

He usually didn’t have the time to attend social outings aside from the ones necessary to appease the business partners that Levi’s grandfather had long been associated with. It doesn’t bother Levi most of the time. He’s not a fan of crowded places, but Hanji always has a way of dragging him to places he doesn’t want to be. They had insisted that this particular bar was worth going to at least once, and Levi had reluctantly agreed because Hanji assured him that it was a hole-in-the-wall establishment where he wouldn’t be bothered even if people did recognize him.

“The atmosphere is very relaxed there. You might be able to take your mind off work for once,” Hanji told him. “The drinks aren’t half-bad either for their price. Oh, but the singer is absolutely divine. She comes out every week and she’s really amazing. Doesn’t a talented singer add to the ambience of a place?”

Upon arriving at the bar, Levi does have to admit that the atmosphere of the restaurant is indeed as relaxing as Hanji had assured him it would be. At the back of the restaurant is a small stage where a jazz band is playing. The place where the singer should be is empty, but Hanji assures him the singer is probably just going on a break and will be back soon. The bar is dimly lit, which gives Levi a slight feeling of anonymity that he typically doesn’t have under bright lights and flashing cameras. Nobody stares at or turns their head as Levi and Hanji make their way to a table in the corner of the bar, and Levi finds himself breathing more easily than he usually does.

“So, tell me about the runaway groom and the mysterious woman who whisked him away,” Hanji asks. In their hands, they cradle a glass filled with an electric blue beverage that smells vaguely of peaches with a wedge of lemon stuck to the top of the glass.

“You’ve heard this story already,” Levi replies. He knows it’s his own fault that he’s about to talk about this scandalous story over a gin and tonic. He doesn’t care for gossip, but he had off-handedly mentioned that he had sat next to the mysterious ginger-haired woman after Hanji had shown him an article in the news about a famous businessman’s daughter being left at the altar. Hanji, always interested in stories about anything strange or scandalous, has asked him to retell the tale at least a dozen times since then.

Hanji leans forward, elbows on the table and face in their hands. “Did you know when she walked in that she’d be running away with the groom? Did it look like the groom was having an affair behind the bride’s back the whole time? Was their getaway dramatic enough to be in a movie?”

Levi rolls his eyes and takes a sip of his gin and tonic. The sharp taste of alcohol burns quickly down his throat and he’s left with a lemony aftertaste on his tongue. “It’s not like I got to talk to her very much. The woman came late to the wedding. She sat down just as the bride was walking down the aisle,” Levi tells Hanji.

Hanji whistles. “Wow, she ran away with the bride’s man and didn’t even have the audacity to come on time. You’d think she’d have some manners.”

Levi believes the tardiness is negligible given the woman’s more offensive crime of running away with the groom, but he doesn’t say that out loud. “It’s strange though,” he says instead. “The woman mentioned that she didn’t know anyone there — neither the bride nor the groom. It might have been my imagination, but it didn’t look as if he recognized her either, at least not at first. He didn’t seem to expect her at all.”

“Well, it’s not every day that someone crashes your wedding and proposes that you run away with them,” Hanji points out. They’re not wrong, but that doesn’t explain everything either.

“It still doesn’t make sense,” Levi grumbles as he settles with his back against the seat, his arms folded across his chest.

“Maybe she was his first love or something and their parents wouldn’t let them marry because of their difference in social status,” Hanji says, chewing on their straw thoughtfully.

“This isn’t a soap opera,” Levi snorts.

“No,” Hanji agrees, “but it could be.”

Levi shakes his head, trying to rid his mind of the strange woman. He doesn’t have the time to think about a wedding crasher he’ll probably never meet again. It’s already too much drama that he doesn’t care for.

“Was she pretty though?” Hanji asks. They reach across the table and munch on a crispy potato chip from the appetizer bowl that was set for them when they had first arrived. It’s clear that even if Levi is done talking about the woman, Hanji certainly isn’t.

Levi wrinkles his nose. “I don’t see why that’s important.”

“It’s important to me,” Hanji says. They sigh and nibble at the end of their straw. “I was just curious if you had an opinion of her. I probably shouldn’t have asked though. You never have an opinion on these things.”

He rolls his eyes and is about to open his mouth when the lights on the stage begin to change color from a soft white to a warm violet.

Hanji sits up and twists in their seat. “Ah, it looks like the singer is about to start,” Hanji says eagerly. They settle down against their seat, hands folded in front of them. “You’ll see what I was talking about, Levi. Even if you aren’t a music aficionado, you can’t deny her talent.”

Levi merely grunts and lets his eyes flicker to the stage. As the band readies their instruments, a woman walks on the stage and the sight of her nearly makes Levi fall out of his seat. The flash of the woman’s ginger hair makes Levi blink — once, twice — and he leans forward in his seat to get a closer look.

The more he stares, the more he’s certain that the woman is the very same that he had met at the wedding. It’s the same woman he had seen running away with the groom, the woman Levi was certain he would never see again.

The woman sits on a stool at the center of the stage while the soft violet lights settle on her. Her eyes are cast downward as the band begins to play, a slick jazzy tune that drifts through the bar, and raises the mic to her lips. When she opens her mouth, the most angelic voice comes out, a voice that was made for singing.

Levi leans over the table, tapping on the surface to catch Hanji’s attention. “That’s her,” he says, not taking his eyes off the woman for a second. “That’s the woman who was at the wedding.”

“She’s the woman from the wedding?” Hanji repeats, confused for a second before they realize what Levi is saying. They do a double-take and then turn back to Levi, eyes wide. “She’s the woman from the wedding you’ve been talking about? Why didn’t you mention she was an amazing singer? We could have found her earlier!”

“It’s not like she sang at the wedding,” Levi scowls. “And even if I did find out she was a singer, how would you be able to connect those two dots?”

“I would have,” Hanji says confidently before taking a sip of their cocktail. They turn back to where the woman is singing. “Should we ask if we can talk to her backstage after the set? She seems so interesting. You don’t meet a wedding crasher with a phenomenal singing voice every day, you know.”

“Please don’t stick your nose into things that aren’t any of our business,” Levi says, although he knows Hanji isn’t listening. They always do what they want anyway.

Levi raises his glass to his lips and takes a sip of gin. He’s so fixated on the woman on the stage that he hardly feels the burn of the alcohol as it slips down his throat.

The woman looks comfortable on stage. Dressed in a loose white peasant blouse and dark trousers, she looks like she belongs under the spotlight and isn’t at all out of place like she was at the wedding. Her voice is melodious and sweet like a songbird, which Levi finds strange. He doesn’t recall her speaking voice as being musical, but he supposes there are people who have singing voices that don’t match their speaking voices.

He ignores Hanji as they flag down a server. The server leans over to hear Hanji’s request better — they’re most likely asking the server for a chance to speak with the singer after her set is over. Levi has half a mind to swat the server away. They’re blocking his view of the stage.

He wonders what a nameless singer is doing in a hole-in-the-wall jazz bar after crashing the wedding of two of the most powerful families in the city. Why isn’t the woman with the runaway groom somewhere overseas where nobody could find them? Why is she here singing at a bar like she hadn’t ruined someone’s wedding the week before? Who exactly is this woman?

“Is she really that pretty?” Hanji asks and snaps Levi out of his thoughts. When Levi looks at his friend, they gesture towards the stage. “You’ve been staring at her. If you’re enraptured by her, just remember: she already ran away with the groom at the wedding.”

“I wasn’t staring,” Levi frowns. He sits up and turns his head, pretending to stare at the wall as he sips his drink but he takes a peek at the woman from the corner of his eye.

Hanji rolls their eyes. “You don’t have to pretend you’re not staring,” they tell him. Levi is about to open his mouth and protest that that isn’t what he’s doing, but Hanji waves their hand about to silence him. “The set is almost over and the waiter I talked to earlier said we could meet with her backstage if you’re so curious about her.”

“I’m not,” Levi says, but Hanji clucks their tongue at him and gestures for him to follow. He doesn’t want to be left alone in an unfamiliar place, so he reluctantly follows Hanji. At the very least, he can apologize to the woman about his nosy friend.

The two follow one of the bar staff towards the stage where they’re taken to a backdoor. The staff holds open the door for Hanji and Levi. The staff member informs the two that the woman has been told of their request to see her and is expecting them backstage.

“She’s very flattered that you want to see her,” the staff member says as they lead Hanji and Levi through a dark hallway. “She’s very shy, though, so don’t do anything to startle her.”

“We won’t,” Hanji assures.

“If she’s so shy, how is she able to perform on stage every night?” Levi asks. He yelps when Hanji jabs him in the side with their elbow, but his friend only smiles sweetly at the staff member who turns around curiously.

The staff member leads them to the back of the stage where some of the musicians are resting. Hanji and Levi follow them to a woman standing nervously in the corner staring at her phone. She looks up quickly at them before looking back at her phone. It confuses Levi when the staff member stops them right in front of the woman. The ginger woman who had sung on stage only moments ago is nowhere to be seen.

“Ruth, here are the people who were so eager to meet you,” the staff member says to the woman, who smiles timidly at Hanji and Levi. To the two, the staff member says, “I’ll leave you two here for a bit. I’ll come collect you before the jazz band starts their set.”

Levi and Hanji don’t say anything for a moment. The three awkwardly watch as the staff member leaves before turning towards each other. It’s clear that the woman in front of them is too shy to say anything and both Levi and Hanji are too confused to introduce themselves properly.

After a moment, Levi asks, “Where’s the woman who was singing just a moment ago?”

“She’s ... I’m the one who was singing,” the woman — Ruth, the staff member called her — says. She plays with her hair, wrapping her finger around a dark lock and spinning it around and around. Levi notices that she doesn’t look up as she speaks. “The woman who was on stage … she just lip-syncs.”

Hanji is much faster at putting the pieces together than Levi. “So you’re the one who sings, and she lip-syncs,” they say, rubbing their chin thoughtfully. They tilt their head as they give Ruth a once-over. “Why, though? Do you two have some sort of deal? Is she forcing you to sing for her so she can claim all the glory?”

“N-no, it’s nothing like that,” Ruth says with a shake of her head. She bites her bottom lip as she finds the words to explain. “I’m just … so shy. Painfully shy. It’s just easier for me to sing backstage and have someone lip-sync on stage. She goes on stage and I sing, and then she gets a small cut of the money every night I work.”

Hanji hums. They’re no longer curious about the singer, but about the woman that had been on stage earlier. “Are you two friends?” Realizing that their questions might be frightening the woman, Hanji straightens up and gives Ruth a friendly smile. “Sorry, I’m just curious about how you came about this arrangement.”

Ruth looks down as she purses her lips. She kicks at some imaginary dust on the floor. “There’s a … company. They fulfill odd requests like mine,” Ruth replies. “I asked them if I could have someone stand on stage for me while I sang and they sent that woman.”

“That woman,” Levi repeats. He doesn’t say it in a particularly harsh tone, but Ruth still flinches. He should probably apologize for startling her, but he has a question he’d rather ask. “Does she have a name?”

Ruth nods reluctantly. “Yes … but she said it was a need-to-know basis,” the singer says. She rubs her arm awkwardly, her expression almost apologetic. “She told me when we were introduced, but she also requested that I not give out her name.”

And so the mysterious woman grows even more mysterious, Levi thinks with a frown. No longer interested in making conversation with Ruth, Levi withdraws behind Hanji as his friend bombards the singer with more questions: Where else does she sing? How long has she been singing? Would she be comfortable doing shows where she wouldn’t have to show her face? At a certain point, Levi thinks Hanji is overdoing the polite conversation and he’s thankful when the staff member finally comes back to collect them.

“So she’s a bar singer in the evenings and a wedding crasher on her free days?” Levi asks when they settle down in their booth. He slumps against his seat, frowning with his arms crossed against his chest. “This just makes less and less sense.”

“I think she’s just a woman of many trades,” Hanji says. They pull something out of their pocket: a little business card. They push it across the table towards Levi.

Levi picks up the card and inspects it. In the very center in simple typescript are the words “As You Wish.” In smaller font underneath are the words “A Wish-Fulfillment Company.” On the very bottom is a number and a website address. Levi looks back up at Hanji, an eyebrow raised.

“It’s really like Ruth said,” Hanji says with a smile. “The woman you’re so curious about works for a wish-fulfillment company. Apparently, they do odd jobs at strangers’ requests. For a price, of course.”

Pretending not to be interested, he pushes the card back towards Hanji. “Are you going to call them up?” Levi asks.

“Nope,” Hanji replies. They look at him with a grin. “I don’t have any wishes for them right now. You can keep that card though. If you really want to know more about that woman, you could call them.”

Levi snorts. He knows he’s never going to call that number, but he tucks the card into his wallet anyway.

꘎♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡꘎

The third time Levi sees the woman is when he finally learns her name.

He’s just finished dining at a restaurant with a few businessmen, who had (of course) left him with the tab. While everyone else has left, Hanji remains at the table, eating an enormous ice cream sundae that’s large enough for two people.

“We could just take it to-go,” Levi tells Hanji, who shakes their head.

“You’re just going to complain when I get ice cream on the car seats,” Hanji says, and they’re absolutely right. They’re a terribly messy eater and them dropping ice cream on the seats is inevitable. They gesture towards their ice cream. “I’m almost done anyway, so just give me a second.”

They aren’t almost done. They have over half the sundae left, but Levi just rolls his eyes and settles in his seat. He lets his eyes roam about the room. He looks over people who are eating and chatting about trivial things: the celebrity they ran into at the hair salon, the dress someone was wearing at the charity dinner, the yacht party someone else held the other night, or something equally unimportant. He’s about to turn and tell Hanji to hurry up when his eyes rest on a familiar head of ginger hair. He sits up in his seat and narrows his eyes, wondering if he’s imagining things.

The woman a few tables away from him has hair the same shade of ginger as the woman who had sung at the bar the other night, the same woman who had sat next to him at the wedding before running away with the groom. She’s the same height and build too, from what Levi can remember. She’s dressed just as oddly as she had been at the wedding, not inappropriately, but it’s clear that she doesn’t belong here. While most guests at the restaurant are wearing suits and elegant cocktail dresses, she wears a short frock that ends inches above the knee. Although he’s sitting from a distance, Levi can tell that even her jewelry is out of place: cheap cubic zirconia instead of the flashy pearls and gemstones that other women are wearing here.

He leans over towards Hanji and asks, “That woman over there … doesn’t she look familiar?”

“Mmm?” Hanji hums with a mouth full of ice cream. They follow Levi’s gaze to where the woman is sitting and their eyes widen. Nodding excitedly, Hanji hastily swallows their ice cream and says, “Oh my god, it’s her! The-the-” They gesture wildly as they try to collect their thoughts. “The woman from the bar! The one who wasn’t really singing! The one you said was at the wedding!”

Levi hurriedly shushes Hanji, not wanting to draw the woman’s attention. She, like many other guests, looks over in Hanji and Levi’s direction, but her eyes just gloss over him before returning to the man she’s seated with.

He’s not the groom from the wedding, Levi notices. He’s a completely different person. Unlike the woman, his attire is suited for the restaurant they’re dining in: a slick suit of midnight blue with a powder blue tie and a matching handkerchief tucked in his pocket. The man looks like he’s apologizing to the woman for whatever reason, bowing his head as he does so, but the woman simply smiles and waves her hand. Levi wonders for what occasion they’re dining together, but he finds out soon enough.

Another woman, an older one with a heavy fur coat and dangling pearl earrings, bursts into the restaurant.

“Where is he? Where is he?” the woman screams as staff members try to hold her back. They say something about having to make a reservation beforehand, but the woman ignores their words and shakes them off before bellowing, “Where is my son?”

Levi watches as the man seated beside the ginger-haired woman shrinks. He looks as if he’s about to hide behind the woman, but the ginger woman puts a comforting hand on his back and says something in his ear.

The woman in the fur coat scans the restaurant and sees where the ginger-haired woman and her companion are seated. She’s absolutely seething as she crosses the floor to where the couple is seated. Her face is flushed red and she’s breathing hard when she finally reaches the two.

“You stupid brat!” the woman hisses, reaching out to pinch the young man’s ear.

Alarmed, the ginger-haired woman reaches out and tries to pry the mother’s fingers off. “God, what are you doing? We’re in public!” she says.

“Oh, don’t pretend to be so innocent, you tramp!” the mother screeches. She lets go of her son’s ear to point a menacing finger in the woman’s face. “It’s your fault he’s like this! Maxed out his credit cards because you goaded him into buying luxury cars and flying you two to Cancún on spontaneous vacations! You’re responsible for this too!”

“Mom, can we talk about this somewhere else?” the man says. He looks nervously around the room. “Everyone’s staring at us …”

“Oh, now you’re concerned about people staring? You didn’t care when people talked about you having a cheap floozy on your arm,” the mother hisses. She looks at the ginger-haired woman disdainfully. “She’s not even pretty, and you’ve clearly bought those earrings at the dollar store. How dare you corrupt my son?”

“Ma’am,” the ginger-haired woman says, not even flinching at any of the insults. She gestures towards the guests. “If you could just sit down, maybe we could talk this through like civilized people. I’m sure we could work things out. You’ll see I’m not as bad as you might believe me to be and -”

The ginger woman doesn’t get to finish her sentence before the woman in the fur coat picks up a glass of wine from the table and spills it over the younger woman’s head.

“Don’t you try to talk to me about being civilized,” the mother sneers. “I’ve seen dogs more civilized than you.”

Levi doesn’t know when he had stood up or crossed the room. He doesn’t know when he grabbed the wrist of the woman with the fur coat. He doesn’t know why he’s getting involved when he normally wouldn’t. He’s almost as shocked as everyone else when he says to the woman, “Don’t speak to her that way. You’re the only one here being less than human.”

The woman is speechless — everyone is speechless, holding their breaths as they guess what’s about to happen next — and Levi turns to the restaurant staff.

“Please escort this mother and her son out of this establishment. She’s disturbing everyone here,” Levi tells them.

The woman is sputtering something incomprehensible as the wait staff ushers her out of the restaurant. The son leaves rather reluctantly, apologizing profusely to the ginger-haired woman. The ginger-haired woman is oddly unbothered by everything, calmly dabbing the wine out of her dress with a cloth napkin from the table.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t think she’d be that bad,” the son says as his mother is dragged kicking and screaming out of the restaurant. “I’m sorry. I really am. I’ll … you can send me the tab for the dry cleaning.”

“Oh, I could just throw this in the wash,” the woman says, wringing out her hair. Wine drips on the floor and she frowns. “Don’t worry about it, really. Just wait for your mom to cool down and I’m sure everything will be fine. If she hates me this much, it’ll make your real girlfriend look so much better in comparison. Just … budget yourself more when you take her out on dates and stuff.”

“I will,” sighs the man. He looks reluctant to leave, but some waiters are already asking him to leave. “I’ll call you when I get home.”

“That’s fine,” the woman says with a smile. She gives him a small wave as he leaves before turning to Levi. The ginger woman raises an eyebrow. “Thanks for stepping in, but I had it handled.”

“That woman dumped wine all over you,” Levi points out, but the woman just waves him away.

“It’s fine. It’s just part of the job,” she tells him.

“And what,” asks Hanji popping up from out of nowhere, “is your job, exactly?”

The woman pauses for a moment before pointing from Levi to Hanji. “A friend of yours?” she asks him.

“Yep,” Hanji answers happily. They extend a hand towards the woman, who takes it after a beat. Hanji shakes the woman’s hand enthusiastically, pumping it up and down. “I’m Hanji Zoe, and this is Levi Ackerman.”

“Petra Ral,” the woman says.

“Ooh, cute name,” Hanji says. They look slyly over at Levi and give him a wink. He knows Hanji is going to brag about finding out the mysterious woman’s name once they get back in the car. To Petra, Hanji asks, “I see your companion has abandoned you. Would you perhaps like to dine with us?”

“We just finished eating,” Levi begins to protest but Hanji hushes him.

“Sure,” Petra says with a shrug. She doesn’t seem at all embarrassed to be dining in a wine-stained dress.

With a sigh, Levi gestures for the wait staff to clear out the table and waves over another waiter to take the woman’s order. The woman hardly glances at the menu before ordering, not shirking at the expensive prices.

“The crab cakes, please,” Petra says as she hands the waiter the menu. “And the Caesar salad as well.”

“Oh, and the dark chocolate crème brûlée,” Hanji adds quickly. To Petra, they say, “It’s amazing. You have to have it.”

“Don’t,” Petra says, eyeing Levi as he begins to pull out his wallet. “I’ll get the tab for my food, thank you very much.”

“You make a lot of money, then? Doing all this?” Hanji gestures at Petra vaguely. Hanji’s question makes the ginger raise an eyebrow, wondering if she should be offended, but Hanji quickly elaborates. “I’m just curious. Levi took notice of you at the wedding the other weekend, where you ran away with the groom.”

“You’re going to have to be more specific,” Petra says. She nods at the waiter pouring her a glass of water and mouths a quick thanks before taking a small sip. She purses her lips and looks at Levi, tilting her head as she tries to recall him. He’s a bit uncomfortable under her cool gaze but he tries not to look away. After a moment, she smiles and sets her glass on the table. “Ah, did we sit next to each other? I think I remember you.”

“Well, he definitely remembers you,” Hanji says unnecessarily. It doesn’t surprise Levi when they begin to tell Petra exactly how they came about learning about her and her rather strange occupation. “He was so intrigued by you — I mean, who wouldn’t be? A mysterious woman running away with a groom at such a glamorous wedding — and then he recognized you at the bar you sing at sometimes.”

“She wasn’t singing,” Levi mumbles.

Petra glances at him but doesn’t react, her eyes quickly flitting back to Hanji who’s still talking.

“And then we found out, as Levi pointed out, you weren’t the one who was singing. We spoke to the real singer and she talked about you and the interesting work you provide,” Hanji gushes. They tap their cheek thoughtfully. “What was it again? ‘As You Wish,’ I think was on the card. A wish-fulfillment company. I didn’t know people had wishes about having people ruining their weddings, lip-syncing for them onstage, and getting drenched in wine by their mothers.”

Petra doesn’t flinch at any of these descriptions, although Levi would personally find them distasteful. She only shrugs. “Rich people have an odd assortment of problems and I help them through it,” she says. She pauses to allow a waiter to place a plate of Caesar salad and another dish of crab cakes in front of her, turning for a moment to thank the waiter before taking a fork and knife to cut off a chunk of juicy crab cake. “Although, I’ve had drinks thrown at me more times than I’d have liked.”

“Why do you do it then?” Levi asks.

Petra looks surprised at the question. She doesn’t answer right away, instead cutting another piece of the crab cake. It’s thick and juicy and the outer layer is crisp as she cuts through it. She lifts her fork to her mouth and takes a delicate bite of crab cake, chewing thoughtfully before she replies. “I like money,” she finally says. It’s not the answer Levi expects, but it makes Hanji roar with laughter.

“Gosh, you’re so interesting,” Hanji says. Levi’s certain that Hanji is giving Petra an admiring look. “I bet you have some stories to tell.”

“Probably as many stories as anyone else,” Petra says with a half-hearted shrug of her shoulder. She eats well, Levi notices, making sure to get every crumb and bit of sauce off her plate.

“But do you like your work?” Levi asks, and he watches as Petra stiffens at the question. He probably should prod and normally he wouldn’t poke and pry into stranger’s affairs but he’s been curious about her for quite some time. He was hardly thinking when the question just slipped from his lips.

“Why wouldn’t I?” The ginger woman doesn’t look at him when she replies. She keeps her amber eyes steady on her plate, cutting the last bit of her crab cake into tinier and tinier pieces but never picking up another bite to eat.

“Well, because it’s all a lie, isn’t it?” Levi says. He can feel Hanji look at him in alarm and he knows he can stop, but the words continue to spill from his mouth. “You posed as someone’s long-lost lover to get him out of an unwanted marriage. You posed as a singer to mask someone’s stage fright. You posed as someone’s gold-digging girlfriend to divert a boy’s mother from the truth about her financially irresponsible son.”

Petra continues to look down at her plate, pushing her food across the porcelain dish. “People have problems and I simply help them in whatever way I see fit, Mr. Ackerman,” she replies.

“If they think poorly of you because of it, if they’re throwing things at you and insulting you, I can’t see how it’s worth it,” Levi says. “Don’t you value yourself?”

It’s only then that Petra looks up at him, but her expression is unreadable. “I value myself enough to not let the opinion of others hurt me,” she replies easily. There’s a flicker in her eyes, a spark that makes it seem like she’s challenging him. “Some people hire me because they need a shield to hide behind, someone to lie for them. I don’t mind being a liar, especially if they pay me well enough.”

Hanji looks at their watch in an obvious attempt to end the conversation. “Ah, Levi, it’s getting a bit late now,” they say. They reach out to tug at Levi’s sleeve, but he snatches his arm away.

“That sounds terrible,” he tells Petra.

“Then you’re lucky. I guess you have enough money to solve all your problems. Since that’s the case, I don’t expect you to understand why I do this since it seems you neither care for nor have a need for my services,” she says rather coldly. She turns her gaze away from Levi once more and goes back to her meal, finishing the last bites of her crab cake. Lazily, she flicks her fork in Hanji’s direction. “Are you going to leave, Hanji? I think it’s best to do so now. I’d hate for us to leave on bad footing.”

“Bad footing? Oh no, the footing is great. It was a pleasure meeting you. I just have to apologize for Levi. He’s rather … rigid in many ways,” Hanji says with a nervous laugh as Levi scowls. They’re already getting up on their feet, tugging Levi by the sleeve and forcing him to follow. “It was … fascinating meeting you, although it would have been nice to meet you under nicer circumstances.” They gesture from their head to their person, alluding to the wine stains on Petra’s dress.

“It’s fine. I don’t mind. It was interesting bumping into you two at this time,” Petra assures. She pauses for a moment, choosing her next words, and finally says, “And thank you for earlier, Mr. Ackerman.”

“... Sure,” Levi replies stiffly, but he still wants to know more even as Hanji is about to drag him out the door. He wants to know if she’s going to continue her work even if she’s left humiliated half the time, if she really only cares about the money, and if she really doesn’t care what other people think about her that she’d let them hurl drinks and insults at her without even batting an eyelash. He doesn’t, though, because Petra’s right. He doesn’t care for her work, so it isn’t any of his business. He turns around to follow Hanji only for his friend to stop abruptly.

“Ah, Petra!” they say, hurriedly returning to the table. They twiddle their fingers while their eyes wander towards the ceiling. “I was wondering if I could have your card or maybe your number?”

Petra looks confused for a moment and then amused. “Do you have something you need help with?” she asks. Her face breaks into a smile and Levi’s hypnotized for a moment, remembering how dazzling it was when he saw her smile the first time at the wedding.

“Well, not at the moment,” Hanji says sheepishly, “and maybe not even in the future. If you don’t mind having a chat every now and then, we could go out and grab a coffee. You just seem so … fascinating.” They say the word ‘fascinating’ as if Petra is a rare butterfly or a never-before-seen dinosaur fossil. It makes Petra laugh.

“You’re peculiar,” she says, “but that might be fun. Call me whenever you feel like it and maybe we can chat.” She reaches into her little clutch purse, a beaded bag with some loose threads here and there, and pulls out a card. It’s the same business card that Ruth had given to them at the bar the other night. “Just ask for me,” Petra instructs.

“Great, will do!” Hanji beams, cradling the card in their hands like it’s precious gold. They hook their arm around Levi’s, giving Petra a little wave as they practically skip out of the restaurant.

When the two settle into the car, Hanji is still holding the card in their hands, turning it from front to back several times. They look completely enthralled even though it’s just a tiny piece of cardstock.

“Are you really going to call her?” Levi asks.

“Why are you curious?” Hanji says. There’s something of a smirk curled on their lips. Levi wants to smack it off. “Do you want to call her, too?”

“Not at all.” Levi pretends to be disinterested, leaning against the armrest with his chin in his hand as he stares at his reflection in the car window.

“Well, let me know if you ever change your mind,” Hanji says in a sing-song voice. They waggle the card under Levi’s nose. They pause for a moment. “Do you still have the card that Ruth gave us?”

“No, not at all,” Levi lies. The card is still sitting in his wallet. He hasn’t taken it out since then. He had said he’d throw it out, but he never had. He just never had the time to and he had forgotten it after how busy he was, although he can’t say for certain that he would have tossed it even if he had remembered. “I threw it out a long time ago.”

꘎♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡꘎

Levi sits beside the hospital bed where his feeble grandfather lies, holding the old man’s hand. It’s so bony and withered compared to his own. His grandfather is sleeping as he normally does. He’s usually asleep whenever Levi comes to visit. Although he’d much rather his grandfather were awake, he understands. It takes so much energy for his grandfather to even open his eyes some days.

It’s quiet in the room save for the gentle beep of the heart rate monitor in the background. It’s more feeble than it was the last time Levi was here. It always surprises Levi whenever he visits his grandfather. Although his grandfather’s health has been deteriorating for quite some time, it's so strange seeing someone who was once a powerful businessman waste away in a hospital bed. He had a weak heart, the doctor had said a few years ago, probably from stress and overwork. It would be a miracle if he lived more than a year. Levi’s grandfather exceeded those expectations, still living years after the diagnosis, but it has taken a toll on his health. The doctors have warned Levi’s family that the man could pass away at any time.

Levi’s grandfather stirs in his sleep and Levi grasps the man a little tighter. He can see the old man’s eyelids flutter until they open weakly. His grandfather looks around bleary-eyed, eyes resting on Levi but not quite able to fully focus on his grandson.

“Grandfather?” Levi asks, his voice soft. His grandfather looks so fragile that Levi’s afraid even the slightest noise will be able to shatter him. “How are you? How are you feeling? Do you need anything?”

“Levi,” his grandfather rasps. His voice is barely audible over the heart monitor.

“You don’t have to answer if it’s too much. Just rest,” Levi says. He gets up to fetch his grandfather water, pouring some into a glass on the nearby nightstand. Gently, he brings the glass to his grandfather’s lips and tips it for the old man to drink. It saddens him that his grandfather can’t even drink without help. With a careful hand, he wipes at his grandfather’s mouth with a handkerchief.

“Thank … you …,” Levi’s grandfather manages to say before closing his eyes once more. His breathing slows, his breaths so shallow that Levi can hardly tell his grandfather is breathing at all. If it weren’t for the heart monitor beeping in the background, it would look like his grandfather had already passed on. Levi thinks his grandfather has fallen asleep, but the old man’s eyes flutter open again and he looks at his grandson with a displeased frown. “Levi …”

“Yes?” Levi says, quickly sitting up and grasping his grandfather’s hand with both hands. He glances at the button on the side of the hospital bed, wondering if he should press it and alert the nurse. “What’s wrong? Should I call the nurse?”

His grandfather shakes his head, the movement so slight that Levi would have missed it had he blinked. “I want to … apologize,” his grandfather says. His breathing deepens, chest heaving like it’s taking everything he has just to speak these few words.

“Apologize? What for?” Levi asks with a furrowed brow. He shakes his head and on the edge of his seat if only to be a little closer to his grandfather. “You don’t have to apologize for anything. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

Once more, Levi’s grandfather shakes his head. “I’ve been … so hard on you … all your life,” the old man pants. His hand trembles even as Levi holds it. “Sometimes I wonder … if you’re ever truly happy.”

Levi isn’t sure how to react. He’s not sure what brought about this line of thought from his grandfather.

“All your life … I’ve made you do everything I wanted,” his grandfather continues, his voice growing weaker and weaker. He no longer looks at Levi as he rambles on, his eyes wandering all about the hospital room as if he’s speaking to the air. “To make you into the perfect heir … you’ve had to sacrifice so much, haven’t you?”

Again, Levi doesn’t answer. Nothing his grandfather is saying is false. At first, Levi had thought it a burden following every one of his grandfather’s desires for him. As he grew older, he came to not mind them. He just went through with his tasks mindlessly and didn’t complain. Perhaps he hasn’t been able to do everything he wanted, but he has learned not to want things for himself as the years have gone by. Maybe he isn’t happy, but he can’t say he’s unhappy either. He is ... comfortable with his position in life and wouldn’t complain about it, especially not to his grandfather.

“I don’t … mind it,” Levi says reluctantly.

His grandfather gives him a pitying smile. He reaches out to touch his grandson with a withered hand. “I was so hard on you … because I wanted you to be happy. Reflecting on it now … I know that I have been selfish, never asking you what you wanted,” his grandfather murmurs. He’s lying back again, his eyes closed as if he’s about to fall asleep. “Before I pass … I want to see you truly happy …”

I am happy, Levi is about to insist, but his grandfather opens his mouth once more.

“Oh, to see you wed, happy with someone by your side,” his grandfather breathes. His eyes are open again. They sparkle with tears that are beginning to spill over and run down his cheeks. “Then, I think, I can truly die without any regrets.”

Levi is silent for a moment. Then he speaks. “You mean marry?” he asks quietly.

“Yes,” his grandfather says with a sad smile. “I’m afraid … that by pushing you to inherit the family business … you’ll be too busy to find love and happiness with another. If I were to see you marry before I passed … I think I could rest well.”

“I see …” Levi’s voice trails. He doesn’t say anything more, just gives his grandfather’s hand a few comforting pats. In a few moments, he hears his grandfather’s breathing slow again and gentle snoring. It makes him feel slightly better.

With a sigh, Levi gets up from where he’s seated and steps out of the room. He sends a small update about his grandfather’s condition to his mother before tucking his phone in his pocket. For a while, he wanders around the hospital and eventually finds his way to the lobby where he slumps down tiredly in one of the benches with his face in his hands.

Levi knows he should just accept the fact that his grandfather will die without having his last wish fulfilled. After all, not all grandparents live to see their grandchildren marry, but he can’t shake the sense of guilt that rests so heavily on his shoulders after hearing his grandfather’s last wish. The more he thinks about it, the worse it makes him feel. Compared to everything else he’s done for his grandfather — graduating at the top of his class, getting a Master’s degree in business, inheriting the family business — getting married seems so much easier. Isn’t it just meeting someone you’re compatible with and signing a document saying that you’re legally bound together? It’s so simple that Levi feels pathetic for not reaching that milestone, especially now that his grandfather is lying on his deathbed.

But what if …?

The color ginger flashes through his mind for a brief second. Levi quickly shakes his head before the rest of the woman can conjure up his mind, but it’s too late. It reminds him of the card that still sits in his wallet.

He shouldn’t think about fishing the card out of his wallet, shouldn’t wonder about calling the number on the card, shouldn’t imagine asking for a Miss Petra Ral when the person on the other side of the phone picks up, but he finds himself sitting on the hospital bench with the card in his hands. It’s a little less crisp after sitting in his wallet for a few days and the printed words are already a little faded, but he can still read the number on the card.

Levi has to wonder if this is his last option. Is he really this desperate? Surely, there’s a friend he can recruit to get engaged to. He tries to think of one friend or even an acquaintance that would agree to such an arrangement. Unfortunately, Levi realizes, his list of friends is quite short. The only people he can think of that might even entertain the thought of getting engaged to him are Hanji and Isabel, but both are impossible options. Nobody would ever believe it. Everyone knows he shares a strictly platonic relationship with Hanji and that he and Isabel are like siblings.

Then maybe, he thinks, he could hire an escort. The problem with this is that quite a few people in his distant social circle use escort services and they usually hire people as more than just companions for social events. It would be a problem if, by some slim chance, word came out about his engagement and he knows that it won’t be long before people stick their noses where they shouldn’t be and find out how he met his contract-fiancée.

No, Levi grimaces, if he’s getting engaged, he needs to get engaged to someone that nobody knows, someone that can slip in and out of a wedding without anybody knowing their name even after running away with the groom.

Levi looks at the card again, holding it between his two fingers. He stares at it for another second, two, and then pulls out his phone and dials the number on the card. Holding his phone up, he listens as it rings. It takes a few seconds for someone to pick up.

“Hello?” It’s a woman’s voice but not one Levi recognizes.

“Is this … As You Wish?” Levi asks hesitantly. He feels a little nervous now, although he doesn’t know why. After all, this is exactly the kind of business this company deals with.

“Yes,” the woman replies. “How can I help you?”

“I was wondering if I could speak with one of your employees,” Levi says. He can’t believe he’s really doing this. A part of him wants to hang up and forget he ever called, but he’s already made it this far. He might as well just go through with it. “Would it be possible for me to speak with a Miss Petra Ral?”

“Petra?” the woman repeats. There’s a pause on the other end and he can hear muffled voices on the other end. After a moment, the woman returns. “Yes, she’s available. Please wait right one second.”

“Thank you,” Levi says.

As he waits for Petra to pick up the phone, he realizes that this might not be a good idea. They hadn’t left on the best of terms the other day. He had looked down on her job, calling it degrading and humiliating, while she made it clear that she thought him a privileged and spoiled brat. He’s almost certain that she’ll turn him down as soon as he says his name. Levi is about to hang up when he hears Petra’s voice on the other end.

“Hello?” Petra pauses for a moment, waiting for him to answer. When he doesn’t, she says, “This is Petra from As You Wish. I was told you asked specifically for me.”

“I … did,” Levi admits reluctantly. He clears his throat awkwardly, swallows, and then proceeds. If he’s going to get rejected, he should get it done as soon as possible. “It’s Levi. Levi Ackerman.”

“Levi …?” The name doesn’t seem to ring a bell because Petra’s voice trails off until it finally disappears. She doesn’t say anything else and Levi wonders if it’s because she truly doesn’t remember him or if it’s because she’s pretending just to spite him.

“From the restaurant when …” He stops himself there. It wasn’t a pleasant experience, and he’s not sure she’d want to be reminded about any of it — the woman with the fur coat screaming at her and creating a scene in the middle of the restaurant, getting a glass of wine thrown at her, and having Levi speak so disdainfully about her lifestyle. He purses his lips and tries again. “The wedding. I sat next to you.”

“Levi Ackerman … restaurant … wedding,” Petra murmurs. There’s a few sharp sounds on the other end, the sounds of someone snapping their fingers, and Petra says, “Ah, from the wedding. We saw each other at the restaurant the other day, didn’t we?”

He’s about to answer but Petra speaks again.

“But why are you calling me? I thought you made it clear that you thought my line of work was revolting.”

Levi sighs. He shouldn’t have said any of it. Even if he had thought it at the time, it’s not his place to tell her how to live her life. “I shouldn’t have said that,” he says. He’s not sure if he should spit out an apology. He doesn’t know how to give one without sounding like a sniveling idiot. “I’m actually … calling because I need your help.”

There’s silence at the other end and then a snicker. “Hypocrite,” Petra says, and the tips of Levi’s ears sting. He thinks she’s about to tell him to get lost or that she has no interest in helping him but to his surprise Petra asks, “What do you need help with?”

Levi blinks. Once. Twice. He didn’t think he would get this far. Now that he’s here, he’s not quite sure what to do. “I need …” He stops. It’s not a real engagement, so it doesn’t need a real proposal. Still, he should at least ask her for her hand civilly. After thinking for a moment, Levi asks, “I was wondering … if you have the time, would you like to marry me?”

#rivetra #petra ral #levi ackerman #my girl au #my strange hero au #almtd #a love more than diamonds series #certainbonksaladranch #snk

[imnotasuperhero]

I would lie and say you’re not in my mind.

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Stark!Reader

Type: Angst.

Summary: Reader finds herself alone, with no explanation as to where Wanda went. And life without her was a true nightmare she could only scape with not-so-nice coping mechanisms.

Wordcount: 2644

Warnings: Drug abuse, one suicidal thought and depression.

A/N: This is my submission for @jbbarnesnnoble writing challenge! I’m so sorry for the delay. Life and work got in the middle, leaving me drained to get some actual writing done. You can search this and other works with the tag #JBBNNMHAMChallenge which deals with different types of mental healt, as to raise awarenes about it.

A/N 2: Since it’s inspired in real events, I decided to twist this and give it a happy ending. People need to know there is hope. No matter how hard life becomes, you’ve got this and you shouldn’t suffer alone. Fight your fear and seek for help. I promise, life is worth living.

A huge than you to @marvelfansince08love for enduring her patience with my rants and mini meltdown about this monster. I could never thank you enough for puting up with my dumb ass, boo. I owe you a lot! <3

If you guys want more, I might have a plot for some kind of spin-off for this story. Just let me know. Also, criticism is welcomed.

"Miss Stark," one of the executives called your attention. "Your nose is bleeding."

Automatically, your fingers found your nose and yup, it was happening. Fucking hell.

Excusing yourself, you left the conference room with rapid steps to the closest bathroom, dismissing whoever you crossed on your way. You weren't new to this, after all.

Once you got the bleeding under control, you inspected yourself in the mirror. The reflection staring back at you was nothing like your old self. The circles under the eyes needed much more concealing and your smiles were forced. But at least you picked a black blouse today, which it'll do until you got a chance to go back home and change.

"Are you sure you don't want to go home?" Julia asked sheepishly.

"No. I'm capable of handling the rest of the day," you mumbled as you finished the last touches to your make-up.

"Mr. Stark could find-"

"Mr. Stark will find out shit," you cut your assistant. "This is just a sneeze that caused a vein to pop. Understood?" You could see how the woman in front of you shivered slightly and you almost laugh at it. You've become so pity.

"Y-yes, Miss. Is there anything else I can do?"

"No." You inspected yourself in the mirror once again before walking out. "Go over the rest of my day and make sure you send the informs to Stewart."

Fortunately, the day progressed smoothly with very few bumps. And none of them were about you, so you took it as a victory.

Kicking your high heels after closing the door behind you, you started to strip while walking towards the bathroom. The weekend was finally here, which meant you could wind out and enjoy your own company. After the latest events on Beto's, you made sure to lay low for a while. You didn't need another clingy bitch hanging from you all the time. You were just a gal wanting to have some release. Nothing more, nothing less.

In the middle of your calming bath, the sharp razor you kept for emergencies caught your eyes. 'God, it'd be so easy.' You thought to yourself. Just a little line in the right place would do it. The consuming pain would disappear and you'd be free. Hell, maybe you'd find her again in the afterlife.

Before you could continue the line of thoughts, your phone rang with your dad's personalized ringtone. Something you made sure of for when you were doing not-so-nice activities.

"Hey, dad." You absentmindedly sank deeper in the tub. The bubbly water covering up to under your jaw.

"Hi, Peanut." Tony's voice soothed your damaged soul the littlest bit. "It's been a while. How are you?"

"I'm fine," you answered nonchalantly. Lying has become second nature by now. "Living the life. How are you guys?"

"That's what I called you about. Pepper and I want you to come to spend the weekend here. We barely see you outside work so we thought it'd be nice to take advantage of the long weekend. Pleeeeaaase? With a cherry on top?" He finished in a child's voice and you felt your heart squeeze itself.

Truth was, you were tired of lying all the time. You were tired of faking and saying you were okay when you weren't.

"Okay," you sighed. 

"Yay!" Yup, he was a child. "We'll get your room ready. We'll have your favorite."

You didn't know the exact moment you started crying, your dad going a mile a minute talking about his latest invention and how he'd love for you to help him figure out the last touches.

Hanging up, you finally let out the awaiting sobs. Memories of an easier -and happier- time plaguing your mind, making it harder and harder to breathe. Life without her sucked balls.

After drying yourself and throwing on a fresh pair of pajamas, you quickly fixed your bag for the weekend, knowing fully well you'll wake up with just the right spare time before you had to leave for your dad's.

The next morning, you woke up before your alarm went off, which would be fine if it weren't for Wanda appearing in your dreams. Promises of a better life and reaching milestones together, fanning the painful fire in your heart.

Walking to your stash, you retrieved the white powder, forming three consecutive lines on your nightstand. A small straw between your fingers ready to be used. You wouldn't be able to consume when you were at your dad's, so you better took your chance before it was too late. Odin knew you needed the boost.

Stopping at a random café a few blocks from your home, you quickly got yourself a black coffee and a muffin before hitting the pedal once again, changing the playlist to something more upbeat. 

Soon enough, your mind drifted to the impromptu road trips you'd do with Wanda. Sometimes even a week-long trip. Just the two of you apart from the chaos of your lives. 

Out on the road, it was only laughs, music, and fast food with the occasional make-out sessions. God, if you could, you'd live in the past forever. 

Stepping out of your car, you couldn't help the smile that broke your face. Working in the same place as your dad didn't mean you've got to see him every day. And being honest, you were happy he offered you scape from her curse.

"Hi, dad." You answered once you reached him, returning his hug. And boy, didn't you felt safe in those strong arms. They never failed to soothe you.

After what seemed like hours of walking around your dad's property, you and Pepper came back to the house ready for a refreshing iced tea. But any trace of a nice calming bath dissipated away when you say your dad standing in the middle of the living room, his face stoic.

"What's this?" The quietness of his voice freezing your blood.

"I'm waiting, Y/N." 

You cringed at your dad's voice. The disappointment showing in his eyes made you regret not checking before you grabbed a random bag for this trip.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me this is not what I think it is," he begged, showing you and Pepper the almost empty baggy between his fingers. And you ignored him. He already knew the truth, after all. "Say it," he growled.

"So the bleeding nose-"

"Screw you," you muttered, cutting Pepper mid-sentence.

"Hey! That's no way to talk to her,"

"You know what?" You walked to your dad, looking up to his eyes. "Yes, I'm an addict. Good job, Sherlock. Now you can get rid of me as you did with my mom. After all, you never wanted me in the first place, so why should it matter." You snapped with burning tears in your eyes. "There's no need to keep faking it anymore." You walked away, leaving them mouth agape, trying to process your words.

Plopping down on your bed, you couldn't help the feeling of failure igniting inside you. The tears in your eyes burning your eyes as they appeared, flowing down your cheeks as the sadness and emptiness became just too much to handle.

You didn't remember when was the last time you were genuinely happy. And it sucked that it depended on someone. It sucked and you despised it more than anything. But then again, Wanda was everything you'd need to live in this world. Always positive, with a smile so bright that could light up the darkest room. Her eyes? God, you loved losing yourself in those green orbs of hers in the afterglow. And now you had to live without all these little things that made you happy. All the little moments of joy were gone, tuning you into this sack of bones and flesh, with no expectations for life.

It wasn't till much later that night that you left your room, after ignoring your dad's callings.

Padding your way to the bar, you served yourself a whiskey. The burning on your troat a welcomed feeling. Your mind going back to her, as it was the normalcy since she dusted away, leaving you with thousands of questions and a hole in your heart that you knew well you could never fill again. How could you, when you knew she was it? how could you even try to patch it up, when you knew there was no one else like her?

One whiskey turned into 5 and you didn't know when you started to cry, considering you thought there were no tears left after all these years. But the strong hand on your shoulder made you snap from your pity party, hurriedly drying your tears. Crying was for the weak, and boy were you weak.

"I'm sorry," you drowned the last of your drink before looking up, mustering the best stoic face you could.

"You don't need to fake around me, Peanut. We're family," your dad poured you another drink as he got one himself. 

"Look, what happened with your mother has nothing to do with you." He continued once he sat beside you. "And I would never leave you alone, Y/N. No matter how many headaches you give me." He joked but composed himself when you didn't react to it. "I- Pepper is pregnant. And we really want you in the baby's life. But.. Look, if there was a way to bring her back, I would. In a heartbeat. But Y/N, you have to understand, she wouldn't like this version of you. If not for yourself, do it for us,"

You wanted to speak, you wanted to answer him. But the lump in your throat was too big to swallow and the knife in your heart twisted when you saw your dad's eyes tearing up. And fuck did it hurt. To see him cry -for the first time- pained you like hell. And knowing you were the cause of those tears made you feel like you were the worst person alive. 

"I-," you paused to gather your bearings, but your dad beat you to it.

"I know, Peanut," his arms surrounded you in that way that only him could.

"I promise you," he continued once you broke away. "One day, it will get easier. Those feelings will never fully go away, but it will get easier." He dried your tear-stained cheeks softly. "You are not alone. And she'll always be with you,"

 And despite the grief eating you from the inside, you knew you had to live. For them. For her.

The next few months had been a true rollercoaster. You didn't know the abstinence would affect you so badly. And while others would have it much worse, you couldn't help the change of moods and the few tears you caused to those around you. Not to mention, the significant drop in your moods. But you also knew better. You've kept your word, and you hadn't touched it again. 

Under Natasha's supervision, you got rid of every secret stash you had at both, your apartment and your office, and you deleted the number of your dealer. And even if sometimes it seemed like hell would manifest itself as Nat was your watcher, you couldn't be more glad because, admittedly, the woman had balls and she did knew how to bribe you, to the point that you'd even quit drinking even if it was more of a social addiction, in your case. That, mixed with Natasha's friendship and support -as well as those around you- and the birth of Morgan, your little sister had you believing once more, even if you knew you'd never get to be the same person you once were. 

The little bundle of joy had come to this world with a few rays of sunshine for you, finally opening your eyes and making you realize that there was hope. Even if you never saw her again, life was worth living and you'd live it for her at your best capacity. 

So when Pepper asked you to babysit Morgan for a few days, considering she couldn't bring a 2 months old baby with her, you accepted in a heartbeat.

But as you were awoken by a fussing Morgan, after an eventful night in which you barely slept, you realized this might've not been your brightest idea.

Inhaling deeply, you got up and walked to her room, picking her up from her crib and rocking her as you made your way to the kitchen. Babies were a fucking clock. Which only served to add to your decision of never having kids. 

If you were on the verge of tears most of the time, wishing deeply for her parents to come back so you could have time for yourself, you knew you'd be mental if you had to live through this for the rest of your life.

Your ears catching the front door opening made you stop mid singing, turning around as you walked to the hushed words as you feed a calmed down Morgan just to stop dead in your tracks when you saw her. The only reason you stood still, was the baby in your arms. 

Your eyes scanned the room, looking for a sign that this was just a dream. That the image of your girlfriend was just a projection of your mind, like so many other times before during these 5 years since she disappeared from your arms. But the silence surrounding you all and 8 pairs of eyes inspecting you made you realize that this wasn't a dream.

The cries of Morgan took you all from your reverie and soon, Pepper was by your side, taking the baby from your arms before kissing the top of your head, something she always did whenever you felt unsettled.

"Peanut-"

"Is she real?" You questioned as you scrutinized a fidgety Wanda, who stood by the door, ready to run away if needed.

Natasha could sense your turmoil growing with every single second that passed and soon enough you felt a strong pair of arms supporting you, ready to catch you if you fell.

"She's here, Maliska. We brought her back," she spoke quietly, making sure you understood her words.

The wild thoughts on your mind got you walking towards her. The need to touch her and prove yourself that she was back, got your fingers itching. You could feel the blood running in your ears and you shaking steps as you got closer to who you thought was gone forever, leaving you empty and moving through life like a zombie.

The choke that broke through you when your hand cupped her cheek got you smiling as tears rolled down with every erratic thump of your heart.

"You're here," you whispered, afraid of breaking the spell you've found yourself into. 

But you couldn't stay in that thought for long because an intimately familiar pair of arms surrounded you as Wanda threw yourself at you, hiding her face on the crook of your neck.

Feeling her hot breath against your skin was all you needed to finally give in and hold her with all you had, knowing that she was here; with you.

You didn't know how long you both stood there, holding each other and basking in the calmness that surrounded you. All your previous tormenting thoughts dissipated in that exact moment. Wanda was back and you found the hole in your heart start to fill itself.

"Hi, Printsessa," Wanda murmured against your neck, kissing her way up to your jaw, peppering your face with kisses before she finally kissed your lips. And boy, did your knees trembled.

After 5 long years, the lips you've got used to kissing whenever you pleased were once against yours, igniting all the love and hope and good things you got to feel once upon a time.

You can find the continuation, here (:

Taglist: @summergeezburr @wannabe-fic-reader @natasha-danvers @jumbojamba47 @rooskaya-yelena @sananabdliw @aaron-despair @username23345 @nate-the-dreamer @higherfurther-romanova

#wanda maximoff x reader #I- #lkhfkjgfkjgaf #my writing #jbbnnmhamchallenge #mental health tw #feel free to scream at me

[sugakookielix]

Playful Rivalry

Pairing: Platonic Vmin x female reader. Platonic Jungkook x female reader

Requested: Yes

Rating: PG

Genre: Fluff, Angst? depending on how you look at it

Word Count: 4.7k

Warnings: None

Summary: You’ve known Tae and Jimin for years, so naturally they get a bit jealous when Jungkook makes his way into your friend circle.

Disclaimer: Rights to the images used in the header belong to BigHit and BTS. All written work is my own. Do not copy, translate, or repost my work onto other sites without my permission. Requests are OPEN

Masterlist

________________________________________

You met both Jimin and Taehyung in school. Jimin was in the same class as you, and you ended up being partnered together for a project. Not long after did he introduce you to Taehyung and the three of you became an almost inseparable trio. The three of you always did everything together; whether it be going out for lunch or curling up on the couch for an impulse movie night. Even when they debuted and grew big with Bangtan, you were always there supporting them. Of course, you weren’t able to see your boys as often because of their busy schedule, but, on the other hand, you got to meet the rest of the members. You all got along fairly well, but you never bonded with any of them the way you did with Taehyung and Jimin. That was, at least, until you started spending more time with Jungkook. 

You had been sitting on the couch in the dorms one evening, waiting for the boys to get home from practice so that you could have a movie night. They had let you know earlier that they would have to stay a bit late but you didn’t mind, opting to play on your phone while you waited. They had given you a spare key so that you could let yourself in whenever you needed to, the boys all knew who you were anyways. You had just beaten the newest level in your game when the door opened and caught your attention. Turning around, you saw not your best friends, but actually Jungkook.

“Oh, hello Noona,” Jungkook greeted with a small smile, you returning the gesture.

“Hey Kookie,” you greeted back, glancing behind him, “are the others not back yet?”

“They should be back soon,” he said as he moved to take off his shoes, placing them by the door, “Most of the hyungs are staying at the studio to work on a new song. Jimin also wanted to stay back to try and perfect this one move and Taehyung decided to stay with him. They both looked pretty tired though so they shouldn’t be much longer.” You nodded and returned your attention back to your phone as the group’s maknae walked over to sit beside you, “What are you doing?”

“Just playing a random game I found,” you replied, “I promised Tae and Jiminie we would have a movie night so I’m just waiting for them to get back.” Jungkook hummed and peeked over your shoulder so he could see your screen since he had nothing better to do. Neither of you said anything for a moment, just him watching you play with feigned interest until eventually he leaned back and sighed. 

“That game looks boring,” he commented out of nowhere, making you laugh. Truth be told it kind of was, but it served its purpose in distracting you for the time being. When you didn’t say anything in response though, he sighed again before glancing at his own phone. “Do you want to hang out in my room for a bit? I have a new game we can play while you wait for the others to return? You know, a game that is actually fun.” You set down your phone and thought about it for a moment. You didn’t know Jungkook too well, but this would be a great way to fix that and make a new friend. It would also give you something to do while you waited for the other two to get back. 

“Sure,” you agreed after a minute. Jungkook smiled and jumped up from his seat, grabbing your hand and practically dragging you down the hall to his room. While it startled you a bit, you also couldn’t help but laugh wondering what exactly you just got yourself dragged into. 

It was about 20 minutes later when Jimin and Taehyung found themselves stumbling inside of the dorm, practically tripping over each other as they got their shoes off. Their mini practice session had gone on way longer than it should have and the two had practically rushed home to try and greet you. Jimin had tried texting you to let you know they were on their way but you never answered him, making the boys worry that you had gotten bored and left. None of you had ever missed a movie night unless it was due to the boys being away on tour. Hopefully, tonight wouldn’t be any different. 

“Y/N?” Taehyung called out as he walked into the living room, Jimin not far behind. They didn’t want to be too loud in case you fell asleep, but clearly, that wasn’t the case as they found the living room empty. 

“It’s not that late,” Jimin said as he checked the time on his phone, “maybe she just went to the bathroom?” 

“Should we wait for her?” Taehyung asked, before the older could answer they heard what sounded like a shout come from down the hall, followed by a very familiar laugh. It was one they would recognize anywhere, and not just because you were the only female that ever came over to the dorms. Glancing over at each other with a questioning look, they both made their way down the hall, pausing when they reached Jungkook’s room. The distinct sound of your laughter now sounded much more loudly, accompanied by the maknaes and the soft sounds that came from whatever game you were playing. Now the boys were very confused since when had you become friends with Jungkook? Only a week ago you were shying away in a corner as the male in question tried to drag you to practice one of their dances with them.

Jimin and Taehyung gave each other what must have been the hundredth confused look within the hour, not quite sure what to do. Of course, they were happy that you were getting along well with their members, and from the sound of it, you were having a lot of fun. However, this was supposed to be your guys’ movie night and they were really looking forward to it. Something about you canceling on them to spend time with Jungkook just didn’t sit right with them. With that in mind, Jimin knocked on the door twice to get your attention before pretty much storming into the room, Taehyung following not too far behind. Everything went silent as you jumped and paused the game out of instinct, turning to see your two best friends. The silence gave them a moment to analyze the situation. You were sat cross-legged on the bed, Jungkook sitting behind you and looking over your shoulder at the game. From glancing at the pause screen, it seemed you two had been playing for a good minute.

“Hey guys!” you exclaimed happily, clearly not feeling the steadily rising tension. If Jungkook had noticed, he didn’t say anything about it, nodding at his hyungs instead. 

“How was practice?” he asked. 

“It was alright,” Taehyung replied before turning his attention back to you, “sorry we’re late Y/N, ready for our movie night?” 

“Oh right!” you said, having completely forgotten about your original plans in your excitement. The knowledge of that had both males slumping a bit, an unreadable expression crossing their features. Still, you were blissfully unaware as you glanced at the time on your phone and then back at the screen, “We should be done with this level shortly, why don’t you go get everything set up and I’ll join you when I finish?” Once again their expressions dropped but they didn’t argue as they nodded and silently left the room. The fact that the sounds of the game resumed as soon as the door closed hurt way more than it should. Still, they told themselves that you were just excited about spending time with a new friend so they tried not to think about it too much. 

By the time you had actually finished the level, it was a bit later than you had thought. The boys already had everything prepared. The movie was up and paused, snacks and various drinks lined the coffee table, and Tae and Jimin were resting in a pile of blankets and pillows on the couch. No one said anything as you took your usual spot between them, curling up and finally enjoying your long-awaited movie nights. In your excitement, you never did catch on to the sudden change in atmosphere between your usually cheerful best friends, easily masked by exhaustion as you all fell asleep on the couch. 

Unfortunately for Taehyung and Jimin, ignoring them to spend time with Jungkook gradually became a more common occurrence after that night. You came over a lot more to play games, or Jungkook would go over to your apartment as well. You guys would text and call each other all the time, make plans when you knew the boys were free, and you even started going out for lunch together. Taehyung and Jimin tried not to mind it too much at first. It was natural that you would want to spend time with your other friends after all and they didn’t want to ruin that by potentially overreacting. It was only when you started canceling your plans with them did they start to have a problem. Your fun text conversations became nonexistent, movie nights stopped, and you barely even acknowledged them whenever you came over. No more fun hugs, now you just nodded in their direction with a quick “Hey,” before running off to spend time with Jungkook. 

Meanwhile, you were none the wiser to your friend’s new jealousy. Jungkook turned out to be really fun to spend time with and it turned out you had a lot in common. You found yourself bonding over your favorite games, as well as occasionally talking about school. It became a habit to come over during the evening so you could play games together and you hadn’t seen anything wrong with that. Sure, you had canceled on Taehyung and Jimin a few times but you assumed they would understand. After all, you guys planned a lot together so what was the harm in spending time with someone else? You were also under the impression that you guys could all hang out as a group once you got used to being around Jungkook. Clearly, though, you had failed to realize just how wrong you were. 

The boys knew that they should probably talk to you about all of this, but you still didn’t seem to realize anything was wrong. You even asked Taehyung what was wrong one day when you saw him sulking and all he could do was stare at you in shock because how could you not realize? Did you just suddenly forget about them entirely? They were your best friends, and yet now they felt more like acquaintances that you used to be close to. It was after the fifth canceled movie night that month that the boys finally decided to do something about this. 

“We have to find a way to get her attention away from Jungkook,” Tae muttered as he fell back on the couch. They had just gotten home from practice and, sure enough, the sound of your and Jungkooks laughter echoed through the dorm. 

“Easier said than done,” Jimin replied, “she barely talks to us anymore. Even when we try to start a conversation or plan something she always gets distracted and ignores us.” Both boys were silent for a moment before a thought suddenly came to Taehyung, causing him to jump up from his spot. 

“What if we start forcing her to pay attention to us so that she can’t ignore us for Jungkook?” he suggested. The confused look he got from the older showed that they weren’t on the same page which made him sigh a bit, “You know, like every time she comes over we do something to distract her so that way she spends time with us and not him. That way she is reminded of who her true best friends are.” It seemed a lightbulb flashed in Jimins mind as he suddenly perked up as well. 

“That could work,” he said, “but how do we do it without making it obvious we’re trying to steal her attention?”

“Easy, we act cute enough and we get what we want!” Jimin scoffed and rolled his eyes at the absurdity of the statement. Still, Taehyung didn’t hear any objections so he considered it a win. “Come on!” he suddenly exclaimed, grabbing Jimin by the wrist and pulling him until they were both standing. Before the smaller could process what exactly was going on, he was being dragged down the hall towards Jungkook's room.

“Wait! We’re doing this now?” he exclaimed, slightly panicked as they came to a stop. 

“Well yeah,” Taehyung said as if it was the most obvious thing ever, “she owes us a movie night!” As soon as Jimin opened his mouth to protest, Taehyung opened the door and dragged him inside. The scene itself was very familiar to how they found you and Jungkook the first time. However, now he was sitting next to you on the bed rather than behind you. Both of you turned your heads to look at the intruders with a mix of shock and confusion. “Y/N!” Tae whined before either of you could speak, “you were supposed to have another movie night with us!” Now you were thoroughly confused, yes you knew about the movie night but you had told them earlier that you had planned to help Jungkook pass this new level in his game. 

“I know guys, I’m sorry but-” you were cut off as Tae rushed into the room and gently pulled you away from the bed. 

“Come on! We haven’t hung out in forever!” You stayed quiet and allowed him to pull you to the door, the sound of someone clearing their throat reminding you of the fourth person in the room. 

“You guys can’t just take her,” Jungkook complained, “we were in the middle of a game.”

“You’ve been hanging out with her all week Kook, it’s our turn,” Jimin finally spoke up again. With that you found yourself being dragged to the living room, leaving behind a confused and slightly annoyed Jungkook. 

“Um guys,” you called out softly, “that was kind of rude don’t you think?” You understood that you cancelled on your plans, but they didn’t have to barge in like that. They both froze and turned to you, their expressions reminding you of lost puppies. 

“We miss you,” Jimin whined, “just one movie and then you can go back to hanging out with Jungkook okay?” You sighed a bit, pulling out your phone to glance at the time before nodding. It was still fairly early, what harm could one movie do? One movie quickly turned into two and then an entire marathon as you ended up getting engrossed into the stories. The boys having chosen a series they knew you hadn’t seen so that you would be forced to stay and watch the whole thing. It also helped that Jungkook stayed locked in his room the entire time, likely just going back to his game without you. By the time the final credits rolled, it was nearly midnight and you were half asleep. 

“Oh boy, that late already?” you muttered with a yawn. Grabbing your phone, you checked the time again and groaned as you forced yourself to stand up. You had work in the morning and if you didn’t leave now you would likely end up passing out at the dorms. “I’m going to head out,” you said, “tell Jungkook I said goodbye please?” Taehyung nodded and stood up as well to walk you to the door, Jimin staying on the couch as he switched the tv to some random reality show. 

“Will do,” Tae replied, “goodnight Y/N.” He waited until you got into your car before closing the door and returning to the couch with Jimin. Jungkook ended up confronting his hyungs a few minutes later. Leaning against the wall and waiting until you left the dorm to make his presence known. “What was that all about?” he asked as he stepped into the room and took a seat in one of the armchairs. The two older members paled a bit but kept a blank expression as they acknowledged the other. 

“What was what?” Jimin asked, feigning indifference. Now Jungkook was getting even more annoyed. First, they interrupted your time together and now they want to act like they didn’t do anything wrong?

“You know what,” he groaned, “you knew Y/N and I had plans already. Why did you burst in and drag her away like that?” Neither one really knew how to answer that, not wanting to admit their jealousy, but also knowing that lying would get them nowhere. Their silence was definitely not helping their case either. 

“To be fair,” Taehyung finally spoke up after a moment, “we had plans with her first.” Jungkook looked confused for a moment before realization finally hit him. 

“You’re telling me you dragged her away because you got jealous that she canceled your plans to hang out with me instead?” Neither one responded, but their sudden guilty expressions gave Jungkook his answer. Groaning, he threw his head back and took a deep breath, “That has to be the dumbest thing I have ever heard.”

“This isn’t the first time it’s happened, you two have been together practically every day for the past three weeks while we’ve been here alone,” Jimin defended. 

“So? Maybe Y/N enjoys being able to spend time with someone else. It’s not always about you two, I’m her friend as well!” Jungkook bit his lip to keep from raising his voice, though his tense posture made it very clear that he was frustrated. 

“It’s not always about you either,” Taehyung argued, “we’re her best friends, have been since high school. It’s not fair that we get pushed aside while you get all of the attention.” This whole argument was childish and all three of them knew it. You were a grown woman and you had the right to chose who you did and did not want to spend time with. Still, they were stubborn and it was clear that neither side was willing to back down. What followed for the next five minutes was an awkwardly silent staring contest until finally, Jungkook gave in. 

“Fine, but you’re not the only one who can play that game,” with that he stood up and went back to his room. Taehyung and Jimin glanced at the door briefly before looking back at each other and smirking. Indeed, three could play at that game. 

To say you were confused would be quite an understatement. One minute everything was going great and the next everyone was acting strange. Well, stranger than usual considering your best friends. You hadn’t seen any of the boys in about a week due to an upcoming work project, but the boys had still spammed you with texts any chance they were free. It seemed that whenever one would message you, the others would as well. They kept asking when you were free and you kept responding that you had to finish your work before you could hang out, then the cycle continued again the next day. On top of that, they were constantly stopping by your apartment for one reason or another. Usually, they would only pop in for a minute or two just to check-in, but there was one evening where Jungkook ended up staying over for dinner. Only for Taehyung and Jimin to appear the next morning and not leave until you had to physically kick them out to allow you to work. As strange as it was, you figured it was just the guys being bored since it was their off-season and didn’t think too much of it. You were sitting at your dining room table working on your laptop when you heard a knock at your door. Confused, since you weren’t expecting anyone at this hour, you decided to just ignore it. Maybe they had the wrong apartment, that or it was your neighbor and you honestly didn’t feel like talking to them right now. Unfortunately, the knocking continued and even got louder the more you ignored it. Eventually, you gave up and hesitantly got up from your spot. Your back ached in protest from being hunched over as you walked over to the door, opening it to see none other than Taehyung and Jimin. They were carrying bags of takeout and smiling widely as they let themselves in.

“What are you guys doing here?” you asked as you closed the door. The boys smiled as they set the bags on the table.

“We know you’ve been working all day,” Jimin said, “so we thought we’d bring you dinner!” Taehyung nodded as he grabbed one of the boxes and took a seat across from where your stuff was, it was clear that they weren’t planning on leaving.

“Um thanks, guys,” you said hesitantly, “but I really need to get this done and I can’t really afford any distractions.” Both boys looked visibly disappointed which made you feel a bit bad about rejecting them, but you held your ground.

“We’ll only be here a minute,” Taehyung argued.

“At least have dinner with us and then we’ll leave you alone!” Jimin added. You wanted to argue, but you were much too tired so you eventually just gave in.

“Fine,” you agreed, “but only for a bit.” The boys smiled as you took your seat and grabbed the last box and took your seat, nudging your laptop out of the way so you didn’t accidentally ruin everything. It was silent for all of two seconds before the boys were bombarding you with questions.

“So, Y/N, how was your day?”

“How is work going?”

“Are you going to be free this weekend?”

“We were thinking of planning a game night if you are.” It took everything in your power not to groan and throw them out. You loved these two, you really did, but you didn’t know how much more clinging you could take.

“I need to have this done by Friday, so I really can’t afford to take any more time off,” you hinted. Friday was only two days away and you still had so much to do. Having the boys on top of you 24/7 didn’t help much either. It seemed the boys only heard you saying you would be done by Friday though, as they practically jumped up from their seats.

“Perfect!” Jimin exclaimed, “we can plan our game night for Saturday then since you won’t be busy!” If your eyes could roll any harder you were sure you’d be able to see the back of your head. Still, you agreed, partially to get them to leave and also because a game night did sound kind of fun.

“Fine, I’ll be over Saturday night okay? I’ll even bring food to pay you guys back for this,” you bargained. The boys thought it over for a moment before nodding. You were beyond thankful that they hadn’t found anything to argue with you about.

As promised, they left a few minutes after you all finished eating, reminding you about Saturday before closing the door. You let out a tired sigh as you fell back into your chair, quickly turning your laptop back on so you could continue where you left off. Even though you were annoyed by the sudden interruption, you also had to admit that having food in your system made it much easier to concentrate. It only lasted for maybe an hour though before the sound of your phone vibrating snapped your attention away from the screen yet again. “What now?” you muttered as you flipped the mobile device over. Seeing a text from Jungkook asking if you were free to hang out this weekend, you sighed for what had to be the millionth time that night.

‘Tae and Jiminie invited me to a game night on Saturday.’ you texted back, getting a reply almost immediately.

‘Oh :( I was hoping we could play games.’

‘Why can’t we all just play games?’ It took him longer to text back this time which was odd, but you tried not to dwell on it as you went back to work. Another 15 minutes passed before you heard your phone go off again.

‘I guess so...see you Saturday.’ Odd, but at least you could rest easy knowing that you had two days of silence to finally get your work done. You could deal with your friends strange behavior when you went to hang out. 

Saturday came a lot quicker than expected and you were actually very excited. You submitted your finished project with a few hours to spare and you had spent the rest of the day relaxing so you could have all your energy for spending time with your best friends. They also stopped messaging and randomly popping over after your text conversation, you assumed so you could focus better. You stepped out of your car and made your way up to the dorm, knocking a few times before using your key to let yourself in. Immediately you were greeted with all three boys sitting in the living room, various games and snacks scattered all over the coffee table. Whatever they were talking about was quickly forgotten as they all turned to face you. 

“Y/N!” they all exclaimed, jumping up to greet you. You laughed a bit as you hugged all three of them individually. Each hug seemed to last longer than the last but you didn’t seem to notice. 

“Come on!” Tae urged, pulling you so you were sitting between him and Jimin, much to Jungkooks dismay. “We couldn’t decide on what game to play first so maybe you could choose for us?” Tae pointed at one game while Jungkook pointed at another. It was becoming increasingly obvious to you now that there was tension between the three, but you didn’t know why. 

“Umm why don’t we start with this one?” you suggested as you pointed to the game Jungkook was suggesting. Seeing the hurt look on the other two you quickly added, “I mean, it’s shorter so we can start  with that and finish with your guys’ choice right?” That didn’t come off as very convincing, but you didn’t hear any objections as you set the game up. If anything, your explanation only seemed to upset Jungkook as well.

This silent competition between the boys only grew as you guys played. From offering you snacks to having you argue who broke the rules, to even letting you cheat to upset the other. Eventually, you had enough of this and threw down the bag of chips you were holding, immediately catching everyone’s attention. “Alright enough!” you exclaimed, “what is going on with you three?” They all looked scared and a little confused as they glanced at you, but no one said anything. Taking a deep breath to calm yourself, you spoke again, “You guys have been like this all week. Whenever one of you does something the other will copy, and now you’re fighting over a game. Is there something I missed?” It was Jungkook who finally spoke up after what felt like an eternity of awkward silence.

“Who do you enjoy spending time with more?” he asked, catching you completely off guard. Jimin noticed your confusion and immediately stepped in to explain.

“You started canceling on us to spend time with Jungkook.”

“But then you started canceling on me to hang out with them,” Jungkook quickly added, ignoring the glare he got. 

“So who do you like more?” Taehyung asked. You were honestly speechless, all the past incidents from the last week or so starting to make sense. The boys were jealous because you weren’t distributing your time evenly between them. You didn’t know whether to laugh or yell at the realization. 

“Let me get this straight,” you started, “this whole mess was done because you guys were jealous?” Before any of them could speak up to defend themselves, your laughter cut them off, “That has to be the most immature thing I’ve ever heard. Why didn’t you guys just talk to me about it?”

“In our defense, you were pretty clueless,” Taehyung defended. Realizing how serious they were, you sighed and shook your head. 

“Look guys, I’m sorry that I didn’t manage my time better. It was wrong of me to cancel plans to hang out with another member. You should have told me instead of whatever this rivalry was. You guys are friends too and I don’t see why we can’t all hang out as a group.” They didn’t look completely convinced so you continued, “not all the time of course. There will be days I want to spend time with Jimin and Tae and there will be times when I want to spend time with Jungkook. That doesn’t make me any less of a friend.” Hesitantly they all nodded, glancing at each other with a guilty look. 

“We’re sorry Noona,” Jungkook apologized, causing you to smile. 

“Come on! Now that we’re all friends again, let's finish the game!”

Twitter: SugaKookieBias

AO3: SugaKookieBias

#thebangtanbookclub #btswritingcafe #heartsforbts #loveyourselfnet #kdiarynet #bangtanuniversity #bts #bts fic #bts one shot #bts writing #kim taehyung #park jimin #jimin #taehyung #jungkook #jeon jungkook #x reader #bts x reader #kpop #kpop fanfic #platonic #fluff #bts fluff #fanfiction #fanfic #bts fanfic #vmin #bangtan #bangtan sonyeondan #bangtan boys

[hunnyuwu]

My Baby Don’t Like It || NCT Jaehyun+Mark [part I]

Premise: What went wrong along the way? After everything we had been through, you still chose to leave me?

Pairings : Dad! Jaehyun x fem! reader x Friend! Mark

WC: 2.1 K

Warnings: explicit language, some extreme fluff

Part I || Part II || Part III

"Hey baby! How are you today?" You were crouched down on your knees, shooting a silly smile as the most adorable four year old in the world ran straight into your outstretched arms, worming his way into the crevasse of your neck. You cooed into the kid’s ear, happy to see the boy happy and healthy. He  withdrew from his squirmy snuggles to plant his tiny, moist lips on your soft cheek as his little greeting to his beloved Noona.

"I'm happy to see you, Noona!" A smile lit up his round, chubby features before he nuzzled back into the crevasse of your neck. You rubbed the top of his head a few times, messing up his short black locks, before getting up so that you were finally standing at your own height.

"Thanks for looking after him today, Y/N."

Your heart beat slowed down to a steady, rhythmic pace immediately. The slow, heavy thrumming taunted you as it rattled in your within the hollow shells of your ears. You interlocked hands with the small boy beside you before lifting your chin to see the person before you.

A gentle smile blossomed over your lips, a wave of calm washing over your body as you examined the familiar face before you, "Of course, Jaehyun."

"Remember Y/N, I changed my name." Jaehyun gave you a teasing jab, a dumb grin occupying his eyes. You flinched a little backwards, knives stabbing your poor heart as memories flashed at the forefront of your mind.

‘Yeah, but you changed it for her.’

"A-Ah, right! Sorry, have a good day, Yoon-Oh."

You released a breath that were holding for a little while as you saw Jaehyun hop into the driver's seat of an extremely expensive, luxury car. The flashy woman in the passenger seat threw an overstated air kiss to the little boy beside you, glancing your way soon after. A scowl replaced the smile you were holding onto desperately as she simply smirked with triumph. Your free hand curled into a tight fist as you watched the car whiz away, to the point that your knuckles turned white and your nails threatened to puncture the flesh of your palm.

She removed Jaehyun from your life, 

And he allowed it to happen.

You and Jaehyun had known one another since primary school. On a bitter, cold day in the autumn of your second year, Jaehyun nervously approached your lunch table to ask if he could sit with your group, which you guys obviously said yes. While the friends you had in that group all eventually slipped away from your life through your years of schooling, Jaehyun and you had managed to maintain a close friendship. The close bond and chemistry the two of you had was undeniable to the public and private eye. Everyone thought the two of you would eventually get married, which you didn't mind them thinking in the slightest. Jaehyun had always thought the same too, even though there was no official romance. Just adoring looks, sweet gestures, lovely memories, and tense atmospheres.

In university, you finally confirmed your feelings for him, ready for that next step with him. You finally realized that he was your destiny, and you thought you were his as well.

Next thing you knew, Jaehyun found a girl from his economics class and the rest is history. They had an accidental child early on in their whirlwind romance, the one you were currently watching playing with stackable plastic blocks. Anger boiled your blood... you still loved Jaehyun to the depths of your heart, to the point that you regularly questioned whether you would ever be able to move on, but you couldn't understand how dense he was when it came to his girlfriend: Jimin.

Jimin wasn't your average, plain Jane college gal. She was simply receiving a business degree for the sake of having the piece of paper that she didn’t even work for. Jimin had her daddy's money and company waiting for her once she deemed herself ready for the role. When Jimin set her eyes on Jaehyun the very first class of economics, it was game over for anything between you two. Jimin made it her mission to claim Jaehyun as her own personal property, in other words her personal boy toy, basically making it her life’s mission to rid of you in his life. Or as she specifically explain it, 'spending quality time with boyfie while they were young.' You saw through her sugary sweet act from the moment you laid eyes on her when Jaehyun introduced the two fo you.

She was a brat, a snob, a snake, and any description with negative connotation that you could think of. You hissed as you remembered that the woman even convinced him that 'Yoon-Oh' was a more handsome name than Jaehyun. ‘How could he be so under her spell to not see the sort of shit she puts him through?’ You wondered. 

‘The least she could be is a sweet, decent person to make Jaehyun happy in life.’

That would have satisfied you, but in the end, you knew that people never really get what they want. You were left high and dry while a snobby rich whisked Jaehyun away like he was never there to begin with. And the fact that the woman barely paid any attention to her child made you absolutely sick to your stomach. Hot tears pricked at your eyes as you watched the innocent boy giggle as he was currently in the midst of building a little block boat. 

‘Taking random selfies with your extremely adorable child for your dumb Instagram page does NOT count as parenting, Jimin.’

As you reminisced on all of the times that you had to deal with Jimin's endless childishness and her possessiveness over Jaehyun, you felt a little tug at your sleeve. You smiled tearily as you saw one thing that significantly brightened up your bleak life.

"Noona?"

"Yes, Baby?"

"Why do you look so sad today?"

Your heart constricted like someone was squeezing it tightly, already feeling regret as you had been too absorbed in your own thoughts to give him your full attention. You didn't have an early education degree for nothing.

"Ah, just little things, Baby. Don't worry about it."

"But I don't want Noona to be sad! We should get you ice cream like you do when I get a boo boo!" Jaehyun's son, Jeno, happily suggested, probably just wanting to eat some ice cream himself. You were put into a bout of laughter as you lovingly looked at Jeno get up to 'go get you some ice cream to fix your inside boo boo.'

You complied as you simply couldn't ever say no to the precious boy, so you were on your way out to the local grocery store near your house, which you hadn't gone to in awhile. You peered down to the eye smile prince himself who was happily skipping alongside you, his tiny hand wrapped around the middle three fingers of your hand, a gesture that you you screaming in an internal maternal mess. 

Jimin and Jaehyun have been so neglecting of this poor child lately, always going out on day long dates and luxurious overseas trips, obviously as per Jimin's request. 

You had to say, you were extremely disappointed at Jaehyun for forgetting his caring, sweet roots. The child you were currently leading into a small grocery store was basically your own, you were more of a mother to him than Jimin could ever be.

"Hey, Y/N!"

You looked around to see who called out your name when you spotted a familiar face, causing you to stumble back with pleasant surprise.

"Oh hey, Mark! I didn't know you worked here! Master's degree yet?" You led little Jeno over to the cash register to greet him, gushing over seeing the adorable guy once again. You knew Mark when you were a senior in college, him being a spry sophomore at the time. While he was a music major and you were an early education major, you two fatefully ended up in the same science requirement classes, leading to a beautiful, supportive relationship to blossom between the two of you. You hadn't been able to see him as of late as you were busy with your job.

"Yeah, I’m here part time. Needed some money so I can pay off my college debt as I'm looking for a gig at the moment. But anyways, uhhh, y-you look beautiful as ever, Y/N. Is he your child?" You blushed at his compliment while looking down at little Jeno who Mark was gesturing to gently. Jeno was shooting Mark a suspicious glare causing you to giggle as you dropped a hand to pat his head.

"No, this is Jeno, Jaehyun's son. I regularly babysit him."

Mark gave you a confused look, something wasn't adding up for him.

"You and Jaehyun aren't together?"

You were taken aback at his lack of knowledge. You even told him about Jaehyun's girlfriend a long time ago, but it seems like he didn't remember. Besides, you and Jaehyun were very, very not together.

As you were about to explain, Jeno took the spotlight.

"Daddy should date my Noona! She's a lot better-"

"Shh, you shouldn't say stuff like that, Jeno." You cooed to comfort the pouting kid as you hoisted him up onto your waist to rock him a little. He was getting a little heavy for this, but you didn't mind throwing your back out for him.

Mark laughed to himself, throwing a loving gaze your way as you and Jeno bickered for a little. His insides turned to goop as he fell down the tempting rabbit hole once again.

"Well, if you're not with anyone right now... c-could I ask to maybe take you out on a date sometime?"

You abruptly paused your conversation with Jeno to whip your head to the blushing male. A little blush to match his crept up to your cheeks as you reeled over what he just said in your mind like a broken cassette.

"You want to... go out with me?" You whispered with a tilt of your head, needing a firm confirmation from him before you let your mind start playing tricks on itself.

"Yeah, if that's fine with you." Mark restated, biting down on his bottom lip as he awaited your answer.

Thoughts of Jaehyun’s beautiful, warm smile plagued your mind like a disease; you were still very much in love with him. Even if his actions gave you a whole list as to why you should give his ass up in a heartbeat. 

You looked back into Mark's eyes, finally making up your mind.

"I'd love to, Mark."

"Really?" He choked out, already expecting a rejection coming his way. You were oblivious to it, but Mark had the largest crush on you ever since you became partners for your science class. Whenever he even thought of asking you out, he remembered how close you were to Jaehyun, so he always chickened out. 

This was finally his chance.

"Yeah, of course I would." You said sheepishly.

"But what about Daddy?"

You looked back to Jeno who was inches away from your face with round, glassy eyes. You sighed as you gave his cheek a quick little peck.

"Your Daddy is happy with your Mommy, Jeno. Don't worry, you will always be the number one man in my heart, okay? We will have a bunch more playdates!"

Mark watched as you comforted Jeno, feeling his heart thump violently against his ribcage. He knew you were the one for him, and he truly pitied Jaehyun, for he couldn't even see the true beauty that was sitting in front of him for so many years. Mark prayed above, thoroughly thanking fate to bring you to him today.

"Excuse me, but are you checking out right now?" An elderly woman appeared behind you with a harsh glare, a sharp tongue to match her tapping foot. You bowed quickly, not too much so that Jeno wouldn’t fall off, muttering small apologies as you moved out of the way.

"You better give me a discount for the ice cream, Mark!" You yelled as you walked away with Jeno over to the ice cream freezer. Mark gave you a cute little smile before diving back into scanning the items that that woman gave to him. Though it has been hard in your journey to give up on Jaehyun, there may be just as amazing men that would be better for you out there. You sighed out happily, maybe things were going to improve for you in the future.

~~~

Part I || Part II || Part III

This mini fic is the result of when I learned that Jaehyun said he would have basically been a teenage dad if he wasn't an idol 👁👄👁

#NCT-WRITERS #neowritingsnet #nct #nct 127 #mark lee #nct drabbles #nct dream #nct fluff #nct imagines #nct yoonoh #nct jaehyun #nct mark #nct jeno #neo culture technology #nct angst #jaehyun angst #mark fluff #jeno fluff #jaehyun x reader #mark x reader #jung jaehyun #lee jeno

[avnkin]

The Pogues - Chapter 2 // Making Amends

Pairing: jj maybank x reader

Warnings: swearing, little bit of underage drinking, smoking

Word count: 2.6k

Summary: You were a kook, born and raised but when a messy breakup with your boyfriend takes place you find comfort in the people who you’d been taught to despise and keep away from your entire life, the pogues.

(A/N): sorry this took me so long to post,, i’ve been studying for exams but now i’m finally done sooo I can focus on this fic!! this isn’t the best but I needed to upload something but just know the juicy parts haven’t even begun ;)) also this lacks proofreading so just bare with me lmaoo

series masterlist

It was the day after Midsummers and you hadn’t stopped thinking about JJ, it was kind of annoying actually, you didn’t want to think about him or let alone any guy at all, but it was hard JJ was the kind of guy to leave an impression, the kind of guy who would be stuck on your mind for the next couple of days, so as you sat in your bed aimlessly flicking through the magazine that rested on your lap, you felt yourself zoning out as you let your thoughts be consumed with him.

“Y/N!” Sarah’s sudden yell broke you from your trance, startling you as you stared wide eyed at her, your face a question mark, she had come over to your place to spend the night, she couldn’t wait to tell you all about her adventures with John B, you had to admit you were pretty jealous, you missed having someone next to you when falling asleep it was an awful lot lonelier than you thought it would be, but you knew it was for the best, maybe you needed to be by yourself for some time now.

“Yeah?” you replied closing the magazine and laying it onto the empty space on the bed beside you “John B asked me to come with him to meet the guys later so I can- I don’t know make up with Kiara or something and since you’re the bestest friend in the whole entire world I was wondering if you’d come with me” you looked up at her puzzled “what” you spoke finding nothing else fitting to say “the girl hates me Y/N, hates me! And you’re really good at getting people to like you plus if they’re going to be my new friends that means they’re gonna be your new friends, where I go you go” she spoke content with her words.

“No” you stated grabbing the magazine again continuing flipping through the pages “no? what do you mean no Y/N please I need you there as my back up incase I don’t know Kiara attacks me” Sarah pouted “won’t John B be there?” you asked raising an eyebrow at her “Yes but I want you there as well” you let your head fall back as you groaned “fine i’ll come with” Sarah squealed in excitement engulfing you in a hug as she mumbled thank you over and over again into your shoulder.

“But-okay look if I tell you something you have to promise that you’ll pretend like you know nothing about it later, okay promise” Sarah asked sitting opposite you and raising one pinky finger in the air “and that you won’t laugh!” she added, you rolled your eyes but sure enough locked your finger with hers “pinky promise” you smiled awaiting Sarah’s response. “Okay they’re looking for the royal merchant gold and I actually think they fucking found it” you took a minute to stare at her wondering if she was joking or not “Sarah people have been looking for that gold for like a hundred years do you really think someone like John B found it?” you chuckled shaking your head “yes I do” she stated firmly, you rolled your eyes before saying “let’s get going”.

Once you and Sarah had taken a seat on John B’s front porch you could practically see the anger fuming off of Kiara at your sudden presence “no effing way!” she scoffed looking over in your direction “you brought them here? so what? they’re in on this now?” John B looked utterly terrified as he looked over at JJ and Pope hoping they would back him up “I dunno” Pope simply shrugged looking over at JJ.

“Look man all I care about is their cut comes out of your share” JJ spoke causing you to scoff  “all of us aren’t rich and spoiled like you princess” JJ declared raising an eyebrow at you “I’m not spoi-” Kiara cut you off “I don’t remember taking a vote, this is our thing, a Pogue thing!” You and Sarah both rolled your eyes in unison glancing over at each other. 

“Look i’m just a tad uncomfortable with all of this” Pope said causing a small chuckle to slip out of your mouth as Kiara mumbled a thank you “when are you not uncomfortable?!” John B argued “well I don’t know I rode here on the back of JJ’s bike quite comfortably”

“It’s true most relaxed i’ve ever seen him” JJ said “maybe this wasn’t the best idea-” you began to say but before you could finish Kiara cut you off “you know we were all extremely comfortable until you brought them here” you groaned regretting letting Sarah drag you into this mess, you were clearly not wanted like she had tried to convince you the entire car ride here. “Stop talking about us like we’re not here” Sarah’s voice could be heard from beside you “then leave!”

You scoffed turning in Sarah’s direction “I told you” crossing your arms over your chest you got ready to leave only to have Sarah pull you down again “told her what exactly that she’s a liar-” Kiara began but Sarah obviously didn’t want to listen to her anymore “no that you’re a shit talking bitch” your eyes went wide at Sarah’s words, you’d never in your many years of friendship heard her talk to someone like that. “Oh my god” you laughed one hand covering your mouth as you looked between Kiara and Sarah.

Suddenly everyone was talking, yelling and screaming over each other, until you heard Kiara give John B an ultimatum “me or her?” She commanded, everyone went silent at her words eyes diverting between John B and Kiara. “Both” he stated causing Kiara to scoff, angrily turning around and making her way off of John B’s porch.

“Can I just say you handled that beautifully” JJ snickered sarcasm evident in his tone. “Listen Sarah-” John B began ignoring JJ “No it’ll be fine right?” Sarah scoffed quoting John B on his previous words to her “we’re leaving” she finally stated grabbing your hand and leading you back to the car. 

“Well that went like shit” you huffed as soon as you both got inside the vehicle “shut up” Sarah whined slamming her face onto the steering wheel “how the hell is our relationship going to work if his best friend hates me” you honestly felt bad for her you knew John B was a good guy and that Sarah hadn’t been to lucky in her previous relationships “we’ll fix it” you reassured her “somehow” you added underneath your breath “how are we going to fix this Y/N” Sarah doubted hands tightening around the steering wheel.

But as she went to start the car JJ quickly ran in front of it preventing you from driving away “what the hell” you questioned getting out of the car and walking towards him “John B wants us all to go out on the water to you know blow off some steam after- whatever that was back there” JJ insisted resting his hand on the hood of Sarah’s car, you looked over at Sarah questioningly and she just nodded giving you her answer.

Luckily Sarah always kept some extra bikinis in her trunk so you didn’t have to drive all the way back to figure 8 and then back to the cut simply to get some swimwear and towels. 

Being out on the water was something you really needed, as you lay at the front of the boat Sarah next to you letting the sun devour every part of your skin, you felt somewhat problem free for the first time in weeks.

“Enjoying the view?” you chuckled since JJ’s staring hadn’t gone unnoticed, he didn’t seem faced by your words only moving his sunglasses to the tip of his nose as he continued to check you out “indeed I am” he hummed before taking another swig of the beer he held in his hands. 

“Uh girls can you go get us some- uhm food from the cabin” John B’s voice could suddenly be heard from behind you, you found it weird that he was asking both of you to do it but then again, he was a bit weird.

“Sure” Sarah replied giving you a confused glance as you followed her down the small stairs and into the cabin “I don’t see anything” you mumbled looking around the small storage space, you were about to turn back around, Sarah following behind when the door above you was abruptly slammed shut, Sarah quickly ran towards it banging her fists with all her strength against it, this is it you were both going to die was all you could think as you stared at the closed door. 

A couple of minutes had gone by when you finally decided enough was enough pushing Sarah out of the way and repeatedly slamming your fists against the door. When it finally swung open you were not expecting to see who was now stood in front of you “Kiara?” you questioned but she didn’t reply, rushing to the front of the boat you quickly followed her Sarah hot on your heels “get your asses back here!” Kiara demanded, your eyes went wide once you noticed the three boys had abandoned the boat leaving the three of you behind “we can’t, not until you guys figure this out!” John B yelled back climbing up onto the boat Pope and JJ were stood on “I don’t have anything to do with this!” you yelled back gesturing between Sarah and Kiara, you were going to kill her for dragging you into this mess.

“We don’t care they’re your friends” JJ winked saluting you as they started the boat “I will kill every single one of you!” Kiara threatened but the boys didn’t seem faced at her words “you can’t just leave!” Sarah pleaded hoping John B would change his mind “There’s food in the cooler and JJ rolled a blunt” Pope yelled raising his thumbs up in the air “hydroponic!” JJ added.

“fucking assholes” you muttered watching the boat sail away into the distance. An awkward silence quickly filled the air as the three of you stood in a circle eyes darting between each other, you had never felt so out of place in your entire life. 

“I’m down for some weed” you finally broke the silence, you’d never in your life smoked before but thought since Kiara often did it it would be a good way to break the tension.

Kiara motioned for you to follow her as she searched the boat for JJ’s box which always contained his weed and lighter. When she finally found it she made her way to the front of the boat taking a seat next to you and immediately lighting the blunt, she passed it to you after a couple of seconds, you took a small hit, surprised you didn’t cough but as you were about to hand it to Sarah, Kiara quickly snatched it out of your hand “actually” she spoke, putting the blunt up to her lips and taking yet another hit.

“Really” Sarah scoffed snatching it away from her “go easy” Kiara warned “it’s JJ’s cousins cripple” Sarah ignored her raising the blunt up to her lips and taking way to big of a hit, she immediately started coughing as she breathed out the smoke Kiara rolling her eyes as she glared down at the two of you.

A couple of hours later it had gotten dark and it was obvious that Sarah was high as a kite, she kept asking the both of you very strange would you rather questions, you didn’t feel anything having only taken one hit of the blunt. 

Sarah kept on pestering Kiara till she finally snapped “Oh my god! enough of the ‘hey Kiara’ bullshit, why’d you do it?” your mouth formed an ‘o’ shape as you looked between the two girls “I don’t know what you mean-” Sarah began but Kiara cut her off “we we’re best friends, we stole beer from your dads fridge, cried about boys and the next thing I know i’m watching your birthday party happen from instagram” you felt partly guilty, having spammed your stories and close friends with endless of videos and pictures from that night.

They continued talking about Kiara having called the cops to shut down the party and that when people got close to Sarah she bails, she had never talked to you about it before so it kind of surprised you, but you didn’t want to butt in, it was a conversation for another day.

As you guys got ready to go to bed Kiara made Sarah promise that she wouldn’t do the same thing to John B, Sarah only nodded resting her head on the pillow before everything went silent between the three of you.

“Also i’m sorry called the cops” Kiara broke the silence causing all three of you burst into fits of laughter “I knew it you bitch” Sarah giggled propping her self up onto her elbows “you should’ve invited me” Kiara replied looking over at Sarah “so you called the cops!?” you cackled “well my birthday’s next weekend so you’re definitely invited to that, wouldn’t want the cops showing up there to” you joked “shut up” Kiara quipped as your laughters faded into the night.

The sound of a boat engine woke you guys up early the next morning, finally you thought as you rubbed your eyes slowly getting up from your sleeping position following the girls back to the front of the boat. 

“Don’t give them the satisfaction of thinking this worked” you spoke crossing your arms over your chest as you glared at the boys watching the boat get closer “absolutely not” the girls both agreed with you.

“You gotta admit it was kind of funny” John B could be heard as the boat stopped in front of you, your eyes immediately met JJ’s who stepped towards you reaching his hand out to help you back onto their boat, you could hear the girls bickering with John B and Pope in the background but all your attention was on the boy in front of you.

You tripped slightly as you stepped onto the boat causing JJ’s arms to find your waist holding you steady, “that wasn’t cool” you crossed your arms looking up at him “what stopping you from falling into the water?” he challenged acting clueless “no you know what i’m talking about leaving us there the entire night? Not exactly the best way to get into someones pants” the last part you made sure no one but him heard, his eyes went wide as you sat down behind acting nonchalant as JJ’s eyes glared daggers into yours.

When you finally made it back to the pier you felt relieved to be back on land having felt quite sea sick the entire boat ride here “what was that about a birthday party you were talking about Y/N?” Kiara suddenly asked causing all attention to go to you, you cleared your throat before replying “well my parents are out of town next weekend traveling with Ward and Rose so I decided to have a little get together, you’re all welcome to come” you smiled “no fucking way-” JJ began but Kiara cut him off “we’ll be there” 

“Great, guess i’ll see you there” you winked the last part more directed at JJ who quickly removed Kiara’s hand from his mouth giving her a questioning look. Sarah pecked John B on the lips before you both said your goodbyes and headed back to Sarah’s car.

“What the hell?” JJ scolded as he looked back up at Kiara “I don’t wanna go to some kook party, do I look like I like to get the shit beat out of me?” Kiara rolled her eyes “JJ my parents also told me about Wards trip Rafe’s going with them so he won’t be there” Kiara reassured him “let’s just go and if it sucks we’ll leave” John B suggested “for once in my life, I actually agree with JJ” Pope added in “come on guys it’ll be fun” Kiara implored “I’ll think about it” JJ replied watching you walk off in the distance.

tag list: @k-n-e @avashroom @sspidermanss @free-pool-trash @we-are-only-halfway-home93 @k-k0129 @charoum @daygiowvibe @maybebanks @treestarrrrrrrr @whothehellistova @chasefreakinstokes @http-cherries @dolanfivsosxox​ @laurenroseh90-blog​ @multifandomlovess​ @jaazzzzz​ @tiredfeels​ @howdyherron​ @a-baby-dolly @eviction-notice-no666​ @voidsxsnets @imagines-and-preferences1216​ @elioelioeli0​ @iwanttobetracer420​ @jjshottub​ @queen1054​ @imsad05​ @yelyahryan​ @sunshinemadds​ @wwylmlive​

strikethrough means Tumblr wouldn’t let me tag you :( If you want to be added to the taglist let me know!! also please notify me if I forgot to tag you. <33

#jj maybank #jj maybank imagine #jj maybank x reader #jj obx #jj x reader #outer banks #outer banks fanfiction #outer banks netflix #jj #rudy pankow x reader #rudy pankow imagine #rudy pankow #john b imagine #kiara #pope #john b

[binniedeactivated]

saint. || soobin (2.7)🌪

🖤┊𝔰𝔞𝔦𝔫𝔱 . ೄྀ࿐ 𝖕𝖆𝖎𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖌: 𝖘𝖔𝖔𝖇𝖎𝖓 𝖝 𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖊𝖗 𝖌𝖊𝖓𝖗𝖊: 𝖘𝖒𝖚𝖙/𝖆𝖚 𝖜𝖔𝖗𝖉 𝖈𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖙; 2436

spending time studying became easier and easier by the day for soobin with your help of course. even in school he found himself using your methods of studying and was actually pretty consistent with it. studying was also good in terms of him passing his exams but it was also an excellent tool for soobin to try and forget what occurred just a couple of days ago. He’d been spending so much time with you he hoped you wouldn’t find out about it at all.

but there was nothing to be done when it featured all over the news this morning. soobin curses under his breath knowing this would be the buzz of the school for days on end. nevertheless he nervously awaits outside the door of your classroom. it would be his first time seeing you since the news released not too long ago. the bell rung and students were pooling out of the classrooms in a frenzy about what had happened. some even saying they wanted to stop by and see the scene before they went home. soobin thought it was weird, but whatever. he lays his head back on the wall until you strolled out of the classroom with books tucked into your arm. you walked out without even looking at him so he caught up to you, tugging your arm back.

“mama--”.

“soobin, I don’t know if I want to talk to you right now”. you stated as calm as you possibly could. 

“so you’ve heard?”.

you placed your hand on your hip at his reply. 

“what do you mean have I heard? do you think I was born yesterday. It’s obvious who did it. my question is why didn’t you stop them?”.

“why is this my fault?”.

“I been told you to tell your idiot friends to leave her alone and that whatever they had going on is over. you didn’t do it did you?”.

soobin sighs in defeat. 

“you’re acting like they would’ve listened to me”.

“why wouldn’t they? you’re choi soobin right? the cute rich that every guy in this school wants to be? most popular? the one who calls all the shots right?”.

you turn to walk away but soobin pulls your arm back again. 

“you don’t understand how difficult this is. they won’t stop. that night when they did it I was with you. I wasn’t involved at all--”.

“because they’re your friends this means you’re just as attached to this situation as they are. mia was already being effected by other medication but now she has to deal with this trauma too? theres no telling what they did to her in that house soobin”. 

“why are you pinning this on me? you’re acting like I told them to do it”.

“why are you trying to disassociate yourself from them now as if you all weren’t close weeks ago?”.

“I’m trying to be a better person. I really am, princess. you have to believe me when I say I didn’t want that to happen to mia just as much as the next person. I’m just as confused about their motives as you are”. 

honestly, you thought. who did soobin think he was? did he really think he could win you over with his innocent face and pet names? because if that’s what he thought then... maybe he’s right. you had to admit you saw him changing himself piece by piece. although he isn’t entirely perfect now you knew he was trying. you calmed yourself down before you spoke. 

“so what do you think this is going to mean for you soobin?”. 

soobin sighs, knowing what you meant by that. 

“I- I don’t know. but don’t worry. my parents know a lot of people and can pay for lawyers to lift any suits if they are placed on me”.

you unconsciously frown. since soobin wasn’t there you knew his friends would try to make everything seem as if it were his idea. because you knew even long ago that his friends weren’t as real as soobin thought they were, and that’s just the type of people they were. and although soobin was one of them not too long you began to think that maybe it isn’t fair for soobin to get wrapped up in their antics after all. 

soobin pulls you into his chest hugging you and kissing you on your forehead. he was already scared and worried for himself enough, he couldn’t deal with you being worried for him too. 

“i’ll be fine. you just keep worrying about passing these exams so you won’t get punished by your mom”.

you placed your chin on his chest, now looking up at him. 

“have you been studying on your own? how is it going?”. you ask. 

“bad. it’s boring studying alone”. 

“why? because you don’t have someone to touch constantly?”.

you smirk detaching yourself from him now starting to walk to your next class. soobin laughs behind you. “that’s not true”. he calls louder watching you turn inside. he missed you between classes, he really did. once he was finished watching you he turned around to see yeonjun standing behind him with a grin waiting at the corner of his lips. 

“are you done loverboy?”. 

“where the hell did you come from?”.

“the shadows. let’s go to free period we have to talk”. 

soobin nodded, following yeonjun into the library with their designated teacher and sitting at their designated table. soobin piles his textbooks and notebook on the table. yeonjun does the same, the both of them knowing they weren’t going to get much studying done. 

“so you saw the news this morning?”. yeonjun starts. soobin was sharpening his pencil. 

“unfortunately”. 

“and you do know that mia ratted them out to the police right?”. soobin’s eyes widened. he stops his sharpening. 

“she did what?”. 

“they are no longer suspects anymore soobin”.

soobin’s heart tanked. 

“it’s only a matter of time before your name pops up”. yeonjun mentions again. 

“I’m going to get a lawyer”. soobin replies.

“make sure you get a good one soobin. since you were friends with them at one point it’s going to have a bad reflection on you”.

“it might, but where is the proof that I planned the whole thing? how would they even get away with saying that?”. 

“you’d be surprised the lengths that people go to just get themselves out of trouble. especially with the charges they have over their heads”. soobin breathes again, trying to feel positive that his lawyer would be the one to get him through this. 

“does your girlfriend know?”. yeonjun asks, 

“she knows about the incident and she was getting mad at me because she told me to tell them to stop messing with mia and I didn’t tell them. she’s saying that if I did what she said I wouldn’t be in this situation right now”.

yeonjun nods. 

“what are you going to do if the hotel situation comes up?”.

“why would it?”.

“the boys need evidence to deem you capable of carrying out such a plan. the more clearer the evidence gets the closer you are to becoming an inmate”. 

soobin gulps. at this rate, the only thing that was on his side was time. 

“whatever you do, you have to tell your lawyer everything. like everything in full detail so they are able to defend you when it comes up”. 

“everything?”.

“yes everything. the last thing a lawyer wants is to be surprised with some new information by their client in court. above all else though, you must be ready for anything”. 

soobin nods. it was going to be hard to admit what he’d done but he would rather do so than to be sent to prison. he tapped his pencil on his paper a couple of times before speaking. 

“yeonjun”. 

“yo?”.

“why are you helping me? you aren’t afraid of getting caught in it?”.

yeonjun shrugs, writing the last of his sentence before speaking. 

“if i’m caught in this i’ll protect you”. 

“but why?”.

“because you’re just a dumb bastard whose trying to be a good person and your friends are fucking it up for you”. 

soobin chuckled a little. “thanks, dipshit”. 

“what did i say about thanking me?”. yeonjun playfully responds. the joy in yeonjun gave soobin at least a little bit of hope. hopefully he’d be able to get himself out of this. that’s all that clouded his mind these days. he’s done bad stuff in his life but he never knew it would lead him to this extreme. but all of this clouded worry was brushed away when school was over and he was able to see you again. 

he kisses your neck while you were retrieving things from your locker and you flinch. he laughs at your shock and you looked like you wanted to kill him. 

“soobin! what are you doing?”. he pinches your cheek softly. 

“I can’t kiss you?”. 

“not on the neck--at school”. you reply. he childishly rolls his eyes and waits for you. 

“this is the beauty that I haven’t gotten a chance to meet yet”. yeonjun grins approaching soobin’s side. you turn, trying to figure who it was that said that. some blue haired kid that you haven’t saw around here before. you kind of thought he was cute but, don’t tell soobin that. 

“yeonjun don’t start”. soobin nudged. yeonjun ignores him and continues talking to you. 

“how you doing? i’m choi yeonjun. i don’t think we’ve met”. 

“choi? you’re related to soobin?”. you ask. 

“in some way, yeah”. 

“interesting”. you say nonchalantly, grabbing the rest of your things and closing your locker. you didn’t want him to think you cared about anything he had to say. 

yeonjun slides his arm up the locker beside yours, 

“so yeah whenever soobin is acting like a bitch, you can call me”. yeonjun joked, winking for good measure. soobin shoves him into the opposite direction and yeonjun laughs in return. 

“stop fucking playing around you idiot”. soobin scowled with his hand on your lower back, ushering you away from him. yeonjun’s watches the both of them go, “remember what I said!”. he shouts after soobin. and soobin heard him loud and clear, he just didn’t want to think about that right now. 

“how was your classes today?”. soobin begins while you both were now settled in his car. it was kind of second nature at this point, you going with soobin after school. 

“they were okay, I’m tired of hearing about the same information. are you going to your classes nowdays?”.

“yeah i’ve started. i thought it was pretty stupid to study for exams and not go to class”.

choi soobin? going to class? it had to be some type of miracle. 

you were fixing your ponytail,

“so? my house or your house today for studying?”. you question. now driving soobin answers, 

“let’s go get some food. how about a coffee shop?”. 

actually, a coffee shop didn’t sound too bad. it gave you both a break from being enclosed in your homes. you nod in agreement. while driving though you couldn’t help but to start up a little conversation.

“so? where did choi yeonjun come from?”. 

“he’s this kid that was brought to my house by my dumb ass friends. I hated him at first”. 

“why?”.

“because he was talking back to me”.

you laughed. 

“talking back?”.

“i was shit talking him and he was shit talking back. that was a first for me”.

“god forbid no one is scared of you, soobin”. 

soobin laughs, “yeah i thought it was pretty cool to be feared. but when yeonjun was talking back I kind of realized I like a person that knows how to defend themself. so then I started liking him”. 

“you can date him instead of me you know”. you tease. soobin deadpans you for a brief second before putting his eyes back on the road. 

“it’s not even like that”. 

“oh so it’s complicated?”. you tease again and soobin laughs, you could tell that this time he wanted to murder you. the both of you arrive at a small cafe shop on the corner of two of the biggest streets in town. you were sure to bring your backpack inside with you, you hoped you could get a lot done even if you were with soobin this time. 

he pulls your chair out for you and you thank him whilst taking your seat. he sits across from you. he was pretty satisfied with the size of the table, you guys needed just as much space as you could get. 

your eyes grazed the menu at the endless flavors of coffee the shop sold. some sounded just pure weird and some sounded delicious. “have you ever been here before?”. soobin questions. you shake your head no. “I forgot this town even had coffee shops”. you admit. 

“welcome! what can I start you guys with today?”. the waitress asked. soobin orders a hawaiian salted caramel coffee which sounded amazing, but not as amazing as the one you had in mind. you decided to order the s’mores flavored coffee. 

“so did you hear?”. you prompt. “no, what is it?”. 

“the school is hosting an incentive for the seniors who ace their exams this year”. 

“what is it going to be?”. 

“I’m not sure but I’m kind of excited. I know most seniors didn’t pass their exams last year so i’m motivated. that’s probably what the school is trying to do anyways, motivate us”.

“that is kind of motivating. but we go to a catholic school so for all we know our incentive can be an extra church service”. 

you laugh. 

“i’ll die”. 

“excuse me choi soobin?”. voices blare behind him. you’d saw the two officers walk in but you thought they were going to a table, not targeting soobin. your eyes widen. soobin turns around, stunned once he found out who was searching for him. 

“yes?”. 

one of the officers beckon his hand upwards, signaling that he wanted soobin to stand up. soobin does so. 

“you’ll be coming with us for now”. the other officer spoke pulling out his handcuffs. you gasp. soobin was at a lost for words. he pulled his hand away. 

“wait just let me--”. he fishes for his wallet and gives you some cash. “i’ll be fine princess. don’t worry. eat well”. 

the officers take the both of his wrists and cuffs them tightly. soobin didn’t really know if he’d be fine. truth be told he was scared out of his mind. and truth be told you were more than scared out of yours. 

#choi soobin #choi beomgyu #choi yeonjun #choi soobin au #txt #txt au

[throwawayfish]

𝐉𝐉 𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 (𝐀𝐔)

summary: if meeting at a target late at night means you’d have a new found friend...then so be it.

warnings: swearing, fluff, typos

a/n: this is a simple idea for an imagine i thought about while i was watching rudy sing baby it’s cold outside on yt. hope this compensates for jj’s character in the series i’m working on! :)

comment on my main masterlist if you want to be added to my taglist! ♡

every street of the busy new york city was covered in white, the bottoms of your boots making the snow crunch as you made your way inside the store, leaving prints behind the vinyl flooring.

it was a relief to the only exposed skin you had, your nose unblocked, hands recovering from the numbness and your whole body slowly returning back to it’s normal temperature with the help the central heating system provided.

you grabbed one of the red carts, pulling out your phone to see the string of messages your best friend kiara left you.

where the hell are you?

hellooooo

it’s almost midnight and it’s winter, are you seriously out exploring right now?!

omg did u slip? broke a bone? i ain’t helping you just crawl your way back to the apartment

wait no that’s rude. just answer me bitch where tf u at?!!

stopping by the chiller where the pillsbury cookies were, you shot her a reply after grabbing boxes with variety of designs and a few prepackaged cinnamon rolls.

i’m at target so chill

just gonna buy a few things

you want hot cocoa? yeah don’t answer that i’m buying hot cocoa

also decor

be home in a few

merry christmas!!! ❤️❤️

as you made your way to different sections of the store, browsing for random snacks and food you might need in the apartment, you felt your phone vibrate to see the single reply she sent.

yeah, it’s december 3rd

ever since you were a kid, you always loved the idea of all things holiday, how the store is decorated and filled with stuff that relates to the theme. but what you loved the most was going to the aisle that is dedicated specifically to the occasion.

scanning through the decorative stuff such as calendars, wreaths, bells and a lot more, you arrive at the section you were awaiting for. mountains of chocolate, candy canes, sweets, marshmallows and especially hot cocoa were towering over you. the endless items were never ending as you seem to find something new when you put the one in your hand back on the shelf.

you stride to the piles of hot cocoa, debating on what to get from the many options that is offered in front of you. christmas carols faintly playing through the speakers of the establishment, making you smile and hum along as you grabbed one each of the large pine green and velvet coloured tins that your hands struggle to get a hold of.

looking at the difference of ingredients, you heard the clinking of what you supposed were car keys. wet shoes creating squeaking noises as it dragged across the floor. you waited to see who might be your mutual target cinderella who just decides to explore target before midnight.

just as you put the two cans in your cart, deciding that you should just get both, you were met by a mop of blonde hair and clear blue eyes that seemed to pierce through you, leaving your skin tingling like the feeling of what popping candy gives.

he fixed his hair which looked like a natural mess, the tip of both his ears and nose red from the cold as he seem to just have arrived. your feet were planted in your spot as he approached, making eye contact as he stood next to you.

you silently watched him as he picked up a can, and smirked as he walked past you. before he could even exit the aisle you were in, you managed to speak up making him stop in his tracks “that’s the watery kind, you know.”

“i’m sorry?” he asked and fully faced you “oh um, the hot cocoa you got. it’s the shitty brand, tastes like nothing.” you explained and he shrugged “it’s just for my friend, not a big deal.” it’s as if you got offended by his statement, your lips parting while you form a response

“why would you want the worst kind?” he giggled and took a few steps forward “well i don’t mean to offend you, based off of the stuff you have and the sing along session but...i don’t like this specific holiday.” “WHAT?!” you asked rather loudly, making you cover your mouth in an instant.

he giggled as if he just proved a point, you pushed your cart after him when he went on his way, following him to where he was going next “who doesn’t like christmas?” startled by your voice he shot you a glare and you muttered an apology “me” he replied “why?”

“first off, it’s cold. but then all the things tying to it is just dumb. you spend money to decorate the place, the same old films and jingles playing over and over again, then when the day comes you wake up then it’s all over in a snap.”

your jaw dropped, appalled by what the boy just said. “it’s the best time of the year! you can make buddy the elf’s spaghetti without judgement.” his face was cloaked with confusion, your eyes widen at the realization that he had no idea what you’re talking about “bunny the what now?”

“oh my god! nevermind” although weirded out by the guy’s choices of not loving your favourite holiday, you followed him through the store, and he didn’t seem to mind as he liked the company.

“so late night christmas shopping huh?” he started, you nodded as a response as you continued to put random things in your cart along the way “perfect time to shop. nobody’s even here.” you motioned to the almost empty store besides the workers and a few late night shoppers.

“i know the cocoa’s for your friend but why are you out at this time?” you queried and noticed that your entering the snack aisle once again. he grabbed a box each of normal and toasted cheez-its and putting it in your cart, saying that he’ll get it once you pay.

“i still can’t believe that you hate christmas. i mean you make snowmans and get gifts, what more can you ask for?” babbling as you walk to the self-checkout, you noticed that he was simply staring at you, which leads him to shake his head to snap out of his thoughts.

“the sun. go to the beach and surf, i don’t know. also, you get a mug or a new pair of socks as gifts. i’d rather go trick or treating.” he replied as he got his stuff out from your cart.

“i’ll accept a new pair of socks any day, any season.” you started and payed for your items before continuing with the banter the both of you sort of started “christmas is the best, you can’t change my mind.”

“well, if you like christmas i think it’s something i can get behind.” he whispered but didn’t go unheard “what?” “WHAT?” he repeated, flustered by what just happened.

you let it slide, smiling at his reaction and exiting the store with the bags, him following not long after. you were halfway to your car when you hear the boy you realized you didn’t even get the name of.

“hey! are you down for free breakfast tomorrow? i’ll bring you a new pair of socks.”

and with that you came home with two bags full of goods, a phone number and a planned breakfast date with jj maybank.

this is just a little something lol hope you liked it! let me know if you wanna be added to the taglist for whenever i post! xx

taglist: @rae131415 @obx-snippets @glux64 @drewsephsmiles @maybebanks @sexualparkour @bibliophilewednesday @spilledtee @pink-meringues @drewswannabegirl @prejudic3 @softtfordrew @omgitzbillie @spencereidbasis

#jj maybank #jj maybank fic #jj maybank imagine #jj x reader #obx #outerbanks #outerbanks imagine #jj maybank fluff #jj maybank x reader

[whattodowithace]

Drinking With Cupid Part II (Chan)

Title: Drinking With Cupid Part II

Pairing: Chan x Reader

Genre: Angst; Fluff

Word Count: 5,159 Words (all parts)

Writer: Whattodowithkpop [Lio]

A/N: I think I have seen a movie or tv show with a similar concept to this, but if I have, I don't remember for certain. I was also inspired by the song 'Drinking With Cupid' by VOILÀ. This is for the@acewriters writing event. *****

The day had finally arrived, their first anniversary, the anniversary of the day they met at Cupid's party in the hallway of a venue neither one expected to find each other at. A lot had progressed for the couple, having become official shortly after their first date, meeting friends and parents and being adored by everyone involved. However, there was still the matter of Chan being Cupid that hadn't been discussed. He had put it off time and time again as all his fear of past relationships resurfaced and made him too self conscious to admit.

After the wonderful year had passed for Chan, he was left with that constant worry that this was going to be another devastating heartbreak, one that was destined for failure from the start. He couldn't shake that feeling, the fear plaguing his heart as he fell for her more and more. He had one thing he had to do, one thing he always promised himself he wouldn't do. Run his own numbers with hers.

She too had her fear, the memory of her past fiancé haunted her, however she loved Chan, and she was confident he was different, confident he wouldn't do that to her. He had told her his stories of his past relationships and how they scarred him and she knew he knew how it felt to love someone for so long and for it to end in despair. Her purpose changed in the year she met Chan, her plan to take down Cupid was on the back burner as she was too consumed in her own happiness to care what happened to the algorithm. She still disagreed with its philosophy, however she had something else to occupy her time with, something she could pour her love and energy into. Chan.

However, little did she know, that her fight with Cupid's algorithm wasn't over and that she was about to face it head on.

~

Chan arrived to the restaurant first, taking his seat at the reserved table as he awaited her arrival. He was there early, so he didn't mind the wait, however his impatience to tell her his findings on the secret numbers he ran lessened his focus.

He was thankful he didn't have to wait long as he saw her enter into the dark atmosphere of the restaurant, the darkness complimenting her dress as it flowed to the floor, covering up the heels she wore, the heels that held a familiar sound to them as she crossed the foyer to their table. Chan felt underdressed as he inspected her outfit, even though he was in a crisp black suit with a white button up, his black tie being a gift from an investor who was quite wealthy. Next to her he felt that no one could be on par with her beauty or grace. He greeted her with a kiss, his lips lingering on hers as he was captivated by her beauty, forgetting everything else in the world. She's the one that pulls away with a giggle, her arms on his shoulders as she stares into his eyes.

"There is plenty time for that later, Yuchan." She whispers, kissing his cheek before taking her seat, leaving a stunned Chan to recollect his thoughts before sitting across from her.

The waiter that assisted her to their table asked if they wanted wine, to which they agreed and Chan picked out. It was a big night for both of them, however they had different reasons as to why.

"I have something I need to tell you." Chan speaks up, his heart in his ears as he feels as if a rock was sitting in his stomach, making him feel sick.

"I do too." Her smile was a sharp contrast to his nervous facial expression.

Chan takes in a shaky breath as he looks down to his hands, making her worry for him, her smile dropping.

"Chan, are you okay?"

He keeps his head down, tears sitting on the brims of his eyes as his lip begins to quiver. In a shaky voice he responds. "Our numbers aren't compatible."

The soft music that was playing in the restaurant seemed to deafen against her ears as his words bounced in her head. Her heart clenched in pain, her hand pressing against her chest as pain shoots through it.

"I'm Cupid." Chan continues, his eyes still downcast, oblivious to the physical pain he was putting her through. "I ran our numbers because I thought they'd be high, I was so sure we were perfect together and it had a low compatibility rating."

When Chan looks up his eyes widen in concern, standing from the table he runs to her side, crouching next to her as he grasps her free hand in his to try and comfort her in some way. Steady tears streamed down her face as her inhales and exhales were shallow and shaky.

"This whole thing is about Cupid's algorithm?" She choked out, her broken voice making Chan's heart break as he began to regret what he had done.

"My numbers are only in Cupid because I got matched three years ago to the man I got engaged to that later cheated on me before our wedding." Her tears heavier as her words began to sound more like sobs. "He laid there in bed with someone else and said your exact same words. **Our numbers aren't compatible.** And here you are saying the same?"

Chan felt more pain strike his heart as she cried, her sobs quiet, but loud enough to catch the attention of some of the patrons in the establishment.

"I'm so sorry."

With those words he left, fear and guilt plaguing him and causing his chest to swell and his heart to palpitate. The walls felt as if they were closing in on him and he needed to escape, so he ran, leaving her crying with money for the check on the table.

~

Byeongkwan watches his friend cry, the scene familiar to him as he hears her soft sobs even with her face stuffed in his couch cushion. His heart ached for her, however his anger blazed against the one that caused it. He was so happy for her, her goals in life changing as she got to know Chan more, her desire for revenge dwindling until it was non-existent, his heart swelling as she moved on. And here it was, all crashing down around her, harder than even her first heartbreak with her fiancé. Byeongkwan stood helplessly by as he did his best to care for her as she tried to nurse her broken heart.

Byeongkwan wasn't surprised when he got a call from Chan, especially seeing her phone was off there was no way he could reach her. However, he was expecting his words to be for her to come get her things from his apartment and that he wanted all remnants of her gone from his life.

"How is she?"

Those were his first words, no hello, no acknowledgement toward Byeongkwan at all. He wanted to be happy about this, that Chan seemed to still care for her, however, one man's care wasn't going to be enough to heal her.

"How do you think she is?"

Byeongkwan's words were like venom, his tolerance for Chan at a zero as her sobs traveled through the phone line, loud and clear for Chan to hear, his heart breaking at the sound.

"I was an idiot, I didn't think things through, I got caught up in myself and my own fee-"

Byeongkwan cuts him off, not wanting being the in-between for the two.

"I'm not the one you should be telling that to."

With that, Byeongkwan ended the call, not wanting to hear another word from the boy as he went back to his friend, who had fallen asleep, much to Byeongkwan's relief. He loves her, but anyone would get tired of hearing the deep sobs of a heartbroken girl for hours on end. He covered her the rest of the way, fixing her hair so it would pull away from tear stained cheeks and give her some air. He sighs, leaving for his room to get some sleep himself, sleep overtaking him as soon as his head hits the pillow.

~

"You're an idiot." Donghun states with bluntness with a deadpan expression.

"I know!" Chan cries, his head falling into his hands.

"I told you you needed to tell her."

"I know, Donghun. I messed up."

"And how are you going to fix it?"

Chan looked up to his friend, his mouth hung open in shock as Donghun's face stays stoic, waiting for an answer.

"This isn't something you fix. I took the most beautiful thing I had and crushed it."

"A year ago, the most beautiful thing in your life was Cupid. You would spend your days and nights pouring your energy into this project and you receive no benefit for it, except a pile of riches that does you no good."

Chan looks up to Donghun, his eyes filled with tears as he hears his friend's words.

"You spent your days and nights pouring your love for her out and receiving the same, if not more, love from her and here you sit feeling sorry for yourself instead of fixing the one good thing you had."

Chan felt guilt rush through him as the images of her crying in the restaurant reenter his mind, his heart aching at the memory of hearing her cry over Byeongkwan's phone.

"I don't know how to fix it."

"Then you need to spend the time and energy to think of way to fix it. It's what you did before and this means a lot more."

Chan knew Donghun was referencing Cupid. When Chan looked at his failed relationships, his way of coping with it was Cupid. She brought him out of the rut he had put himself in with spending all his days on Cupid. He knew Donghun was right, he had to fix it. Chan came to, opening his mouth to thank Donghun before realizing he was already gone, leaving Chan to think for himself. It didn't take a genius to know what had to happen, however, it would be one of the hardest things Chan would have to do.

~

A week passed and she was still on Byeongkwan's couch, feeling the pain just as strong as she felt it at the restaurant. She thought she knew true heartbreak, but nothing prepared her for the pain she felt now. She avoided all of Chan's calls, even asking Byeongkwan to avoid them also, not wanting any connections left leading her to Chan. She was looking through her phone, the pictures of her and him haunting her as she tired to will herself to delete them, however her heart couldn't bring her to do it, thus resulting in more tears. She sniffles as she hears her name from Byeongkwan's room before hearing a commotion as he reveals himself in the doorway.

"You need to turn on the tv." He says, grabbing the remote to flip on the tv, a news story playing. She feels sadness as she reads the headline, 'Cupid's CEO calls for press conference.'

"Byeongkwan, I don't want to see anything about Cupid or anything associated with Chan." She chokes out, bringing the blanket over her head to block out the screen.

"I would never make you watch something that would hurt you more."

She waits a few moments before dropping the blanket, her tears already streaming as Chan comes to the podium. Cameras flash as they take his pictures while reporters begin asking questions, all of them asking if he was the CEO.

"My name is Kang Yuchan and I am the creator of Cupid." Chan states waiting as the reporters murmur and more cameras flash. "I created Cupid three years ago when I experienced heartbreak after heartbreak. I felt there should have been a way to predict how compatible you were with someone, a way to confirm you were dating the right person. This algorithm has worked for so many people and has helped thousands of couples find their other half. I was so thrilled to see so many people finding love all thanks to Cupid's algorithm. I thought that numbers and percentages were the only way for someone to find true love."

Chan looks down at the podium he stood upon, composing himself before looking back up to address the camera and reporters again.

"A year ago I met someone. Someone who made me unafraid to love that made me forget my philosophy based on numbers. I fell in love by meeting her and then going on dates with her and meeting her family, friends and hearing her embarrassing stories."

She let out a crying laugh, remembering all the stories they both heard about each other.

"I forgot all about percentages, until the night before our anniversary. I got caught up in numbers and compatibility, I got consumed with the facts and figures and I got so scared of giving my heart to her completely even when I knew all she would do was keep it safe."

She looks to Byeongkwan, sobs racking her body as she begs him to turn it off as she feels her heart break more. Byeongkwan looked sorrowful at her and asked her to keep watching for a few more moments.

"I messed up and ended up breaking her heart. All because I had to run our stupid numbers to see if they were compatible. Love isn't determined by numbers or figures, it's found by realizing the best friend you grew up with has always been there for you or the barista at your local coffee shop makes you nervous because she's so cute or... it's found escorting a beautiful woman to a boring corporate party."

The silence that befalls the room was deafening, everyone waiting with bated breath for his next words.

"That is why, I am closing down Cupid."

The reporters scramble to their feet, asking questions as Chan leaves the podium, smiling to the cameras as he makes his exit off the stage.

~

A knock sounds through Byeongkwan’s apartment, the people inside knowing who was on the other side of the door. Byeongkwan stands to answer the door, giving her an encouraging look as he goes to let Chan in.

Before Chan steps fully inside, Byeongkwan grabs his arm, giving him a side glance as he warns him in a low voice.

“If you break her heart more, I’ll break you.”

Chan nods in understanding as he gulps in nervousness, having seen Byeongkwan’s arms he doesn’t want to face them.

Chan enters the living room as Byeongkwan walks to his room, giving the two space. Chan’s heart speeds up when he sees her, having not seen her for a week made his heart long for her. He still thought she was stunning, even with her tear stained cheeks and puffy eyes. Her hair was a little messy and her clothes were oversized, a passing thought of them being Byeongkwan’s made him upset, however he shook the thought, knowing he wasn’t in the position to feel that way right now.

“Hey.” He greets in a quiet voice, standing in an awkward stance in the middle of the living room.

When he entered she was staring at the tv with a blank expression and even at his words she didn't move to look at him. Chan felt helpless as he looked at her, desperation filling him as he wanted her to pay attention to him, even if it wasn't the same as before.

"I..." Chan fumbles around his words, unsure what he came to say, only knowing he wanted to see her. "I shut down Cupid."

"Did you think that would earn you forgiveness?" Her words were monotone, but it chilled Chan to the core, his voice catching in his throat.

"I didn't" He whispers under his breath, his head hanging low. "It's only the start."

She jerks her head to him, seeing his eyes trained on the floor as he nibbles his bottom lip.

"But for me to prove myself to you beyond this I have to have your second chance."

His eyes met hers, filled with hope and longing that made her chest tighten. She had missed him and she wanted to forgive him. She got off the couch, running to him to wrap her arms around his neck, her head resting on his shoulder as she felt tears soak his shirt. He held her tight, his nose on her neck, getting traces of her perfume that he loved so much.

"I'm so sorry I hurt you." He whispers. "I never want to see you hurt again."

His arms tightened around her at those words, his smile wide at her being in his arms again.

Previous Part ~

A.C.E MASTERLIST

#acewriters #recoromanwrites #a.c.e #a.c.e chan #a.c.e chan x reader #a.c.e x reader #a.c.e imagine #a.c.e fanficiton #ace #ace chan #ace chan x reader #ace imagine #ace fanfiction #whattodowithkpopwritings

[crownjimin]

094 | soora date, part one.

la vie en rose ━ in which lee aera, a girl who has been crushing on choi soobin for a long, long time, is starting her junior year and her friends decide that its time for her to make her move.

A/N: after a long awaited month, and some terrible writers block, you are presented with the chapter that all of these posts have built up to. part two will be posted on friday, enjoy!

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From the moment Sooyung woke up on Saturday morning, everything burst into chaos.

Her phone housed multiple panicked texts from Jiah and Haeun, both of them freaking out about Aera’s reaction and if any of this was a good idea. (Sooyung herself wasn’t sure, so she left those unanswered). Hyunjin had also texted Sooyung, but his messages had less capital letters and a significantly less amount of exclamation points and distressed spongebob memes in comparison to Jiah and Haeun, so Sooyung answered his texts instead.

Once she answered his messages, she began getting ready for the day, since it was a big one after all. She had woken up at a quarter to noon, so she only had about thirty minutes to get ready before she had to meet Soobin at the park to make sure everything was set by the time one o’clock came around. Luckily for her--well not really luckily since Sooyung knew that she was most likely going to sleep in late anyway--she had packed away the food her mom prepared the night before and had already picked out her outfit, so all that was left for her to do now was get dressed and to brush her teeth and style her hair.

As she was brushing her hair, her phone rang with Ae Ae would like to FaceTime… popping up on the screen, and she quickly answered the call.

“‘Ello?” Sooyung muttered once she answered the call, focused on her hair. “Ae Ae, what’s up?”

“So, um,” Rumbling sounded through the phone, with the camera going black for a second before Aera’s floor was visible. “You told me I needed to dress suitable for this picnic--which I don’t know why because we are just sitting on the ground and eating food--but what exactly does suitable mean?”

Sooyung laughed to herself briefly, because of course Aera would describe a picnic as eating food on the ground, before she answered, “Suitable means wear a dress, Aera. Put on a dress.”

“But it’s cold out!” Sooyung could hear the pout in Aera’s voice, a pristine visual of her best friend’s pouty lips showing in her mind. “My legs will literally freeze off.”

“It’s not that cold, you’re being dramatic. If you are that worried, put on a sweater.”

Aera’s face then popped up on the camera, a worried glint in her eye. “I don’t have any sweaters.”

“Now you’re just lying,” Sooyung said, picking up her phone as she left the bathroom and walked down the stairs. She entered the kitchen, where her mother was sorting through the containers of food, making sure everything she prepared was safely tucked away. “Find a sweater, wear a cute dress, and please show up on time.”

“Okay, okaaaay,” Aera cheered as she yanked a piece of clothing into the view of the camera next to her face. “This dress okay?”

Upon further inspection (Sooyung squinting and bringing the phone super close to her face), Sooyung realized Aera was holding up a white, jean overall dress, which as Aera pointed out earlier, she would freeze her legs (and arms!!) off in.

“Ae, Ae you at least need sleeves.”

“I’m going to wear a long sleeve shirt underneath!” Aera shouted. “I just need to find one first.”

Sooyung noticed her mom leaning against the counter, with her arms crossed and look on her face that told Sooyung that her mom wanted to speak with her. So, at that, Sooyung knew it was time to wrap up the call.

“Okay, Ae Ae, that’s decent enough. Remember to be at the park at one-thirty sharp, okay?”

“One-thirty, on the dot. Got it, Yungie.”

And with that, the call disconnected. Quickly, Sooyung shoved her phone into the back pocket of her jeans and looked to her mom to see what she had to say.

“So, run by me again why you’re having a picnic at the beginning of November, when the temperatures are almost unsuitable to be picnicking in,” her mom began rambling as Sooyung fixed herself a small breakfast.

“Well, mom,” Sooyung took a bite of an apple. “There’s this guy, Soobin, who likes Aera. And he wants to confess to her-”

“Is Soobin the kid that Aera mentioned last year,” Her mother asked. “The super tall one with dimples?”

Sooyung nodded.

“Okay, continue.”

“Well, he enlisted the help of me, Jiah, and Haeun-” A brief ‘Oh boy’, came from her mother, but Sooyung simply ignored it. “-to help him confess. So we put together this little picnic for him, so he can do it at the park.”

Her mother nodded at that, a charmed and affectionate glint in her eye. “That’s sweet, Yung-ah. And does Aera like him back?”

“Yes, she really does, which is why I want everything to go as smooth as possible, so we have to leave soon,” Sooyung finished off her apple and threw the core into the trash can. “I told Soobin we’d get to the park before one to set everything up.”

“Alright,” Her mother headed over to the bowl placed by the front door and grabbed her keys. “What am I doing with the food, is there a basket?”

“Yes,” Sooyung pointed at her mother as she answered, “But Jiah has it, so we can’t put the food in it until we get to the park.”

Sooyung’s mother moved back to the kitchen, taking the containers of food into her hands. “I’m going to begin loading these into the car. We can leave now, and I’ll help with the final touches, okay?”

Sooyung nodded, polishing off the glass of water she started to drink before she pulled out her phone and texted the soora world domination group chat.

@ yunggoddess: leaving the house now, the first step of the last phase is about to start.

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For Soobin, the entire Saturday morning, he was freaking out. He had never put so much thought and effort into something like he did for this date with Aera. Even though Sooyung was the one to initially come up with the idea to have a picnic, Soobin thought of virtually everything else.

He had made sure that all of the food that Sooyung’s mother was preparing were things that Aera liked, he made sure that the flowers Haeun was going to pick up would be something that conveyed his feelings for Aera perfectly. (They ultimately decided on a combination of white carnations and red chrysanthemums, something that came about after extensive research was done on flowers and their meanings.)

But while settling the food and flowers was a hassle, choosing the perfect outfit for the special day seemed even harder than Soobin was anticipating. Hyunjin was on outfit duty, something unanimously decided based on the way he dresses himself on occasions that aren’t as important as first dates and crush confessions.

“Soob, you can’t wear jeans,” Hyunjin said, tearing through his friends closet for a decent pair of slacks. “That’s heinous. I won’t allow it.”

Soobin groaned, his head in his hands. “I’m so freaking nervous, Jin. What if everything doesn’t go as planned?”

“It will,” the sound of a hanger being pulled from the closet was heard before a pair of khaki slacks were thrown in Soobin’s face. “Don’t worry about it, seriously. Now put those on while I find a shirt.”

Wordlessly, Soobin stood to take off the sweats he was already wearing, his heart beating at an alarming rate, to the point where it hurt to even swallow. Everything seemed unreal, like it was a dream and Soobin wasn’t actually in charge of his own actions.

As he pulled the first leg of the slacks onto his body, he stopped for a second to glimpse at the article of clothing. When did he buy a pair of khaki slacks? 

“Jin, you got these from my closet?” Soobin called out as he zipped up and buttoned the pants.

“Uh, yeah,” his friend responded. “Where else would I get them from? Put these on.” A white shirt and purple sweater are thrown, once again, in Soobin’s face.

“A purple sweater with purple hair,” Soobin mindlessly muttered. “Won’t that clash?”

Hyunjin paused at that, looking hard at his friend before he motioned for Soobin to put the sweater on. Soobin complied, feeling a bit awkward as his friend’s heavy and scrutinizing gaze set on him. 

“I think,” Hyunjin took a brief pause. “I think it’s fine. Soob,” Hyunjin’s hands come up to ruffle Soobin’s hair as a fond expression came across his face. “You’re really about to get a girlfriend, dude.”

“I know,” Soobin huffed a deep breath. “At least I hope so.”

Hyunjin patted Soobin’s head twice and then sent two thumbs up his way. “You ready to go?”

“Yeah,” Soobin nodded. “Yeah.”

The two of them descended the stairs of Soobin’s house, meeting up with Soobin’s mother, Ruha, who sat on the couch in the living room.

“We all ready to go boys?” She asked, rising to her feet. She was accompanying them to the park since it was quite far from their house and neither Soobin or Hyunjin could drive themselves. 

The boys nodded coupled with sounds of approval and the three of them left the house. Once in the car, Ruha turned over the engine and they were off. 

“So, Soob,” his mother called out. “You nervous?”

When Soobin had asked his mom to take Hyunjin and him to the park on Saturday, she readily agreed since it wasn’t out of the ordinary for her son and his friends to spend their free time at the park. And she planned to leave it at that, but on Wednesday afternoon, when Soobin came home from school, he asked his mother when she went on her first date, what gift she would have liked to receive.

Now Ruha, as a normal human being who was once a teenager herself, knew that one day Soobin was going to start dating. But for some reason, when he asked her this question, she felt scared. Scared for Soobin and the future of his heart, but also scared that her son was really growing up and felt ready to go on his first date.

Once she got past the initial shock, she asked her son about why he was asking these things and specifically, for who he was asking for. And that’s when everything came spilling out, about how Soobin liked someone, he was planning to confess to her, and that he had no idea what he and his friends were doing.

She had suspicions that Aera was that someone, because she hadn’t known about Soobin spending time with anyone outside of his usual group of friends, besides her. So with some prying and not so sly alluding, Ruha got Soobin to admit that, yes, it was Aera, and that Saturday at the park was when he was going to confess.

Ruha was on board one hundred percent, telling Soobin then and there that she wanted to be present when he decided to make this big step. She wasn’t going to stay the entire date, but she wanted to help set up and see Aera before everything went down, so on the drive to the park she was excited and ready for her son to express his feelings for the first time ever.

“I’m a bit nervous,” Soobin honestly answered, rubbing his sweaty palms onto his khaki pants. “Like, everything should be perfect, it should be, but the part where I have to voice my feelings is what is getting to me.”

Ruha made a sympathetic sound, to let Soobin know that she was listening and that she understood his hesitancy, “Just remember to take a deep breath before you start pouring your heart out. Take your time, collect your th-”

“Just tell her you love her,” Hyunjin interrupted from the backseat. “Tell her you haven’t stopped thinking about her since you met her.”

“Or,” Ruha nodded in agreement with Hyunjin. “You can do that.”

Soobin raised an eyebrow in confusion and slightly in embarrassment that Hyunjin so carelessly threw around the ‘L’ word when he mentioned Soobin’s feelings for Aera. Soobin never thought about if he loved Aera or not, but he did know that he liked her. And that was enough.

“I’ll do something, which most likely will not be using the ‘L’ word, but thanks.”

From there, the car ride passed in a blur. Hyunjin texted the group chat when they arrived and at which side of the park there were at, and a few minutes later Sooyung and her mom showed up carrying the multiple containers of food. Hyunjin, Soobin, and Ruha rushed to help them with the containers, and Soobin and Sooyung’s moms introduced themselves to one another.

“Where are Jiah and Haeun?” Hyunjin asked, leading the group on the path into the park.

“Jiah is heading this way now,” Sooyung nodded further down the path where Jiah and her mom where heading towards the three of them. “And Haeun is running a bit late. She said the flower shop was packed.”

“I thought she ordered ahead of time,” Soobin said.

“She did. It’s just the flower shop only has two workers, and when thirty people are asking for multiple types of flowers, it can get backed up,” Sooyung explained. But Soobin didn’t like that answer and Sooyung noticed the deflation in his expression so she rectified it by saying,”But don’t worry! She’ll be here. We still have thirty minutes before Aera is set to show. We’ll be fine.”

Jiah made her way towards them, the basket and blanket she was tasked with bringing in hand and her mother trailed not too far behind. As expected, her mother went to group up with Sooyung’s and Soobin’s mother, while the four of them set off into the park to find a nice spot to set camp for their picnic.

Originally, the Soora World Domination group thought that finding a place for the picnic was going to be easy, thinking that not a lot of people would want to have a picnic when the temperatures were dropping faster with the fall season coming into swing, but they were sorely mistaken. 

Everywhere they turned were people. Some walked their dogs, others playing instruments idly, some painted with their friends, and others (like the SWD group were there to do) were having picnics.

“So,” Jiah trailed off as they stopped walking on the path and surveyed their surroundings. “We didn’t anticipate such a large crowd.”

“How can a park,” Hyunjin huffed. “With like, a hundred acres-”

“I don’t think a hundred is accurate, but continue.” Sooyung pitched in.

And continue, Hyunjin did. “-Be completely occupied? Like all of it?” 

“Well,” Soobin was prepared to respond, but Jiah cut him off.

“Wait, Soobin,” Jiah shot out her arm to catch the other three’s attention. “Aera said something about you showing her a waterfall when you guys came here before. Where is it?”

“Uh,” Soobin spun in a circle, surveying the park. “Back towards the South side of the park, it’s super hidden so it should be vacant.”

Hyunjin and Sooyung perked up at that.

“Well lead the way, Choi,” Sooyung shouted. “We only have twenty minutes left!”

The four of them (plus their lingering mothers) followed Soobin through the park, most of their hands loaded with materials to help bring together the picnic. Once they made it to the secluded area, past the bushes and in front of the waterfall, everyone took a brief moment to take in the scenery.

“Wah, Soob-ah,” Ruha called out, spinning in a circle as she examined it all. “This is perfect, it’s all so pretty.”

While Sooyung and Hyunjin simultaneously gasped, “There is a fucking waterfall.”

Jiah took her time placing the blanket on the ground, and separating it so that all of the folding creases weren’t visible. She used a few stray rocks that were lying around to hold down the blanket, since the wind seemed to be strong at the moment.

Once Sooyung and Hyunjin realized Jiah was setting things up, they stopped staring at the waterfall and helped place the basket and food down in a neat way. Time ticked on as the three of them argued which corner of the blanket the basket should sit on, Sooyung adamant that the placement of the basket was detrimental to the layout of everything. Hyunjin argued that placing it in the middle was good enough, while Jiah immediately disapproved of his recommendation and set the basket on the very edge of the blanket, as to not cover anything.

“Just shove it in the right corner,” Sooyung awkwardly crawled onto the blanket and put the basket in the corner. “See, it looks fine.”

“It doesn’t,” Hyunjin snapped, grabbing the basket and placing it in the middle of the blanket. “Then this way we can put the food out around the basket. Like a radial type of set up.”

Both Sooyung and Hyunjin looked to Jiah for the final verdict, and she ultimately agreed with Hyunjin, thinking the center placement was the best option.

Meanwhile, Soobin had been swept up by the group of mother’s, speaking to Sooyung’s and Jiah’s mothers about how he was planning to confess. They coached him on what to say and what to avoid saying, coaching him through his rehearsed version of his feelings that he had constructed in his head.

“Don’t ramble,” Sooyung’s mother, Serim, called out. “Try to make it concise, straight to the point.”

Jiah’s mom, Kiha, sighed softly, crossing her arms across her chest. “I remember when I got my first boyfriend, it was so nerve wracking. So yes, Soobin-ah, keep it short and simple. Just speak from the heart.”

“But my heart has so much it wants to say.”

“Paraphrase kid,” Serim said, slapping him on the back.

“IM HERE! IM HERE, NO ONE CONFESSED YET RIGHT?!?!?!?!” Haeun shouted as she ran up to the group, the bouquet of flowers in her hand.

“No, not yet,” Jiah deadpanned, taking the flowers from her hands and handing them to Soobin.

“Good, good,” Haeun hunched over, placing her hands on her knees as she attempted to catch her breath. “Oh, and I think I saw Aera and Dongmin on my way here.”

And all hell broke loose at that.

Sooyung rushed to pull out her phone, a text from Aera asking her where they were meeting for the picnic showing up on her phone. Hyunjin jumped up from his laying position on the picnic blanket and he rushed over to Soobin, making sure his clothes looked nice. Jiah ran over to Sooyung, waiting for her next instructions on how to coerce Aera into the cut where the waterfall was without her becoming suspicious.

And Haeun, well she was still trying to catch her breath.

“Okay, Jiah, Haeun, come with me,” Sooyung rushed out. “Soobin, stay here. Hyunjin, you and the moms have like five minutes to hide before Aera comes over here.”

Soobin switched the flowers back and forth in his hands nervously, walking over to the picnic blanket to stand where Aera will be able to see him as soon as she cleared the bushes.

“Haeun, let’s go,” Sooyung yanked the out of breath girl behind her and the three girls left the waterfall clearing and began to head to the entrance of the park where Aera said she was.

“Now, here is how this is going down,” The three of them quickly rush down the path to meet Aera as Sooyung talked. “Haeun you'll stand somewhere down here and as I go get Aera I’ll send her farther down the path where Jiah will be. Then JiJi you will send Aera to Haeun, then Haeun will lead her to the clearing. Okay?”

“Okay.” Haeun and Jiah nodded simultaneously.

#choi beomgyu #choi soobin #choi yeonjun #hueningkai #kang taehyun #kpop #choi soobin x female oc #social media au #txt #txt social media au #it is finally here #holy hell it’s been a month #anyway enjoy