#i got some tea for now I'll read something to keep my brain busy

[whysojiminimnida]

I Got Tea Spilled On Me (TL;DR) ft. Kev, X, AND ME ON SOME BULLSHIT and People Who Know Things

DISCLAIMER: this entire post was drafted on at least two different dates and IT IS A WHOLE MESS OF OPIATES and so dates, times, even events are probably mixed up like an overshaken martini. I apologize. LET'S READ MY HORRIBLE BRAIN NOW: I got tea spilled on me and I was not gonna mention it. See, confidentiality is a thing, as is privacy, and I have been in the midst of cancer-y type major surgery and on SUPER DRUGS so I felt it unwise. Believe me when I say I was unwise to the tune of many purchased items, so I hadda keep my trap shut. (I may still be on drugs at the time of this writing I didn't expect so many drugs. Be patient with me plskthx) KEVIN CAME TO SEE ME Y'ALL! Bitch flew over here and took a couple days to come give me ALL THE HUGS and ALL THE KISSES and can I just say that he is quite frankly super-ass annoying when he's being Gay Oppa. We think Jungkook has a hyung kink? NO THIS GUY OMG SO MUCH TESTOSTERONE STOPPP ANYWAY

We have decided "Jiminesque" is my new favorite adjective. BUT YOU DON'T CARE YOU ARE HERE FOR TEA AND I'MMA GIVE YOU SOME I WROTE THE FOLLOWING A FEW WEEKS AGO LET ME LIVE:

So okay. We know there was a recent Hobi JITB party but what you did not know was X was there and Knows Things and so I was like "give me all the gossip" and he was drunkish and feeling kindly so. Here's what I HEARD but this is a no sources no receipts household WRITE THAT DOWN AND REMEMBER IT

Also I am currently high as shit on legal drugs because doctors be doctoring and then I'll be high for like a week in a few days because ya girl is coming home from the hospital with a morphine pump PRAY FOR ME ANYWAY it went like this:

Jungkook was fairly drunk. I mean this goes without saying, everyone was drunk, some of y'all have seen the guy who was literally pouring what might have been decent bourbon down his own throat straight from the bar, you do the math. But Koo was having a Good Time. Jimin drank more but got less hammered. I feel like it usually goes down like that, Jimin seems to have a shark's liver or something. He got the good booze gene and JeiKei got the gene for holy water sweat.

Please remember that in Korea, this is not unusual or even undesirable behavior. It's just how they do things, there. Unclench, if need be. Drop the pearls, Mildred, it's fine.

Everyone had fun except Yoongi who wasn't there obviously.

The Jeon-Parks did arrive together, although they entered the party slightly seperately. It's hard to explain but I guess everyone got styled at work at the same time but didn't all go into the room at the same time? Anyway, once they were in the same room it was all bets off and they stayed in each other's orbit, Satellite Jeon in full effect. X called it "business manners but also not entirely business", whatever the hell that means.

As nearly as I can tell, that means that they tried to stay in their own space and, um, failed. I feel like this is probably true based on the pics I saw. But what about that bit in the corner though, I asked, and I was told

That it was definitely a bit of an intimate moment but it was totally not the only one. It just happened to be caught on camera and SO DID SOME OTHER MOMENTS WE HAVEN'T SEEN YET. Because let's be honest, cameras everywhere. But this one: Jungkook walked up as Jimin was talking and working on about his severalth glass of champagne and Koo just not even bothered slid his hand right where it goes, I guess, onto Jimin's waist and leaned in to talk to his man like it wasn't a thing. And nobody in the room blinked BECAUSE THIS IS NORMAL.

So I go, SO "you're telling me that the Jeon Parks are not exactly hiding things anymore" and X GOES LIKE THIS

"THEY DON'T NEED TO HIDE AROUND THEIR FRIENDS, SILLY" and "literally most of the guest list already knows this, it's not like a super secret in the industry, DUH"

Well FINE just tell me what we already knew then Xie DAMN So I go 'but Eunwoo" and X just shut my ass DOWN.

"This is normal skinship, GOD YOU PEOPLE" the bitch you peopled me and that is mean. Kevin told me to "stop being so white jagi-ah" LIKE HOW but FINE it's all good, we talk like this to each other.

THEY HAD ARSON CANDLES KIDS. ARSON. CANDLES. So I asked about the Taekook vibe and, like, there were a few friendly moments at the party:

But beyond what one could possibly rudely refer to as *choke* fanservice for the cameras, there was very little maknae line interaction on the evening in question. Now the way X put it (he didn't say fanservice that was all me) it sounded kinda sus and I said as much. And it's... Apparently, kids, Taehyung has a (GASP) girlfriend?? FOR REAL. And she's famous (but not at the party tho) and she has been the subject of rumors as recently as May. And it is, also a total rumor, fairly serious. So between that and the reported data that Tae has been a little bit of a little shit where the Jeon-Park household is concerned, there was a touch of freeze happening at this party. Which was noticeable because usually Jimin and Tae are pretty tight regardless, but not on this night. I have no receipts for this -- it could be bullshit -- but the way X was talking I think it's worth watching anyway. MAYBE I SHOULDN'T HAVE SAID THAT IDK IDK I'M NOT POSTING THIS ANYWAY I AM NOT A TAE ANTI I LOVE HIM I WANT HIS SURPRISINGLY HETERO ASS TO BE HAPPY LET HIM LIVE HAPPILY AND GET OFF MY DICK OKAY (Psst look at the girlfriend):

I'm not the first person to mention it, either. They've apparently been a thing since before the LA concerts is all I'm saying.

ANYWAY WHERE WAS I So Jimin and Jungkook were hanging out with their friends, and holding hands in corners and kinda being boyfies but they got noticed a bit and told to CHILL BRO so they chill bro'd. X says they had a pretty good time even with the orbiting and it was a really good party. Jimin was VERY popular. Lots of selfies with the hoi polloi.

SO I GO "But but but what about Hobi? IT WAS HIS DAMN PARTY. AND WHO THE HELL IS IRENE KIM ANYWAY"

"Oh Irene's great, they're besties, they hang out" SO I GO "You sure that's all it is because your girl looks happy" and he goes "They're honestly just buds. She's like his you if Hobi was a bisexual Kev" and, well, okay. That makes perfect sense to me. WAIT. BACK UP. SAY AGAIN. HOBI'S OPENLY BISEXUAL? "Hobi's always been bisexual, jeezus. Calm down, this is not exactly new information," says Man With Apparently Normal Information I Do Not Have Access To On A Usual Day. Like we all been knew I guess but I don't know how to function with an actual man on the inside. SHUT UP I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT. THAT'S IT I AM DONE I CAN'T BE HERE ANYMORE. I'll see y'all when I'm actually allowed to speak on things.

#too many tags #x is his own thing now #he knows too much i can't even talk around him anymore #it's not safe #you don't know him #i ain't even tagging this

[theladyofbloodshed]

I struggle with a similar situation with my partner where his low mood really impacts me and in constantly trying to keep up both happy which is draining… how do you cope with it? Do you have any advice?

I'll put this under a read more.

For us, I have to be quite blunt sometimes. We have a phrase "miserable blob". Sometimes I'm like baby are we going to be a miserable blob today or do something about that? I call him that because at weekends sometimes he will just sit there and stare at nothing or it takes him 30 mins to motivate himself to like make a drink. He hates being called that so it snaps him out of it a little bit, or he makes a conscious effort to try and snap himself out of it.

Sometimes I have to be tough and say get on with it, do x, y, z that you need to do then you can zone out.

For my partner, a lot of the issues come from the fact he doesn't like our flat (or England, hence the upcoming move) so some days I just need to get him out of the house. We go for a walk, go for a cup of tea, or visit my sister, just so we aren't in the house but then it's like a big, grey cloud is descending when we get close to home again. Some times, I nurture that depression and we will have a day watching films and cuddling up or we will try and talk about things.

When we first met, he started to experience panic attacks and he used to call me. I was quite firm that I cannot be his only support as the guilt I'd feel if I couldn't get to the phone and something happened would drown me. I made him go to the doctors despite him not wanting to. But I think you just have to be firm. In his country, mental health isn't really talked about and he would not let any of his family know. He eventually went on medication and hated it. It was a battle to get him to take his tablets and in the end he took himself off of them, which I wasn't happy with, but he knows his body best. I did make him tell his family too because I reiterated that I can't be the only one responsible for him, and that his family love him and would want to know about this. I think I used the analogy of a broken leg - nobody would expect you to walk on it and people would want to help you.

He did do online group therapy and hated it because every week was a battle to get him to log on, but after 2 suicide attempts I told him that I couldn't stay with him unless he went to therapy. I cannot be responsible for my mental health and his. He needs to take ownership of it. It was a hard conversation but I got through to him!

A lot of his stress came from owning his own business. When he quit that, it was even more stress because he literally went home for 2 weeks and was like okay i'm not doing it anymore, came back to England and had no job/income. He'd also invested all of his money into the business so he had a lot of feelings of failure. Now he works a 9-5 job he doesn't really enjoy but he isn't stressed about ensuring he gets an income every day, he is turning off his work brain at 5 rather than spending all evening on the phone calling customers and re-arranging his whole day to suit them, no weekends etc. Removing that stress has had a big impact because he could be very irritable and snappy with me then regretful of his behaviour.

We've had a lot of ups and downs due to his mental health and it is hard. I grew up with a mum who had depression and also made several suicide attempts, so it wasn't really anything new to me. I'm always calm in these situations and quite rational which I guess helps when my partner is having panic attacks. He'll tell me he can't see and his heart has stopped beating, and I'm like yes you can, it's in your head, you need to breathe in.

Sometimes I'll just say to him can you go for a long bath or a walk when I know he needs that to chill out - or if I need time away. We've been together long enough that I can say I'm going for a walk and if he asks to come too, I can say no I'd like to be alone and listen to music.

TLDR: be firm with your boundaries, be calm and rational, look after yourself too.

#anon asks

[someoneinjersey]

made it through the weekend and even was able to go get some things done before we went and picked Bizzy up from her babysitter. i got my oil changed and i wanted to throw a fit because it cost $68. Ten years ago I could go right down the road and get an oil change for less than $25. what the actual fuck. so goddamn aggravating. told my mom about it and how as usual i'm not even a week into the month and basically all my disability money is gone. all she said was "welcome to adulthood. sad." and i swear i wanted to reach through the phone and shake the shit outta her. last week or the week before, kate and i had a big not-fight and during our talk afterwards we discussed how since my mom is my single biggest trigger and/or the source of seemingly unrelated triggers, i need to go back and make more boundaries or reinforce the ones i tried to put in place a while ago. and i was like hm, okay, i'll have to think about how i can broach the subject of say, being in contact like once a week unless something comes up maybe. then the very next day mom hit me with "you know i think if you didn't come to see me in october i wouldn't have survived" and i just threw my fucking hands in the air and gave up. idk what to fucking do and i don't have a therapist anymore and i'm extra moody about it all right now because i started my period four days late.

in any case regarding money, i was able to not mooch off kate all weekend since we went away so early in the month, and so the only things i "treated" myself to (besides food which is 50/50 on whether or not it's a treat or making life easier or whatever) was a denim boiler suit from walmart, potting soil, four pots, and a grow lamp so i can repot and move the four plants that live on the kitchen windowsill. i've never kept plants alive this long so i don't intend on letting them die yet, so they're getting bigger pots and new soil and i'll likely move them into my bedroom. probably switch night stands and stick them on the one in the far corner with the grow lamp. i wish we had places to put them out in the house but A we get zero sun B the aloe plant and chrysanthemum aren't good for the cats and C i'm the only one that takes care of them anyway so they might as well just stay in my space. and it's also like, is it "treating" myself to something if it's keeping a living thing alive? idk. and the denim boilersuit looks so fucking cute i have no regrets spending $28 on it.

it's still incredibly weird drinking coffee every day but it has been helping my moods, surprisingly. i also make myself have a cup of tea (usually decaffeinated green tea) before bed. i'm still keeping up with my planner, though i'm letting myself slide when it comes to my little goal of reading every day. if i blow through too many stories too fast i burn out, so i'm taking my current book slowly and giving myself some grace to take days off. i've eaten like shit since thursday what with being away from home (and today being busy and too tired to cook) so i've noticed i feel not as good in that respect but i can get back on track maybe by tomorrow. maybe. still being exhausted and also being in my period doesn't really bode well for having the energy to make healthy meals or being able to deny my period mood cravings. i have a very unhealthy relationship with food. my feelings inside turn foul and evil if i can't have exactly what i want to eat when i want it if i have a craving. it might actually be psychotic.

i have some things i've been wanting to write, little fanfic ideas. or maybe not so little. but i can't activate that switch in my brain to actually do it. i have hang ups. a lot of them. bah

oh and i left my apple watch on the other side of the state like a fuckin champ. night yall

[aetheternity]

Hard pass 2 (Levi x Reader)

I'm a little concerned about how little time I took on the ending for the last part so I'm gonna put a little more time into this one. Hope you guys enjoy. :)

Synopsis: Levi is forced out of his comfy dorm room and in a strange twist of events right into your arms at a college party.

Levi was transfixed to say the least. He'd spent the past hour that he'd been back in his dorm room staring into a freshly made cup of black tea. The small jingling of keys in the door shaking him from his daze.

"Hello, Hello Leviathan." Mike greeted, tossing his bag to the side haphazardly.

Any other time Levi would've rolled his eyes but he just let out an agitated huff.

"Uh oh.. I know that look." Mike announced plopping down onto his unmade bed. "Who's the lucky girl?" He asked his smirk bright.

Levi's hair whipped against his cheek as he turned to Mike. "What are you on about? Who told you?" Probably Hange. Damn four eyes could never keep her mouth shut.

"No one had to." Mike laughed "You've just told me basically everything I need to know. Your distracted gaze when I came in the room, having very little reaction to me calling you Leviathan, your tea cup is still full and my side of the room is still messy." He seemed a little too pleased about that last bit.

"I know you went out tonight." He continued

"And what about it?"

"Who is she?!" Mike stood coming closer to sit on the edge of Levi's desk.

Levi rolled his eyes setting his cup down.

"Come on, I'm curious about some mysterious girl that has Levi Ackerman wrapped around her finger."

"Just shut up already." Levi replied turning his gaze to the window with a small pout.

"Fine, fine I'll shut up." Mike stood heading back towards his side of the room. An idea suddenly popped into his mind and he turned on his heel. "But.. I think I'll give Hange a call. You know.. cause I haven't talked to her in a bit-"

"When did you become so annoying?" Levi grumbled

"You're more aggressive tonight I like it. Is it because of her?"

As much as Levi wanted to fight it, Mike was one of those people that always got information about literally anything if he genuinely wanted it. Even if he didn't find out from Hange or Levi he was definitely going to find out from even the weirdest sources.

"Hange's friend.. she's not ugly I guess.." Levi could feel his face growing warm and he pulled his feet up onto his desk chair to hide it.

Mike laughed obnoxiously, "It's like watching a little kid finding out what a crush is." He chuckled "Super cute. So when are you going to ask her out?"

"Never."

Mike crossed the room again, seating himself on his bed. "You can't be serious! This is the first time I've ever seen you interested in girls and you're just gonna let her get away?"

"Stay out of my business, Michelangelo."

Mike just huffed reaching into his pocket to pry his phone out of his pocket. The room quickly grew quiet as Levi turned to his laptop though he was quickly distracted again by Mike's little chuckles. He turned his head in Mike's direction quickly catching the other male's gaze.

"By the way, Hange agrees with me." He said pointing to his phone.

Levi groaned, tugging at his hair. "Eat shit."

~ ~ ~ ~

Levi stared down at his watch with a soft tch.

It was 4pm and Hange was late again. He turned to Erwin who's face was currently pressed into a book. Thumb sliding along the sentences as he read.

"Where the hell is she?" He grumbled, shaking his mouse back and forth as the screen began to dim.

"She said she had to do something after class so she'd be a little late." Erwin replied, without looking up from his book.

"That's her excuse every time." Levi replied with a roll of his eyes.

Erwin just shrugged. Hange was always late. Sometimes she just showed up 30 minutes late with no real explanation and sometimes she showed up an hour late saying she had, had something to do after class. But every time the three of them got together to study she was late.

"Yo! Levi!" Hange greeted as she walked into the library ignoring the chorus of shushing that followed her.

Levi's scowl deepened, "Were you stuck on the toilet waiting for someone to fuck off?" He asked

"I have a great surprise follow me." She clapped in delight.

Erwin looked to Levi and then in the direction Hange had left in. He slowly pushed his chair out looking at Levi's irritated scowl.

"Are you coming."

"Whatever it is, is definitely stupid knowing Hange." Levi retorted, packing his belongings up in an orderly fashion.

The two of them quickly left before Hange could come back to ruin the peace again. They pushed through the library doors and standing against the wall with a somewhat bashful expression was Y/N with Hange who smiled brightly as if she wasn't currently disturbing Levi's peace.

"Oh hello Y/N." Erwin greeted, he looked over at Levi before asking. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh well Hange invited-"

"Ah ha ha! Y/N has homework to do so I figured she could come study with us. Though today me and Erwin have a thing." She quickly grabbed Erwin's arm yanking him over to her.

"But I was-" Erwin tried but was instantly silenced by Hange's hand over his mouth.

"You and Levi can study. Levi's great with everything! Right Levi? Ok me and Erwin will go now, by you two!"

"Hange!" Levi tried, his face already flushed with heat over the whole situation. Hange was surprisingly fast though, managing to drag Erwin away so quick they were a couple of dots within seconds.

Levi and Y/N stood in silence for a couple seconds before Y/N let out a deep exhale. "I feel as though we've been set up." She says, toying with the zippers on her back.

Levi can only manage a grunt in reply. Not daring to look into her eyes. "Well I mean.." she starts turning to Levi. "I actually do.. have to study so.. I wouldn't mind if you don't." She shrugged

"Mm.." Levi pulled open the library door for Y/N and lead her over the seats that him and Erwin had been sitting in only moments before.

He made a mental note as he opened his laptop again to keep the door locked next time Hange said she was coming over. Around 10 minutes went by of complete silence and Levi was incredibly happy for it.

Not because he was focusing, no his attention had been completely taken away from any possible work he could've gotten done here. There was no way he was actually going to be able to do anything when your scent was trapped in his nose and his eyes kept staring over his screen at your fingers.

Knuckles that Levi honestly wanted to kiss and fingernails completely devoid of dirt which Levi was instantly captivated by.

"Hey-"

He sat up straight, his own hands slightly curling around the aged wood of the table. Your book came sliding toward him and he looked down at it before looking back at you.

"I don't really get this? Could you help me a bit?"

Levi nodded before his brain could properly process what you'd asked. He almost thought he imagined the way your lip tucked itself under your teeth. And he felt dazed as your scent washed over him all at once as you slid into the seat next to him.

You pointed to your book and Levi tried to pay attention to your question but your notes threw him a bit. All the words were written in different colors and there were squiggly lines around definitions and texts. Small doodles between paragraphs as a way to properly space them and stars next to the most important words.

You scratched at your scalp and he took notice. "I paid attention when my professor was going over this I swear. But I don't really get it?? It can't be as difficult as I'm making it in my head." Your giggle of nervousness took Levi back a little.

The warm pit in his chest deepened and he sighed, trying to accurately assess the situation.

"Y-you made a small.. mathematical error." He explained, his fingers pointed to the equation as he tried to push away the ball in his throat. "You don't need these numbers."

Her smile hit Levi like a truck as it was instantly directed towards him. "Ah, you're so smart." Y/N said "What about this? I checked with the calculator but my answer was way off."

It was hard for Levi to ignore the way your shoulder rubbed up against his sending sparks all through his body like a tidal wave. It was honestly a little overwhelming.

"Oh sorry, am I too close?" You moved away and Levi gulped. He stared at your fingers, he didn't want you to move away.

He was surprised when he looked up and instantly made eye contact with you. "Stay." It probably didn't come out the way he'd wanted but he'd managed it and on some level he was proud of himself.

You smiled, "Sure."

After a while Levi felt himself loosen up a bit but the knot in his stomach was still very much there and alive. He found himself chuckling at your little jokes and he was mostly able to look you in the eyes. (As long as you didn't smile directly at him).

The first hour had been studying with small quips from your end that Levi found he enjoyed. Though around the third hour it turned into horror stories about present and past roommates.

Your laugh was so bright as you tapped your pen cap against the table. "And then Sasha just cracks the window open though it's definitely too late cause Connie had already created a war zone in our room." You were shaking so much from laughter that Levi was honestly a little worried you'd fall out of your chair.

He shook his head where he was resting it in his palm. "I still think Mike forgetting the do not disturb sign was worse." He shrugged

"Mm well maybe someday I'll have a story that bad. Considering Connie and Sasha have been playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse for two years now."

Levi shook his head. "You don't want to walk in on your roommate having sex. No one does.."

He felt his cheeks flush over again. Whether it was from the story or the way you'd playfully pushed his shoulder though he couldn't tell. He watched as you positioned yourself back in the seat next to him.

"Ok, ok. You told me about your roommates relationships. Now tell me about yours."

"What?"

Y/N playfully rolled her eyes. "You know the in and out of Levi. I'm curious."

Levi's gaze fell to the table. "There's nothing to tell."

Y/N's voice immediately softened. "Sorry, didn't mean to try and pull it out of you."

Levi picked up his head closing his laptop. "I-I just.. never felt that way.." he tried

"Not everyone goes to college and high school and stuff for the parties, drugs and sex." You said, laying your elbows against the desk. "I commend you for having a goal and sticking with it."

Levi's heart stuttered at your words. "Did you come.. or well.. umm? What did you-"

He was interrupted by your hand on his shoulder again. "To answer your question." You leaned in closer your breath tickling Levi's earlobe. "Yes I did come specifically for the drugs."

Levi's eyes practically bulged out of his head. This time when you laughed you were met with shushing and stares. "Sorry." You whispered, popping a hand over your mouth. "I'm completely joking." You then said to Levi who's shoulders relaxed with the information.

Levi's signature deadpanned expression was starting to make an appearance now. "That's not funny."

"Hmm.. well I'm laughing so." Y/N laid her head on the table.

"Your humor is shit." He said

"Funny you say that." She laughed back a smirk was playing at Levi's lips. "Hey." Y/N broke the lingering silence.

"What?"

"Give me your number."

"Tch, nice way to ask."

Y/N pretended to be shocked. "Oh, would you prefer I beg?"

Levi already knew how red his entire face had become. No need to check a mirror. "H-hand me your p-phone."

Unsurprisingly even her phone wa as cute. And Levi honestly wanted to admire the case and how warm it felt after being in your pockets. Oh.. you'd touched it with your warm hands. Levi couldn't help but think about how warm your hands must feel. How the spaces between your fingers looked so perfect. Like they-

"Hey." A voice shook Y/N and Levi.

"Jean, what're you doing here?" Y/N asked as she stood moving closer to him.

"You've been gone all day. I had to ask Sasha where you were."

"No, you didn't because you didn't need to come here." Y/N crossed her arms over her chest, pulling her hands into the sleeves of her hoodie. Her eyebrows scrunched together.

"Who's this?" Jean asked gesturing to Levi with his head. Levi felt his chest flare a little.

"Ugh, it doesn't matter because it has nothing to do with you!" She quickly grabbed her bag stuffing her notebook inside. "I'll talk to you later Levi." She explained her face still completely unamused. And with that she was pushing Jean out the door following him right out.

Levi's fingers dug into his palm. Who was that? It couldn't have been her boyfriend right? No, no that didn't make sense.

He started to pack up himself when he noticed your pretty phone sat next to his ordinary black one.

~ ~ ~ ~

Levi practically slammed into his dorm room scaring Mike who had his music blasting. Levi set his bag down on his chair, placing his phone on the desk.

"Hey man." Mike greeted as Levi quickly unpacked his other stuff. "I heard Hange forced you to go on a study date."

"I'm going to murder her." Levi turned, practically slamming his notebook into the desk. So hard that he could've sworn Mike jumped.

"Yeah what else is new?" He laughed trying to clear the air. "But did you at least get in close?"

Levi rolled his eyes. "She's.. there's this guy.."

Mike grew quiet for a few seconds. "You think she's with him?"

Levi normally wouldn't indulge Mike like this but his chest felt so tight that he was pretty sure he was going to burst. "She didn't seem happy to see him. She was like rolling her eyes when he came."

"Maybe he's just some guy then?"

"What if he isn't?"

"By the way you're describing it they'll break up soon anyway." Mike said "But that's great my plan worked."

Levi narrowed his eyes, "The library thing was you?"

Mike shrugged, "Hey, It could've been worse! Hange wanted to lock you guys in a supply closet for the night."

"Sleep with one eye open." Levi huffed, placing your phone down on his desk.

Mike immediately noticed, sitting up and placing his own phone to the side. "Don't tell me you murdered her and stole her phone for having a boyfriend that wasn't you." He chuckled

"Tch, she accidentally left it."

"How are you gonna return it?"

"I'll ask Hange for her dorm number tomorrow and I'll hand it over then."

"Ooo, well I would tell you not to go looking through her phone while you have it. But you're not like me so.." Mike shrugged, laying down with both hands holding his phone above his head.

Levi looked at Mike and then at your phone sitting on his desk. He silently looked away, putting away the rest of his stuff with a huff.

#shingeki no kyoujin levi #levi ackerman x reader #levi x reader #levi aot #levi x y/n #levi x you #aot x reader #attack on titan headcanons #attack on titan #shingeki no kyoujin x reader #shingeki no kyoujin imagine #attack on titan imagine

[innranrae]

🐚 A Birthday Amidst the Archipelago

A/N: oneshot for my fav russian boys bday, i included the golden apple archipelago bc it was the most fun event/area I've experienced in genshin so far and I'll miss it a lot but at least it's inazuma and electro aether time, anyways hope you enjoy this and if you have suggestions/tips on writing or anything please lmk! I'm new to it all and I'm trying my best ;w; my friend proofread this tho and shes big brain so id say this one is pretty swaggy

￫ pairing(s): Zhongli/Childe, Aether/Venti (kinda platonic tbh), Venti and Dvalin vibing

￫ word count: ~ 3k

￫ cw: alcohol

￫ ao3

🏖️

Zhongli sensed a large being coming from the skies of Duyun Ruins. He did not want to believe it, but his doubts were soon confirmed.

Dvalin descended from the clouds with a heavy thud, sending the living creatures around either running or flying. Mounted on the Dragon of the East were Venti and Aether; The bard wore a pair of sunglasses and a light attire that shocked Zhongli to the core, he had thought the anemo archon could not get any more ludicrous, but it appears he was mistaken.

A slight frown grew on his face watching the scene and the geo archon couldn’t help but raise his palm to his face, sighing. On the flip side, Childe was astonished; his eyes sparkled observing Dvalin, considering what the outcome would be if they were to fight.

—

2 days earlier

“Traveler,

It has been some time since we last saw each other. I do hope your ventures are going smoothly.

I am writing to you to request assistance with an event that will take place two days from now. As you may know, Childe’s birthday is on the 20th of this month and I have been finding it hard to come up with a suitable gift. I wish to surprise him but nothing that fits my criteria comes to mind, in addition to the fact I am still adjusting to mortal life and their festivals.

If you do not mind and, of course, if you are free that day, I hope you can help me with this matter.

Zhongli”

After sending his letter to Aether, Zhongli straightened his shoulders on the stool at one of Heyu Tea House’s tables, raising a cup of steaming tea to his mouth, and waited for his guest to arrive.

“Receiving an invitation from Mr. Zhongli first sure feels nice,” a voice shouted coming from the stairs.

Zhongli glanced at the harbinger who took a seat by his side, “Childe, do you have any plans for your birthday?”

Childe widened his eyes slightly, “Birthday?” He raised his hand thoughtfully to his face. “Oh, my birthday! Hm… Is Mr. Zhongli planning on giving me some type of gift?” The harbinger smiled playfully.

“Please answer my question.”

“Nope! None at all.”

In actuality, Childe should be busy taking care of the Fatui’s business around Liyue; unfortunately for his underlings, he was going to do whatever he wanted either way. Additionally, he had a feeling Mr. Zhongli’s question was not trivial, and speculated the archon probably wanted to make plans.

“I see."

Unexpectedly, instead of proceeding on that topic, Zhongli said nothing more as he took another sip of his tea.

Despite the surprising lack of further development, he forgot about it as soon as Zhongli started to talk about a Ruin Hunter he encountered the prior day in the fields.

He knew by now what topics intrigued Childe's simple warrior mind, and that alone had Childe rambling about fighting tactics and his own experiences to Zhongli, occasionally trying to convince the archon to fight him, which he politely refused.

—

Meanwhile, at the Golden Apple Archipelago...

"I could really use a hand over here, Venti!" Aether's cry for help could barely be heard over the shrieking group of hilichurls advancing one after the other.

"But I-"

After unleashing a wind vortex from his palm, Aether glared at the bard, who was leisurely plucking the strings of his lyre on top of a rock. "Playing a battle song isn't helping!" He cut Venti off, resulting in the end of Venti's untimely concert with lots of whining.

After jumping off the rock, the bard shot an arrow that sent the group of monsters flying altogether.

The pair had a short-lived moment of relief, but soon the eerie sound of a horn was heard, indicating that more enemies were on their way. Aether groaned while Venti giggled nervously, and so, they had to return to their combat stances.

Not long after engaging, the traveler heard a short sound that made him stop his blade.

“Oh, I’ve got mail,” Aether walked a few steps from the fighting, reading the message while leaving the bard to get the monsters’ attention.

Venti's eyes widened at the sudden rush of monsters coming directly at him, though luckily, he sent them flying once again.

“Woah~ Don’t do that so suddenly, traveler, so mean!”

After reading Zhongli’s message, Aether was deep in thought, looking around as if searching for something, until his eyes met the green-colored ones of the anemo archon that reciprocated the eye contact, with a touch of wonder.

Zhongli opened the new mail he received, analyzing the few words Aether had sent.

“Meet us by Duyun Ruins at 9 in the morning, bring Childe with you.”

“Meet us? If I am not mistaken, Paimon has been staying with Xiangling, and didn’t show any signs of wanting to leave any time soon. Perhaps she can easily travel back and forth,” Zhongli thought to himself.

—

Present Day, Duyun Ruins

Jumping from the dragon’s back, Venti beamed, “Morax! Long time no see~!” Arms wide open as he threw himself towards his old friend. But before he got too close, Zhongli shielded himself, and instead of a hug, Venti’s face was compressed against the solid surface of the geo shield.

Venti staggered a step back from the impact, raising his hand to his cheek, now starting to swell, “Ow!” He pouted.

Zhongli tried to keep his cool, throwing a look at the two boys who recently arrived,waiting for an explanation.

Aether catches on the meaningful gaze and reassures, “Don’t worry, I think we avoided being noticed by anyone.”

“Yeah, Dvalin here is… Well, he tries to be discreet when flying around. After all, I was the one who taught him that~" Venti put a hand on the dragon's body while the other gave Zhongli a thumbs up.

"Saying you were the one who taught him does not reassure me one bit…" Zhongli’s veins were protruding from distress by now. "Aside from that, aren't you supposed to be more careful not to expose your identity in front of the common folk?"

The three other men stared at Zhongli in confusion, exchanging looks between themselves, "Common folk?" Venti asked. Childe was the first to realize he was probably talking about him and began laughing at the Zhongli's seemingly forgetfulness.

"Morax, you sure only remember what you want, huh. Even I know from the traveler's stories that this boy here is the eleventh harbinger of the Fatui. If that harbinger lady took my gnosis, I'm sure this kid knows my identity by now," Venti reassured while Aether slowly nodded, feeling second-hand embarrassment.

Zhongli was at a loss for words, raising his fist to his mouth, awkwardly coughing. On the other hand, the harbinger found the situation quite funny and patted Morax's back a few times while giggling.

Zhongli met Aether's eyes, "Nevertheless, what I desire to know is why that bard and his dragon are here?"

"Well, you’ll see when we get there," Aether reassured, getting back on the dragon's back along with Venti.

Childe cheerfully jumped on, extending his hand down to the geo archon who bashfully accepted, pointedly ignoring the meaningful grins the two other boys directed at him. And with little effort, Dvalin took off to the Golden Apple Archipelago.

The Snezhnayan boy's eyes gleamed with excitement from his first-ever experience that high up, sitting between behind Aether and in front of Zhongli.

Though, his laxity almost made the reddish mask on his hair fly away, luckily being rescued by the man behind him.

"Thank you!" The powerful gushes of wind made his words difficult to understand, yet enough for Zhongli to understand them.

If any normal person would travel through the clouds in the back of a dragon for the first time in their life, surely they would practice caution or be a little wary of their surroundings.

However, because Childe was Childe, an expert in adapting fast to just about anything, the journey on the skies was far from frightening.

A few minutes had passed and the boys were already close to their destination, and with his usual carefree expression, Venti looked back at the men behind him, yelling as Dvalin descended, "Hold on tight!"

With another loud thud, Dvalin settled at the northwestern part of Twinning Isle. Aether grew anxious in anticipation, waiting for Childe to see the preparations that he and Venti had come up with in such a short timeframe.

They had the inspiration from Alice's surprise for Klee, though not as crafty as she was. With the help of Tubby back in the Serenitea Pot, he managed to decorate the place nicely with newly crafted objects.

Umbrellas and chairs painted a light shade of sky blue sat next to fishing rods, Sea Ganodermas and conches decorated the sand in a path leading to a gazebo, which had seashells and starfishes hang from the wooden ceiling, surrounded by curtains.

And inside of it, one chest stored miscellaneous things, while the one next to it contained something that Venti declared extremely necessary: summer clothing he managed to acquire. In addition to the clothes he prepared, the anemo archon was also tasked with providing the food and drinks.

Visibly so as there were at least three bottles of either dandelion or osmanthus wine for every single dish on the table. Which, of course, was all paid for with the traveler's Mora.

All in all, the table was charmingly organized. A cake with a whale drawn on top of it sat in the middle of it all, while balloons were tied to the wooden table.

Upon reaching the sand, Childe was fascinated. The ocean breeze brushing against his face, the warm sunlight of the Archipelago and the salty waves gently crashing onto the tide united all the scenery together.

He’d never seen such a tropical place in his life, so unfamiliar in comparison to his frozen homeland's weather and features.

Lost in admiration for the scenery, he had already forgotten that it was his birthday, only remembering when Zhongli called out his name, directing him to look ahead where the decorated area was put, in preparation for the celebration to commence.

Venti leaned back against Dvalin's tail, already playing a melody, as the other three walked along the decorated path.

Aether fastened his steps, going ahead and getting a small box. Then, turning back to the birthday boy, he extended the gift.

"Happy birthday, Childe."

The harbinger let out a small "thank you" before opening it.

His blue eyes twinkled as he grabbed the content inside the box for closer examination. It was a bright piece of wood with a smaller version of him, Teucer and Aether drawn on it, as well as a ruin guard, or “Mr. Cyclops” as his little brother would say, stood behind them.

Without thinking, Childe embraced Aether tightly with a wide smile across his face, and at the display of the ginger’s excitement, the traveler couldn't help but feel accomplished.

After the gift was exchanged, Venti pointed out the clothes he had prepared, which made Zhongli flinch at the thought of wearing sunglasses as eccentric as his. Luckily, they were just lighter clothes, not accessories.

Childe, already excited from the exotic scenery, went on ahead to change his clothes behind a tall rock.

Zhongli and Aether walked towards the same location, at a much slower pace than the Snezhnayan boy, who was already out of sight.

“Thank you for your efforts, traveler. You managed to surprise me as well,” Zhongli finally got the chance to say.

“It was no problem at all. I’m having fun and the ‘tone-deaf bard’ was a great help, too.”

Childe emerged from behind the rock suddenly, wearing shorts and a shirt that was presumably supposed to be buttoned up. As a matter of fact, all the attires were of a similar design, the few differences being their color schemes, a few patterns, and the boy’s usual accessories.

Before any reaction, they heard monstrous noises getting closer to the shelter. A group of hilichurls nearby seemed to have been alarmed by the dragon’s arrival.

Something inside Childe’s mind clicked and he immediately turned the way of the shrieks, getting ready to fight, “Leave them to me!”

“Oh I was counting on that,” Aether affirmed as Venti nodded. Knowing very well of the harbinger’s passion for fighting, they speculated about the attack and gladly attached it to the list of events for that day.

Aether’s words were thrown at no one though, since Childe had left as soon as those four words left his lips earlier, leaving no time to receive any reaction from the others.

Bad luck for those poor hilichurls, honestly.

Childe's hydro blades moved swiftly, leaving droplets in the sand as they slashed one after the other, ending each almost instantly, leaving little space for a counterattack. He only stopped moving when there were no more of the monsters around, either because they were actually all dead or ran away from fear.

Coming back to the shelter’s path, Childe saw that they were now fishing, which made him joyfully run to join them, and noticing that he was back, Zhongli offered Childe a fishing rod and a seat next to himself.

“Oh man, this takes me back to the old days with my dad,” The ginger said while settling down on the beach chair, “Though the temperatures are the complete opposite, haha. I wonder if my family would survive the extreme change in the weather, though.”

Zhongli and Aether listened attentively while holding their rods, all the while, the anemo archon, visibly tipsy, communicated with Dvalin nearby.

“How come you managed to adapt this easily to the sudden climate change, Childe?” Zhongli asked.

“A warrior must always adapt to any situation. If I let the heat get the best of me, I'm weakened, consequently leaving myself open to enemy attacks."

"Damn, he never changes. If it isn't about his family, the answer is always related to being a fighter… Well, it is almost comforting in a way." Aether thought, mentallyrolling his eyes while taking a sip of the drink Venti had given him.

"I see," Zhongli seriously responded, "It is indeed true. Keeping one's body and mind stable is a must when facing laborious challenges."

Childe was filled with joy upon hearing the acknowledgement. It was always pleasant to hear someone who understood his point of view.

The traveler shifted his attention upon feeling a small force pulling down the

rod.

A fish had finally taken the bait, and the eyes of the two men also moved towards him when they heard the small "oh" Aether let out.

They all rejoiced at the successful catch and its size, and the traveler went straight ahead to prepare a meal for them.

—

As the day went by, they had almost checked everything on the task list; They fished for a while, Aether showed the mechanisms and puzzles that Klee's mom prepared, even landing his Harpastum so Childe could try them, he also taught them how to ride and summon the Waverider, they exchanged various anecdotes, as well as how the traveler came across the Archipelago in the first place, describing the whole Dodo King saga, and finally, filled themselves with food and drinks.

The sun rapidly fell under the horizon, merging the last colored rays of marigold into the indigo night sky. Venti had managed to convince the traveler to drink with him throughout the day and, needless to say, they were quite drunk by now, though both of them had a high tolerance and were somehow still acting civilized.

While Dvalin slept, the four men sat on the sand, listening to Venti sing around the crackling campfire.

When the bard began to sing a piece about Snezhnaya, Childe seemed to have recalled something.

He shuffled through his belongings, grabbing a bottle with a clear liquid, “This was a gift I received earlier, it’s a Snezhnayan specialty alcohol, Fire-Water!”

Aether gulped nervously at the familiar name. He had heard the stories around Mondstadt, how Master Diluc spent three days in bed after drinking a single glass of it, leading to the unsuccessful partnership with the Snezhnayan merchants.

Childe poured the liquid into separate cups and went around distributing them to the boys. Sitting back in his original spot, he continued, “As per tradition, we have to down the cup in one go!”

Venti was all in for the proposal, and despite their concern at first, Zhongli and Aether respected the birthday boy’s wish.

After raising their cups in a toast, they all drank the beverage at once.

Childe cheered, rambling about how he missed the taste of the drink. Zhongli seemed to be unaffected, calm as always, smiling and listening to the Snezhnayan boy.

However, Aether didn’t seem so well, he had expected the feeling, but because of the previous drinks he shared with the bard, it seemed to have had a stronger effect on him.

Aether wasn't the most affected by the drink, though.

That one shot was the ultimatum for Venti. His vision was blurry and he couldn’t stop laughing, which alarmed the others, but before they could take action and ask what was wrong, the archon fell into the sand, a grin on his face as he passed out.

After the realization of what just happened, Aether was the first to talk, “Um, I’ll take him to the shelter. I’m feeling a bit… dizzy too. I’ll get some sleep, haha,” He was making a great effort to sound coherent.

“Hope you enjoyed your day, Childe.”

A sincere smile was directed towards the boy sitting next to Zhongli. That expression warmed Childe’s heart. Aether had put great effort into this whole day and he could tell.

Childe was about to open his mouth to say something after the traveler turned his back to them while carrying Venti, but was stopped by the blonde, “Oh, there’s something I forgot to say. If you go west from here you will find another island with a shipwreck on top of the, um… Rock structure thing. It’s a good place to watch the stars. Anyways, hehe, good night.”

That piqued the two tall men’s interest, and after watching Aether and Venti enter the shelter, Childe looked at Zhongli, who was already standing up, as if he shared the same idea as the other.

A short cruise to the Nameless Isle later, Zhongli and Childe were already walking side by side through the tide, leaving steady footprints on the sand’s surface.

When the two stopped to both admire the place and look for a way to get to the top of the rocky mountain, Zhongli noticed a mural on the rock, which showed a shipwreck and what seemed to be a few people trying to save each other.

The archon was pondering about the meaning of it when he heard Childe’s voice from behind him.

“Mr. Zhongli, there’s a wind current over here!”

Zhongli went to the other’s location, noticing the current that led to the top of the mountain.

Without much effort, both of them got to the original destination: The shipwreck Aether mentioned.

It was indeed a tragic but beautiful place; a place where one could watch the azure starry sky, pale moon glowing brightly.

The two found a spot to sit near the ship that once sailed the seas, and watched the galaxies above them.

Childe offered another shot of the Fire-Water, which the both of them shared. Zhongli closed his eyes, deep in thought.

He had been trying to find the chance to give Childe his birthday gift, but he couldn’t find the opportunity to do so. Finally, now seemed like the perfect time.

He reopened his eyes and stared at Childe, who was watching the sky attentively, blue eyes shining unitedly with the stars.

“Childe.”

Upon hearing his name, he turned to look at the archon.

“Give me your hand,” Zhongli said, reaching his own towards the harbinger.

Childe automatically did so, and after searching for an object on the pocket of his shorts, Zhongli put the present on the other’s palm.

It was a single earring made of Noctilucous Jade and Cor Lapis, in a similar fashion as the one earring Childe normally wore.

“This reminded me of you when I saw it. If you do not wish to wear it, I understand, but I do hope you could keep it with you.”

Zhongli said that but the harbinger was already taking off his original earring, making the archon a bit embarrassed at the impulsiveness of the boy, yet very pleased.

Childe had been rambling about the, now, old earring and how he had gotten it in the first place, but after a while of no response from Zhongli, he gazed at him, being met by the image of the geo archon fast asleep.

Zhongli had a high alcohol tolerance, but with the nightfall, his drowsiness had grown to an almost unbearable level, and now, he was finally subdued by it.

Ajax couldn’t help but feel a warmth in his chest, his expression softened and he decided it was time for him to rest too.

He had never had a better birthday in his life.

#genshin impact #genshin #venti #aether #genshin oneshot #genshin chili #childe x zhongli #zhongli x childe #zhongli #venti x aether #genshin impact aether #genshin fanfic #dvalin #genshin impact traveler #genshin zhongli #genshin impact fic #gi #genshin impact fanfic #tartagalicious #tartaglia #tartaglia genshin #genshin ajax #genshin impact morax #morax #childes birthday #childe birthday

[hyperfixatingmenever]

Steam

Steam | One-Shot | 2.8K | General

Title: Steam

Fandom: The Mandolorian  

Pairing: Din Djarin/ Reader

Rating: General 

Word Count: 2.8K 

Summary: The kid (and eventually Mando) get sick and you've got to get creative.

Cross posted from Ao3 here

A/N: This is just some teeth rotting fluff that came to me at 2am. Enjoy! Also can’t forget to thank @soyelfuegoquearde for keeping my head on straight and beta reading for me! Bless you! 

You wake up with sleep still in your eyes to heavy breathing and small coughs coming from the kid’s silver sphere. Sitting up from your make-shift bed on the floor, you open the kid’s sphere to find him still asleep but fussing. He had picked something up a couple of days ago, and you were starting to get worried but not as worried as his dad. Mando would pace in the belly of the razor crest as you slowly rocked a fussing kid.

 "Have you tried tea?"

 "Yep."

 "Broth?"

 "Yep."

 "Medicine?"

 "Yep."

 Still pacing, you can hear soft mumbling coming from his voice modulator.

 "He could get worse... he needs a healer... but someone might tell... it could get back to... he wouldn't be safe... he needs to be safe... needs to be okay." 

 This was the first time you had ever seen Mando --- Panicked? You reach out and grab his forearm with your freehand, stopping him mid-stride.

 "Mando, he'll be fine. Kids get sick, it happens, but he'll get better. Look how strong he is," You finish saying as you boop his tiny green nose. 

 You say this to reassure him, but deep down, to reassure yourself too. You know how strong the kid is, but he was still so small. 

 Over the course of a couple of days, you had tried everything, but nothing seemed to work. He was still coughing, his nose was plugged, and when you put your ear to his tiny chest you could hear it rattle. On the fifth day of this nonsense, you had almost had enough. The kid was sick and grumpy because he couldn't sleep; you obviously didn't blame the kid. You just wished you could make him feel better. But if taking care of one person wasn't hard enough, you suddenly had to take care of two. Mando was worried and grumpy; he hadn't slept much either and was barely eating; all of his energy was focused on the kid. You practically had to push him off the Razor Crest this morning to catch his bounty.

 "But the kid!"

 "But the kid, nothing. You've spent two days just staring at him. He’s going to be fine!"

 "But what if he gets worse?"

 "We've got coms. I'll call you." 

 He turns around and looks you in your eyes (you assume). 

 "I can't go. My head’s not in it." 

 You cross your arms, unwavering in your stance.

 "It's a dumb, rich teenager who skipped bail. You could do this with your eyes closed."

 His head falls. No one speaks, but his thoughts are loud enough you can hear. You place a hand on the cold beskar of his helmet, the heat of your hand almost penetrating through the metal to cup his cheek.

 "He will be okay. I'll take good care of him." 

 Mando lifts his head, knowing that you'd do anything for that little womp rat. 

 "What if I tell you I'll give you updates every couple of hours?" 

 "Every 30 minutes." 

 "Every hour."

 "Deal" 

 His shoulders are still weighed by his paternal concern but with the assurance that his son is safe in your care, he turns away from the Crest and heads off to find his bounty. 

 A couple of hours passed since Mando went on his hunt; you had fed and given the kid some medicine as well as done your promised check-ins. As you sit down on the floor, leaning against the wall of the razor crest, still slowly rocking the kid, you start to hum a song your mom used to sing to you when you were sick as a kid. Continuing to softly hum, your eyes suddenly burst open with a memory from when you were younger. 

Quickly you move the kid from your arms into his sphere to change into a pair of shorts and take off your shirt with your breasts still wrapped underneath. With the kid now back in your arms you head to the fresher. As a kid, your mom would turn the shower to the hottest setting and would hold you while sitting on the floor, enveloped by the steam and wait for it to loosen everything in your chest. And you had the exact same plan for the kid. 

 Slowly the small fresher started to fill with warm steam, continuing to rock the kid who, honestly, hadn't left your arms much in the last five days. You feel him begin to settle and take normal breaths. You feel Incredibly relieved; all you wanted in the world right now was for this little one to get better. Finally feeling some peace, you leaned your head back and let the darkness envelop you. 

 You couldn't remember the last time you slept longer than 15 minutes. If somehow the kid was quiet and not struggling, you'd panic and wake up to check on him. But right now, you feel something cool radiating beside you and soft caresses on your face.

 "Cyare" 

 Your eyes flutter open, the lights in the fresher are suddenly very bright, but your eyes start to focus on the beskar covered man squatting beside you. 

 "Mando," you say very groggily. 

 Still lightly caressing your face, Mando explains "You missed the last check-in. I was getting worried." 

 This makes your eyes open completely. "Oh my God, Mando! I'm so sorry, we were in here, and he was feeling better, and we both fell asle-" 

 Mando cuts off your babbling. "It's fine, I was already on my way back, I was just worried-" glancing at his son sleeping soundly in your arms "about the both of you." 

 You can feel the heat start to rise in your cheeks, hoping it can be explained away with the heat still captured in the tiny room, you look away. 

 "He's doing a lot better," You say, still not looking up at Mando. 

 "That's good." 

 Mando reaches down and caresses his son’s small cheek. Small cooing noises come out of his tiny lips, and he further snuggles into your chest. This makes you look up to Mando with a smile. He’s already looking back at you. 

 Mando breaks the stare "Here, let me take him, you..." gesturing to your body, which you realize is more uncovered than your employer had ever seen from you before. Instinctively you pull the child and your knees closer to your chest, unsure what you’re specifically trying to hide. "You... um... go to bed, you haven't slept since he got sick, and you’re exhausted from taking care ---" 

 Of the kid, you thought.

 "Of the both of us." 

 Oh.

 You try and put up a bit of a fight. "No, I'm feeling better; I swear, you just got back from a hunt anyways." 

 "No, get some sleep. Let me take care of both of you... please" 

 That please melts your heart, he could have asked for anything and ended it with that please, and you would have given it to him, happily. Looking at the child once more, softly stroking one of his enormous ears, you hand him over to his dad. Even asleep, the little one knows what his father’s armour feels like and cuddles in closer. Mando stands up and reaches his free arm down to help you up; you take it happily. 

 As you stand in front of Mando, a yawn builds inside your chest, you try to cover it, but Mando cocks his head to the side, giving you a knowing look. You admit defeat with your hands and head over to the pile of blankets on the floor you call your bed. You pull a ratty old shirt that Mando had given you. 

 "I don't wear it anymore; you can have it." 

 Even though you washed it many times before, it still had his lingering smell; you tended to wear it to bed; it made you feel... safe. Before you finish reorganizing your nest of blankets, Mando speaks up.

 "Take my bed. You deserve a better sleep than one on the floor." 

 Before you can protest, Mando cuts you off again.

 "I won't be sleeping any time soon. He needs to eat and... I miss him" 

 Mando's occasional domesticity made you warm and slightly lightheaded. You’re not going to argue with a father about his kid, and he's right; you are exhausted. So without any further argument, you walk over, kiss the kid on the head, wish Mando goodnight and crawl into his bed. 

 Unsure with how much exact time had passed, but you know it had to have been many hours. Your body is heavy as you wake up, you could feel the lines of the pillowcase indented in your skin. You rub your face, hoping to get some circulation back. As you slowly crawl out of Mando's bed, you hear, singing? It is very soft and as you look around you find it’s coming from the fresher. 

 Nuhoy Verd'ika 

Te me'suum'ika laam

Te Ka'ra dral

ca'nara gar vercopa 

 Hearing Mando’s deep voice sing this soft lullaby makes your heart soar. You tip-toe to the fresher door and open it just a smidge. Steam starts to escape; the kid must have started getting stuffy again. You see Mando curled over and rocking what you assume to be the kid, in pants but no shirt. Your eyes wander over his broad shoulders and back. He has many scars and some bruises. You imagine his body is littered with them... just begging to be kissed, but as your eyes wander up, you see hair. Beautiful brown messy locks but hair, Mando has his helmet off. 

 Nuhoy Verd'ika

Gar liser geroya nakar'tuur

akaanir nakar'tuur

parjir nakar'tuur 

 You panic and close the door. With your back pressed against the wall, your brain tries to comprehend what you saw. Mando couldn't have seen you, but if he did, you'd swear you hadn't seen anything. Well, you hadn't seen his face, so that wouldn't be a lie ...right? You would never want to be the reason Mando broke his creed. Sure, you always kind of wondered what your employer looked like, but his creed was much more important than your curiosity. 

 Nuhoy Verd'ika

gar aliit kar'taylir darasuum gar

Meh val chaaj'yc be'chaaj

kar'taylir darasuum kar'tayl nayc chaaj

Nuhoy Verd'ika

parjai shi olaror Verd'ika meg Nuhoy 

 As you hear a long pause, you think the song must be done, you realize you can't be found right outside the fresher, so you quietly bound over to your bed and start folding blankets, trying to look busy. Seconds later, Mando comes out still shirtless but with his helmet on. Thank Maker. Steam billowed out behind him like he was in one of your trashy holo-novels. 

 "Oh, you're up. How’d you sleep?" 

 "Good... really good." 

 Trying not to look at his chest, which you definitely fail at, and like you, he realizes how bare he is and instinctively pulls the child closer.

 "Um, can you take him so I, um, can get dressed?" 

 "Yes! Absolutely!" Reaching your arms out. You do a little dance with Mando as he hands you the kid and tries to get past you to get his clothes, but you both are obviously flustered. Finally, Mando gets past you; you keep your back to him to give him some sort of privacy. 

 "He's feeling a lot better." 

 "Oh, thank Maker," you say as you rock the finally peaceful child. 

 "The steam. It really helped." 

 "Good, my mother used to do it with me when I was little, and we were running out of options," you say with a chuckle.

 More quietly than before, "I don’t know what I'd do without you." 

 Your heart and stomach flutter, but with it sounding like it escaped Mando's internal monologue, you decide not to react. 

 -----

 Days later, the kid got better like you knew he would, but man, you are happy for Mandos sake. What you weren't expecting was for poor indestructible Mando to catch it from the kid. 

 "Why aren't you sick?" 

 "I guess I'm just stronger," giving him a quick wink.

 Over the course of a week, just like with the kid, you had to nurse Mando back to health. A week of forcing him to drink broth and tea and take his medicine, but just like with the kid, nothing seemed to help other than steam. 

 The first night Mando tried to do it alone, but he ended up passing out. So the next night you both got dressed in your lightest clothes, Mando, with his helmet still on he would lean against you, and you would shut off the lights. Anticipating the whooshing noise from Mandos helmet as he takes it off. The next five days, you both would spend a couple of hours sitting in the hot steam as he leaned against you and slept. 

 Your relationship began to slowly change. There were nights where you would sit in the cockpit and watch the stars go by telling stories. Sure you did most of the talking, but you could always tell Mando was listening, even with his helmet. 

 As you got more familiar it felt like Mando was always touching you. His hands, his body, constantly brushing up against you. When he reached for something, to get past you, just having a hand on you when you were in public. It felt like every chance he got he needed to be touching you. Slowly you started to get addicted to his small touches. You had no complaints you relished in the feeling of his gloves gliding across your body. Closing your eyes and enjoying the soft leather pads of his fingers or the cold beskar that covered his body. 

 Things dramatically changed between you two when Cobb offered you a job at the school. 

 “Come on Mando, don’t you think she’d make a great teacher for the little ones?” 

 “That’s not what I’m saying-”

 “So, are you not giving her a recommendation?” Cobb elbows Mando teasingly.

 “No, I-” 

 “Well, I haven’t said yes, but thank you for the offer Cobb, I’ll tell you my decision tomorrow.”  

On your way back to the crest, Mando was quiet. Mando was always quiet, but this silence felt heavy. When you finally enter the Crest you've had enough. 

 “What’s wrong, Mando” catching his arm, making him turn around. His head was pointed at the ground.

 “Are you going to leave?”

 “What?”

 “Are you going to leave? Leave the kid. Leave me.”

 “Well, I-”

 “Please don’t go.”  

 You place your hand on the side of his helmet. “I wasn’t going to leave. I care about the kid, you, too much. You guys… you guys are my family.” 

 There’s a long pause as your foreheads touch.

 “Do you trust me?”

 You only respond with a nod.

 “Close your eyes...please.”

 That please. You’d do anything for that please. You squeeze your eyes tightly shut.

You hear the recognizable whooshing of Mando taking off his helmet. It hits and rattles against the floor of the Crest. 

 You feel his soft breath before anything, his facial hair tickles your top lip, and his chapped lips press against your own. He starts to pull away, but you wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him closer. It's an innocent kiss but as if Mando can feel the fire in your belly begin to grow he licks your bottom lip begging for entrance. Your mouths and tongues explore each other, but you both eventually pull away breathless. 

 “Wow, Mando, that was… wow.”

 “Din”

 “What?”

 “My names Din” 

 -----

 Now weeks after that Din and you had fallen into a pattern of domesticity. Intentional touches as you passed each other, sleeping together in his bed, even showering together in the dark. You couldn't be happier. 

 You were currently sitting on the ramp of the Crest watching the kid chase a butterfly around. Every time the kid got close, you’d clap and encourage him (but you also hoped it would scare the butterfly). Secretly you cheered on the butterfly, knowing the kid probably wanted to eat it.  

 “Hello, Cyare” Din says as he sits behind you and wraps his arms around your torso.

 “Hello Mando,” Remembering only to say his name in private.

 He rests his chin on your shoulder. Both of you sitting in the comfortable silence watching the little one run around. Your thoughts begin to wander.

 “You called me that when the kid was sick; what does it mean?” 

 “Beloved”

 “Beloved?” 

 “Yes, beloved.”

 “But you said that before we were…”

 “Together? Yes. You and that little one-” pointing his gloved hand at the kid who doesn't seem to be getting tired of this butterfly. “-Are my aliit. My Family. I will always protect you. This is the way.”

 Leaning back you cuddle into his shoulder, and his arms softly tighten around you. You look at the kid and feel Dins heartbeat against you, and you know you're safe. “This is the way.”

 -----

Translation For The Song.

Sleep little warrior

The moon is up

The stars are bright

It's time for you to dream 

 Sleep little warrior

You can play tomorrow 

Fight tomorrow 

Win tomorrow 

 Sleep, little warrior

Your family loves you

Even if they’re far away 

Because love knows no distance 

 So sleep, little warrior

Because victory only comes to little warrior who sleep

#the mandolorian #the mandolorian x reader #din djarin #din djarin x reader #din djarin x you #grogu #mandalorian and grogu #alix original post

[nessamaurice]

Simple, Ch. 12 (Loki x F!Reader)

Masterlist

Summary: Tony and the Avengers are in desperate need of something like a “babysitter” to have an eye on Loki and teach him “how to human”. He decided to stay on Midgard over the dungeons of Asgard as punishment for his deeds in New York. That’s where you swoop in. A simple receptionist at the Avengers compound. You have to share an apartment in the compound with Loki and damn, he’s a really tough nut. With your open and kind character it seems that you are slowly cracking his shell. But suddenly things are getting twists that will change your life and your relationships there irreversibly.

Story rating: M

Chapter trigger warnings: PTSD

Words: 3145

12

Suddenly the door was opened, got you startled and you backed away. The moment only lasted like two seconds, giving you not enough time to sort out what was just happening.

"Hey Y/N, how are y-... Uhm, what is going on here?" Tony looked at both of you, one brow raised. He was still wearing his suit except for the helmet, like his first thing to do after coming home was to look after you.

"What? No-, nothing. It's just that I had something like a little nervous breakdown and Loki helped me calm down again and-"

"Nervous breakdown?" Tony rushed over to you. "What do you need? I'm not good at that, camomile tea? Chocolate? Weed?"

You couldn't help but laugh at his helplessness. You carefully stood up to hug him and he returned the embrace.

"This would be a lot more comfortable if it wouldn't feel like I'm hugging a giant letterbox."

"Oh sure, sorry." He stepped away, exited his suit and pulled you into a hug again. "I'm so happy you are here." He pressed a kiss on the top of your head. "You hungry?" He looked to the side and saw the lonely breakfast being untouched.

"Yeah, my broken brain disturbed us getting breakfast."

"Then we should do some catching up on that immediately! Do you want to come upstairs? Nat and Steve are desperately longing for your company. Even Thor’s here, he just heard what happened, but he got instructions to keep it cool. They would be so happy to see you. But only if you feel like, of course. No pressure, hunbun. We're all chillin’."

"I'd actually like to see you all. Am I allowed to leave this mini hospital?"

"Oh, yeah, wait. Bruce, can she come upstairs?" He yelled over to the door and Bruce appeared from behind the wall where he obviously waited for the right moment to come in.

"I'll have a quick look at her data, but I think a little excursion upstairs will be beneficial."

"Great. I'll see you upstairs, cutie." Tony shared his broadest grin and awkwardly waved as he left the room.

You felt a bit funny, so turned to sit back on your bed next to Loki. He gently laid his big hand on your back to support you. Though it was wonderfully warm it sent a rush of goosebumps over your skin.

"Alright, let's see what the machines will tell me.", said Bruce as he walked over to the monitors. "Well, this looks not bad. We got a little heart rate increase but it didn't last long; I guess that was the panic attack you had. How do you feel? Take a moment before you answer."

"Uhm, I guess... I feel okay. So far. The cuts burn like hell itslef and I feel twitchy like a chihuahua and my head swims a bit... and as long as I don't think of what happened... it's okay..." By saying that your memory was just right back but before you sank into deep Loki pulled you a bit closer to him, sending your thoughts elsewhere.

"Before we get upstairs I think you should change into something more covering."

You looked down at your body and noticed the thin hospital dress hanging loosely from your shoulders. You felt the heat rushing to your face thinking of how crappy you must look right now, making you feel dizzy. The next second Bruce was by your side, laying down some fresh and comfy clothes next to you on the bed.

"Oh, you really don't have to feel embarrassed, everyone looks the same wearing hospital clothes. ...And you got anaemia, so…”

"...what?"

"I think what Banner wanted to say is though it is really lovely to see you blushing, your blood is too precious to only be in your cheeks right now." Loki explained with a low voice.

"Uhm, yeah. That is exactly what I meant." Bruce was visibly surprised by Loki's accuracy.

You laughed a bit. "Oh, okay. Well, thank you two. I'll change then."

You stood up and instinctively grabbed behind your back to open the knot of the dress, but paused. Suddenly you couldn’t bear the thought of being naked and exposed in a surrounding that felt like a lab. You were not prepared to view your body again, your bruised and scarred skin.

“What’s wrong?”, Loki asked. “Is something hurting you?

“I.. I… can’t…”, you struggled to find the words.

“Bruce, would you leave please? We will come in a minute.”, Loki said very politely.

“Yeah, sure. Take your time, Y/N.”, he said with a smile and left, understanding he was not the right person to help right now.

“Y/N, relax. Take a breath.”, Loki softly said.

You did as you were told. You looked at the hands in your lap. Suddenly the noise and beeping of the machines in that room became louder and louder in your ears.

“JARVIS, please play some calm songs from Y/N favorites.” It was like Loki was reading your mind. And the music actually helped you to relax a bit more.

“Are you able to tell me what’s making you uncomfortable? If you want to, you can show me as well.”, he said and offered his hand.

Your view was blurred by tears as you looked into his face and down to his hand. You drew a deep breath, and hesitantly lay your hand on his. You allowed your current feelings to slowly flow over to him. You couldn’t watch him, seeing the effects of your inner agony on his face. After a few seconds you suddenly felt a bit solace. You looked up to Loki in surprise. He sat there, eyes closed, concentrating. He was sending you some more pleasant feelings, but without overwriting yours. Before you got too confused he let go of your hand.

“I can change your clothes for you, if you assume it to be easier.”, he offered.

As you were thinking about that offer, he added, “That way you wouldn’t have to view yourself right now. And be assured that I have no other intention than easing your agony, don’t fear about your dignity. I will-”

“Okay.”, you interrupted him. You stood up and closed your eyes. “Please… help me. But no Seidr. That would freak me out right now.”

He stood up next to you and softly pushed you forwards a bit, so he could stand behind you and opened the knot of your dress. You audibly sucked some air into your lungs as you felt the light brushing of it falling down to the floor. The situation was so weird. Your whole body tensed up.

“Please hold up your arms so I can get you into this shirt first.”, Loki said lowly.

You did as you were told, but you did it slowly; you felt the scab from all your cuts pressing into your flesh with every movement.

He carefully pulled the wide shirt over your body. Out of instinct you opened your eyes as your head popped out of the shirt and met his eyes. He was only looking into your face.

Concerned he asked, “Is everything alright? Do you prefer doing this by yourself?”

“No. No, please, go on.” You closed your eyes again. “I… I need you to do this. I.. can’t.”

“No worries. We are halfway through. Please sit down now.”

What you just said was a little bit of a lie, because all you could think of right now was the soft look on his face and the feeling his piercing eyes caused in your stomach. You somehow enjoyed each of his gentle touches while he carefully dressed you.

“I think you feel better now? You are smiling. Or… is it too hot?” He touched your cheek with the back of his fingers.

“What? No, I’m usually freezing easily.”

“Oh, okay then.”, he just said with a little smirk. “Are you ready? Or do you need a moment?”

“No. I’m good to go. Thank you Loki.” You shared a genuine smile before you stood up.

You took a few steps as you went dizzy and your knees got weak. You almost kissed the floor but Loki wrapped one arm around your waist to hold you. The cuts he touched while catching you felt like little hot irons piercing your skin.

"Slowly, slowly, dear! Your enthusiasm is admirable but your body seems not to be at the same pace as your will. Maybe you want stay here?", Loki suggested.

"No!", you exclaimed, not willing to give in. "No, I want to go upstairs. I want to be in a surrounding that does neither look like a lab nor a dungeon. Just... hold me. Carefully."

"Alright, who am I to contradict such a determined woman.", Loki said with a smile.

He held you tightly but without hurting you. You wanted to put your arm around his neck but he was far too tall for that. He offered you his other hand to hold as additional support and you took it. You regretted it immediately because you remembered your powers and wanted to let go again but Loki insisted in holding you, assuring you that wouldn't be a problem. You were a bit... confused because didn’t feel that much, only a bit of inner calmness. But you didn't have much time to think over that, you were too busy concentrating on not to stumble all the way long. Finally you made it upstairs and were greeted by your weird family. They were so eager to restrain themselves to not overload you but it was uncanny to see how happy they were having you back with them halfway healthy, or at least alive. You weren't able to eat much, you had to get used to usual food again, but some toast with a hint of butter tasted like heaven to you. The breakfast was like balm for your soul. You were surrounded by people who dearly loved you though you haven't been a part of their group for very long. They were talking about random stuff, having fun, sometimes encouraging you to interact but never too much. After the breakfast, as everyone had to get back to their business, Tony approached you.

"Hey Honeybun, is everything alright? Do you need anything?", he asked you, one hand on your shoulder, giving you a broad grin.

"No, thanks Uncle Tones. The breakfast was great for me but I'm so tired. Do you think I could sleep in my own bed? I don't want to go down again..."

"I'm sure we can do that. Do you want me to stay with you?"

"No, it's okay. I want to rest a bit so maybe we can play Mario Kart later? Now you maybe even got a chance against me.", you smiled at him.

"That sounds great hunbun.", he said before he placed a kiss on your forehead. "And be prepared to munch my dust. Loki, please escort her to her room."

"Of course. Shall we go then?" Loki stood up in front of you, offering you his elbow for you to hook into.

You were just so happy to get into your own freshly made bed with the window front right next to you. Loki was outside in your personal living room reading, but left your door a small part open.

"JARVIS, please screen the windows to a minimum but not completely, I want to look outside."

"Of course, Miss. And please let me give you my deepest apology for my malfunctioning."

"Don't worry JARVIS, it's okay. I still like you.", you smiled into your pillow.

"Very pleasant to know, Miss. Do you want to listen to low music while falling asleep?"

"Oh that's a wonderful idea. Please, play my favorite songs that are not too wild."

Slowly you drifted into sleep, accompanied by your favorite music.

"I hope you had a nice dream"

You opened your eyes just to see Fieberbrunn again.

"Good, you're awake. So we can go on now.", he said while picking up a syringe with a purple shiny liquid.

"No, no, no. That's just a dream.", you said to yourself.

"Oh, you really think that? Is that a dream, too?" Fieberbrunn rammed to syringe into your arm.

You felt the burning pain of the needle and the ice cold liquid in your veins and all you could do was to scream.

You opened your eyes again and saw Loki.

"OH THANK GOD!", you cried as you threw your arms around his neck.

"It's alright, I'm here." He pulled you into a tight embrace.

"I can't sleep. As soon as I fall asleep I'm back there. I can't sleep. I can't ever sleep again.", you whimpered, holding onto him for dear life.

"Shh, let's try this again.", Loki said and climbed into your bed behind you.

"No, no. You can't always lay there with me as soon as I want to sleep. That's an imposition."

"Stop that rambling now and sleep.", he demanded.

"Are you sure?" You turned to look into his face, holding a soft expression, green-blue eyes halfway closed.

"Believe me, I won't get bored. Now sleep.", he assured you with a husky voice that sent shivers all over your skin.

He shuffled a little closer and put one arm around you, lightly holding onto one of your wrists because he didn't know where to put that hand else. Soon you could fall asleep again, no nightmares disturbing your rest.

The days passed by, turned into weeks and you slowly started to feel more human again. Everyone was just lovely to you, which made everything much easier. You shared beautiful childhood memories and inside jokes with your uncle, you finally met Pepper, Sam and Rhodey as your uncle threw a small party to celebrate that your cuts were completely healed (he insisted to do so). Loki was so ambitious to make you feel better. You had very interesting exchanges on God and the world, he went on walks with you and every time you went to bed he followed you faithfully and you shared the bed. It was harder and harder for you to deny what you felt, you brushed it aside as a natural consequence of being close to someone. Nevertheless, you had to admit you were enjoying every intimate moment you two had, may it be in conversation or tangency. It helped you to feel less twitchy. Tony even organized you some of the coolest gloves you could imagine, they looked like biker gloves but from light linen instead of leather so you wouldn't turn too hot inside them, and just the fingertips were left open, so you wouldn’t lose your haptic. In that way you could touch hands without an unwanted exchange of feelings. Bit by bit you felt more “normal” again.

One evening you and Loki watched a movie together while the others had to go on a mission. Tony had given you his much too tight hug as always as the left and said this one would take a few days, you should not worry. It was easier said than done.

"You were right, the book is much better." Loki ripped you out of your thoughts while grabbing into the popcorn bowl on your lap. His unbelievable long legs were stretched on the coffee table, one arm loosely behind your neck, the other shoveling popcorn into his mouth.

"Yeah, I know. But I like to watch it anyways. I'm a fan of the whole Star Wars EU and well, this is a part of it."

"EU?"

"Extended Universe.", you simply said, like there was no other explanation needed. You took the glove off your hand, the caramel popcorn always made it so sticky. You wiggled a little closer to Loki's side. He was just so tall, it always left you a bit in awe. It wasn’t easy for you to accept but being close to him was the only thing that kept you from turning anxious. He radiated some kind of peace and calmness you weren’t able to feel by yourself. And you adored his scent, this linen and leather fragrance made your senses go dizzy in the most pleasant way. Suddenly you had to think of how long it has been since your last kiss. It was like, literally ages. And you missed it. Really badly. Then all you could think of was kissing Loki. God, no, stop it already, stupid brain. You tried to push those thoughts away but they turned out to be super persistent. Hastily you grabbed into the popcorn bowl without looking and nabbed Loki's hand instead. It caught you so off guard that you couldn't even partly control your empathic powers. All your thrill and arousal was poured into Loki's mind, you couldn't pull away your hand fast enough. You pulled it to your chest and held it like it was broken, shrinking visibly and turning completely stiff.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I didn't want to, I, uh, did you feel that?"

"Yes I did." You weren't looking at him (you couldn't) but you could hear in his words that he was smiling.

"Awww god, why? That's so embarrassing, I'm so sorry. I think I can never look at you again."

"That would be pure torture for me.", he said with a low voice, sending once again shivers down your spine.

"Don't do that." You demanded, laying your cold hands on your hot cheeks.

"Do what?"

"Speak like that. With your husky voice. It's not... helping."

"Maybe I don't want to help in that way." He touched your jaw line very gently before the confusion left you too puzzled and turned your head to face him. He looked you deep in the eyes, which just caused the aching inside you to heat up even more.

"What are you doing..."

"Shh."

His eyes pierced right into your soul as he moved slowly closer, now cupping your face with his big, warm hand. A silent sigh left your lips as you realized what was about to happen, you simply couldn’t restrain yourself anymore, and tilted your head. Your heart was beating so loud, your mind was all dizzy. What the hell am I doing? Stop it, stop already you dumb bitch! It’ll lead nowhere! You could taste his breath and it was just mouthwatering, ignoring your inner voice. He moved already so close but left the rest up to you and you wanted to go the last 10 % as the light was turned on. You jumped away a bit, cursing and thanking the troublemaker for disturbing you. You heard your uncle from the other side of the room.

"Y/N? Are you here? Oh good. Please, Loki, escort her to your rooms, I want you to be safe." Tony said very jittery.

"What is wrong, Tones?"

"We found him. The soldier from Hydra."

"Do... do you mean-" Your eyes widened while your pupils contracted.

"Yes. The soldier who killed the rest of our family."

Taglist: @it-jinxed-us​, @humbledarkness​, @lunawitch19, @redryderdesigns​

#loki #Loki Laufeyson #loki x reader #loki x female reader #loki fiction #loki slow burn #slow burn #marvel #marvel fan fiction #fanfiction #fan fiction #loki fan fiction #fanfic simple #ptsd #nessa maurice

[d-noona]

MAKE OVER

Chapter 2: Librarian the seductress

Jung Hoseok x Reader

Reader as Kang Hyeonji

SUMMARY: When Kang Hyeonji transformed herself into a striking redhead, the entire male population of Seoul stood up and took notice. But her make over was for Jung Hoseok’s benefit alone. He began to show interest in the new look but not in the way she wanted. Suddenly he was over-protective, perhaps a little jealous. It seemed that the idea of having a relationship with her couldn’t be further from his mind. The girl however wants more. So it was time for an ultimatum. If Hoseok didn’t want Hyeonji to lose her virginity to another admirer, he had no option but to make love to her himself.

Hyeonji was standing at the library computer, running the wand over the first of the huge pile of returned books, when something caught her eye. Something bright and red. She glanced up through the glass door to see a shiny red car turning its brand-new nose into the empty parking space right outside the library. It brought no flash of recognition, despite being a memorable model. Not quite a sports car, it was stills stylish and expensive looking. A newcomer to the area, no doubt. Not knowing that this particular library branch was closed to the public on Wednesday morning. Hyeonji was about to return to the job at hand when the driver's door opened and a heart-jolting familiar head of hair came into view, gleaming under the summer sun.

Hoseok.

Her heart leaped. So he had remembered her birthday. He'd even come in person. She could hardly believe it. Her happiness knew no bounds as she watched him close the car and stride up onto the pavement and across to the front doors. He smiled at her through the grass as he tapped on the wooden frame.

"Can't they see were closed?" Choon Hee complained from where she was sitting at her desk, flipping through one of the new publisher catalogs. She could not see who was knocking. If she had, she would not be so anxious to send the unwanted visitor away. Min Choon Hee might be happily married to her husband Min Yoongi with three children, but she still had an eye for a good-looking man.

Hoseok was just that –and more. At twenty five, he was in his physical prime, his elegant body in perfect tune with his handsome face. His height was no joke either, his lean frame made him look even taller, and did his choice of clothing. In winter they range from soft suede numbers to tweedy sports coats. In summer he chose linen or lightweight wool in neutral colors, and teamed them with cool T-shirts. Ties rarely graced his neck. In fact, Hyeonji had never seen Hoseok dressed formally.

Today he was wearing stonewashed blue jeans, a navy shirt and a loose cream jacket with sleeves pushed up to his elbows. His black hair was longer than when she'd seen him last, falling to his ears from its side parting and flopping with its usual rakish charm across his high forehead. He looked slightly wind-blown and utterly gorgeous. Hyeonji immediately put her "moving on" decision on hold for a good seven years. Thirty, she decided a new, was soon enough to give up all hope. The fact that Hoseok was standing where he was at this very moment had to give her some hope. Fancy him abandoning his precious business on a working day to drive this long from Seoul to Gwangju, just to see her on her birthday.

"For pity's sake!" Choon Hee snapped when Hoseok knocked a second time. "Can't they read? The library times are on the darned door!"

"It's someone I know," Hyeonji said. "I'll just go let him in." Choon Hee jumped from her sit "But it's almost..." The sight of Hoseok's handsome-self stopped her in her tracks. "Mmm, yes by all means let him in," she murmured, primping her glossy black straight hair as Hyeonji hurried out from behind the reception desk across the functional grey carpet. Hyeonji wasn't worried that Hoseok would find Choon Hee attractive. As pretty as she was, she was a married woman. Hoseok believed in keeping his sex life simple.

"One girl at a time," he'd once confided in Hyeonji. "And never anyone else's."

It was surprisingly conservative attitude in this day and age, especially coming from a man who looked like Hoseok, who had women throwing themselves at him all the time. He had a similarly strict attitude to marriage. Only one per lifetime, which was why he'd always say he would not bother with marriage till he was in his thirties and financially secure. He didn't want to make a mistake in finding his partner.

"In the meantime," he joked to her one day, "I'm having a lot of fun auditioning possible future candidates for the position of Mrs. Jung Hoseok." It had always terrified Hyeonji that one of those future candidates might capture Hoseok's love as well as his lust. Fortunately, that hadn't happened, and Hyeonji had taken heart from the failure of his various very beautiful girlfriends to last more than a few months. But his latest was a bit of a worry. A statuesque brunette who went by the name Tinashe, she'd already lasted six months –a record for Hoseok. He'd even brought her home with him for Christmas break, during which time Hyeonji had many opportunities to see Tinashe's assets. What she could do for a bikini was incomparable.

But I'm not going to think about Tinashe right now, Hyeonji told herself as she turned the key and swept the open door. Today is my birthday and my very best friend has come to celebrate it with me. "Hoseok!" she exclaimed, smiling up into his dancing brown eyes. "Hi there, Hyeonji. Sorry to interrupt. I know you're working but I simply had to show you my new car. Picked it up this morning at one of those dealerships just the other side of town and couldn't resist taking it for a spin. Before I knew it I was on the express way headed here. I thought what the hell Hoseok? You haven't had a day off in ages. Drive up to Gwangju and visit your Mom."

He smiled a sheepish smile, showing perfect teeth and a charming dimple. "It wasn't till I pulled up into the driveway that I remembered today is her golf day. Took all the wind out of my sails, I can tell you. But no way was I going back to Seoul without showing someone. Naturally, I thought of you. So...what do you think?" and he waved in the direction of the car. "It's one of the new Mazda Eunos 800s. The Miller Cycle version. Great red, isn't it?" he finished.

Every drop of joy drained out of Hyeonji. Hoseok hadn't come for her birthday. He'd come to show her a pathetic car. Worse, she hadn't even been his first choice of viewer. She'd run a very poor second. As usual. Something hard curled around her heart, setting in concrete and trapping her love for him deep inside. Hyeonji determined it would never see the light of day again. She glanced coldly over at the offending vehicle and shrugged dismissively. "If you've seen one red car Hoseok," she said coolly, "You've seen them all."

There was no doubt he was taken aback by the icy indifference of her tone, for his eyebrows shot up and he stared at her with bewilderment in his beautiful brown eyes. Hyeonji was disgusted with herself for instantly feeling guilty. So much for her first foray into hating Hoseok, but she was determined not to weaken this time. Enough was enough.

"You know me Hoseok," she went on brusquely. "I've never been a car person."

"That's because you've never learned to drive, Hyeonji. You'd appreciate cars more if you were ever behind the wheel. Come on. Come for a short spin with me." He actually took her arm and began propelling her across the pavement. "Hobi!" she protested, wrenching her arm away from his hold and planting her sensible shoes firmly on the pavement. "I can't. I'm at work."

"But surely the library's not even open," he argued. "Certainly they won't miss you for a couple of minutes?"

"That's beside the point," she said sternly. "You might be your own boss, Hoseok, and come and go as you please, but most people can't, me included. Besides, it's almost morning tea and I have to be here for that." The rest of the staff had all chipped in to buy her a cake. It was a tradition in the library whenever one of them had a birthday. No way was she going to run out on her real friends to indulge Hobi's ego.

"I don't see why," he said stubbornly.

No you wouldn't...

Hyeonji thought mutinously, and toyed with telling him, just so he could feel terrible for a full ten seconds. The decision was taken out of her hand when Choon Hee popped her head out the door. "Come on birthday girl. Namjoon and the new girlfriend Han Byeol brought your cake along and all twenty-three candles are alight and waiting. So get in here and do the honors. You can bring your hunk of a friend, if you like," she added, looking Hoseok up and down with saucily admiring eyes.

"We've got more than enough cake for an extra mouth" Hyeonji relished Hoseok's groan. To give him some credit he did look suitably apologetic once Choon Hee appeared. "God, Hyeonji, I had no idea it was your birthday. There I was, blabbering away about my new car, and all the time you must be thinking how damned selfish I was being." Frankly, she was enjoying his guilt. It had a deliciously soothing effect on her damaged pride. "That's all right Hobi. I'm used to your not remembering my birthday." He winced anew. "Don't make me feel any more rotten that I already do." Hyeonji almost gave in. it was awfully hard to stay mad at Hoseok. He didn't mean to be selfish. He was, unfortunately, the product of a doting mother and far too many God given talents. Brains and beauty did not make for a modest, self-effacing kind of guy.

Hoseok could be generous and charming when he set his mind to it, but in the main he was a self-absorbed individual who rarely saw beyond end of his own classically shaped nose. God know why I love him so much, Hyeonji though irritably. But then her eyes travelled slowly from his perfect face down over his perfect body, and every female cell she owned clamored to be noticed back.

But the only expression in his eyes when he looked down at her was remorse. When he forcibly linked arms with her, she glared her frustration up to him. "Don't be mad at me, Hyeonji" he said with disarming softness. "I'm not mad at you," she returned stiffly.

"Oh, yes, you are. And you have every right to be. But I'll make it you to you tonight, if you'll let me" says the man who is desperately clinging to your arms. "Tonight?" she echoed far too weakly. "Yes, tonight," he said firmly. "But for now I think your colleagues are waiting for you to blow out those twenty-three candles."

With typical Hoseok confidence he steered her into the library and proceeded to charm everyone in the place. It annoyed Hyeonji that he gave her openly curious workmates the impression that he was a boyfriend of sorts. He even extracted her promise in Choon Hee's goggle-eyed presence to go out with him later that evening. She initially refused dinner, no way was she going to disappoint her mother, but grudgingly agreed to after-dinner coffee somewhere.

Hyeonji told herself afterwards that she would never have agreed to go out with him at all if she'd been alone with him. She would have sent him on his way with a flea in his ear. She didn't need his pity, or guilt. The moment his new red Mazda roared of up the road back in the direction of Seoul, Choon Hee and Han Byeol settled their dryly knowing eyes on her.

"Well you're a dark horse, Hyeonji, aren't you?" Choon Hee said as they walked together back into the library. "I've always thought of you as a quiet little thing and all this time you had something like that on the side." Han Byeol giggled along with Choon Hee. Hyeonji silently cursed Hoseok. All he ever caused her was trouble and heartache. "Hoseok's mother lives next door," she explained with more calm than she was feeling. "I've known Hobi for years. We're just good friends."

"Oh sure. He drove all the way up from Seoul to wish you a happy birthday because you're just good friends. You know what? I'll bet you're one of those girls who go home from the office at night, and perform one of those ten-second transformations." Choon Hee laughed while Han Byeol agreeing to every word she said. "You know the type. Off come the glasses and the straight laced clothes. Down comes the hair. On goes the sexy gear, make-up, and perfume, and –WHAM! Instant meat in heat!"

Hyeonji had to laugh. It would take more than seconds to transform her. "You can laugh," Han Byeol scoffed. "But I'm no one's fool. And you're far prettier than you pretend to be. I always did wonder why you never seemed to be on the lookout for a fella. I was beginning to think all sorts of things till glamour boy arrived on the scene today. He gave me a case of instant heat, I can tell you. And I saw the way you looked at him when you didn't think anyone was noticing. You've got it bad. I know the signs. So why haven't I heard of this paragon perfection before? Why all the mystery and secrecy? Is he married? A womanizer? A bad boy? Look, you can trust me with your deep dark secrets" she whispered. "I won't tell anyone."

Hyeonji laughed a second time. "There's nothing deep or dark to tell. I repeat... we're just good friends. As I said before Hobi used to live next door. We went to school together, though not in the same class. He was two years ahead of me."

"Well, there's nothing remotely boy-next-door about him anymore" came Choon Hee's dry remark. "He has city written all over him. Not to mention success." Hyeonji and Han Byeol nodded to this "I am well aware of that, believe me. I'm not blind, but there's never been any romance between us, and there never will be. He has a steady girlfriend. Goes by the name of Tinashe."

"Tinashe," Choon Hee repeated, her nose wrinkling. "Don't tell me. She's stunning with boobs to die for, hair down to her waist and legs up to her armpits?" Hyeonji startled. "You know her?"

"Nope. Just guessed. Men like your Hoseok always seem to have girls like that on their arm" Choon Hee smirks. "He isn't my Hoseok" Hyeonji said tightly. "But you like him to be, don't you?" Han Byeol added.

Hyeonji opened her mouth to deny it. But her tongue betrayed her when a thickness claimed it. Tears pricked at her back of her eyes.

Her Hoseok...

What a concept. What an improbable, impossible, inconceivable, unachievable concept. To keep clinging to it was not only demeaning to her personally but depressing in the extreme. "There was a time when I did" she said at last, her tone clipped and cold. "But not anymore. I have better things to do with my life than pine for the impossible."

"Impossible? Why do you say impossible?" as Han Byeol curiously asked. "For pity's sake Han Byeol, you've seen him and you too Choon. You guys said so yourself men like Hoseok go for girls like Tinashe, not mousy little things like me."

"You'd be far from mousy if you made the best of yourself. To be frank, Hyeonji, a little make-up wouldn't go astray. And an occasional visit to the hairdresser." Hyeonji stiffened, despite the criticism striking home. "I wouldn't want a man who didn't love me for myself" CHoon Hee said sharply. "That's rubbish and you know it! I'm a married lady and I still have to work hard to keep my man. Now you listen to me, Hyeonji and you too Han Byeol for your sake and Namjoon's." Choon Hee turns to face Hyeonji "Now, when Hoseok comes to take you out tonight. Surprise him."

"Surprise him?" Hyeonji asked dryly feeling nervous about Choon Hee's suggestion. "Yes, leave your hair down. Slap some make-up on." Han Byeol added "Use a sexy perfume. Wear something which shows off that great little figure of yours." Choon Hee nodded in approval.

For a split second, Hyeonji was buoyed up by Choon Hee and Han Byeol's compliments on her figure. But then she thought of Tinashe's tall, voluptuous, sex-bomb body and her momentary high was totally deflated.

"I don't have any sexy perfume," she murmured dispiritedly. She didn't own much make-up either. But she wasn't about to admit that. Choon Hee gave her an exasperated glare. "Then buy some at the mall during your lunch hour!" Their library was in a small regional center which boasted a few shops, a well-stocked chemist shop included. Hyeonji declined telling CHoon Hee and Han Byeol that she only had five dollars in her purse. Sexy perfume was expensive, and she'd rather wear nothing than douse herself in a cheap scent.

Hyeonji actually contemplating asking her friends to lend her some money and reality returned with a rush. She could wear more make-up than a Japanese geisha and drown herself in the most exotic expensive perfume in the world and it would not make Hoseok fall in love with her. "Thank you for your advice ladies," she said with a return to common sense "but I really rather just be myself. Now I'd better get back to these books." Hyeonji resumed checking in the returns, blocking her mind to everything but the thought that at least she would not starve to death tonight after her mother's special birthday meal. Hoseok could buy her something delicious and creamy to go with her after-dinner coffee.

Hyeonji gave no more thought to the girl's advice about make-up and perfume, till she arrived home late that afternoon and opened her carryall to find a paper parcel sitting on top of her house keys. It contained a small but expensive-looking bottle of perfume.

And a note. "Happy birthday darling!" Choon Hee and Han Byeol had written with their usual extravagant hand writing. "This always worked for me. Well, sometimes. Still, what have you got to lose? Go for it! We chipped in so don't worry about it. We love you. Go get your man!"

Hyeonji sprayed a tiny burst of perfume onto her wrist and lifted it to her nose. It was a wonderfully sensual smell, its heavy musk perfume bringing images of satin sheets and naked bodies and untold unknown delights. Hyeonji shook her head. To wear such a scent in Hoseok's presence would be the ultimate torture, and let's face it, Hyeonji told herself, wearing perfume, no matter how sensual, isn't about to turn Hoseok into some kind of sex-crazed lunatic. With a girl like Tinashe in tow, no doubt he has all the sex he can handle. Hyeonji glanced at the perfume's name and laughed.

SEDUCTRESS

Good Lord. It would've been a powerful potion to turn her into that. It was a nice thought of Choon Hee and Han Byeol's, but a total waste of time and money. So was her advice. For Hyeonji she believed she did have something to lose. Her self-respect, and possibly Hoseok's friendship.

Chapter 03

Masterlist

#bts #bangtansonyeondan #btsjhope #junghoseok #btsjhopexreader #fanfic #btsromance #makeover