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lilisette · 3 months

Text

Masks Under the Chandelier | Caleb/Reader

About: A fic idea wherein you and Caleb meet months later in a gala. To you, this person is a stranger you just met. But to this person, you were more than that...

Pairing: Caleb/Reader

Notes: Might actually write this tbh... Caleb is my favorite ngl hahaha...

Warnings: Spoilers for Chapter 4! Please do not read if you haven't read it yet!

Imagine there is a gala or some high class event where you have to attend, perhaps as part of the event's security detail. With all the Metafluxes and Wanderers going about, it's important that the organizers call a few hunters to protect them from harm. But them going in uniform will no doubt alert the guests so you have to go undercover and dress up in a formal party outfit, a gown or whatever you wish to wear.

And by chance, because of all the important people there, the organization that kidnapped Caleb (since he is not dead idc what the game says) is invited to attend too. So they send Caleb, undercover of course, to attend.

Caleb donned a new persona, dyed his hair, wear contacts and all to ensure no one would recognize him. He attends and lo and behold, he bumps into you while wandering the event hall.

While Caleb has a new persona, his voice is still unchanged and when Caleb, in shock, whispers your nickname, cause- wow you looks amazing-, you turn toward him in shock and-

"Pipsqueak?" "Caleb?" "I-" Caleb almost responded to your call, but quickly remembered that he isn't Caleb now... He could never be anymore. "Sorry miss...?" The hope that was evident in your eyes dimmed, and his heart broken all over again when your eyes softened, a sad smile gracing your face. "I'm sorry, I thought... I thought you were someone I knew for a moment." You said, the distance between you and him so close, yet so far. There was an invisible wall between you and him now, and he hated it.

You and him talk for a bit, about why you both were there. Caleb keeps getting distracted by you because he has never seen you like this before, dolled up and oh so beautiful under the crystal chandeliers. There were many times where he almost slipped up and mention something that only the both of you know, but he caught himself. And god does he hate it. He's your best friend from childhood dammit (yes zayne exists but he likes to think you prefer him over zayne), why can't he...

Why can't he be close to you anymore?

It's ironic, Caleb thought, that you were telling him, a stranger, things that he as Caleb never knew. He asked you about who you have mistaken him for, and the answer shook him to his core.

"My childhood friend. He is... well, was, my best friend." You say wistfully, staring off into the crowd and imagining what would it be like if he was still here with you. He was about to make another comment, but stopped when you opened you mouth to continue. "And perhaps... If he was still around... We would've been something much more than that." The guilt and sadness that pierced through him then was so overwhelming it almost made him kneel. And yet, like a glutton for punishment, he asked. "You think you two would've been lovers?" "Not without us being honest with each other for once. But eventually... Yes."

You two talk for a bit more until you both feel a spike in the air, your watch that was disguised as a bracelet alerting you to wanderers in the area. You tell him to not alert everywhere because it will incite panic, and made your exit.

Unbeknownst to you, he trails after you, just like the time before the whole explosion happened. He watches you take down the wanderers with ease but then he sees a wanderer spawning just behind you, and without second thought, he uses his own evol to fling the wanderer away.

But before you could turn to see who it was who saved you, he hides behind cover. And before you could approach the spot, the wanderer stands up again, giving him ample time to slip away.

He watches you return to your post afterwards, and when you spot him again, he asks you whether you're okay and-

"Yes I am, thank you for your concern. Though..." You trailed off, your mind still stuck on the mystery of who saved you back there. "Is there something wrong?" "No! No. I just... No, it's nothing, probably just my imagination." You said, looking away and into the crowd of guests who were unaware of the Wanderer sighting, missing the look of guilt that was plastered all over his face.

Caleb, even under a different persona, was constantly worried about you. He waited for you to report to captain Jenna and escorted you home after the whole event. Before opening the door to your apartment however, you turned towards him.

"You don't have to do this, you know." "I insist." He expected you to open the door and leave, and you two will never see each other again, but instead, you looked towards him and smiled. "I thought about what you said. I think... I think you're right. I should start moving on." You said, and before he could ask why you were telling him this, you handed him your phone. "If it's alright, can we exchange numbers?"

Caleb knew he shouldn't do this. The organization specifically said that he was not to contact you at all costs. But well, Caleb reasoned with himself, they didn't say he cannot contact you while under a new persona. So he gave you his number as well.

The moment you entered your apartment and him in the elevator, he leaned against the wall and sighed.

What the fuck did he just get himself into?

#love and deepspace #love and deep space #love and deepspace caleb x reader #love and deep space caleb x reader #weeeee he gives me so much feels my god #and identity p*rn is one of my favorite tropes so here we are

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thefanficmonster · 1 year

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Request: carmen crushing on reader who is mikey’s close friend/maybe girlfriend

Oooh the angst is sizzling! Hope you enjoy 💕

Just How Fast Life Changes

Pairing: Michael "Mikey" Berzatto x Reader (Female), Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto & Reader (or x Reader, but it's one-sided)

Warnings: Jealousy, Heartbreak

Genre: Angst, Romance, Unrequited Love, No happy ending

Summary: see request above

The train ride home was a brutal twenty hours long. But he didn't care, he needed the time home for the holidays. Couldn't wait to see his brother and sister and even his brother's annoying best friend again after so long.

But, above all yet still pressed deep down, was the need and excitement of the though of seeing Y/N.

It's been two years since graduation, and Carmen's running low on money. Otherwise he would've definitely preferred the much quicker plane ride. He feels like a dog trotting back home, disappointed to the core with its tail between its legs.

New York has certainly knocked him down more than several pegs. He's been made to feel worthless time and time again. It's been two years - intercut with phone calls here and there - since he's felt loved.

Since he's felt love for a fellow person.

His hometown has no shortage of people he adores and loves. Everyone and everything he has is there. Waiting for him to come back whenever he feels like it.

***

"You're such a dork! Let me get it done! You go watch the game." A female voice rises to a higher pitch above the sizzling of oil in the pan on the stove.

The person who said voice is telling off grunts, "You can't do that! I'm not a kid you can send to his room!"

"Quit acting like a child and I might keep you around." The girl teases back, giggling when her boyfriend runs his fingers over her sides, tickling her.

Another scoff is heard among the noises coming from the kitchen, "You guys are disgusting."

"Let them be, Sugar. They'll be arguing like a cat and a dog soon enough. You'll miss this harmony." Another voice joins the mix, bringing a smile of recognition on Carmy's face as he discards his shoes by the front door, dropping his duffle bag.

The four people currently forming too big of a crowd in the kitchen fail to notice the figure in the doorway until his knuckle collides with the doorframe a couple of times, the sound prominent, "Got room for one more in there?"

Four pairs of eyes simultaneously sparkle in his direction and Carmy is all of a sudden reminded what it feels like to be loved and cared for.

The first person to collide into his embrace is his sister, whose arms wrap around him with a surprising strength that seems to squeeze out all the bad New York’s filled him with.

“I take it you missed me, huh?“ He manages to say between caved-in ribs and lungs.

Sugar laughs, back-handing his shoulder as she pulls away, “No, not at all.”

“I didn’t either.“ An even stronger pair of arms wraps around him next. If he hadn’t bulked up these past couple of months Mikey would’ve picked him up off the ground like back when they were kids.

“Dork...“ The blond murmurs, hand coming up to mess up his brother’s hair.

Just like that, many memories start flooding in. It reminds him of just how much he’s missed his home. His siblings, their banter, the sounds and smells of the house, the laughter and undying chatter that resides inside it.

And the family friends that come with it who might as well be family at this point.

Richie is the first of them, coming up to give him a much less sentimental but meaningful nonetheless hug, “Missed ya, cuz.”

“I missed you too, Richie.“ That’s a sentence he could’ve never imagined he’d say when he was a kid. Back then he was the butt of many of Richie’s jokes, making him have rather sour feelings towards him. But it’s safe to say that couldn’t be farther from the truth now.

You know what hasn’t changed even after so much time? The way adrenaline hits him and his heart rate quickens when his eyes meet hers.

She’s the last to come up and welcome him, her hug incapsulating him in the bubble her perfume has created around them. It’s a scent he knows all too well. A scent that’s lingers in his mind and stains many memories he’ll never be able to get rid of.

Rightfully so, it belongs to a very special person in his life. His life-long best friend, the only bright spot in his high school days, his biggest support and inspiration. The girl he could see himself marrying in a decade or two.

The girl that whispers “I missed you” right before she pulls away from him, just to have Mikey’s arm wrapped around her shoulders.

It’s a weird sight for Carmy. He doesn’t remember the two ever being so close before. Michael always seemed to regard Y/N as nothing more than his brother’s best friend. Hell, he can even remember the many times he pestered him for being his girlfriend.

Little did Carmen know how the tables would be flipped on him.

He didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but the night was testing him with each passed minute. Whether it be the slight touches here and there the both of them seemed very accustomed to, or the little ‘babe’s or ‘hun’s they’d drop when talking to one another, it was all getting to him....personally.

Knowing he’d get an earful from Sugar if he allowed her to see him smoking, he purposefully waited for her to busy herself with something before quietly ducking out the door to the garage. He creaks a window open before lighting a cigarette, the puff he inhales doing little to settle his nerves.

“If anyone asks, you didn’t pick this habit up from me...“ The gruff voice that disrupts his peace and quiet damn near makes him drop his cigarette.

Turning around, he finds that it’s Richie, indulging in his own bad habit.

Finding he’s in a safe zone, he Carmy sighs, “Nah, I’ll say I picked it up from Mikey.“

Richie scoffs humorously, coming up to stand opposite him, blowing smoke out the window, “Why don’t you pick up his womanizing charm instead? I’m sure you’d do well with someone by your side. You know, someone to keep you looking forward to something.“

A pair of sky blue eyes roll in annoyance, “Who are you - Sugar? I’m just fine on my own. Probably would be a dead end anyways.” It hurts to admit that out loud, but it’s the truth. Nothing and no one’s ever made him feel like she has. “And if charm was Michael’s strong suit, he’d have a girlfriend by now.”

Richie nearly chokes on a puff of smoke as he barrels into laughter, provoked by Carmy’s statement, “Ah, cuz, you ain’t blind, are you? Deaf? No?” He only stops his semi-berating to cackle some more, “Mikey is in there with his girlfriend. She sat at the same table as us. She’s sat at the same table as us for almost two decades, Carm.”

It’s Carmen’s turn to choke. On the smoke, cold air, his words or shard of his broken heart doesn’t matter. The coughing fit he falls into saves him from having to say anything.

What could he possibly say? How could he possibly recover from that? How could he pretend that the shards of his hard are stabbing him all over - making it hard to speak, to breathe, to feel.

How can he stand on two solid feet after an earthquake like this one. Something that threw his world off its axis. And not something that was a sudden blow. It was a sharp pain between his ribs since he saw his brother drape his arm around Y/N. Richie’s words were just the confirmation, as if he gave permission to the pain to hurt him even more.

It nauseates him, just how fast his life changed.

“Good for them. They’re perfect for each other.“

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starsin-youreyes · 1 year

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honey, i'm home | jjk

❧ pairings: jungkook x f!reader

❧ genre: f2l, fluff

❧ warnings: mrs. jeon. she's the warning. it's just fluff, a grain of angst in the form of obliviousness (?) not proofread

❧ word count: 1.1k

a/n: i don't really write. this is me trying. :( lower case intended.

"honey, i'm hooome." you call out to no one in particular, although your roommate and friend, jungkook, could be here, you're not sure, the two of you jokingly do this all the time.

you hear footsteps coming out of the kitchen. "y/n!" jungkook says a bit frantically. you stare at his widened eyes for a moment, trying to decipher his seemingly startled expression. this is a first, usually, the two of you would just say 'welcome home, honey.', laugh it off and go on with whatever you're supposed to do.

before you come to a conclusion, you hear a woman's laugh, drawing your eyes away from him and directing your attention to the kitchen where it comes from. "is that y/n? jungkook, you didn't tell me you two are finally dating, you talk about her all the time. i just knew you'd be able to tell her about how you fe-"

"mom!" jungkook interrupts. your eyes meets his and then his mom's, you're a little bit ashamed, you don't know what to say, do you tell her it was a joke or just go along with her? it's not that you secretly wish you're actually together everytime you joke around! no way! what a stupid thing to hope for, that's just not the case at all! you're panicking a little. no, no, you can't panic! you have to deny it.

"m-mrs. jeon, i didn't know y-you'd be here. it's not w-what it-" before you finish stuttering, he thankfully interrupts you, maybe he's trying to save you from embarrassing yourself further. what a god send.

"y-yeah, we wanted to tell you in person. r-right, y/n? baby?" you nod your head repeatedly before he could even finish the sentence, stopping abruptly after realizing what he just claimed, you look at him, his ears are red, no doubt matching yours. "oh? is that right? i would've preferred if you told me before i arrived. i always wanted to cook as a celebration when you two finally get together, you know." she excitedly says.

uh, what's that supposed to mean?! when you and jungkook finally get together? she knew this would happen? but why? how? gaining a bit of your composure, "ma'am? what do you mean?" you don't know what to address her, this is your first time meeting her. jungkook likes to talk about his mom and from the looks of it, he definitely likes to talk about you, too. you feel like his mother already knows your future deepest, darkest, secrets.

she looks at you with a gleam in her eyes, "oh, you know," she gestured towards her son.

no, you don't know, you know nothing at all.

"he always had something good to say about you, to the point that i thought you don't exist, surely someone so perfect could only be an imagination. that's until his brother showed me a photo of you together, the one where his looking down at you with a smile that lights up his whole face. i don't remember the last time i've seen him that happy. ah, young love." ending her answer with a dreamy sigh. "and what ma'am? do you mean, mom? i sure hope you do!" she shamelessly added.

young love? you're 26! you're a full on adult! hmp. trying to not show your embarrassment from her detailed explanation and to the implication that she has no qualms about you calling her mom, you look at jungkook with the softest expression he's ever seen on you, making his racing heart calm down a little. had you really been so focused on your feelings towards him, the one you thought would never be reciprocated, so much that it blinded you, unable to see that he feels just the same?

jungkook wonders if you're not angry at him for putting you on the spot like this, it's just his mom's been pressuring him to admit his feelings towards you for a while. he admits that he talks about you maybe a little too much it's kinda pathetic. he's a man in love, okay?

you're now in your room. you somehow managed to get yourself out of that situation, went with the flow, hoping you won't drown in the process. a part of you knows that he won't let that happen, and even if the currents get too strong you won't be able to get out, you feel like he'd willingly drown with you.

you go back to the kitchen after changing your work clothes into something more comfortable but still presentable. you're currently helping jungkook set up the table for the three of you, acting like your normal selves. you both know that you're going to have to talk about your feelings to each other, not you to your best friend and definitely not him to his mom, once his mother leaves for her hotel. you fell into a relaxed conversation with mrs. jeon, you talk about your hometown, while she tells you about what jungkook was like when he was a kid, causing jungkook to pout.

"just you wait, y/n. when i meet your mom, i'm going to charm her into showing me your embarrassing baby photos!" he adorably threatens.

ignoring the implication that he'll surely meet your mom one day and the happiness that blooms in your heart at that scenario. you chuckle, sending a half-hearted glare his way, "i'll have you know, such embarrassing photos doesn't exist! i've always been pretty! even as a baby!" he thinks you're cute when you act like you're angry at him.

"you sure about that? i bet you have a different photo album where you hide the ones you feel embarrass about." reaching out both hands to gently pinch both of your cheeks.

"now, now, can you two behave yourselves? it's time to eat, all that excitement about your new relationship took a lot of energy out of me." that makes the both of you sit on your respective chairs while looking at mrs. jeon sheepishly.

you didn't have to say much, jungkook's mom had no problem filling the silence with her stories about jungkook's childhood, much to his dismay. he had hope that this particular topic wouldn't continue. he can't make his complaints known for he actually learned something new about you, thanks to his mom's personal questions that you really didn't seem to mind. you even looked excited while answering. he always knew you both would get along well if you two were to meet.

now that his mom had left a few minutes ago, the both of you are now sitting on your couch, not too close but not too far from each other. it's time to start your discussion about whatever just happened. you both don't know how to look each other in the eye now that you're alone. what the two of you are sure of is, you both feel the same way towards each other. the thought comforts you both, erasing all traces of unease.

"so..." you finally break the silence, looking at him now, trying to get him to meet your eyes.

"soooo" he echoes, meeting your eyes. a stupid grin on his face.

#jungkook x reader #jungkook fluff #bts scenarios #bts fic #jungkook x you #jungkook x y/n #reader insert

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thefirstknife · 9 months

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I feel like the abandonment of gambit (and to a lesser extent the slowness of updating the other two core activites/vendor armor) is the end result of those activities being free. All of the dev time that used to go in to making new strikes, maps, weapons, armor is in the paid content (seasons and expansions) and the "core playlists" are relegated to being a demo. Strikes are a demo for seasonal activities and raids, crucible is a demo for trials, but gambit never had any paid counterpart, and consequently gets even less attention than the other two. Not even sure if there's an answer here that isn't just "make the base game paid again" but that has its own problems.

That's possibly one of the explanations yeah. I can't even imagine what's going on in Bungie's marketing department and how they view spending resources into free activities. Genuinely something we will probably never know anything about conclusively. I can see how axing one of these would be preferable to them.

Not to mention that Gambit is so far down at this point that they would not only need extra resources, they would need SO MANY resources that it's genuinely just not worth it. Like, nobody would approve financing that. It's still on them because they should've gradually worked on it step by step over the years instead of letting it fall so low, but hindsight is a bitch.

I mean, Gambit enjoyers could've told them a long time ago about the issues, but I'm genuinely convinced that the negative community attitude towards Gambit that has been cultivating for years contributed to this. Gambit doesn't really have big advocates or content creators or people who will make 2700000 tweets a day about the lack of new maps or bad modes. It's a fully accepted "joke" in the community to hate Gambit and it's been around since before I got into Gambit. I also distinctly remember thinking about getting Reckoner back in Worthy/Arrivals and everyone's reaction to it was always "you have to be insane to do that." And like, I did it and had a lot of fun. I 100% enjoyed getting Reckoner. But if you look online, you will only hear about The Horrors. The amount of jokes that I've seen about titles and for Reckoner it's always "If you see someone with Reckoner, know that they're the most insane bitch on Earth to go through that." Unrelatable: I loved it. So even back when Gambit was still good (imo) and Gambit Prime was still in the game, people hated it already. Years of that attitude certainly contributed to where we're at now.

A few more asks under for length, using today to have a group therapy session:

Yep, pretty much. I feel like the moment it became widespread to hate Gambit, something should've been done right away. If the whole community is acting this way, it should be concerning. Bungie should've wondered why the community's stance on Gambit was that it's a horrible thing to play. Not only just to fix Gambit, but also to like. Wonder why they're pushing people into an activity that's almost universally hated. And not only was it hated, but it consistently dropped player population. Like, crucibros hate on the Crucible, but still clock a fulltime job working hours into playing it.

As soon as this became widespread, paired with the fact that no one is doing Gambit content online, it should've sounded the alarms. If resources were put into Gambit over time, something could've been done. Send out surveys to players, to content creators even. What would make you want to play more Gambit? What would make you want to create content for Gambit? What do you expect and want from this playlist activity?

There's so many ways to make changes and so many directions to go to with this game mode. But now it's simply too late. To make any significant fixes, you would have to invest too much and you don't have a guarantee that it will work. Therefore, bye.

Honestly, this. I think this would've been fair. Not to screw over Crucible players or anything, as much as I don't like the crucibros (thanks other anon for this word), I still don't want players to experience what happened to us gambitbros.

But splitting the work between seasons/expansions and giving every playlist the proper focus would've probably helped much more in the long run. Take two seasons and focus on Crucible only. Then take another two season and focus on Strikes only. Then another two for Gambit. Anything like that, as much as needed. And if we need another cycle like it, do it again. I am completely fine waiting when I know that eventually we will get the proper attention and resources.

I can't even gauge how many people are even outraged over Gambit for genuine love of Gambit and how many don't care but they're going to be pretending to be outraged just to join the shitfest. Because if there's a lot of people being outraged for real, then where were all those people when we needed to let Bungie know we want meaningful updates?

But yeah. We'll still be able to play and we'll still be able to do Gambit for our weekly stuff, but I fear that the population of the mode will be really low and imbalanced. We'll have to wait and see. Would definitely have loved if Bungie cycled time and resources between the core playlists over the past few years, and especially if Gambit received at least a little bit of extra love.

#destiny 2 #gambit #ask

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frickingnerd · 7 months

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at our life's end

pairing: noah x gn!reader

summary: your time is over and your last moments have come. noah sends you off...

tags: angst with no happy ending, reader dying, lots of talk/thoughts about death, reader fears death

"please, when the day comes, send me off…"

you had been so young when you asked noah to be the one sending you off. you all planned to make it to homecoming, so that your lives could return to the queen. but even back then, you feared death.

how could you not fear death? you'd cease to exist. everything that you were would vanish. there would be no afterlife, only this vast empty blackness, for all of eternity. like a deep slumber you could never escape from. and all that remained from you would be pitiful embers of light flying upon the sky.

back then, noah had felt uncomfortable about your request, but nevertheless accepted it. you were a bit older than him, so he'd still be around after you. he'd be there to send you off.

but when that moment truly came, it was worse than you had imagined. you weren't in colony 9 anymore, instead being runaways, hunted by both agnus and keves. and you had learned about moebius and the secret behind homecoming. it was like one last punch to the gut, to hear that there really was nothing after death. it was as you always feared.

"the time has come…"

you said what noah knew already. your time was up. your weak legs barely even carried you a few feet before you collapsed, a worried noah quickly by your side.

"i don't think i'll make it to that place. it's a shame… i would've loved to see the sunrise one more time…"

you remembered that place in maktha forest, where you had camped out a few months ago. you remembered that morning when the sun lightened up the entire area. taion had made tea for everyone that morning, sena and lanz were training and noah was practicing with his sword. it was such an ordinary morning, but it meant the world to you. and in your last moments, you couldn't help but think back on it.

"d-don't say that… i'll carry you! we'll still make it! i know we can, if we just…"

noah desperately tried to help you up, to bring beauty to your last moments. but death was ugly. and you had accepted that. perhaps not fully, but you were too tired to fight anymore.

"noah…"

your weak voice made the kevesi boy stop immediately. there were tears in his eyes, that he quickly wiped away. he didn't want you to see him crying. but it made you happy that he cried for you. you meant something to him. it's a shame you only realized it now that it was all over.

"here is fine. send me off here…"

you forced a weak smile onto your lips.

"are you sure…?"

you nodded. you weren't sure. you didn't want to die here. you didn't want to die. but in your last moments, you tried to give your friend some comfort. because your life, the little of it that you had left, didn't just belong to you.

"alright…"

it was quiet. noah pulled out his flute. you could feel your body crumble. like it was slipping away from you. noah looked at you one last time, hesitating. he wanted to say something. but he didn't find the right words. his last words to you were "alright". nothing special. just words you'd hear every day.

noah took a deep breath. then his lips rested on the flute, carefully blowing in air, as his fingers danced over the instrument, producing sounds that were both beautiful and sad.

you held eye contact with him, as you could feel your body slip away from you. slowly, you began to feel numb. there was no pain. you should've been happy that it was so painless. but you felt just as empty as you always dreaded. you would've preferred pain over this emptiness.

then, from one moment to another, there was nothing. like falling asleep and being trapped in a deep slumber. there was no comfort in death. the only good thing about death was that you'd never have to be scared about dying again…

#xenoblade x reader #xenoblade chronicles 3 #xenoblade chronicles #xenoblade noah x reader #xenoblade noah #noah xenoblade x reader #noah xenoblade #xenoblade #xc3 #xc #x reader #x you #x y/n #x gn reader #angst #oneshot #death

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ripspaghet · 4 years

Text

bff | 04

↳ series m.list | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 |

→ pairing: yoongi x reader

→ word count: 4,750

Prologue Summary; Your best friend's boyfriend takes an unhealthy interest in you and just as he shows up something from your past starts to creep up on you again. Could this strange and mysterious man have something to do with it? And should you trust him, or your instincts to run far, far away from him?

→ warnings: angst, swearing

The bell overhead chimes as the doors open, making Seokjin's mouth finally clamp shut before another word can make you slam your head into the register. Your shift had only begun and he was already on a roll about being forced to clean the toilets earlier.

"Welcome to Sil's Coffee, how may we help you?" The slogan fell off your lips like a sigh of relief as you plaster on a bright smile for the customer, coming in from the frigid outside air.

A chuckle erupts from the customer, "I see Seokjin is harassing you again."

"W-What?! I do not-"

"I'd like an iced mocha with caramel. Could you fetch that for me Jin?" Mina slides into the bar chair in front of Seokjin, who bites his tongue before turning around to make her order. The man may loathe his job, but there was no way he'd allow himself to be fired.

"Honestly, just tell him to shut up. You don't have to listen to his whining."

You can hear Seokjin muttering inaudible profanities at Mina and you let out an actual sigh this time, "Seokjin is just expressing himself."

"And this is the best way he knows how? How sad."

"You're coffee." You flinch as a cup is slammed onto the counter and slid into Mina's hands.

"Thanks, handsome." She grins endearingly up at him.

"Can you leave now?"

"Oh, how rude of you to say to a customer. I wonder what the manager would say?"

You pinch the bridge of your nose, "Mina, stop, for fuck sake." Seokjin is presumably the only person who dislikes Mina more than Jimin, although Mina doesn't dislike Seokjin. She actually likes him, despite his constant rambling.

Another chime grabs everyone but Mina's attention back to the entrance to see your stumbling yellow-haired friend enter the shop. He swore as he tripped on the entrance's floor-mate, but quickly composed himself and looked up to send you a dazzling smile before gracefully making his way over the seat in front of you, "Good morning, my ray of sunshine." You open your mouth to return the gesture just before someone else strides in behind him. Dark hair, dark eyes, and pale skin sporting a baggy tee and flannel with tight frayed jeans. You grimace at the sight. Of course, he was here. Why wouldn't he be? Mina was here and wherever Mina was, he had the right to be.

"Couldn't you have done us all a favor and let yourself fall?"

"Like I'd ever do a favor for the likes of you." Jimin retorted swiveling around in his chair.

It's been exactly three weeks since your first session with Yoongi began and you still haven't grown comfortable with the whole ordeal. Especially since Yoongi had all of a sudden started making an effort to include himself in Mina's life more, resulting in him almost always being around. Which is great for Mina, just not so great for you.

"Anyways, how is my love doing?" Jimin reached out for your hands and smiled at you in a way that made it impossible for you to not return the gesture.

"I'm alright." You squeezed his hands reassuringly before pulling away to make his usual drink. At least you had Jimin most of the time. He did a great job of pulling your attention off of the guy just a few feet away from you and settling your nerves.

"I heard how Namjoon left you high and dry. Taehyung has been dogging me for studying material ever since. Is your project coming along alright? I can help you with it?" You tense as you begin pouring the chocolate syrup into Jimin's drink. Maybe you'd spoken too soon again? You hadn't told anyone about studying with Yoongi, out of fear of what Mina would do and judging from the lack of passive aggression coming from her, Yoongi hadn't said anything either.

"N-no, I've got it. You don't need to do that."

"She'd fail for sure if you helped her."

"Mina, nobody was talking to you. Can you shut that trap of yours?" You turn back around and place Jimin's cup in front of him just as Mina reaches over to whack him on the back of the head.

"Yah! Don't you touch me, you witch!"

"Me? A witch?" Mina laughed, "Well, that must make you a troll."

"Mina, stop that." Yoongi's cold metallic voice caught you off guard and you made the mistake of shifting your gaze over to him just as Mina began whining, merely to see he was already watching you, his brown eyes intense and dark.

Things have been very awkward, for you to say the least. You didn't know what to make of this new relationship you had with Yoongi. Hell, even calling it a relationship felt weird and from every angle, it just seemed wrong. When you so much as looked in Yoongi's direction you felt like you'd just transgressed some imaginary line you'd drawn for yourself. Or maybe it had been drawn by Mina. It was normal for the girl to be possessive and paranoid, even more so when it came to a guy she liked. Mina had been friends with a girl in the past that had stolen guys from her left and right, so now she always assumed you, one of her few female friends, was always plotting against her and knowing this made you extremely cautious.

"You two have been extra snarky this week."

You cleared your throat, trying your best to not seem uncomfortable, "Would you like something to drink, Yoongi?"

"A black coffee would be nice."

You nodded, turning again only to have Seokjin place a black coffee in your hands, "I figured he'd order that again, so I went ahead and made it."

"Oh, here," You slid the drink over to Yoongi, sure to avoid eye contact this time.

"Well, with ____ spending all her time studying lately, I'm left alone to deal with this nuisance." Mina jabbed her finger at Jimin.

"What? I'm the nuisance and yet you're the one constantly complaining about this and that and never shutting up?"

"Shut your mouth Park." Mina flushes red as Yoongi turns his head over, suddenly taking interest in their conversation.

Jimin scoffs and turns back to you, "So, can I hear it?"

"Huh?" You tilted your head.

"Namjoon told me about it, don't be coy. I wanna hear it."

Your cheeks flush at the realization of what he was talking about, "He did what?! No way. I'm not letting you hear anything."

"What are we talking about?"

"We," Jimin looking back at Mina, pointing at her and then himself, "aren't talking about anything. Me and ____ are." Mina scoffs and turns away from him as he does the same, overeating his attention back on you, "My best friend won't let me hear her sing?"

"What best friend? Last I checked you have no friends." Mina mumbles under her breath, rolling her eyes at Jimin's pouting lips while sipping her drink. He scowls but is quick to ignore her in favor of you.

Damn, they really are at each other's necks right now.

"Why are you embarrassed? I know you're good. Namjoon said your voice is amazing. In fact, he gushed about it."

"Stop rambling and leave me and my voice alone, Park Jimin."

"You cutie, you're all red, like a tomato." He reaches up to pinches at your cheek but you quickly swat his hands away.

"Shut up."

"Let me hear it and I'll shut up for the rest of my life, just for you."

"No." You turn away from him to busy yourself with work, emphasizing your seriousness. There was no way in hell you'd ever let Jimin, or anyone else for that matter, hear you sing. Sure, Namjoon and Yoongi had heard it, but- your gaze drifted over to Yoongi again to see a small smirk playing on his lips as he stirred his coffee.

"God, you two make me wanna vomit. I can't believe you refuse to admit your dating each other." Seokjin finally spoke again as he wiped down the counter-tops.

"Seriously, get a room," Mina adds.

"Says the two who bicker at each other like a married couple," Jimin smirked over at Mina, who just about spit her coffee out her nose.

"What?!"

"We do not!"

Message from Min Yoongi- 8:11am: The door is unlocked. Just come in when you get up here.

After work, you stalled around a bit before heading towards Yoongi's. You knew if you left right after your shift, Jimin would've tried to tag along. He normally walked you home when he got the chance and as far as he knew you'd been going home every week to work on your project alone.

Your stomach turns as the elevator finally comes to a halt, the doors sliding open, and you step out. More than anyone else, you wanted to tell Jimin about this. You knew he'd have the best advice for you, but you also realize that Jimin hates Mina. He would probably let the information slip on purpose just to piss her off. He'd prefer not to be friends with her because, in his opinion, she's faker than all the plants in his dance teacher's office. You don't doubt he'd take any chance he could to try and show you that, probably saying something along the lines of, "It's for your own good, trust me."

Honestly, you're starting to get pretty sick of this. All the elevator rides you've had to endure are almost as bad as riding an airplane, never knowing if it's going to give out or just break and send you to a gruesome death. You head for Yoongi's door, sending a glare back at the box of threatening death as it's doors slide shut again. You've tried to convince Yoongi on countless occasions to meet elsewhere, but he declines each time, saying, "Why would I go somewhere else when I'm most comfortable here?" You roll your eyes at the memory. That self-centered jerk doesn't care what you put yourself through every week to get to here. Making sure none of your friends, especially Mina, see where you're going, facing your fear of that dumb elevator while doing so, and lying practically to Jimin. Mina would assume you're sleeping with Yoongi if she ever found out. It wouldn't matter what you told her. And imagine if she did find out, even after all your efforts? Every week you had to put up with Min Yoongi's self-centered attitude and constant complaints about how you're, "Too early." Or, "Too late." Not to mention you've been feeling under the weather lately.

One of these days you're really gonna to jump from one of the windows on this floor just to escape from Min Yoongi, because at this point it feels like there is no escape. You go to school, he's there with Mina. You go to work, he shows up with Mina. What did you have in life, if not peace away from that guy?

You give the front door two gentle taps before entering. The penthouse was the same as always, warm and quiet, as the world outside opposed it. It was probably the only thing you enjoyed when meeting with Yoongi, the quiet, something you normally got so little of.

"Back here!"

You jump, whirling in a full circle before figuring out where the voice came from. You follow it down a hallway and to a room. Little decoration fills the room and it's relatively empty, except for a grand piano occupying the center.

"I figured we could transfer your cords into a melody on the piano to place at the deeper parts of the song. I have a feeling it will sound good with your voice."

Your breath catches in your throat, your wide-eyed stare never leaving the piano Yoongi is sat at, as he writes, what assumed to be, notes onto a piece of paper.

"Come sit, " He gestures you over, still not looking at you. Your feet feel like they've rooted themselves to the floor and it takes all of your strength just to do as he says and bring yourself to the piano, trying your best to ignore the way your heart stills as you sit down next to Yoongi, a sharp fear piercing through you like cold wind.

"You play?" Your voice comes out dry as your eyes linger on ivory keys.

"Yeah, I learned when I was little." Yoongi finally brought his gaze over to you to watch as you lightly move your fingertips up and over the keys, "Do you?"

You frown and pull your hand away from the piano, "No."

Yoongi hums and places his fingers onto the keys before playing the first few notes of your song, "That's too bad. This would be a lot easier if you did."

"Well, I don't." You sneer at the sound of your song coming from the piano and stand back up, realizing that this had been a horrible idea, "Listen, I'm not feeling up for this today. I'm gonna go." Your mind was beginning to cloud with distraught memories and all you could focus on was getting away from the piano as you stood up. You weren't fast enough though.

Yoongi stood up after you, following you out of the room, "Is everything alright?"

"I just want to go home."

His pace quickened as you approach the front door and he was in front of you before you could reach it, "Do you not like the piano idea?"

You glare at him, "The idea is fine, I just want to go home, as I said."

His eyes dart all across your face as if he's still trying to read you, to understand what had set you off.

"I'll be going now." You attempt to sidestep him, only to be abruptly cut off by Yoongi placing a hand to your forehead, "W-what are you-"

"You look really pale, I don't think you should-Woah," He steps back out of shock after feeling your temperature, "you're burning up."

"I'm fine, just let me-"

"____," Yoongi's eyes narrow on you, his voice dropping a couple octaves, "go sit on the couch and I'll get you some medicine."

You hesitate for only a moment before giving in, "Fine, whatever." You stomp away from him, over to the couch before plopping down onto it. Admittedly, your head was starting to pound and you couldn't deny the cold sweat that was beginning to settle in along with the aching of your whole body. It'd be just your luck that you'd caught the flu or something, only to start showing symptoms after arriving at Yoongi's, of all places. You'd honestly prefer being at Jimin's house right about now and he'd probably be smothering you right about now. You should've just canceled today and walked home with Jimin.

"Here, take this." Yoongi returns within a few minutes, crouching down in front of you before placing a pill in one of your hands and a glass of water in the other, "This should reduce your fever."

"And how am I suppose to trust that you're not drugging me?" You raise an eyebrow at him accusingly, but he just gives you a skeptical look.

"It's ibuprofen, ____."

You watch him hesitantly, before plopping the pill into your mouth, and tilting your head back to drink the glass of water. You hadn't expected yourself to drink the whole thing, but you did, and rather quickly.

Yoongi takes the glass from you and places it on the coffee table behind him, "Are you hungry?"

"I really don't-" You're cut off by the sound of your treacherous stomach growling at the mention of food.

"I'll make soup." Yoongi gets up again, heading back to the kitchen before you get the chance to protest further than you already have. Your head is starting to spin and you have to lay down just to keep yourself from running to the bathroom to vomit. No way would you be caught dead throwing up in Min Yoongi's bathroom. You'd jump from a window before that happens. You close your eyes, waiting patiently for Yoongi to return with food. You hadn't even noticed yourself drifting off.

The ground beneath is dry, altered to a sandy substance. Dull silence replaces loud screeching alarms, and instead of hazy darkness, something else lurks amongst the unknown. The difference between now and then is an odd sense of familiarity tugging at your heart. You know all too well what this nostalgia is, but you refuse to move towards it. The mere memories are enough to coax out inner demons dwelling behind your walls. A place you once called home.

“It's unnecessary, ____.”

A harsh memory, filled with a harsher smell of gin and gasoline forces itself forward. One of those memories a child prefers to suppress, yearning to someday forget it...pretend it never happened. Although, bad memories die-hard, just as bad habits do and the specific way that man had always held onto second agendas and gave everything a double standard was etched into your mind. You can never seem to escape him, no matter how hard you try.

Especially here.

Such a strange feeling it gave you. Do others feel this? A looming dark hole in the cradle of their heart, remaining, even if eventually, and inevitably, a change comes. A childlike intuition told you how it was fated, as it was for a reason beyond your knowing that the place you once called your home would burn, that - that man's eyes would close and the smell of gin and gasoline would fade into something much more horrendous, along with that godforsaken piano. And then, and only then, you would realize that home never truly felt like home.

"____?"

And him, that damned voice will only further remind you of that misery and loss.

"Wake up, it's just a dream."

Mark my words.

"____," You whimper at the feeling of someone's hand against your cheek and you lean into it, "what's wrong?"

Your eyes open slowly and it's only then that you realize the wet tears running down your cheeks, "W-what?"

"Why are you crying?" You look up, seeing Yoongi's dark worried eye on you as he wipes away your tears with his thumb.

You sit up slowly, your head still spinning and skin still aflame with a fever, "I-I don't remember."

"Here," Yoongi moves an arm under your legs and to your back before hoisting you up.

"W-what are you doing?! Put me down!" You have no strength to fight against him in your current state, but that doesn't stop you from yelling at him.

"I'm moving you somewhere comfortable, be quiet." He walks out of the living room and back down the hallway that had previously brought you to the piano room, only this time he walks passed that room and into another at the end of the hallway. He sits you down on a bed and covers you with a blanket, "I'll go heat up the soup, and once you're done eating you should get some more sleep."

You only nod and watch as Yoongi leaves the room before pushing the covers off of you and standing back up. You make your way over to the door and back down the hall, only briefly stopping to leer into the piano room. You'd have to make up an excuse later to leave the piano out of your song. There's no way you'll be able to stomach hearing the sound of it every time you work on the piece. Once you make it to the front door you're quick to exit, despite hearing Yoongi's footsteps exiting the kitchen at the same time. You don't care all too much if he sees you leaving, you just need to leave. Sure, your head is spinning and your joints ach, but letting Yoongi take care of you while sick is crossing that line that had been laid down.

While in the elevator you have to sit on the floor and pray to reach the bottom soon. The motion of moving down is only making you all the more nauseous, so when the doors finally open you're surprised to see that the sun has already set, despite you showing up here early this morning. Had you really slept that long? Yoongi must've had his curtains closed. You stand back up and your stomach growls in anger as you make your way out of the building. You really were hungry, to the point that it feels like your stomach is digesting itself, but you're desperate to get away. You don't want any misunderstandings.

"Madam, may I assist you in finding a-"

You cut off the doorman, turning in the direction of your apartment, "I'm fine."

"Miss, the streets are dangerous at this time of-"

"I'll be fine, Jackson. Good night." You ignore the polite man's pleas for you to let him help you and continue down the street and away from him. You have no money for a taxi or uber and you aren't going to let someone else, you barely know, pay for you. The last thing you need is to owe someone or make them think you're poor, not that you aren't, due to college debt, but that's beside the point.

"Woah, look what we've got ourselves here." A group of burly looking men walk around the corner of an alleyway just as you're about to pass it and your expression turns sour. Of all the nights.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing out so late?" There's four of then, but only the tallest of the bunch is quick to close the distance between the two of you.

"I don't think that's any of your damn business." You glare up at him, attempt to regulate your breathing. Your fever is making you feel like you're extremely out of shape so that just the smallest amount of walking you've done so far had you almost breathless.

"Oh! A feisty one!" A disgusting grin pulls up the man's cheeks as he laughs at your bold response.

"Get out of my way." You wave your hand at him, trying to move around his broad shoulders only for another one of the guys to come up beside him, blocking your way.

"No, I think you should stay and hang out with us for a while."

You huff and run the back of your hand across your forehead, nonchalantly whipping away the sweat to try and hide how weak you actually felt before letting a fake smile pull up your lips, "Oh, yeah?"

The man opens his mouth to reply, but before he can get a word out you're darting across the empty street.

Yes, you felt like shit, but that didn't mean you were gonna give up without a fight. The group of men yells after you, taken by surprise and you can hear their heavy feet scurrying after you. Thankfully, you're fast enough that once you've made it across the street you can start towards the nearest convenience store. Thinking you're about to be home free, your heart races with anticipation only to sink down in terror a second later as a hand yanks you into an alleyway way and covers your mouth, muffling your scream. You thrash and kick, panic shocking your body like electricity.

"Stand still, ____. You're going to break my nose." The whisper has you stilling in the person's arms.

"Yoon-"

"Shut up!" He whispers yells, covering your mouth again.

"Damn it! Where did she go!?"

"I almost caught her."

"No, you fucking didn't! You were behind all of us, you idiot !"

You freeze and sink further into the person's arms out of seer terror as the four men pass the alleyway you're hiding in.

"When I find that bitch, she's gonna wish she never ran."

The grip around you tightens in an almost protective sort of way. The feeling comforts you, but tears still begin welling up in your eyes before the group of men finally carries on down the cold streets. Once they're out of hearing range the hand over your mouth moves and you're turned around to face none other than Min Yoongi.

He eyes you up and down, concern evident in his features, "Are you alright?"

You can only imagine how not alright you look, cheeks red from the cold, eyes glassy from fear, after having your adrenaline wear off. You probably look like a complete mess, but you still manage to nod in response to his question.

"Are you stupid? What the hell were you thinking? I told you to stay because you weren't feeling well and now look what you've gone and gotten yourself into. Why couldn't you just listen to me? Something could've happened. What if I didn't followed you?"

You stare up at Yoongi, trying to listen to what he's saying and gripping his arms tightly to keep yourself upright as a loud thumping began echoing in your ears, everything around you starting to spin, "I-I'm sorry, I-"

"____?"

You fall, losing your grip on Yoongi as all your strength leaves your body, and you faint.

You groan and stretch, your eyes slowly opening. The light shining in through your window burns your retinas.

"Finally, I was beginning to think you were dead."

"Huh?" You look over, next to your bed to see Jimin sitting there with a tray of breakfast in his lap.

"How-What are you doing here?" You croak.

Jimin raises an eyebrow, "You don't remember? You must have felt pretty bad."

"Jimin, " You cough, trying to sit up, and he's quick to help you, "what are you talking about?"

"You texted me last night that you felt really sick and needed help. I was surprised at first, but once I got here I understood that you weren't kidding. You were tossing and turning in bed and sweating as if you'd just ran for hundreds of miles."

You frown, trying to recall your memories from last night.

"Are you alright?" Jimin rubs your back soothingly.

"I-I'm fine." Your voice squeaks as you push Jimin's hand off you.

He raises an eyebrow at you again, your reaction surprising him, but drops it, figuring it's probably because you're sick, "Well, here's your breakfast. I'm going down to the cafeteria to get you some water. Call me or text me if anything happens or if you need something, okay?"

"O-okay, " You take the tray of food from him and he nods before getting up and leaving. You look around your room, briefly glancing over at your roommate's bed. Hopefully, she'd been out all night and hadn't seen anything.

You jump as your phone starts ringing, your tray of food nearly flying up in the air. You quickly grab your phone, accepting the call without checking the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Hm, you sound a lot better today. How are you feeling?"

The sudden sound of his voice has your whole face heating up and your stomach flipping over in an unexplained manner, "Y-Yah! Why are you calling?! What do you want?!"

"What are you being rude for? Didn't I save your life?"

You scoff, "I would've been perfectly fine without your help. I had a plan."

"Oh, really?" He asks sarcastically, "And what was that? Run until you collapse from exhaustion?"

"I-I don't need to explain myself to you!"

"Right, it's not like I had to drag you all the way to your dorm last night, because you refused to listen to me, or anything."

"I didn't ask for your help!"

"Well, since you seem to be fine now and you don't need my help, I'll hang up." His voice is condescending and mocking. The sound of it makes your blood boil and you can't help but respond with malice.

"Fine! Hang up!"

"Try not to go running down the street in the middle of the night again, yeah?"

"I'll do whatever I want!"

His laughter fills your phone's speaker and you found yourself turning even redder, "I'm sure you will, ____, seeing as you do that and nothing else."

"I'm hanging up!"

"Alright, "

"Shut up!" You pull your phone away from your ear swiftly and end the call. You huff and throw your phone to the end of your bed. You can't understand why you'd just been so childish. He had helped you. Why did you respond so absurdly? You could feel something burning inside your chest, the feeling of it was making you irrational. You run your hands through your hair distress-fully and whine, "What's wrong with me?"