#if i can secure 4 day work schedule instead of 5 again maybe i will storyboard this based on my memory LOLLL... | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

yn-x-animeboy · 3 years

Text

Jungkook x y/n (as a famous artist) Pt.5

pairing: reader x Jungkook

genre: fluff, romance, for entertainment purposes

BTS x Fem Reader

synopsis: You are a popular artist in America, pretty famous, loved and well-known by the general public (actually you were one of the top 10 artists in the world but you are pretty humble and naïve to realize your popularity), one day during one of your fan meets you talk about how much you love BTS, and not only how you wish to meet them and work with them but how Jungkook is one of your celebrity crushes. During the meet you fangirled with other ARMYs in the crowd; video clips of you fangirling and talking about BTS at your meet where posted and reposted all over social media. This obviously broke the internet because you were not only a famous singer but you also were always accepted and loved by ARMY and this made a lot of people happy. Suddenly it felt like everyone wanted you to meet the seven handsome and talented idols and collaborate, but you could only wish, you believed they didn't even know who you were...or so you thought

part 4: here

-----

Part 5- TIME SKIP

(a/n I will do another time skip so it wont turn out to be a 500 part fanfic)

Mini Billboard awards recap:

After the drunken hotel chaotic night you all were late for rehearsals, both your and BTS’s staff looked for you guys’ everywhere in the morning and the last place they thought to look for you all was in Jin’s room. Let's just say it was in general an interesting experience to find eight adults sleeping soundly in uncomfortable random positions.

You all finally headed to your rehearsals for the performances. They invited you to watch them rehearse when you were taking a break from your own rehearsal. Even though the guys were tired, hungover, and their muscles ached from sleeping all over the place; they did such an amazing job at rehearsal, they were so professional.

During the live award show your fans and ARMYs lost it everytime you guys would interact during the awards; the fact that you had met them last night and you all seemed to be such good friends now made fans so happy. Once again your name and BTS’s were going viral on social media; a bunch of ‘fancams’ were filmed and posted focusing on you all.

You and BTS won all the categories you we’re nominated for that night and your performances went great too. That night after the award show ended, instead of going to the Awards After Party, you all decided to not go and instead hung out in Jin’s room again for the night. You ordered room service and champagne (this time everyone was only allowed to have 2 glasses max.).

After being all drained form the long day, you all went to your personal rooms. Jungkook again offered to take you to your room. When you arrived at your door you turned and looked at eachother, this time sad smiles painted your faces, you had held in the tears when you where in Jin’s room because you felt sad your first real friends in the industry were going back to Korea tomorrow just like that.

Now you were standing in front of Jungkook, the man of your dreams, a literal fantasy that came true all thanks to your fans and supporters; you couldn’t help but tear up at the thought of letting someone like him go.

You broke eye contact and turned towards the door to hide your tears, a small sniff from behind you made you stop dead in your tracks. Jungkook turned you around and hugged you tightly as he hid his face in the crook of your neck. You also wrapped your arms around him in response.

He loosened his hold and avoided eye contact with you as he was getting more and more emotional, his eyes where red and glossy; he cleared his throat and said “Well I think I should get going, It was so nice hanging out with you y/n- and meeting you, good night” he gave you another tight sad smile and walked off with his head hung low.

You reached him and held onto the back of his shirt, “Don’t go....” you sniffed and played with the back of his shirt. “Do you want to.. maybe... hang out a little longer? O-only if you want to” you said awkwardly, but he smiled and nodded.

You went to the terrazze you had visited just the day before and sat on the outdoor chairs. You sat there talked all night. You stayed up until you could see the sun slowly rising; you both stood up, taking the sunrise as a sign to go back inside. Before you could even begin to move towards the door, “Y/n, can I hold you one more time?” Jungkook said, he was trying so hard to smile and not make you cry, but his little voice crack as he said it betrayed him. You sobbed and hugged him again, after a while he sat down, sitting you on his lap. You stayed like that until you received a “wake up” phone call from one of your staff members.

----

In the morning you all met each other outside the hotel, the boys said goodbye to you one by one hugging you and saving your phone number in theirs. They even made plans, comparing your schedules and timezones, so that they could all facetime you daily.

While you waited for your assigned cars to pick you up, you all teared up and huddled together saying goodbye once again. Paparazzi were peeking through the crowd of security and staff members to get an insight to the sad goodbye.

----- time skip ----

It has been almost a year since the Jimmy Fallon Show. Even though the distance made everything more complicated, the guys have done everything in their power to make time in their busy days to dedicate time for you. After almost a year of daily video call conversations and catch-ups you have become such good friends, they even call you ‘yeodongsaeng’ (little sister) now; (the only one who doesn’t call you that is Jungkook tho, he calls you by your name or by random nicknames).

They have kept their promise after all this time, they facetime you EVERYDAY, they have never missed a day where they don’t call you, sometimes not all the seven members can be there for the call, but even if there is only one BTS member available, you WILL recive a call from them.

You also have individual calls with the guys from time to time:

Jin calls you once in a while when you are making dinner to help you/guide you and or just talk to you.

Suga calls when he is stuck writing lyrics or creating beats for new songs, or just for musical advice. You are always the first to hear new BTS music now.

Jimin calls when he feels like talking, you have become each other's personal psychologists

J-Hope calls you every couple days to have “lunch together” through a screen.

RM calls you too to chat a lot, you both recommend each other good books and even exchange lyrics from time to time. He also asks you to revise english lyrics to make sure they sound okay.

Taehyung calls you for pretty much everything: for advice, opinions, to catch up, for help, to keep him company etc. He always knows how to make you laugh, and regularly interrupts your calls with other members.

Jungkook…. He doesn't just call you “sometimes”, he not only participates in the ‘daily facetime group call’, but he also calls you everyday before you go to bed, no matter what time it is in Korea or how busy he is, we always calls and to wish you a good night sleep; keeping you company and not hanging up until you fall asleep. Plus you two constantly text back and forth 24/7.

You loved calling the guys and catching up with them every day, those calls were the highlight of your day; but every time you got a phone/video call, text, mail, snap, ANYTHING that was sent by Jungkook, your heart always skipped a beat; you felt tingles on the tips of your fingers every time you answer back; you smile stupidly at your phone and even now can’t sleep without your nightly virtual tuck in from Jungkook.

(Deep down you knew your ‘platonic crush’ had become a real crush but you still denied it because in your mind, still, dating him seemed something impossible, but after every conversation you two have had over the course of almost a year left no doubt in your mind, he was the one for you)

-----

One day, you visited your label’s building, you had a scheduled meeting pretty early in the morning, you had never been this early anywhere, it was currently 5:30 am. and you were just arriving. Once you step into the meeting room you are greeted by the intimidating group of businessmen and businesswomen who are part of your team. Even though they are intimidating and powerful; they are kind hardworking people; they really respect you and always listen to what you want or have to propose.

Walking in, you are greeted respectfully by them; the boss of the company stands up, gives you a side hug, and opens the chair next to his, inviting you to sit there, after you take a seat and your manager takes a seat next to you too. The meeting begins going over normal business stuff you don't really understand, (Sam would probably just translate the info later into simple words for you.) They talked about numbers, statistics and percentages until someone’s assistant said the ‘important person’ they had been waiting for was finally ready.

You turned to the door as you expected the ‘important guest’ to come in through the door, but instead his video call was answered and projected on the room’s screen from a laptop.

You recognized him immediately, he was BTS’s PD Bang Si-hyuk, he was the owner of BTS’s label company. You greeted him through the screen in Korean but he actually greeted you back in English before greeting your team.

the meeting’s summary:

Bang Si-hyuk talked about how much BTS liked you as a person and as an artist; and how the Hybe Corporation also really admired and respected you.

He invited you to Korea next week to meet the Hybe corporation, and overlook some business proposals

He also offered for you to participate in RUN BTS, while you were there and hang out with the boys if you agreed.He hinted you would be seeing them more often, which made you more confused

You agreed to go and to visit the company and OBVIOUSLY to see the guys, but still, you were confused as to why this offer was being made, why now, why you, why?

After you kindly thanked him, you also asked why he was doing it. You were confused why make such a big deal for you to visit, and what he meant by ‘business proposals’ you were to overlook there.

Bang Si-hyuk tried to explain in short and simple words; he explained that: Hybe and your label company had had meetings before, overlooking the possibility of merging part of your company under your name with Hybe, they were not only interested in collaborating with you, but actually working with you. This would give you many more opportunities as an artist and for your label’s name. (your company has connections to other music companies in other countries too, but this time it felt more of a big deal to you than the others tbh)

In conclusion if you agreed, and signed the contract; you could become part of the Hybe company while staying under your Label’s name

By doing this, it meant: 1. you had an extra contact in Korea (just like your company had in other countries) 2. extra work opportunities (thanks to your Korean speaking skills and influence) 3. possible future collaborations with BTS mainly, plus other K-pop artists 4. becoming a producer for other artists under the Hype record label (something like what Suge does irl; you are now able to produce or work behind the scenes making music for you, BTS, and others. a.k.a your dream come true) 5. SO ON AND SO ON.

You asked for the papers and after revising them with your lawyer and team you signed it, satisfied and excited tho what's to come.

You worked hard and finished all of your weekly tasks and even worked on things you had scheduled for next weeks. Before you knew it you were on your way to Korea…

You traveled on your private plane; you used it mainly to travel and avoid creating crowds in airports. (this was safer for you, your team and fans.)

When you arrived at Seoul, as you were getting off the plane and looked up after watching your feet as you went down the plane’s steps you saw seven boys stand out from the other people. They ran towards you and huddled around you hugging you tightly, they didn't let go of you, even as you all walked towards the assigned cars and again tightly rode the same car together like that one time after meeting on your way to the hotel. Staff members laughed at the Deja vú they felt as they saw a recreation of that chaotic day a year ago

It felt as if you all had never left each other, no weird silence, or awkward interactions, you all picked up where you left off.

When you arrived at the Hyde building, Hybe bilingual staff greeted you and your team, introducing themselves as the people who would be in charge of our care while visiting.

They took you and the few team members from your staff traveling with you to one of the floors where they gave your team some temporary office cubicles, so they could do their jobs while away from their cubicles back in America.

The Hybe staff also showed you to a private studio/office next to Sugas’s, it was decorated for you, it was spacious, comfy and waay better than your studio/office from back home. They told you they wanted you to have a personal space where you could hang out or work, since it was probable you would now be traveling back and forth from Korea and the US, due to the new business alliance between your companies.

The guys showed you around the building and introduced you to many Hybe staff members. They all made you feel at home.

You visited PD Bang Si-hyuk at his office and met him in person. He was so kind and welcoming, totally opposite from what you were expecting. He told you how excited he was for you to be part of the team and to work with your company. He also asked you if you could record a short video for his nieces who loved you.

Then, after finishing the tour the guys took you to their favorite restaurant in Korea; they taught you how to eat Korean food, how to properly hold chopsticks and about general Korean culture.

They showed you to the nice building of apartments where they currently lived and where you would also be staying when you came here.

You all toured you apartment and hung out the rest of the afternoon, enjoying each other's company.

After having dinner and chatting for hours the boys waved you off as they left your temporary home; they wanted to stay up and drink (again Jimin’s and Jin’s idea) with you but they knew you were super jet lagged from the time difference, fighting off sleep as you tried to enjoy your time with the guys.

They lived in the same apartment complex, but a different building, (a lot of famous Korean celebrities stay here too due to the security and convenience)The apartment complex was almost like a hotel resort or a private villa/island, it was huge, it had everything, form tennis courts, gyms, cafés, etc. It was also close to all the major ‘artist’ studios, sets, buildings.

So once the guys left, all they had to do to get home was ride the elevator down to your building’s the main floor, walk a bit, enter their building, get on an elevator, go up a couple floors, walk a little more and then into their shared million dollar apartment that was a literal castle compared to your apartment. (your apartment was big and luxurious too, but theirs was a multimillion dollar apartment)

You just arrived and felt so at home, everyone was so nice and promised to take good care of you. Nobody looked down at you or your team for being foreign or for being the ‘new guys’. Everything felt again like a dream. One day you are talking about BTS to your fans, the next you meet them, the next you are making contracts with the company they work for, the next you will be working with them; What’s next?

For now you are in Korea for two weeks max. The plan was to introduce you to the company, talk about future plans, projects, etc., and once that is done, go back to America and every couple of months or weeks depending on the schedules, travel back to Korea, etc, etc.

----

You brushed your teeth as an uncontrollable smile painted your face. Once you got ready for bed and finished texting your staff members making sure they were comfortable and well taken care of after a long day, you heard a knock at the door. You cringed at the noise, you felt as if you were hung over almost, in reality really you were just super Jet lagged (the day before coming here you binged watched a TV show in one night, packed just hours before leaving to the airport and ditched sleep all together before and during the plane ride...stOpid) You stumbled around the unknown apartment with the lights off towards the door; it was not that late at night but who would be looking for you right now.

When you looked through the peephole you recognized them immediately; their hair was now a little longer from the last time you saw them, they had different earrings decorating their ears, they seemed different, still super attractive, but that smile did not change at all, it was still that adorable bunny smile that seemed melt your heart every time.

You quickly typed the alarm code, unlocked the multiple locks on the door and swung it open, revealing a nervous Jungkook, you had hung out with him and the guys less than an hour ago, but now he was nervous… (he was scared you changed your mind about him after almost a year from meeting and seeing each other in person, he was scared that he was not you celebrity crush anymore, he was scared that the real feelings he had developed form all your daily video calls, texts, random phone calls were not corresponded, he was scared that you had forgotten about those night at the terrazze, he was scared you had changed after a year).

As he stood frozen you couldn’t wait or control yourself any longer and you flung yourself towards him; you hugged him as tight as your body could (during all the time you hung out today you never once had a moment just the two of you alone) but as you leaped and wrapped your hands around him you started thinking about him and how he could be feeling right now and couldn't help but feel a little insecure, (what if he had come all the way back here to tell you whatever happened a year ago in New York at that terrazze was a mistake, that all the calls and texts were just friendly exchanges, what if he came to tell you you were better off as friends or worse.. better of as colleagues…)

It took Jungkook a split second to respond to your hug, you loosened your grip as those thoughts had sworn in your head, and after realizing Jungkook was not hugging you back, so you prepared yourself to get your heart broken… but that all went away as Jungkook wrapped his arms around you, he lifted you a little off the ground as you rewrapped your arms around him, hiding your your face in the crook of his neck. You inhaled his scent as he held you even tighter against him. He rocked your bodies lightly as you held each other in front of your door.

After, you loosened the hold on each other, but didn’t let go, you looked into those beautiful dark brown eyes you had missed and had prayed to see in person one more time after all this time; He lifted his hands from around you and cupped your face, lightly stroking your cheeks back and forth with his thumbs. “hi” you said, just like that one time in that New York terrazze, “hi” he responded with an adoring smile as his eyes traveled through your face, looking at your every detail, he didn’t want to miss anything, h was so glad to finally see your face in person instead of on a 2-D cellphone screen.

As you two stood outside looking at each other you suddenly shivered a little from a cold air breeze that swooped by, it was pretty chilly outside compared to your comfy apartment’s room temperature, it was almost winter; you gently took your arms from his neck and wrapped them around you to warm you up. You had answered the door barefoot, in your pajama shorts and oversized flowy t-shirt without thinking twice. But you then realized Jungkook was wearing a short sleeve oversized shirt too, it was pretty chilly outside and he came all the back to your apartment not wearing a hoodie or jacket.

“Omg Jungkook it's cold outside why wouldn’t you wear a jacket, jeez” you said as you pulled on his arm leading him inside the apartment to keep him from the cold. “Actually I came back here to get my hoodie back,” Jungkook said. A small “Oh…” escaped your lips as you switched on the light illuminating the once dark room “I see” you again said, almost whispering, avoiding his look as you walked deeper into the room to look for the missing hoodie. You felt disappointed almost, ‘he came back for his hoodie duh, why would he have bothered coming back to ONLY see you’ you though as you looked in the living room, you didn't see the hoodie there so you then went to the small dining room next to the kitchen to see if it could be there, ‘maybe he took it off before we all sat and ate the take out dinner for dinner’. You spotted the black fabric neatly sung over the seats’s back where JK sat earlier.

Jungkook took off his shoes and tried to catch up with you before you could take the hoodie off the seat and after seeing your reaction to what he had just said; yes he actually did leave his hoodie by accident, but that wasn’t the reason why he came all the way back, so when he saw how your face dropped and heard that reply of yours, it gave him the courage to say why he came back.

He took a deep breath and cleared his throat before saying “Um, y/n, actually, ‘me forgetting my hoodie’ was just an excuse to come back here and see you again” he swallowed and looked down at his feet. “I don’t really care about the hoodie, I wanted to come here and see what would happen; if you would be excited to see me alone, if you would be glad or happy it was me at the door, you have no idea how bad I wanted to be the first and only one to hold you as you got of the plane, how badly I wanted to run towards you, picking you up and not let go, how bad I wanted to spend the day just the two of us and just- um *clears throat again*” he fiddled with his fingers, he was so nervous to admit that outlawed he didn't even notice you turning back to look at him as he confessed. You found his actions to be so adorable and cute.

You giggled and stood in front of him, once you were closer you carefully took his fiddling hands in your left hand and used your right hand to lift his face up to look at you. “Thank you, you made me really happy by coming here to see me, I missed you so much too and couldn’t wait to hang out with you again, I only wished for an opportunity where only the two of us could hang out, but you took the courage to come all the way back here, thank you” you responded to him and his actions with a warm and loving smile that made Jungkook’s legs feel like giving out and heart feel as it could explode.

He again observed your face now under a brighter light, he couldn’t believe how your face could look so, or more, beautiful then you face with the light makeup you wore just hours ago. You broke eye contact and spoke, “So um do you have to leave anytime soon?” as you looked anywhere but his face. Your tired eyes and shy tone warmed his heart even more “No, I don’t….. why?” he lowered his face, closing a big gap of space in front of you, forcing you to stop avoiding eye contact and look at him again.

“Well um I was thinking we could hang out again tonight. I could make some…. *you yawn* popcorn and watch a movie, or I could make some coffee and we could talk, or…..” you wanted to keep going but you felt another yawn coming so you stopped talking to fight it off. Jungkook chuckled at your adorable yawns. He took the hoodie he had forgotten in the first place form the chair behind you and put it over your head.

“Y/n you are tired, I think it’s best if you rest and tomorrow we could find a way to hang out again just the two of us…” he said as he fixed the hoodie around you, but you cut him off, “Please don’t leave, I haven’t seen you in a year Jeon Jungkook.” you realized how needy and clingy you sounded, but you actually did want to hang out with him.

You rubbed your tired eye, fixed the hair around your face (your hair was inside the hoodie but some baby hairs tickled your face) and looked back at him, his eyes were wide and surprised at your reaction to him leaving, “I’m sorry, it’s okay, I get it. I don’t want to make you do anything you don’t feel like doing, it’s okay...guess i will see you tomorrow then” you said as you tried to hide the sad look off your face and smile at him.

He was moved, the fact that you didn’t want him to leave meant so much to him, he took you face in his hands and kissed your forehead softly, he then kissed the end your your nose he then kissed the space next to your lips, he didn’t want to kiss you and make you feel uncomfortable or taken advantage of; but you being you, immediately spoke as he kissed the side of your lips ``aye that is not my lips...what a tease” in a sleepy tone. He chuckled as he opened his eyes and looked at you. You had your eyes closed, head slightly looking upwards and a smart smile, as you found your own reaction funny.

He chuckled and blurted out: “cute..”. You opened your eyes to clap back, but before you could even open your mouth and say something back he leaned in again, shuting you up real quick…. but he leaned slowly…..very slowly…..v eee r y slowly…...SUPER SLOWLY, he was taking his dear time, he now discovered he liked teasing you like this. You got impatient and just closed the space between you for him, giving him a short peck before pulling away. This was the first kiss you have had after a year; you walked around him to tease him back for teasing you in the first place. He stopped you by placing his arm around your waist, “Are you expecting me to accept ‘that’ as our first kiss after being apart for a year…” he said.

“Oh, so I’m not a good kisser? Was that not good enough.. okay… I guess I-'' you played the victim but were quickly cut short by Jungkook pulling the hoodie on you towards him and stealing a kiss from you.

You smiled against his lips at his neediness, but kissed him back as you placed your hands on the back of his head, sliding your fingers through his hair. He slid his hands under your hoodie and placed them on your bare waist, and pulling you even closer. You kissed each other slowly, taking in every detail about the kiss, not wanting to miss a thing; as things heated up you picked up the pace, the sweet kiss turning hungry and deeper. He moved his hands from your waist downwards and your once delicate fingers playing through his hair suddenly pulled softly making him groan against your lips; he squeezed his hands behind you making you whimper against his lips, he used this as an opportunity to deepen the kiss even more; he had lifted his hands and placed back on your sides as he softly caressed your skin under the hoodie, you wanted to to that too; so you slid your hands from the back of his head, down to his chest and too, under his shirt, you could feel his abs tense as your cold fingers lightly brushed against his skin, continuing to slide your hands around his torso, and gently running your fingers on his skin. That action made his breath hitch at his throat and his heart skip a beat.

The two of you kissed passionately taking the other deeper, not wanting to let go. After a while you both slowly pulled away, breathlessly and numb from the kiss, you both wanted to go further but knew it was not time yet. You rested your foreheads together as you catched your breaths, looking adoringly to the other person, swollen lips, rosy cheeks and curious eyes.

He spoke first, as he used his finger to soothe the skin under your eyes, “You need to rest y/n, come on”, pulling your arm and leading you. You thought that meant he was leaving, but this time you didn't fight him back; but instead of leading you towards the door he lead you to the big fancy couch in the living room, he turned on the TV to a random Korean variety show and lowered the volume to the point were if there isn’t absolute silence you couldn’t hear a thing the TV was playing.

You both sat on the deep couch, he lent you his arm behind your head as a pillow as you sat closely next to him, the silent TV and warmness coming from the handsome man next to you quickly started to drowse off. Jungkook planned to keep you company until you fell asleep and then leave you to rest comfortably.

JK watched the screen as he waited for you to fall asleep. Once he could feel your breathing rhythm became deeper indicating you officially had given in to sleep, he looked down to you and smiled at how adorable you looked, he stared at you for a little longer as he reflected on how lucky he was his once celebrity crush now actual crush was so close to him; he was so glad to have such an amazing person in his life and prayed he never had to be without you in his life ever again; he badly wished he could have you as his and only his but he understood the circumstances, he was happy he could athletes share precious moments like this with you.

Jungkook shifted in his seat as he was about to stand up to leave you the full couch to rest, but you turned towards him, and wrapped your arms around him. “Don’t…” you whispered against his shirt, you were asleep but your sleepy conscience managed to say that. Jungkook couldn’t resist, he planted a soft kiss on the top of your hair, he then pulled you back with him from a sitting position to a horizontal one as he laid his back on the couch taking you with him without waking you up. He too quickly gave in to sleep as he held each other.

---------

a/n: I'M SO SORRY for taking so long to update, I had writer’s block and had no idea how to pick up the story, but last night I got inspired hahaha. I re-wrote this part and started writing part 6&7 so wait for those too.

THANK YOU FOR BEING PATIENT, ILY :3 Xx

PART 6 ------> here

> NEXT PARTS WILL BE BETTER I SWEAR <3

#jungkook #jeon jungguk #jungkook x y/n #jungkook x you #jungkook imagine #jeon jungkook #kookie #bts #bts x reader #bts x y/n #bts imagines #bts scenarios

107 notes · View notes

houchlife · 3 years

Text

10 Steps to Attract the Life You Want

By Heather Mathews Author of Manifestation Miracle

“What you seek is seeking you” - Rumi

If I told you that you could create the exact type of circumstances you want, would you call me crazy?

What if your very thoughts could create ripples of change that not only impact your life…but those around you as well?

Philip, a call center worker from the Philippines certainly didn't think so. He dreamed of moving overseas so he could secure a better life and provide for his family.

But at every turn, his own mind shut down every opportunity he thought of.

For instance, Philip considered seeing an immigration consultant, but he either “didn't have the time” or “couldn't afford it”.

So, he resented his situation and cursed himself (and the world) for his “bad luck”.

He didn't realize that the real culprit was his mindset - not his circumstances.

And it seemed like the more he ruminated, the more bad things happened.

Thus, he kept feeding the cycle of being stuck in a rut and feeling bad, trapping him even more.

That was, until his aunt Sara introduced him to the Law of Attraction.

Turning the tide

Before she moved to California, Sara had been close with Philip and treated him like a son.

She had her own share of struggles finding greener pastures abroad, but she applied the principles from the Law of Attraction to overcome them.

So she sent a few books on the topic to Philip through Amazon so he could gain the clarity to turn his life around.

Discover the Lazy Person's Secret To Get Everything You've Ever Wished For

----- CLICK HERE ------

At first, Philip didn't really think much of it, but he decided to read through the books since his aunt went through the trouble of sending it over.

After he started applying the lessons he learned from the material, things started to change for him.

It came as a complete shock to Philip - he never thought in a million years that making a simple shift in his thinking could have such a direct and POWERFUL impact in his life.

And soon enough, the fog of negativity and despair around Philip lifted and he found a way to make his dreams happen.

Through his persistence, he was eventually able to borrow the money he needed for the consultation fees, and learned the step-by-step process to get work overseas.

Philip was finally able to find a fulfilling and rewarding career in Australia. Not only does he get to support his family back home, he also made friends and enjoys his new life abroad.

Just a few months ago, Philip's parents started their own business, thanks to his help.

At the rate they're going, his family could save enough so they can pass on their business to another relative and follow Philip to Australia. ould wait for Philip to take the offer so they can move there instead.

Whatever option Philip chooses, the possibilities for him are almost limitless.

But he's just one of thousands who made the Law of Attraction to work for him. Like Philip, a lot of people are initially discouraged to try because they think it takes a lot of work.

But the reality is that it's surprisingly easy to get started. You just need to follow these 10 Super Simple Steps to Attract Everything You've Ever Wanted:

MORE ABOUT Motivational / Transformational

Step #1: A little gratitude goes a long way

The first thing you should learn about the Law of Attraction is that it operates on energy.

YOUR energy, to be exact.

Everyone has a different kind of energy they bring into the world, and it affects them in ways they often don't see or appreciate.

The secret lies in the FREQUENCY of a person's energy - and you need to raise yours in order to change your life.

Think of your unique energy as a sort of gas that fills the space of your reality. Whatever “gas” or “energy” you pump out into your immediate space will define your existence.

Viktor Frankl, a psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, said this in his book, “Man's Search for Meaning”:

“To draw an analogy: a man's suffering is similar to the behavior of a gas. If a certain quantity of gas is pumped into an empty chamber, it will fill the chamber completely and evenly, no matter how big the chamber. Thus suffering completely fills the human soul and conscious mind, no matter whether the suffering is great or little. Therefore the "size" of human suffering is absolutely relative.”

So if you want to invite great things into your life, you need to set the stage first. And you can do that by leading with the right energy.

That's why being grateful and appreciating what you have is powerful way to recalibrate your frequency.

Most folks hold off on feeling this way for AFTER they get what they want. But that's putting the cart before the horse, as the saying goes.

When you LEAD with gratitude, it will act as the precedent for everything good that follows.

Discover the Lazy Person's Secret To Get Everything You've Ever Wished For

----- CLICK HERE -----

What I like to do is start of my day by making a list of things that I'm grateful for. If I miss anything, I save it for later and update my list at the end of my day.

And when I go over my list during the weekend, I'll see exactly how much good stuff I've accumulated.

This creates a kind of snowball effect and helps me attract even MORE good stuff down the road.

MORE ABOUT Motivational / Transformational

Step #2: Be generous

This can be a challenge for some people if they feel like there isn't enough to go around.

But if you take the initiative to SHARE whatever you can without asking anything in return…

… you'll generate the kind of energy that attracts prosperity for everyone…

…including YOU.

Again, this is the Law of Attraction at work.

Try offering your time, talents and material wealth to those who need it - you'll soon invite blessings without even trying.

MORE ABOUT Motivational / Transformational

Step #3: Visualize your future

What I find amazing about kids is how powerful their imaginations are.

When they role-play with other children, you can see in their eyes how REAL their games are to them.

This is something that's lost on grown-ups, and it's important to recapture that ability to envision the kind of reality you want.

The Universe likes to play games with us- the better you are at visualizing, the more you'll be rewarded.

Like I said, a certain type of energy attracts a certain kind of reality.

So if you focus your energy and thoughts on that dream job you want or the car you've always wanted to drive, you'll raise your frequency to ATTRACT those exact things.

MORE ABOUT Motivational / Transformational

Step #4: Let the negativity pass

When the bad times roll in and you feel like dirt, sometimes it's better to step aside and let it run its course.

Having negative thoughts and emotions are totally normal, but you don't always have to wrestle with them.

You can simply acknowledge what's going on in your inner world - then CHOOSE to keep moving forward anyway.

Let this negative energy pass through your system like bad case of gas. The sooner you let it do its thing, the quicker you can get back to what you were doing.

(Sorry for the fart analogy, but it get the point across, doesn't it?)

MORE ABOUT Motivational / Transformational

Step #5: Never stop growing

It's good to have a daily routine in your life, but not at the expense of your personal development.

Most people are so set in their ways that they're afraid of the thought of doing something new.

Then they complain about their humdrum lives, or that some folks “have all the luck.”

Breaking out of your comfort zone is never an easy thing, but it's a step worth taking.

No matter how loaded your schedule is, find some chunks of time to do things that will help you grow.

Whether it's taking an online course, joining a community, or taking up a hobby, this is a powerful way to attract new and exciting things in your life.

MORE ABOUT Motivational / Transformational

Step #6: Avoid the “toxic” crowd

There are people who seem hell-bent on pulling others into their world of misery.

Whether they're trying to lessen their own pain or simply enjoy doing it, you need to steer clear of them.

Instead, choose people who will have the opposite effect on your psyche. Not only does a person's energy attract circumstances, it's also CONTAGIOUS.

So make sure you hang out with the people who'll inspire you to achieve greater things - and not bring you down with apathy or inaction.

Learn How to Force the Universe to Manifest Your Dream Life -

CLICK HERE

MORE ABOUT Motivational / Transformational

Step #7: Give yourself permission to succeed

Most of the world's most brilliant people were put down in some way.

Somewhere along the way, someone told them they'd “never make it” or were “destined to fail.”

In your own life, certain people have tried to discourage you in some way.

They might have tried putting you down when you were growing up - or it could have been last week.

It doesn't matter.

What's important is that you understand that NO ONE can put labels on you.

And more importantly, they can NEVER give you permission to achieve what you want in life. You need to do that for yourself.

Don't let their words define your “story”. You don't have to fit whatever petty narrative they're trying to force on you.

MORE ABOUT Motivational / Transformational

Step #8: Affirm who you are

Instead of feeding into the lies that people tell you, let this be the day to start living your truth.

Create statements that embody the truth you choose to be, AND to live in.

People do this all the time.

When Elon Musk tried to launch the world's first privately owned rocket and failed, he told himself, “I'm going to try again, and I WILL get that thing into orbit.” (Well, maybe not exactly like that, but you get the point.)

And so his company SpaceX went back to the drawing board and got it right after the third attempt.

Elon affirmed his truth and it manifested into reality. In the same way, you can choose to affirm whatever truth applies to you.

Be honest with yourself and acknowledge the things that TRULY matter to you.

You know it, and the Universe knows it.

The key is to repeat it yourself every day. For example, if you know deep in your heart that you want to make a better life for yourself, you can say something like this:

“I may be struggling right now, but I know deep inside that I have what it takes to improve my life. I see myself transforming into a happier, wealthier person who makes other people's lives brighter.”

When you operate from even the tiniest shred of truth, you can grow that into a powerful force over time.

MORE ABOUT Motivational / Transformational

Step #9: Fail spectacularly

Here's something most people don't know about the Law of Attraction: before you can enjoy success and find true happiness, you need to crash and burn.

It's better to go after what you want and risking failure rather than playing it safe and not trying at all.

To create order in your life, you'll have to embrace the chaos that comes before it.

This is where you'll find the real lessons, even if they hurt a little.

(Or in some cases, a LOT).

Think of yourself as the beautiful Phoenix, like in the legends.

Imagine burning off bits and pieces of yourself that you don't need. As you rise from the ashes, you're reborn into a NEW YOU.

That's evolution. It may be an imperfect and unpleasant process, but the results are worth it.

MORE ABOUT Motivational / Transformational

Step #10: Remove your BIGGEST barrier to success

People don't realize that their greatest roadblock is none other than their own mindset.

They may say they want something to happen, but don't REALLY mean it.

For instance, someone might want to lose weight, but they don't want it bad enough.

Worse, they might not actually believe they can shed those pounds. A part of them refuses to acknowledge the faintest possibility of it happening.

This is pretty much why people NEVER attract the things they want in life.

In order to remove this barrier, you'll need to change something inside you.

You need to dig deep and understand WHY you don't want it as much as you say you do.

Are you scared of suffering through the process of getting what you want?

This is what turns most people off - they simply can't process the discomfort involved with growing up.

At the same time, you need to deal with the reasons why you think that your desired reality is impossible.

It could be some deep-seated beliefs brought about by past events, or experiences growing up.

Once you sort this out, you'll be free to do what you want without any pre-programmed beliefs holding you back.

Now, these ten steps we just talked about will get your foot in the door. Once you start doing them regularly, you'll experience remarkable breakthroughs you didn't think were possible.

But if you want to witness even MORE changes on a massive (or even cosmic) scale, you need to check out my FULL course called Manifestation Miracle.

Like the name suggests, I enjoyed nothing short of a life-changing revolution not too long ago.

In a lot of ways, my situation was the same as Philip's. I worked myself to the bone and felt unfulfilled.

I was trapped in my soul-crushing career. Even though I needed the money, I HATED having to put up a hollow appearance of a happy, successful businesswoman.

But then I discovered how turn my mind into a magnet for prosperity and abundance…

Learn how I unlocked the secret to ATTRACTING anything AND everything I wanted - CLICK HERE to watch the video now…

MORE ABOUT Motivational / Transformational

43 notes · View notes

beni-draw-ikemen-please · 3 years

Text

EYES NOSE LIPS CH 8

EYES NOSE LIPS CHAPTER 8 - AFTER

LEONA KINGSCHOLAR X ASAMI ODA [OC]

Rating: Explicit /18+ ONLY PLEASE

Word Count: 4,6235

Tags: Angst, Mutual Pining, Unrequited Crush, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Non-Consensual Touching, Slow Burn, Long-Term Relationship(s)

You can read the previous Chapters below:

Leona Kingscholar tried to avoid the prefect. After the blazer episode, it made it more difficult for him to think straight, especially when it involved her or anyone in her circle.

He made sure not to encounter any of the annoying first years, and he desperately didn’t need anyone’s nagging.

For the first time in a long time, Leona attended classes with a half-assed sort of purpose, without fail— at least he tried— several days in a row.

And, with Winter Holidays rushing in, he made sure to let his family know he’ll be there for the holidays.

For the first time in a long time he didn’t dread going back home.

Ruggie was suspicious, of course. And even though he knew it could backfire, he proceeded with Curry Night plans even without the Dorm Leader’s approval.

Not yet anyway , he thought.

Asami felt like the more she ran into the Savanaclaw Dorm leader, the more trouble she caused, and the more he disliked her.

So on the days after their library mishap, she tried her best not to go around the area where third-year students frequented.

She didn’t want to avoid Leona—in fact, she wanted to see him and thank him for all his help until now.

But she tried her best to stop herself. If there’s something she was proud of, it was her self-restraint and patience.

She’d suck the cold air through her teeth, breathe in, and let it go.

I can’t be selfish now , she thought.

She became increasingly aware that, maybe her attempts to make him lunchboxes again—masked as a way of thanks— could be a way for her to impress him, and eventually win his heart. Asami chuckled at the thought of how silly that would be. And how she should wake up from her daydreams of him.

Daydreams of hoping she can get close. She didn’t like this side of her.

Bending over for others, but ultimately, knowing that it is for her self satisfaction.

She didn’t want to think about it, but she knew, deep down, she wanted something in return.

What exactly she wanted from Leona Kingscholar, she did not dare say.

She did not dare think, either. She wanted to believe she didn’t want anything from him.

She just really wanted him to know that he was special, at least to her.

And at the very least, she wanted him to feel that, whatever she’s capable of doing to make him feel that way, she was willing to do.

Asami’s schedule left no free time to seek Leona out.

Maybe it’s better that her schedule is so overloaded until it was time for him to graduate, then she can move on, and then, when they meet somewhere in the distant future, she can just tell him everything and they can both laugh about it. Maybe .

However, things, secrets, and feelings you try to bury, almost always find their way back to the surface.

Whether Asami liked it or not, she was becoming increasingly aware of her feelings towards the Dorm Leader.

Now, it was just up to her, her sanity and self-control if she was going to keep it buried.

On the days when she’s not working in Mostro Lounge, Asami made sure her hands were always occupied.

Many after-school activities in Night Raven required magic skills and or flying skills.

Unfortunately, she didn’t have magic in her system to participate in those, let alone try.

Grim would hang around Ace or Deuce and Jack, and she was happy to find a club that could accommodate her and she enjoyed something other than being holed up in the dark corners of the library.

Asami was an only child, so being around Trey and Jamil made her feel like she had older brothers. The three of them enjoyed cooking, and once Trey found out that she too had a knack for whipping up exquisite dishes, he formed a mini club for the three of them. Jamil was happy to oblige. He enjoyed cooking and teaching. He enjoyed sharing cooking methods, spices, and flavours native to the Land of Hot Sands. Asami felt like she had a place where she belonged. The mini club was a place where she could be, somewhat, true to herself. Being around her fellow first years felt like she’d been placed to be their caretaker, so being around her upperclassmen felt different and alleviated some of her stress.

Asami wasn’t one to make sweets and cakes - no. She’s more of a savoury home cook. So she enjoyed being around Trey and Jamil. She was happy to learn every time they spent afternoons cooking a new dish. Ace, Deuce, and Grim were the usual test subject for their new recipes. And when available, Jack and Epel were there to try some too.

Deuce felt relieved to see the prefect befriend more people around her.

He enjoyed watching her spend time with Jack and Epel, and he was always happy to let Grim stay over whenever she needed some time alone.

But Deuce could see it, how she would often look out the window during class.

How she’d sometimes take a detour to see if the Magift Club was practicing.

She’d avoid the botanical gardens’ Temperate Zone, but she’ll still walk outside, maybe, secretly hoping she’d run into him.

She barely spoke of Kingscholar.

Ace didn’t mind and don't seem to notice, but he did.

Sometimes, he’d ask Jack what he thought of the situation, and they’ve come to an agreement that yes, the prefect is avoiding Leona.

But really, it felt like self-inflicted torture when they watch her sigh and frown and anticipate only to be let down.

“So you noticed it too, huh, Jack?” Deuce asked out of the blue whilst tying the laces of his shoe.

One knee popped up on the bleachers. Jack sat beside him with a towel on his head.

A short break after ten laps around the field. Jack’s tail flopped down and propped back up when he heard Deuce’s question.

It’s not quite visible, but his ears twitched under the towel. His thighs supported his arms as he leaned over.

“It’s quite obvious, I think,” Jack’s voice was quiet. He kept thinking of ways to answer the next questions that might come without letting Deuce know that maybe, just maybe, he was a little bit too interested in the prefect. He tried his best not to make it seem obvious, really he did. But even though Deuce isn’t the best in academics, he’s good at noticing the little things, especially when it came to his friends.

“You’re quite obvious too, Jack,” Deuce chuckled, securing the last knot and then sitting down next to Jack to cool down.

Jack was caught off-guard, of course. He didn’t think anyone noticed.

His mouth opened, readying a protest but stopped and sighed.

Thankful that the towel on his head hid the blush on his face but he was too embarrassed to notice that his tail gave it all away.

Deuce chuckled at the sight of Jack’s fluffy tail wagging in delight and anticipation. No name was mentioned, but they both had the same person’s face in mind.

══════ ∘◦❁◦∘ ══════

“You’ve been working so hard,” Jade’s voice was always mellow in her ears. She always thought that even if he was reading a receipt, it would be enough to keep her head calm and send her to sleep in no time. She’d look up to him, lips curved up into a gentle smile, happy to hear his praise. Jade’s skillful gloved hands carefully setting some copper canisters and boxes of tea leaves before the two of them. His eyes were focused on the task at hand, long lashes casting shadows that seemed to enhance the mischievous shine of his mismatched ochre and rust eyes. “Azul mentioned you can have the week before Winter Holidays off, too.” his tone was low, sturdy, and smooth. The words rolling off his lips sounded like a quiet distant record playing in the background, Asami didn’t intend to but her focus shifted from the canister labels to his lips.

He was looking at her now, and their eyes met. He smiled even more as his gaze held hers. He was aware of this, and she didn’t know whether it was appropriate or whether she should look away. She could feel her cheeks warming up. Jade then shifted his gaze back to his hands. Careful with the intention not to embarrass the prefect, but sure to tease just a little bit to coax her attention back to the lounge. She would drift far away, and Jade would not know where her mind would swim off to. But he became better and better at directing her focus back into reality, back into the tea they were blending, back to him.

Maybe his hypnotic and sensuous way of speaking and moving came hand-in-hand with his unique magic. But he wasn’t one to use that power on her— not now, at least. He was curious, though. Who her special person was. It was painfully obvious. The sighs, and anticipation as she welcomed new patrons, the slump on her shoulders when she seemed to not find who she was looking for. How her eyes hovered around when it was Savanaclaw students that entered the lounge. That alone was his clue, and he could definitely work his way to that sensitive info without trying or even using magic.

He knew, whoever this person was, she would give it all away, at the sight of them. And his skin itched with trepidation.

“A week,” she stopped her hands and Jade could’ve sworn they looked like heavy boulders trying to plant themselves onto the floor right there and then. His own hands stopped moving with the sudden weight of this supposedly-pleasant surprise. Surely, she’d been thinking of a day off, or when she could free herself from the shackles that were work, work, and work. Jade could’ve sworn he heard her swallow. And he feared that his plans of giving her some free time might not be the best for their little human. His mind raced to find an alternative, a solution — something. Something to perk her spirits back up.

She didn’t finish her sentence, instead, she looked up to him and gave him a gentle smile. A hint of force and worry slightly furrowed at her brows, but she tried her best to smile, the best she could and she thanked him. With that small voice, she always used around others. Jade leaned in and placed a light hand on her shoulder. “You are still welcome here, of course,” He stayed there and lingered a bit, catching a glimpse of the tips of her ear now with a slight hue of pink. He was incredibly close, but not closer than how Floyd would usually be around her.

Asami didn’t mind Floyd’s hugs and playful embraces. But when it came to Jade, something stern and sure would always trap them together when they are in close proximity. And she would feel it in her skin and she would blush.

“We don’t go home until the spring until the glaciers have melted down,” his hand brushed from her shoulders to the back of her head, a slight tug towards him. His hands gave comfort to the touch-starved Asami and her shoulders pulled themselves in instinctively. She felt comfortable around the twins enough for moments like these. Somehow, being this close gave Jade the permission he was seeking to touch her, trying his best to be as casual as possible and hiding every bit of curiosity and intention he had under his sleeves.

Asami looked up at him, searching and yearning but she didn’t allow herself to be spoiled by Jade Leech. She was— at least to some extent — still afraid of him and the meaning behind his polite speech and smiles. Though she’d favour him among the Octavinelle trio any day, a hint of fear kept her distant. She gave him a meek smile and a nod, and he understood that she was okay with it and she’ll be there. Their little human didn’t say much unless it was something urgent or important or when needed to be polite. Jade quite liked that, but he too was the listening, observing type. So he’d expected the opposite from her, to say the least. He grew to expect more and more things from Asami as they spent more after-school days together.

And, he would write them all down, neatly into a fresh, pristine piece of paper and he would fold that paper and tuck it away into his breast pocket.

Like a charm to ward off unwanted guests. Like a prayer to the sea witch— a wish. A secret wish he’d allow himself the pleasure. Just this once, maybe he can have something for himself. Something like a little human companion. Maybe — her. Maybe .

══════ ∘◦❁◦∘ ══════

Jade, however, was close to making an assumption. It might be, the first year— his name, Jack Howl. The white wolf.

He might be the special person, Jade thought.

He would, sometimes be waiting outside the lounge just as Asami’s shift ends. And they would happily walk towards the mirror together. No physical contact or whatsoever, so Jade assumed it might be somewhat of a one-sided love. Or a crush. He wasn’t certain of anything, but starting from Savanaclaw gave him a good narrow-down.

Whenever she would finish her shift and just after she changed from her silk suits and fedora, she’d pop her head back into the lounge to give the twins, and everyone working a wave and a bow of thanks. She did that, and Jade found it incredibly cute, though he could never allow himself to utter those words, especially around Floyd or Azul, but he made sure to show them, crystal-clear and evident in everything he did around her and for her.

A refreshing new blend for her to enjoy before she started her shift, and a fruit bowl after she was done. She wasn’t one for sweets and Jade quickly figured it out after serving her some scones that one time. She was polite to take them, but it took all the time to get her to finish those three plain scones whilst she downed three cups of their dark roast. Again, he was wrong to judge her— to think she’d be just like a normal girl who favoured sweets. Jade was happily surprised. Mental notes here and there. He did, however, notice her with a small box of macarons just as she was walking out of Trey Clover’s class. They had spoken about their mini club, and Asami was delighted to be a part of something other than the Lounge. Jade liked that she was having fun outside the lounge, but a twinge— just a twinge of jealousy started to bubble from the depths of his stomach at the thought of her spending more time outside their circle. Outside the wall, he so meticulously built— though unconsciously— around her.

That day, he decided to ask her. He saw the opportunity of her staying for the winter holidays as a way to be closer— closer. Just as she was about to head off, he asked if she’d wait for him to get changed, too. And if she would allow him to walk her to her dorms.

Asami gave him a fervent smile, and with a mellow voice politely declined.

“You don’t have to, Jade-san,” her cheeks slightly turning a soft pink colour, before Jade could see its full view, she was able to lower her head to hide them. And he almost let out a curse but cleared his throat as he straightened himself back up again.

“Please?” Jade was not one to ask twice, nor was he the type to beg for something when he knew exactly how to slither his way into obtaining it. But he had a particularly growing soft spot for her now, and he thought he didn’t want to push it, not having the white wolf wait up for her proved to be a mighty chance to exploit.

“I wouldn’t want to bother you already,” she was hesitating. Her eyes darted everywhere as she lowered her head again, but this time, Jade followed her, leaning down to meet her face, his own mismatched eyes tenderly asking for her approval. “You’re never a bother, Asami-san.”

He let his eyes blink slowly as he anticipated her response. She almost looked like she was holding her breath, and her lips slowly parted. Jade’s eyes settled on her thin lips, which looked dry and cold but all the more inviting to him. He was so very used to places like that. Dry and cold. He imagined as he breathed in, the answer he wanted out of her. And he could hear himself swallow hard and dry, waiting for her sweet and quiet voice to say yes .

With his head lowered like this, he’s noticed two things. That she had an unnoticeable beauty mark just at the base of the side of her neck, hidden away if her collar was in place.

But his sharp rust and ochre eyes gave him the ability to pick up the details around him faster than the usual predator.

His eyes, seemingly all-seeing, made Asami’s cheeks warm and her pulse beat faster. And he noticed that, too.

She had this habit of holding her breath. And then, somehow, maybe when she felt comfortable enough, she would slowly and very quietly exhale.

It was as if it was a chant of some sorts, a spell to make herself invisible in any uncomfortable situation. But she wasn’t invisible to him— no.

She was there and he was looking at her. Mismatched eyes devoting themselves to the strands of her dark hair that made her skin look like she was glowing softly like the moonlight.

On her curious carnelian eyes that made it impossible for her to hide what she was feeling or thinking, eyes that burned with intensity as strong as his curiosity. Lips that seemed, at least to Jade, desperate for a kiss. But he also wore his patience like a badge of honour. And he was one to take his time, with this— whatever this was— he dared not to label anything, no.

Not yet.

Jade took long, smooth and delicate lines made up of the bits of her in his mind, and he painted himself a picture of her, and likewise kept it hidden in his breast pocket.

A prayer, a charm, a secret, skilfully curated by white silk gloves—the little bit of pleasure he allowed himself in—and forever sealed within uncannily and mischievous lips.

He was looking at her , and his lips curved into a smile so sure, when she finally nodded with a smile.

A/N: I don't really beta or check or whatever and just write as I go and as I think of the scenes in my head. I really, just write for fun. So if you're reading this far, thank you so so so much!

My TWST boys tier would definitely be:

1 - Leona 2 - Jade / Jack 3 - Floyd / Ruggie

So I am trying to incorporate all these relationships in, I don't really know yet how I'm going to tangle these babies together but I have a pretty clear picture of the coming chapters.

I hope you look forward to it. Thank you for sticking around~

#twisted wonderland #Jade Leech #Jack Howl #Leona Kingscholar #eyes nose lips

17 notes · View notes

blissedoutphil · 3 years

Text

Tops Only Part 2

Dan’s favourite actor just opened a new bar right by the street near his apartment, and he couldn’t wait to check it out. One problem though, it was for Tops only, and Dan wasn’t one.

1389 words of Top!Phil, bottom!dan, AU where everyone’s born with a Type (top/bottom/switch)

There's a tiny part in here that was inspired by the Weenie Hut Jr episode of Spongebob. gotta love that classic

~Part 1~

or read on ao3!

“Thought you were gonna unstan him now.”

Dan rolled his eyes at Anthony’s remark, then went back to scrolling his tumblr. His post about how unfair Phil was with the bar had gained traction, and it was largely supported by his fellow Type. Though there were some Tops who grumbled about how people were taking things too seriously or tried to explain that it wasn’t unfair. Dan blocked those accounts. What do they know about unfair treatment?

Dan had asked Anthony to help with his plan B tonight: Perhaps they could let him in if he came with a Top. It would definitely irritate him if they allowed this, but at least he would be let in. Anthony easily agreed to try it out, so here they were waiting in line. He was a friend Dan didn’t deserve, always willing to indulge in Dan’s fanboying.

Dan had waited a couple of weeks, walking past the bar everyday but from across the road instead. He'd observed the different bouncers, trying to work out their schedules as he didn’t want to cross paths with the same one from his original attempt.

They stepped up to the new bouncer, who easily let Anthony through after they flashed their ID. But he held out a hand in front of Dan when Dan tried to quickly follow Anthony.

“Oh, I’m with him,” Dan reasoned.

“Still no can do buddy,” the bouncer stepped between him and Anthony.

“It’s okay I can take care of him,” Anthony spoke to the bouncer casually.

Inside, Dan hated the statement. He can take care of himself, thank you very much. But that’s just how the world worked and treated Types - Tops protect and care for their Bottoms. He understood where Anthony was playing at, so he played along and nodded with wide pleading eyes.

“Sorry,” the bouncer shook his head.

Dan frowned, but at least this bouncer was polite. Unfortunately though, he’d judged the guy too soon.

“I think you’d be better off in a Bottoms Only Bar,” the bouncer then suggested lightheartedly.

"Bottoms only?!" Dan repeated in surprise and seethed, “are you fucking kidding me?”

The bouncer shrugged unapologetically, swiftly moving on to the next person. Anthony shot Dan an apologetic look before he entered. Dan had prepared for this outcome, instructing Anthony to enter without him if he couldn’t so that he can bring back updates on what goes on inside that makes it so unacceptable for Dan to be let in.

Dan made his way back home begrudgingly, imagining himself opening a Bottoms Only Bar. See how Phil would like being excluded like this.

He sighed as he reached his door, shaking his head at his own thoughts. Why would Phil care about Dan’s made up Bottoms Only bar, he doesn’t even know who Dan is.

Dan entered his apartment and sprawled on his sofa, opting to scroll the internet while he waited for Anthony. The security at Phil’s bar was good, he read quite a number of fans’ posts on how they tried to sneak in not just through the bouncers but through any possible back doors. So far, nobody has had any luck still.

Anthony finally returned past 1am, startling Dan out of his accidental nap when he knocked on Dan’s door. Dan narrowed his eyes at Anthony when he opened the door.

“You didn’t need to be there that long,” Dan grumbled.

“Dude, it was...” Anthony was clearly very pumped up and tipsy after a good night out but he quietened, not wanting to make Dan feel bad about being unable to enter.

“Just tell me,” Dan groaned, slumping back on his sofa.

So Anthony related the events of his night. How there were Bottom waiters enticing the guests while serving their dessert and drinks. Giving them a show and dancing with the Tops, even getting sexual with those who gave extra tips.

“Did you like… get it on with a waiter or what?” Dan said judgmentally.

Anthony shrugged playfully, “The opportunity presented itself…”

Dan fake retched at Anthony’s confession, and got a playful punch on his shoulder in return.

It was clear from what Anthony told him that the bar really was catered for Tops only. That still didn’t satisfy Dan, though.

“He could’ve made an all-inclusive bar,” he pouted.

Anthony sighed empathically but he countered softly, “Well, it’s Phil’s way of finally expressing his Type I guess.”

“By capitalising on it and alienating a big part of his fanbase?” Dan spat.

“You really should unstan him if it bothers you, this is getting unhealthy.”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Dan stuck his tongue out at Anthony.

“I saw him there,” Anthony admitted in a small voice.

“What?” Dan perked up instantly, “What was he doing? Did you get any pictures?!”

“I didn’t, but I think he’s there most nights. He made a short appearance and thanked everyone for coming and supporting him. Played around with some of the Bottoms for a bit.”

Dan scoffed, but deep down he felt a bout of envy. He wondered how those Bottoms got the job.

“Trust me Dan, you wouldn’t enjoy it there anyway. You’re not missing out on anything,” Anthony tried to comfort him.

“I guess. Thanks for getting the inside scoop,” Dan joked half-heartedly, getting up from the couch.

“I’ve prepared the guest room,” he yawned as he headed towards his own room.

He’d heard enough. Maybe Anthony was right, there was no reason to let some celebrity affect him this much. He decided to sleep his negativity off, abruptly leaving Anthony in the lounge. His friend had stayed over enough times to know to make himself comfortable in Dan’s home anyway.

Of course, unstanning someone Dan had adored for years was easier said than done. A few days later, he was back on his bullshit. He’d tried searching for any information online on how to get a job in Phil’s bar, but there was nothing at all. He frowned, he of all people should’ve seen information about it. How the hell did he miss any job ads or casting calls or auditions or whatever?

Dan sighed as he walked past the bar from across the road after work again. He could’ve been working in there right now. Seeing Phil every night. Maybe dancing with him. Instead he was stuck in some boring office admin job.

The queue to enter never wavered despite it being almost a month since opening already. And despite knowing almost everything there was to know about the bar, Dan still longed to step inside and see it for himself.

He visited Anthony for lunch the next day. And to drop Plan C on his friend.

“Are you insane?!” Anthony said incredulously upon hearing Plan C.

“C’monnn, everyone says we look freakishly alike anyway!” Dan persuaded.

“And what happens if they find out you’re using my ID? Will you pay the fine for me? Bail me out of jail?” Anthony stared at him disbelievingly.

“Don’t be so dramatic!”

“Oh I’m the dramatic one here? It’s just a bar Dan, let it go.”

Dan fell silent. He knew Anthony was right, there was no point in arguing. He sagged against his chair in defeat.

Perhaps Anthony felt guilty for dismissing his idea like that because after their lunch, Anthony sat Dan down on his couch and turned on one of Dan’s favourite movies that Phil starred in. It was telling that Anthony was trying to cheer Dan up because he would never watch that movie on his own accord.

“How long are you gonna be all mopey like this?” Anthony sighed after the movie ended and Dan was still being quiet.

“How come... I didn’t at least know they were hiring waiters or something?" Dan spoke wistfully.

Anthony gave a long suffering sigh before saying, “Maybe that could be your Plan D if C doesn’t work out.”

Dan looked up at his friend in surprise, finding Anthony’s hand outstretched towards him with his ID in hand.

“Really?” Dan said in an unsure but hopeful tone.

“Take it before I change my mind,” Anthony huffed.

“Thank you!” Dan leapt up to land in Anthony’s lap and crush him in a tight hug, “I owe you one.”

“Just don’t do anything stupid to get yourself caught,” Anthony chuckled, returning the hug.

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

~Part 1~

This chapter's kinda short but dw next one's gonna be longer! Sorry no sign of Phil (yet) but hope yall enjoyed some danthony this chapter :) I'm enjoying projecting fan behaviour onto Dan lol

There will be either 4 or 5 parts for this fic, idk we'll see! lmk what you think so far~

#My fic #Tops Only #phan #Phanfic #phan fic #Dan and Phil #stereo

5 notes · View notes

babyspiderling · 3 years

Text

Tiny Dancer p.2

"Just stare into space, picture my face in your hands. Live for each second without hesitation"

"Janet, you can't tell anyone about this." Michael tells her, focused on damage control. Janet fires back without hesitation. "The hell you mean I can't tell anyone? Marlon owes me ten bucks now." I roll my eyes, patting Michael on the back. "Mike,I'm sure your brothers are looking for you. I don't think we want anyone else listening in on this conversation anyways. I'll talk to Jan, ok?" He glances back and forth between his younger sister and I, a concerned look deep in his face. He sighs out an "Ok, fine." and heads back to his dressing room. I turn back to the youngest Jackson. "Listen Jan, I only want what's best for Mike. If it were up to him, and if the circumstances were different, you'd be the first to know on purpose. The world may be changing fast, but we've got a long way to go. The media would flip if word got out that The Michael Jackson was with not only his seamstress, but a white chick at that. Not to mention your father. God, he would kill us if he found out. He'd fire me and i'd never see Michael or any of you again." I deflate in front of her eyes, letting myself show vulnerability to the fifteen year old. "I really do love him Janet. I can't lose him, but I can't just let him risk losing his career over me. I'm the reason we're a secret. Michael is a glass half full person, always trusting and seeking out the positive, but I see what is going to happen if we enter the world of the limelight." When I look into her eyes, her head is cocked to the side, studying me. "Alright, I see where you're coming from. I know Joseph, and you're probably right. Just don't hurt Mike. He's my favorite after all." I nod, relieved that she understood where we are coming from. "I promise to tell you everything you want to know later ok? Maybe at the hotel or while I'm patching up something that the boys unsurprisingly ripped up." Janet giggles, and we make our way back to the rest of the group.

I lay down in the linen sheets of the hotel bed, needing to sleep to be able to get up in the morning to fix a couple of loose buttons and worn knees. I hold a pillow close to myself and let myself float away to dreamland.

The creaking of my door opening stirs me from my slumber. I prop myself up on my elbow, turning on the lamp. "Mike? What's going on?" He's in pajamas, and his hair is mussed. He scratches the back of his neck sheepishly, and murmurs out a "Couldn't sleep." I huff and fall back onto the bed. "Fine, get in here. You said so yourself that you sleep better with someone than alone. We've both got an early morning and it's already... 2 AM." His bare feet shuffle across the hotel carpet and the bed slightly creaks as he climbs in next to me. Once he's gotten comfortable, I lay my head on his chest and wrap an arm around him, succumbing to the exhaustion filling my bones.

I wake up to my alarm, letting myself give in to Michaels grip and the temptation to hit the snooze button and spend an extra few minutes in the warmth and security his arms provide. I snuggle close to him and doze off. Once again the door opens up, but I shrug it off, thinking it to be Janet. Instead of her girlish squeal of embarrassment, I hear a masculine shout of surprise. The sharp cry from Randy shocks us both awake. The second youngest Jackson wears an expression of both surprise and smugness. "I knew it! I knew something was going on between you two! Mike, my man, congrats. I knew you'd get her eventually. Now tell me, when did this all start out?" As Michael and I rubbed the sleep from our eyes, Randy had made himself comfortable on the small couch nearby, his chin in his hands, elbows resting on his knees. Groaning, I pull myself out of the bed, tugging my shirt down so I don't flash Randy. I pat Michaels shoulder and groan out: "You're taking this one. I talked to Janet last night and I have to get ready. Jackie tore his shirt last night and I've got to make him a new one. Who tears their shirt in the middle of their chest like that?" I sit on my heels to grab my things and head to the bathroom to get dressed.

Finished with make-up, I tie my hair back in a high ponytail. Combing through my hair, Michael enters to get ready himself. "So, how'd it go?" He shrugs a little and reaches for the extra toothbrushes the hotel offers. "Randy promised to keep it a secret until we tell everybody else. He was a little surprised that we've been together since Destiny. He thought it was a recent development, not a three year old relationship." Securing my hair one last time, I turn and smile at my lover. "Well, at this rate, Randy only has to keep it a secret for another 5 days. Go ahead and schedule out a lunch or something for your mother. I want her to know that I love her son more than anything else, and I don't want to keep him a secret anymore. But you have to promise me that if this whole thing goes wrong, your career comes first. You have worked your entire life for this, you are living your dream life, don't throw away your dream for me." He chuckles a bit, and rests his forehead against mine. "If this whole thing goes wrong, I'll hire you again myself. You'll be my personal costumer/seamstress. And no one will be able to get rid of you." I giggle and give a peck to his mouth. "Alright toothpaste lips, finish up and get back to your room. I'm sure you can't go to sound check in your pajamas. And send Janet and Randy back to me. I need her input on somethings and I'm sure Randy has more questions." He finishes up and goes back to his room, the two youngest Jacksons coming in not too much later.

"Alright guys, I'm gonna work some because that is what I'm here to do, but I can answer your questions at the same time." I lay out the fabric on the round table in the room as the two sat down on the couch. They both started talking at the same time, but stopped soon enough. Janet spoke first. "When did this start? How did this start?" I smile at the fabric and respond. "Even when I was growing up, I thought that Michael was the most handsome boy on the planet. But when I started working with you guys 4 years ago I decided to remain professional. This was my dream career and I would not jeopardize it over a celebrity crush. Michael and I became friends not long after, and I actually pushed him away in the beginning. I was so scared that either of us would get attached and it would risk our professional lives. During the music video for Shake Your Body, I was joking around with Marlon and Michael got all huffy. He ranted a little bit and ended up kissing me. It didn't take long until we started actually dating." I flip the fabrics so that the shirt is inside out and pin it together. I move to my machine, and Randy asks: "Why keep it a secret? It's not like anyone here doesn't like you?" I adjust the needle to where I need it and lower the presser foot. "Well, we as a society may have come a long way, but not everyone is going to agree with the fact that Michael Jackson, global superstar, chose to date his seamstress, and then the fact that it's a biracial relationship will send a whole other group into a frenzy. He worked so hard to be where he is, to live his dream, and I felt that if we released our relationship to the public, it could cause a lot of backlash his way. Plus I'm pretty sure that if Joseph found out about us, he'd see me as a distraction, turning his son against him. He'd fire me in an instant. I'd probably never be able to see any of you again. Now that it's suddenly impossible to keep us a secret anymore, we're going to tell Ms. Kathrine soon. Michael is going to schedule it today, and we'll tell her then." Once the two are done with their questions, Janet turns on the radio and we just have a good time until Randy needs to head to the venue. Janet and I finish up, double checking over everything before we accidentally forget anything at the hotel.

We make it to the venue early enough that we make it backstage, and I watch the boys rehearse and just do their thing. Randy meets my eyes from his place behind the bongos, and he sends me a wink. I make my way to the dressing rooms to replace what I fixed for the second night in New York. As I replace the red floral print shirt in Michael's dressing room, my lover walks in. His hair is a little wet from sweat and he has a thin sheen of sweat covering his skin. I giggle as he does his best to freshen up. "I'm glad you don't do sound check in costume. I'd have to make an outfit for every night of the tour, since you guys sweat so much." He sticks his tongue out at me, and then has a mischievous look in his eyes. He turns and creeps towards me, his arms wide to catch me if I tried to escape him. I back away slowly, "Michael, don't do this! I'm a nice person! I just took a shower!" I go to make a break for the door but he catches me and pulls me close, squeezing me tight and rubbing his sweaty face and body all over me. "Michael Joseph Jackson! I'm going to kill you! I'll put you in an outfit from '68!" He just giggles in my ear, enjoying my shrieks and squirms. "No you won't, you love me too much." I push at his arms, trying to get out of his grip. "Not anymore! Randy's my new favorite member!" He bites at my earlobe teasingly, his breath fanning over the shell of my ear, his voice dropping from the usual airy high pitch he speaks in. "Are you sure about that, girl?" I shiver and stutter at the distraction, "Fine, you called my bluff. Now can you please let me go? I need to know when we're telling your mother." Reluctantly, Michael loosens his grip enough for me to grab the towel he used, wiping my own skin down, and I rummage through my purse for my bottle of vanilla. Michael takes a seat and smiles at me. "Girl, you know I get hungry when you wear that stuff. Smelling all sweet and stuff." I chuckle and apply the vanilla to key points. "Tell you what. When we go out to tell your mother I will buy you any dessert you want after." I watch from the mirror as he lifts himself from his seat and slots himself behind me, his mouth close to my neck, and even closer to my ear. He gives a teasing squeeze to my backside and murmurs in my ear: "What if I want you to be my dessert?" I turn in his arms, and deliver a light slap to his shoulder. "Michael! What is with you? You've never been so... forward." He just chuckles and steps away. "Maybe I'm just excited I can finally show you off to everyone. Oh, and we're meeting Mother at lunch tomorrow. I've gotten a reservation for the three of us at Mortimer's. I heard they're really good." I nod and glance down at my wrist watch. "Oh, wow! I've got to make sure Jackie's shirt fits for tonight. Break a leg if I don't see you. And I'm excited to have lunch with your mother. I love you!" I give him a peck on his perfect lips and head out the door. Michael catches my wrist before I can leave and pulls me back to him, giving me a real kiss to make up for my quick peck. I giggle as we break away for oxygen. "Alright love machine, I seriously have to go." I hurry out of his dressing room and down to Jackie.

I've never been so nervous in my life. I have no reason to be nervous. Kathrine doesn't dislike me, in fact she and I have had amazing talks between fittings and shows. But maybe after she finds out that I've stolen her son's heart, her opinion of me will change? If she doesn't approve, will Michael leave me? He is an absolute mommas boy. "Babe, relax. Mother absolutely adores you, and I do too. Everything is going to be absolutely fine. I promise." Michael squeezes my thigh in reassurance, and I take a deep breath to calm myself down.

All three of us are seated at the table and our drinks are ordered. Michael holds my hand under the table, unsure himself how to start. "Mother, I have something to tell you, I am in love with the kindest, most beautiful woman in the world." Kathrine smiles a bit at this and urges her son to continue. "That's amazing honey. Who is it?" Michael and I glance at each other before Michael tells the Jackson Matriarch. "Well, Mother, it's Y/N. She and I have been together for almost 3 years now." There's a mix of emotions on her face, and she opens her mouth, trying to figure out what to say. "Well, Michael, honey, I am so happy you found someone. You deserve to be happy. I just can't understand why you wouldn't tell anyone for all that time." I sigh, opening my mouth. "Ms. Katherine, that's my fault. I wanted to keep our relationship under wraps because Michael has worked so hard to be where he is and I didn't want to be a reason for him to receive backlash. I also knew that Mr. Jackson eliminates any distractions for the boys. I know it sounds selfish, but I would have rather kept him my little secret and not have to give him up than show him off and risk losing not only my job, but the love of my life. I know now that telling you about our relationship is going to make Michael happy, and if his happiness means I am seen as a distraction and the consequences that go with it, so be it. I regret not telling you sooner, and for that I am truly sorry." Katherine listens the entire time with soft eyes, listening to every word I say. Michael grabs my hand on the table and gives it a proud squeeze. Once again Katherine opens her mouth and what she says next almost brings me to tears. "Oh, Y/N. understand. I see you truly care about my son, putting his career before your happiness, and then his happiness over your career. I know that that is not an easy decision, and it really shows just how much you care about him. Now, I won't sugar coat anything, but not everyone will approve of your relationship. A white woman and a black man together won't be the easiest thing for people to accept but you have to remember that it is your happiness, no one else's." I felt like all the weight had been lifted off my shoulders after that. We ate lunch and enjoyed the streets of New York. After Katherine had gotten into her car, I turned to Michael. "Alright, what do you want for dessert?" Pulling me into the back of the car, he placed me in his lap. "Hmm, something sweet, a little spicy... I'll have... you."

Taglist: @accio-boys

#michael jackson #michael jackson imagine #michael jackson x reader #80s imagines #80's imagine #80's x reader #80's fanfiction

48 notes · View notes

border-spam · 3 years

Text

Leech Lord - The thought that counts

Troy

Calypso is a bizarre, very weird man who's concept of a "gift" can be some hot drink Ven brought for him to a late night meeting, the time JK handed him a slightly rusted 1/4 socket wrench they'd spotted on a scrap pile while patrolling the slums and recalled him saying he'd have to ask Sei for the day before, or a photo of a flower Eli saw and sent on an incognito chat line.

What he considers gifts aren't usually that tangible so aren't things he can show to others, but there are some actual gifts he's held onto for far too long and people are fucking sick of being shown.

You ever see a coffee cup that hasn't been washed in eight years??

Well his friends have. Weekly.

Ty had "made it" for him in their first year planet-side, a shitty white .50c mug she'd crudely painted "Best Bro, lol" on in now peeling enamel. He knows it was a joke, but it doesn't change how that stupid gross mug has made him feel when things have been so bad that he's spent nights rolling it gently between a flesh and metal hand, reassuring himself with memories of the good times.

I mean he.. he cleans it, he rinses it out, but if he washed it properly the paint would just come straight off and that ain't happening. He drinks so much coffee. The poor thing gets refilled 4, 5 times a night sometimes, it's VILE looking. Brown and black stains, more rings than a felled steelwood tree running down the inside..

Ven hates it. Sei hates it. Eli smiles and tries not to die when he sees it. JK FUCKING LOVES IT. That mug is more Troy to them then his cruel prosthetic is, that mug is the most Troy thing on his damn ship.

Seifa has "politely" insisted on sealing it for him so he CAN wash it, but she's been told with frightening clarity that she’s not allowed near it. Leave it alone, it's fine.

Ven joke gifted him a pair of cursed-text booty shorts after two years of seeing The Holy Father’s ass crack daily and feeling his soul leave his body every time.

Troy took it as part insult / part challenge and made sure to actually wear them around Ven and make sure the other man was aware.

It went from hitching his pants just low enough in public to show their hem and smirking as they were recognised, to just straight up wearing them instead of his usual baggy harem pants some nights when he knew Ven would be spending a few hours in Sanctum.

Sei was completely in on this and acted nonchalant as her friend would desperately try to look around the room for support as his life-force withered while having to sit next to his boss in cursed hotpants and everyone else treating it like it was completely normal.

That stopped when Sei wasn't around, that kind of bullshit just didn't feel right.

He still has them though. They'll.. make a return one day, and Ven won't be ready.

Seifa

On the gift front, she's got 2 modes

1 - Extremely expensive item of value:

Munny. Nice. Highly appreciates it but won't from a personal level ( unless it's also exceptionally catered to her like very carefully chosen jewelry ). She'll secure it somewhere behind lock and key in her ship, and take it out to fondle on her floor like a goblin if she's feeling down.

Sei won't use any expensive gifts for fear of somehow "wasting" then, a weird after effect of poverty and a knife edge upbringing, but she'll cover herself in platinum and diamonds AT HOME while watching bullshit on the E-Net and drinking wine. Think Jenna Marbles leeeshuring. Only does this in private, it's some odd way of enjoying the things she's been given without fear of somehow devaluing them. She's fuckin weird. She is a weird person, she's just very close to even weirder monster twins and they distract a lot of attention from her strangeness.

2 - Piece of shit someone found in a flea market and thought of her or made for her poorly:

What the fuck. What the fuck. Treasure. Will go all red eyed and mouth wobbly when given it, won't know what the hell to say. Will use / wear / show it off daily. Will proudly point out gifts like this in her ship to visitors, go over who gave it to her, where it's from, what that person means to her, everything.

If it's wearable it will be patched into or worn with her best outfits bar ceremonial garb. She's covered in little mementos of friends and colleagues she takes massive comfort from by having close to her at all times, 'specially as some are too far away to see that often, or aren't around at all anymore.

The pendant Ven surprised her with has found its way into almost every ensemble she wears, it's on next to scrap chains and fool’s gold when she's elbow deep in a Mechanicum's process machine's axle oil, and it's on when she's dripping in platinum and faux giggling at a gala. This is... noticed by Troy, who is silently aware of how the shockingly expensive jewelry he's been gifting her for years remains stashed in lockboxes around her ship while Ven's bit of glass rarely leaves her skin. He finds it harder to ignore the blue-green glint of it far more than he'd want anyone to know.

He sent her a droid, years ago. She picked it up from a holding dock in a grimy but carefully packaged parcel and loved it at first sight. Tiny little hive-drone, smaller than her fist and mashed together from what looked like scrap - ancient LED screen able to just about render a simple smiley face with oversized pixels. A chicken scratch note about how they were doing well, things had been going great and they'd really started to find their footing now.

Lines about Tyreen being a pain in the ass, how he'd been having fun with this stuff - droids, that she'd been right that he should try messing around with the amount of scrap bots you could find in any junkpile across Pandora. Said he'd made this for her because he remembered her ship had no V.I. network and how half the rec-room was covered in notes she'd end up having to take to keep on top of deals and interesting tips. This little floating ball could link with her E-Dev and convert audio into notes, calender bookings, maybe make her life a bit easier? Cause she had made theirs easier, him and Ty's, hadn't she. He wanted to give her something back. When would she be touching down again anyway? Been nearly a year since they’d left her ship to make a name for themselves.. and he had a lot to show her...

She still uses that little droid daily, chats idly to it as it sits on her office desk in the Mechanicum, blinking crude emojis at her as it happily translates Sei’s cranky mutters into a schedule that makes her life just a bit easier.

JK's silent hand over of something heavy and palm sized wrapped so beautifully in patterned cloth had keyed her in on not opening it till she was alone, but that prescription lens...

Fitted so carefully onto a hinged frame she knew at a glance would socket over her favored welding goggles? The crude but confident metal work, the tiny flicks of coloured paint she recognised and warmed her heart immediately? That asshole.. that beautiful, clever bastard.

Said nothing, knew she didn't need to, but it's been YEARS and she still notices the slight puff to their chest and way they straighten a little taller when they spot it perched over her right eye.

Asks are open!

#borderlands #borderlands 3 #bl3 #troy calypso #tyreen calypso #calypso twins #leech lord #seifa #ven #jk #jak-knife #oc:ven #oc: jak-knife #my hcs #my writing

24 notes · View notes

manggojooz · 4 years

Text

Foolish Love, Fake Love (Part 6)

pairing: idol!Jungkook x bodyguard!reader

word count: ~3,300

genre: idol!au; angst; romance; drama; enemies to lovers sort of thing

warnings: none

summary: If all you can give me is a fake love, then I will be the fool to pretend that it is all true.

Taglist: @a-hopelessly-imaginative-girl @dollwithluv @sweetcheeksdna @yeontanie21 @peachygiraffe14 @jeontaes-world

One. Two. One. Two.

The thuds on the punching bag resounded around the warehouse. Your knuckles made cracking sounds after the hours of practice. Your shins were swollen from repeatedly hitting the stiff black fixture. The sweat on your forehead continued to drip down onto your lashes.

“Come and take a break Y/N”, a much younger and more energetic Ssam Chun shouted at you. Your breathing was heavy as you sat down next to Ssam Chun on the cold hard floor.

“Ya, how many times do I have to tell you... if you keep pushing yourself like this, it won’t do you any good” Ssam Chun handed you a neon-coloured isotonic drink.

“How’s the new girl?”, you questioned him instead of responding to his nagging.

“Yuri? That girl... she’s been whining the whole morning about how her hands hurt,” Ssam Chun snorted, “... she reminds me of you when you just started training haha, do you remember that you used to cry because-”

“Excuse me, nobody cried...”, you were rather offended. You were certain it was just a little tearing and not crying.

SsamChun puts on his best judging face and then gave a little sigh, “But now you don’t make a sound even after hitting that thing for a good one hour straight... sometimes I wonder is this what humans are like?”

“What do you mean?” you asked in between a huge gulp of the weird-tasting drink.

Ssam Chun grabbed your hand and pushed the bandages on your knuckles aside, revealing your red puffy joints.

“It’s not that the pain isn’t there anymore... look at this... but why do you not feel it anymore?”, he asked.

For a moment you thought he was making an attempt to nag at you again, but he was not.

---

A bolt of light flashes and you look up sharply, hands still holding on loosely to the bracelet bearing the carving. ″5.2″.

“Oh hahah I thought it would good to capture your reaction when you first see the bracelet”, a man holding a chunky camera quickly proceeded to explain as he notices your expression.

“This is Jason, Y/N. He's the main photographer today...”, and then the assistant director’s voice trailed off in your mind again as you refocused on the bracelet in your hands.

How much does Jungkook hate this arrangement? How much does he hate you? To the extent that he would engrave the clause number “5.2” onto this bracelet. Now it didn’t look like a jewellery, now it looks like a handcuff. One that intends to constantly remind you that you are imprisoned in this arrangement too.

The assistant director was still kind and gentle as she helped you to put on the bracelet and as she explained that the focus of the photos would not be on your face but she joked that you still shouldn’t make funny expressions lest it makes Jungkook laugh instead.

“Are we starting yet?”, Jungkook walked over and peeked at the bracelet which was now securely circling your wrist, the corner of his lips involuntarily raising a little.

---

The photography session was quick, they only wanted one or two good shots after all.

One of Jungkook’s hand was on your waist, his other hand holding onto yours which was placed on his chest, exhibiting the bracelet that felt cursed. Your back was facing the camera and Jason instructed you to rest your head on Jungkook’s shoulder.

As if there were a thousand needles poking through his shoulder, you carefully pretended to rest your head, the side of your chin barely even touching the material of that fancy jacket he donned. Your other hand hovering behind his back not daring to touch him at all.

The thin air between you and him formed the thickest barrier in this world. “Looking good, both of you...” Jason continued to say encouraging words as you listened to the shutter click away.

Jungkook stepped away quickly once Jason shouted “OK! Done!” and now your hands were just hovering in thin air.

You again felt that ghostly feeling of someone watching you but as you looked around there was no one suspicious at all.

“We are leaving soon, go get changed.” Jungkook whispered in a hushed tone.

You looked at him icily, not saying a word before stalking off.

---

From then on time passed peacefully on the surface for a few days.

The drill was simple. Wake up, go to work, look out for suspicious people around the boys, have lunch with Yuri, sometimes the managers joined you girls, head home when the boys’ schedule ends, make sure to check their apartment for any intruders or suspicious activities and then turning in for the night.

The days were always long, as one would expect. During these long days you could not help but occasionally notice the metal cuff on your wrist. Every time you observed it, it hurts a little less.

He hardly spoke to you ever, only meeting your eyes unintendedly now and then. There was once he looked at you for more than five seconds because your phone was ringing incessantly and Yuri had picked it up and yelled at the other side to “stop calling already!”

But the moment you locked eyes with him, he looked away nonchalantly, without even blinking.

---

The main schedule of the day is a filming for their own programme. The company had rented out a small studio near the office for the filming. It had been going on for hours and you had not bothered to go in to watch the progress.

From the glass window you were sitting next to, you could see the sun slowly setting, indicating the near end of another tiresome day. You hear someone walking towards you and from the corner of your eyes it looked like a shadow – it must be Yuri.

In her usual full black attire, Yuri strolls up to you, “I thought you would more excited to watch them film such things than I would be...,” she sat down next to you on the artsy looking bench in front of the clear window.

“I should be excited...” you muttered and could not help glancing at the bracelet on your wrist.

Yuri sighed, “It must be hard to know that all the while what you thought he was... was not real... but I don’t think he’s a bad person... you guys just met under the wrong circumstances.”

“Actually... I’ve been avoiding him not because I think he is bad or anything... I mean yes he’s not the nicest to me but if I were in his shoes maybe I'd be the same too,” it was difficult for you to gather how you really felt, “but I feel somewhat bad about being his fan previously... I’m not sure if I’m feeling this way because now I realise everything was fake or was it because I realised how foolish I was then.”

Yuri’s expression suddenly turned very serious, “What’s wrong with being a fan? You said so yourself to me... You like his music, you like the way he works hard to deliver his performances and you like the way he communicates with his fans, so what’s wrong with being his fan? Why do you need to feel bad now...”

Before Yuri could finish her counselling session with you, a bunch of people started flowing out into the hallway where both of you were seated – a familiar sight of people carrying clothing racks, huge boxes, files, cameras and all that fancy stuff.

The last of the people to exit were a few of the boys and the managers. Myunghoon was around today too, it had been a while since you saw him with the other managers. He tilted his head slightly to signal that it was time for you two to get going too.

Springing back on to your feet you walked up together with Yuri, gathering in the middle of the hallway. “We are still waiting a few of them to finish up...” Myunghoon said.

“I’ll go use the washroom for a moment then,” you whispered to him and he gave you a little nod.

---

The water flushes really loudly and you used it to your advantage to cover up the sigh you let out, even though when you entered you were sure that there was no one else around.

What was wrong with you? Yuri was right, you never thought of Jungkook as anything more than an idol that you liked because of their music and their performances. What were you so hurt over? You are feeling increasingly like an idiot by now.

Just then, darkness suddenly surrounded you – the lights in the washroom had gone off. Immediately, you snapped out of all those thoughts and returned to the alertness that defined your occupation.

With your left hand slowly grasping the door lock on your cubicle, you carefully tried to open the door. The door wouldn’t move. That was when you realised this was definitely not a simple power trip, someone must be outside.

Without any warning to whoever was out there, you rammed your side into the cubicle door trying to barge through it. You could hear some shuffling noises and you made no attempt to say anything as you knew there would be no favourable response anyway.

Your second attempt to burst through the door showed promising results, but the mysterious assailant shoved the door hard causing you to tumble back a step. Just then a shrill voice shouted through the rustic silence “I hate you!! You should die!!”

You were stunned for a moment, but quickly lunged for the door again while shouting back, “Who are you?!”

Then the final act came pouring down on you, quite literally. There was water everywhere, pelleting down on you harder than a thunderstorm. You could hardly keep your eyes open as you tried to look up for the source of the downpour.

“YA!!! Who are you?!” you continued shouting. There was no response and no matter how hard you pushed the door would not budge anymore. You finally managed to find a blind spot from the storm in the cubicle and saw that the mugger had thrown two huge hoses over the top of the cubicle door, which were now spraying waterfalls onto you.

The cubicle was completely sealed other than the top. You hastily took out your handphone and dialed for Yuri.

“Yuri, someone attacked me in the toilet... don’t ask for the details now, I'm fine... it’s a girl I think... she might still be in the building,” there was not a moment to waste as you called Yuri to action.

Once you hung up, you put down the toilet seat cover and mounted it. It was a good thing the cubicle walls were sturdy enough to sustain your weight as you lifted yourself up over it into the adjacent cubicle. Once you were out of your confinement, you saw that your cubicle door was blocked by one of those huge carts that the janitors use. Almost on the verge of swearing, you turned off the hoses and dashed out, avoiding looking at your state in the mirrors.

---

You dashed across the hallway, leaving a trail of water behind you. Myunghoon stared at you in shock as you tried to run past him.

“Where are you going?!” he shouted and grabbed you by the arms.

“She must still be around, we need to find her!” you yelled back.

“Yuri and the rest are looking for her” he chanted repeatedly as he dragged you towards the studio. Myunghoon pulls you through the studio set into the dressing room at the back. Seokjin, Yoongi and Jungkook were still in the room packing up their things and they looked visibly shocked when Myunghoon pulled you into the room.

“Hyung.. What happened?” Jin stammered.

“Maybe you guys should clear out, on your way out can you get one of the other managers to look for some towels or clothes... I’m not sure if they have any spare though...” Myunghoon was aware that you probably hated to be seen in this state.

To be fair, at this point you could not really be bothered by how they saw you anymore, but you still wanted to avoid any awkward conversations or eye contact.

“I have some spare clothes,” Jungkook said a little hesitantly.

“You do? It's spare or you need them for later?” Myunghoon marched over almost immediately.

“I was planning to go to the gym after this so I brought some clothes...” just as his sentence ended Myunghoon snatched the bag from Jungkook’s hands.

“Thank you very much then if that’s the case,” Myunghoon chirped. Jungkook look slightly taken aback though.

You had been staring at an empty space on the floor for a while now, hoping they would hurry settle it and leave but then a white patch appears before your eyes.

“I have a spare towel... thought I would sweat a lot from today’s filming but I didn’t get to use...” Yoongi muttered, his words slurring as always. There was hardly an expression on his face as he offered the pristine towel to you, raising it closer to your face when you failed to accept it.

“Ah... thank you...” you replied as you took it.

With that they left the room and you were on your own to clean up the mess that was yourself.

---

Sejoon shoves a cup of hot tea into a whiny Jungkook’s hands.

“What are you complaining about? Do you think she wanted it to happen? I know it’s not your fault that those sasaengs are crazy... but it’s not her fault either! And whose fault is it that her name has to be thrown out there as your fake girlfriend?” a rather stern Sejoon was chiding Jungkook to deliver the tea to you.

Jungkook turned silent for a moment. The past few days he had been so immersed in his inability to control the public sentiment, and the lousy circumstances that made him unable to clarify and say what he wanted to. There was a lot he was not satisfied with, including how you, a fan, was allowed to be his bodyguard. He momentarily questions if he is taking out too much of his dissatisfaction on you.

“You guys should have never let her become our bodyguard...” Jungkook gripes one last time and Sejoon was just about to tear him a new one but Jungkook escapes with the hot tea in his hands.

---

“Yes, come in please,” you answered the knocks on the dressing room door while continuing to squeeze the moisture out of your heavily drenched hair.

You sat up tensely when it was Jungkook who entered.

He cleared his throat awkwardly as he notices you were now wearing his baggy black T-shirt and track suit pants. They were obviously ill-fitting and he wondered if you had always been this small; he never really noticed it.

“Sejoon hyung said you should have some hot tea before we go off, they are still looking for the attacker...” he murmured as he places the cup onto the table in front of you.

“Thanks...” you whispered back.

He sits down on the couch opposite you and you looked at him in surprise.

“Is it your first time meeting a sasaeng?” he asked curiously.

You were suddenly reminded of the time he suggested that you could be a sasaeng too and a wave of emotions hit you again to know that you were being compared to this type of horror.

In your trance you sarcastically replied, “Well I guess other than myself, this is probably a first.”

He looked at you nervously, knowing clearly that you were referring to his past statement. He took a deep breathe before apologising, “I’m sorry for insinuating that you were a sasaeng... I was just really annoyed at that time...”

You still looked at him coldly, his words only confirming the fact that he took out his annoyance on you.

“Forget it...” you responded after a pause, “I can see why you are so sensitive if such things can happen anytime like this.”

He was so shocked that you let the topic go so easily that he blinked a few times confusedly.

“It used to be worse,” he quickly said, as if he wanted to avoid giving you any chance to go back to being angry. “When I first encountered them I got so angry... scared... they would say such weird things and I had no idea what I was supposed to do or feel. But... nowadays I don’t feel it that much anymore, most of the time at least, but once in a while when it gets really serious I guess I still feel something...”

He observed you carefully as he rambled on but you were busy packing all the wet clothes into a plastic carrier that Myunghoon had left with you.

Without much warning to him and as you were stuffing Yoongi’s towel into the carrier, you suddenly asked “But why do you not feel it anymore?”

His gaze on you changed into one with a shallow depth. After a moment of contemplation, he seems to have found the answer.

“For survival... how else do you think I am able to live if every such thing is going to get to me?”

“So does that mean you regret choosing to be an idol?” you continued probing.

He frowns at you, “Do you regret becoming a bodyguard?”

“At times... but mostly no,” you answered.

“It’s the same for me too. At times, some times when I really cannot ignore it, I do regret. Why did you choose to do this though?” he felt this conversation was rather intriguing.

“It was the one thing I could do I guess... or rather the one thing I could do and which made me feel like I am alive... That it was worth my time and my life”, you tried to summarise your thoughts.

“Feel alive... Is it how it’s like in the movies? When something dangerous happens and you put yourself in danger to protect your “clients” and that makes you feel alive?” he asked a bit too earnestly.

It was as if the time had hit a pause button, you couldn’t move at all. You never really thought about why you felt this way doing this job after all these time.

He laughed softly, “They make me feel that way too...”, he concluded. The annoyance was returning back to him. He was ready to get up, dismayed to be reminded that it is the attacks, the harsh comments, the antis and the sasaengs who constantly remind him of his duties as an idol; is that what feeling alive is supposed to be then?

“There is a little girl I know who used to be really scared of “monsters” living under her bed...” you began saying out of the blue, “She would always beg me to check under her bed every night before she would sleep. I did it every night for her... It meant the world to a three-year-old. The way she thanked me and relied on me helped me survive the times when I felt like I had no other value in this world. She made me feel alive.”

Jungkook looks at you intently as you continued, “I don’t know if you get my point but it’s not about how much danger I overcame or how much pain I had to endure or what greatness I achieved. In the end I felt alive because I touched another life – I valued her and in turn, she valued me.”

If he said he understood what you were trying to tell him it would probably be a lie, but he felt like it meant something more than he could comprehend in that instant.

You stood up straight to try to match his height, “Don’t feel alive because of the bad things you have to go through. Look at all your fans who have been touched by you... the fans who love you. Feel alive for them.”

With that you thought the conversation was done and you picked up the bag of clothes, turning to head out of the room.

“Were you...” his voice puts a stop to your steps, “one of them?”

137 notes · View notes

enby-hawke · 3 years

Text

Chapter 4- For I Have Sinned

Summary: The Betrothal Ball is here. Leandra just needs to play her part, but when she realized the man of her dreams has been invited and is determined to sweep her off her feet, can she remember her lines, or will she go off-script with Malcolm and her heart?

Word Count: 9374

Follow on A03

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

“Is it too late to cancel?” Leandra looked at a face that barely looked like hers staring back through her vanity mirror as Mara tied her hair in a long flowing braid. The dress fit perfectly to every measured curve and spilled onto the floor in a pleat of red layered cloth, too constricting and snug, like the cage Leandra had been put in.

Mara had some bobby pins stuffed in her mouth as she secured Leandra’s flowing locks into the complicated hairstyle, but she paused to look at Leandra in the mirror and took them out to say. “It’s never too late.”

The thought fluttered in her mind like a butterfly about to take flight but she captured it in her hands and crushed it. “No, I’m being silly,” Leandra almost shook her head before she was reminded it was full of pins.

“Well,” Mara tutted as she wove more hair, “don’t say I never tried to talk sense into you.”

Before Leandra could ask her what that meant, her mother barged into the door, her face contorted in rage. “Why isn’t she ready, you lazy girl?”

“She’s almost, Messere,” Mara kept her eyes on her work, her voice measured in patience.

“Mother,” Leandra said in a warning voice, her eyes glued to her mirror to not ruin Mara’s hard work, “we’d be ready faster with fewer interruptions,” but her mother kept a level glare at Mara as if she was a stray cat that was brought into her home and scratching up her furniture. Mara paid no mind, humming to herself as she continued to plait Leandra’s hair.

“Have her ready in 5 minutes! Luna De Luca is ready for the interview and I need her to be perfect.”

There was that word again. Perfect. The perfect lady, daughter, scholar, musician, hostess, wife. The list of things Leandra had to be perfect at was longer than her dress. In less than five minutes she would meet Guillaume and they would talk about their love together. Leandra felt like she was running through her lines as if she were in a play, remembering the right times to laugh, to remember to bring the crinkle in her eyes to make her smile seem more genuine. She would have to part from Mara for the interview but she could return to her side for a little while until she accompanied Guillaume to the feast and she found herself counting down the seconds when she’d be reunited again. But then she thought of her brother and Mara, and how eventually things would all change like they were changing now, and Leandra found that time was slipping through her fingers like sand.

“Mother,” Leandra brought a practiced smile to her lips offering peace. “Everything will be fine. I’ll be down very soon.”

Her mother tucked up her chin, satisfied, and then carefully closed the door.

“At least you don’t have to eat with her tonight,” Mara broke the silence.

Leandra laughed in relief. “Soon dinner will be just a day I schedule on my calendar.” A silver lining, if nothing else.

Mara finished her braid and tied it expertly with a ribbon and then placed both of her hands on Leandra’s puffy shoulders. “No matter what happens, I got your back.” She squeezed comfortingly, Leandra’s tight shoulders relaxing. “You leave Guillaume at the altar, I’ve got a bottle of champagne waiting.”

Mara always knew what to say and it took all of Leandra’s power to not tear up and smudge her eye makeup. “I don’t think that will be necessary.”

“The night’s still young,” Mara shrugged. “Maybe you find an elf side piece, instead.”

Leandra laughed in surprise before she caught herself and covered her mouth. “Mara,” she shook her head.

Mara smiled and took her hand, helping her up so her skirt stayed smooth. Leandra took a deep breath. Her costume was on, she just needed to play her part well, but she found herself reluctant to let go of Mara’s hand as her nerves started to get to her.

“You look beautiful,” Mara smiled sadly.

Leandra’s eyes swept over her straightened hair and down Mara’s red cocktail dress that was simple but she looked just as radiant. “So do you.”

“You save that flirting for your fiance,” Mara chuckled, squeezing her hand.

“Right,” Leandra said in clipped words. “You’re right behind me?”

Mara smiled her signature grin. “Always.”

Malcolm snored into the stretched dining table in the corner of the Viscount’s palace where the mages were usually seated. His mind fumbled through the Fade as he plucked random strings for the terror demon’s presence. Unsurprisingly, nothing useful echoed back. Little curious wisps were starting to crowd him as he worked, speaking amongst themselves in a chatter too quick to be understood as a wet smacking sound filled the Fade air.

He agreed to one memory, the one with his mother that was already taken, but thankfully the spirit was already greedy for another helping and he was greedily slurping bowl after bowl of noodles as Malcolm worked.

“So you say taste is a sensation of the organ called a” sluurp, “tongue and that sensation can cause you to feel emotions good or bad?” Scholar scooped up a pile of heaping noodles with a slurping smack.

“That’s right,” Malcolm said with gritted teeth as he counted his breaths so they were even and shallow. He plucked the Fade string, listening. “That’s all it is. Now, will you give me a hand?”

The spirit waved its arm splattering sauce and one of the wisps turned into a grasping phantom hand, offering its help with wriggling fingers.

Malcolm sighed. “Finding this terror demon is going to take a while.”

The wisps gasped and blinked out of sight, the hand trembling and fading from view. The spirit placed the noodles back in their bowl as if they were suddenly unappetizing. “You’ll summon it thinking like that.”

Malcolm perked up. Finally, he was getting somewhere. “Is that how I find it? I summon it to me?”

“You don’t want to catch one of its eyes,” the Scholar spoke in a hushed whisper. “You must clear your thoughts so it does not find a crack to hide in.”

Malcolm shook off the worry. “Not unlike any other demon.”

“Zelophehad is not just any demon,” the Scholar hissed. “He is part of the essence of reality. Where fear lives he rises.”

A beat of worry washed through Malcolm at the finality of what Scholar seemed to be saying, but Malcolm clenched down his nerves. “Every demon has a weakness.”

“Zelophehad has none,” the spirit snapped. “So stop these silly notions of getting yourself killed and answer my next question. What is a tongue? I don’t have one.”

Malcolm sighed in disbelief and turned back around. ”I need to get back to work.”

“What work is that?”

“Am I talking to a broken record?” Malcolm found the irritation crawling up his spine. “If I’m going to find the fucking thing, I need a lead, a trail, a hole, something!”

“Why don’t you just ask?” the spirit cocked his head, tentatively slurping on one noodle.

If Malcolm could have gotten away with strangling the spirit he would. He snapped his golden eyes up in annoyance. “Haven’t I been asking?”

“Why would you ask me? I’m not the one who has the knowledge you’re seeking.” The spirit tipped the bowl back, gobbling up a huge bite.

Malcolm looked at the spirit, a clue clicking into place. “Who would I ask?”

The spirit pointed down next to Malcolm’s foot with a wet finger. “This pebble has been saying it was stepped on by Zelophehad.”

Malcolm cocked his head curiously at the pebble, picked it up, and brought it to his ear.

The voice was not a voice, more of a feeling. The thoughts of the spirit were too foreign to seem like words but Malcolm felt a sensation of dread that locked in his bones as the creature caressed the pebble, how it did all it could to maintain its shape as the demon studied it with one of its many eyes, and how Zelophehad slipped by not noticing it like most of the demons of the Fade. It had been there recently. The emotion was fresh and he found a chip of fear seeding inside him. Was the creature watching again?

“Don’t feed it!” Scholar hissed his warning again. “He’s probably listening for his name.”

“I don’t understand. Where is it?”

The pebble’s answer was empty. The spirit slurped a wet unending noodle. “I guess that’s all it had to say.”

Malcolm found himself irritated and flung the pebble off in the distance so it skipped against the ground with a soft clatter. “How is that supposed to help me?”

“You are a very stupid creature,” the spirit shook his head. “It’s like you don’t hear what anyone’s saying.”

That’s when a jab to Malcolm’s side plummeted his soul back into his body.

Malcolm jerked awake, Taylor’s full lips pursed in annoyance as she glared at Malcolm. “The Lord and Lady are about to be introduced and your snore was echoing through the chamber.”

Malcolm yawned and sleepily laid down his head in his arms. “Wake me up when it’s my turn.”

A strong hand jerked Malcolm to the back of his seat and Malcolm looked up and glared, a set of warm twinkling brown eyes against dark umber skin stared down at him placing a plate of sweet distractions in front of him. “You’re probably just grumpy cause you’re hungry,” the templar’s ceremonial armor gleamed in the traditional candlelight, making him look twice the size that he was.

Malcolm didn’t wait to dig into the pile of assorted sweets cakes, finding that Scholar was already sniffing. “Well, I’m not going to say no to free food,” he said with his mouth already stuffed. He could feel Scholar’s satisfied hum at the back of his mind as he ate.

Taylor flickered her eyes up to Carver in gratitude as she reached over to pick at Malcolm’s pile of sweets. “You’re a saint, Ser Maurevar.”

Carver wrinkled up his nose at his first name. “How many times do I have to tell you, Taylor. Just call me Carver.”

Taylor wiped her mouth of icing, bowing her head in apology too quickly. “Forgive me. I forget.”

Taylor had a healthy respect for templars, or maybe fear was the better word, but Carver and Malcolm had been friends since Malcolm was a boy and she knew that Carver was different. Maurevar Carver was the fifth son from a line of loyal nobles in Kirkwall, but he had not a hint of arrogance. Carver was well-liked even among mages. His family came from a line of templars which would make one think Carver would be rather conservative, but he had idealistic ideas of what it meant to be a protector of mages and beacon against the dangers of magic. While most templar children learned prejudice very young, Carver found himself talking to the mages, getting to know their anxieties and fears, and thought it his duty to make the transition into the Circle as easy for each mage as possible.

After a string of escape attempts in Ferelden’s Circle, the Chantry deemed Malcolm too dangerous and they shipped him to Kirkwall where he didn’t know the culture, had a funny accent and knew no one close enough to escape. Malcolm had given up any notion of freedom for a long time and receded into himself, talking to no one, and only sleeping. Carver sat with him every day in silence as he meditated, ignoring Malcolm’s barbs until Carver replied to a quip that made Malcolm laugh. Malcolm still didn’t trust him, until he took the blame for a punch that Malcolm threw at a templar bully before Malcolm knew how to corral his Ferelden temper. Matthew swore up and down that it was Malcolm who threw the punch but Carver claimed that it was Matthew’s cowardice choosing an easier target than a noble’s son. It was one word against another and the matter was quickly swept under the rug. Malcolm was blown away, unsure why Carver would turn against his templar brother, but Carver told Malcolm he didn’t do it for him. He had been planning to punch Matthew for a long time, and Malcolm was only kind enough to let him take credit.

When the Knight Commander realized that Carver could corral Malcolm somewhat, the two were forced together, Carver Malcolm’s keeper, albeit a very lax one. In fact, it wasn’t abnormal for Carver to look the other way so Malcolm could sometimes slip into Kirkwall just for a taste of what the city was like. Malcolm remembered his first time as a young teenager getting lost in the crowd in a Lowtown market, how he was just another face in the sea of traffic, how he didn’t watch over his shoulder like he was a bomb waiting to explode. He remembered how nervous he was in Carver’s borrowed clothes, way too big for him so he had to roll up the sleeves and legs to accommodate. He ate street food with his pickpocketed change, dropped bread crumbs off the docks and into the ocean for fish to gobble up, got splashed by a taxi cab, and was yelled at by some half-clothed sex workers when he accidentally walked into a brothel. He was completely out of his element and yet when he snuck back in through the secret passage that connected Kirkwall’s Circle to the mainland, he ached what most people took for granted. A family. A job. The freedom to walk the streets. A place in society.

He would have to convince Carver to let him out sometime tonight, though he had no idea how he was going to do it, yet. But he knew Carver wasn’t the type of soul to let him suffer and maybe with some puppy eyes and some undignified whining Carver would cave and let him go to a real party tonight. Carver might even finally take the stick out of his ass and join him.

The screens embedded on the tables started up in a projection of light as it displayed a flamboyantly dressed red-haired noble who was so thin the wind looked like it could blow him away from the balcony he was broadcasting from. He waved to the crowd of waiting faces and they all rose except for Malcolm who propped his head in hand bored, as he munched on his sweetcakes. The noble’s pale skin was crisp on the projection, his full groomed beard and mustache like a silky animal had taken hold of his face.

“Good Ladies and Lords of Kirkwall!” his voice echoed out on the speakers so he seemed to come from everywhere. “It is my pride and duty to announce the joining of my own house and that of the esteemed Amell’s, who has been an anchor in Kirkwall since Garahel beat back the Blight.” He puffed up his chest proudly, placing a delicate hand over his heart. “My own esteemed house has both roots in Kirkwall and Orlais…”

Malcolm rolled his eyes as the Lord droned on about his family’s history. “Yeah, yeah. I need a house the size of my ego and servants to wipe my ass.”

Taylor and the other mages shushed him harshly while Carver shook his head in a chuckle.

Malcolm shoved the sweets aside to Taylor and collapsed his head back down on the table with an exaggerated yawn as the noble droned on. He figured he could at least sleep through the speeches, but two fingers pinched his ear and yanked him up to his feet. He found Enchanter Jakoby glaring in warning to pay attention with the silent gesture of his fingers and Malcolm sulked in place.

A couple in matching lavish red and gold outfits joined either side of Lord de Lancet. “We are blessed with the fact that this is not just a fortunate match for our families, but a love match as well, and we wish to share in the bounty of the Maker’s blessing with you all tonight.”

The woman stepped forward with a smile of pure confidence as she gazed over the crowd as if she was among friends. “Please allow me to thank you all to celebrate my engagement, tonight.”

Malcolm’s ears twitched as his eyes shot up to the screen in recognition of the woman’s voice. His heart sped up at the sound, his eyes widening as her stunning smile stared back at him from the screen. His jaw grew slack as he stared at her, not quite comprehending that she was really in front of him, but his heart soon twisted in jealousy as he saw her fingers intertwined with a handsome red-headed man with a ridiculously large handlebar mustache.

“She certainly didn’t act engaged,” Malcolm blurted out before he could stop himself, earning confused stares from the other mages at the table.

“You know her?” Taylor asked with a thin raised eyebrow.

“No, he doesn’t,” Arth snarled quickly.

“Enchanters, hush,” the teacher whispered in a warning.

Malcolm quickly held his head, ignoring the rest of his welcome speech as he realized in a panic that the show that he planned to embarrass Enchanter Jakoby tonight was not going to work. He leaned over to Taylor, his eyes wide in panic as he whispered. “Taylor, give me some ideas. Something cooler than fireworks or juggling fire.” One of the other mages shot him a glare.

Taylor’s lips pulled into a satisfied smirk. “It’s not my fault you spent the evening making stupid puns to go with card tricks.” It was Malcolm’s idea that now didn’t seem that brilliant. He knew that Enchanter Jakoby wanted him to blow everyone away with a display of his powers so he couldn’t think of anything more embarrassing than fumbling through normal stupid card tricks that he could barely pull off. But now he was staring at perhaps the only girl he had ever wanted to impress and his panicked mind was drawing blanks.

“And now to bless our union the Circle has sent its finest enchanters to entertain us with a magical display,” Leandra turned and motioned gracefully down to the mage’s table as she rehearsed, the cameras turned to superimpose the enchanters who all puffed up their chests in their dress clothes except for Malcolm who was holding his head in panic. Leandra’s eyes slid across the mages with a serene smile until her eyes landed on Malcolm and her face suddenly went red. Her voice suddenly seemed caught in her throat, the palace echoing in silence as they watched Malcolm mutter to himself.

“Um…” Leandra suddenly couldn’t remember the words of her speech as Malcolm noticed the silence dragging on and he looked up to see her staring down at him from the balcony as if she couldn’t believe he was real. The silence was growing uncomfortable as they stared at each other across the room and soon Guillaume stepped forward to pick up the speech.

“Please do not let us keep you waiting much longer. I’m sure you’re all starving,” the crowd chuckled at Guillaume’s natural charisma and Malcolm found irritation creeping up his spine as they briefly met eyes as the lord passed over each mage in an inspection. “We cannot wait to see the performances you have all prepared for us tonight. Do be seated and enjoy the meals our families finest chefs have prepared.”

As a chorus of shuffling seats adjusting to people’s weight, Taylor leaned over to Malcolm with curiosity, finding a soft satisfied smile on his lips. “She seemed to recognize you.”

“She did, didn’t she?” Malcolm couldn’t help but feel like his heart was soaring with what could only be described as hope.

Taylor looked like she wanted to ask more but she didn’t get the chance before Enchanter Jakoby was motioning for her to come to the dance floor to begin her performance. She fluffed her hair, in a twisted half-do, and adjusted her dress, the cut, and design marking her as a mage saying, “Well I guess I have to show why I’m the top of the class.”

“Only cause I don’t give a shit,” Malcolm snarked but Taylor relaxed her shoulders as Carver handed her a staff. Arth’s glare could set Malcolm’s hair aflame.

“You’re going to do wonderfully,” Carver smiled brightly, his soft dark bangs falling out of his ponytail.

Taylor ducked her head, a small satisfied smile settled on her lips as she took the staff and balanced it in her hands.

Then the lights dimmed on the ballroom floor as Taylor stepped out onto it holding out her staff level and with an expert grip. She stared up onto the main balcony where the main couple was on display. “Lady Amell, Lord Du Lancet,” her voice was not a shout but it boomed across the ballroom. She bowed her head so her fluffy hair bobbed. “Allow me to show you the wonders of the Fade.”

She waved her staff opening a giant portal in the middle of the ballroom, a shimmering green hue cloaked the room with light, and in the center of a mist showed in the distance the far off gates of the Black City. The nobles chattered as Enchanter Jakoby puffed up in pride. Even Malcolm widened his eyes at the sight, impressed she managed to pull off such a feat. “Fear not,” her voice echoed. “This is just a window into the Fade, not a true portal. You are all perfectly safe.”

The nobles all whispered amongst each other as wisps and spirits peeked through the curious portal making more faint of heart to gasp if one ventured too close. Malcolm felt for a moment a pang of unease as his mind continued to draw blanks. His competitors had all had a whole month to prepare and he had had an evening to which he had successfully wasted. Still, he could do better than some window. He just wasn’t sure what that was yet.

As the portal closed and the lights in the room turned to normal, Taylor bowed, carefully returned her staff to Carver, and then returned to the table with a rather smug smirk. “Think you can beat that, losers?”

Arth met her smug grin with one of his own, clutching a terracotta planter filled with soil. “Don’t worry. I’ll remind everyone of class.”

Taylor rolled her eyes, slinking down in her seat to find Malcolm still staring at Leandra, who seemed to be glancing back at him every few seconds. Taylor looked between the two of them in open confusion. “So I noticed the whole time I was casting she seemed keener to pay attention to you. Mind telling me how you know each other?”

Malcolm couldn’t keep the grin off of his face, but he shrugged off Taylor’s question as nonchalantly as he could. “It’s not that interesting of a story.”

Taylor shook her head, narrowing her eyes in disbelief. “Well, I wouldn’t worry too much. I’m sure she’s already sick of you.”

Am I hallucinating? Leandra tried to pay attention to the next mage who had dragged a pot to the middle of the dance floor and was trying to grow a seed into a tree, but her attention was much more focused on the elven mage seated far behind him. It didn’t help that growing a seed was a slow and dull process of just watching streams of green light glow into the pot. The little seed seemed to resist the magic, and for a long time, nothing happened until a little string of green poked out of the bud, fighting every spurt with an agonizingly slow wiggle. Leandra found her eyes sliding away from the show and back to the impossible dream man. She couldn’t mistake him for anyone else. He had the same messy curls, dark freckled skin, and even from the distance, his bright golden eyes flashed with the same mischief. But how was he even here? Her mind had made him up? Didn’t she?

After ten minutes and the sprout was only a few inches long, Leandra found a yawn caught in her throat that she caught with her hand. Her eyes flung in alarm to Guillaume who was thankfully more interested in his dish of lobster.

Leandra tried her best to calm herself down, and focus on the show. The mage’s blond bangs were starting to stick to his forehead in exertion, his hold on his staff shaky, but the little sapling stayed depressingly small. Pay attention, she kept scolding herself, but her eyes kept betraying her, sliding away from the man’s performance to meet the elf’s golden eyes. He smiled, noticing that she was staring again, and winked.

She blushed, mortified at having been caught, and dropped her eyes back to her lobster that had been barely touched. Suddenly she felt a hand cover her clenched fork. She looked up to meet Guillaume’s kind brown eyes. “Are you alright, dear?”

Leandra’s throat tightened, ashamed that she had been shamelessly ogling another man when her fiance was eating right beside her. “I’m perfect,” she flashed a smile that was strained but Guillaume didn’t seem to notice at all.

He squeezed her hand in a friendly gesture. “I’ve been counting down the days for this,” he said as leaned over to kiss her chastely on the cheek.

Leandra stiffened at the gesture, but accepted it, not able to resist comparing how she was feeling now to the kiss she experienced with that mysterious man sitting in the audience. But that couldn’t have been real. She scolded herself for getting her feelings in shambles over an event that didn’t happen and held onto Guillaume’s hand.

Guillaume’s eyes spelled mischief tonight. “Why don’t you and I get lost during the dance?” Leandra found herself coaching her smile, but her stomach was dropping as he bent over to whisper in her ear, “I’ve packed a wonderful spread on my yacht, all your favorites. We can watch the moon on the ocean and celebrate tonight.”

Leandra found herself panicking at the implication of the word celebrate. She had let Guillaume assume that she would listen to her parents and wait until marriage, but she also hadn’t told him that his feelings weren’t mutual. Or maybe they were and she was just confused. Leandra was quickly becoming aware that her smile was growing unnatural and that she was expected to say something, but the warring parts of her mind could not come up with a coherent response that would please Guillaume and get her out of this. “That’s…” she paused, trying to find an eloquent phrase, but instead she ended with, “nice.”

Guillaume laughed, patting her hand. “And they say you’re the conversationalist.”

Leandra stuffed a bite of lobster into her mouth to avoid having to say more. Guillaume this time seemed to notice her hesitation. “You don’t have to be so nervous that things are changing. The way we’re great together, that will never change.”

An array of polite claps burst around her saved her from her answer and she eagerly joined in to see the blond mage dragging a meager sapling the size of a shrub off the ballroom floor with some difficulty.

That’s when the dream man sauntered past him to the middle of the dance floor, staring at her like she was the only thing that existed. He held no staff in his hands, but he walked with a confidence that told everyone he didn’t need it. He kept his gaze on her as he placed a hand over his chest, his curls falling into his golden eyes as he bowed slightly. “Leandra Amell, a gift to bless your union.” He cupped his hands and a ball of flame danced in his hands, orange and bright, bathing his skin in amber. He smirked, his voice taking on an almost sarcastic tone as he said, “May your love burn ever brighter.”

Suddenly the flames shot up to the ceiling seeming to take a life of their own. Everyone gasped as two giant wings spread across the dance floor bringing with it a heat that burst across the palace. A giant bird formed in the flames, with a craning neck and huge eagle-like wings. It soared around the ceiling in a lazy circle, leaving in its wake an aura of stars that streaked from its streaming tail. The bird’s wings flapped mightily, leaving gusts of heated wind as it flew up to the balcony to meet Leandra. Her eyes widened, reflecting the bright light of the flames as the bird circled her, leaving twinkling dust of starlight snowing down. Leandra’s eyes sparkled, standing up to reach up to the specks of light that danced around her, begging her to reach out and touch. She couldn’t resist reaching out to see what the magic felt like for herself. Something inside her recognized the scent of it, the feel of it, the caress of it. The light popped against her skin and fingertips, blooms of roses of all colors blossoming where they landed. Leandra cupped her hands to find a bouquet made of unheated firelight had gathered, dancing around her fingertips. On instinct, she brought them to her nose to inhale, and the bouquet dispersed into a cluster of butterflies taking with them the scent of thick rain. She followed the butterflies back up to the phoenix which had perched near her, its heat like a furnace as it stared at her with molten eyes. The creature blinked and then took off back towards the ceiling, crashing against it into a display of fireworks that rained down all around the audience. As everyone stared at the show above Leandra stared back down at the man bathed in sparks staring back with a yearning so deep it left her breathless.

“Malcolm,” she whispered, his name echoing from somewhere deep inside her.

“Well done, Ser!” Guillaume joined Leandra on his feet as he led the audience in a wild burst of applause.

Leandra’s eyes were wide, her face flushed as she stared back down at the impossible man with the impossible magic. He smirked at her as if he had already figured her out, but she felt she was clueless. Her logical side told her there was no way they could have met before now, that dreams are just dreams and yet his face looked like comfort, like home and his lips-

A hand squeezing hers reminded her of who she belonged to and her face burned as she guiltily looked up at Guillaume who seemed to be beaming from the show. “Wasn’t that wonderful, Leandra?”

“Truly breathtaking,” Leandra found herself saying. Though she should have been looking at her fiance’ she found her eyes shooting back towards Malcolm who was staring at Guillaume and her intertwined fingers with hard eyes and a clenched jaw. Somehow she felt like she had been caught cheating and she dropped Guillaume’s hand without thinking, but Guillaume was busy applauding and joining in the crowd’s cheer for an encore. Malcolm ignored the call of the crowd, only winking at Leandra before he returned back to the table with his fellow mages and took his seat, his eyes never seeming to leave her.

The rest of the performances seemed so much duller in comparison. One of the mages summoned a storm cloud that made an awful mess of snow on the dance floor and required some cleanup before the other mage could juggle his ball of flame. The man himself had quite a talent of making the flame dance, but even as he threw the flame up into the air to turn it into a display of fireworks it didn’t quite leave as big of an impression as the live dancing phoenix that left a trail of starlight. It was so difficult to pay attention, especially when Malcolm seemed eager to keep it. She found her careful smile almost melt into inopportune giggles at his exceedingly goofy faces.

Then it was finally time for Guillaume to lead her on the dance floor for the first dance. She found herself coaching herself through the steps as she struggled to keep up her smile in Guillaume’s arms. She was keenly aware that a pair of golden eyes were watching her with the rest of the audience, and every time she accidentally met them she’d find herself breathless all over again. She felt dizzy with the confusion and had to excuse herself after the dance ended. Guillaume, ever the gentleman, went to fetch some lemon water as Leandra waited by her parents and the Du Lancets, trying to outbrag each other on how much they spent on the ball. That’s when Mara showed up, dragging a reluctant Gamlen on her arm.

Leandra smiled brightly as she noticed that Mara and Gamlen wore matching outfits of royal red, Gamlen in a fitted suit that made his shoulders look broader than they were, and Mara in her cocktail dress. Leandra’s noble friend’s raised their eyebrows in interest at the outfits but in respect for Leandra said nothing to Mara as she approached, but it didn’t take long for Leandra’s parents to stare pointedly at the way Gamlen and Mara were openly holding hands.

“Congratulations!” Mara threw one of her arms around Leandra, not caring at the pointed way people were staring and Leandra returned the hug gracious, thankful even to have Mara there. Mara pulled away with a teasing smirk. “Should I get you a drink or is that too soon?”

“Lord Du Lancet is already fetching the lady a drink,” Dulci Du Mortain, one of Leandra’s Orlesian friends piped up, looking down at Mara through her nose as if Mara had a ghastly stain on her dress.

“Well good thing his lordship’s not so lazy to always fetch the servants to do it,” Mara laughed easily to which Leandra joined in until she realized her noble friends nor Gamlen were laughing.

Lady Crawford, one of Leandra’s more conservative friends sniffed sharply, suppressing the glare in her light blue eyes with some difficulty. Her thin brown eyebrows knitted together in what could be a frown if one were rude enough to point it out. “Is it not an honor to serve your betters?”

Mara bit down a laugh and what she wanted to say when Leandra’s pleading eyes asked her not to make more trouble which only made Lady Crawford’s face redden under her makeup.

“What Mara means to say is while it is always an honor to serve the Great Houses, self-sufficiency can be an admirable trait.” Leandra smiled brightly, hoping the olive branch would be enough to keep the peace.

Gamlen snorted to which Mara grinned wider and Leandra shot them both a glare.

Lady Crawford thinned her smile at Leandra and then glanced at Lady Dulci and the others with a wry chuckle. “Diplomatically put, dear.”

Leandra swallowed down the internal sigh that was fighting in her throat. She didn’t need another petty battle with Lady Crawford or any of her noble friends, especially since these ladies were all expected to be her bridesmaids together. Mara had gotten the coveted spot of maid of honor, to which Leandra quickly realized her other friends hadn’t quite forgiven her for, but rather than take their grievances up with Leandra, they sniped at Mara, hoping that perhaps eventually her parents would step in and force the matter.

Mara, however, was understandably just as petty. She openly leaned on Leandra’s arm, daring the other ladies to say something about it. “Leandra, I hate to be rude, but I have some major maid of honor details for your ears only.”

Leandra’s eyes darted to Lady Crawford, Lady Du Mortain, and the others who exchanged jealous glares. Lady Du Mortain put a hand over her mouth, averting her eyes with a reddening face. “Is his Lordship not entitled to the lady’s time tonight?”

Leandra’s throat tightened, feeling trapped by the expectations that were set.

“I believe his lordship can speak for himself,” Guillaume said from behind them all the authority he could muster. They all turned as he took Leandra’s other side offering a glass of water with a kind smile to which she quickly used to unstick her throat. “I wish no more of the lady’s time than she wishes to give to me. If her attention is needed elsewhere, I cannot be so selfish as to monopolize her.”

The other ladies swooned at Guillaume’s words, Lady Dulci fanning herself. She knew the kiss would come next so Leandra leaned in offering her cheek to accept the gesture. As Guillaume’s warm lips and scruffy mustache grazed her skin she withheld a shudder, her gaze wandering until it was pulled up into an alcove where Malcolm was perched. Her cheeks flooded as Malcolm’s eyes darkened at Guillaume kissing her, and he crooked a finger in a motion for her to follow him. She found her eyes being glued to his back as he disappeared off onto a dark balcony, far above the crowd gathered on the dance floor below.

Leandra passed her water to a passing server and grabbed Mara’s hand. “Thank you everyone but I believe I do have some maid of honor business to discuss.”

Mara was halfway pulling Leandra away when two figures stopped them. Both of Leandra’s parents were glaring at Mara with a fury that Leandra had never seen before. “Leandra,” her mother tapped her heel. “Can this business not wait until tomorrow? You’re expected on the dance floor.”

Guillaume stepped forward with an easy smile. “It is no problem, my Lord and Lady. Please allow Leandra this privacy.”

Leandra shot a grateful smile to Guillaume as both of her parents seemed to struggle with this new playbook. Finally, her mother nodded and said, “But please do remember to behave. There are cameras everywhere.” She pointedly looked at Mara as she said this and then turned her glare at Gamlen. “And do we have something to talk about, young man?” Her mother was pointedly staring between Mara and Gamlen’s matching outfits.

Gamlen swallowed what looked like fear and he stepped forward. “Mom? Dad? Can we talk somewhere private?”

Leandra’s friends were suddenly whispering amongst themselves in a renewed interest. Her parents seemed to notice the gossip that was already started to spread and was already marching Gamlen somewhere else, most likely somewhere sound-proof. Mara and Leandra quickly ditched the whispering crowd, Leandra cringing that her family was once again the subject for gossip tonight. It would have always been, but she was quickly getting a headache thinking about all of the thinly veiled insults she would have to wade through tonight about Gamlen and Mara’s obvious public stance. Leandra told herself it was just gossip and that a few snide comments were nothing to get emotional over, but she felt a knot quickly forming in her gut as she thought of the social dragging that she was surely in for.

She was busy wondering what Guillaume’s stance would be on Mara and Gamlen’s relationship when Mara pulled her over to a dark corner and immediately clonked Leandra on the head with her next question. “So who is that hunky elf that keeps undressing you with his eyes?”

Leandra’s face burned at the question, not able to meet Mara’s scrutinizing gaze but this she could answer honestly. “I don’t know.”

“You so do know him!” Mara argued, giving her a playful push. “That magic show was something else and you can hardly keep your eyes off him. Seriously, school girl vibes. So just tell me the juicy details already! Don’t make me drag it out of you.”

“I didn’t- I mean I did, but it wasn’t real, but-” Leandra buried her face in her hands. Still, if Mara noticed her ogling Malcolm, then who else did? “This is all impossible!”

“What is?” Mara pulled Leandra’s hands away from her face so she could look straight into her eyes.

Leandra found that being stared at so closely by Mara was making it difficult to think clearly. She felt mad telling the truth but she always told Mara the truth so she finally dared to say it aloud. “He’s the same man I kissed in that dream, but he’s real somehow and I think I’m going crazy.”

She thought Mara would laugh at her but instead, Mara opened her mouth and closed it. “Like one of Andraste’s prophecies?”

Leandra tilted her head at her friend, somewhat grateful to be believed but also not sure what that would even mean. “You think this is what it is?”

Mara cupped Leandra’s cheeks, staring at her with a seriousness that was hardly like her. “If the Maker is sending you visions about that man, don’t you think you should at least meet him?”

Leandra laughed like it was a joke until she realized Mara was serious. And then her voice took on a high pitched tone as she quickly spiraled into a panic about what that could mean. “I’m engaged! This is my betrothal ball! I can’t!”

“You’re right,” Mara said with an annoyed frown. “Your parents are obviously of higher authority than the Maker.”

Leandra froze at this new thought. Was this truly the Maker’s hand guiding her? Would she always regret not taking this chance?

Before Mara could calm Leandra’s brand new panic, she tapped Leandra and pointed to a tall brown templar with a silky ponytail approaching them both with intent. Leandra recognized him immediately as Knight-Captain Maurevar Carver, though she had only recognized him from newspaper clippings and his family’s reputation. Though he was wearing heavy templar armor, he held himself with a nobleman’s grace. He bowed deeply in respect, his eyes full of apology.

“Pardon me if this is a bad time. I mean to only offer my sincere congratulations.”

Leandra smiled and curtsied politely. “My deepest thanks, Lord Carver.” The Carvers were a house of good reputation that her family had always done their best to keep on good terms with though from what she knew of Maurevar himself was surprisingly little. There were rumors about him being at odds with his family but if true, they put up very good appearances.

“May I have the honor of shaking your hand, my lady?” Carver bowed humbly, offering a downturned palm.

Leandra offered her hand, finding nothing odd about the gesture until she felt a small scrap of paper being slipped in her hand.

The templar bowed his head and smiled with mischief, but said nothing else but, “Thank you for your time, my lady. Good night.”

“What was that about?” Mara stared off at the templar in confusion as Leandra unfolded the scrap of paper with haste.

On what was no doubt a piece of stationery stolen from the Viscount’s office in sloppy scrawl wrote, “Why be bored over there when you can have fun dancing with me?”

She had no doubt who this was from and from the gleam in Mara’s eyes she didn’t need briefing either. “You’re so going!”

Leandra gaped at her friend as if she was growing a new head. “How would I manage that? With my parents and Guillaume, there’s no way I can escape for more than a dance.”

Mara’s cat eyes gleamed as she shrugged. “So you disappear for just one dance? I’ll cover for you. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Leandra didn’t want to give voice to that line of thought, the much more alluring idea of a chance to speak with the man that had plagued most of her waking thoughts too tempting to be denied. “I’ll go,” Leandra said before she could change her mind, but she quickly raised a finger to clarify, “but only to tell him nothing can happen.”

The way Mara smiled told Leandra that she wasn’t quite as believable as she sounded. Still, she had to convince herself at least.

“You barely tasted anything tonight,” the pesky demon floated in Malcolm’s vision.

That wasn’t true. Malcolm was more than full, not only having had a scrumptious dinner of fresh lobster but he had grabbed at least one sample from every type of tray, but still, the gluttonous demon was not happy.

Malcolm stared off into the lit maze garden that overtook the city block, a silly thing to have in a place with as little space as Kirkwall, and yet Malcolm couldn’t find it in him to complain. The demon hunt had been put far out of his mind, his only thought was if Leandra was coming.

Did she remember the dream? Was she staring for a different reason? Or was she just pulled to him the same way he felt pulled to her? Malcolm leaned over the edge, peering into the garden below and enjoying the feeling of vertigo rush to his head, whatever it took to remind him he was here and alive and not some trick of the Fade. He was unsure whether Carver had been able to deliver the message, or if he had if Leandra would even respond. He had to admit it did already drive him a little crazy knowing she already belonged to another man, but he knew he wasn’t imagining this spark between them.

He wasn’t even sure what it all meant, yet. He just couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss, and how he wanted those lips to be sighing his name, and every stolen glance his way encouraged him. When she looked at him, he felt like everything else in the world ceased to matter, and though he felt like he should be worried about this obsession he felt, he would do nothing to stop it. He wondered what it would take to bring another smile to her lips, to hear her laugh once again. He wanted to know everything about her joys, her fears, her troubles, her comforts. He recognized a fake smile when he saw one. He had to put a few on for Charlie and Carver and in the Circle, a good fake smile was as good as armor. She seemed so restrained from the determined fiery woman he met in her dream and he longed to know what it would take to bring that side of her out again. However, Scholar was not happy with this new development and would not leave him alone.

“Could you grab at least one more shrimp puff?”

Malcolm was sick of shrimp puffs. “Just grab another one from my memories,” he grumbled.

“But they taste better fresh,” the spirit whined. It floated to the edge where the balcony opened back into the palace, layers of red cloth framing the sides.

Malcolm patted his belly. “You feel this?”

Scholar patted his stomach curiously. “It’s a kind of nice feeling.”

Malcolm was astonished by that. A nice full belly full of actual warm food. He hadn’t had that in a while. “Well, it means nothing more can go in. I’m meeting a girl soon so I’ve been real nice considering how much I’m having to suck my gut right now.”

Scholar looked at Malcolm’s belly with what looked like a deep frown. “Why are you doing that? Let it out. It doesn’t like that.”

Malcolm suddenly wondered if his breath would be bad from all the different food he ate. He meant to pace himself, but when everything tasted so good, it was hard to say no to another bite. He grabbed a sprig of mint from the empty platter he grabbed from a waiter and shoved it into his mouth chewing. He had already had 2 sprigs but he figured another one couldn’t hurt. As he chewed he glared at the spirit. “Now scat already. I did what you wanted.”

“But you still haven’t told me what a tongue is?”

“I said it’s something mortals have.”

“That doesn’t explain anything. Some demons have tongues, too.”

“Then ask a demon. I’m not a teacher.” Malcolm swallowed the mint, hoping it would soothe his gut.

“But a demon might warp me?” The spirit quivered at the thought.

“Not my problem. Now, will you scat already?”

It put its red phantom hands on its skeleton wraith thighs and huffed again. “Fine, stupid mortal. You win. If you teach me all I need to know for my quest of knowledge I will aid you with knowledge about Zelophehad, though it will surely lead to your death.”

Malcolm perked up, snapping his eyes up to the wraith. “You’ll help me find it?”

The demon shook his head. “No. If I tell you where it is before you’re ready you will die for sure. But I will help you get stronger so you may idiotically seek it on your own.”

Malcolm widened his eyes seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. “When do we start?”

“Who are you talking to?”

Malcolm glanced over his shoulder to see Leandra who was staring at him in open confusion and he realized he had been speaking to Scholar aloud. He lost grip of the railing and almost tumbled off the ledge before he caught himself, but Leandra still screamed and rushed up to him and grabbed him by the waist, pulling him over the balcony so he rolled on top of her. They both groaned, having hit the ground hard and Malcolm was very aware that his body was pressed against hers, so soft and foreign his body just responded on its own. His face burned as he realized that she had felt his hardness form on her thigh and he scrambled off her before she could make sense of what happened. Still from the redness on her face, she surely felt it and he was utterly mortified.

Scholar sniffed in between Leandra and Malcolm, curious about the concoction of emotions brewing. “What is this?” Scholar seemed entranced.

“Apologies, my lady,” Malcolm bowed his head, trying to ignore Scholar, but he was so sure that he had just blown it. “I should not have put you in this position.” Why did his body have to have such a strong reaction to her? Other girls had moved his loins, but he had always found with some mental discipline he could somewhat control his reactions. With Leandra, he felt off-kilter, like every part of her set him alight. His thoughts were in a blender, churning chaotically as he tried to figure out a way to rectify the situation.

Leandra shyly looked away. “No need to apologize, it was an accident.”

You are more gracious than most.” Malcolm found none of the confidence he had earlier in his presence, especially when the fresh memory of her body made his own body betray him still.

They kept themselves turned away from each other as they adjusted their clothes to be presentable again. Malcolm gritted his teeth using magic to force enough blood away from the member, the pain of sensation helping to soften as he got up. He offered his hand, hoping she couldn’t see.

“A most curious reaction,” Scholar plucked at Leandra as she took Malcolm’s hand and pulled herself up. “Are you going to taste her next?”

Malcolm’s anger spiked so sharply the spirit recoiled. “If I have to tell you to scat again the deal is off!”

The spirit scurried from the emotion like it was being chased by a whip. Malcolm relaxed his shoulders, realizing the buzzing was fading from his mind when he realized that Leandra had frozen at the expression on his face.

“Have I offended you, Ser?” she dropped her hand and looked down shyly.

Malcolm kicked himself. “No, not at all.” He found himself stumbling for any explanation that could explain his rude expression. “I guess I’m just surprised you came,” He immediately kicked himself again as her expression bloomed with guilt.

“I almost didn’t,” she admitted.

Malcolm tried not to let himself be disappointed by that. He knew there must be a million things holding her back while he had absolutely nothing to lose. He knew he was on borrowed time with her, but he was greedy for every second. “Still, the fact that you did?” he took one step forward offering his hand once more with the swell of the music, “does this mean you’ve come to dance?”

Her eyes seemed entranced by his hand, her hand reaching up on its own but she curled her fingers away.

“You know I’m engaged, though…” She seemed torn by the implication of taking his hand meant.

Malcolm smiled, knowing that would be her answer. “And I ask for nothing you would not give freely.”

She bit her lip at that. “I wish I was free to give more.”

Malcolm’s smile widened, encouraged by that, and re-offered his hand. “Who says you’re not.”

She laughed, the sound easing his nerves, and finally took his hand. He pulled her in close swaying to a slower version to the beat of the waltz. “You’re a very dangerous man to talk to.”

She looked more beautiful than she remembered, her skin softer than possible. She was nestled so close, her body cradled against him like it was meant to be folded there. Every brush of her skin was a cruel reminder of how easily she set him aflame and he struggled to concentrate. He wanted to know if she burned just as much for him if his closeness was a terrible temptation like hers was. For now, though, he could be content to just hold her, humming along to the tune until he spun her around and led her in a waltz across the balcony. Her eyes gazed deeply in wonder, and Malcolm could feel himself falling in the stars reflecting at him. She was magic itself, lighting him up in a warm glow that illuminated them both as they danced, little wisps of light following in mimicking swirls.

His fingers were hyper-aware of where he was holding the small of her back, where he had placed his hand on her waist, and suddenly he understood the appeal of dancing. His feet and hips moved in a rhythm of their own not in time with any current dance but Leandra seemed to be able to follow the steps on instinct. Her eyes kept darting down to his lips every time he leaned in close and he was having fun making her red teasing her. Still, it was only madness he could resist for so long. The need to taste her again thrummed in every part of his body.

“Would it be awful if I asked to kiss you, again?” Malcolm found himself asking. “Being an engaged woman at all.”

“Again?” Leandra froze and blushed from her ears to her shoulders. Malcolm smiled as she looked at him in puzzlement, trying and failing to place him. “I-I’m an engaged woman. You shouldn’t ask!”

Malcolm was unable to keep from smirking at her fluster. “But still I did. Do you protest?”

“I should,” she blushed, ducking her head, but her voice sounded frail and unconvincing. Still, Malcolm let the disappointment show on his face but respectfully added more distance.

“Terribly sorry to tempt you,” he apologized truly, seeming to accept her answer easily. “I won’t pester you for more than a dance.”

This time the disappointment on Leandra’s face was clear. She choked on her words, hesitating, but she inched closer so they were pressed back up each other and said, “Well you can pester me for a little more than that.”

Malcolm’s eyes darkened. “You might want to be careful, my lady,” he took her chin gently, enough so that she could resist but instead her whole body lit up in anticipation, her pupils dilating and her skin goosepimpling at his touch. He lowered his lips, his words a hum. “I can be quite a pest.”

But before their lips could touch screams echoed across the palace halls stopping the party short.

#leandra x malcolm #malcolm hawke #leandra amell #da fic #dragon age #my writing #I couldn't wait to get to this chapter #so fun

4 notes · View notes

tae-cup · 4 years

Text

.hamartia. ‘Part 4,

Pairing: Yoongi x Reader (f) x Taehyung (?)

Genre: Mafia!Au, Fluff, Angst (Mostly angst oopsies) I DO NOT CONDONE BEHAVIOR DISPLAYED IN THIS, PLEASE IT’S FICTION AND DON’T DO STUPID THINGS THANK YOU

Plot: Y/N is a skilled, well, torturer, though you don’t like to call yourself that; it makes what you do too real. When mafia boss Yoongi wants information or wants a hostage to suffer, you step in. However, one fateful day you are thrown Taehyung, another person who does your line of work. You need answers, he is determined not to give them to you. That’s when you try...a different approach, and Yoongi is not pleased.

Rating: TV-MA

WARNINGS: YO IF YOU’RE NOT COOL WITH SUBTLE BI AGENDAS THEN I’M SORRY THIS IS NOT THE PLACE FOR YOU, Blood, torture, mafia things (ya know?), drugs alcohol, sadistic tendencies, a fundamentally flawed main character (I’m sorry i’m just writing myself pretty much), assault, harassment, stalking (not bad), romance (somehow), Maybe stockholm syndrome???

Word Count: 2.1K words

A/N: I’m sorry there’s not a lot of Taehyung here, but there will be in the next chapter >:) I’m also really like to think that House of Memories by Panic! At The Disco is the theme song for this series.

Other:

Masterlist

Prologue | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Next

guilt

~ guilt is an affective state in which one experiences conflict at having done something that one believes one should not have done (or conversely, having not done something one believes one should have done).

“Is that all?” Yoongi raised a questioning eyebrow.

It had been a solid two weeks since Taehyung was moved to better treatment. Two weeks and you had yet to learn much about him. He didn’t speak to you when you came to talk to him, he rarely responded. You deduced he either had balls of steel or was terrified out his mind. You chose the former considering his serious disposition. Even if he wasn’t in this situation, you suspected he would be a rather serious man.

“Yes.” You paused. “Well, I found out his favorite color is gray.”

“Oh?”

“It wasn’t on purpose. He didn’t tell me, but you know me, Yoongi,” You glanced to meet his eyes for the first time this whole meeting. “You know I’m an observer. I see the smallest twitch of relaxation when there’s a gray colored item. Of course, he’s a smart man...” You trailed off. Taehyung could be deceiving you to believe one way.

“And what have you done with this information?” The pale man didn’t seem amused.

“I’ve taken away anything gray.” That also meant you had to change up your wardrobe, which was annoying. Gray was a go to color of yours. In the morning, you had to ignore a third of your wardrobe. You were still using a subtle torture. Depraving him of certain colors and shapes was a softer way to approach this. You had seen excellent results in the past with this method, but it was often a slow burn.

Yoongi nodded his head slowly, seemingly thinking deeply. He didn’t return your gaze and instead looked toward the ceiling.

“Interesting.”

There was a long pause. You really had nothing else to report. Taehyung woke up at 3 A.M. in the freaking morning everyday, if you could even call that morning. He managed to wake up before you. And with your absolutely fucked sleep schedule, he was almost making your life hell. wait a minute.

“Can I be dismissed?” You quickly said, already starting to stand up.

“You’ve figured something out, haven’t you?” He finally met your eyes. You had this spark, a sudden realization. You just nodded, trying to get out as soon as possible. You had a lot to discuss with Jimin.

“Fine, you’re dismissed.” Usually he wouldn’t allow such an outburst, but it was you. He had vowed never to yell at you again after what happened.

You found the silver haired man relaxing on a bench outside of one of the torture rooms. “Jimin.” You grabbed his arm hurriedly and hoisted him up to follow you before he could even say hi. He fell into step with you and panted after his rude awakening.

“What? Did something happ-”

“Jimin, Taehyung has been toying with us.” You almost shouted. Then you looked around the hallway, seeing it to be clear, and then lowered your voice.

“What do you mean.” Jimin hissed. He may be soft for the mafia, but he did not enjoy being fooled with.

“Taehyung has been making our lives miserable. He observed us, learned our patterns, and knew how to use them against us. We may be the ones in power, but Taehyung has managed to weasel his way in.” You paused to take a breath. Jimin stood, mouth agape.

“So...So he knew about...”

“He knew you’re soft. He knows I wake up at 5 A.M. so he pushed it further. He’s depriving us of sleep and humanity.” You bit your lip, thinking. What has he been doing? He just sits there, he doesn’t try to escape. He doesn’t talk, but he gives you just enough information. How did he learn to read people so well? It’s impossible for him to know everything about us from just us going in and out of that room...The color drained of your face as you thought of another possibility. No, it can’t be- Jimin pulled you out of your thoughts, saying the words you couldn’t bring yourself to say.

“He’s a distraction.”

“You’re not a monster, but you’re not the woman I fell in love with.” Yoongi stood stiff. He was always so blunt.

“Might I remind you,” You seethed, hands gripping the back of the seat tightly, your knuckles turning white. “You made me this way.”

He looked away, almost ashamed. “You wanted a job here, you didn’t want to feel like dead weight. I gave you a job.”

You scoffed, “Don’t blame this on me, Yoongi.”

“Fine.” He crossed his arms, leaning casually against the window sill. The office felt so dark, a tense fog filling the room. “The position was open and I saw you as just another worker who could fill it. I could have promoted Jimin, but I gave you respect and prestige.”

“You gave me hell.” You would get to his other insults in a moment, but you needed to think. You were so enraged you could barely breathe. You were so distraught you tears springing to your eyes. But you refused to let him see you cry. You bit back the lump in your throat, swallowing thickly. A moments pause and the room felt like a tinderbox ready to catch fire. All that was needed was the matchstick to light everything ablaze.

You feared setting the room ablaze, but then you looked at his eyes, cold and merciless. And you decided, this room feels stuffy anyway, it would look prettier ablaze. You took a deep breath.

“Funny, that you can speak of prestige and respect when everyone is just terrified of you. There’s no respect in sight, just fear.” You stated plainly. “And I don’t fear you, but I sure as hell will never respect you after this. We’re over, Yoongi.” You knew you had wounded him sufficiently. You grabbed your bag, deciding that the ashes falling around you weren’t salvageable, and stormed out of the room. The office door slammed shut and you swore you would never step foot in there again.

But yet again, you lied to yourself. Again and again you said it would be the last time you saw him, that you’d leave and escape this world, but every time you drove out of town, you turned back around. You were utterly helpless, stuck. If only this was some sick love story where he would run after you. You wanted him to, but if those ashes meant anything, it meant death. Death of your love. And Yoongi would never run to you. After all...you were just another member of his illusive gang.

So here you were, breaking your own promises time and time again. You paced, unable to stop. It had been long since you felt pain looking at him, but you still felt your heart twinge to hear his voice.

“Listen, I’m telling you, Yoongi, this is a trap. He’s stalling, he’s being a distraction. Have you even heard from the other gangs in weeks?”

The slight twitch in his lips told you that he hadn’t. He carefully placed his whiskey down.

“That’s a big accusation. We are on good terms with most gangs in the area. It’s normal not to hear from them for a while.”

“No, no, you don’t understand. There’s been nothing. No crime, no new headlines.”

That got him a little more worried.

“What would their reasons be? We haven’t done anything terrible.”

“We’ve stolen land, cheated deals, killed their men. They fear us, but they’ve only just realized that with all of them combined, they can outnumber us.” You stopped pacing, almost panting from the adrenaline flowing through your veins. You felt like you were on some strange kind of high.

Yoongi was staring at you. Slowly, slowly, he stood. He went around his desk and leaned on the other side.

“I see what you mean. I’ll send Mark and Jungkook out to check on the other gangs tomorrow. We’ll prepare for an invasion, heighten security. If they get suspicious, we’ll just say it’s better to be on the safe side.” Yoongi said. Then he looked at you expectantly, as if he thought you would argue.

This would be a time to have the upper hand on Taehyung and his supposed plan. You couldn’t show all your cards of let him know you knew.

“We can’t be 100% sure.” You said quickly, trying to manage expectations.

“Funny, coming from someone who was so certain a few moments ago.”

There it was again. That tension hung in the air. Funny. That’s how you had started it ages ago. It felt exactly like it was a few months ago.

“You should get more sunlight, Yoongi, you look too pale.” You said offhandedly, trying to ease the tension.

“I could say the same to you. You prefer the prisoners underground to the members above ground.” He fired back.

“At least they can’t argue with me.” Your lips pricked up into a small smile.

Yoongi studied you, licking his lips. Then he smiled as well. The playful banter reminded you of when you were together. The memories were painted blue now; a symbol of what once was. He seemed to be thinking the same.

“Dismissed.” He said quietly. You simple nodded and left, softly shutting the door behind you.

Your steps are light. You could be an assassin with how well you had learned your way around this house. You knew every creaky floorboard and every squeaky door handle. For once, you didn’t feel like going back down to the artificial lighting of the basement rooms. Perhaps I’ll follow what Yoongi said. You then frowned thinking of the smug grin he would have on his face if you ever said that out loud.

He was right in some aspect. You hadn’t spent much time outside in the past few weeks. You mostly split your time between your room, the basement, and the surveillance room.

You spotted a tall man at the end of the hallway. He was on the phone and you didn’t really want to run into him anyway. Kim Namjoon was an excellent snake for the Bangtan Mafia. You just didn’t want to interact with the snake. He really was a good charmer and he knew how to say the right things at the right time. In fact, you would have enlisted his help with Taehyung if he hadn’t been so busy. Sadly, this snake was also standing right near your door, as if he had been waiting for you.

You wanted to slip by him unnoticed, but you should have known it would take a little more than that to slip past the silver tongue of Bangtan.

“Ah, I’ve got to go.” You heard him speaking. “My deepest apologies.” he spoke before hanging up. You never trusted that man.

“Hello, Kim.” You simply nodded, trying to get past quickly.

“Oh, no need for the formalities. We’re all a family here.” The corners of his lips tilted upwards in an almost smile, not quite enough to show the dimples in his cheeks. He used to be a friend, never close, but you had burned that bridge a while ago as well.

“Right...Namjoon.” You corrected yourself. You managed to get by when his hand shot out and grasped your arm.

“Why are you in such a hurry?” He quirked his head to the side. You had to stop yourself from glancing at the door across from your room. Inside was Taehyung. You wonder if he could hear you.

“I just have business to attend to.” You said vaguely.

“A little birdy told me we have a guest.”

You paused, hands suddenly sweating. You kept a straight face, not daring to move.

“Does that birdy have pale skin and wear suits when it’s entirely unnecessary?” You raised an eyebrow. Namjoon laughed, obviously over exaggerated. To an ordinary person, it would feel genuine.

“Perhaps.” He wouldn’t let his cards show.

“I really have to-”

“I heard he’s been..difficult. I could speak to him if you’d like help.”

“That’s really not necessary. I have it handled.” You ripped your arm away from his grasp.

“He’s in there, right?” He tilted his head towards the door across from yours.

“How did you know?” You narrowed your eyes.

“Just a hunch.” The prick then slid to the side and let you pass. “A pleasure to speak to you again, Y/N.”

When he was gone, you huffed and opened your room door. Annoying prick.

asflksajglsghs;agj thanks for reading! Part 5 soon- and I have big plans. I hope the lack of taehyung isn’t too disappointing here :(

Alrighty see y’all next chapter!

Previous | Next

#bts #bts mafia #yoongi #taehyung #bts x reader #taehyung x reader #yoongi x reader #taehyung mafia #yoongi mafia #fluff #angst

16 notes · View notes

hartigays · 4 years

Note

#4&5 for harringrove? so glad you’re back in the writing game💞💞💖💖

4. “You’re staring again.”

5. “Wow. you look stunning.”

nancy is getting married.

the church is packed to the brim, primarily with every last member of the wheeler family. some of the byers’ extended family have come down, but the ratio between the two families is relatively incomparable.

steve adjusts his tie for the hundredth time, grimacing. he’s not a big fan of formal dress, especially suits. he’s also not a big fan of watching his first love get walked down the aisle while he remains single and unsatisfied in virtually all aspects of life.

he’s happy for nancy. really, he is. steve loves how happy jonathan makes her, he loves that nancy found the person she’s truly meant to be with. steve loves that she’s getting everything she deserves out of life - all the good things. it’s all he ever wanted for her, really.

but steve finds that despite those things, it doesn’t make the reality of this situation sting any less.

“he’s staring at you again.”

steve is startled out of his thoughts. he turns to look at robin, his brows knitting in confusion.

“billy,” robin clarifies, glancing over to where the boy in question is sitting. “he’s been doing it since they got here.”

billy and max are sitting in a pew across the aisle from steve and robin. steve had tried to not pay any mind to his arrival - though, not necessarily because he and billy are still resting on uneven ground.

the reality is, they’ve grown to be relatively good friends. billy and steve go to lunch together sometimes, when their work schedules line up. they work out together every now and then on their off days. billy routinely ransacks steve’s wardrobe, tells him that his fashion sense is heinous and replaces his least favorite items with some of his own.

steve isn’t really sure if the stuff billy brings him is his, or if he spends time shopping specifically for steve. to improve his so-called “pathetic” wardrobe. although, steve finds that billy never touches his pastel polos and neatly pressed khakis. mostly just his t-shirts and the jeans that don’t fit him right due to his inability to understand size charts.

point is, billy has become a constant in steve’s life that he appreciates greatly but doesn’t quite understand. he wishes he did, though. he especially wishes he understood the feeling that blossoms in his chest every time billy gives him that secretive smile. the one steve is pretty sure no one but him has ever seen, other than max - maybe.

“he’s probably staring at you,” steve tells her, shrugging. “you do look amazing in that dress. heather is going to lose her shit when she gets here.”

“thanks, steve,” robin says, ducking her head. “but no, he’s looking at you. he’s always looking at you.”

steve doesn’t understand that. he doesn’t see it, honestly. billy is an unbelievably attractive guy who always has a gaggle of girls falling all over him at any given moment. hawkins’ resident unattainable bad boy. he’s just steve’s buddy, nothing more.

something about that thought leaves a sour taste in steve’s mouth. but he doesn’t have time to dissect it, because a moment later, the ceremony is starting.

it’s a beautiful ceremony - the parts steve pays attention to, anyway. the moment nancy reaches the end of the aisle and moves to stand before jonathan, steve glances over at the pew across from his.

billy is staring, steve can’t deny it this time. he looks away, his face heating up. billy has an unreadable look on his face, and it makes steve squirm. he tries to focus back on the ceremony, but it makes his heart sink.

so. he looks back at billy. the other boy is still staring. for the first time, he takes in how good billy looks. he definitely cleans up well. his suit is dated, but he wears it well. in fact, it looks pretty fucking incredible on him. he chose not to don a tie, instead keeping the first few buttons of his dress shirt undone. steve can see the faint glimmer of the necklace he always wears hanging around his neck.

it shouldn’t look as good as it does. steve’s mouth feels a little dry. he tries not to focus too much on the way billy’s curls fall, or the heat of his blue eyes burning into his.

but when nancy and jonathan start exchanging their vows, steve feels his heart give an unpleasant twist. he meets billy’s eyes again. they don’t break contact until they’re being ushered out of the church.

the reception is crazy. the ballroom of the venue they’d chosen looks like something straight out of a fairytale. nancy looks like a disney princess when jonathan twirls her about during their first dance.

steve sits on the sidelines sipping some fruity cocktail or another. robin and heather have found each other and are dancing the night away. to an outside perspective, they just look like two friends having a great time. but steve sees the sneaky little touches, the lovey-dovey gazes. it both warms his heart and makes his stomach sink.

he wants that. he really, really does. not with nancy, or robin, or even the cute receptionist that works for his father. steve’s mind only supplies him with an image of blue eyes and nose freckles. it makes him feel out-of-sorts.

steve makes a beeline for the bathroom.

it’s empty, thank god. steve splashes some cold water on his face, watching himself in the mirror as he pats his skin dry. he feels incredibly off-balance today. it’d be nice if that could stop.

no such luck.

the door behind him cracks open, and billy slips inside. steve’s heart does a funny dance, and for a moment, he’s worried he’s having a heart attack. he clutches his chest, his eyes locking with billy’s reflection in the mirror.

“you’re staring at me again,” is all steve can think to say. he’s not exactly sure why.

billy cracks a small half-smile. “yeah.”

“anything you want to share with the rest of the class?”

for the first time ever, billy looks a little timid. shy, even? it’s a strange look for him. steve has never seen billy hargrove look like anything other than the mysterious, intimidatingly attractive bad boy that he is.

“i, uh. you just - you look...amazing,” billy finishes, a little lamely. he rolls his eyes at himself, looking up at the bathroom ceiling and shaking his head.

the smirk returns, but for the first time steve sees it for what it is: a mask.

“so do you. you clean up well,” steve notes, staring down at the sink. his cheeks are bright red; billy’s words make him feel warm.

after a beat of silence, billy moves to stand at the sink next to him. steve meets his eyes again after a moment. the look billy is giving him feels almost electric, now that he’s not looking at him via a mirror.

“why so glum, sugarplum?”

steve makes a face, snorting. he can’t help but smile. “i’m not. i mean, i was. i’m not anymore, though.”

the admission slips through his lips before he can think about it. steve feels his cheeks heat up again. he wants to stop looking at billy, but the guy is practically fucking beaming now, like steve has just handed him the holy grail of compliments.

“good,” billy says after a moment. “you’re prettier when you smile.”

steve nearly falls forward and smashes his head into the mirror. he steadies himself and gives billy a bewildered look.

“did you just call me pretty?” he asks, incredulous. he should probably feel emasculated by the compliment. instead, warmth blossoms in his gut again.

“that i did.”

steve feels like his chest in seizing up. but it’s not a bad feeling. it’s more so...familiar. but also, not. because he’s felt this way about plenty of people in his life, nancy especially. but none of them, not a single one, felt quite like this.

“i’m not in love with nancy,” steve blurts, suddenly desperate for billy to understand. “i just - it’s hard. seeing them together, when i’m, well. you know.”

“you don’t have to be,” billy says coolly, tilting his head to the side. “if you don’t want to be.”

“i don’t,” steve tells him, the words slipping out before billy even finishes his sentence. “want to be, i mean.”

“good.”

billy doesn’t say anything else. he doesn’t let steve say anything else. instead, he slips an arm around steve’s waist. pulls him flush against him, and slots their mouths together.

steve quite literally melts against him. he’s not one for the corny romance novel type of shit. but he can’t deny it. everything just clicks into place at the first touch of billy’s lips against his.

when he gasps, billy’s tongue takes it as an invitation to lick into his mouth. steve has to grab onto billy’s shoulders for support, his legs completely useless. he’s lucky billy still has him tucked securely in his arms.

billy kisses him slow, he kisses him warm and soft and sugary sweet. the feeling of his stubble scratching against the sensitive skin of steve’s face is new, but it just has steve winding his arms around billy’s neck and locking his hands together behind him. he leans into billy, kissing him a little desperately.

“let me take you out tomorrow,” billy says, when they pull apart. it’s mumbled in between the soft little kisses he keeps giving him, like he can’t get enough of steve’s lips.

if that’s the case, well. the feeling is mutual.

“yes, yeah. absolutely. anywhere you wanna go,” steve agrees, a little more than breathless.

“does anywhere include that bathroom stall, right fucking now?” billy asks, nipping at steve’s jaw.

steve just tucks a lock of billy’s curls behind his ear, giving him a mischievous grin.

“you bet your ass it does.”

send me a number + a pairing!

#I LOVE THEY #thank u for requesting bby 💕💝💖💓 hope u enjoy!#harringrove #my fics #ask #electric-177

190 notes · View notes

nightowlfandom · 4 years

Text

Vampire! Kim Namjoon- A Little Game: Chapter 2

Hey guys, this is your reminder to please heed the warnings and stay indoors as much as you can. You are in my prayers and i hope this can make someone’s day.

MASTERLIST

Part 1

Leggo

...

Sleeping all day and staying up all night was a dramatic difference for you. Namjoon had suggested you train to do so if you were to survive as a regular everyday vampire. You were still a newborn fledging with no experience in this world, your mind was still human. You had yet to come to terms with everything. You didn’t want this. Yet here it was.

“ Here is your room.” one of the maids, Mona showed you to a bedroom. “I hope it’s to your liking.”

The walls were painted an ivory white colored with gold trimmings around the windows and foyer. The rug was a red velvety color that contrastsed with the charcoal black canopy style bed frame. A mini fireplace was on the far left side of the room, the obvious source of the warmth in the air..

“Wow.” you crossed your arms, rocking back and forth shyly. “Didn’t have to go all out like this just for me.”

“It was Master Namjoon’s orders.”

You noticed she didn’t have any strange symbol on her like you did. You just had to ask.“Are you human?”

“Yes.” was her reply. “I have no interest in becoming one if that’s your question.”

“Oh no!” you quickly shook your head. “I was just wondering- and like…fuck I’m sorry. I probably sound like an asshole.”

“It’s quite alright.” she smiled. “I’m married with beautiful my 5 year old twins. I wouldn’t give that up for immortality at all. Not that I’m implying you wanted to give up your humanity. I don’t think any human truely does.”

You took a good look at Mona. She had very long, honey brown hair secured in a long braid that hung down her back. She had bright green eyes, that looked almost artificial like a glass bottle.

“I’ll be honest, I kinda wish it would have ended for me there. Can’t imagine how much shit I’m gonna have to go through for the next…forever.” you shook your head.

“Well if it’s any consolation. You are very blessed to have Namjoon as your sire. He is a great man. Be patient with him. If you need anything else, simply find me and I’ll be more than happy to assist.”

"Oh, thank you…"

"Since you seem to be one of Namjoon's more promising fledglings, I'll let you in on a little secret." She smiled warmly. "Beware of one of Namjoon's acquaintances. Roseline Petras."

"What about her?" you raised an eyebrow.

"…Let's just say she's the reason I have twins instead of triplets." she replied, her face falling significantly. "and the reason vampire laws have changed in the last one thousand years…and why Master Namjoon vowed to never mentor a fledging for as long as he lived…until now for some odd reason."

“What do you me-”

Without another word, she exited the room, leaving you to your own devices. You watched as she left, in shock. You sat at the edge of the bed, timidly looking around the room. Namjoon would soon summon you to meet him. What did Mona mean by that? Who was this Petra lady? It took just that little information to know that you already didn't like her or what she stood for…whatever the hell it was she stood for. You looked around the room, taking in your new surroundings. It had only been a few days, and yet it felt like the first day over and over again.

Before you could really relax, another maid, Maria appeared in the doorway. She had a mousy high voice, dyed pink hair and eyes so black they almost looked like Marbles. The epitome of a living doll. "Master Namjoon is ready for you now. I can take you to him if you'd like."

"Oh…thank you." you smiled, standing to your feet. You followed Maria out in the halls following her down the brightly lit hallways. "How long have you been living here?"

"Since birth. I work in the kitchens with my father. Master Namjoon was gracious enough to let us all live with him, even if we have to sleep during the say to fit his schedule. He is a gracious man. The world isn't so accepting like he is."

"Yeah…I believe it." You trailed off. "So all of you are human?"

"Not all of us…" she replied. "It's hard to explain just how many of us are so different. My father is one of the many Gods Of Destruction, but he gave up that life. He now comes up with vampire safe versions of human foods and spends his free time gardening."

"Where was he when I was drinking cold and most-likely expired blood!?" you asked, making the young girl laugh. Though she passed it as a joke, you were absolutely dead serious. Worst day of your life...so far.

You both soon stopped at a pair of large wooden doors. "You're free to go in. No knocking required." she said without another word. She pranced away, leaving you by yourself.

"Alright…Here I go." you sighed. You grabbed onto the aged antique door handle and pushed the door open. You were welcomed by a room full of strangers. The only one you could recognize was Namjoon, who was casually flipping boredly through the pages of a book. You noticed the others around the room, they were all studying you…except for a woman who was staring out the window into space. Either that or she didn't acknowledge you right away.

The room looked like an old library archive, full of bookshelves full of old worn hardback copies of many different selections.

"Y/N…glad to see you made it here in one piece." Namjoon looked up and threw the book down. "Come in, and close the door behind you please."

You did as you were told, but you could only stand there. Something told you to stay put. Don't make any moves…just stay right where you are and if you need to make a quick getaway you could.

"These are the friends I told you about." he motioned around the room. You took note of the seven other males and three women that stood before you. "They will be your teachers for the next few months."

"That's a lot of names I have to remember." you tried to joke, mainly to calm yourself down. The girl who was staring out the window must have snapped back to reality because she gasped the minute she heard your voice. You were surprised to see milky white eyes stare in your direction.

"There she goes…psycho." one of the women who had been sitting down mumbled. She had long blonde hair and sit poised in an armchair, one leg crossed over the other.

This white haired, white eyed woman didn't seem to care for other girls remarks because she quite literally floated towards you. Her feet lifted of the ground, hair fanning all over the place as she crossed the room. No one else seemed f

"Blessed be, little fledging. A new life has been brought to our world." she grabbed your hand. "How joyous of days!”

"Blissa, I think you're scaring her." Namjoon laughed, seeing you look at him for some sort of help. "Y/N It's okay, you can trust these people. I trust them with my life."

"Well…most of us at least." a male who had been sitting at a piano corrected him. He was dressed all in white, like an angel. "Can't say the same for some of us."

This didn't seem to faze this Blissa character, so she must have not been the one to be weary of. You suddenly remember what Mona said earlier…a woman named Roseline Petras. Suddenly, your eyes darted to blonde, sitting with her chin rested in her palm as if she was bored.

Not her a voice in your head said. The one next to her they whispered.

Blissa's smile fell…but only for a second. You probably wouldn't have caught onto it had you not been paying attention. You raised an eyebrow in confusion. You didn’t want to speak up, but something told you she was the one who put that voice in your head.

"Is something wrong my child?" she smiled, tilted her head to the side. You noticed her moving her eyes to the right, as if silently telling you to follow the direction of where she was looking. Her milky colored irises, dart once more before you understood. You finally caught on and followed her gaze to a short, jet black haired girl, typing away on her phone.

Yes, that one, that's Roseline.

Blissa left your side and began making haste back towards the window.

Best not to tell anyone I can speak to you just yet.

"Elva! Roseline!…don't be rude." Namjoon snapped to blonde.

"…Alright alright, sorry!" the blonde sighed, standing to her feet. The other one just didn’t look up, instead she leaned back in her head. The blonde strode up to you, almost in slow motion. "I'm Elvalina. You can call me Elva, most of my friends do…no offense but…are those the only clothes you have?"

"…Uh yeah," you answered awkwardly. You had realized you had been wearing the same shirt and jeans for about 4 days. Not the best way to make a first impression now that you thought about it.

"…I have so much to teach you." she put a hand on your shoulder. "When I'm finished with you, you'll be the hottest fledging anyone's ever seen. "

"Hey! Let some of us meet her first before you claim her as your bestie!"

"SHUT UP HOSEOK!" she glared at the guy who was casually flicking a light on and off. "She's the first girl I've seen around you guys in a while, don't ruin this for me!"

"Nice to meet you all." you bowed respectfully. You had no idea how this fledgling thing worked, so you used human decency instead. "I'm sorry in advanced if I take a while to learn."

"This one…I like her." Elva wrapped an arm around your shoulder. “Politeness...I dig it!”

……

"Is it always this cold outside?" you stood outside with Seokjin.

"No, our senses pick up on temperatures a lot differently than humans. You'll eventually get used to to it." He replied. "Now, what do you see?"

You tried to look around the forest, but it was pitch black outside. You couldn't see a thing. "It's too dark to see. You could barely make out your own shoes on the ground." you sighed with defeat. "Maybe I just can't do it." you looked down sheepishly.

"Hey." he reached out to touch your shoulder. "It's hard at first, yeah. But you can't beat yourself up, you're a newborn fledgling. It's normal for you." he comforted. "Here, close your eyes."

"You aren't gonna scare me are you?" you asked suspiciously. Every time someone told you to close your eyes, it ended with you almost peeing yourself.

"Trust me."

"Alright, alright." you closed your eyes as he instructed. "Now what?"

"Picture the space around you as if it were daytime."

"What? How do I do that?"

"Just try."

With another sigh, you tried to recreate the image in your head, only with the sun rays peeking out from the sky. You attempted to recreate the dirt path with dead leaves and wet logs from the morning dew sticking. You pictured the warmth from the damp air against your skin, despite being cold.

"Do you have it?" came Seokjin's voice.

"I think so." you responded. You opened your eyes only to be welcomed to a crystal clear view before you. The shadows casted from the tall trees were no longer shadows, but giant pine trees. The previously bleak sky had turned into a cloudless, star speckled painting and most importantly, the moon which had previously been nothing more than a standard crescent, was the focal point of everything you could see. It was exactly like a photograph. "Woah."

"You did it didn't you? Can you see it?" you turned to Seokjin who wore a smile. "Everything's so clear isn't it." he asked. "It always it once you complete the change."

Even as a human in the day time, the forest didn't look this clear. Nothing did.

"Now…what do you hear?"

Upon hearing him ask you, you were welcomed by all sorts of sounds, so many at one time. "Everything." you replied. "It's kind of overwhelming."

"Good, you're making process. Namjoon will be pleased." he replied. "You're learning quickly."

"Good to know." you said awkwardly.

"….I know this isn't going to be the most helpful or assuring, but Namjoon is the most trustworthy man I know. I've known him for many years, longer than your great great great grandparents have been alive. Maybe even longer."

"Yeah and I'm blessed to have him as my sire? I got this talk already." you crossed your arms. "I'm just…not ready for this yet." you sighed. "I don't know how long it'll take me to get used to this."

"For some it takes all their lives. Lucky for us we have forever." he winked. "You don't have to go through this alone. If anything happens, call Old Man Seokjin." he winked.

"I'll remember that." you replied.

… (The next Night)

To say you were surprised to see Elva and Blissa standing over you.

"OH MY-" you rolled out of bed, falling on your back. "OOF-" you grunted, even though you felt no pain. "Where did you guys come from!?"

"We were here the whole time. You're a heavy sleeper. Did you know that?" Blissa smiled.

" I do now." you heaved yourself off the floor. "Not that I'm not thrilled to see you guys, but what are you doing here?"

"It's just about to be dark and we have loads to do. So get cha' ass up, fix your hair and put this on." a shopping back was hauled in your direction, courtesy of Elva.

"What exactly are we doing?"

"Seduce and glamour." Blissa said. "Not exactly on the lesson plan but fun to know nonetheless, wouldn't you agree?"

“And what better way to test these abilities then a night on the town. Trust me, you’ll be one hundred percent safe with us.”

"….Sure." you trailed off. "Let's go I guess."

....

(How are you guys dealing with this social distancing thing? Let’s talk about it! Feel free to send me a message.)

38 notes · View notes

gogoseabrook · 4 years

Note

Zeddison - Hello kisses: After long periods apart, these can include A picking up B and spinning them around. Fingers pressing into cheeks, palms cupping necks, and breathless laughs when they finally come up for air.

Kisses Prompts

1. The first was winter.

The Wells family reunion took place across state lines, and as much as Addison had begged and pleaded, there was nothing she could do.

They were left with nothing but skype and texts for three full weeks.

Until that day.

Zed waited at the airport, bouquet of white roses, pink tulips and dandelions in hand, hopping from foot to foot waiting for the arrivals. It didn’t take long to spot his girl, wheeling her pink suitcase ahead of her family, frown in place as she stomped off unabashedly even with her parents hissing and whispers.

Her frown didn’t last long once he called her name. The clatter of her falling luggage was lost to the hubbub of the airport as she sprinted across the tiled floor, beaming smile growing with every step until they crashed together, Zed’s arms open long before she reached him. Picking her up and spinning her around, the lost pieces of his heart knitted themselves back into place, face buried in her neck.

They pulled apart, only for Addison to loop her arms around his neck, tugging him down until their lips met.

The people filling the airport faded to static in the back, and even the threat of Addison’s parents approaching didn’t deter them from winding around each other, their ever growing smiles the only thing threatening to break them apart, locked together in the middle of the arrivals lounge.

It was good to be home.

2. Spring drew them apart and brought them together once again.

This time, Zed was pulled away. His mother’s side of the family had never been convinced by the monster laws, sliding beyond the state lines to seek a better life. And with the new restrictions lifted, they hadn’t taken long to insist they join them after so long apart.

Addison had encouraged them to go. They’d still be together once term started again. It was only a week, after all.

They could handle a week.

Except Zed’s family didn’t live among people. They didn’t trust them. Not after everything. Not after what they’d done to them, after suffering and enduring all they had done.

She’d survived 14 years without him before.

It took a week to see why it wasn’t really living at all.

The day school began anew, she’d been quietly pinning more photos up in her locker, tracing his features. The day at the beach, both soaking after he’d tossed her into the clear waters. The lake, and their afternoon learning to skip stones. At home, cuddled up with him fast asleep and more beautiful than she’d ever seen him before.

He’d called her name in his dreams.

The memory echoed down the hallway, and it took a while for Addison to look away from her love. Only to see her happiest memories reflected back as he stood, tall and perfect as always, eyes glowing in a way photos would never fully replicate.

Home.

She wasn’t sure who took off first, but they collided in the middle of the corridor, unashamedly jumping into his arms, Zed catching her with such confidence she couldn’t help but swoon as they crashed together, laughing raucously, heads thrown back in unadulterated joy until he pulled her down for a kiss. His arm kept her secure around him, even as his fingers reached to cradle her cheek, pressing oh-so lightly into her skin in time to whispered declarations of love against each other’s lips, swearing silent secrets only they could understand.

Nothing could ever compare.

3. The third time was summer break.

Summer camps were in full swing. Zed had been snatched up for a college football program only a fool would turn down, meanwhile Addison was off doubling up with her own college programs and the strict Mighty Shrimp schedule (Bucky’s ‘no days off’ mentality refusing holiday exceptions of any kind). It had been weeks since they’d been able to be together beyond collapsing on the sofa and napping until they had to answer the door for their takeout.

Until that day. The weather was horrendous. Torrential rain, thunder, lightning, the works. Zed had been halfway home when the heavens opened, coming across Chief Wells by sheer coincidence as the skies darkened and thunder ripped through the too-still air. Soaked to the skin, it hadn’t taken long for the Chief to take pity and insist he hole up at their home for the night, regardless of the hissed argument he’d had with his wife for a solid 30 minutes on their arrival.

So that’s why they were there, rain hammering on the windows outside as Zed crept upstairs, pushing open the door to find Addison, fast asleep by the light of a single lamp. Her lashes had fluttered open the second he perched on the bed, and it hadn’t taken much persuasion for Zed to lean down and bring her into a lingering kiss.

Every missed hour and agonizing second apart was poured into that single touch. Unlike before, the moment lingered soft over their skin, blanketing them as he perched beside the woman he loved, Addison pushing up onto her elbows as they deepened their embrace, fingers curling around his hair and dragging herself up, his hand in the small of her back guiding her the rest of the way as he cradled her cheek.

Maybe hours passed, lost to the crack of thunder and the flare of the lightning. Maybe moments, the power blinking out the second Zed had arrived in the house. Perhaps eons passed, condensed into seconds of eternity. All they needed was each other, and the knowledge that after so long, they were finally holding each other the way they were always meant to.

Their shadows melted into one across the walls, breaking down the barriers in the gaps between darkness and light.

4. Fall brought a season of closeness they’d been missing earlier in the year.

Study dates for the upcoming exam season meant cuddles in the library, sprawling across the floor together trying to grapple with history or maths or some other subject they weren’t completely sold on, but worked hard to understand regardless.

It meant long walks through cold evenings, purple and pink clouds streaked overhead in the dying sunlight, golden light drifting through leaves of fire as they burned and fell to earth in warning of the winter to come. They huddled into parkas, sharing mittens and kicking through piles of leaves, readying for the season of witches and monsters through planned movie marathons and haunted houses that had them gasping with laughter and shrieking with delight as they barrelled through on a rare day off.

Until flu season reared its head.

Addison was the first to succumb (zombie genes coming in handy for immunity in general), and her parents all but quarantined her, secluding her from the world until she was safe. Dale had told Zed when he stopped by about the worries her hair meant she might suffer worse than others, whispered worries of her suffering keeping Zed from her side, instead passing on flowers and well wishes through her parents (although at least Dale seemed to be growing to appreciate him, even if his wife was a lot more reluctant. He’d take what he could get.)

Two torturous weeks apart filled his time. Walks in the park were bleak; brown leaves crunching underfoot as he kicked his way through un-raked paths, the chill of the air leaving his breath misting. Headaches from studies and aching muscles from football didn’t ease, instead lingering just beneath his skin as he tried to push through his subjects as best he could. Zed was ready to toss his books at the wall when his salvation lit up the night:

My window’s open. Get over here before I lose my mind.

He wasn’t sure how he made it to her house so fast, but he was halfway through her window before he knew any time had passed. Addison was already waiting for him, coughing a little as he pulled himself into her room, sliding it closed with a gentle click.

She wasn’t looking well, a pale cast to her skin and dark circles under her eyes as she coughed, sniffling before bundling herself into his arms. She shivered as he wrapped himself around her, breathing in her presence. To just be, even for a moment, was enough.

“I missed you.” She was croaky, but sounded better than she had over the phone a few days ago. He kissed the top of her head.

“I missed you too. More than anything.” He brushed her hair away from where it clung to her forehead. “How’re you feeling?”

Her touch burned as she rested her palm on his neck. “Better now you’re here.” He was already leaning in, but for the first time she pulled back. “I’m all gross.”

“Never.” He held her closer still. “You’re always perfect.” Her eyes engulfed him as he leant back in, Addison melting into his touch as their lips pressed together, soft and tender. They stayed like that, never deepening it, but revelling in the emotions that twined them together, the forever they couldn’t explain to anyone, but knew would always be there between them.

Sometimes, that alone made being apart worth it.

5. Winter burned.

Addison couldn’t make it through the crowds fast enough. Not for the first time, she cursed her own diminutive height, pushing and shoving through the crowds of bodies pressing against her.

No. No. Nononono.

No one stopped her, falling to elbows and hands that clawed and ripped away every barrier and boundary, crashing through trembling forms and blowing them down.

She choked on her breath, heart swallowing her from the inside until she was forced to the floor by her own hectic plight. The scrape against her knees meant nothing as her eyes turned skywards.

The smoke was barely visible against the black of the night, blotting out the stars and moon altogether.

It took a second for her to realise she was the one screaming, raw anguish pulling at her chest, leaving her to surge forwards towards burning heat and blinding light.

She’d never seen a fire that big before. It wasn’t what she’d expected.

There were no artful flames lighting up the windows, carefully burning up the building in a brilliant golden halo. Nothing to silhouette figures against, amber and crimson spreading to gold and pure white in the blaze. No, the real thing was dark and murky, the brilliance of the flames suffocated by pungent smoke, smelling only of burning plastic and wood and all other things; acrid and stinging her eyes, leaving her coughing and spluttering through her screams.

Arms tackled her to the ground before she could reach the Necrodopolis house. Addison thrashed, clawing at the hands that pet her hair and tried to soothe her. It wasn’t enough. She needed to find him. She needed him. It was too much.

She wondered dimly how it looked; the blaze climbing with each passing second, good Samaritans throwing water on it to stem the blaze as best they could. They had access to services now, but it wasn’t like they’d ever prioritise a zombie call.

Not even on a quiet night.

All that she could do was scream and cry, hearing the pop and snap of wood collapsing in, memories burned to charred ashes on the wind.

The arms around her were ripped away, fingers curling under her chin to force her away from the blaze.

Desperate dark eyes filled her vision, green hair sweaty and stuck to his forehead, black soot on one cheek and his sleeve ripped off, bandages in its place.

That was all she could comprehend before tackling the love of her life with a strangled cry, knocking them to the cobbles in front of the blaze. His arms were crushing against her, nails digging into her scalp as they kissed, desperate and hungry and too full to let any one emotion define it, crashing against each other with so much inside their hearts.

The roof caved in across the street.

She could taste the salt of his tears, feel her own still falling thick and fast, neither able to deepen it any further for the sobs straining to escape their chest.

“I-I thought…”

“I know.” He pulled her closer still until it felt like her ribs were going to break.

The sensation was nothing short of heaven.

“I was so scared I’d never see you again.” He whispered the words like a prayer. “I- I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

“I- I had to...I knew you weren’t, but I had to-!” She cradled his face, dragging him forwards. “You’re everything to me.”

It wasn’t certain when dawn would kiss the evening sky, or if they’d ever see it. If they’d find their way out of the dark to a new morning. It wasn’t sure if the sun would rise with its warmth and promise of the future, or what would be left to bear witness when it did. But against the choking smoke, the guttering amber flaring bright with golden pain, they’d still found each other.

It was all they needed, whatever came next.

#my posts #asks #fist-it-out #prompts #disney zombies #zeddison #okay so it's over 2k #buuuut it's like 5 drabbles in 1 #so it technically still counts #either way it's mostly just cheesy fluff #so I hope it's okay!#critique welcome

17 notes · View notes

ahnsael · 4 years

Text

When I got to work last night, before I could even sign in, the swing shift manager said “Call [the boss] RIGHT NOW. He was ADAMANT that he needs to talk to you.”

So I went into the office and called.

The firing is not official yet. But he somehow knew that the manager who likes to drink on the job wouldn’t be there, so I don’t know what conversations were had with her yesterday, if any.

But he wanted to know whether she had called in sick, and whether she was there. I said that no, she wasn’t there (though it was before our start time -- I always show up 10-15 minutes early), and then he told me to file a “no-call no-show” report on her last night. And to do it again tonight. And again and again until I’m told otherwise (though if she’s not on next week’s schedule, Thursday would be the last day for us to do this).

Which makes me think we’re using a loophole to get rid of her. Like, maybe the owner never signed off on termination because I didn’t SEE her drink the booze that she took into the bathroom and come out with the empty shot glass. I obviously couldn’t follow her in, and it would be VERY wrong to have cameras in the restroom. But a no-call no-show as job abandonment? That would do it.

Maybe it’s for less complicated paperwork. Maybe it’s because, even though we all KNOW she’s doing it, all but one bit of evidence is circumstantial (a security guard saw her downing a shot in the break room and reported it, but there are no cameras in the break room so it’s one word against another).

But no-call no-show is cut and dry...MAYBE.

If they TOLD her not to come in, then no-call no-show is a lie. If they told her that they were on to her, and that she was suspended pending investigation, then no-call no-show is a lie.

On the other hand, if they said “We know what you did, Kenny turned you in after seeing the evidence, and he’s going to be at work tonight,” and then she failed to show up? Fair play. If they said “We know you’ve been drinking on the job, and we’re very disappointed that you didn’t clean up your act after we suspended you for this once before -- the only reason we didn’t fire you then is because we wanted to give you a second chance, but now...” and left it at that? We’re cool.

Something that convinced her that she was fired without actually firing her.

But I don’t know how those conversations went, or the content of any conversations that were had.

So I filled out the no-call no-show and sent it with my shift report at the end of my work day. I will do the same tonight (if she shows up, I call the boss to ask for guidance). I’ll have the other GOOD graveyard manager do the same on my night off.

The thing is, she’s still on probation. During the first 90 days, a person in our company (and in our state) can be let go with or without cause. But I also know our company HATES firing people (they often speak proudly of getting through the last recession without laying anybody off). You’ve got to mess up BAD to get fired here (obviously, if this isn’t enough on its own). We could just tell her “it’s just not working out” and show her the door and it would all be on the legal up and up.

But I also don’t blame the company for wanting MULTIPLE reasons to let her go, just to avoid any question. I just wonder how it got to the “write her up as a no-call no-show” point instead of just “failure to pass probation” or “You’ve been caught twice sneaking drinks and we have it on camera.”

Funny side-note: the swing manager won a promotion today for $5 free play and wanted me to put it on her account, but there was no documentation so I said she was out of luck. If they had at least processed her ticket (it’s a Keno free 5 thing -- you pick 5 numbers, play them in a free game of live Keno; if you match 3 numbers you get $5, 4 gets you $25, and 5 gets you $50 -- which is a great deal for the casino because if they bet $1 and match 5/5, they win $1,000), I could have written it on the promotional slip and given her the free play. But without a winning payout ticket, I was stuck. She called the boss (after I had called him) to complain about it and ask whether she could still get the $5 free play. I don’t know the answer to that (I wasn’t told to give it to her so I didn’t). But he had her put him on speakerphone, and explained the whole “file the no-call co-show report” thing with me over speakerphone. When I told him that we had already discussed this and I had already done it, he said, “Wait, you called me?”

I said that I had indeed done so.

“And we spoke?”

Again, yes. Everything he had just said was exactly what he had said before.

So I must’ve woken him up with my call, and he just said what he remembered, which was the important part to this phone call. And this time, it being the second call, he was a little more awake, but maybe thought the first time was a dream (or didn’t remember it at all because of being so tired). But he was blown away that we had had a three-four minute conversation of which he had no memory (maybe HE had been drinking -- he’s off today, so it’s possible, and if so, at least he was at home and not at work when he imbibed). But I just found it funny.

#work things #this is why I'm not the boss #I hate dealing with stuff like this #even though I've had to deal with it for the past maybe two months #but I'm not the decision guy #and I don't pretend to know why they're looking for a tertiary reason to let her go when they already have a primary and secondary reason #but it is what it is #I CAN say the mood on Grave was fantastic last night/this morning #it was just myself and another grave manager #but knowing this other one is gone -- it's a HUGE weight off both of our shoulders #the stress and tension have been palpable #even our guests were noticing that we were on edge when this other person was there #last night we just had some fun #with each other and with the guests #it was a GOOD night #and the vibe was chill because we knew we have put this other person behind us #it was nice to be able to feel relaxed at work for the first time in a long time #and just do my job and enjoy what my job is again #it's been a while since I've felt that

4 notes · View notes

ladyreapermc · 5 years

Text

Fic: This isn’t a rom-com (1/?)

Author’s notes: So this was basically the first thing I started writing when I got back to Keanu fandom after Parabellum, but it remained sitting on my files because it still felt weird to write and share rpf. But after so many rewrites, I think I’m finally ready to do it. I’ll be posting new chapters every Monday and I’d love some feedback. The entire thing is set in 2013.

Wordcount: 2174

Warnings: none for this part

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

As Lilah stood outside the address given to her, she took a deep breath and asked herself for the third time what was she thinking when she let Isaac talk her into doing this. She had so much to do.

Sure, she had the morning off since her advisor was out of town for a conference, but Lilah still could have been prepping her Monday class or even reviewing her paper.

But Isaac knew her too well. He argued that it had been ages since she had taken a day to herself and as soon as the words movie set came out of his mouth, she dropped everything else and came running. The prospect of since the cinema magic working up close was too good to pass up.

So, she waited outside the set, waiting until Isaac finally showed up, dark curls sticking to his reddish face, probably from jogging through the building. He flashed the security staff a quick bright smile, before ushering Lilah inside, guiding the way through a maze of corridors, walking so fast Lilah barely had the time to take a proper look at everything.

“Thanks so much for doing this, Lih! You’re a lifesaver,” he commented over his shoulder. “One of our extras just didn’t show up today and we’re behind schedule already.”

“It’s fine,” she said as they stopped by a table where an agitated looking brunette sat with a clipboard and walkie-talkie. She checked Lilah’s ID, before collecting her contact information and telling Isaac to take her to the wardrobe department to change.

Before Lilah could even finish shoving her ID back in her pocket, Isaac was whisking her away.

“So, what kind of movie is this?” Lilah asked as she exchanged her street clothes for the costume, a beautiful red dress, and some killer heels. “It’s not a rom-com, is it? Izzy, I’ll kill you if you’re making me play extra in a rom-com.”

“It’s an action flick, relax,” he replied, and Lilah could actually hear the eye-roll in his tone. “I will never understand your hatred for rom-coms.”

“What’s to like about them?” she asked stepping out of the dressing room. “They sell women unrealistic, almost pathological expectations for love and romance, also…”

“Lih, this isn’t your dissertation. You don’t have to always take it so seriously.” Isaac said cutting her off as he led her to the hair and makeup chair.

“I mean, one can appreciate all the clichés without really thinking it’s gonna happen to them. I mean, how many couples do you know that started as two unlikely people that are perfect for each other having that first meet-cute then moving on to silently pinning over each other. Then having the classic love triangle that might lead to the epic conflict and break up so they can have a heartfelt reunion later, with the grand romantic gesture, the speech and finally their happy ending…”

And even though Isaac’s words pointed out the improbability of it, his dreamy tone told Lilah he still hoped it could happen to him someday.

Lilah rolled her eyes fondly because he was such a hopeless romantic.

She, on the other hand, prided herself on being pragmatic. She believed in love, of course. She wasn’t that jaded at twenty-nine; but to Lilah, love wasn’t something that just happened. You didn’t just stumble on the love of your life by accident someday.

“You look smoking, honey!” Isaac declared, snapping Lilah out of her thoughts. “Come on! Chad and David are already on set and ready to shoot.”

Lilah only had time to grab her bag before he was leading her once again through the maze of corridors to and ample room that looked a lot like a speakeasy, from the jazz band on the stage, to the smoky air, dim lighting and leather booths.

“Now all you have to do is sit still and look pretty.” He flashed her a teasing smile and ignored her eye-roll. “I’ll check on you during lunch break.”

Lilah waved her goodbye and watched as he moved to a pair of men standing by some monitors talking. They exchanged a few words, before Isaac disappeared again, probably off to run another task.

They filmed for around two hours straight. Lilah couldn’t see much of was going on because her table was facing the band and away from the area the camera seemed to be focused on and she couldn’t exactly turn to see, even if she really wanted to, but she managed to sneak a couple of glances whenever they called cut.

“Ok everybody, let’s take 15,” one of the directors announced.

Lilah stood up, stretching her back to work out the kinks of being sitting still for too long in an uncomfortable chair.

She took a few moments to search for Isaac, but he was nowhere around the main room and Lilah didn’t want to risk getting lost in the building. Instead, she picked a water bottle and a protein bar from craft service and looked for a quiet place to wait for filming to resume.

Lilah found a hidden corner in of the set, out of the way from most of the staff and quiet enough that she could pull out her book. She settled on one of the free chairs to read a little. Soon, she was absorbed by the text, shutting off everything else until a passage caught her attention, and Lilah couldn’t help but snort at it and offer a counterargument under her breath.

“Are you pro or against dualism?” Someone asked from just outside her line of vision, probably catching the cover of her book when Lilah held it closed while digging for a pen in her bag.

“Against obviously,” Lilah replied with a small snort as she looked up, her eyes going wide at the sight before her. Shock making her drop her pen and book, which he picked up.

“Really?” He asked with a curious frown. “Why?”

Lilah as she stared at him, she couldn’t get her throat to work.

He was so much taller than he looked on the screen, with broad shoulders and a strong chest. His dark hair was slicked back with gel, the tips touching his nape. He was spotting a well-trimmed beard, some fake bruises, and a black three-piece suit. Lilah didn’t think anyone could be this handsome, but she was obviously wrong.

“Where are my manners…” he said offering a hand. “Hi. I'm Keanu.”

The gestured kickstarted Lilah’s brain again and she shook his hand with a quick, embarrassed laugh.

“I’m sorry! Hi. Lilah,” she rushed to say. “I’m Lilah.”

“Nice to meet you, Lilah,” he said with a warm smile.

“So, you don’t believe in the mind…” he commented, handing her pen and book back and Lilah did her best to smooth the wrinkled edge.

“As an immaterial entity that exists apart from our bodies like Descartes proposed? Not really. I mean, let’s face it, he just gave it a pseudo-scientific look to the idea of a soul.”

Lilah looked up from her book, catching the way he was watching her with a smile.

“Sorry,” she huffed a breath with an embarrassed smile. Was she really babbling about dualism to Keanu Reeves?

“No, no,” he assured, taking a seat next to her. “Go ahead.”

“Uh… well,” she hesitated, glancing at him again. “I mean, it’s been what? A couple of thousand years? Probably more, but we still can figure out what the mind is.”

“I always thought of it as what makes us human. Theoretically, of course.”

“Ok but wouldn’t that be more like what it does than what it is?” she pointed out. “But let’s run with it, anyway. How does a mind make us human?”

“Well, for one, isn’t it supposed to give us a conscience, intelligence, all that…” Keanu trailed off with a hand gesture and Lilah smiled.

“But those brain functions. Are we saying the mind is the brain?” she couldn’t contain the way her smile widening even more. This was fun.

She loved talking philosophy, but Lilah rarely had the chance of doing it outside a classroom. And here she was actually talking dualism with fucking Neo!

“If it was the same thing, why would we need two concepts?” he inquired, brow furrowing in a small thoughtful frown.

“You just made my point for me,” Lilah said, and Keanu chuckled. “And it can’t be part of the brain either, because theories seem to agree that the mind isn’t material and our brains are very material.”

“Maybe there’s another dimension out there,” he offered with a shrug, leaning forward on his elbows which brought him closer to Lilah.

She bit her bottom lip to suppress the urge of making a Matrix joke.

“Ok, but then how is something that is immaterial influences our very material selves?”

Lilah watched as Keanu paused, considering her argument, that thoughtful frown returning, and Lilah took that time to admire him. If her teen self could see her now, she would probably have a heart attack. Keanu had been her movie crush for as far as she could remember, ever since she watched the Matrix for the first time.

And here he was, in the flesh, just talking to her. It was almost surreal. Was this a dream? Was she going to awake any minute in her bed?

“Alright, you got me,” he said with a smile, catching her attention. “I have no idea, but don’t you think there should be something there? Shouldn’t a man be more than just atoms and chemicals? Something more transcendental?”

“What? You’re a Kant man?”

The words were out of her mouth before she could contain herself. Her tongue slipping on the pronunciation, making it sound like a completely different thing and Keanu busted out laughing, turning bright red.

It took a second for Lilah to realize how it sounded, but when she did, she covered her face with her hands, mortified.

“Oh my God! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean…”

“It’s ok,” he assured, still chuckling. “It’s fine. Really. I am not a Kantian, no but I can see the value in his transcendental man theory.”

Lilah tried to make her mouth work, to say something else but all she managed was an embarrassed chuckle. She could feel her cheeks burning.

“I’m so, so sorry…” she managed, voice coming out muffled. “I just…”

“Sometimes you forget to double-check what are you saying before putting it out there?” He asked with a soft smile and she nodded. “I do that all the time. Don’t worry.”

“Is there a way to fix that?” she asked, finally lowering her hands.

“I’ll let you know when I find it,” he replied with a little smile, before he ducked his head, letting out a small chuckle.

For a moment they just sat there, still chuckling together, cheeks red and awkwardly avoiding each other’s gaze, until someone cleared their throat behind them and making both turn around to look.

Isaac stood there with his hand pressed to the earpiece he wore and a clipboard in hand. Lilah could see he was barely containing his smirk as he looked between her and Keanu and she winced, wondering how much he had heard.

“Sorry to interrupt. Keanu, Chad needs you.”

“Thank you,” Keanu said getting up and turning to look at Lilah. “It was very nice to meet you, Lilah.”

“You too,” she replied with a small smile, watching as he walked away before turning to look at Isaac with wide eyes.

“Why didn’t you tell me you worked with Keanu Reeves?”

“I don’t work with him, I work around him,” Isaac pointed out with a frown. “Also, that was the nerdiest flirting I’ve ever seen.”

“What are you talking about? I wasn’t flirting.”

“Yeah, right!” Isaac snorted in disbelief. “Come on. Break’s over.”

Lilah followed Isaac back to the main area of the set and the same table from before. This time, she caught a glimpse of Keanu chatting with one of the directors. She thought his lips quirked into a smile when he saw her, but she was probably just imagining as she sat down again.

“Shit! I should have asked for an autograph. Or is that too weird?” Lilah asked Isaac.

She was doing so well, but that Kant thing threw her off and she went right back to that strange awkwardness she usually had around people she found attractive. Lilah really thought she had outgrown that.

“It’s not weird. Extras ask for autographs all the time,” Isaac said with a shrug. “And maybe while you at it, you can ask him out.”

“Haha.” Lilah rolled her eyes at the way Isaac wiggled his eyebrows at her. “Isaac, no! It’s Keanu Reeves. Are you nuts?”

“Fine,” he replied with a huff, but the glint of amusement in his eyes didn’t fade. “But you do know what that felt like right?”

Lilah frowned in confusion and he flashed her an excited grin.

“It felt straight out of a rom-com.”

tbc

Go to part 2

Taglist (give me a shout if you want to added.)

@poisonedjoinery @ringa-starr @curly-minnie @i-cant-remember-my-old-login

@caryled @beyond-antares @kathorax @krazycags01 @meetmeinthematinee

@red-pill-blue-pill @baphometwolf666

#keanu reeves fanfic #keanu reeves imagine #keanu reeves x ofc #fanfic #this isn't a rom-com #series #original character

106 notes · View notes