#imagine; you meet a guy on a cart who looks like 4 seconds away from dying by natural causes

[ralofofriverwoods]

I do not like ulfric and I think virthik deserves a w :)

He did a similar thing with tullius. He does not like the civil war at all

#random #farlian does art #digital art #oc #artists of tumblr #mini comic #comic #skyrim #ulfric stormcloak #last dragonborn #galmar stone fist #this is after alduin when he got a little bit of therapy from icky👍 #imagine; you meet a guy on a cart who looks like 4 seconds away from dying by natural causes #assume he dies in the dragon attack at helgen #then about 3 months later you see the guy at high hrothgar #the only thing that has changed about him is now he has horns?? and is much sassier but still looks like he could drop dead at any point #and then you see him AGAIN like 3 weeks after alduin is killed #and he looks semi normal? and he tells you you’re annoying #and then he seemingly goes to join the other side of the war because you are annoying #virthik is such a mess #I love him

[yumehoxo]

⚠️WARNING⚠️ 18+ content (contains threesum, vaginal sex, oral sex, etc..)

ArminxfemalereaderxEren

~You’ve been best friends with Armin and Eren since you were really young but as time grew on you all changed leading to the conversation of having a threesum with them~

You’ve known Eren and Armin since elementary school you guys were always together, you watched them grow up with you, you were with them for all their ups and downs and you even watched them as puberty slapped them in the face during their last year of high school. You weren’t always the type to go after looks but damn did these boys get so fine as time went on. Everything changed when they both changed their hairstyle, eren letting his grow out, and armin cutting his short. As they went into college tattoos and piercings came along with them, armin got his neck tatted and ear, eyebrow, and nose piercings. Eren got a full sleeve and half a sleeve, with tongue and ear piercings.

Armin and Eren never seemed like the type to smoke or drink they were always agaisnt it, but after a little convincing from Mikasa, Jean, Connie, and Sasha they caved in. It was like their whole personality’s changed, from one party to another, one girl to the next, it honestly shocked you that these were the same boys you ate sand with when you were 5.

“Y/n!... Y/N!!” You herd your named being called but it was barely audible over the sound of the music. You turned around to see Eren and Armin doing a little jog uo to you, their eyes were bloodshot and there were two blonde girls following them. They looked at you like they were in trouble and it took you a minute to find out since your thoughts seemed to have come in slow motion since you just smoked not even 5 minutes ago. They didn’t want to be rude and tell these girls to ‘fuck off’ since they were Mikasa’s friends.

“Act like you need us” Armin whispered in your ear as he hugged you from behind.

“U-uh where have you guys been?!” You asked them raising your voice little bit to make it seem like you were upset.

“Haha..sorry we couldn’t find you” Eren said with a nervous smile on his face as his eyes widened and shot a look to the shirt blonde girl next to him. She was clinging onto his arm like it was the only thing she knew how to do.

You grab both of them by the wrist and drag them along behind you, the two girls letting go of them

“oh sorry bye Historia!” Eren said to the blonde girl unlatching her arm away from him.

“Bye Annie” Armin said as he slid out of her grip.

“Oh my fucking god thank you so much” Eren said rubbing his arm like some type of bug just touched him.

“They don’t know how to give up, that fucking bitch Mikasa and her weird ass friends” Armin said with a look of anger and discomfort on his face.

“Y’all bitch asses owe me.” You said through gritted teeth upset since they pulled you away from a conversation with Sasha.

“Yeah yeah sure we do” Armin said rolling his eyes.

“How about all those times we had to save you from the guys at Marley University hitting on you” Eren said with a smug smirk on his face knowing that they won this conversation.

“Yeah yeah shut the fuck up” you said rolling your eyes back as you maneuvered your way around the crowd making your way upstairs to where Jean and Connie were. As you made your way up the stairs you held onto their wrists as you saw Annie and Historia shoot dirty looks at you from the first floor. Finally making your way up the stairs struggling to keep your grip on the both of the boys you were greeted by Connie and Jean who looked like they were about to pass out as they lazily raised they’re hands and gave you a short ‘wel-c-om to the partyyyyy’ they both said holding up their beers immideatly laughing afterwards so hard that they almost started crying.

“Uhhh let’s just go onto the balcony” Eren said as he looked away from them before they ask for him to come over there.

“Yeah good idea” you replied. You three made your way to the balcony closing the double doors behind you. You three sat shoulder to shoulder letting your legs hand out from the gap of the fencing, as you passed your last blunt around.

“So.. y/n” Armin said turning his head to you.

“Hmm?” You said lazily not even bothering to meet his gaze.

“If you had to fuck one of us who would it be” he asked with a smirk on his face, the sudden question causing Eren to turn his gaze to you. The question gave you butterfly’s in your stomach, you’ve always thought about it wondering if you had to choose one to hook up with who would it be, but as always you came up to the same answer...

“Both of you” you said taking a hit from your blunt and passing it to Eren. He didn’t even bother taking it as both of their heads shot in your direction since you sat in between them.

“Ayo.. did you really just say.. both?” Eren asked you with a smile mixed in with a look of surprise.

“What are you? Deaf?” You answered his question taking another hit since he decided not to take the blunt.

“So if we asked you to fuck right now you would say yes?” Armin asked with a lustful smile on his face, you could only imagine what he was thinking.

“Most likely, but I’m not fucking on a balcony where all the people below can see our sex show on display though.” You said passing the blunt to Eren and he actually took it this time.

“Damn that was the last answer I would expect from you y/n” Eren said while exhaling

“That’s what they all say”

As time went on you all scrolled through your phones until your high wore off so you could go back to your apartment, they decided they were spending the night since your the one that drove them here and they couldn’t be bothered to go back to your apartment, just to have to drive back to theirs. You three made your way home as ‘Deam Man Walking’ played from Erens phone since he had the aux Armin was sitting in the back seat with his legs spread out and his phone in his hand. Occasionally Armin would show Eren a photo or video and earn the reaction of ‘damnnn whats her @‘. You finally made it home parking in the car garage for the apartment building.

“My feet are killing meeeee” you whined.

“Want a piggy back ride?” Armin asked you.

“Is Annie going to get mad?” You teased.

“Oh my god please shut the FUCK UPP” his voice echoed through the empty parking garage.

“Shhh, it’s like 3 am” you said while climbing onto his back. The scent of his cologne and marijuana lingered. You placed your head on his shoulder, he still smelled like a little boy, you had to admit it was adorable. As you guys walked ahead Eren stood behind as he was texting Mikasa that he was with you and he was going to spend the night.

“She still treats me like I’m 4 I swear” you heard him say about 6 feet away from you and Armin. He sped up to you guys suprising you by smacking your ass causing you to let out a little scream.

“Eren! What the fuck?!” You whispered screamed to him. The only response you got back was a smirk. You three made your way up to your apartment door, handing Armin the keys to open it. You were so glad to be home greeted by the scent of your place. Armin carried you all the way to your room as Eren followed and threw you onto the bed. Eren turned off your lights and turned on the led’s instead putting them at red. You were laughing mess as you fought Armin to stop tickinling you only earning Eren to help restrain you.

“PLEASE- I CANT-“ you yelled through laughs. Eventually Armin stopped tickling you to grab your lava pen on your night stand but eren still held on.

“Wanna hit?” Armin asked you teasingly.

“Arminnnn I just bought that cart yesterday!”

“And it slaps as fuck” he responded back.

“Armin- Eren I swear to god if you don’t let go!” You said to him trying to keep a serious look but need up failing from his cute smile.

“Here I’ll let you have a hit” Armin said rolling his eyes with a smile on his face.

“Bitch-” you were cut off as Armin put the tip of the pen in your mouth.

“Finally got you to shut up” Armin said. You started kicking your legs at Eren

“LET ME GO IMMA BEAT HIS ASS” Eren obeyed letting go but the second you say up you only got pushed back down by Armin falling into erens chest as he sat behind you.

“Who’s ass are you going to beat?” Armin asked you while lifting up your chin to look at him.

“Hmph since your being an asshole I’ll take back what I said about fucking you both earlier.” You said with a pouty look on your face. You were basically on Erens ass now his hands wrapped around your stomach with his phone in his hand.

“Oh is that so” Eren whispered in your ear, soon afterwards pressing kisses down your neck to your shoulder soft moans leaving your mouth as his kisses were warm and wet. Armin’s hand made his way to your face holding onto the sides of your jaw making you look up at him, his lips crashed onto yours and your tongues started gliding over each others in sync. Soft moans left your mouth as you felt Eren grow hard underneath you, his hands wandering around your body. Armins grio was still tight on your jaw as you both were engaged in a heat make out session saliva dripping down the sides of our mouth and occasionally the strand that connected your lips for when you both needed air. Eren tugged at the hem of you shirt indicating that you pull it off. Armin let go of your jaw as he and Eren removed their shirts while you removed yours, Eren unhooked your bra and taking it off completely. As your back was pressed up against Erens chest he left bight marks and hickeys all over your neck and shoulders, Armin took one breast in his mouth and massaged the other with his hand, causing you to whimper. Erens hand traveled down to your already slicked heat rubbing circles over your clit making you moan loudly as your legs slightly shook. It didn’t take long for you to cum as Armin sucked harder on your breasts leaving hickeys all over your chest and how eren slipped his fingers into you curling them so they hit your g spot making you see stars. Eren and Armin were both hard by now you could see their cocks aching to be free’d from their pants.

“Scoot to the edge and get on your knees” Eren said. You obeyed so your backside was facing the headboard and you were facing the end of the bed. All of your clothing was now off by now and so where Armins and Erens.

“Open your mouth and stick your tongue out” Armin demanded. He placed his tip on your tongues as Eren positioned himself at you entrance, Eren took his time going in, while Armin didn’t, he grabbed a fistful of your hair and started thrusting in and out of youR mouth. Erens pace picked up as time went on. Your moans were cut short from Armins’s member making its way in and out of your mouth, barely being able to take his length spit and precum leaked down the side of your face. The sounds of sweaty skin slapping and moans and grunts filled the room. You could feel both Eren and Armin twitching by now and it didn’t take long for them to release, your moans turning high pitched from all the pleasure as you reached your high aswell. You stuck out your tongue to show Armin that you swallowed it whole earning you smile from him.

“Sheeesshhhh that felt so good” Eren said while fixing his buckle.

“Yeah you think” Armin said glancing over at him. You didn’t say anything since you were quite surprised from what just happened.

“I’m going to go have a shower” you said. Good thing Eren brought you a towel already.

“Tell me when your done so I can have one too” Eren said.

“Same here” Armin said as he lied on the bed shirtless.

“Who said I was going to let you guys have showers and use my soap” you asked them raising one eyebrow as you held the skimpy towel over yourself. They both busted out in laughter..

“Yeah yeah OkAYYY” Eren said in a mocking tone.

“I hate you guys” you said turning around and slamming the bathroom door behind you.

“We love you too y/n” they both said in unison.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Authors note:

Omg please don’t kill me this is my first threesum smut 😭😭✋ALSO I DO NOT HATE ANNIE AND HISTORIA PLS DONT GET ME WRONG I LOVE THEM!

But uhh anyways tell me if I should change anything!

Love y’all *muah* *muah* 🥰🥰😍😍😚😚💓💓💘💘

Btw I do requests!

#anime #eren aot #snk season 4 #anime x reader #attack on titan #eren jaeger x reader smut #eren jeager smut #eren smut #eren yeager x reader smut #x reader #armin x reader #armin smut #armin aot #armin arlet x reader #attack on titan x reader #smut

[underthewingsofthblackeagle]

Foto: Panorama Helsinki / Finland - Dom und Parlamentsplatz (by   tap5a)

“We only do this for Fergus!” is a short Outlander Fan Fiction story and my contribution to the Outlander Prompt Exchange (Prompt 3: Fake Relationship AU: Jamie Fraser wants to formally adopt his foster son Fergus, but his application will probably not be approved… unless he is married and/or in a committed relationship. Enter one Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp (Randall?) to this story) @outlanderpromptexchange​

Note to reader:  This chapter mentions abortion and involuntary childlessness. If these topics trigger negative thoughts or the like in you, please skip it.

Chapter 10: Meeting the 'enemy' (3)

           When Claire and Geillis returned to the living room, the two men were standing in front of the fireplace. To Claire's surprise, Jamie extended his right arm to her and when she came within his reach, he immediately pulled her to him. He smiled and kissed her gently on her left temple.

“Champagne glasses” by  Myriams-Fotos

           "It's nice to have some 'guy-on-guy' time, but without our 'better halves' we're missing something, aren't we Dave?"

           Dave, who had also pulled Geillis close and welcomed her back with a kiss, nodded to Jamie. Geillis whispered something in Dave's ear, to which Dave smiled and let out a loud

           "Oh!"

           Jamie looked at him questioningly.

           "Is there any news I don't know about yet?"

           Dave cleared his throat, still smiling.

           "Well, since Claire already found out, we shouldn't keep it a secret from you."

           "I'm listening," Jamie said, turning his questioning gaze now to Claire.

           To Claire's, Jamie's, and probably Geillis' surprise, they heard Dave say:

           "Geillis and I are expecting our first child!"

           A moment of surprised silence fell. Jamie was the first to recover his voice:

           "Dave! Geillis! Congratulations!"

           Fraser walked up to the couple and enclosed them in a light embrace.

           "Claire! We've got a wonderful reason to celebrate!" he exclaimed as he broke away from the couple a moment later.

           Without waiting for a reaction from his 'fiancée', he then said:

           "Come, sit down. I'll get us a bottle of champagne. This calls for a celebration! Claire, why don't you take four champagne bowls from the cupboard?"

           Then he was gone through the door to the dining room. While Dave and Geillis took their seats on one of the sofas again, Claire went to the cupboard and got the desired glasses.

           Shortly after, Jamie returned with a champagne bucket filled with ice and a bottle of "Moet & Chandon" sticking out of it. He pulled the bottle out of the ice and opened it with a loud pop. Then he poured for everyone. He then raised his glass and said:

           "To a strong and healthy child! And to the happy parents!"

           They toasted each other and drank. Then they all sat down again and a conversation developed about children in general, then about siblings (to this part of the conversation Jamie and Dave contributed quite a few very funny anecdotes from their childhood), and of course Dave and Geillis asked about Fergus.

“Paris bridge” by  pierre9x6            When Jamie told about how he found his now foster son in Paris and the effort it had taken him to bring the child to Germany, his face literally blossomed. From the very first day at the Fraser house, Claire had been aware of how much Jamie loved the boy and it was quite obvious that he had always wanted children. Then she heard Jamie say:

           "But it's only since Claire has been looking after him that Fergus has been developing better and better. It's a joy to watch him grow up. You're so limited in time when you're a single father who has to run an international business. I am so grateful for Claire's support. She has the ability to nurture his creativity, to channel his thirst for knowledge - it's just a joy to watch him grow up. But none of this would be possible without her."

           Claire, who had already been sitting next to him the whole time and around whose shoulders he had put his right arm, as if it were the most natural gesture in the world, felt him pull her even closer. She looked at him and then saw him smiling all over her face.

           Just before midnight, Dave and Geillis set off. The chauffeur appeared and together with Jamie he lifted the 'Vase No. 4' along with the Protea flowers into a prepared wooden box, which he then - a small double-ended cart - took to the elevator and from there to the garage to the car in. Jamie and Claire escorted the guests into the hall and, after Geillis and Dave had put on their coats, to the front door. After giving each other another hug, the friends walked to the car, which had already pulled up in front of the house. Jamie and Claire stopped on the top step of the small staircase that led to the front entrance and waved at them. When the car had disappeared from their sight, they returned to the hall together.

“Protea” by  nagra76

           "Excuse me a moment, I'll just go ...," Jamie said, pointing to door of the guest bathroom.

           Claire nodded and went back to the living room. There she cleared the glasses and the champagne bucket from the table and brought everything back to the kitchen. When she returned, Claire took the flat jewelry box from the closet and sat down on one of the sofas. While she was taking the jewelry off and putting it back in the box, she had to pause for a moment. She noticed how the strength with which she had held herself upright since the conversation with Geillis was drying up more and more. And then she just couldn't hold back the tears anymore.

           Just at that moment Jamie also returned to the living room and he immediately noticed that Claire was not well. But he had already had this impression since the two women had returned to the living room. When he had reached out his arm and pulled Claire to him, she had put one of her arms around his back and the other over his stomach. This could have been seen as a gesture to make it clear that he was hers. But Fraser had rather had the impression that Claire felt an urgent need to hold on to him.

           With a few sweeping steps, he hurried to her.

           "Claire, what is it? Are you not feeling well? Has ... Has this evening overwhelmed you? Did I do something wrong?"

           Without even consciously realizing it, he knelt in front of her and grabbed her hands, which were folded in her lap.

           Claire disengaged her right hand from his, placed it on Fraser's right, and squeezed it:

           "No, Jamie, you didn't do anything wrong. It … has nothing at all … to do with you … or Fergus … or with us."

           Then she burst into heavy sobs and slapped both hands to her face. Jamie put both arms around her and pulled her close. They stayed like that for a while, until Claire calmed down a bit.

           She reached for the handkerchief Jamie held out to her, wiped her tears and blew her nose. Then she said:

           "I already had the impression that Geillis was pregnant when I greeted her in the hall. As soon as I saw her dress. Then when were at my apartment …. I voiced my suspicions and she confirmed it."

           "But why does that make you so ... sad. It's a great thing that they will have a child, isn't it?" asked Fraser in wonder.

           Claire looked at him, wondering if she should really tell him. But then she decided to:

           "It's … not a wanted child, Jamie. It … wasn't planned and ... Geillis ..."

           "Does she want to a ..."

           "No! No! They're going to have the baby. You saw how excited Dave is and how proud he is to finally be a father."

           Claire paused for a moment. Then she continued:

           "Geillis ... Geillis is afraid that she can't love the child because she actually envisioned her life without children. She's afraid it's all going to have a negative impact on her relationship with Dave."

           "And that makes you so sad. I understand."

           Jamie's expression darkened. He looked down at the floor and nodded.

           "No," Claire objected, "I ... it's perfectly normal for her to be so upset right now. A lot of women feel that way in a situation like this. But it doesn't have to stop there. As a nurse, I've many women where that feeling changed over time and they're really good, loving mothers to this day. And of course, I will try to help her. I would like to meet with her later this week and talk to her. Then we'll go from there."

“Taschentuch” by  bloomingnakanishi

           Fraser looked at her in wonder. He paused for a moment. It was clear to him that the question he was about to ask would probably cause Claire pain, but he needed to know what was bothering her.

           "But, if this can change, if you can help her, Claire ... why are you so sad?"

           And, as he had guessed, Claire's pain immediately erupted:

           "Because it's so terribly unfair! It's so unfair Jamie!"

           From Claire's suddenly wide-open red eyes, sheer desperation looked at him. He felt her hands clench under his and she trembled with inner rage and despair. It took only a few seconds, then another flood of tears streamed down Claire's cheeks and again she was shaken by deep sobs. Jamie put his arms around her and pulled her close. A foreboding formed in his mind, but he didn't dare speak it. When Claire had calmed down a bit and dried her tears again, she said:

           "It's so unfair, Jamie. Why do women who don't want children have children, and why do women who would love nothing more than to be a mother have to resign themselves to never having children?"

           Fraser was silent. What could he have said? But he would have had little opportunity to speak either, for Claire continued immediately:

           "Every year in this country alone, more than 130,000 children are aborted. 130,000, that's the number of inhabitants of a city like Heidelberg. Can you imagine that? And no! Before we misunderstand each other, I am not passing judgment on these women. I don't know the individual fates, I don't know what moves them, what they go through and I don't take the right to judge them. But, in this country, there are many institutions that advocate for them and that care about them. And that's a good thing, because no woman should be alone in a situation like this. There has been support for them for many years. But involuntarily childless people hardly have a lobby! And yet every tenth couple between the ages of 25 and 59 in this country is involuntarily childless! One in ten couples, Jamie! And what are these people advised to do? Well, if you can't have children of your own, then adopt! That's what childless couples are told. But you don't need me to tell you how hard that is. Not only as a single man like you! Even as a married couple! Even if the man has an extremely well-paid, prestigious job at a world renown university and the woman is willing to stay at home! Even if the couple has their own house with a garden and a good reputation! Even then it can take years! Why do so many married couples go to the former Eastern Bloc countries and adopt a child from a Russian or Ukrainian orphanage? And then, when you are a couple and decide to ... for this terrible, ... this infinitely exhausting ....  fertility treatment, then you also only get some financial support for it since 2012! Only since 2012!"

           Again, Claire's eyes welled up with tears, which she wiped away with the large men's handkerchief. Jamie, meanwhile, was silent, inwardly praying for the right words.

           "I never told you, but.... my late husband, Frank, and I, we wanted children. Very much so. For Frank, it was especially important. But also, me ... It was already decided before we got married. The house we bought when we moved to Berlin had two children's rooms. We always called them that, too.  For many years we tried again and again, by all means. We both wanted it, but ... In the end, it tore our marriage apart. Frank... he... turned to other women until... until he found one with whom he wanted to start a family. I didn't find out the details until after he had passed away. It was one of his colleagues and ... well ... it had been going on for several years. Shortly before he died, he had made the decision to leave me. Frank had already set everything in motion. Only death prevented him from putting it into action. He wanted to divorce me so that he could marry her. Frank never said it, but I knew him well enough. It was clear that he wanted to marry this woman because he hoped to finally have the children with her. Children! The children I couldn't give him."

           Again, Claire was silent for a moment, then it burst out of her again:

           "In this country you are nothing if you remain childless - as a woman. If you are a single man - or even a married one - and have countless affaires, you are looked at as a Don Juan, a Casanova, a womanizer, a lady-killer! In the old boys' clubs and at the young boys' parties, such a man is celebrated. But if you are a married childless woman …  Without knowing the reason for your childlessness, judgment is passed on you. You are seen as selfish, egoistic, irresponsible, less helpful, less mature and less happy. And you feel yourself to be so ... unnatural, inferior, deviating from the norm, as if you are not a real woman at all. The social pressure is enormous … My parents had died early and Frank's parents were already dead. So, there were no grandparents who kept asking us about grandchildren. But in our circles of colleagues, the question naturally came up again and again. 'Don't you want children?' - 'How long are you going to wait?' - as if that was the question!"

“Leere Krippe” by congerdesign

           A distinct bitterness was visible on Claire's face.

           "My Uncle Lambert would never have asked such questions. But on his face, I saw it again and again. How he would have loved to have had 'grandchildren.' How he would have liked to see something of him, of the Beauchamp's, live on … Frank and I, of course, tried the medical methods. You read about it again and again in magazines and ... The fertility clinics also do a lot of advertising. But nobody talked about the possible risks, the side effects of the high hormone doses for a woman, or the very low success rate of getting pregnant at all, let alone the probability of giving birth to a child. Nor did we tell anyone in our circle of friends or colleagues about the artificial procreation attempts. Not even Geillis knows. Who wants to explain this complicated and embarrassing procedure to friends or colleagues and then have to answer questions all the time? When will the baby finally come? Two of these attempts and two more within the following two years failed. We finally had to realize that we could never become parents. Frank then converted the children's rooms into a guest room and into a ... storage room ... a ... storage room. However, ... we hardly got any guests after .... He was more and more absent in his spare time ... well, later I found out where he was."

           Claire blew her nose and Jamie saw her eyes fill with tears.

           "It's so unfair! It's so unfair!"

           Claire's voice had gone hoarse, yet the words continued to flow out of her.

           "Imagine that in your neighborhood, in your circle of colleagues, women get pregnant who don't even want to be, and you, you remain childless. And this happens not once or twice, but many times.  And then you are left by your husband because of that. Left behind like a ... broken, useless object of utility! ... Nobody thinks much about what women like me go through. Nobody! We have no lobby. Do you hear me? Absolutely no lobby! Do you hear me, Jamie?!"

           Jamie pulled her close and gently pressed her head against his left shoulder. As Claire's sobs slowly subsided, he felt her tears soaking his shirt. Then he said softly, but clearly:

           "I hear you, Claire. I hear you, I really do. And I know how it feels. Believe me."

           Claire lifted her head and looked at him uncomprehendingly.

           "I've always wanted a family, too. But I never found the right woman. And then I found Fergus, and it was ... like a sign. He ... he's a gift. A wonderful gift. A precious gift. I will do everything for him ..."

           "Yes, he is a wonderful child. A rascal, but a beloved rascal," she said, still sobbing.

           "And he loves you, Claire. He really loves you. I haven't even had a chance to tell you yet, but do you know what he asked me one of the nights I put him to bed alone?"

           Claire shook her head.

           "I read to him from the book I bought him at the museum village. You remember, 'A Year in the Middle Ages: Eating and Celebrating, Traveling and Fighting, Ruling and Punishing, Believing and Loving.' Under the theme of 'Loving', it is of course about how people got married in the Middle Ages. It is said that people married much earlier than they do now, and Fergus asked me how old you had to be to get married today. I told him that usually you could get married from the age of 18. He looked at me and I could almost see the little wheels turning in his head. So, I told him that he would soon be seven years old and that it would only be eleven years until he was eighteen. He said nothing, but suddenly looked at me very grumpily. When I asked what made him so angry, he replied, 'Then it will be forever before I can marry Claire!'"

           "Oh, no!"

           "Yes, Claire!"

           Now even Claire had to smile a little.

           "He loves you, he'd marry you on the spot. If he could."

           Again, tears rolled down Claire's cheeks.

           "I love him very much, too, Jamie. I'm ... so glad you took him in."

           She wiped the tears from her face and Jamie, slowly rising from his knees, sat down beside her.

           "Claire, I heard you, really heard you, and I know what it means to feel this way, too. Now I'm asking you to listen to me carefully."

           She nodded.

           "Fergus loves you, he really does. And I, I am deeply grateful for everything you do for us and .... We're both very fond of you. You're not an employee to us, you're ... our best friend. And you matter to us … very much. I want you to know that... whatever happens after these three years, whatever you decide, you will always have a place in our hearts, Claire. And you will always have a home with us. Always."

           "Thank you. Thank you so much. That's ..."

           "Perfectly natural," Fraser finished the sentence. Then he rose and held out his hand to her:

           "Come on, I'll take you up to your apartment."

           Claire grabbed his hand and carefully let herself be pulled up by it.

#Outlander #Outlander Fan Fiction #We only do this for Fergus! #Fergus Fraser #Jamie Fraser #Claire Beauchamp #Gedillis Duncan #Potsdam #Berlin #germany #Modern AU

[peralta-guaranteed]

When they met Jake had a mop of hair (still looked cute) but then he got it cut and went from cute to HOT AF wonder what Amy’s reaction to that was 🤔🤔 or what her reaction to first time seeing him in a suit (suit Jake can step on me)

(gonna smush those together and add the awesome triple Ask part 2, "Amy realizing how hot Jake is early in their friendship like a moment of realization and then it won’t get out of her head)

also, Jake’s suit: like this

and Amy’s dress: like this but in blue

for your imagination pleasures :D

He was cute in a dorky kind of way, she had to admit even before she ever dared to think she might like him.

Well, she didn't exactly have to admit that to anyone, because no one really asked (except for Kylie, who only got a shrug and an eye roll when she inquired about her new co-workers). But she kind of admitted it to herself, whenever she caught a glimpse of his mop of hair bobbing past her desk with a new file, or leaning over her when they were discussing a new case. He was kinda cute.

Annoying and childish and boisterous and a pain to work with, but... in a cute way.

It made no difference to admit that, anyway. It didn't matter. They were co-workers, and that's it. She wasn't here to make friends - especially not with someone as wild and career-hobbling as him. She’d made that decision before she even came to the 99, and it wasn’t going to change.

-*-

He came in with no curls left at all six months into their working relationship, about a month after she’d also admitted to herself that maybe she wasn’t intentionally here to make friends, but had accidentally ended up with a strangely loyal one. 

“Good, right?” He grinned at her with a proud double-pointer to his head, sitting or rather plonking down into his chair across from her while she tried to pry her eyes from him. She had been staring the whole way from the elevator to their desks, but maybe it wasn’t too late to hide that.

It was a bit harder to hide the blush that started at the top of her ears, but she cleared her throat quickly to pull his eyes away from that.

“That’s quite a change.”

“Yeah, Gina set me up with one of her stylist friends. Didn’t work out, but, uh, guess I got something out of it. Which is probably what she was planning for anyway.” He shrugged, answered with a resounding “Uh, duh!” from behind Amy before he stuck his tongue out at the childhood friend she was separating him from.

Something in her face twitched at the mention of another one of his dates - he seemed to be going on a lot of those, and he had no qualms telling everyone so, even though he never elaborated. Why it made her stomach drop a bit every time, she wasn’t quite so sure. Probably because it was so unprofessional to discuss at work, and she was already toeing the line too much joining in with some of his jokes and pranks. He swore McGinley didn’t give a damn, but she was sure she’d seen their captain’s disapproving stare through the half open blinds the last two times Jake had pulled her up from her desk for something definitely not police-related.

Jake was still low-key squabbling with Gina over her head, so she could slip out of that conversation easily, focus on the files she was working on before he came in looking like that, disrupting her… everything. 

“It looks good.” She said instead, cursing herself for opening her mouth the second it closed again, but continuing. “Frames your face much better.”

The infighting stopped, and she could feel Gina’s stare burn into the back of her head. But far more pressing was the look Jake was giving her now, a short blink of… surprise, maybe, before his face broke out into a grin that wasn’t half as goading or over-the-top as usual.

“Uh, I, mh, thanks.” He mumbled, quickly staring down at the files he’d left open yesterday before he left, and she almost thought she could see a blush on the tip of his ears now, finally visible without being hidden underneath all that hair.

But that was surely just her imagination.

-*-

A very overactive imagination, she sighs as she stands in the copier room. An imagination that couldn’t stop staring at him throughout the day, at the way his profile had changed so much now without those curls always in the way, at the short hairs on the back of his neck, her fingers itching to run through them to find out if they’d feel soft or bristly. An imagination that refused to go back to the simple description of ‘cute’.

“I see you, Santiago.” A terrifying voice behind her interrupts her, and she’s glad her files are already in the copier so she can’t throw them at Gina in shock as she turns around to face her.

“What?”

“I see you, staring at my boy.” Gina points two fingers from her eyes into Amy’s direction, a grin breaking out on her face that almost rivals the ‘boy’ she’s talking about. “Getting the hots for the class clown? Gonna go smoochtown on my little bro?”

“As if.” Amy scoffs, maybe a bit too loudly, shaking her head a bit too much. “We’re talking about the same guy here? The one who claims that jelly beans have 4 calories each, so eating 500 a day should fulfil his caloric needs?”

“Uhu.” Gina seems bored now, which is not unusual for her whenever she’s talking to Amy, staring at her fingernails instead. “Keep trying to delude yourself with those negatives, poor girl. Just channel all that unfulfilled desire into some boring paperwork. I’ll be waiting for the day you snap and tear his clothes off right at his desk, so I can be out sick that day and not have to witness it.”

“I’m not going to-” Amy tries to protest, but Gina has already hopped out of the room, her hair bouncing behind her as she gives a wave and leaves her behind with a growl.

She’s not. She’s not going to do anything. There’s nothing to do something about. There- it’s- he’s-

She’s allowed to think someone looks attractive without immediately devolving into sexual thoughts or interest. She can think one of her friends is good-looking without making that weird. She can… she can admit that Jake is her friend and that Jake is attractive and it doesn’t change anything.

It doesn’t.

-*-

They’re all standing in front of the precinct, half shivering because of the wind swiping through their legs, and Amy curses whoever’s idea it was to meet up there instead of straight at the NYPD party two blocks down. We’re supposed to show a unified front as a squad, she remembers Terry saying, arriving together will help with that. 

Well, they apparently won’t even start off together, because they’ve been waiting for Jake - of course, who else? - for close to 15 minutes now, and none of their messages were even answered. (Amy duly noted that hers were actually the only ones signed off with a ‘read’ notification, but she couldn’t think too much about that now, not while she was freezing in a dress she was still worried might be too low cut for a work event, even while Rosa next to her was sporting the most amazing little black dress she’d ever seen.)

“I swear to god, if Peralta isn’t here in 5 minutes, I’ll-” Terry is interrupted in his rant by a far too familiar voice sprinting at them.

“I’m here! I’m here.” Jake coughs a little as he comes to a stop and leans forward, hands on his knees, before standing up with a wide grin as if nothing happened. “I’m here! Let’s go! What are we waiting for?!”

Terry gives him the most dead-set stare he can muster before the group starts moving, all eager to finally get to a place that not only offers free drinks and food, but also heating.

Amy falls back a few steps, fighting with some uncomfortable heels she also should’ve rethought as much as her dress, and finds herself next to Jake, who’s apparently still trying to catch his breath from his run to the precinct. At least that’d explain the little gasp and baited breath as she bonks against him in her next stumble, and finds she’d rather like to stay there - on account of him being warm, of course.

“Geez, Santiago.” His arm wraps around her, suddenly, an even warmer hand rubbing up and down the thin sleeves of the stylish yet impractical soft coat she’d picked. “If you know you run cold all the time, why don’t you bundle up for the weather?”

Because bundling up doesn’t look good, she thinks with a sigh. Bundling up doesn’t leave an impression with the captains at that party. And because, maybe, Kylie had been a little too convincing about her online shopping cart after two glasses of wine each and clicked Buy before Amy could stop her. 

“I wasn’t exactly expecting to spend more than 5 minutes out in the cold today, but we had to wait twice that for you.” She bites back instead, and hates herself for it, because it makes his wonderfully warm arm drop from her side almost immediately.

“Sorry.” He mumbles while staring at the ground. “Hey, you want my coat? It’s fresh dry-cleaned, I promise.”

“I didn’t know you even owned anything but that leatherjacket and at least twenty similar hoodies.”

“Yeah, it’s my grown-up nice jacket I only wear for special events.” He decides to ignore her dig, stroking down the soft grey wool with a strangely proud grin before unbuttoning it. “Here, put it on. Pre-warmed.”

She can’t protest anymore before he slips it over her shoulders, and it is incredibly warm and soft, but that’s not what freezes her mind entirely.

Jake’s in a suit. That much was to be expected, considering the event they were going to specifically asked for it, but it only now dawns on her that she’s never seen him in a suit before, not accounting for his dress blues. And what a suit. It’s dark green, emerald, she thinks it’s called, a colour that works perfect with his light brown curls (slightly grown out again), and there’s- there’s a waistcoat involved, and a pocket square, a  navy blue coloured pocket square, and she realises it’s the exact same shade of blue as her dress, and her mind can’t even focus on how the cut of his suit seems perfectly tailored around his waist while thinking about that, until Charles’ wolf-whistle pulls her out of her fugue.

“Hot damn, Peralta.” Terry nods next to him. “Didn’t expect you to make the effort, to be honest.”

“Gina has this friend who works at a tailor.” He coughs, and yes, there is definitely a blush on his ears now. “Plays himself as a bit of a stylist, but I think he went overboard.”

Charles “Nuh-uh!” mixes with Rosa’s “Why does Gina keep trying to hook you up with horrible people”, and almost overshadows Amy’s “Do you make any fashion choices that aren’t basically Gina-led?”

“Because she’s Gina.” Jake shrugs and seems to answer both Amy and Rosa with that, staunchly ignoring Charles for the moment, which is probably his best bet.

Amy wants to shoot something back, anything, to keep her mind off of that suit and her eyes from staring, but she can’t. She’s glad she has to look forward as they move on, though, focusing more on not stumbling on the uneven pavement with Jake’s warm, heavy coat over her shoulders.

So he looks good in a suit. That’s fine. He cleans up well. Lots of men do. Terry is wearing a nice suit, too. So’s Charles, she has to admit.

But neither of them pull at the seams of her mind like his does. Neither of them makes her wonder how it feels to let her hands slide down his lapels, maybe grab them midway and pull him forward-

The two block walk is far too short to cool her down again, especially with that cursed warm jacket around her, smelling so much like him and his unusual cologne that he’s definitely never worn to work before, but that will be burned into her nose for a while now.

-*-

He helps her slip both his and her jacket off at the coat check, and there seems to be a short moment where he almost drops hers as she turns around again, his eyes rushing up and down her wrap dress, sporting a cleavage and a high slit that really can only be explained by two glasses of wine and Kylie. At least the sleeves are long enough to not make her freeze anymore now that she’s inside.

“Wow.” He mumbles even as she begins pulling at said sleeves, adjusting the collar that already feels like it’s dropped too far.

“I know, it’s too much, my friend-”

“Too much?!” He interrupts with a stare. “Ames, you look-” He seems to be grasping for something to say, and she can see a flash of a lot of words across his mind before he stares at the ground again for a second to find himself. “Good. You look really good.”

She smiles as her eyes drop to the ground as well.

“Thanks. You look good, too.”

He snorts, before lifting his arm in an inviting gesture, and she doesn’t want to rethink it too much as she slips her arm into the hook of his elbow.

“Well, let’s go look good together then.” He says, and yep, she’s definitely rethinking all of that. For the whole evening. Every time he catches her eyes - she’s not staring, she’s not - and smiles at her. The first time he points to his pocket square, mouthing We match! with almost childlike glee in his eyes. The following five times he does it. Even the one time Charles points it out as they find each other in their little group again, met with a round of sighs and a disgruntled “No, Charles” from Jake himself. 

She thinks about it - and about him, and that suit - when he picks up their coats, both swaying and giggling just a little from the free champagne. 

And then she thinks about something a bit more, when he slips his jacket over her shoulders immediately, his hands gliding over her bare neck for just a second, the scent of his cologne from the collar only strengthened by the scent of him right behind her.

So he’s cute. So he’s attractive. So he looks amazing in a suit. 

So she might be a little bit attracted to all that.

It still didn’t change anything.

-*-

what r u wearing 2 NYPD party, he texts her a year later, and she crinkles her nose at his appalling writing.

You know how to write proper English, I’ve seen your reports. She texts back, and then… Why do you want to know?

Thought it would be fun to match again. comes the well-written answer, and she stares at it for a good ten minutes before finally answering.

Green chiffon.

She was going to change her mind about that dress Kylie helped her pick again, but she won’t. Not now.

-*-

What r you gonna wear babeeeee, he pesters her with the 5th message about it in as many days, ever since she sent him the reservations info for their first anniversary dinner.

I told you it’s going to be a surprise.

Not fair! How am I supposed to match?! She grins as she reads it.

Won’t look good on you if you can’t figure that out, detective.

-*-

“I knew it!”, he grins at her wide at the bottom of her stairs as she descends in her navy blue wrap dress, glad it still fits after years in her closet.

“Easy enough for you to say. You probably have a whole colour range of pocket squares ready.”

“Nuh-uh.” He shakes his head, reaching for her hand on the last step already, his other hand unbuttoning the same ‘grown-up nice jacket’ she knows so well by now. “Look?”

She lets out a happy laugh as she’s met with his emerald green suit jacket, a memory burned into her mind for probably forever.

She’s so glad he never changes.

#B99 #Brooklyn 99 #Peraltiago #Jake Peralta #Amy Santiago #my writing #ficlet #fic

[ateezmakemeweep]

richboy!yeosang (part 4)

word count: 7k

fluff

(part 3) (series masterlist)

when you look back on your pregnancy, you’re not gonna remember the rocky start you and yeosang both had. 

your immense fear and yeosang’s anger and just an overall feeling of dread and hysteria that comes with an accidental pregnancy.

it’ll be all the little moments in between that stick with you, the cute stuff and the hard stuff and the wide range of emotions that didn’t even fully prepare you and yeosang for what was to come in parenthood. 

three months:

“this is cute.”

you look over at yeosang holding a tiny pink onesie with the brightest smile on his face, strawberries and cherries scattered around the soft fabric. 

you mirror his smile as you walk closer to him, cocking your head to the side as you narrow your eyes at him. 

“just say you want it be a girl already. i know you do.”

it’d been the debate going on between you two for the past few weeks, you not admitting you want a boy and him not admitting he wants a girl; but you can just tell he does, little comments he makes and the things he picks out when you pop in stores during sunday errands. 

“because it’s pink? it could be for a boy, too,” yeosang says, “that doesn’t mean anything.”

you bite back the smirk threatening to take over your face, not letting it slip that, sometimes, you’ll hear him talking quietly at night. speaking into the darkness about how much he’s wanted to have a little girl to spoil. 

“but you can’t tell your mommy,” he teased, his voice in a hushed whisper. 

he now also has a habit of slipping his hands under your shirt (or more often, his that you stole) and splaying his fingers across your warm skin. 

your stomach is just starting to show, the slightest indication of a bump forming that made his heart warm way more than he ever expected to feel; he knew he’d love to see you pregnant but he had no idea how much it was really gonna effect him. 

watching as your body transformed seamlessly in order to carry his child. 

“not that we should keep secrets from mommy, she just already knows everything,” he corrects, grateful to have your face hidden in his chest so he doesn’t see you smile. 

“i can’t wait for you to meet her. she’s gonna be a lot better at this than me but hopefully you like me, too, baby girl.”

and you don’t have the heart to tell him you hear him at night, nor do you have the heart to tell him the person growing inside of you won’t be able to hear him for a few more weeks. 

but you love how quickly he’s grown comfortable with this idea of becoming a father, finding solace in speaking hushly and sweetly when no one but them are around to hear. 

“it has nothing to do with that,” you squeak, poking at his chest and giggling when he grabs your hand. “i just know. i know everything, right?”

his eyes narrow suspiciously and you have to control the laugh threatening to bubble up from your chest, instead giggling more when he tosses the onesie in the cart and guides you in front of the cart. 

your back is against his chest as you two push the cart together, lingering in the newborn section for far too long as you excitedly look through clothes, books, and toys you already know are gonna clutter the apartment before the baby’s arrival. 

four months:

your eating habits before pregnancy were, admittedly, rather picky. 

everyone in your life had always made fun of you for having the palate of a toddler, straying from anything that didn’t look appetizing or produced a mildly unpleasant smell. 

that’s why, after tons of research and reading up on the journey of pregnancy, yeosang was humored to hear about ‘unusual cravings’ that come about in the first and second trimester. 

“i don’t know, baby, i can’t see you eating anything too disgusting. you’re kind of picky.”

“you’re kind of picky,” you immaturely mock because if pregnancy brain is giving you anything, it’s a lack of witty comebacks and remarks to your smart ass boyfriend.

a snort leaves yeosang’s mouth as he piles fruit into the blender, being sure to add a few extra blueberries after the doctor told you guys it was a good power food to implement into your diet.

it was something that, no matter how hormonal and scatter-brained, you were noticing. how sweet and attentive and just... into the pregnancy he was. 

it was almost shocking you, to be honest. 

because you knew yeosang was sweet, that the tough guy persona he attempts to put up around others is just a macho act, but this whole journey is really making you see just how caring your boyfriend is. 

how he’s so accommodating to you and will drop everything the moment you open your mouth to ask him for something. 

how when your parents were, while in the end thrilled to be grandparents, hesitant and nervous and asked if you wanted to move back in for help, insisted he would take care of you and the baby and they’d have nothing to worry about. 

how everything that should be difficult during this is just so easy because of him, your level of comfort and happiness exponentially high. 

he places your smoothie on the table before leaving a parting kiss on your head, telling you that he’ll be home early and will see you later. you smile and wave happily before resting back on the couch, sipping at your drink as you catch up on school work.

and it’s that same sight that greets yeosang when he comes home a few hours later, emptied cup on the table and your closed laptop resting on your stomach as you nap soundly. 

a smile lights up his face and a warmth spreads over his entire body upon seeing you, any stress or irritation from his work day quickly fading away as he makes his way over to you. 

he bends down and brushes hair from your face, his eyes roaming every feature; he’s excited to see what your child is gonna look like.

if she’ll (because something is just telling him it’s a girl, or maybe it’s just his wishful thinking and hopes), have your eyes or his nose. if she’s gonna have your personality, sweet and gentle with just enough spunk, or be more like him.

his eyes travel down to your shirt-covered stomach, a small smile on his face as he recalls the first time you noticed the change. 

it was after you took a bath, body aching and sore as your body adjusted to morning sickness. 

it was something so small and subtle but you had noticed just before wrapping the towel around yourself, your eyes narrowing as you turned to the side.

“yeosang?” he heard from the bedroom, pushing his laptop and books away as he makes his way to the en suite.

there was no sense of urgency in your voice but he still felt the overwhelmingly need to get to you, some innate protectiveness in him spiking anytime you call his name these days.

“yeah, my love?” he hums, his eyes widening and a smirk crossing his face when he’s greeted by your naked body. 

“oh?” he hums, making his way over and gripping your bare hips. “i would’ve joined you in here earlier if i knew you wanted to-”

“not that, you perv,” you whine, pushing him away lightly before placing your hand on your lower stomach. 

he notices your placement and immediately snaps out of his lustful daze, his eyes watching you carefully for any hint of pain or discomfort; but instead, he’s greeted with the sight of excitement shining in your eyes.

“does my stomach look different to you?” you ask, the small smile on your face making his heat pang in his chest. “there’s a little bump.”

“well no shit, baby,” he teases lightly, his hands going back on your stomach as he looks at you through the mirror. “gotta fit her in there somehow.”

you bite back the smirk on your lips as you meet his gaze, your eyebrow raising before he throws his hands up innocently. 

“or him. gotta find them in there somehow.”

you let out a huff before rolling your eyes, turning back to look at yourself in the mirror. 

you knew you were gonna see some sort of change soon but it’s like finally seeing it begin is making it all sink in. that you’re gonna get bigger and rounder and really start to look and feel more pregnant. 

and while you obviously know that’s a part of this, that makes you a little nervous, too. watching as your body changes and you become more-

“you look beautiful.”

you heart jumps at the compliment still, a small smile on your face as you meet his gaze. it’s soft and warm and sweet and only makes your smile grow bigger, your head cocked to the side as you stare back at him. 

he didn’t know if you needed to hear that right now, if the way you were looking at yourself was just curious and accepting or if you’re brain was gonna start becoming insecure, but he just felt like he needed to say it. 

you don’t know what to say so you don’t say anything, pressing up on your toes to peck his lips sweetly. 

you giggle into this kiss when, after you try to pull away, he drags you back to him and deepens it. a squeal leaves your mouth when his hands grip your thighs and pull you up, your legs wrapping immediately around his waist. 

your towel falls to the ground with a plop as he makes his way to your bed, throwing you down and smiling wider as your giggle rings through the air. 

the gentle lull of fingers running against your skin stirs you awake, a quiet groan escaping you before your eyes flutter open. an uncontrollable smile crosses your lips when you’re able to make out yeosang, his warm hands on your stomach and his soft eyes staring at you.

“hey baby.”

“hi,” you mumble tiredly, your arms outstretched before he chuckles and collapses on top of you. he makes sure to hold himself above you to not crush yo entirely, burying his face in your neck to press short, ticklish kisses. 

“you smell good.”

“i haven’t left this couch, i can’t imagine how.”

he pulls back to look down at you, his hand combing though your messy hair and a laugh threatening to leave his mouth.

“have you had anything to eat yet?”

and he has to hold back a gag when you tell him you’ve only had your peanut butter and cheese, the bizarre craving that left you both shocked and surprised.

five months:

“alright, everyone who thinks it’s a girl, say i.”

you roll your eyes when you hear yeosang’s voice boom the loudest “i,” quickly followed by mingi, hongjoong, seonghwa and san.

“alright, so now everyone’s who correct in thinking it’s a boy, say i.”

“i.”

“i.”

“i-”

“i! will bet my entire bank account that it’s a girl,” san interrupts, nearly throwing his fork across the table as he points it threateningly toward the ‘boy side.’ 

it was the day before your 18-week check up and nothing could’ve prepared you for the chaos that was to come.

the boys had made it a point to come over once a week ever since you told them the news, swapping between ordering food and bringing home cooked meals to fully prepare for their new lives as uncles. 

it was a healthy mix of of fun banter and arguing before an aggressive explosion  of debates like these: guessing the sex of the baby, fighting for spots as godparents and seeing who’s meal is gonna satisfy your pregnant self the most. 

“anyone need $40?” jongho asks, him and wooyoung the most confident you’ve ever seen that you’re gonna have a baby boy - you wish you were as confident as all of them, because you really don’t know what’s gonna come tomorrow.

“fuck you!” san whines, a giggle leaving you as your hand rests on your stomach and you watch the boys argue back and forth. 

yeosang kisses the side of your head as he gathers the plates and cups, seonghwa and yunho quietly talking to you and asking how you’ve been doing. 

they knew it was hard for you to make the decision to not enroll in classes for the spring semester, knowing that the later months of pregnancy and baby’s arrival were far too close to finals time. 

but you seem to be happy about that decision it seems, basking in the easy going pregnancy you’ve had thus far. 

“i’ll probably go back when she’s one or something,” you say absentmindedly, the plan you started concocting in your head when you and yeosang talked about what you were gonna do. 

“my parents said they’d be more than happy to watch her on the days i have class so i think it’ll be okay. i’m definitely going back, though.”

seonghwa and mingi shared a look with matching smiles on their faces, something that went unnoticed to you before the other boys quickly came over and stole your attention away. 

“looks like you got her thinking it’s a girl, too,” seonghwa mumbles to yeosang, the boy biting back a smile. 

he overheard you and couldn’t control the happiness blooming in his chest, watching with a smile as he watches you giggle and hit san and wooyoung’s arms playfully. 

by the time the boys left, absolutely overstaying their welcome as they do every time, you were exhausted. laid out on the couch with your head on the arm, eyes threatening to close before yeosang came over and leant down next to you. 

“you okay?”

“yeah,” you yawn, running your fingers through his hair lazily. “they’re just a little exhausting.”

“a little?” he hums skeptically, a smirk crossing your face as you hold your arms out to him. 

“what?” he smiles, eyes lighting up as he looks at you.

“help me up.”

he pulls you up before scooping you into his arms, a content hum leaving your mouth as he walks toward the bedroom. he places you gently on the bed before pecking your head with a kiss, mumbling for you to change while he gets you a glass of water. 

this was the new night time routine like clockwork, yeosang more often that not carrying your exhausted body in before setting you up with water and waiting until you fell asleep soundly on his chest. 

he comes in a few moments later to see you already in bed, a smile lighting up your face that has him speeding up to get to you. 

your eyes are drooping with your hold on him tight, soft mumbles of “i love you,” in your ear, about to succumb to sleep before you hear his deep voice begin to speak.

“baby, you still up?” 

“hm?” you hum sleepily, your chin resting on his chest as you stare up at him with tired eyes. 

he smiles softly upon seeing your face, his hand reaching out to caress your cheek gently. 

there’s been something about seeing you like this that makes it feels like he’s falling for you again, unable to fully grasp just how much he loves you sometimes. it’s a feeling he once thought was scary, one that he thought he wasn’t even capable of.

but he sees now that’s not the case at all; that, if anything, the feeling only gets stronger and more prevalent the more you two go through. 

“you know i really don’t care if it’s a boy or a girl, right?” he asks, the softness and sweetness of his tone making your tired state lessen. “i’m gonna be happy no matter what tomorrow.”

you can’t even control the giggle that leaves your mouth, reaching up to place a kiss on his lips. 

“i love you,” you tell him, humor and amusement heavy in your tone not taking away from how true it is. 

and from the slight pinkness on his cheeks and the scoff that leaves his mouth, you think he knows you’re only making fun of him a little. 

“of course i know that, silly,” you tell him, his eyes narrowing before you snake your hand down and play with his fingers. 

“but i do think you’ve convinced me it’s a girl, too,” you sigh out, your head resting back on his chest and your eyes closing. “i’ll also be happy either way, though. i think...we’re gonna be good at this.”

the words are quiet and sweet and making his heart jump. but when he looks down to meet your gaze again, he sees your fast asleep against his chest.

“so....” san drags out at next week’s dinner, the seven boys around the table looking at you and yeosang expectantly. “did you guys find out?”

you and yeosang share a smile and nod at them, the table erupting into a burst of chatter and demands to be told who was right. 

“you’re not gonna tell us, are you?” seonghwa asks, the twinge in both your eyes making him far too skeptical. 

a smirk crosses your face as you shake your head no, groans of protest and silent curses filling the apartment. they harass you and yeosang for the rest of the night, going as far as to put up money and chore work to know the answer. 

but you insist that you’re keeping it a surprise, not even letting mingi or yunho know even though you and yeosang decided that, if they want t, they’re gonna have to be the godparents. 

six months:

"this is pretty," you say quietly, tapping your finger on a light yellow that has yeosang’s face falling into a grimace.

"it's not for a nursery, y/n," he mumbles from behind you, the close proximity of his voice causing you to jump. 

you hadn't realized he had moved closer to you as you browsed, his chest now pressed up right against your back. you feel the breath of his words grazing your skin as he looks over your shoulder.

"how 'bout that?" he asks, his arm brushing yours as he points to the most hideous shade of brown you'd ever seen.

"that is so ugly," you bluntly state, his deep chuckle rumbling in your ear as he pulls his arm back to rest on your shoulder. you try not to jump at the open affection and touch he's giving you, his hand ever so often squeezing gently.

"oooh, what about this?" you ask, craning your neck up to show him the color sample. 

your cheeks nearly touch from how close your faces are now, holding your breath as you watch him look at it before meeting your gaze. you resist the urge to swallow nervously, his teasing eyes now looking right into yours.

"pretty," he mumbles, "it'll do."

“pretty,” you say, laid out on the floor as your eyes roam the freshly painted wall yeosang just finished. “it’ll do.”

“oh will it? i’m glad,” yeosang quips sarcastically, paint on his face and his hair a mess of waves as you giggle into your hand. 

keeping the sex of the baby a secret, unfortunately, meant that you and yeosang had no help in painting the nursery. 

it was the second guest room that you two never even touched, the white and beige walls in desperate need of some color for your baby’s arrival.

today reminded you heavily of your and yeosang’s first official date, when you  shopped around the store with him to pick out the paint for his pool house. 

you remember feeling so nervous and out of your element during that time, his chest against your back as you pushed the cart making your heart pound in your chest. 

your cheeks warm when your hear his chuckle, his footsteps moving toward you until his arms reach around you to grasp the bar of the cart.

"you know, you talk a lot of shit one minute and then get unbelievably nervous the next," he lowly mumbles in your ear. "quite easily, might i add."

"i'm not nervous," you snap, placing your hands in the middle of the bar as you to start to push it down the aisle. "what gave you that impression?"

“baby, can you hand me that brush please?” he hums softly, your eyes moving to him atop the ladder. 

you nod your head with a small smile, doing your best to get up despite the size of your growing stomach; you had thought at this point you’d actually be a little tired of being pregnant but, much to your surprise, it wasn’t annoying you too much.

yet. 

“here you go,” you squeak, throwing it up to him just for it to fly past him and clatter back onto the floor by your feet.

he presses his lips together so he doesn’t burst out laughing, his brow raised before you narrow your eyes. it’s a challenge but you eventually bend down and get it, yeosang’s deep chuckles in the background only making you pout. 

“i was gonna start helping you again but i don’t think i should,” you say, defiance and a bratty edge in your tone that he’s secretly missed. “how can you laugh at me?”

“you’re just cute, love, i’m sorry,” he smiles, walking a few steps down and pecking a kiss on your head before continuing with the third wall. 

you decided on three pastel blue walls with one accent wall of wallpaper, a mural of animals and pretty landscape where you’ll eventually put the baby’s name. 

“we still have to decide on a name, you know,” you hum softly, looking around the room. 

it stills fills you with a little disbelief that this is what you guys are preparing for, talking about a name for your child and preparing a room for the baby that’s quickly gonna make their appearance into the world. 

“i know,” he smiles softly, eyes roaming your face to see it’s calm and tranquil. his number one goal during these past months was to keep you as calm and content as possible, the shaky start to the pregnancy still making him feel guilty. 

he turns back to continue the last bit of paint, eyes tired and body aching from hours of painting up and down the walls. you insisted that they hire someone, knowing you wouldn’t be that much help, but he thought this was better.

because similar to you, he couldn’t help but think back to when you painted his pool house together. 

when you two were just starting out and he was every bit as nervous and unfamiliar as you. he didn’t think he was deserving of you but he took you anyway, unable to control the feeling in his chest or overwhelmingly desire to see you.

watch your reactions and how you talk to him, even if most of the time you were yelling or rolling your eyes.  

“this looks like the same blue we painted the pool house, no?” he asks suddenly, your head snapping up before a smile lights up your face.

you knew he probably remembered the date but you weren’t sure if he’d been thinking the same thing today too. 

“it does,” you smile, walking over and picking up your paintbrush. you dip it in the tray and watch the bristles absorb the pretty blue, peeking up at him to see his eyebrows pinched in concentration. 

“i think i like this one a little bit better though.”

“me too,” he hums back, a smile on his face that makes your heart jump. 

he finishes the wall a few moments later, you still brushing the paint through the tray absentmindedly. his presence in front of you halts your movements, his hand reaching down to help you up gently.

you giggle and immediately accept his hand, pecking his lips as you apologize for not doing more. 

“stop,” he chastises, voice soft and sweet as he places a gentle peck on your nose. “you didn’t have to do anything, i just wanted you with me.”

“yeah?” you quip softly, your bottom lip slipping between your teeth as you stare up at him. his eyes darken ever so slightly and you have to resist the urge to laugh, tightening your hold on the paintbrush hidden behind your back. 

“mhm,” he hums lowly, his paint-covered hand reaching out to hold your cheek. “are you hungry? i can make you something or we can-”

and even despite his sweet words and even sweeter intentions, it doesn’t stop you from reaching out and smearing the paintbrush across his cheek. 

and that's how the first tragedy started, you so boldly dipping your finger in the tray and poking two blue dots on his face. 

he stared at you in shock for a second, like he was trying to decipher if you really just did that, while you held back the laugh desperate to bubble out of your chest.

"you didn't."

"i did," you say playfully, "and it shut you up for a few seconds so i just might do it-"

roller in hand, he's quick to smear it over your entire cheek, wet paint grazing your skin and the stray hairs that have fallen out of your bun. your gasp and open-mouthed stare causes his deep chuckle to echo through the pool-house, a sound so foreign to those walls.

"you got my whole face!" you yelp, holding your own roller out like it's a weapon. "i did two little specks on your cheek."

"two specks too many and now you look ridiculous. so i hope you're hap-"

you quickly roll the paint over both his cheeks now, first the right then the left, before dropping it in the pan and running over to the safe zone in the kitchen.

a smile crosses your face as you look at him with a giggle, the boy just standing there in disbelief before his neck snaps up to look at you.

"you're done," is all you hear his deep voice say, the dark teasing causing excitement to run through you until you see him going over to pick up the roller you dropped.

he only stares at you in shock for a few seconds, eyes flashing and face twisting before he shakes his head and grabs onto your waist tightly. 

“you’re done.”

you shake your head as a teasing smile makes it way across your face, attempting to run out of the nursery to prevent another paint tragedy from occurring. 

but he catches you gently around the waist before you can get further, his arms quickly scooping you up. he plops you down on the couch despite your protests, watching with soft amusement as you giggle and shake your head rapidly.

the rest of the night goes by in a flurry of teasing from him and giggles from you, sharing pizza and soda before it feels as if you hadn’t slept in hours; but this was one of the first days you’ve gone without a nap, your body on top of yeosang despite the ever-present fear you’re gonna crush him. 

“if- if i get too heavy, just tell me to get off,” you mumble tiredly, your legs between his as your head rests on his chest. 

he chuckles lightly against your head, wrapping his arms around your back and tightening his hold on you immediately. 

“that’ll never happen,” he mumbles against your head, feeling your smile against his chest before your breaths even out and you’re fast asleep.

seven months:

it was at this point in the pregnancy you felt as if the happy glow was wearing off. 

your stomach was huge, your back was aching, and any time you looked in the mirror, it’s like you didn’t recognize yourself. 

your body wasn’t your body anymore and even your face looked different, cheeks fatter and nose wider in a way that, tonight in particular, was getting to you. 

“he hates me. i know he does,” you cry out, mingi and yunho looking at you like you’ve grown five heads. 

because after you slightly burnt the cookies in the oven you’d been craving, yeosang out with wooyoung and san helping them set up apartment furniture, you’d been on a hormonal, downward spiral since. 

you felt big and ugly and undesirable. 

you felt as if you looked miserable and depressed and like you didn’t wanna be a mother at all. 

you felt like yeosang didn’t love you anymore, sick of doting on you and putting up with your naps and every thing else you’ve annoyed him with for the past seven months.

“i hate the guy most days, y/n, but i can tell you right now he loves you more than anyone else in the world. it’s the only reason i haven’t actually beat his ass.”

yunho lets out a snort, less at mingi’s words and more so at picturing his sweet fiancé beating someone up. but when the boy shoots his head toward him, he sends a smile and nod his way. 

“mingi’s right, babe. he could absolutely beat him up and he hasn’t. because we know how much he loves you.”

“he might love me but he doesn’t like me,” you whine, tears brimming your eyes and threatening to overflow. 

usually, the second these two boys see you on the verge of tears, they hate it. will do everything in their power to stop it because they hate seeing you so sad and upset. 

but this is making them almost wanna laugh, knowing the hormones that come with the later part of the pregnancy can be very daunting. 

“he likes you and he loves you, y/n, i can promise you that,” yunho says, the smile on his face making you pull your eyebrows together and let out more cries. 

it’s upon yeosang opening the door a few moments later that yunho and mingi shoot up, rushing toward the boy who looks at them in surprise. 

“what the-”

“she’s been crying all day and thinks you hate her.”

“actually, she thinks you love her but don’t like her,” mingi whispers, yeosang’s face twisting into one of confusion.

but before he can ask them to explain, or ask what the hell you even meant by that, he hears cries coming from the couch that have him rushing over before the two boys can say anything else.

“hey, my love. what’s wrong?” he asks, plopping down next to you and pulling you into him.

you slump against him immediately, missing him and his warmth despite the fact he was only gone for a few hours; you were usually clingy and needy at night but it appeared to get worse these days.

you only slump against him and shake your head, suddenly embarrassed and upset and just wanting everything to be over. you just want this baby out of you already, you want your body back to normal and you want to stop feeling like this some days. 

the faint sound of the front door closing goes unheard by both of you, yeosang’s arm around you and your head on his chest before he pulls back and looks down at you.

“why’d they tell me you were crying all day?” yeosang questions softly, a frown on his face because the thought physically pains him. “and why do you think i don’t like you? i love you, baby.”

“i know.... i know you love me but i don’t think you like me anymore,” you whine, a smirk threatening to take over his face.

but he knows the last thing to do in front of a pregnant, hormonal woman is to laugh in the face of her emotional breakdown. so instead, he remains soft and gentle, pulling you on top of him and brushing his fingers through your hair as you whimper into him.

“i’m so sick of being pregnant, yeosang. i just feel like i’ve been annoying and tired and sleeping all day. i’m so big and ugly and my face has changed and i-”

“stop.”

his voice is deep and harsh and immediate, the command in his voice that you know means there will be no exceptions. 

he sees your eyebrows pulled together in protest, his face softening before he cups yours and gently caresses your skin; he knows he can’t imagine how tiresome it is to go through this process but he also knows by no means are you ugly or incapable of doing this. 

“i know you’re tired of this, baby, and i’m sorry. but you’re not ugly. you couldn’t be ugly if you tired, pretty girl,” he says, the pout on your lips making him smile and press a kiss on your mouth. 

“and you gotta eat to keep my child healthy and strong, no?” he asks, his eyebrow raised as his hands lower to your round stomach. 

he thought the transformation was amazing actually, what the human body could do and watching you become like this just to fit something he put inside you. 

“so if you weren’t getting bigger, we’d be having problems. you’re doing so good, baby, you really are. and you’re gonna be such a good mom, too. you only have a little bit more to get through, okay?”

his words calm you as much as they make your heart flutter, the tears now swarming in your eyes one from happiness. 

“so you do like me?” 

and he didn’t expect that to be the next thing you say after that, a deep chuckle bubbling from his mouth that makes a wet giggle leave your own. 

“yes, baby. i like you.”

eight months:

you thought nothing was gonna beat the panic you felt when you first found out you were pregnant. 

your shaking hands and pounding heart and the overwhelming fear that you and yeosang weren’t gonna be able to get through this. 

now, though, the fears feel much more real and much more terrifying. 

knowing that, in just a month, a third person is gonna be a part of your little family. someone you’re gonna be completely and solely responsible for, making sure their needs are met and you raise them to be a good human being. 

and it’s really hitting you tonight, after some mild cramping landed you in the doctor’s office where you were assured it was just your body’s response in preparing for labor.

but that was enough to completely scare you. leave you silent on the car ride home with your sweaty palm in yeosang’s and your mind racing a mile a minute.

“you’re quiet,” yeosang hums softly, the air between you thick as his thumb caresses your hand.

he felt a similar surge of panic rush through him when you told him about the mild discomfort in your stomach, all but jumping up and out the door to get you to the doctor immediately. 

you make a noise of approval in the back of your throat, the only response other than the way you tighten in his hand in yours. 

because right now, with all of these racing thoughts, you just wanna stop.

stop thinking about everything that could go wrong in the next month, the pain of labor and dealing with a newborn. 

you wanna stop thinking about you and yeosang not handling the transition well, lashing out at each other after sleepless nights full of the baby’s crying as you try trying to adjust to this new life. 

your walk up to the apartment is silent as well, going right into your room and plopping face down on the cold sheets. 

the bed dips a few moments later and you make a tired groan when yeosang drags you up toward the pillows, placing you in front of him before leaning you back. 

your back rests on his front for a few calming moments, his hands rubbing slowly over your stomach in a way he’s gotten used to over these past few days. 

the moment you told him you had cramps, you weren’t surprised when he started doing that. 

there hasn’t been a moment throughout this pregnancy when he wasn’t comforting you or assuring you in some way. holding your hand or stroking your hair and just making sure at all times, you were feeling happy and healthy.

but now it’s like you’re so beyond that point, tired and frustrated and just feeling so anxious about what’s to come.

“are you scared for her to come?”

yeosang’s hands stop on your stomach when he hears you utter those words, shifting your body until you’re sitting in front of him. 

your eyes are wide and glossy and he can’t help but smile at how pretty you look, taking your face in his hands gently. 

“of course i am,” he says honestly, not wanting to sugar coat anything or lie to you. “but i’m also excited to meet her. we’re as prepared as we can be, right? so we’ll just have to figure it out one day at a time.”

“i know,” you sigh out, that piece of advice everyone in your life is telling you. to take the early challenges of motherhood one day at a time; but you think it’s easier said than done, especially with a month left to just sit here and dwell on things. 

“but i don’t know.... are we really ready? we’re not even married, yeosang. what if everyone at the hospital is like.... yikes.”

a snort leaves his mouth that he couldn’t hold back, not liking to laugh at the comments and exaggerations you make these days but sometimes not being able to help it. 

“again, baby, if you wanna get married right now, i’ll go out and get a ring. but otherwise, no one is gonna say shit.”

“that’s not why i said it,” you whine, pushing him playfully and cracking a smile at his deep chuckle. “i’m just... scared about a lot of things again, yeosang. it was nice in, like, the middle of this. and it didn’t seem too bad. but now it’s all feeling very real again and i....i don’t know if i’ll be able to do it.”

“of course you’ll be able to do it,” yeosang mumbles softly, his fingers tracing shapes on your shoulder. “you made it this far, baby, and you’ve been doing so good. i already told mi that you’re gonna be better at this than me.”

a smile lights up your face as you hear him say your daughter’s name aloud, the long winded decision in picking your child’s name finally coming to an end last week.

you both had gone back and forth about what kind of names you wanted, discussing meanings and how it sounded and voting out what you absolutely didn’t want. 

jang-mi was the name yeosang suggested that you immediately loved, could see it fitting right next to yours on a christmas card or shouting it through the apartment when she’s a crazy toddler. 

“that’s funny because i told her the same thing,” you chuckle out quietly, letting out a sigh as you roll over and curl into him.

you were soaking in the bath one morning, all but demanding yeosang to sleep in one weekend when you felt her kicking inside you. 

the first time you felt it all a few months ago, you remember nearly yelping. alarming yeosang to the severest degree and watching him rush into the living room to see you staring at him shock.

but he was just as fascinated and happy as you, feeling kicks from inside your stomach as prove that there really was a baby growing in there. 

you’d gotten used to it though, every time you felt it talking to her quietly or giggling at the sensation. 

telling her how excited you are to meet her despite your nerves, sharing stories or readings books and just informing her of the true chaos she’s gonna encounter with her father and uncles. 

“i already know mingi’s gonna try to be strict with you but i think you’ll have him wrapped around your finger the tightest,” you predicted, above all else excited to see him interact with a baby. 

“and your daddy’s gonna act like he doesn’t know what he’s doing or is bad at it. but i think he’ll be a lot better at this than me, jang-mi. he acts tough and strong and mean but he’s... the best man ever. and i’m happy he’s your dad.”

yeosang doesn’t have the heart to tell you he heard you in the bath that day, remembering how quickly tears were in his eyes and he was, for a brief moment, the happiest he’d ever felt in his life.  

“then maybe we’ll both do a good job,” he hums quietly, already knowing full well that, whatever happens, she’s gonna have you both wrapped around her finger. 

nine months:

your water broke two weeks early and nothing could have prepared you for the terror of that moment. 

how one second, you were walking in the coffee shop with mingi and yunho and the next, wetness poured down your legs and onto the floor below you. the inside of your pink maternity dress was sticking uncomfortably, a confused expression overtaking your face. 

“uhhh, guys...” 

“i think i’m gonna get a scone,” yunho says, looking up at the menu despite going here for years.

“no, get the cookies again.”

“you never eat them, babe, why would we-”

“guys...”

“doesn’t he never eat the cookies, y/n?” yunho asks, his head turning to side-eye you before he notices your look of discomfort. “what’s wrong?”

and it’s at that that mingi turns his head, looking over your face before catching the wetness on your dress and at your feet. he looks from the floor to you several times, like he’s trying to put two and two together before his mouth hangs open almost comically.

but because he’s mingi, you should’ve known the words leaving his mouth were gonna be even more funny, even if you didn’t think it at the time. 

“did you just piss?” 

it’s yunho’s delayed realization that kicks everything into gear, his hand bouncing off mingi’s head before he exclaims that your water just broke. 

excitement and shock and even a little bit of chaos erupts throughout the coffee shop in the minutes after, strangers asking if they could help and the barista’s you’ve come to know clapping their hands and looking on excitedly. 

“call yeosang,” yunho says, flagging down a taxi just as the fear and anticipation start to build in you. 

he answers on the 2nd ring when he sees mingi’s name pop up, knowing full well that the boy was spending the day with you; because he was actually guilty in demanding, with the due date just around the corner, that someone was with you at all times. 

“hello?”

“yeosang...”

he doesn’t know how but the second he hears your voice, he can just tell something’s not right. 

“what happened? is everything okay?”

you lick over your lips anxiously, knowing for the past nine months you guys have been both terrified and waiting for this day. just a few (or many) hours away from meeting your daughter.

“she’s coming.”

the line goes silent for a few moments, just the sound of his breathing before he starts to shuffle and rush toward his boss’s office.

you’re so lost in his words, assuring you that everything will be fine and that he’ll see you soon, you miss yunho and mingi share big smiles with one another, the former excitedly mouthing “it’s a girl,” just as the taxi pulls up to bring you to the hospital. 

part 5

tag list: @mirror-juliet​ @toffee-hwa​ @valhoez​ @miatsubaki23​ @mydaintydaisy​ @treasurehwa​ @markleeyeosang​

#my laptop broke so i unfourt cant edit this #dont come 4 me #yeosang #yeosang fluff #yeosang angst #yeosang smut #ateez #ateez fluff #ateez smut #ateez angst #yeosang scenarios #yeosang imagines #ateez scenarios #ateez imagines

[rmtndew]

Begin Again

Summary: Walter Marshall is a dedicated homicide detective doing his best to balance his work life with being a single father to a teenage girl. Fiona Sparks is a woman doing her best to take care of everyone and everything around her, except for herself. Neither has had the best luck with relationships, but once they meet, they’re willing to give it another shot, this time with each other. (It’s basically just romantic fluff) 

Pairing: Marshall and OFC.

Rating: PG

Warnings: Mentions of death, cancer.

A/N - This is a sequel to ‘All I’ve Ever Known’. I started writing this because I needed an escape for some personal stuff going on and my coping mechanism included giving Marshall all the love that man needed, and imagining him being the softest boyfriend to me, then passing those details on to Fiona (my OFC).

I also made a Spotify playlist for this story, if anyone is interested - Begin Again Playlist 

 Tag list - @hollydaisy23, @alyxkbrl, @onlyhenrys, @omgkatinka, @speakerforthedead0​, @gearhead66,  @thethirstyarchive, @oddsnendsfanfics, @littlerinoa, @agniavateira, @aaescritora, @justaboringadult, @beenthroughalot, @seriouslygoodlookinggents,  @xxxkatxo

If you want to be added/removed from the tag list, let me know!

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7

The last Wednesday in October was a gray, misty, windy day. It was cold, the kind you felt more in your bones than anywhere else, with the sky occasionally spitting out sleet. I spent the entire twenty-minute drive to my job at Waverly Catering clutching the steering wheel so tightly that my hands were cramping by the time I arrived from white-knuckling it the whole way there. Usually, I would get to work early enough to enjoy the silence and finish off my coffee before officially starting my workday. That day, however, I spent the very little extra time I had trying to get my hands to stop hurting, then chugged down my coffee that had cooled dramatically to a gross lukewarm temperature. 

Before going in, I checked my phone. I always kept it on silent while I drove. My mom had a tendency to text me, make a dozen spelling mistakes because of auto-correct, then correct them one by one, leaving me with about thirteen separate texts to read. It didn’t use to bother me, I thought it was charming and very distinctly Mom. But when she’d gotten sick at the beginning of the year, every text she sent that I couldn’t read immediately made me panic, worrying that something terrible had happened to her, even when I’d just seen her at home a few minutes before. So for my sanity - and hers - I started putting my phone on silent until I got to work, or wherever else I was going. It was a habit I’d kept even after she’d gone into remission because her cancer may have been gone, but my anxiety over her wasn’t. 

That morning when I checked my phone, I saw that I had two texts, but they weren’t from Mom. 

Marshall:  Good morning, Fi. I hope that I get to see you today. I’ll be chained to  my desk with paperwork for a while. This is the first time I’ve not dreaded it. You’re my silver lining.

That was cheesy. I’m sorry. I’m bad at this.

And just like that, all of my stress melted away. The weather didn’t matter, my disappointing coffee didn’t matter, even the cramping in my hands didn’t matter. All that did matter was that Walter Marshall thought of me as his silver lining. Yes it was early days, yes we’d barely known each other a month, yes we’d only gone on two dates, but he made me happier than I’d been in a long time. I felt like I’d been holding my breath for two years, starting when my dad had died in a car crash, followed by my boyfriend Ezra breaking up with me, then losing my job as an interior designer, and capping off with my mom’s cancer diagnoses. Then Walter came along and it was like I could finally breathe again. 

Me:  Please don’t apologize. You have no idea how much I needed to read that this morning. Feel free to be as  cheesy as you want. And I hope I get to see you today, too, even if it  means you’re chained to your desk.

Marshall:  If I don’t see you for some reason,  can I call you tonight? I miss your  voice and you make me want to get better at this talking thing. 

I could feel myself blushing. Even over the phone he made me feel like a teenager with a crush. I had no idea that anyone could make me feel that way as an adult, but he did every time he texted me. 

Me:  Of course you can. Even if we do see  each other, you can still call, if you want? Practice makes perfect, and all that.

Marshall: I’d like that. Talk to you soon.

I sat back in my seat with a sigh as I looked out at the sleet falling from the gray sky, spattering my windshield, blurring out the image of the trees in the park across from me blowing and bending in the wind. 

It was going to be a good day. 

“You look...dare I say it? Happy?” Darcy said as I walked into her office.

I smiled. “You may dare to say it because yes, I am quite happy.”

“And what brings you to such an extreme emotion so early on such a disgusting day?”

I went to her desk and sat in the chair opposite her. “Well, for one, I know that you’re about to do me a big favor that I will forever be grateful for.”

“Fiona Sparks asking for a favor? I’ll mark the day in my calendar,” she joked. “What kind of favor do you need?”

“I need a copy of the peanut butter cookie recipe.”

“For what purpose?” 

“See, that’s where the happiness part comes into play and you, being one of my dearest friends, would love to see me happy.” 

“I would but I’m unsure how a cookie recipe is going to do that.”

“It’s not for me,” I said, smiling wide. “I met this guy -” 

“What? Who?” she asked enthusiastically, her eyes wide with excitement.

“His name is Walter Marshall. He’s our detective who never changes his lunch order.”

“You’re dating one of the homicide detectives? You can feel free to thank me later for giving you that order, by the way. But right now I want details: How long have you been dating and why am I just now finding out about it?”

“We’re not technically dating. I met him a few weeks ago for the first time and we went on two dates last week.” 

“You haven’t dated anyone in over two years, and then you go on two dates in one week?”

“Well, the first was just a coffee date. Saturday we tried having a proper one.” 

“Tried?” she asked, raising her eyebrow. 

“He wanted to take me to dinner, so we went to an Italian place, but before we could order, his daughter called. She was supposed to be at a Halloween party, but some of her friends had lied to her, I guess, and it ended up being a basement party with slightly older boys and she felt uncomfortable, so we went and picked her up. Then we all went for pizza together.”

“He has a daughter, which is some heavy baggage to begin with, but you met her on your second date? That’s a lot, Fiona.” 

“I know it seems like it, but it’s really not. She’s a good kid. And he’s an amazing father, which, oddly, just makes him more attractive,” I said. “But that’s not the point. The point is that his daughter was, understandably, a little iffy about me being with him when he picked her up until she found out that I’m the one who brings the cookies. She apparently loves them and I told her that I might be able to get her a copy of the recipe and that seemed to pave the way for her not hating me instantly. And she’s thirteen, so that’s a pretty big deal.”

“I have so many questions right now but I can’t sort them all out so I’m going to be annoying you with them all day, just be prepared for that. All I want to know right now is if you want the recipe laminated or not?” 

I let out a relieved breath. “Yes, please, if you don’t mind. And thank you so much, Darcy. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“I do know. You never ask for anything, even simple things, so the fact that you’re willing to ask me for a favor means this is a pretty big deal,” she said. “He must be a good guy.”

I nodded. “He really is.” 

I arrived at the police station that morning a little before eleven. I’d left the shop early, worried the weather might get bad again and didn’t want to be late for my delivery. Thankfully the sleeting had stopped, allowing me to get there a few minutes early. A few minutes that I used up trying to pull my dolly through the parking lot. The lot had been salted, which was good in that at least it wasn’t icy, but the wheels on my dolly didn’t seem to like the brine mixture. They kept locking up on me. Between that and having to fight against the roaring wind, it took me an embarrassingly long time to reach the station door. Before I could push it open, someone opened it from the inside for me. I looked up, expecting to see Officer Bates. He was the security officer that was posted downstairs and always went through the containers full of lunches that I brought to the homicide unit every week. Instead, I saw Marshall.

“Hello,” he said with a smile. 

I immediately felt like giggling. The last time I’d seen him, we’d kissed. And seeing him right then, seeing his beautiful, handsome face, I wanted so badly to kiss him again. Instead, I felt myself grow shy as I blushed so fiercely that my cheeks stung with the new heat that rushed to them. 

“Hi,” I said. He pulled the door open all the way, then stepped back, allowing me to walk in. My stomach fluttered as I looked back at him. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He closed the door behind me. “May I help you with your cart?”

“No, it’s okay.”

“Would you let me help you take it back to your car when you leave, at least?”

I fought every instinct inside of me that insisted I say no. Darcy was right: I hated asking for even simple things. I never wanted to burden anyone. But since I’d met Marshall, I’d learned that his way of showing interest or affection was to do things for me. But he always asked first, wanting my permission. It challenged me, but in a good way. I didn’t need to always go it alone if I didn’t have to. 

“Um, yeah, I’d appreciate that. Thank you,” I said. “The wheels didn’t seem to agree with the salted parking lot. You could probably pull it a lot easier than me.” 

Marshall stayed with me as Officer Bates went through the containers I’d brought in. He wasn’t close enough to make anyone passing by question it, but it was close enough that my hand hanging at my side could feel the heat coming from his hand and forearm, that was visible from the blue henley that was pushed up to his elbows in a way that I found incredibly attractive. My fingers itched to seek out his, but I fought it. Keeping them obediently beside me. Once Officer Bates was done and gave me the all clear to take the food up, Walter walked me to the elevator and pressed the button to call it down. Then he held the door back, letting me in first before following me. After the door slid closed, he fell back half a step, putting him right beside me. His hand bumped mine, his fingers snaking through, gently holding mine. I smiled, knowing I wasn’t the only one itching for contact. 

I turned without a thought and placed a kiss on his shoulder. Then I paused, a moment of panic rising in me that maybe we weren’t at that level yet. But before I could move or feel too worried, he placed a kiss on the top of my head.

“I keep thinking about Saturday,” he whispered. 

“Me, too,” I said. I looked up at him. “It was...pretty amazing.”

He smiled. I could see his sharp canine teeth. They were oddly charming. “Yes, it was.” He laced his fingers with mine more securely, properly holding it. “I know I mentioned calling you tonight, but I hoped that we might have dinner again instead. If you’re not busy?”

“I’m exceptionally not busy tonight.”

“Good.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead before turning his head back to face the elevator door. “I won’t be able to finish all my paperwork today, there’s too much and it keeps multiplying like rabbits, so since I have to do it tomorrow anyway, I’m going to knock off here around five. Could I pick you up after that? Around five-thirty, perhaps?” 

I nodded, smiling. “That sounds great.”

The elevator dinged as we reached the homicide unit floor. He gave my hand a couple of gentle squeezes before letting it go as the door slid open. He stepped out, then held the door for me like he had before, letting me pull my cart out. He walked with me almost all the way to the break room before a shorter man with glasses stopped him. 

“Lieutenant Marshall, can I speak with you in your office for a moment?” he asked. 

“Of course.” Walter touched my shoulder. “Excuse me,” he said to me quietly before leaving for his office. 

I continued on and was met by most of the detectives waiting for me. Like usual, they didn’t talk to me much, just thanking me for the food before taking their box and going. I took my time, hoping that by the time that I was done, the man speaking with Walter would be gone before I brought him his lunch. When I was done, I packed up my cart before taking Marshall’s boxed lunch and walked down the hall, finding the door to his office open. I could hear him talking still and wasn’t sure what to do. I’d made a deal with him a few weeks back to always bring his lunch to his office whenever I delivered - the first time was because a uniformed officer looked like he was going to swipe it, after that, it was to thank him for rescuing me from a pushy creep while I was with my ‘friends’. We’d never discussed if I should interrupt while he was working. I chewed my lip, debating what to do for several seconds before deciding to just take a chance and knock on the door frame. The worst case scenario was that I looked like a very dedicated delivery woman making sure that all of my orders reached their proper owners. 

“Yep. Come in,” Walter called out in response to my knocking.

I entered his office only far enough to be seen and not a step further. I didn’t know if Marshall wanted people to know about us, so I was prepared to make a quick exit if I needed to. “I have a delivery for Detective Marshall,” I said. 

He looked at me and smiled, then waved me in further. “Harper, this is Fiona Sparks. Fiona, this is Commissioner Harper.”

“Hi. It’s nice to meet you, sir,” I said. 

“You, too.” He looked at me over the top of his glasses. “You don’t happen to be related to Rodger Sparks, by any chance?” 

I felt speechless for a moment. I hadn’t heard anyone other than Mom say Dad’s name in months. Finally, I forced myself to nod. “Yes. He was my dad. How - how did you know?” 

“We went to college together. You’re the spitting image of him,” he said. “I was sorry to hear about him passing away. I lost my wife around two years ago as well. A brain aneurysm.” He shook his head. “It doesn’t get any easier.” 

“No, it doesn’t,” I agreed.

He looked at me for a moment longer, then back to Marshall, who was standing patiently with his hands clasped behind his back. He looked back at me briefly before taking the folder he was holding and tapped it against Marshall’s shoulder. “You know what? This can wait until tomorrow,” he said. “I’ll bring it by in the morning.” He left Walter and stopped beside me before leaving the office. “I’m very sorry about your father. Rodger was a horrible sport when he lost at cards, but other than that, he was a great guy. And probably the smartest man I ever met.”

I smiled slightly. “He was a horrible sport at cards.” 

He smiled back. “The worst.” He gave me a wink. “It was a pleasure seeing you.” 

“You, too.”

When he left, he closed the door behind him. I looked at Marshall as he walked towards me. “Did I interrupt something important?” I asked. 

“No. He was just asking about a cold case.”

“I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to come in since he was here. Next time, if you’re talking to someone, would you rather I left your lunch in the break room?”

He stopped in front of me. He was so close. He smelled like coffee and Old Spice. I swallowed thickly, trying to meet his gaze as he looked down at me. He shook his head, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “No. I’d still like you to bring it to me, please. If that’s alright?” 

“Yeah, of course. I just don’t want to get in the way of your job.”

“You won’t,” he said. “But I’ve let my job get in the way of other things for too long, so maybe it’s time someone got in the way of it for a bit.” 

“You have an important job, though. If you were a boat salesman, I might feel a little differently about disrupting your work.” 

His smile grew as he tilted his head at me. “A boat salesman?” 

“I mean a job where it wouldn’t really matter all that much if you were distracted every once in a while. If someone doesn’t sell a boat, it’s not that big of a deal. But if you don’t solve a murder case...that has very real repercussions. I wouldn’t want to be a reason for something slipping by in a case.” 

He put his hand on my cheek, directing my eyes back to his. “That won’t happen,” he said. “I take my job seriously. That’s never been a problem for me. My problem has always been figuring out how to balance it with the rest of my life, which I never could, and I neglected a lot of people because of it. Especially Faye.” He shook his head. “I’m still not good at it. But I had a case back in the winter that...put Faye’s safety in jeopardy, among other things, and it made me realize that I need to put more of an effort in my life outside of this job. Despite how hard that is for me.” He stroked my cheek with his thumb. “You motivate me to slow down a bit. And that’s a good thing.”

I took my free hand and placed it over his, then turned my face slightly and placed a kiss on the inside of his wrist. “I would be happy to slow down with you,” I whispered. 

Marshall had a smile that somehow showed in his eyes more than his mouth, and that’s how he was looking at me right then. “I’d like that.” 

A knock on the door startled me. I took a step back, his hand falling from my cheek. He then ran it over his face, almost like he was trying to scrub the irritation of being interrupted off it. Then he folded his arms across his chest before calling out for whoever it was to come in.

The door opened and a man stepped up to the doorway. He was wearing plain clothes like Walter, so I assumed he was a detective, too. He all but ignored me as he and Walter spoke. Half of what they said was in a jargon I didn’t understand, so I just stood there, head down, waiting. After a few minutes, the guy left, only halfway closing the door as he did. When Marshall finally turned back to me, I could see that he was frustrated. I knew he wouldn’t admit it, but me being at his work right then was only going to cause more irritation with every interruption we had. 

“As much as I hate it, I should probably get back to the shop. We have a big order going out tomorrow, so there’s quite a lot to do today to prepare for it,” I said. “Plus, I have a date with a very handsome detective tonight that I want to get ready for.”

The frustration on his face seemed to melt away as he looked at me with a smirk. “Is it anyone I know?”

“Possibly. He does work in your unit.” 

“Is that so?” he asked. I nodded. “Well, if I see him around, I might have to have a talk with him.”

“And what would you say?” 

“I’d tell him that he better be good to you because you deserve to be treated well.” 

My stomach fluttered. “You can rest assured that he treats me very well. Better than any man ever has.”

“All those other men were idiots.”

I smiled. “Maybe so.” 

He shook his head. “Definitely so.” He reached out and took his lunch from my hand, then turned and placed it on a filing cabinet behind him. “Will you let me help you to your car now?” 

I nodded. “Yes, please.”

He put on his coat and followed me to the break room. He pulled my dolly for me, moving it like it was as light as a child’s toy. Even when we made it to the parking lot, he didn’t seem to have any issue with the wheels fighting against him. Then he picked it up and placed it in my trunk with ease, despite how I very often fought to get it back in. I thought about telling him that he was welcome to help me anytime he wanted, but I was afraid it wouldn’t come across as a joke and he would feel obligated to actually help. 

“Thank you. You made my morning a lot easier,” I said after I closed the trunk. I looked at him. “I guess I’ll see you around five-thirty?”

He nodded. “I’ll call you when I leave here, but yeah, I should be there by then,” he said. “And I promise it’ll only be the two of us and no cheap pizza.” 

“To be honest, I quite liked the pizza. It didn’t taste cheap. And I really, truly didn’t mind Faye joining us, but it'll be nice to have dinner with just you tonight,” I said. “But that reminds me - I put a copy of our cookie recipe for Faye in your lunch box.” 

He smiled. “Thank you. She’ll be very excited about that.”

“You’re welcome. And let her know if she has any issues with it, she can call or text me.” 

The crease between his eyebrows appeared as he looked at me thoughtfully. “Are you sure?” 

“Yeah. I’ve made them enough times over the last year and a half to make every mistake you can with them. If she has a problem, I can probably diagnose it over the phone.” 

“You don’t mind her having your number?”

I felt my facial expressions mirroring his, but from confusion. “Of course I don’t mind. As long as you’re okay with it,” I said. “Unless you think your ex-wife would mind? I don’t want to step on her toes or anything.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think Angie would mind for that purpose, and I don’t have a problem with it. But I don’t want you to feel obligated.”

“I don’t but I’ll leave it up to you. If you’d feel more comfortable being the middleman you can always call me for her.” I gave him a big smile. “And I can help you practice the whole talking thing. Then it’s a two birds with one stone kind of deal.” 

He smiled back, nodding his head. “And if she doesn’t need help?” 

“You can still call.” I shrugged. “As far as I’m concerned, you don’t have to have a reason for calling. If I’m not at work, I’m usually pretty free. I may be cooking, or watching ‘The Golden Girls’ with Mom, but that’s about it,” I said. “I’m afraid you’re courting quite a socially boring person.”

He laughed. “I’m not sure if you’ve caught on, but I’m not exactly a sociable person, either,” he said. “So perhaps we make a good fit for each other.”

“Perhaps so,” I agreed. “We can be selectively social together.” 

“Sounds good to me.” 

I let out a sigh and watched my breath turn to steam in front of me. “I better let you get back to your paperwork and I need to go help Darcy at the store. We have over fifty loaves of bread to bake before the end of the day, so depending on when I get home, you may have to deal with your date smelling like freshly baked bread.” 

He squinted slightly. “I’m not really opposed to that,” he joked with a smile that showed off the sharp ends of his canine teeth. 

I laughed. “Good to know.” 

He gave me a short hug, kissing my cheek as he pulled back. “I’ll see you this evening.” 

“I’m looking forward to it.

#Henry Cavill #Henry Cavill fan fiction #Walter Marshall #Walter Marshall fan fiction #Walter Marshall/OFC #Night Hunter #Night Hunter fan fiction #Nomis #Nomis fan fiction #Henry Cavill fanfiction #Henry Cavill fanfic #detective walter marshall #Begin Again

[wheredidhiseyebrowsgo]

Do you know any fics where they all hide the fact they’re werewolves from stiles and stiles is mad that no one told him :)

EHere’s some werewolf reveal! 

First Impressions Are Overrated by Leslie_Knope

(1/1 I 14,463 I Teen I Sterek)

In Stiles’ defense, he didn’t deliberately ram his grocery cart into the (evidently precarious) pyramid of oranges.

Growing Up With You by WhereAreTheBreaks

(18/18 I 22,716 I Teen I Sterek)

It all started with a strange scent in the grocery store, and now Derek can't imagine his life without the hyperactive little shit that is Stiles Stilinski. He didn't know why he always felt the need to be close to the boy but his mom's knowing looks certainly weren't helping.

Maybe There’s Blood in This Stone Yet by Batwynn

(6/? I 32,414 I Teen I Sterek)

Stiles and his dad move into a small town just in time for his junior year in high school. His dad gets the cushy sheriff job, presumably all desk work and less being shot at, and Stiles gets to meet new people.

Like the thing that chaises him through the woods his third day in, or the group of teenagers who call themselves a pack, or Deputy Hale, who has the most amazing eyes Stiles has ever seen, and who also knows weird things about him without even asking. All in all, Beacon Hills is turning out to be anything but boring.

When You're Close I Feel the Sparks by Leslie_Knope

(4/4 I 39,671 I Mature I Sterek)

The guy is hot as hell, sure—leather jacket and glasses, Jesus, be still Stiles' poor, bisexual, beating heart—but more importantly, it must really suck being new on the first day of senior year.

“We’re adopting him,” he decides, tugging Scott and Kira by the elbow in that direction. “Let’s go.”

Suspicious Minds by HaleHole (SweetFanfics)

(1/1 I 40,105 I Explicit I Sterek)

“Don’t feed Balto your pizza,” Stiles mildly warns his daughter.

“Derek.”

Stiles pauses, mouth open and cheese sliding off the pizza as he parrots, “Derek? Who’s Derek?”

His daughter rolls her eyes, like Stiles has just asked her the dumbest question ever. “The wolf, Daddy!”

“You changed his name?” Stiles asks in surprise. Usually she’s pretty set about naming things. Her doll’s name was decided two seconds after receiving it, the car has been Alonzo for three years now, and the toaster ‘Pop’ for the last six months.

Meg nods, prodding the sliding cheese back on top of her slice. “Yeah. He told me his name is Derek. And that he doesn’t really like Balto.”

“Is that right?” he asks, eyeing the wolf who seems far too interested in watching a pair of animated moose arguing. It’s official. This wolf is weird. This whole situation is weird.

--Separated from Laura after being cornered by some hunters, an injured Derek finds himself being rescued by Stiles and his young daughter. In more than one way.

Sleeping through time by thingwithfeathers

(14/? I 65,142 I Teen I Steter)

Peter runs away from home after a falling out with his alpha. She has done something to his mind, and he doesn’t want to stay for her to do more damage. He finds himself in front of a giant tree stump deep into the preserve and thinks it’s a perfect place to rest for the night. Before falling asleep he wishes for something better, for someone who could care about him.

You should be careful what you wish for. Sometimes wishes come true.

Stiles is running through the woods because he can’t sleep. Maybe exercise will work. It feels right. And nothing happens in Beacon Hills.

It feels like he has miscalculated terribly when he hears the first scream. But he runs towards it anyway.

Just the Same by ericaismeg

(7/7 I 68,066 I Explicit I Sterek)

Something is seriously up with the captain of the lacrosse team. There's just no way Derek Hale is human.***“I was wondering if you're even human. You move so quickly. I mean, it's ridiculously fast. No human should be able to move that fast, y'know? It's unfair for us. I mean, it's obvious you work out, and I don't, so that could be why, but like...I was just wondering if you were human, that's all.”

“Stop talking, Stilinski, or I'll—”

“Put me on the bench all season?” Stiles asks knowing full well that Derek Hale can't threaten him with shit.

One life stand by Vendelin

(6/6 I 84,278 I Explicit I Sterek)

Stiles is used to selling himself to make ends meet. But it's getting harder to keep those ends meeting, and there's only so much of Stiles to go around. Until a too-fancy car shows up in his neighborhood, and he meets Derek Hale.

All Derek wants is Stiles's time, someone to stay on his arm for events and smile for the cameras. It's the easiest job Stiles has ever had, the best-paying one he's ever had, and he's more than happy to sign up.

Derek is everything and nothing Stiles expects him to be, with his tailored suits, sharp mind and his quiet way of caring. But it's just a job and Stiles never meant to fall in love.

Hallowed Grounds by damnfancyscotch

(16/16 I 109,578 I Mature I Sterek)

Everything in Beacon Hills is the same when Stiles comes home from college.

Well, except for the fact that he's a published author now, Scott is halfway across the world with a travelling circus, Erica's epilepsy has been cured, her boss offers him a job too, and there's this weird black dog that seems to be following him around just to judge him.

Oh, and the murders, of course.

But other than that stuff... totally the same old BH.

The Moon Lives (In The Lining of Your Skin) by Quixoticity

(28/30 I 130,261 I Explicit I Sterek)

Stiles is doing fine. Okay, so he didn't expect to be a single father to an infant daughter at the tender age of twenty-three, but it's working out great. And no, he didn't expect to be a curator in Beacon Hills Museum, where weird things happen with no explanation, but he's rolling with it. And he seems to have acquired a new brother now that his dad's gotten engaged, which, odd, but hey, Stiles is flexible, and there's no such thing as too much love, right?

But then the next twist comes in the form of mysterious new neighbour Derek Hale, who is both insanely angry at the world (it's possible he's murdered people with his eyebrows alone), and adorably good with children. He's also in possession of a truly excellent butt.

Stiles is doomed.

#teen wolf #sterek #steter #stiles stilinski #derek hale #peter hale #werewolf reveal #anon #Anonymous

[jobean12-blog]

Lucky Charm

Pairing: Bucky x reader (Fireman!Bucky AU)

Word Count: 2,091

Summary: Bucky rescues you in more ways than one. 

Author’s Note: This is for two things: The HBC’s @the-ss-horniest-book-club​ continuation of drunk drabbles and the prompt sent in below as well as the HBC’s 24 hour surprise challenge: Quarantine Heroes. I went with the Fireman AU because well, Bucky as a fireman is amazing and I have a very special one in my family. Thank you to all the amazing people out there working to keep us safe, love to you all, always! Thank you for sending in the prompt, hope you don’t mind I combined it with my story! Thank you all for reading! LOVE❤❤❤

Warnings: fluff, lots of smiling and flirting, implied smut, Bucky being a fireman, sweet fluffy fluff, DOG NOSES! :) 

Walking down the aisle of the grocery store you search for your favorite cereal. Finally spotting a few boxes on the very top shelf you stop your cart and look around mumbling to yourself, “how the hell am I going to reach that?” You step on the bottom shelf and test its strength, watching as it bows under the pressure of your foot.

“Nope.” you say to yourself and back up.  “Hey, doll, need some help?” You whirl around, hand over your heart as you lock eyes with one of the most handsome men you’ve ever seen. His smile crinkles the corners of his eyes as you take in his gear; tight navy tee shirt, suspenders resting across his broad shoulders and chest and black protective pants. It takes you a moment to find your voice, “yes, please. I can’t reach my cereal.”

Tearing his eyes away from you he looks up, “which one can I grab for ya, doll.” He’s only called you doll twice but you’re certain you want to hear it fall from his lips for the rest of your life. A blush coats your cheeks as you murmur, “Lucky Charms.” His smile widens as he reaches up and grabs 4 boxes. “Here you go, one for you, and three for us. The guys love this stuff too.”

You rock back and forth on the balls of your feet, hugging the box of cereal, “thanks for coming to my rescue.” His laugh rings through the aisle and you can’t help your own giggle from escaping. “Anytime, doll, it’s my job,” he says with a wink. “I’m James by the way, but everyone calls me Bucky.”

“Nice to meet you, Bucky. I’m y/n.” “Barnes!!! Barnes, quitcha flirting and let’s go, I’m hungry.” With one last dazzling smile Bucky bids you farewell, “pleasure is all mine, y/n, hope to see ya around.” You watch him jog off toward the other guys, the one who yelled for Bucky giving you a wink and a wave. You wave back, turning around quickly to hide your ear to ear grin.

The next morning you wake to sunshine and a cool breeze coming in through the open window. You sit up and watch your dog do her downward dog off the bed, immediately nosing you for breakfast. You both have a bite to eat then decide it’s too nice not to head out for a morning walk.

As soon as the warm sunshine hits your face you’re reminded of Bucky and his smile, warmth now flooding through your body for a different reason. You round the corner, mind far away as you keep going over your run in with the handsome fireman from yesterday.

It isn’t until you almost trip over Huckle’s leash that you hear a voice calling your name. Turning toward the sound you watch as Bucky jogs toward you, “hey y/n!!! I wasn’t sure I’d ever get your attention.” You both laugh as he bends down to pet your dog. “And who is this cutie?”  he asks in his best ‘omg I love dogs’ voice. “That’s Huckle!”

He continues rubbing her chest and sides, laughing as Huckle licks his face, “I think she likes me.” Bucky finally stands and you take a moment to get another good look at him. You never thought suspenders could look so good. “She loves walks and it was such a nice morning we had to come out and enjoy it,” you explain.

“Beautiful,” he hums, his eyes looking you over. Your skin tingles under his heated gaze and you finally remember how to speak, “what are you doing out here.” He turns his head and points to the firehouse, “at work. I saw you walking by and had to say hi.”

“I’m glad you did. I hope I’m not taking up too much of your time.” He motions for you to follow him, “not at all, doll, in fact, you’ll have to come say hi to the guys now because they’ve been staring at us the whole time and I’ll get endless shit over it if I don’t introduce you properly.”

Your stomach drops, nervousness instantly taking over as you walk slowly behind him, “are you sure, Bucky, I don’t want to be in the way or anything.” This time he grabs your hand and pulls you along, “not at all, it’s a quiet morning.”

The door to the firehouse is open and you see the other firemen perched in various positions by the opening, a couple of them holding bowls of Lucky Charms. The one who winked and waved to you yesterday stands up and yells, “hey look it’s our lucky charm.” Bucky leans down next to your ear and whispers, “just ignore them, they live to tease anyone they can.”

Knowing your cheeks must be as red as the engine you dip your head and laugh, “hey guys!” Bucky stops with his hands on his hips, “ok, enough Wilson, save it for her next visit.” The whole group erupts into snickers and whistles, “you plan on having her back then, Barnes, yeah!” Bucky turns a grinning face to you, “this is the first time I’ve brought a girl around.”

Now it’s your turn to give him a bright smile, “well, I certainly feel special.” Huckle strains on her leash as she pulls you closer inside. The guys crowd around to pet her much to her glee and it gives you and Bucky a quiet moment. “So, you must live close by then,” he asks, rubbing the back of his neck. “I do, right around the corner actually, what about you?” “Just a few blocks over, makes getting to work really easy.”

The two of you notice the silence simultaneously, turning to see Huckle lying on her back, surrounded by 5 grinning guys. The one named Wilson speaks first, “well, Barnes, ask her out already. We’re all waitin’.” Throwing them the middle finger he grabs Huckle’s leash and walks you both back out into the sunshine, “so whaddya say doll, would you go out with me some time?”

Your answer is immediate, “I’d love to!” Cheers erupt from the doorway, complete with high fives and fist bumps. “How do you manage all day with them?” you ask with a sweet laugh. “It’s not that bad…. sometimes I end up punching one of them but ya know, we love each other.” You throw your head back in laughter, “I bet.”

“Can I get your number? I’ll check out the shifts for the weekend and let you know when I’m free so we can set something up.” Taking his phone from his hand you punch in your name and number, handing it back to him, “there ya go.” He looks down, the small green four-leaf clover emoji next to your name making him smile for the 100th time. “Thanks, lucky charm, I’ll talk you soon.” In a bold move you lean up and kiss him on the cheek, waving goodbye to the sounds of more cheers and whistles.

Your first date with Bucky is everything you hoped it would be, he’s sweet and romantic but all the while assertive and strong in all the right ways. You’re falling hard but you don’t want to mess it up by moving too fast. The evening ends with a heated kiss on your doorstep, Bucky reluctant to pull away from your soft lips, “I’m sorry if I took that too far, doll, it’s just…I’ve been thinking about kissing you since we met.”

Grabbing him by the collar of his shirt you pull him down to your lips once again, effectively letting him know it was more than fine. When you finally separate it’s with heavy breaths and swollen lips. “Can I see you again?” he whispers, eyes darting back to your lips. “I can’t wait,” you say, giving him one more chaste kiss before backing into your doorway and slowly closing it. The last thing you see is Bucky standing there with his bottom lip between his teeth and his eyes dark.

The next few days go by in a blur, work keeping you busy and your upcoming date with Bucky keeping you giddy. Bucky had a 24-hour shift on Thursday, so your date was scheduled for Saturday to give him some time to rest.

Saturday arrived and you couldn’t stop smiling. It seemed you had been doing that since you met him. Bucky showed up at your door on time and looking better than ever. The jeans he wore hugged his thick thighs perfectly and the buttons of his shirt were pulled tight across his muscled chest.

“You look gorgeous, doll.” Your heart goes aflutter in your chest, the use of the endearment never failing to make you swoon. “Thanks,” you reply shyly, taking his hand and heading out. Your second date is even better than the first, Bucky’s attentiveness something you weren’t used to. He just seems so perfect.

The end of night finds you pressed against your door, Bucky’s hard body flush to yours as he kisses you senseless. You pull away to take a breath, fiddling with the buttons on his shirt, “do you wanna come in?” Cupping your cheek, he quietly asks, “are you sure, y/n? I can wait if that’s what you want.” Running your fingers under his shirt you grab the waistband of his jeans, “I want you.”

His large hands fumble with the door, finally getting it open as you two practically fall inside. Your night together is better than anything you could imagine, and you wake up to another sunny day feeling more satisfied and happier than you have in a long time.

“Morning beautiful,” Bucky whispers against your hair, pulling your naked body closer to his. “Morning, Buck,” you giggle, kissing his chest. “What time do you have to be at work?” you ask, hoping it isn’t until later. “Unfortunately, I have the early shift today, I have to leave in a few,” he says sadly.

You unwillingly untangle yourselves and watch Bucky get dressed from your bed, appreciating his body in the morning light. He leaves you with kiss swollen lips and promises to call later. The rest of your morning is spent cleaning up your apartment and as you do so you find a treasure balled up in your bed from last night.

You shower and throw it on, sniffing the collar of Bucky’s tee shirt from the firehouse. It smells so good you don’t take it off for the rest of the day. And that’s how you find yourself, Bucky’s shirt hanging off your frame as you and Huckle strut down the block toward the firehouse.  He had text you only a little while ago, saying he missed you and if you weren’t busy to come down for a visit.

You quickly responded and told him you’d be there in under and hour, baking some of your famous chocolate chip cookies before heading out. As you approach the firehouse you notice the garage door is open and Bucky is leaning against the frame, legs crossed over each other and scrolling through his phone.

He looks up at the sound of Huckle’s happy bark, his smile lighting up his face. You watch as his eyes drink you in, roaming over your body from head to toe, “hey, doll.” His arm snakes around your waist and he pulls you in for a toe-curling kiss, a breathy “hi,” leaving your lips afterwards. Bucky makes sure to say hi to Huckle, rubbing her all over before looking back to you.

You watch as his eyes land on your chest, widening slightly before they darken, “what are you wearing?” he asks, voice deep. You immediately panic, looking down and realizing he is referring to his tee shirt, “oh, this? You left it this morning and it’s so soft and smells like you, so I didn’t want to take it off…. I hope that’s ok,” you ask guiltily.

He crashes you to his chest, his nose rubbing against yours. “It’s more than ok doll, I love you in it, you can keep it.” Bucky brings his lips down to yours, his tongue parting your mouth as he deepens the kiss. You don’t even realize you have an audience until the very familiar voice of Wilson resonates through the open space, “looks like Barnes finally found himself a girl!” The next comment makes you both laugh enough to end your kiss, “and she brought us cookies!” yells Parker, rushing over to grab some.

@aesthetical-bucky​ @book-dragon-13​ @chuuulip​ @eurynome827​ @hiddles-rose​ @hailmary-yramliah​ @ikaris-whore​ @itsunclebucky​ @jewelofwinter​ @jewels2876​ @jhangelface0523​ @loricameback​ @littledarlinhavefaithinme​ @littleredstarfish​ @mushyjellybeans​ @marvelgirl7​ @marvelandotherfandomimagines​ @nano--raptor​ @nerdypinupcrystal​ @randomfandompenguin​ @sallycanwait68​ @softpeachbarnes​ @when-the-hell-is-bucky​ 

#Bucky barnes #bucky x reader #bucky x reader fluff #bucky barnes fluff #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x reader fluff #bucky barnes au #fireman!bucky #fireman!bucky x reader #bucky fluff #bucky barnes imagine #bucky imagine #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky fanfic #sebastian stan #hbc drunk drabbles #hbc 24 hour surprise drabble challenge

[lovingthekpoplife]

Meeting McDreamy

Doctor!Jin x Reader

Word count: 2.5k

Warnings: medical procedure, embarrassment, and very slight alluding to oral sex.  

Storyline: Doctor AU, where Jin is your gynecologist. You meet him for the first time that day, and are utterly shocked and embarrassed. Annoying but endearing flatmate Jungkook, and fluffy ending!

...........................

You sat in the waiting room of the clinic, biting your nails as you impatiently waited for your name to be called. Your eyes were fixated on the clock on the wall opposite you, counting every second that passed. Truth be told, you didn’t want to be there, and you thought your reluctance was perfectly reasonable. After all, no person enjoys a visit with their OBGYN. There’s something particularly embarrassing about another person grilling you for information on your sex life, and your genitals, before they sit you on that dreaded table. You always feel so vulnerable when your legs are propped up on those damned stirrups, with your privates displayed for anyone to see. There is nothing dignified about that position.

You swing your legs a little, as your eyes still stare at the hands of that damned clock clock on the wall, hoping somehow that you can fast-forward time until after your appointment. Anything to bypass the awkwardness. And you know, you know that the doctor will have seen plenty of other “bits” in their career, hell, they have probably had at least 10 other patients that day alone, but you still feel embarrassed. 

“Miss Y/N L/N,” The nurse calls you over, with a warm smile. You notice something about her eyes that makes you hesitate, but you stand up and walk over nonetheless.

“Yes?” You ask, feeling that nervous feeling in the pit of your stomach. You have to fight the urge to bit your nails again.

“Ah… Dr. Oh has had to leave due to a family emergency just now, we have another doctor on call if you would like to switch?” She explained hesitantly.

“Yeah, sure” anything to get out of there as quickly as possible. 

She smiled with relief, and walked you down the hall, to a door with a plaque on the front that read “Dr. Kim”. You knocked, and let yourself in. 

And then it all made sense to you. You suddenly wanted the ground to open up and swallow you whole. You wanted to cover yourself from head to toe with a blanket, and cocoon forever. You would never ever be able to forget this appointment.

“Ah, Miss L/N, nice to meet you, I’m Dr. Kim Seokjin and I will be your physician today” Said the most handsome man you had ever seen. Not even in your dreams could you have conjured a face as beautiful as his. He looked like he belonged on a medical drama, not in your very real doctor’s office. He looked handsome, beautiful, ethereal, god-like, dreamy. McDreamy…. Where had you heard that before? You were probably infringing some form of copyright. 

“H-hi” You croaked out. You could feel yourself begin to sweat. Why. WHY?!

“If it’s okay with you, I will close this curtain so you can remove your jeans and underwear, and when you are done sit on this bed. If you can do it on your own, put your legs on the stirrups and scoot down as far as you can go without falling off the bed!” He explained, chuckling at his own joke. You laughed along nervously, your voice shaky and your heart thumping in your chest. 

He closed the curtain around the bed, and left you to your own devices. You wanted to scream. Why Dr. Oh? WHY?!

You quickly removed the clothes on the lower half of your body and thanked the heavens that you had kept your legs and your privates reasonably well groomed. You sat on the bed, and did as Dr. McDreamy told you, before grabbing a modesty blanket that you quickly covered yourself with. Ah, Grey’s Anatomy! Well, Derek Shepherd has nothing on Seokjin. Oh boy, how your heart raced at the thought of your doctor’s perfect features. 

“I-I’m done here sir!” You called out, voice shaking. You readied yourself, hands clenching around the modesty blanket. Your eyes focused on your hands, because you knew that if you took one look at that beautiful face, you would blush so red you might faint.

“Okay!” He called out, his warm, soothing voice doing everything but put you at ease. Even his voice was beautiful.

He quickly moved the curtain aside so he could enter, and closed it again before walking towards your spread legs. He sat on a small stool, and began examining you with gloved hands. You felt yourself tense. His hands on you were doing things to you that were verging on sinful. You prayed he didn’t notice.

“Are you over 25 Y/N?” He asked, you squeaked out a weak ‘yes’

“Have you had a pap smear done yet?” He asked, looking up towards your face. Your eyes flickered towards his briefly, and you immediately looked away.You shook your head vigorously.

“Is it okay if we do one today? It’s recommended to start getting them done regularly after the age of 25.” He told you, and you froze. Your eyes opened wide, like a deer caught in the headlights.

“It doesn’t hurt, it’s a little uncomfortable I have been told, but it shouldn’t be painful” He explained quickly, looking a bit flustered by your reaction. You sighed.

“Okay…” You nodded your head firmly. He nodded back, and moved away to gather the tools. 

He showed you all of the tools and explained what they were and what they would be used for. He then talked you through the whole procedure, and explained each step as he was taking it, cracking terrible dad jokes in between. All in all, you ended up feeling relatively relaxed. As relaxed as a woman who was a mad crush on her gynecologist who she just met can ever be anyway. 

“Well, I think that should be it. I’m going to go over and log your file and let you get dressed” He explained, as he pushed the cart with the specimens aside. You quickly dressed yourself up again, and both hoped you would never see Dr Kim again, and also hoped he would fall madly in love with you somehow. Part of you wanted to imagine he would ask you out on a date before you left the door. But you also knew he would get into huge trouble if he did. You sighed, maybe you were just never meant to be. 

“The results should be out in 4 weeks, we will send you a letter, but it seemed okay visually. Other than that, you seem to be in good health. For your next visit you should be back with Dr. Oh, she is your regular doctor. It was a pleasure meeting you Miss L/N” He told you with a dazzling smile, that made your heart flutter and your stomach fill with the soft flutters of butterflies. 

“It was lovely meeting you too, Doctor,” You spoke honestly, although your cheeks blushed a deep red. You bowed to him, and walked out of his office as elegantly as you could muster, which was not very elegantly at all. 

You rushed back home, feeling utterly embarrassed, but also like you were floating on air. When you got back in, you slammed the door shut behind you and squealed into your hands.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Jungkook asked you from the sofa, where he was playing some shooting game you didn’t care to remember the name of.

“I had my appointment today, and… IT WAS A MALE DOCTOR!” You screamed, as you plopped down beside Jungkook on the sofa, and squeezed a pillow tightly in your arms.

“So? I thought you didn’t care about that stuff,” He asked, side-eyeing you, as he continued to play his game.

“I don’t but this guy was HOT! I am talking, mouth watering, earth shatteringly hot. Like a Greek God incarnate. He made my insides quiver. He made my legs shake just from looking at his face” You explained exasperatedly. 

“Gross,” He replied, scrunching his nose. 

“Oh come on, don’t be such a butt. I see you drool all over that poster of IU in your room” You tell your roommate, who turns to look at you wide eyed and utterly offended.

“For starters I do not DROOL! And secondly, it is gross that you have a crush on your vagina-doctor. He just looked at you all clinical down there” He complained, just as he died in the game. He tossed his controller aside, crossed his arms and turned to look at you with a huff.

“And that’s precisely why it’s so tragical. Maybe if I met him at a cafe like a normal human being, he would fall in love with me and we would ride off into the sunset and have absurdly perfect-looking children” You threw yourself over Jungkook’s legs dramatically.

“You’re such a weirdo” He pushed you off him, rolling his eyes.

“But you loooveee me” You teased, poking him in the chest. He smiled at this.

“I have no choice, you have been glued to my side since preschool, you eventually kind of grew on me squirt” He retaliated, ruffling your hair.

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

About two weeks later, Jungkook and you met at a cafe outside his office for a quick, after-work snack. You noticed he was already waiting in line, and rushed over, nudging him with your shoulder.

“Ugh, you again” he teased, rolling his eyes. You stuck your tongue out at him.

“You should pity me, I have to deal with seeing your ugly face all the time” You bit back, smirking. He narrowed his eyes at you, puffing his cheek, as he pushed your shoulder lightly with his hand. 

It should have been a light, harmless push. I mean, it didn’t even hurt. However, you lost your footing, slipped, and bumped into the person waiting in line in front of you. 

“I’m so sorr-” Your words were cut off in your throat when you looked up, and your eyes met the beautiful brow eyes of none other than Kim Seokjin. He was smiling at you like he had just won a prize. 

“Oh… Dr. Kim, I’m so sorry!” You apologised profusely, bowing your head. 

“Ah! I’m not in the clinic, so I’m just Seokjin now,” He smiled, shrugging, and rubbing the back of his neck. His eyes quickly flickered towards Jungkook, and his expression stiffened ever so slightly. You immediately noticed. You might normally be a dumbass, but you are fantastic at reading body-language. You would have been a detective, had your lack of interest in keeping fit deterred you from even trying to join the police force.

“Ah, Doc- Seokjin, this is my flatmate Jungkook,” You introduced your friend, pointing towards him with your whole hand.

Jungkook’s lips immediately broke into a gigantic Cheshire grin, the wheels in his brain turning. He knew all about your appointment with Dr. McDreamy. You knew that look, and knew it meant nothing good.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Seokjin, I’ve heard a lot about you” His voice dripped with sugary sweetness. You gave him a warning glare, but Jungkook’s smile only widened.

“Ah, is that so?” Seokjin’s eyes flickered back to you, and he raised an eyebrow. You could see a slight cheeky smirk begin to form on Seokjin’s face.

“Oh, look it’s your turn Seokjin!” You immediately pointed towards the barista calling for the next customer. Perfect deflection technique, God Y/N, you would make a perfect Ninja.

“Oh shoot!” Jin called out, before shuffling over. You took the opportunity to pinch the life out of the inside of Jungkook’s bicep.

“Ah ahhhh what the fuck!” he hissed, as he swatted your hand away. You did a slicing motion on your neck with your index finger, then pointed straight at his face. He gulped slightly, remembering that time he tried to prank you, and you took revenge by putting hair removal cream in his shampoo.

Once Seokjin had finished ordering, you walked up to the barista, and ordered your and Jungkook’s drinks to go. You needed to get out of there stat. She rang them in, and you readied yourself to put your card in the card reader when a large hand stopped you.

“Ah, let me” Seokjin told you, his cheeks blushed pink, but the rest of his face remained impassive. 

“Oh no, it’s okay, you don’t have to” You quickly tried to push your card in the machine. But his grip on your hand tightened. 

“Please?” Seokjin begged, and you relented. His eyes lit up beautifully. You couldn’t help but smile. He looked like a child on Christmas day. Super cute doctor is trying to give you free coffee? Could you be any more pleased?

When your coffees were ready to go, Jungkook quickly picked his, and began walking towards the door.

“Ah, I forgot I left this thing at work. I have to go get it before they close. Thank you for the coffee Seokjin!” He called, before darting out the door and sending a cheeky wink your way.

“What the hell did he forget?” You muttered to yourself.

“I think it was a trick to leave us alone,” Jin explained, grinning over the edge of his coffee mug.

“W-what?” You stuttered.

“Ah, Y/N, I know this is probably awkward because I was your doctor for a day. But I am technically not YOUR doctor, so it’s not unethical, but I was kind of, maybe, wondering if you’d like to go out with me some time?” He asked, awkwardly, shyly, nothing like the man who had told you silly jokes during your appointment.

“You want to go out with me?” You asked dumbly. He nodded.

“Of course. You are beautiful, and silly, and I love it when you blush. I just wish I could see you blush from something I did, and not because the situation is awkward” He explained, making you blush a deep red. Yep, nothing more awkward than having a beautiful man with his head stuck between your legs, examining you instead of… you know.

“That’s what I’m talking about!” He laughed to himself. And suddenly you were able to hear it, a distinctive windshield wiper sound to his laugh. It was so comical it made you start laughing yourself.

“And are you sure you won’t get in trouble?” You asked him, and he nodded.

“As long as you aren’t my patient from here on, it should be fine” He explained.

“Well, I say we could start our first date now, no?” you cheekily replied, taking a sip from your coffee.

“Good! I know the best seat in this cafe” He told you, as he guided you towards a table by the window, where you could spot Jungkook waiting at the bus-stop, looking at you and giving you two thumbs up. You rolled your eyes, but returned the thumbs up. Oh boy, Jungkook was never going to let you forget he is the best wingman on Earth.

#bts seokjin #seokjin scenarios #bts #bts scenario #bts x reader #jin x reader #seokjin x reader #bts scenarios #bts imagine #bts au #bts jin #bts jungkook #doctor au bts #bangtan scenario #reader x jin

[neocity-sarai]

"𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓲𝓷 _____" 𝓼𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓼

❀ chapter 2: reader x haechan

❀ enemies to lovers trope

❀ alerts: fluff, tinge of angst, language, mentions of drinking, heavy making out

❀ song rec: “tokyo” by owl city ft. sekai no owari

“Love in Tokyo”

What’s the one thing that’s the most important to you? It was always your voice, of course. Since the mere age of 4, singing was your whole world. Your dad had bought you the most expensive model of a child’s karaoke machine and it soon became something that you held onto in your sleep. Holding a microphone was like second nature to you, the way the gridded pattern on the ball of your microphone felt under your fingertips surged you with excitement. You’d hold a singing show for your family members every holiday: christmas, thanksgiving, and everything in between. When you became a senior high school student, assimilating into your school’s choir group was easy for you. The teacher showered you with compliments and always requested that you’d become the shining soprano of the girls’ choir- many of which called you “teacher’s pet” or too “arrogant for your own good”. To you, you never listened to them- your dream was to join the music program at Tokyo University of the arts. And you were sure that you would do whatever it took to get there. 

One day, your choir teacher had told you that she had been a longtime friend of one of the instructors at the university and was thinking of hosting a traveling showcase. During lunch, she pulled up the website on the projector as she animatedly talked about what kind of things students learned and the connections they would build. The program specialized in everything ranging from music theory to divine performance, it was like she could look inside your head and spell out your dream. That afternoon, you pushed your parents to sign the permission slip the moment you stepped foot in your house. Your dad couldn’t reign in your excitement as you squealed when his pen hit the sheet of paper. You waved the paper around in the air but you were careful enough  to not rip it as your mother eyed your father from the kitchen counter happily. Your father turned to you before popping a grape in his mouth, “So, what are you most excited about?”

You spun around several times, dancing light on your feet, “To have my solo at the showcase of course! I wish you guys could be there.”

“That’s why you’ll have to facetime us before and record it so we can show everyone we know!”

You run over to your mom and dad, pressing tight kisses to their heads, “I can’t believe I’m going to Tokyo!”

3 weeks later

You scanned through your list of items on the way to the airport, not that it would matter anyway since you triple-checked everything that you stuffed in your suitcase. Your mom read the list out to you: “Wallet?”

“Check!” “Passport?” “Check!” “Tampons?” “Ugh, check!” “Toothbrush?” “Check!” “Sweets, I think you have everything.”

Of course you did. Like you said, you packed everything neatly and efficiently. Your dad had helped you unload your suitcase before you caught sight of your friend Sunny and the rest of your classmates by the check-in counter. You kissed your parents goodbye before running over to her as she yelled for you, “Y/n! over here!”

You swung your arm around her, “Sunny! Are you ready to have the best trip ever?”

She smiled at you, “Sooo ready!”

Ever since freshman year, Sunny has always stuck by your side. She was a kind yet quirky girl, she always wore daisy clips in her braided pigtails. Your classmates made fun of her perkiness which is something you never minded. When it was time to finally board your flight, you couldn’t control the insane thrum of your heart, your toes curled at the thought of being on your way to the beautiful of Tokyo. Ironically, your excitement faded away during your 13 hour flight. The air of the plane was stuffy, you were sure that you were getting air-sick, and the refreshments cart wheeled over your foot about 5 times. You were not about to puke your guts out before your first day at the dream institute you’ve longed for your whole life. The pilot announced you’d be landing soon, Sunny turned to you, “How does my face look?”

You answered her, “Uh- good?”

“Really? I think I look like a mole that's been in a burrow for 13 years, I mean, look at my under eye-bags!”

You pat Sunny on the shoulder, “You look fine, it’s okay. We all look like that.”

Suddenly, the plane starts to shake from the turbulence as you both brace yourselves into your seats- you feel bile rise in your stomach. You swallow to force it down anyway. After passing the “Welcome to Tokyo” sign, it hadn’t really sunken in yet. You craved a hot shower and some fresh clothes the minute your teacher mentioned the hotel you all would be staying at. 

That’s when it hit you. Tokyo looked as if everything you dreamed it to be. You were right at the heart of Shibuya, people crossed the street in every angle possible as glowing japanese characters hung from signboards. Even though it was daytime, you could imagine how beautiful it would look in the night time. Wires were strung over every telephone pole and streetlamp, creating a web of ropes between the buildings. Even the people in Tokyo were different: from stoic businessmen with briefcases to women who darted around wearing organza skirts- the japanese animations moved across towers of screens. Your classmates oohed and ahhed at gigantic trucks that whizzed by, video game characters flashing on the sides of them. After a quick meeting about liabilities and safety protocols, the choir teacher had let you all have some free-time. You and Sunny went back to your shared room- two other girls painting their nails on the floor. You tiptoed over to your bed, accidentally knocking your classmate’s nail polish in the process, “Oh- god- I’m sorry-”

She sneers at you, “Yeah, you should be.”

You opt to lay down, scrolling through your phone for a bit. Suddenly, your classmate raises her voice, “What are you guys looking most forward to on the trip?”

You point at yourself, “Are you talking to me?”

She blows on her nails before glaring at you, “There’s four of us in here, who else would I be talking to?”

Trying to answer calmly, you say, “You go first then.”

Your classmate snickers, “I can’t wait to meet all the cute boys who go to the university. I bet there's a plethora of them.”

Her friend quirks her eyebrows up at her, “What does plethora mean?”

“It just means a lot.” She mutters under her breath, cursing at her friend. You roll your eyes to Sunny as Sunny makes a stank face at the two girls who sit on the ground. Chuckling at the sight, you’re cut off by your classmate’s voice.

“What about you, y/n?”

You reply, “Honestly, I can’t wait until we go to class and learn about music studies. I can’t wait to sing in front of them.”

Your classmate scoffs, “Studious as always. You could loosen up, you know?”

You could go on and on about how hard you’ve worked to grasp this opportunity, only part of the choir was allowed to leave for Tokyo and you weren’t about to let it slip through your fingers for some meaningless fun. You shut your mouth in contempt, letting Sunny drone about all the delicious foods she wants to try.

First day of class

Walking into your group’s classroom- you can already tell how remotely different it is from your classroom tucked away in your high school. The room is a lecture hall that could seat hundreds of university students as various instruments were propped up against the corner of the room. There’s a platform where the professor sits at, a skinny japanese man who thumbs through various piles of sheet music. When the rest of us are seated, university students come piling in as they jostle each other through the doorway. You make eye contact with a boy who enters the room first, his friends hitting him on the back. Your breath hitches in your throat at the sight of such a boy, his eyes are smoked with iridescent highlights, and his hair is a chestnut color accented with violet streaks that shade his eyes slightly. He wears a red bomber jacket, his ripped black jeans tightly wrapping his long legs. Oh god, were you staring? Averting your eyes, the boy winks at you playfully before taking a seat in the aisle in front of you. You hear Sunny whisper in your ear, “Who was that? Did he just wink at you?”

“No, I think he just had something in his eye.”

You don’t expect him to turn around, “You guys must be the choir group that prof told us about, right?”

You and Sunny stare at each other before you respond to him with a burst of confidence, “That’s right. We’re here to learn about music.”

The skinny japanese man stands up on the platform before adjusting his microphone, “And you have come to the right place.”

The boy in front of you whispers at you both, “The name’s Haechan, baby.”

When he turns around to the front, you find yourself interested by this stranger’s behavior. Is this what university is like? Enjoying the lecture couldn’t even begin to describe what you felt. You remembered how you intently listened to the professor talk about music structures and societal conformities and how you talked Sunny’s ear off about it all through lunch. Meanwhile, your classmates and most of the university students had dozed off in their seats. When it was the end of class, your choir teacher had hugged the professor tightly before turning to face the class. 

The professor speaks, “As you all may know, my good friend Barbra Lenor has come to Tokyo to teach her students about the art of music. I hope you treat them with respect and kindness. Haechan, Jaemin, and Chenle, you will be responsible for showing them around in exchange for extra credit.”

Haechan flashes a thumbs up to his professor, “Really, sir?”

You hear the boy called Chenle look at Haechan, “I was supposed to join the fortnite tournament tonight..”

The professor laughs at them, “ Haechan, extra credit couldn’t hurt. Chenle, find another time.”

“Class dismissed!”

After you and Sunny gather your belongings into your book bags, Haechan and his two friends stand by your desks as they gaze you up and down. You feel strangely curious yet skeptical. Your mother had always trusted you not to trust college boys- Haechan fit the perfect description of a boy anyone would tell you to watch out for. He radiated overconfidence, cockiness? Haechan scoffs at you, putting one hand at the corner of the table, “Listen girls, we’re very busy people and we won’t have time to do much. You’ll have to follow as we say.”

You narrow your eyes at him, “Why would we have to do that? If you don’t want to, don’t force yourself because god forbid that you would have to.”

A mischievous smirk graces Haechan’s plush lips, he cocks up his eyebrow, “Huh interesting, when are you both free?”

Before you can refuse once more, your two roommates saunter over. Despite being in the same choir for 3 years, you never got to know their names until now. The taller girl was named Sara and her shorter friend- Chloe. Sara was also someone who seemed to fit that image of “a cat-like queen” who checked herself in the mirror every 6 seconds and her friend, Sara’s vessel to push around yet still stuck with her. Sara runs a hand through her brunette hair, “We’re free tomorrow after lecture, what do you say?”

You see Haechan scan Sara with his fiery eyes, licking his lips in the process. You grimace at the action, wondering if anyone had noticed. Haechan nods to you all, “It’s a deal ladies.”

Within the first thirty minutes of the next day’s lecture, you did not wake up to expect that you’d engage in an argument with none other than Haechan. The professor had begun a lecture topic about the ways in which music could be interpreted. He played you a love song from some famous japanese film you had no clue about, still, you explained how hard it would be to understand music in a different language. Haechan countered you by saying that music in different languages is the definition of diversity and that you weren’t trying hard enough to understand it. Before you could refute him, you wanted to wipe the smug grin that was plastered on Haechan’s voice as he chuckled devilishly. The professor stopped you both from continuing, saying that you both brought up good points but missed the central message entirely. You grumbled to Sunny all throughout class. What gave Haechan the right to show off when you had just wanted to learn from others? You doubted that Haechan was at the university to learn anyway. After class, Haechan laughed in your face, “How’s it feel to be scolded by Professor Hinama?”

You roll your eyes at him, violently shoving your books into your bag, “Can it, Haechan. You got scolded just as much as I did.”

‘Yeah, but I’m used to it so it doesn’t get under my skin like it does to you.” You wanted to punch his pretty, perfect face. You felt the tension in your heart swell angrily when Haechan asks, “You guys still on for city-seeing tonight?”

You scoff at him, “As if I’d go with you.”

Sunny begins to clutch your arm as she squeals, “Come on! This is the perfect opportunity to see the city! We have to go!”

You motion to Sara, Chloe, and Sunny, “You guys can go ahead without me, I’m gonna work on my piece for the showcase.”

Sara laughs in a superficial manner, “Fine by me- the better honestly.”

“I won’t go if y/n doesn’t.”

Your eyes widen at Haechan’s statement, “Excuse me?”

“You heard me, you have to come with us.”

“But why?”

“Because you’ll spend your whole time here working. You need to loosen up a little.”

The last part of his statement burns in your brain. You were sick of people calling you uptight just because you wanted to chase your dreams and had real goals. It made you especially annoyed when Haechan said it. You were never this bothered. You didn’t want him to be right.

You answer him, “Fine. Be at our hotel by 7.”

“Yes, scary lady.”

You fight the urge to slash Haechan in the neck, he had Jaemin and Chenle to do that for him. 

7 PM.

When 7 PM. rolled around, you had chosen a nice outfit no matter what Haechan and his friends had planned for you. Your mother helped you find your own fashion style, something that you’re deeply grateful for. You opted to wear tight-fitting jeans and a lilac off the shoulder top, silver crystals hung off your ear lobes. Sara clicked her tongue at you, “Wow, y/n, you’ve got style- I give you that.”

You nod at her, “Thanks.”

When Haechan and the boys arrive, you notice that they had taken the dress code just as seriously as you girls had. Haechan wore the same black jeans from before but opted for a matte leather jacket that was littered in gold chains. Jaemin wore shorts with a nice navy blue dress shirt, Chenle opting for a street style look as a white bucket hat shielded his eyes. Haechan moves closer to you, “Wow, miss uptight cleans up nice.”

Rolling your eyes at him, you huff, “I guess the same could go for you.”

Throughout the night, you found yourself enjoying running around Tokyo more than you had expected. The boys had taken you all to a three-story ramen restaurant that was insanely cheap- you couldn’t get enough of Haechan’s teasing when you powered through two bowls loaded of noodles. First, you hit Akihabara which was a neighborhood that was known as the electronic and video game part of the city as humongous robots suspended over taito gaming cafes. Tokyo seemed even more like a fantasy at night, you all would rush onto the subway right before it would leave- out of breath as you leaned back in your seats. Every hour, there was more to see: you went shopping in a nine story mall in Shinjuku, took photos with lolita girls in Omotesando alley, and picked up street-food in Mitaka. By the time you looked at your watch, it was already 1 am. Sunny kept complaining how her heels were hurting her feet so you had decided to do a more laid-back activity. Jaemin led you all to a small karaoke bar in the center of Kabuki-cho where colorful lights blurred in your vision. You felt like you were high on life, glowing sign boards dripped colors of electric blue and cherry reds as you skipped along the street. When you all finally got your private karaoke room, Haechan started to buzz over a waitress. He whispered some japanese words that none of you but his friends understood- the waitress came back with several sparkling glasses on a tray. She sent them down in front of you, you gulped it down for how much your throat hurt. Hiccuping, you and Sunny set the flutes down, you were hit with a sudden realization, “That was alcohol wasn’t it?”

Haechan leans back in his chair comfortably, spreading his legs on the cushion, “Sure was. Have fun.”

In normal circumstances, you never would ever think to drink a drop. Somehow, tonight seemed different and you weren’t about to let your friends get farther than you. Several flutes of sparkly liquids later, you couldn’t see straight. Everything felt like a psychedelic fever dream, faces laughing into yours as you danced on the couch or you belted into the microphone with Chenle.

Standing on the couch, you felt yourself lose balance, your legs wobbling from the effects of the alcohol. You fell, your butt landing on Haechan’s lap. You did the unthinkable- you booped Haechan’s nose with the tip of your finger, you said, “Hello, idiot.”

He held you, his arms wrapped around your waist, “Idiot? Don’t you think you’re talking about yourself?”

Your words slurred together, “Uh huh, yeah, nope, no, you’re a bully sir.”

You take a mental note of the slit in Haechan's eyebrow as he raises his brow at you, “Bully?”

Shoving a finger at his chest, you continue on, “You’re so mean- I just got here and I yeah, I you’re so mean to me in class- you don’t even know me that well.”

“Y/n, I know you’re tough so that’s why I do it.”

“You know, bully, I was upset about being scolded today- how could you bully me?”

Suddenly, Haechan’s expression turns sad, “You were?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t mean to make you feel that way, I-”

You shush him by pressing the pad of your finger to his lips, “Do you have a girlfriend?” You can’t even hear yourself anymore.

Haechan shakes his head, “I’ve never had one.”

You burst out into laughter, your skin feeling hot from Haechan’s fingers grazing the skin by your hip, “Whaaat? You? A playboy who doesn’t care about music at all and winks at strangers?”

Haechan’s frame stiffens, “Is that how you see me?”

Before you can answer, you laugh into Haechan’s shoulder as if his touch is your narcotic, “I don’t feel good but I do-”

The moment ends when he pushes you off his lap, placing a hand on your thigh, “Okay, time to get you home.”

You hear Sunny and Sara whine, Sara clings on to Jaemin’s arm, “Not yet!!”

Haechan stands as he tells Chenle and Jaemin to watch Sara, Chloe, and Sunny, urging them to stay longer. He lifts you bridal style, your arm slung around his neck, “I’m taking you home.”

You still protest by slapping his chest in which he had to deal with the whole train ride back. When you make it up to your room, Haechan sets you down on your bed before tucking the comforter over your body. With alcohol still running in your veins, you grab a hold of his palm, “Can you stay a bit?”

“I thought I was a bully.”

“You are but I don’t hate you.”

Haechan cards his free hand through the tufts of his hair, his face illuminated in the dim light. From that angle, Haechan looks ethereal. He stares down at you with dark eyes, his lips pursed with amusement, “That’s nice to hear.”

He sits on the ground by your head, his hand still intertwined with yours. You don’t know why this question eats up at you, why it even affects you. You whisper to him from under the covers, “Haechan, what do you even go to Tokyo university for?”

He looks at you with softened eyes, his lips pressed into a thin line, “You know, I think you’ve got the wrong idea about me.”

“How so?”

“As a kid, my dream has always been to enter a celebrity training program in Seoul. I’m not that good to be so high level yet so my parents sent me to study in Tokyo first.”

Suddenly, you feel incredibly sober. You sit up on your bed, the cover falling away, “Really? Aren’t those programs really hard physically and mentally?”

He nods, his fingers picking at his chin, “If it wasn’t a challenge, people wouldn’t become asia-based singers. I haven’t given up yet.”

You stare at him in awe, his voice hard with determination and strength, “Wow, I had no idea.”

“What about you?”

You answer him, “I’m my choir’s lead soprano. Like you, I feel like I was destined to sing. My dream is to study here in Tokyo and then balance singing with becoming a music professor.”

Haechan muses, “I’m not surprised, you’re a bright girl. I’ve seen your passion for music, the way you talk with confidence in class. It’s amazing.”

You feel a blush creep up your neck and your cheeks at his compliment, you clear your throat, “Do you write?”

“I do, I’ve been working on my own piece for the showcase.”

Haechan goes silent for a moment before he whips out his phone from his pocket, “Do you write?”

“Of course.”

“I-uh- I’ve been stuck on one verse for a while and I was wondering if you could help me?”

When you look at Haechan’s sparkling eyes, you sense his uncertainty. You sense his conflict. You nod at him, ushering him to read you his song. When he does, you see a different light in Haechan. You take note of the way he taps his foot into rhythm, humming and clicking his tongue to illustrate the flow of the song. You see the makings of an artist. He’s just like you. When he’s done, he looks up at you, “So, this part- here. I’m stuck.”

Immediately, you snap your fingers to the beat as you scat to the song, “I think you should add a b chord here and a f sharp chord there. I think it would highlight the chorus well like playing down the notes before the bridge.”

Haechan scribbles your comments onto his phone, his finger gliding all over the screen. He pauses before ad-libbing the song once again, your advice in account. All of a sudden, he jumps up from his chair before attacking you into a bear hug on to your bed. 

“Oh my god, y/n, you did it! My song is done!”

Staring at him with wide eyes, you rest your hands on his shoulders, “Congratulations, Haechan.”

Without a moment to spare, Haechan leans forward to crash his lips onto yours. You pull back in surprise, eyeing him with affirmation. Haechan pins your wrists to the wall as you press your back flat against the wall, allowing him to kiss you fervently. You shiver from the way your lips mold over Haechan’s, his hands intertwined with yours against the wall. Slowly, Haechan drags his lips down to the hollow of your neck, he presses burning kisses to your skin. You sigh with pleasure, a whimper coming from your lips when he straddles your lap. You hear him grunt when you release his hand and press your hand to the back of his neck. He pulls away briefly to look at you, “I’ve never felt this way with anyone before.”

You gaze at him, his eyes half-lidded and drunken of the feeling of your touch, “Me neither.”

He lets his leather jacket fall to the floor before lifting the hem of his white tee over his head. You pause at the sight of him being shirtless in front of you, you drag your fingers across the toned muscle of his chest and his stomach. He’s not extremely ripped but he’s not without muscles either. You hear Haechan’s breathing get heavy when he places his hand over yours. Your bodies are extremely hot now, the temperature rising when Haechan bites your bare shoulder. You whine, feeling the fabric slowly slipping down from your shoulders. You resort to taking it off entirely, it lands by Haechan’s jacket on the floor. When he sinks his teeth into the area near your collarbone, you let out a yelp only for Haechan to whisper in your ear, “Baby, you can’t be too loud.”

You decide to try something new by tugging Haechan’s hair back before pressing your lips to his neck. He laughs at your attempt to be stronger than him, stroking your cheek when you pout, “Don’t laugh at me! See, this counts as bullying!”

He shakes his head before allowing you to pepper kisses down his chest, your hair looped around his fingers. Becoming impatient, he raises your chin to meet his lips again as his tongue parts through your mouth causing you to squeeze his hip bone from the reaction. He wraps his hand around the curve of your thigh, his nails digging into the fabric of your jeans. He starts to whisper in your ear, “I think I’m-”

Before he can finish his sentence, you hear your friends’ voices echoing from down the hall. You push him off you, “oh shit!”

He laughs as he watches you to scramble to put your shirt on. When you do, you turn to see Haechan who isn’t moving at all. He sits on your bed, his shirt and jacket still on the floor, “What are you doing?! They’re coming?!”

He gives you a playful smirk, “And?”

It’s too late. The girls walking in see Haechan shirtless on your bed, red marks all over both of your necks. Sunny gasps the loudest, “Were we interrupting? Oh sorry- jesus-”

Sara and Chloe smirk beside her. You grab Haechan by the arm, pressing his t-shirt and jacket to his chest, “Get out!”

Haechan stammers over his words, clutching his clothes against his body, “Wait- I -Hold on-”

You slam the door in his face, “We have class tomorrow, go home already!”

“Come on, y/n! We were just-”

“I said go home Haechan!”

You hear him waddle away, Sunny and you roommates scampering into bed. You turn off the light, laying back into your pillow- your thoughts plagued with heated moments of Haechan’s lips on yours, blushing at the thought of what could’ve been if you weren’t interrupted. 

Your next couple weeks were memories made with your new friends along with Haechan, especially Haechan. You and Haechan made it some secret game to sneak around when your professors and classmates weren’t looking, ransacking the bread stand during lunch. You snuck up on to the roof, Haechan’s warm hand enclosed in yours as he draped his uniform jacket around your shoulders. He’d giggle at your dumb jokes, resting his head on your lap as you’d run your fingers through his coffee-stained hair. It felt like bliss, breathing the cold Tokyo air- alone with a boy who still didn’t cease his teasing during class. You didn’t mind it as much anymore, knowing that Haechan wouldn’t say words with bad intentions. Professor Hinama had scolded you both because Haechan kept trying Chenle to pass you notes that he wrote you, lines of cheesy poems comingled with some crude insults about how you had bedhair or how your breath smelled bad. Of course, you wouldn’t let him win so easily. One night, Haechan decided to take you to a arcade in Shibuya, it was a night that was to be written in the books. Haechan raided you tokens, shoving them into the claw machine because you told him you thought the stuffed bear in the case looked like him. He was determined to win it for you no matter how much you screamed at him for wasting your tokens on one game. You both danced together on the rainbow-colored pad of dance revolution, Haechan pushing you over so you would lose. He might’ve won then but he was not to beat you at mario kart. You concentrated on the spinning track, surging past the finish line at 1st place as Haechan pouted at you, begging for another try. You shook your head, “I won fair and square, end of story.”

“But, y/n, I was distracted!”

“Sucks to suck, doesn’t it?”

Haechan continues to whine at you, you pull him into a hug, “Let’s go play another game!”

By the end of the night, Haechan finally managed to win you that stuffed bear- a souvenir of the newfound feelings you two shared, the fondness of each other. 

Many nights were filled with city outings with your friends. Once, Jaemin tried to balance a teppanyaki stick on his nose was Sara and Sunny recorded him at the same time. Little flashbacks of when Haechan grabbed your hand, your friends darting out of the restaurant in order to prank Chenle who was a poor boy who was just in the bathroom, his confused face making you all laugh. It was the little moments and the memory of staring up at Haechan’s bright eyes amongst the colorful lights that made you wish you could stay in Tokyo forever.

Day of the showcase

If you could see inside yourself, you were sure that you could see your nerves bouncing around- darting back and forth in your stomach. You and Haechan spent the last week practicing your pieces- sometimes he would lie to you, claiming that he needed help on averse but pressed a firm kiss to your lips when you leaned in close. You hit his arm, “What if someone walks in?!” 

Haechan raises an eyebrow at you, “They should enjoy the show.”

You shove him off his chair before he attacks you with more pecks all over your face, your cheeks tinged with a shade of pink. Once you both were confident in your skills, time seemed to fast forward to the day of the showcase. That evening, you slipped on your favorite dress that your mother packed in your suitcase before you left. Sunny and Sara helped do your hair and your makeup as you wished them luck on their performances.

Walking into the auditorium, it was like everything you dreamed of. It was a grand hall that glowed golden as red, cushioned seats lined the room, a stage at the center under the spotlight. You made your way backstage, thumbing your flashdrive anxiously as your heart beat out of your chest. Was it getting hard to breathe? You felt a sigh of relief when Haechan trotted up to you, placing a hand on your shoulder, “We’ve worked hard, we got this.”

You nod at him, playing with his fingers in the process when you both take your positions in line. Watching from backstage, it’s just as beautiful as watching in the audience. You got to see what each student felt before they stepped out into the light and how they felt after the standing ovations. When it was Haechan’s turn, he straightened his satin tie, giving your hand one last squeeze. You felt your breath hitch in your throat when Haechan sat at a grand piano, his back faced away from the audience. He sighs before meeting your eyes, “This is a special piece I wrote when I was searching for my purpose. Someone has taught me the meaning of music and why I do it- why it connects people.”

You smile when he winks at you as he starts the ballad he had first showed you. The spotlight dims into a shade of periwinkle blue and the screen on the floor blooms as an ivory lily under Haechan’s feet. The whole time you practiced, you admitted how you adored the rawness of his voice. This was on an entirely different level. The way he raised his head when he belted the high notes or the way he would scrunch his nose with emotion made your heart swell. The cheers were ear-deafening, people threw a few flowers at him when he finished. Making his way backstage, he pressed a firm kiss to your lips before gazing at you, “You’ll do amazing.”

Walking past him, you take your place on the center of the stage- the spotlight changing into the rosy pink. You felt a weight sink into your chest. Why were there that many people? You never usually got stage fright, your legs wobbled with anxiety. You looked to the side, Haechan leaned on the stage beam as he nodded at you. Taking a deep breath, you let yourself go. You sang harder than you ever did before, your heart soared every time you remembered your family, friends, and Haechan as the words fell from your lips. When you were done, the crowd screamed for you. Feeling a sense of pride, you bowed to them- your dress basking in the pink spotlight. 

The show finished with outstanding performances, each one had a different genre and a unique voice to go with their performances. Haechan lifted you in the air, spinning you as your classmates (now friends) tackled you with happiness. You all felt a sense of achievement, an experience that seemed the most valuable in the world. That was until a tall asian woman dressed in a white suit motioned Haechan over. You watched as he gave you a look of confusion- in your heart, you knew what she was about to say. You didn’t have to hear her words to know. Running back to you, Haechan down-played his enthusiasm of getting a scout letter to Seoul, Jaemin and Chenle pulling it out of his hands to read it. Of course, you were happy for him. Did you have a right to stop someone from chasing their dreams in exchange for your short-lived crush? No. You wouldn’t if he had stopped you. Without hesitation, you wrap your arms around his waist as you whisper to him, “My flight leaves back to the states tomorrow morning.”

You physically feel his body sink with disappointment as he peeled you off his body, “Can’t you just stay here?”

You sweep his hair behind his ear, caressing his cheek, “You’ll be in Seoul, you should take this opportunity to fulfill your dreams and I- well, home is back there..”

Haechan hesitates, stammering over his words, “I-I don’t even know if I-I’m sure about Seoul. What if I can’t? What if-”

You press a lingering kiss to his cheek, “You’ve shown me you’re capable. I know you can.”

Haechan buries his face into your shoulder hastily, you freeze when you hear Haechan let out a sob. All you can do is rub his back comfortingly.

When you head back to the hotel with the girls, Haechan, Jaemin and Chenle make sure to see you before driving to the airport. A tear falls from your cheek, taking in the last few breaths of the sweet air of Tokyo- the city that would always hold a special place in your heart. Haechan pulls you in for one last hug before whispering in your ear, “Promise me you won’t give up on you dreams either.”

Smiling at him, you say, “You won’t see me doing that.”

He presses a kiss to your temple, “You’ll always be the first one to me. No matter what the future is, you’ll always be the first.”

A tear slips down your cheek, you wipe it away quickly, “Thank you. Thank you for everything.”

As your taxi bus drives down the narrow road, you and the girls press your faces against the back window, the three boys pretending to run after the bus. You meet eyes with Haechan, a bright smile on his face as he waves you one last farewell.

Bonus:

Years later

“Hey! y/n! Get downstairs, you’ll be late for school!”

“I’m up!”

Running down the stairs, you slip your jacket over your shoulders before taking a seat at your dining table. You hear your father’s radio playing, a beautiful voice drifting from the small box. 

“What’s that song dad?”

Your dad sets down his newspaper, a grin plastered on his face, “I don’t know but some new band released this gem! I can’t stop listening to it!”

You pull out your phone to shazam the song, a profile of a band swiping up on your screen. You don’t believe your eyes. You hold your breath for a moment, Haechan’s photo rotates on the app. 

“Do you know them?”

Smiling at your dad, you say, “Something like that.”

In your mind, you’re proud of him. He finally achieved his dream.

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[boywizardscanbecute]

Inseparable Part IV

Hey guys here’s a present for yall! Part 4/5 of Inseparable!!! I’m a sucker for Harry Potter x Reader and long fics so those of you that know me know I had to write this. Enjoy!!! Part 5 I hope to finish in the next month. Let me know if you have any requests or want to be tagged in future stories! 

LOVE YOU GUYS 

Find parts I-III Here: https://boywizardscanbecute.tumblr.com/post/619112671437111297/inseparable-parts-i-iii

Part IV

Dumbledore arrived at 9 am sharply. “Good morning professor,” you say cheerily. He smiles with a twinkle in his eye, “And a good morning to you too Ms. l/n. Tell me, are you ready to depart?” You nod. Dumbledore offers an arm to each of you, but before disapparating he adds, “Y/n you will be going to the burrow. Harry, I have someone I would like you to meet first. Then you will join her at the burrow.” Harry nods, and then looks to you. Dumbledore, averts his gaze. The man was one of the brightest wizards known to live, he surely felt the chemistry between the two of you. Nevertheless, you keep things low key. “Harry,” you squeeze his hand, “Please be careful.” He nods, and plants a swift kiss on top of your head. When you’re finished, Dumbledore takes each of your hands and disapparates. When you reappear, you stand alone in the Weasley’s kitchen. Dumbledore and Harry gone. 

You’re only left to your thoughts for a single moment before a smiling figure welcomes you into their arms. “Y/n darling! Dumbledore told me you’d be coming today. Your trunk already arrived along with Harry’s trunk and Hedwig. Almost time for a spot of breakfast make yourself comfortable dear,” Mrs. Weasley fawns over you. Instead of busying herself in the kitchen however, she sits across from you. And you could sense what she was about to ask. “Are you okay dear? Ron told me about everything. I know you’re the only one Harry will talk to, but I don’t want you to feel burdened.” You feel a rush of gratitude at her concern. Faking a smile you respond, “I’ll be okay Mrs. Weasley. Harry needs me and I need to be there for him.” She reaches across the table, grabbing your hand. “Y/n,” she urges, “You are just a child. It’s not fair for you to take on being someone’s emotional guardian like that.” A response forms on your lips, “But Mrs. Weasley, wouldn’t you do the same for Mr. Weasley?” She smiles, “Of course I would dear, but he’s my husband. You’re still so young.” She did have a point. But Harry wasn’t just anyone. “Yes he is Mrs. Weasley. And to be completely honest with you I feel the same future approaching for Harry and I. No one makes me happier than him and I really couldn’t imagine my life without him,” you beam. She returns your look, “Inspired words. I just want you to be safe.” Squeezing Mrs. Weasley’s hand you reply, “Always will be.” Then she busies herself cleaning and cooking. As soon as you befriended Ron, Mrs. Weasley became the mother in your life. And you would do anything for her. You were lucky she thought of you as her child. 

Pacing around the living room, you waited for Harry to return from wherever he was going with Dumbledore. You knew Dumbledore would protect him but it didn’t stop the worry you felt. It is still very early in the morning, Ron was sleeping upstairs. Instead it was Ginny who came down the stairs. “Alright there y/n?” she called out to you. Turning, you plaster a fake grin on your lips. “Fine Ginny, just waiting for Harry to get here.” She saw through your fake smile, but decided not to press the issue. She continued to wander into the kitchen. It’d been nearly 2 hours since you got here. You decide to distract yourself with food when you hear a loud crack from outside. The unmistakable sound of apparating. Sprinting out the door, you see Harry standing in the grass. “Harry!” you shriek. His arms don’t have time to catch you and he topples over as your body crashes into his, the air rushing out of his chest. Lifting yourself off of him slightly, you look down and study him. “Are you okay?” you giggle. He grunts, “Yea just surprised at being knocked over.” Immediately you get off of him and help him up. There’s a call for breakfast from inside and you’re about to go in, but decide to follow your impulses. Turning around, you cup Harry’s cheek and give him a long, lingering kiss. When you pull back, he stands there stunned into silence. “Come on,” you laugh. Taking his hand, you drag him back into the Weasley kitchen where a delicious breakfast awaits. 

Summer at the Weasley’s was the most relaxed you’d felt in ages. Today you’d decided to go to Fred and George’s joke shop along with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. The shop was a marvel, a beacon of light in the now dimly lit shops of Diagon Alley. Fred and George had really found their calling. The day was fantastic, that is until Harry caught sight of a familiar platinum blonde haired boy headed for Diagon Alley. Harry burst out the door after him. “Harry where are you going?” you call after him. Ron and Hermione look to you. You shake your head, not knowing where Harry was going, but you follow him, with Ron and Hermione on your tail. Harry watched Draco turn the corner and made a decision. He began to scale the building across from Fred and George’s, climbing onto the roof. “Harry Potter you get down from there! You’re going to hurt yourself!” Hermione and you both yell at the same time. But he doesn’t listen. “Merlin’s beard,” you curse under your breath. Grabbing hold of the gutter, you climb up following him. “Hang on, he doesn’t answer so you’re just going to follow him?” Ron asks bewilderedly. Ignoring him, you lay yourself next to Harry on the roof and follow his gaze. “Harry, what are we looking for,” you hiss. Not taking his eyes off Draco in Bourgon and Burke’s he replies, “Malfoy looks an awful lot like someone who doesn’t want to be followed. And now he’s in there, see he’s talking to his mother and Bellatrix Lestrange.” You gasp, Bellatrix Lestrange did indeed stand in plain sight in the main attraction of Knockturn Alley. Soon Hermione and Ron crawled up next to you. “What do you think they’re talking about?” Ron asks, already knowing why Harry was watching them. “Dunno,” Harry replies, “But they seem pretty interested in that cabinet.” Hermione squints at said cabinet. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” she murmurs. If Hermione hadn’t heard of it, that meant it had to be rare. So the four of you watched Draco’s interaction until he left. It was hard to pull Harry away. “Harry, come on. There’s nothing else happening,” you pull his arm. Reluctantly, he goes. Meeting back in the shop, you return to the burrow with your friends and an extremely agitated Harry. 

Today was no different. The Hogwarts Express chugged along the countryside and Harry sat next to you, aggressively chewing on his finger nails. “I’ve got to do something. I’ll be back,” he suddenly rose and left the compartment without a second glance. Ron looks at you. “Don’t look at me,” you say aloud, “He’s been acting weird all morning.” “But why?” Hermione asks. You groan, “I’m not sure. But I have a hunch.” Hermione doesn’t inquire further. 

Around lunchtime Luna and Ginny join you in the compartment. It somewhat takes your mind off of your missing best friend. But as the sky grows dim and you get closer to the castle, you shift in your seat. Pulling into the platform Hermione announces hopefully, “Maybe Harry’s already gotten off of the train.” You return her smile, “Maybe. But I’m gonna hang back just to make sure. See you guys at dinner.” They reluctantly nod. Ginny follows and it’s Luna who announces, “I’ll keep you company and help you look.” “Thanks Luna,” you reply thoughtfully Once everyone exits the train you begin to walk the aisle. “Harry?” you call tentatively. No answer. Luna slips into the other cart and continues searching. “Harry? Are you here?” you call out again. Silence echoes around you. Another minute of searching and a sing song voice calls from the next car over, “I’ve found him!” You rush towards Luna’s voice. She stands over Harry laying in the middle of the aisle with a clearly broken nose. “Oh Harry,” you sigh once you realize he isn’t seriously harmed. You and Luna each take a hand and pull him to his feet. Walking out onto the platform Luna briefly stops, stepping in front of Harry. “I can fix that for you,” she states. “That’d be great thank you Luna,” he replies, lowering his sleeve from his bleeding nose. Raising her wand Luna exclaims, “Episky.” Bones crunch as Harry’s nose is put back in place. The three of you stroll back towards the castle, forced to walk as all then carriages are gone. 

Dinner’s halfway over when the three of you arrive. Luna departs for the Ravenclaw table and you and Harry slide in by Ron and Hermione. “What happened?” Hermione gasps, gesturing to Harry’s bleeding nose. “Later Hermione,” Harry hisses, focusing on Dumbledore’s speech. You softly readjust the cloth he holds against his nose before turning to the front as well. “Even now, as we speak, dark forces attempt to penetrate this castle. They attempt to infiltrate your mind and you must ask yourselves, will you be the one to deliver your peers to darkness. The answer is hopefully no.” The speech was bleak, and it struck a chord with Harry. He was sure now more than ever that Draco was working with other followers of Voldemort. “We have a staffing change as well. I’d like to welcome Professor Horace Slughorn who will reprise his role as potions master. Professor Snape will begin Defense Against the Dark Arts.” It takes you a second to register said statement. “Wait what?” you ask incredulously. Harry answers, “That’s the man that Dumbledore took me to meet before we went to the Burrow. He wants me to get to know him, get close to him.” “Why?” you hiss. Harry just shakes his head responding, “Dunno.” When dinner’s over, you and your friends trail back up to Gryffindor tower. And before you sleep you ask Harry, “Harry I want you to promise me something okay?” He looks up at you from his spot on the couch. “Promise me you won’t impulsively go after Malfoy,” you state. Harry immediately frowns but you continue, “Harry, if he really is one of them now, then they could easily be at his side. Please don’t do anything impulsive, I need you to be safe Harry.” In response to your plee, Harry stands and presses a soft kiss to your cheek. “I promise,” he whispers. Satisfied, you return his kiss and skip off to bed. 

The next day was Quidditch tryouts. After Umbridge left Harry was reinstated and became captain. He kept you and Cormack on as beaters, Ginny as a chaser. There was one open spot, for keeper. Competition was fierce but in the end, it’s Ron who gets the position, to a very satisfied Hermione. That night you sat by the fire, comparing schedules. “Why aren’t you taking potions?” you ask Harry and Ron. Harry answers, “I don’t have the scores to become auror anyways so I may as well not take it.” You purse your lips considering his statement. Turning towards the fire, you realize how late it is. “Well, we best get some rest before classes tomorrow. Goodnight everyone,” you tell them. Harry walks you to the stairs like normal. “Goodnight Harry,” you tell him between kisses. “Goodnight beautiful,” he responds, causing a blush to creep to your nose. Harry laughs and sends you up the stairs. 

The next day was a whirlwind as you rushed from class to class. And as you stood listening to Professor Slughorn drone on about potions you’re surprised to see Harry and Ron enter the dungeons. “Ah, Harry my boy what brings you here?” Slughorn beams. Harry replies, “Well sir, Ron and I have added potions to our schedule sir. But we don’t have the book.” Slughorn, turning back to his notes says, “Very well, check the back cupboard for any extra books and find a seat.” Harry nods. Another moment later and Harry and Ron settle into your table. You raise your eyebrows at him. He mouths back ‘McGonagall’s orders.’ You smile, having had a feeling this would happen. When Slughorn announces that you’ll be brewing draught of living death on your own, you feel Hermione tense beside you. You laugh until you hear what the prize for the best one is. A vial of Felix Felicis. “Liquid luck,” you gasp. Hermione stares longingly at the prize and you join her gaze. “And Begin! Goodluck!” Slughorn proclaims. 

Half an hour later you wipe your forehead across your arm, sweat dripping down your face. “Why is this so hard,” you curse under your breath. Hermione had an equally difficult time, which comforted you a little bit. Trying to slice open a lobalog you growl as it shoots across the room out from under your knife. “Bloody hell,” you shot, eliciting a few dirty looks. Harry laughs at you. Turning to shoot him a fake glare, it’s then that you notice how well Harry is doing. Walking over to him you tug on his hand. He turns to look at you. “How are you doing this so well?” you moan in annoyance. Harry laughs and lets go of your hand turning to your textbook. “There’s notes in here,” he says, “I’ve just been following them.” Your eyes widen in jealousy. “Do share my dear,” you gently tease him. He shrugs, “Well for instance, try crushing the lobalogs against the blade instead of cutting them.” “Well okay,” you reply, returning to your station. Lo and behold, the crushing works and you smile in satisfaction. Hermione is in complete panic mode now, her hair blowing up in the steam. Dripping the juice into your cauldron she gasps, “How did you do that?” Shrugging you tell her, “I just crushed them instead of slicing them.” She shakes her head, “But that’s not in the directions.” Grinning you turn back to your work replying, “But it worked didn’t it?” She huffs in annoyance and continues trying to slice the bugs. Leave it to Hermione to insist on doing things by the book. 

When everyone is finished, Professor Slughorn parades around the room testing each potion. “I can tell this class will need some work,” he comments. Finally reaching your station he tests Ron’s and tuts, “Pitiful,” to which Ron profusely blushes. Hermione’s is next and he smiles saying, “Well done Ms. Granger.” She beams with pride. When he tests yours his face grows with excitement, “Even better Ms. l/n.” You couldn’t help but grin despite Hermione’s frustration next to you. But in the end it’s Harry’s that wins. “This is fantastic my boy! Absolutely Splendid! One bottle of Felix Felicis for you!” Slughorn hands the bottle over. Harry smiles and flashes a wink at you. Hermione looks torn between jealousy and curiosity and Ron looks longingly at the bottle. Exiting the dungeons you whisper to Harry, “I do hope you’ll share that book a little more.” Harry chuckles and takes your hand, walking towards the Great Hall for lunch. 

The first weekend after classes was your first Quidditch match. And unlucky for you it was against Slytherin. By the end of the week Ron was falling apart from nerves. “Ron are you okay?” you tap his shoulder. He jumps nearly a mile. “What? Oh sorry I was just thinking about the match tomorrow,” he replies. “Ron you’re gonna do fine,” Hermione reassures him. He gulps, “I’m not so sure ‘Mione.” He studies the fire in the common room, avoiding everyone’s gaze. “You should get some sleep Ron,” Ginny pushes him up from the couch. “I’m sure I’ll sleep, and not spend the whole night worrying about tomorrow,” he groans, traipsing up the steps. Ginny and Hermione follow. “We should get some sleep too,” you pull Harry up from the couch. “Meet you down here at 7 tomorrow?” he asks you. “Of course,” you tell him. Reaching the stairs to the girls dormitory you stop and turn to him. “Are you nervous for tomorrow?” you ask him, wrapping your arms around his waist in a hug. He murmurs into your hair, “For me? No. For Ron? Yes. But I have an idea on how to fix that.” Pulling away from the hug you catch the mischievous glint in his eye. “Harry James Potter what are you planning on doing?” you fake scold him. He laughs, “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” You push a finger into his chest and he backs against the window. “I know when you’re lying Harry,” you tell him. He grabs the wrist of the hand poking at his chest and kisses you deeply, pulling you into him. It’s all too easy to give into his touch and you let him run his hands across your back as you wind your own through his hair. Breathlessly he pulls away when he runs out of breath, with a goofy grin plastered on his face. You shake your head at his smile, He goes to kiss you again but you turn your head saying, “No kisses for you until you tell me this plan.” Harry groans, still reaching for your lips. Finally he sighs, “You’re too hard to resist.” Grinning at your victory, you turn towards him and wait for his explanation. He continues, “I was thinking of faking putting the Felix Felicis in Ron’s morning juice. I already asked Luna to come over and comment on the ‘tonic’ I put in his juice. If he thinks I gave him it, then I bet anything he’ll be at the top of his game.” Your jaw drops in surprise. “Harry that’s brilliant!” you squeal in delight. He laughs, “Well I’m glad you think so.” The clock chimes midnight and Harry frowns in frustration. “You should get to bed,” he tells you. Nodding, you plant one last lingering kiss on his lips and bound up the stairs, his eyes watching your backside as you go. Harry sighs in contentment and goes to bed himself. 

The next morning you wait for Ron and Hermione to arrive at breakfast, as you already sat with Harry and Luna. When Ron does sit you urge him to eat. He looks like a ghost. “Some juice then? Come on drink up Ron?” Harry pushes the cup forward. As planned Luna comments, “Is that why you put a tonic in there?” Ron looks to Harry in confusion. Again as planned, Harry hastily moves the bottle of Felix Felicis from the table. It’s Hermione who speaks up, “Harry you can’t do that! It’s illegal.” Harry shrugs, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Hermione groans in frustration at Harry. Turning to Ron she begs, “Don’t drink it Ron. You don’t want your first victory to be won unfairly.” Ron considers her statement for a brief moment before downing the juice. Hermione frowns in disappointment. “Come on Harry, y/n. We’ve got a match to win,” he strides towards the field with newfound confidence. You follow your teammates with a hint of guilt in your chest at lying to Hermione. Harry, being your closest confidant, notices you’re feeling guilty. “She’ll find out soon enough, no harm done. I promise,” he tells you. Taking your hand, he leads you to the changing rooms. 

Nearly every single student showed up for the match, the crowds were massive. After a somewhat motivating speech from Harry, you emerged from the changing rooms. Before you let him go and focus you kiss him on the cheek and say, “Goodluck darling.” He smiles and struts away. Following his figure, you focus all your thoughts on beating Slytherin. 

As soon as Madam Hooch blew her whistle it was evident how much the Slytherin’s wanted to win. Due to the fact that they were likely to play dirty, you had to dash around the field, batting every bludger in their way. One Slytherin made their way through your defense and went to score. Miraculously, Ron blocks the Quaffle, kicking it right into Ginny’s arms. “YEAH!” you pumped your fist in the air. Refocusing, you search for the next bludger. Headed for Ginny with the quaffle, you dived in front of the bludger, wacking it towards a Slytherin chaser with all your strength. Knowing this move, GInny simultaneously dips lower, continuing on with the quaffle. The team was incredibly in sync. Another ten minutes pass and you spot the snitch. A red blur quickly follows it and you knew Harry saw it. Problem was, so did Malfoy. Racing towards Malfoy, you search around for any bludger to hit. The answer comes in the form of a heavy object slamming into the back of your arm. Gritting your teeth, you watch the bludger fly past you. Ignoring the pulsing in your left arm you position yourself behind the bludger and blasted it in Malfoy’s direction. His hand reached out for the snitch and you watched with bated breath. The bludger made contact with the back of his shoulders, effectively knocking him out of the way. With Malfoy gone, Harry closes his fist around the snitch in victory. He sails towards the ground, jumping off his broom. The whole team follows and the seven of you dog pile on top of Harry. The stands erupted in cheers and the Slytherin’s quickly retreated in defeat. 

That night in the common room a party was thrown to celebrate the victory. Tons of firewhiskey was brought in, music blasting through a speaker. When Ron entered he was immediately lifted onto people’s shoulders. The amount of saves he brought for the team was nothing short of amazing. Hermione scowled. You and Harry walked up to her, ready to explain what really happened. Wordlessly, Harry pulled the vial out and showed it to her. She gasps, “You didn’t really put it in. He only thought you did.” Harry nods. “Sorry we didn’t tell you before,” you add. “It’s perfectly alright I…” Her voice trails off, her expression immediately changing to disgust. You and Harry followed her gaze and see Ron Weasley passionately kissing Lavender Brown. “Oh no. That’s not good,” you mumble. Harry stares on, stunned into silence. You turn to talk to Hermione, but she’s gone. “Harry,” you nudge him out of his daze. “Hermione’s gone,” you tell him. His face falls, “Oh no. She must be heartbroken.” You nod your head. “I’m going to go find her and talk to her. I’ll catch you later,” you press a fleeting kiss on his cheek and leave Gryffindor tower, searching for Hermione. 

20 minutes later you find her in her favorite stairwell, the sniffles floating up to your ears. “Oh Hermione,” you sigh, filled with sympathy. You silently sit down next to her and place an arm around her. She sobs loudly. “I’m so sorry,” you tell her. She cries into your shoulder, soaking your shirt. Eventually, her cries slow and she shakes softly. “How did you do it?” “Do what ‘Mione?” you ask. She sniffles, “Watch Harry be with someone else. Last year with Cho.” You sigh, pondering her question. Eventually you answer, “It was hard. Really hard actually. Some days I didn’t want to leave the room. But I had to be strong.” She nods. “Ron’s an idiot,” you comment. She laughs. Minutes pass and she fiddles with her wand, conjuring tiny songbirds that circle the two of you. Soon giggles round the corner and a cheery Ron and Lavender pause at the sight of the two of you. Ron glances up, “What’s with the birds?” he asks. Lavender coos, “Come on Ron, I think this stairwell is taken.” She leaves but Ron stares at you comforting your friend. Hermione’s face hardens and she flicks her wand, sending the birds after him. With a look of horror and confusion, he turns and runs away. Then her cries return. “Hermione you know you don’t need him right?” you tell her. She doesn’t answer. You continue, “You’re the smartest person I know Hermione. And you’re such a pretty girl. Besides, you've got me and Ginny and Harry. We’re here for you. Come on, let’s go back.” Hermione nods and follows you back to Gryffindor tower. Sending her up the stairs to your dormitory you say, “If you need anything Hermione I’ll be in the common room for a little while.” She nods and says, “Thank you y/n. You really are my best friend.” You hug her and send her to bed. 

When Hermione is gone you walk over to the couch to find Harry talking to Ginny. “Well?” Ginny asks. You sigh, “I got her to stop crying. But she’s heartbroken.” Ginny nods, “I can’t believe my idiot brother.” Harry bites back a snort of laughter. Ginny laughs and stands up saying, “Well I think I’ll head to bed. Great match today guys.” You compliment, “You too Ginny. You must have scored at least seven times.” She shrugs as if it was nothing. Laughing, she walks up the stairs and disappears behind the door. Finally you turn to Harry and let out a long breath. “This will sure make things complicated,” Harry comments. You nod. Taking his arm, you place it around your shoulders and curl up into him, tucking your feet underneath you on the couch. Harry asks, “Are you okay y/n?” Breathing against his chest you answer, “I’m okay. It’s just Hermione asked how I had to deal with you seeing Cho. And I had to think back about that. Because even though I was with Seamus I still had such strong feelings for you and it was hard to watch you be with someone else.” “I know exactly what you mean,” Harry replies. “I wish we didn’t lose all that time,” you admit. Harry speaks softly, “I wish we didn’t either. But we’re together now. That’s all that matters.” “You’re right,” you agree with him. A comfortable silence falls over the two of you and you relish in the pure bliss of snuggling with Harry. Suddenly, a thought comes to you and you sit up looking at Harry. “Harry what are we?” you ask eagerly. He snorts with laughter, “I beg your pardon?” You continue, “I mean I know we’re together, but like are we dating? Are we boyfriend and girlfriend? That’s what I mean.” A blush creeps onto his cheeks as he considers your thought. “Well?” you elbow him playfully. He answers, “I’m not really sure what any of that means. I’ve never really dated anyone before but I would like to call you my girlfriend. You grin like a fool. “So I’m your girlfriend then?” you look up at him. He answers by kissing you, pulling you into his lap. Breathlessly he pulls away and answers, “Yes. You’re my girlfriend.” You smile and kiss him again. It felt so natural to sit in his lap. His hands roam around your lower back, leaving your skin on fire. Running your hands through his hair, you let your tongue slip in his mouth and press yourself closer to him. Boldly, Harry removes his lips from yours and begins to suck on your neck. You hiss, “Harry that feels good.” He chuckles against your skin and continues to leave love marks on your collarbone. You squirm in his lap and he pulls away saying sheepishly, “We’ll probably have to stop now.” His face was beet red. Sliding off his lap you plant a soft kiss to his cheek and whisper, “Goodnight darling.” He gulps, “Goodnight y/n.” Flopping onto your bed, you fall asleep with a goofy grin on your face. 

As potions continues throughout the term, Hermione becomes increasingly furious with how well Harry is doing. “Hermione I would let you share my book with me you know?” Harry argues with her after class. She huffs, “That’s not the point Harry. It’s that it doesn’t follow directions.” “Suit yourself,” Harry shrugs. “See you at the three broomsticks?” you ask Hermione. She shakes her head, “I suppose. But if Ron and Lavender are there I’m leaving.” “Okay Hermione,” you tell her. Looking out the window, you see a fresh layer of snow falling as you run up to Gryffindor tower to change. You decided to wear jeans with your brown combat boots and, sneaking up to Harry’s room, you throw on his Quidditch sweatshirt. Walking down the stairs into the common room, Harry raises his eyebrows at you. “I don’t think that’s yours,” he teases, snaking an arm around your waist. You feign innocence, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He laughs and kisses you on the forehead. 

You enjoyed your time at the three broomsticks, successfully managing to distract Hermione from Ron and Lavender. Tragedy struck on the walk back to the castle. One moment you were laughing with your friends and the next minute you laughed in horror as Katie Bell’s body hung in the air a package lying at her feet. “Oh my god what’s going on?” you shout, running forward. Katie’s friend tells you, “I told her not to touch it, I told her!” Confused, you watched as Katie’s body is thrown around by some unknown force. She then drops from the air. “Arresto Momento!” you yell, slowing her fall. Stepping forward, you reach for the package but are stopped by Hagrid striding forward yelling, “Do not touch that! Whatever you do don’t touch that!” Stepping back, you watch as Hagrid lifts Katie up and carries her back towards the castle. 

When you get back to the castle, you’re immediately summoned by Professor McGonagall. “Please describe what happened,” she asks you. Hermione jumps into a long winded explanation, saving you from having to say anything. When she’s done Professor McGonagall says, “Very well, you may go.” Harry however, stays glued to where he stands. “It was Malfoy,” he blurts suddenly. Both you and Hermione shoot him a look not to pursue this. “And how, may I ask, do you know that?” McGonagall questions him. “I just know,” Harry replies. “You just know?” McGonagall lets the statement hang in the air. Professor Snape comes striding into view and says something privately to Professor McGonagall. She whispers something to him. When he leaves she looks back to the three of you and says, “Please go back to Gryffindor tower.” You’re happy to oblige. 

When you get out to the hallway you tell Hermione, “Hey you go on up, I want to talk to Harry for a minute.” She nods. When she leaves, you take Harry’s hand and dragged him up to the astronomy tower. When you get there, you pause and turn around to face him. “Harry what’s with the firm belief that Malfoy is up to something?” you ask him. He crosses his arms replying, “I already expected no one else to believe me but now you too?” He looks betrayed. Sighing, you uncross his arms and hold his hands in yours. He avoids your eye contact. You place a hand on his cheek and catch his green eyes. “Harry please talk to me,” you whisper. He sighs and answers, “I just need you to believe me.” Your voice rises to a shot as you try to convince him, “Harry I do believe in you! I do!” He finally looks at you, emotion in his eyes. You continue, “Harry, if you say Draco did it I believe you. I just don’t want you to get into unnecessary trouble, you know I worry about you.” His eyes flash with sadness. “Katie could have died,” he lets the statement hang in the air. “But she didn’t,” you reply. Harry takes your hand and brings you to the edge of the astronomy tower. The two of you sit, legs dangling off the edge, and watch the sunset. Harry’s arm is wrapped around your shoulders and you lean into him, nuzzling your face into his chest. After it gets dark he says, “I wish we could just run away sometimes.” You lift your head up from his chest and study his facial features. You were only 16 but Harry looked aged, there was worry in his eyes and you couldn’t remember a time when his eyebrows weren’t furrowed in concern. “I wish we could too Harry,” you lightly kissed his cheek. After a pause he confesses, “It’s so much pressure. I’m just a teenage boy. And now the whole wizarding world is relying on me to save their asses.” You knew it was hard for Harry to admit his fears, he always wanted to wear a brave face. You gently turn Harry’s face towards your own and kiss his lips deeply. You only pull away when you run out of breath. Breathing into his face you whisper, “I’m never going to leave you Harry. I’m going to help you. You’re not alone in this.” Pressing his forehead against yours, Harry says, “I really don’t deserve you.” 

Slughorn made a big deal about the Christmas party that he would be hosting this year for his favorite students. Sitting in the common room around the fire you ask Hermione, “So who are you going to bring to the Slugclub’s christmas party?” She groans, “Ooh I don’t know. Maybe I should just go solo. Or wait, I’ll bring you!” You laugh, “Hermione, Harry is Slughorn’s crowning jewel in his collection of students, surely you don’t expect me to not go with my boyfriend?” She sighs, “God I don’t know what to do. You know who I’d really like to go with, but I can’t.” Squeezing her hand you say, “I know Hermione. It will get better.” She replies, “What I’d love to do is take the person who would piss Ron off the most.” You encourage her, “So do it then.” She pauses, “Maybe I will.” Harry comes up to the two of you and says, “What’s going on?” You tell him, “Hermione doesn’t know who to take to the Christmas party next week.” Harry sits down on the couch, pulling you into his lap and kissing you quickly before telling Hermione, “You know I happen to know someone that is dying to go with you.” Hermione’s eyes nearly pop out as she asks, “Who?” Harry laughs, “Cormack.” Hermione groans, “Now that is the last person I want to go with.” Harry agrees, “Yes, he’s quite annoying. But I know he would say yes.” “Fine,” Hermione huffs and walks over to Cormack, taking the plot into her own hands. Harry tickles your side and kisses your neck affectionately. “Harry stop,” you giggle. He chuckles and continues to tickle your sides. Finally, when your laughing dies down, Harry asks, “So what will my beautiful y/n be wearing to the party?” Kissing him on the nose you reply, “It’s a surprise.” He groans, “Don’t keep me in suspense.” “But then it’s no fun for me,” you laugh. Hermione stomps back over and says, “It’s done,” with a look of disgust on her face. 

You help Hermione get ready for the party, nervousness already spreading through you. The dress you decided to wear was a deep red, silk material, with off the shoulder sleeves that stopped right above your knees. Meeting Harry in the common room, his eyes glance over you and he lets out a low whistle. “Harry,” you blush profusely, playfully swatting his arm. “You look gorgeous,” Harry breathes. Blush travels up your neck to the tip of your nose and you mumble, “Thanks.” Harry offers you his arm and he escorts you to the party. 

Slughorn welcomes Harry with open arms and only acknowledges you as an afterthought. Once he’s thoroughly had his ear talked off, Harry returns to you side. “Care for a dance?” Harry asks you. You smile sheepishly, “Harry I’m not the best dancer.” He laughs, “And you think I am? Come on we’ll embarrass ourselves together.” So you let him drag you onto the dance floor. Harry really wasn’t the best dancer, but he had an ulterior motive; to hold you close. Wrapping your arms around his neck, his hands wind around your waist, pulling you tightly against him. You rest your head on his shoulder, The biggest smile grows across his face as he sways with you in his arms. And in that moment, Harry thought that he could never be happier than he was right now. But as was typical with his life, the happy moment was quickly interrupted. Mr. Filch entered the premises, dragging a reluctant Draco Malfoy with him. “Professor Slughorn sir, found this one gate crashing. Claims he was invited sir,” Filch simpers. Slughorn chuckles, “No harm done, no harm done.” Before he can continue, Professor Snape sweeps onto the scene and says, “I can take care of Mr. Malfoy.” His black robes sweep behind him as he drags the boy out of the party. You look to Harry, wondering what he wants to do. Your eyes travel down to his pocket as he flashes you the invisibility cloak. You nod and follow him as he slinks out into the corridor. 

“Come on, let's go. Quickly,” Harry raises the cloak and you climb underneath, standing against him. Shuffling slowly down the hallway, you and Harry stand tucked against the wall as you listen to hushed voices. “I made a vow to protect you. So I would appreciate you not getting yourself into trouble everytime I turn my back,” Snape sneers. Draco shoots back, “I was chosen for this task. I don’t need your help. He chose me. Leave me alone.” Then there’s the telltale stomping of Draco walking away. You look at Harry, who mutters, “Believe me now?” Slowly, you nod. “He’s definitely involved somehow,” you agree. Harry gulps and slowly takes you back to the Christmas party. But the rest of the night seems pointless and you watch helplessly as Harry is extremely agitated to a point of distress. 

Returning to the common room, Hermione immediately goes to take a shower, claiming she needs to scrub off Cormack’s touch. Harry plops down in an armchair and you settle comfortably in his lap. “Think we’ll ever have a night to ourselves, uninterrupted by impending doom?” you chuckle sarcastically. Harry laughs and runs a hand affectionately through your hair. “One day darling, one day,” he promises you. You study his emerald green eyes closely and see both the admiration and sadness in them at the same time. “One day,” you echo his thoughts. Harry smiles adoringly at you and you laugh, kissing him gently. Eventually, you part ways with your lover and go to bed. 

Christmas holiday came by fast and soon enough you were back at the burrow. Opening your presents, you smile at the sweater Mrs. Weasley had knit you. “Oh thank you so much Mrs. Weasley I love it!” You run around the table and hugged her. From Ron you got some broom polish, from Hermione the new edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and from Ginny you got new converse. “Thank you so much guys!” you beam at your friends around the table. And as dessert finished up, everyone scattered throughout the house, enjoying family conversation. Making yourself some hot chocolate, you sit in the windowsill, watching snow fall. 

Harry comes up from behind you, kissing the top of your head. “Hello darling,” you smile at him and patted the seat next to you. Sitting down, he smirks and pulls out a present from behind his back. “Harry you didn’t have to,” you begin but he silences you with a kiss. When he pulls away he says, “Yes I had to. Because you are life’s greatest gift to me.” Smiling cheekily you reply, “I got something for you too.” Revealing the present you got him from underneath the cushion, you push it towards him saying, “Open it.” Harry grins and begins to unwrap it. His breath stops for a moment when he sees what it is. Somehow, you’d managed to find a picture of you and Harry, age 7, smiling and lying in your aunt’s backyard, dirt all over your hands, holding them up to the camera. You’d managed to charm the picture to move and it showed you laughing and wiping dirt on Harry’s nose. It was a simple frame the picture was in, but it was the picture that mattered. His green eyes shine with emotion as he says softly, “I love it. I love it so much.” You smile, satisfied with the gift. Harry hastily wiped his eyes on his sleeve and says, “Your turn,” pushing your own gift towards you. It was rather tiny and you held your breath as you opened it. “Oh Harry,” you gasp, staring at the gift. It was a simple oval shaped silver locket. But that wasn’t the special part. The special part was that you noticed this necklace in a shop window in Hogsmeade months ago. Somehow, Harry had remembered this. Opening the locket, you saw a picture of you and Harry moving. It was the two of you embracing tightly after you won a Quidditch match earlier this year. “Hermione must have taken it,” Harry shrugs, answering your question before you can ask it. “Will you put it on me?” you ask him. Harry nods and takes the necklace from you. Turning around, the hairs on your neck stood on end as Harry brushed your long locks aside, and clasped the necklace around you. 

When Lupin turns to leave, Harry stands with him at the front door, staring out across the land. “Something’s up,” you mutter to Ginny. The two of you walk towards the door behind him. Suddenly there’s a flash of black across the sky and you freeze in your spot as you hear the laugh of Bellatrix Lestrange echoing through the air. There’s a ring of fire and Bellatrix appears chanting, “I killed Sirius Black! I killed Sirius Black!” You look at Ginny and mutter, “Oh no. He’ll go after her.” Sure enough, Harry sprints through the ring of fire after the death eater in a moment of anger. Without a second thought, you sprint after him, jumping over the flames. “Y/n no!” Lupin shouts after you. Ignoring it, you sprint through the tall grass after Harry. “Harry!” you scream. Sprinting further into the tall grass, you search frantically for your boyfriend. There’s a rustling in the grass a few feet behind you and you turn around scared. “Harry?” you call out shakily. There’s a low growl coming from the rustling in the leaves and you freeze, frightened. Backing up quickly, you squint your eyes into the night, searching for the source of the growls. You gasp as your feet hit wet ground, and you back up into the dredged pond. Then you nearly jump out of your skin when your back hits something solid. Turning around, you sigh in relief as you see Harry. “There’s something out there,” your voice quivers. “Don’t turn your back to anything,” he tells you. You oblige, standing back to back with Harry, wands raised, searching for death eaters. Then Fenrir Greyback comes into view, releasing that low growling sound again. “There’s that pretty one,” he grumbles in your direction. You feel Harry tense behind you and he turns around saying, “Touch her and you die.” The werewolf growls and moves closer. “Harry,” you grip his forearm, concern growing in your voice. Then there’s a bellowing behind you and Mr. Weasley shouts, “Stupefy!” The werewolf is blasted back onto the ground. He gets up, seething anger and advances towards you. A screech fills the air and he stops, looking back towards the burrow. He smiles smugly and disapparates. Looking back to the burrow, you see the entire house is on fire and collapsing in on itself. “Oh my god,” you gasp in horror. You take off sprinting towards the house, Harry following close behind. 

There was no cheering Harry up over the final days of Christmas Holiday. You knew that he completely blamed himself for what happened at the Burrow. Returning to Hogwarts, Harry is immediately whisked away by Dumbledore for another one of their special lessons. So you sat up in the common room, waiting for him. Nearing midnight, you jump in surprise as the portrait opens and it’s not Harry. Ginny shuts the portrait and leans against it, a smug smile on her face. “Ginny?” you hiss at her. She jumps in surprise. “Bloody hell y/n you frightened me,” the smile drops from her face. “Where were you?” you question. She struggles to form an excuse. Finally she confesses, “With Luna.” “At the library?” you continue. Ginny blurts out, “No. We’re dating.” “Oh,” you’re briefly surprised. But the more you thought about it, the more the idea of Ginny and Luna together grew on you. “That’s great,” you smile at her. “I’m happy for you,” you continue. She beams, “Thanks y/n. Night.” “Night Ginny,” you reply. It was almost 1 am when Harry returns. “Bloody hell Harry that took a long time,” you whisper, walking up to him. You hug him and don’t let go for at least two minutes. “Y/n,” he laughs, “What’s going on?” You pull away and say, “I don’t know. I’m just always scared that whenever you leave there’s a chance I’ll never see you again.” Harry looks at you intensely and whispers, “Do you really get scared of that?” Wordlessly you nod, looking down. He tilts your chin up and gives you a soft kiss. Trying to make you smile he says, “Not even death could take me from you.” You give him a small smile as he moves over to the armchair by the fire. You casually climb into his lap, curling up into him. “What did he say this time?” you ask. Harry sighs, “He really needs me to get that memory from Slughorn. Without it we won’t know how many horcruxes there are or any idea where the could be.” “Oh,” is all you can say. Harry audibly gulps and you reassure him, “You’ll get it Harry, I know you will.” Harry presses a kiss to your neck and mutters sleepily, “Thanks.” It wasn’t abnormal for people to find you and Harry curled up in the common room, having fallen asleep. That’s what happened tonight. 

Reconvening at dinner the next day Harry tells you of his failed attempt to get the memory. “He’s now avoiding me at all costs,” Harry groans. You gently rub his shoulders saying, “I’m sure it will be alright.” Harry laughs, “He kicked me out of his office and didn’t even acknowledge my presence in potions today.” “You’ll just have to wait it out and try again,” you tell him. “I suppose you’re right,” Harry concedes. “Always am,” you reply with a smirk. Kissing the top of his head you say, “Come on, let’s head back. Besides I haven’t seen Ron since lunch and I’m slightly worried.” “Alright,” Harry takes your hand and you walk back to Gryffindor tower. 

Entering the common room you look around and don’t see Ron. “I’ll check upstairs,” he says, bounding up the steps. You walk over to the fireplace and see Hermione entranced in her homework. “You okay ‘Mione?” you ask her. She looks up from her place on the floor and says, “What? Oh yeah I’m fine.” “Hermione it’ll get better,” you try to tell her. She groans, “I don’t know. I just wish things would go back to normal.” “I know what you mean,” you tell her. 

About to settle into your homework, Harry comes down the stairs, pulling a reluctant Ron. “What’s happening?” you walk up to them. Hermione follows, concern etched on her face. “Romilda Vane tried to slip me a love potion through some chocolates. Ron helped himself instead,” Harry grunts, pulling Ron towards the common room door. “Where are you going?” Hermione asks. Harry replies, “To Slughorn. He’ll fix this. Don’t worry, be back soon.” He flashes you a wink and then leaves, tugging Ron behind him.  

Every minute that Harry and Ron don’t return, Hermione grows even more anxious. “Hermione, I’m sure everything is fine okay? Harry had to get Ron to Slughorn’s office and you saw how loopy Ron was. It’s bound to take a little while,” you reassure her. She looks up at you and you’re surprised to see her crying. “Hermione what’s the matter?” you exclaim in worry. Wrapping your arms around her, you urge her to share. She sniffles, “I’m worried about him y/n.” You feel the utmost sympathy for her. “Hermione it’ll be okay. I promise,” you console her. She merely sobs into your shoulder. Her head pops immediately up when Harry bursts through the portrait hole, breathing tirelessly from sprinting up to the common room. “What is it?” you shoot to your feet. Harry sighs, “Ron was poisoned. He’s going to be okay, but he’s in the hospital wing. He’s gonna be there for a few days.” Harry waits for no reply, instead he turns and runs back to his friend’s side. Hermione and you sprint after him. 

Entering the hospital wing, your heart hurts to see Ron laying there, the palest you’d ever seen him. He looked ghastly. Hermione throws all caution aside and plants herself beside him, clutching one of his hands in her own. You watch on by Harry’s side. The drama only continues when Lavender comes into the room, seething at the sight before her. “What are you doing here?” she asks Hermione coolly. Hermione replies, “Ron’s my friend.” Lav scoffs, “I suppose you’re only here because he’s all interesting now.” Hermione laughs, “He’s been poisoned you daft bimbo! Besides, he wants me here I’m sure.” Lavender finds this hilarious. Ron begins to stir and Lavender smiles, expecting him to sense her presence. Instead, Ron moans out, “Her-mi-one. Her-mi-one.” You’re floored with surprise. Turning, you watch as Lavender runs from the room, sobbing endlessly. You shoot Hermione your biggest smirk and she looks away, muttering, “Shut up.” 

Ron is allowed to leave the hospital wing three days later. Harry had told you what happened. That the poisoned mead Ron drank was meant for Dumbledore. He had your suspicions and as much as you wanted to deter Harry from getting in a duel with Draco, you couldn’t help but agree with him that everything pointed towards the platinum haired Slytherin. Sighing, you sit down next to Harry in the common room, as he pours over his potions book. Gently taking it from his hands, you say softly, “Harry. It’s time to get that memory from Slughorn.” “How?” he asks you exasperated. “With a little help from Felix?” you offer the suggestion casually. He grins, “That’s brilliant! You’re brilliant y/n.” He plants a kiss to your forehead and runs up the stairs to his room. When he returns, he holds the vial tightly in his palm. Ron and Hermione approach the two of you. “What are you gonna do with that mate?” Ron asks him, gesturing to the vial. Harry responds, “It’s time for me to get that memory from Slughorn. Dumbledore says it’s the key to figuring out how to defeat Voldemort.” Ron nods. Harry looks from you, to Ron and Hermione. “Go on,” you encourage him. He downs the potion in one swallow. As he finishes the potion, a grin spreads widely across his face. Hermione tells him, “Right. Slughorn usually takes supper in his office, and then goes for a nightly walk. You’ll be able to find him I’m sure.” Harry stares at her and replies, “Right. I’m going to Hagrid’s.” He begins to walk towards the portrait hole. “Harry, wait what?” you call after him. He turns around to you and goes all doey eyed. “My beautiful y/n,” he walks over to you and cups your face gently. You suppress a laugh. It appears that Felix Felicis had the same effect as too much alcohol. “Harry you’ve got to find Slughorn,” you urge him, removing his hands from your cheeks. “I’ve got the feeling though that Hagrid’s is the place to be,” he argues. He turns to exit again. “Harry, are you sure you know what you’re doing?” you ask desperately. He smiles, “No. But Felix does. I’ll see you guys later.” He exits Gryffindor common room. “I have a very bad feeling about this,” you groan, sitting next to Hermione. She laughs, “He did seem a bit drunk didn’t he?” Ron agrees, “Seemed bloody wasted more like it.” Eventually Ron and Hermione head to bed and you wait up for Harry, tapping your leg restlessly against the floor. 

The portrait hole opens at around midnight. “Harry!” you call out his name breathlessly. Shortcutting it, you step over the top of the couch, jumping into the green eyed boys arms and wrapping your legs around his waist. He catches you and holds you in his arms, his hands tucking underneath you to support your body. “Did you get it?” you ask him desperately. He grins, “I got it. Brought it to Dumbledore and saw it. He says he thinks he knows where one is. That we might go and get it soon.” Harry carries you over to the couch and sits down with you in his lap. “What did it say?” you ask about the memory. Harry’s eyes study you carefully. He confesses, “Slughorn’s the one that told him about the horcruxes. He split his soul into seven pieces. Seven.” You gulp nervously. Harry continues, “The diary from second year was one. The ring was another. But like I said, Dumbledore thinks he knows where the next one is.” “What a relief,” you sigh. Harry rubs your back affectionately and admits, “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of how excited you always are to see me.” You respond, “I’ll always be excited to see you.” Harry gives you one last fleeting look before smashing his lips on yours. His hands roam across your waist and you tangle your own in his messy black hair. You can feel the passion rising in your chest and you desperately cling to him. Harry breathes heavily, his lips moving to your neck. “Harry,” you sigh breathlessly. He continues showering you with affection. Harry kisses you with a desperation you’d never felt from him before. His fingers dug into your skin, as if he was scared you might disappear from his grasp. “Harry wait,” you gasp, reluctantly pulling away from his lips. “What is it?” he asks you, concern etched in his eyes. “When you go to find this, this horcrux, promise me you’ll be careful okay? Promise me,” you plead with him. Harry looks at you and responds, “Of course I’ll be careful y/n. Why are you so worried about me lately? I mean besides the inevitable.” You gulp and avoid his gaze. “Y/n what is it?” he implores you. A tear comes to your eyes and you look up at his beautiful emerald green ones. “Harry I always worry about you. I’ve never stopped. As much as you may want me not to, I will always worry for you. Because I love you Harry. I do, I love you.” Harry sucks in a sharp breath and searches your gaze. In his heart, he wonders if this is really happening. The words slip from his mouth, “I love you y/n. I always have. Always will. My heart has always belonged to you.” You brush away a stray hair of Harry’s bangs. “I never thought we’d get this,” you admit. Harry sighs, “Me neither. I always thought the timing wouldn’t line up. But here we are, and I can’t believe how lucky I am.” Grinning wildly, you rest your head on Harry’s shoulders. “I love you Harry,” you whisper into the night. “I love you too y/n,” he repeats. Waiting up for Harry that night was the best decision you’ve ever made. It appears the liquid luck gave you and Harry the extra push you needed to confess your love for one another. But the next morning the luck ran out. 

You sat at breakfast beside Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Lifting cereal into your mouth, you drop your spoon as you watch who enters the great hall. “Harry look,” you nudge him, “It’s Katie. She’s out of the hospital.” Harry gasps and follows your gaze. Katie approaches the Gryffindor table quietly. Harry immediately stands and walks over to her. Worriedly, you follow him. Stopping in front of her, Harry asks quickly, “Katie, how are you feeling?” She gives him a small smile. “I’m okay Harry. Alive aren’t I? And before you ask Harry, I’m sorry. I don’t know who cursed me. I can’t remember a thing,” she tells him. Harry’s face falls and you place your hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He manages a smile, saying, “I’m just glad you’re okay Katie.” She smiles in return. Looking behind you, the smile falls from her face and she stands frozen in fear. Turning slowly around, you see the platinum blonde haired boy she’s staring out. “Oh no,” you mutter under your breath. Harry’s eyes follow Katie’s gaze and they fall on Draco, anger seething from his look. Katie’s frightened look at Draco is all Harry needs to confirm his suspicions. Draco glances briefly at Harry and then Katie. Then he exits the great hall quickly. Harry races after him. “Harry wait!” you call after him. He ignores you. “Bloody hell,” you groan, running after your boyfriend. 

You skid to a halt outside the Great Hall and Harry and Malfoy are nowhere to be found. A floor above you, you hear the pounding of footsteps. “Shit,” you curse, sprinting up the steps. The footsteps came from near the bathroom. As you neared the door, your feet splashed in water on the floor. Kicking the door open, you hear curses flying and faucets breaking. “Harry!” you shout, searching for him amongst the chaos. Across the stalls on the other side of the room, you hear the sound of feet moving across the wet stone and watch helplessly as Draco tries to curse your boyfriend. “STOP!” you shriek desperately. But they were caught up in rage and no one listened to you. Harry shouts an unknown spell, “Sectum Sempra!” And Malfoy’s body is thrown back by the magic, his form coming into view. He lays beneath the sinks, and you race forward, your feet sopping wet. Coming to a stop, standing over the Slytherin boy, you gasp in surprise. Blood seeped from his body. Harry comes halting to a stop next to you. “Harry what did you do?” you breathe in horror. Harry cries, “I didn’t know. I didn’t know what that spell would do.” Behind the two of you, Professor Snape comes sweeping into the bathroom, kneeling over Draco’s body. Harry stands frozen. Draco’s body begins to heal, the wounds closing up. “Harry we have to go,” you grab his hand, pulling him backwards. “Harry,” you say urgently. Shaken from his daze, Harry finally turns to you, and the two of you run hand in hand back upstairs. 

Back in Gryffindor common room, Harry explains to your two other friends what happened. “Where did you learn that spell?” Hermione asks. Harry avoids her gaze, instead looking to his potions book. “Harry you didn’t,” Hermione gasps. His silence confirms the answer. “Harry, Snape saw you in the bathroom. We need to hide this book. Whose book is it anyways?” you ask, taking the book from his grasp. “The half-blood prince. Who is the half-blood prince?” you ask curiously. Harry shrugs, “Dunno.” Rising to your feet, you pull Harry along with you. “We need to get rid of the book. No one else can learn that spell. Now,” you declare. Harry has no choice but to follow you. 

You lead Harry to the room of requirement and he breathes, “Of course. Brilliant idea.” Closing your eyes, you concentrate on what you need the room to give you. And obliging to your request, the door appears and swings open. Squeezing Harry’s hand, you both enter the room of requirement. 

Before you is a complete maze of every item that’s ever been hidden in the room before. Various noises wash over your ears and without thinking, you stash the book deep in the room, dragging Harry along beside you. When you return to Gryffindor tower, extremely out of breath, Harry falls to the couch in the common room, sighing, “Thank you. I didn’t know what to do. I was just… frozen. I didn’t know it would hurt him like that.” “I know baby, I know,” you stroke the back of his head. 

A non-stop wave of rain passes over the castle for the next week. And on the last day before your scheduled exams, Harry announces to the group that Dumbledore wants them to depart for the supposed location of the next Horcrux. Worry coursed through you and you felt your heart nearly ripped out of your chest when Harry departed with Dumbledore. 

Hours later, you stand pacing the common room. “What is taking them so long?” you blurt out at Hermione and Ron. Ron shrugs and Hermione replies, “He’s with Dumbledore y/n, I’m sure that he is safe.” And almost as if to defy her logic, there’s a loud crashing through the sky and you turn to look out the window, seeing possibly the worst thing you could have imagined. The dark mark rose high above the astronomy tower. “Harry!” you state, barely above a whisper. Before they can stop you, you race out of the common room, sprinting across the castle. 

Your lungs burned as you made your way to the astronomy tower, but a loud noise stopped you. You heard a great crashing noise near the great hall and cackles of Bellatrix Lestrange’s notorious estranged laughter. Worry rises in your throat and you detour, running towards the great hall. Skidding to a stop, you see Harry exiting the castle. “HARRY!” you shriek desperately. But he doesn’t hear you, blinded with emotion. If possible, you pump your feet even harder and try to close the distance between the two of you. Blood rushes in your ears and you barely make out the cry of Fawkes across the castle grounds. Your eyes narrow in on Harry sprinting after Snape and Bellatrix, straight towards Hagrid’s hut. With a flick of her wand, Bellatrix sets his house on fire. Cries are heard from within and the building begins to collapse. Hagrid is nowhere to be found and you realize that Fang must be in there. Without a second thought, you cover your face and sprint into the flames. Coughing loudly, you croak, “Fang!” The dog answers with a cowering whine in the corner of the hut. Flames lick at your legs, burning  the fabric into your skin, but you push onward, fueled with adrenaline, lifting the dog into your arms like a baby. Sputtering up smoke, you stumble out the door and put the dog down, who howls, racing towards the castle. In the midst of saving Fang, Harry has disappeared. His screams reach your ears near the castle, and your feet tirelessly carry your burned body towards the boy you loved. 

Your heart stopped when you discovered him. Silence rushed in your ears as Harry knelt over Dumbledore’s limp body. His cries broke you. They were worse than anything you had ever heard. The thought of Dumbledore now gone made you fear for Harry more than ever before. You drop to your knees beside the headmaster’s body, cursing this night into oblivion. Pain overtakes your body, the burns becoming too much to bear. You collapse onto your side in the grass, succumbing to unconsciousness as the smoldering of your skin finally begins to stop.

#harry potter x reader #harry potter imagine #harry potter #draco malfoy x reader

[a-very-fond-farewell]

The forbidden crack! Untamed prompts: 10/?

Single Dad AU (not the one you expect): “Water my Bones”

[Pushing Daisies meets florist!au]

*

First it was the beekeeper suit. Then the astronaut one. THEN the Darth Vader costume. Every time a different attire. Lan Zhan is starting to think he better be changing grocery shop soon if he wants to fill his cart in peace without stumbling upon that weirdo during his weekly visit at the store.

Things he knows about said man: 1) he is competitive af, 2) he seems around his age, thirty five at most, 3) he has a flower shop in town, 4) he has a son.

The last thing, he knows because the child is always perched on the man’s cart when they shop. The third thing, he knows because his brother Lan Huan is the owner of the building where said man works. The second, he noticed once in passing, as they both waited in line to pay at the express line. And the first, he got to realize since day fucking one, when they entered the shop together and noticed they were following a similar path and unconsciously started rushing their way through their respective lists as fast as possible to win over the other.

It’s been four weeks already and Lan Zhan regrets moving to that part of town big time. The day he discovers something new, however, is when the florist decides to wear a simple black mask over the lower half of his face instead a full on costume. So even the usual lady clients cannot flirt with him asking if it’s yet another laundry day. The lot of them surprised to see him dressed normally for once. If wearing a black mask, black latex gloves and a black turtleneck in August can even be considered normal to begin with. The fact that he also looks unbelievably hot dressed in such a manner goes without saying. Not that Lan Zhan’s looking, of course.

Yet, it’s one thing to dress to impress and another to be affectionate towards your own child without taking your mask and gloves off not even to kiss him on the cheek or to check if one of his baby teeth is really falling off or not. So, when one of the ladies jokes about it, nobody expects the child to plainly say what Lan Zhan ends up hearing that day.

“If Dad touches my skin I’m going to die.”

The fact that said dad also conveniently runs away and forgets to take most of their bagged groceries with him right afterwards is also telling. But for the life of his Lan Zhan doesn’t know what such a dramatic exit can possibly mean.

[under the cut for details]

initially I thought to let Mo XuanYu be the baby, but then I kept A-Yuan/SiZhui. Also he is not Wei Ying’s actual son, but more on that later. ALSO he’s a savage child with snark for ages and channels every ounce of his adoptive father’s mischievous spirit.

Just like in “Pushing Daisies”, Wei Ying can revive the dead for a minute or two just by touching them [from Wikipedia: “If something is revived for more than one minute, a similar "life value" in the vicinity drops dead as a form of balance. If he touches the revived person or thing a second time, they die permanently.”]

But in this AU, ever since he was young, Wei Ying has revived a bunch of people, in the beginning without worrying too much of the consequences, not knowing someone of the same value (someone close to the revived dead person) must die if not given back to the realm of death after those two minutes.

His family used to take care of the needs of mourning families by running a funeral home. As a child he would simply touch the dead and go his merry way, happy to make others happy. But the dead would always run away, fearing their families would never take them back or not believe them to have been actually revived. Unaware of this, with bodies disappearing left and right, Wei Ying’s parents are accused of smuggling organs and corpses and are taken to prison before being put in house arrest for the rest of their sentence.

(In the meantime Wei Ying has been looked after by a new family, but after coming of age he decided to wait until the end of his parents’ sentence and buy them a house where they could live together again. In fact, he lives with them and his son) -> a perfectly rational choice bc I wanted to give them a chance to look after each other, okay? Also because a family trying to keep a common secret is fun and fresh and the exact opposite of the movie “Keeping Mum”, which is highly recommend btw.

He never experimented with the double-touch until (at fifteen) accidentally reviving a corpse of a dog, getting scared of it, and consequently smacking its tail in a (hilarious) fit of frustration bc “oh damn it... not again/go back to sleep I cannot deal with you/dogs are scary” and so on. The poor guy plopped down as if nothing had happened afterwards.

After that he learned his lesson and knew he could never touch a revived person again. Also dogs, especially dogs. They bite >:(

The first time Wei Ying actually understood something was wrong was when he was 21 and revived his stepsister YanLi, but her mother died as a consequence. He has brought his stepbrother Jiang Cheng back to life, but his own father was taken in his place. Before that time he had never considered the damage he had caused, because the consequences never involved his close ones but mere strangers up until then. So he vowed to never use his powers again afterwards.

The only exception being A-Yuan/SiZhui: the child was found in a dumpster, abandoned at three months old. Wei Ying revived him and didn’t want to wonder who might have died in the baby’s place... nor did he care. So he asked his parents to help. They’ve been raising the child together for five years, but Wei Ying has never directly touched him, always wearing gloves and masks around him.

He has also never hugged his step-siblings either since reviving them from their car accident from fourteen years back, but neither YanLi or Jiang Cheng knows the reason why. The only thing they know is that at the time, right after seeing them waking up from their “coma” and attending their parents’ funeral, Wei Ying has distanced himself from them, never to return.

(Insert shenanigans with Wei Ying trying his best not to run into his siblings, before they actually discover the truth along the way and bundle him up in quilts and coats just to be able to hug the hell out of him)

Lan Zhan is a detective and thanks to Wei Ying’s powers they solve crimes together. THEY REVIVE THE DEAD FOR TWO MINUTES and ask them what they remember before dying (which is basically the whole point of “Inquiry”, right?) and then Wei Ying touches them back and they drop dead for good.

Wei Ying knows his limits now and doesn’t play with empathy (got it? got it??)

Jin Ling has BOTH of his parents (can you imagine??) and he’s best friend with Lan Zhan and Lan Huan’s younge cousin, JingYi. And they SNOOP like nobody’s business bc they know there’s something fishy about “Uncle Wei”. But also they love to play with the other baby even if they pretend to be tough. They’re also friends with Wen Ning, who will teache them archery for their after-school activities as soon as they start elementary school and they are thrilled.

Wen Ning was actually one of the few corpses Wei Ying has revived in childhood that made it back home and was believed by others. (Wen Ning was still a child himself when he died, so he went straight back home and nobody questioned it, too happy to care......... which is basically canon)

His sister Wen Qing is the only friend Wei Ying has that knows about his secret and she’s the one suggesting Lan Zhan to..........wait a minute or two before leaving the morgue where she works at.

“You might never know what the dead could be able to say after you switch off the lights. You get me?”

He doesn’t get it. Not at first.

But! He grows interested in Wei Ying and the fact that he cannot touch his own child. Is it an allergy? Is it an illness? Lan Zhan has questions and he needs to find out the truth by himself.

Wei Ying’s child needs to be properly held by a parent at least once in his life tho... and Lan Zhan is made by very fine, very expensive husband material.

(I wanted him to meet Wei Ying’s parents. Sue me.)

Also I thought Wei Ying would like to make things grow (hence the florist!au you never asked for) bc he might feel guilty about the things he has done + his trust issues about getting attached to someone and then seeing them die AND THEN HAVING TO ACTUALLY LET THEM GO FOR REAL.

I’m sad now.

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #cql #wangxian #the untamed #the forbidden crack! untamed prompts #mdzs/au: single dad #mdzs/au: florist #mdzs/au: pushing daisies

[janeyseymour]

Escape- pt 23

pt 1. pt 2. pt 3. pt 4. pt 5. pt 6. pt 7. pt 8. pt 9. pt 10. pt 11. pt 12. pt 13. pt 14. pt 15. pt 16. pt 17. pt 18. pt 19. pt 20. pt 21. pt 22. 

Jane Seymour has stayed with Henry long enough. Cue Catherine of Aragon and the rest of the girls to save her (Aramour)

Shit hits the fan.

“Is that Thomas?” Catherine stared at a man in the craft store they were perusing.

“Lina, stop staring. It’s rude.”

“Jane, I’m pretty sure that’s Thomas. Don’t you- he’s-”

“I’m sure it’s fine. Now stop staring. You’re being rude.”

“I’m calling Beale.”

“You’re not calling Beale and dragging an innocent person into all of this.”

“I’m looking out for you and Eddie. I’m calling him.”

“No! You’re not! He called us two months ago saying someone resembled Henry. If either of them were still looking for me, or were looking for me at all, they would have-”

“Don’t even finish that sentence Jane. Come on. We’re leaving. I’m not having this conversation in the middle of a fucking crafting store.” Catherine grabbed the cart and led her to the checkout area.

“Give me my son. I’m going to the goddamn car.” The blonde lifted Edward out of the cart and stormed away.

“Women, am I right?” The cashier snorted.

“Fuck off,” Catherine sneered. “You have no right to say that.”

“I’m going to put Eddie to bed, and then I’m going to bed,” Jane muttered.

“I think we should-”

“Catherine.”

“Please. Just come back down. Please,” the hispanic pleaded.

“Fine.”

An hour later, Jane still hadn’t returned. Catherine picked herself up from the couch where she had been sitting watching television on mute for the past hour and walked towards Edward’s room. Jane was rocking back and forth in the rocking chair facing a window, Katherine at her feet and cooing at the small boy.

“Honey, please go to sleep. Mommy really needs to talk to Mama. Mama’s being crazy right now, and I’m not all that thrilled with her, but please know I still love her.”

“What’s happening with you and Cath?” Kat looked up at her mother curiously.

“We just had a fight. It’ll all be okay.”

“Okay, but are you okay?”

“I’ll be just fine love.” She turned her attention back to the baby in her arms. “I hope you find a love in this world that is unmatched. I hope you find someone who will shield you from this horrible world.” Eddie giggled a bit in her arms.

“No baby. Go to sleep. Mommy really needs to talk to Mama. I love you so very much, but as much as I love looking into your beautiful eyes, we all need sleep!” The baby boy yawned as his sister began to rub his belly.

“Yes Eddie, go to sleep buddy.”

“Go through this world, and be kind. I hope it gets you far- farther than it got me. As much as Nana and Poppop love me, they never told me why. It was just ‘You are mine’. I am going to let you know every single day why you are loved. You are loved because you are going to be raised to be a good person,” Jane sat in silence for a second before adding, “no matter who is taking care of you. Even if it’s not me.”

“What does that mean Mom?”

“Nothing love. Just, if anything were to happen to me again, I can’t escape death. But I know that with you and Cath around, Eddie over here is going to be just fine.”

“But I won't be.”

“Honey, you would be just fine without me. You managed it for how many years before you met me?”

“But now I have you, and I don’t think I can lose you. You’re my mama too, you know?” Katherine stared at Jane in a way that made her look like a small vulnerable child.

“Oh, I love you Kat.”

“I love you too Mom.”

“I love you because you are mine, but also because you have grown to be such an amazing young woman.” Jane looked down at the baby, now asleep in her arms. “Oh, he’s finally asleep. Do you think you could take Eddie and set him down? You’re always so good with him.”

“I can do that.” Katherine took the boy from her mother’s arms and began cooing, “Oh sweet Eddie. It’s Kitty, and I-” That was all Jane heard before she walked out of the room.

“Hey.” Catherine was waiting for her at the door. “I love you because you are the most amazing, beautiful, kindhearted person I have ever met. You never cease to amaze me with Eddie and Kat.” She kissed her wife softly.

“We have to hash this out.”

“Okay,” Catherine sighed, leading her wife to the living room. “I have to call the police. He could be dangerous. It’s better safe than sorry.”

“But what if it’s not him? What if we just drag a poor innocent person into this mess?”

“But it could be him though, and that’s what I have an issue with.”

“He was never violent before.”

“Was Henry?”

“No but-”

“Then Thomas could be too. What if you’re alone one day and-”

“I would be able to defend myself.”

“No. What if both of them-”

“I can handle that. I know I can. You know I-”

“What if you freeze?”

“I wouldn’t!” Jane’s voice grew a bit louder.

“You don’t know that!”

“Yes, I do!” She was growing angrier.

“And what about Eddie?” Catherine continued.

“I can defend him too!”

“Open your eyes Janey! You haven’t even taken shooting lessons! You need to put all of this into perspective!”

“When’s the last time I’ve been alone?” Jane looked at her wife defiantly. “I’m always with at least one of you guys! And I am putting it into perspective! Stop! God, I need you to believe that I can do it! I need you too! Please!”

“Jane, are you mental? You have yourself so in your head, and you keep telling yourself everything is okay and that it’s all over. It’s not! If they have some sort of lead, he’s obviously still looking for you. Every day that I let this go is a day closer where I could come home to find you dead and Eddie dead or kidnapped! I couldn’t live with myself if that ever happened. And what about the other girls? We have to think about them too! What about Kat? Don’t you care if Kat’s in danger?”

“Fuck you!” Jane got into Catherine’s face.

“Fuck me? What’s gotten into you? Why? I literally just want you safe! That’s fucking it!”

“Fuck you Catherine! You’re so inconsiderate! My god! I just want to leave and get away from this life! I can’t even look at you right now, you selfish bastard!”

“What the hell?”

“You told me I wasn’t enough! You told me you couldn’t live without me when you know you could! Don’t fucking lie to me!”

“I-” Catherine lowered her voice.”I’m not lying when I say that I couldn’t live without you. When you almost died, I genuinely had to think about how I was going to survive this life without you. And you said it yourself, you can’t escape death the next time you’re faced with it.”

“But you are lying! If I didn’t drag you into any of this, you would be so much better off! You wouldn’t have to deal with me!”

“Except I wouldn’t be! I would still be pining over you and trying to convince myself I wasn’t still in love with you. I wouldn’t have married the woman of my dreams and have a son! Don’t you understand why I feel responsible for you?”

“Responsible?” Jane’s voice went cold. “Responsible?” she yelled. “Is that all I am to you? A fucking responsibility?”

“You know I didn’t mean it like-”

“Oh, like what?”

“Like that.”

“God! I really am just a responsibility to you! That’s all I am, right?”

“Jane, honey. Listen.”

“I don't want to listen! Fuck you! You don’t need to be a complete dick! Shit, I need to get out of here.” She wiped her tears hastily and walked out the front door.

Sitting down on the front stoop, she looked up at the sky and began to wonder out loud.

“What am I doing wrong?” She put her head in her hands. “What did I do to deserve this? I’m a good person. I’m nice to everyone I meet. I had good grades all throughout school and finished at the top of my class in both high school and college. I eat well. I know I get more than enough exercise. So, why does all of this have to come crashing down on me? Sometimes,” she choked out. “Sometimes I wish that if I had known this was what my life would turn into, I would’ve just let myself die that night. It would’ve just been easier, right?” She hoped she would get a sign from the universe.

“Mom?” Katherine spoke, making Jane jump.

“Jesus Kat, you scared me.”

“I-” The pink haired woman engulfed the blonde in a hug. “I hope you don’t mean that. If you had died that night, you wouldn’t have met me. And you fought for your life. You fought an angel, and you stayed even when you were faced with death.”

“I was just thinking out loud honey. I wouldn’t trade meeting you and the other girls for the world. I hope you know that.”

“I wish I could just take all of your pain away for you.”

“I wouldn’t want you to be in my place.”

“I was in your place though. I was in a really shitty relationship before I finally had the courage to leave. I was probably the most hated girl in my high school because of this guy. Actually, four different guys who all used me and then made me out to be a slut to the rest of the school. Then, in college, I was kind of in a situation like yours. He wasn't as bad as Henry, and I certainly didn’t have anyone like Thomas either, but I was in a terribly abusive relationship. And uh, I would go through it all again if it meant you didn’t have to. I know I would survive it. I can’t say the same about you, and that’s terrifying.”

“I’m sorry for scaring you. I’m also so terribly sorry that you have to put up with me and for putting you in this situation. I can’t imagine it’s easy watching me go through this when you’ve also lived it.”

“I was broken for a while, but then I met you. You built me back together.”

“I’m sure that’s not true.”

“Anne and all the other girls can back me up on that. I wasn’t myself until you came along. Since you’ve come along, I feel like myself again. I don’t put up with you either. For Christ’s sake, I call you my mom, and I didn’t ever think I would call anyone by that title again. When you came here, I made myself a promise that I would do anything I could to protect you.”

“That’s very sweet of you honey, but this is my battle. I can’t put you in a situation that could endanger you.”

“Just know, I would do it for you. You’re worth it.” The two sat in silence for a while before Kat fell asleep tucked in her mother’s arms.

Jane heard the front door squeak open, and she quickly tried to compose herself, having cried for a few minutes after Katherine fell asleep. Catherine said nothing. She sat next to Jane, and held her. Neither made any movement. Catherine carried both Kat and her wife to bed that night.

“Jane?” Margaret muttered into the phone.

“Mom? I need to come home.”

“It’s two in the morning hun.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you think you could wait to do it in the morning?”

“I just need to come home,” Jane sighed before quickly adding, “please.”

“Are you bringing Eddie?”

“Yes. I have to.”

“When will you be here. Dad and I will be up waiting.”

“I don’t know. Six hours maybe?”

“Okay. We’ll be up. Be safe. I love you.”

“I love you too Mom.” Margaret hung up and rolled over to shake John awake.

“What woman? I’m trying to get my beauty sleep,” he groaned.

“Janey’s coming home. It sounded pretty urgent. She’s bring Ed, but I don’t think she’s bringing Cath or Kat. We have to be up in five and a half hours.”

John had already sat straight up. “Is she okay?”

“I don’t know. She sounded scared and nervous.”

“I need to talk to her.”

“Hun, she’s probably packing and will be driving for the next five hours. Don’t distract her, okay?”

“Well, I’m up for the day I guess.” He began to push himself up from the bed.

“Why don’t you try to go back to sleep? Wake up in four hours.”

“I think I’m up for the day. It’s okay. I’m just going to go for a walk.” He kissed his wife’s forehead.

Catherine rolled over to embrace her wife, but she wasn’t there.

“Jane?” She called but was met with no response. She tried calling her name a little louder, but there was still nothing.

“Hello?” She walked into Edward’s room, but Eddie was gone too. Making her way out of the kitchen, she found a note.

Lina,

I needed some time to think. I love you, but I had to leave. Not forever, don’t worry. I took Eddie with me because he needs feeding. Last night, things got really real, and it opened my eyes to a lot of things. I know I can’t handle myself. That’s why you and the rest of the girls got dragged into the mess I get to call my life. I leaned on you a little too much, and now I need to lean on someone else. At least for a little while. Please understand that I am so grateful for everything you’ve given me, and I love you more than I can ever tell you. I just needed a break from the hecticness of my life

-Jane

P.s. Tell Kat that I love her.

Catherine read the paper over and over.

“Dammit,” she muttered, running up the stairs to pack a bag for the journey she was about to go on to find her wife.

“Cath?” A sleepy Katherine appeared at the door. “What are you doing?” Wordlessly, the hispanic handed the sleepy girl the note and continued on with packing.

“What the-”

“I don’t know honey, but I have to go find my wife.”

“Well, I’m going with you.”

“No you’re not. Go back to bed. I’ll bring her home when I find her.”

“She’s my mom,” Katherine raised an eyebrow, challenging Catherine to fight her.

“Fine. Go pack a bag.”

“I’ll be fine with what I have now. We have to find her.”

“This is Jane, leave a message!”

“Janey, it’s me again. I’m coming home. I don’t really know where home is right now, but I know it’s wherever you are. I’m- without you, I’m lost. I love you.” Catherine pulled out of the driveway, not realizing Thomas was a few houses back, ready to follow them.

“This is Jane, leave a message!”

“Mom, it’s Kat. Please pick up. Please”

“This is Jane, leave a-”

“Hi.”

“Hi.” Catherine hadn’t expected her to actually answer after evading all of her calls, and even evading her daughter’s. “I really-”

“Please don’t do this. I told you I need time. You didn’t lose me forever. We’re still married. All I need is time, and you need to understand that.”

“You can’t say I didn’t lose you forever. Henry or Thomas could get to you first.”

“Catherine I-” Jane went silent. Her daughter grabbed the phone from the hispanic’s hand.

“Mom, please. Just tell us where you are. I need you right now.”

“I- bye Kat.” The blonde hung up.

“She,” Katherine took a breath before continuing. “She hung up on me.” The girl in the passenger seat sounded so defeated.

Catherine groaned, calling her mother-in-law.

“Cath,” she answered shortly.

“Is she with you?”

“I-”

“Marge, come on. Don’t do this. I’m just trying to make sure my wife is safe.”

“Yes. She’s here, and she’s safe. You just need to give her time.”

“I already lost enough time with her Marge! What if even more time gets ripped away from me because one of those stupid fucking idiots gets to her first?”

“We’re going to-” Catherine’s phone began to ring.

“Hey, I’m sorry. It’s Beale. I’ll call you back.” She switched lines.

“Hello?”

“We got Henry. He was wandering the streets drunk, yelling about Jane. It was definitely him. He pulled a gun. He’s dead.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Well, here’s something that you might want to know. Jane left. She’s back at her parents’ house. I’m heading there now with her daughter.”

“Aragon, you know how dangerous that is.”

“Yes. I didn’t get to tell you yesterday either: I’m pretty sure I saw Thomas. It’s why she left.”

“Because she was scared.”

“Where are you now?”

“Somewhere between Parr’s house and the Seymour house.”

“Be careful. I’ll have the police in both areas on lookout for Thomas.”

“Thank you.” She hung up and called the Seymour house again. “They caught him.”

“They caught Henry?”

“Yes. He’s dead. But Thomas is still out there, and they don’t know much about his intentions. Please keep her safe until I get to your house.”

“Cath, she needs time.”

“I already told you: I lost too much time as it is. I lost twelve years! I can’t lose anymore.”

“When she kicks your ass for being here, I’m telling you I told you so.”

“Fine. Whatever. I don't care. I just need my wife back in my arms again. Please tell her-” The line went dead.

“So that was your wife.”

“Of course it was.”

“She just wants you safe, you know that.”

“She told me I was a responsibility. How is that-”

“That woman absolutely worships the ground you walk on! You told her at your wedding you would let her love you! Now, for the love of God, just let the woman love you!” John was done listening to his daughter.

“Dad!”

“Jane!” He mimicked.

“You know-”

“I’ll tell you what I know, and I want you to listen carefully,” John spoke with intention. “I know that woman loves you. I know that woman is in love with you. I know she can’t bear the thought of losing you because she doesn’t think she could ever go back to a life of not having you. I know she loves you more than you could ever even try to fucking-”

“John!” Margaret hissed.

“-more than you could ever freaking fathom. You made a vow to love her and let her love you. Let her love you with everything she has because, without you, she would think she has nothing. I refuse to watch her heart be broken again by you.” John went to tend to his grandson without another word. Margaret and Jane stood in stunned silence for a few moments, letting what the head of the household said sink in.

“You know,” Margaret sighed heavily. “He’s right.” She too went to tend to her grandson.

“Fuck!” Thomas yelled. He was almost out of gas, and quite frankly, he was exhausted. “Having a general idea of where they were heading, it didn’t take him long to figure out Catherine and Kat were heading to the Seymour residence.

“They can wait,” he muttered as he pulled into a rest stop.

#six the musical #six musical #six fanfiction #six the musical fanfiction #six the musical fanfic #six musical fanfic #six fanfic #aramour

[cbseung]

cobblestones: modern prince hyunjin au - [part 8]

[masterlist]

[pt 1] [pt 2] [pt 3] [pt 4] [pt 5] [pt 6] [pt 7] [pt 8] [pt 9] [pt 10] [final]

woot woot part 8 is finally here! hope you enjoy! (ps i’m not sure how many parts left there are but thanks for joining me on the ride!)

pairings: hyunjin x reader

w/c: 1650

description: what do you do when you can’t figure out your feelings for the super cute prince of korea? fly to italy with your best friend of course!

“YEJI YEJI YEJI YEJI” you say as you frantically enter her room

“Y/N YO WHA-”

“hyunjin confessed to me!!!” you shout

“huh? confessed? like..?”

“YES!!! WHAT AM I GONNA DO”

“well.. do you like him back?”

“I DON’T KNOW??? PLEASE HELP”

so yeah

internal crisis #1

do you like:

mr prince hwang hyunjin

he confessed to you like 2 days ago

and you still! haven’t! given him an answer!

it doesn’t help that he’s been eerily nice to you?

like giving you the last pancake

or him buying you bubble tea

IT’S LIKE

HE’S MAKING YOU THINK OF HIM

YOU TRIED TO

INSULT HIM

FOR GOOD TIME SAKES 

SO HE CAN INSULT YOU BACK

BUT HE DOESN’T

he was telling felix some stupid unfunny joke

so you said

“what are you??? twelve??”

AND HE SAYS

“no, but you are on a scale from one to ten”

LIKE

WHA-

BRO

i mean you just came to terms as liking him as a human being

now liking him in that way????

hard to imagine

“OKAY OKAY, you don’t feel ANYTHING toward hyunjin?

“i mean like- it’s not like i don’t have ANY feelings towards him”

“okay so.. what DO you feel toward hyunjin”

“i.. i DON’T KNOW”

“HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW IT’S A SIMPLE QUESTION”

“NO IT’S NOT AND YOU KNOW IT”

“SO WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO”

“I DON’T KNOW JUST TALK IT OUT WITH ME”

“you know what you need?”

“PLEASE tell me!!”

“a trip to italy!!!”

“yeji. i- I LITERALLY just went to barcelona! and paris before that!”

“you forget that you’re talking to the cousin of the prince of korea?”

“BUT-”

“no buts!!! you need time away from hyunjin also we’ve been needing time together!”

“but-”

“i’m packing your things and we’re leaving tonight!”

you feel like 

this whole trip has been a fever dream

like you were literally just going to london for like a week

which then turned into a month 

which then turned into you going to paris and spain with the cute and mysterious prince of korea

so yeah

not real life

but yeji is a woman of her word

and you guys fly to rome that night

you spend a couple days in rome touring the colosseum and the basilica and other fun touristy things

and as always

grabbing coffee on cobblestone streets

but you can’t help but to want hyunjin with you?

like it just didn’t feel the same

and that something was missing

“okay. back to business”

you take a sip of your coffee and say, “... what business”

“we need to figure out your feelings!! we didn’t come to italy just to stroll”

“but!! it’s!! complicated!”

“so let’s uncomplicate it! and i thought you liked felix?”

“no i just- realized i liked him more as a friend, as in i had a major major friend crush on him”

“so how do you know that you don’t just have a major major friend crush on hyunjin”

"i DON’t know WHICH is my problem”

“okay well... what DO you know about our dear hwang hyunjin”

“..well i know that he’s a dog person and loves got7 and he really really likes dancing and he can’t eat onions or eggplants and his favorite season is autumn and-”

“.. sounds like you know an awful lot”

“i mean-”

“do you want my opinion?”

“of course!”

“i’ve seen how your relationship has grown since the beginning, i mean who can forget that screaming match you two had in front of the palace?”

“haha yeah that was..”

“and you’ve spent SO much time the past two weeks we were here, so i feel like knowing you, you were bound to like him one way or another, and you guys look extremely comfortable together”

“when you put it that way-”

“and how has the past two days been? i knew you guys weren’t talking”

“i mean it sucked but,, i’m not sure if it’s because i like him like that or i like him as a friend”

“okay... then let him take you out on a date!! and then from there you can figure out what you really feel for him”

“that’s.. not a horrible idea..”

“and this is why i’m your best friend”

so with a new pep in your step you and yeji both head back to london 

and you get ready for your date!!

♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡

so here’s the plan

you meet up with hyunjin

ask him on a date

but make him plan a date

and then see where it goes from there?

sounds like a sound plan

the moment you step into the palace

your eyes look for hyunjin

but find felix instead

“FELIX! where’s hyunjin??”

“i think he’s on the balcony? you know the one attached to his bedroom???”

“THANKS!” you shout as you run up there stairs toward his room

you open the doors to his room

and you see him look back you

“... y/n?”

“... hi hyunjin..”

“what’s up? i haven’t seen you for a few days”

“i- i was thinking about some stuff..”

ah yikes why is this making you so nervous

why is HE making you so nervous

“mhmm.. and what would this ‘stuff’ be?”

i mean

it’s now or never

so you gather up the rest of your nonexistent courage and say,

“take me on a date.”

“.. i’m sorry?”

“please? take me on a date?” you say less reluctantly

“shouldn’t it be you taking me on a date?”

“no listen. i went to italy with yeji -- i know random, but she said that we should go on a date because i don’t know how i feel about you”

“you.. don’t know how you feel about me?”

“hyunjin,, cut me some slack you called me dumb when we first met and never stopped fighting and then all of a sudden you say you like me?”

“.. i mean i see your point,,,, okay! i’ll take you on a date! this will be the BEST date you’ve ever been on so i hope you’re ready y/n”

“looking forward to it!”

♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡

oh god

you’re a mess

“YEJI the only thing i’ve been doing is shopping HOW DO I HAVE NO CLOTHES”

“girl, you’re freaking out too much you need to chill”

“but-”

“hey, just pretend you guys are just hanging out! what makes this so different??”

“i mean-”

“unless,,, you genuinely care about this date and you want it to go well??” yeji says smirking

“UH I-I”

“omg just wear that you bought yesterday and meditate or something bro you’re stressing me OUT”

“i just!!! want to figure it out!!!”

“okay okay, deep breaths,, one scenario is that you find out you like him and feelings are returned and you can live happily ever after and ride horses off into the sunset,, second scenario is that you don’t have the same feelings for him and you can’t return it and you both move on with your lives,,”

sigh “you’re right, you’re right! i just need to take a chill pill”

“what time are you two meeting anyway?”

“.. in 30 minutes”

“you don’t have any idea what he’s got planned for you?”

“nope”

“well,, i’m excited for you!”

“that makes one of us!”

♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡

“don’t worry too much babe, i’ve got the whole day planned for us!!”

“.. don’t babe me we’re not even dating”

“....yet” hyunjin says whilst winking at you

“you sound very confident”

“i am very confident!”

hyunjin drags you around london

and takes you to the conservatory because you love plants

“aww hyunjin look! this plant is so cute!”

“not as cute as you”

“s-shhh”

and takes you to a coffee shop (you don’t miss the cobblestones part)

“you never miss a beat do you?”

“duh, you did say that drinking coffee on cobblestones streets was your dream,, i just wanna be a part of it”

and takes you on a picnic

“wow you’re really spoiling me today”

“you deserved to be spoiled, princess”

ahHhHhHHHHHhh STOp

and talks about his hopes and dreams

“so you know how i said i wanted to be a dancer?” hyunjin says

“mhm”

“i wanna sing too”

“with a voice like yours? totally possible”

and last but not least

he takes you up on the london eye

“wow we get the whole cart to ourselves???!”

“of course! don’t you know who you’re talking to?”

“ah the prince of korea how could i forget”

“you know,, as much as i love getting all these free perks and stuff,, it kinda sucks being a prince”

“i know we talked about this,, but do you wanna elaborate??”

“i mean,, all the rules, all the fake people who try to be my friend just for my title..”

“what makes me different then?”

“you were friends with yeji,, and if you stuck by her side all these time, i knew that you were genuine, also i had to drag you to hang out with me and you never really liked me that much” hyunjin says chuckling

“that’s not true,, i had to have liked you a little bit since i hung out with you that often”

you and hyunjin both laugh and you turn to look at him

you just realize how etheral he looks with the moonlight shining on his face as he looks out into the london skyline

and that’s when it hits you

“y/n.. i really like you”

“hwang hyunjin... i like you too”

♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡

.. ya’ll caught me

i just wanted reasons to look up “things to do in italy”

anyways, hope you enjoy

thanks for finally confessing your feelings so this story will really start to pick up

#hwang hyunjin #stray kids #skz #stray kids imagines #hwang hyunjin imagines #hwang hyunjin x reader #hyunjin x reader #hyunjin stray kids #prince hwang hyunjin #kpop imagines #kpop fluff #modern prince hyunjin #hwang hyunjin stray kids #goooood night folks sleep well sleep tight #cbseung imagines

[jmeelee]

Sterek Bingo 2019 • Theme: Wild Card

1

Cora’s twenty-first birthday party is in full swing when the vibration of an incoming text jiggles Derek’s right ass cheek. He pulls his phone from the pocket of his too-tight jeans to find a befuddling text: There myst be sumething wrong w my eyes.

Derek’s future does not include being an Alpha, and that’s fine; he’ll happily leave the politics, management, and difficult decision-making to his older sister, Laura. Instead, he’s been training the last few years—learning languages and studying cultures and meeting werewolves all over the world—to become his pack’s liaison. He’s young, but his good name and reputation are already circulating, so he automatically thinks, this must be a young werewolf in need of help. Plus, it’s no secret to the supernatural community that his beta-shifted eyes are blue, instead of gold.

His thumb’s hovering over the touchscreen when a drunk girl bumps into him, her red solo cup full of cheap beer exploding like a water balloon all over the front of his olive-green henley. “Oops,” she slurs, lids drooping over bloodshot blue eyes. She gropes his soaked pectorals with her bare hands.

Derek’s eyebrows berate her before he heads for the staircase. He’s tired of pseudo-babysitting intoxicated college kids anyway.

By the time he’s showered off the stale booze and changed into pajamas, almost an hour has passed. He grabs his phone off the nightstand to finally reply to his cryptic messenger, and finds a new text: i can’t take them off of u.

What the hell? It wasn’t a cry for help at all; it was a lame pick up line. Derek’s mood sours as he imagines Cora egging one of her immature girlfriends into sending him the terrible come-on. The culprit is probably downstairs right now. He swipes over the message, deleting it, and powers off his cell before climbing into bed, pulling a pillow over his head to drown out the noise.

He’s so done with this day.

2

A week and a half later Derek’s pushing a cart up and down the aisles at the grocery store when his phone chirps. He stares at the flashing number of the unknown contact, wondering why it looks vaguely familiar before he opens the text. Did you invent the airplane? Because you seem Wright for me.

At least there are no typos this time.

He almost deletes the message right away, but the split second he hesitates gives him an excuse to type back. This is clearly Gustave Whitehead erasure and I won’t stand for it.

The return response comes before he can black out his screen. Dude. Are we having our first fight?

Derek doesn’t hesitate this time. Find someone else to annoy.

Rude.

He puts his phone away and staunchly ignores the smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

3

He’s already in bed, and would never have heard the vibration except for his supernatural hearing. My name’s Microsoft. How about I crash at your place.

Derek blinks the sleep from his eyes enough to type back, I own a Mac.

In the morning, he sees the response. Harsh dude.

4

You must be a trumpet because you’re making me horny.

Wow. This is your worst one yet.

Is that a challenge, Derek?

NO!

Did it hurt when you fell from the vending machine? Because you a snack!

Please stop.

5

“Derek, answer that or I’m going to punch you in the face,” Laura threatens between spoonfuls of cookie-dough ice cream. The harsh buzzing of his phone sounds like a jackhammer to their sensitive werewolf ears, and it’s disrupting their movie marathon.

If you were a transformer, you’d be Optimus Fine. Oh lord.

“What’s with the sappy smile, big brother?” Cora coos.

Derek schools his face into a scowl. “Nothing.”

She throws the blanket off her lap and lunges for the phone in his hand. A tussle ensues. Derek is older and stronger, but she’s fast, sneaky and not above fighting dirty, and she grips the phone before he knows what happened. “What the hell is this?” She’s screeching with laughter, holding his cell out so Laura can look. “Who’s sending you lame pick-up lines?”

“Why don’t you tell me?” he gripes. “You put her up to this.”

Cora furrows her brow. “Uh, what?”

“The night of your birthday party, the first pick-up line came through. It was someone at your party. I figured you put her up to it as a joke.”

She checks the number again. “The only person I ever gave your number to was Erica, for official pack business. This isn’t Erica’s number.” She grabs her cell off the coffee table and punches in the digits. “Well, I’ll be damned.” Cora laughs so hard her eyes water.

“Who is she?” Laura asks.

“Not a she.” Cora holds out her phone with a shit-eating grin so Derek and Laura can read her contacts. “It’s Stiles Stilinski.”

Terse silence follows her declaration. Then Derek asks, “Who the fuck is Stiles?”

6 & 7

“Forty-nine, fifty, fifty-one…” Derek counts out his squats in a whisper, monitoring his form in the full-length mirror. He feels his phone vibrate, and the grin reflecting back at him is disgusting. He should be ashamed.

He gently places the weight back on the rack when he completes the set and digs the phone from his mesh shorts.

Is your phone in your back pocket? Because that ass is calling me!

Derek honestly can’t say what possesses him to turn around, open his camera app, and hold the phone over his left shoulder. Perfect timing ur not following me r u? he writes back, attaching a photo of his butt. A dude doing kettlebell lunges across the gym gives him the stink eye.

Stiles answers with a string of peach emojis, which Derek understands, and a single unicorn emoji, which he doesn’t.

I know who you are, btw. Stiles Stilinski, the sheriff's kid? Cora figured it out

Usually, the response comes immediately, but Derek’s walking out to his car before he receives two simultaneous replies.

Well since the cat (be gr8ful i didn’t say pussy) is out of the bag

my mother used to tell me to follow my dreams so… where will you be tonight?

Derek sits behind the wheel, staring at his phone, weighing the pros and cons. He’s never gone on a blind date before, and he’s been burned, badly, in the past. Being single is sometimes lonely, but at least it’s safe. He doesn’t want to put a defenseless, unwitting human in harm’s way. His brain keeps supplying him with a list of perfectly rational reasons why he should leave their playful correspondence in the sandbox of cyberspace, but his heart furtively whispers what if.

8 & 9

There’s a live band at the bar, guitar player crooning a popular rock ballad while Derek nurses a beer for show. He checks his smartwatch for the seventh time in a span of three minutes and happens to catch the message notification as it pops up.

Do you know CPR? You better learn because ur taking my breath away

He spins around, searching for guys on their phones, frustrated to find almost every man in the bar staring at their screen. A baby-faced guy plops down on the open stool next to him as Derek’s eyes scan the crowd.

“Scott bet me I wouldn’t be able to start a conversation with the most beautiful person in the room.” Derek glances back, startled, to find a generous mouth smiling at him. “What should we do with his money?”

His first thought: HOT. His second thought: young. “Tell me you’re twenty-one,” Derek greets him. “Actually, please tell me you’re legal.”

Stiles dramatically crosses his heart, eyes wide. “I only look seventeen, I promise. It’s a blessing and a curse.” He holds out a sturdy but slender, long-fingered hand. “I’m Stiles. It’s nice to officially meet you.”

Derek takes his outstretched hand in a firm grip and swears he feels a zing when their skin makes contact. It’s official; he’s been single too long. “Derek. Let me buy you a drink, and you can tell me how you got my number in the first place.”

Stiles winks as Derek flags the bartender. “A gentleman never reveals his secrets.”

“Gentleman?” Derek, cold, fresh beer in hand, arches a brow. “Based on some of the texts I’ve received, I’m not sure gentleman is the correct term.”

Stiles clinks his drink against Derek’s. “Touché.” He eyes Derek over the lip of his brown bottle. “So, did you lace your pilsner with wolfsbane, or do you enjoy the taste?”

Derek, mid-sip, spits his beer onto the bartop. “What the hell?” he sputters, mopping at the mess with the world’s least absorbent cocktail napkin.

Stiles calmly takes a sip. “Come on, dude. My father’s the sheriff, and this town is literally a supernatural shit-show. If that wasn’t enough, my best friend is Scott McCall.”

“McCall?” Derek leans closer, soggy napkins forgotten, to whisper, “The True Alpha?” Derek’s met Scott at a few local pack gatherings.

“Yup,” Stiles replies. “He was bitten by a rogue werewolf when we were sixteen. So you could say I’ve been a little-” He makes exaggerated air quotes- “involved in the supernatural scene the past few years.”

Derek leans back, accessing Stiles in a new light: deceptively lean physique, handsome, impish face, the ability to make Derek laugh, and take him by surprise. The laundry list of reasons not to do this quickly goes up in smoke in the face of being able to show his true nature to a partner. Stiles smiles like he knows exactly what Derek is thinking.

“So, what do you say? Do I pass the test? Should we give going on an official first date a shot?”

“One condition,” Derek demands, holding up his index finger. “You’re not allowed to use a single pick up line all night.”

Stiles squawks, tossing long arms into the air. “You might as well ask me not to breathe! Or the Mets not to lose!”

“Chicken?” he asks, leaning into Stiles’ space. Derek quirks a brow and lifts his chin, eyes drawn like a magnet to Stiles’ tongue when it sneaks out to wet his lips.

“Hell no. Challenge accepted. Eight pm Saturday night.” An impish grin. “I’m gonna date you so hard, Hale.”

10

As far as (official) first dates go, it’s pretty damn amazing. The conversation flows as easily as the wine at dinner, and Stiles’ running jokes and commentary during the shitty movie doesn’t bother Derek at all. He’s thrilled to find their easy banter translates to real life, after weeks of electronic flirtation.

“Hey,” Derek whispers as they say good-night at Stiles’ apartment door. He wraps his arms around Stiles’ waist, pulling him close. He brushes a kiss, feather-light, across Stiles’ mouth and smirks. “Are you a magician? Because when I’m with you, everyone else disappears.”

Stiles leans back, arms still locked around Derek’s shoulders. “What the hell, man! You said no pick-up lines!”

Derek tuts. “I said you couldn’t use any. I never made the same promise.”

Stiles’ eyes narrow. “Serious question?”

“Shoot.”

“Will there be a second date?”

A second, a third, and more, if Derek has any say in the matter. “Absolutely.”

Stiles’ grin is slightly manic as he untangles slim fingers from Derek’s hair. “Well then, there’s probably something I should show you.” He holds up a hand in front of Derek’s face and snaps his fingers. A spark of light fizzles to life before his eyes, emanating from Stiles’ palm, and burning ozone singes the fine hairs inside his nose.

“Huh,” Derek replies, dumbly. “I did not see that coming.”

Stiles’ coy smile ignites something hot inside him. “I have some other party tricks I could show you if you want to come in?”

Derek leans forward again, chasing the bright glimmer of magic between them, the one that’s been there the whole time. “Oh, absolutely.”

——

For @evanesdust and based on THIS PROMPT by @faladrast

#eternalsterek #haleinski #sterekbingo2019 #sterek #sbwildcard3 #sterekbingo

[eddiesasspbrak]

When I’m With You Ch. 4

The long awaited “Reddie and Ben go to Target” chapter

Eddie can’t stand the barista at his favorite coffee shop. Richie has fallen in love with the man he sees twice a week. Stan is dating someone but won’t let his friends meet them. Ben is in love with Beverly, but is so afraid of scaring her away he’s not moving forward. Chaotic friends navigating college together. 

Ch. 1

Ch. 5

Read on AO3

5k+ words

Eddie sat in the union waiting for Stan to show up. He texted to say he was running a little behind and told Eddie to go ahead and start eating without him. He’d chosen the Mexican place, getting a bowl with brown Eddie sat in the union waiting for Stan to show up. He texted to say he was running a little behind and told Eddie to go ahead and start eating without him. He’d chosen the Mexican place, getting a bowl with brown rice and veggies and probably more cheese than was advisable. Despite how hungry he’d been when he arrived, he was having a hard time eating, taking small bites at a time. His stomach had started churning as soon as he remembered that after class, he was going shopping with Ben…and Richie.

It was honestly stupid for him to be so anxious. There was no way it would be that long of a trip. Maybe two hours of his life with travel time and then he could go home and relax. He didn’t know why he was so nervous to spend the day with Richie anyway. He’d already seen him the last two days. Sure, he was used to seeing him behind the counter at the café, but on Monday he’d been in his apartment. So, going to a store with him would be less intimate, right? And Ben would be there. He wouldn’t be alone with him and could cling to his friend if he needed to. It would be fine.

When Stan finally arrived, he’d already gone to get a slice of pizza and a drink. Eddie hadn’t even seen him amongst the crowd, not that he was really paying attention as he poked at his food. Stan seemed in good spirits as he sat, greeting Eddie with a smile. Of course, he wasn’t going to let him get away with avoiding him and Ben for days.

“Oh, hello. Who are you again? Steve?” Eddie asked, taking a sip from his water.

“Oh my God, get over it. I’m here, aren’t I?” Stan rolled his eyes.

“No, wait, it’s Stan, isn’t it? Of course, it’s easy to forget when I haven’t seen you in a week.”

“You’re lucky I even showed up for this. My…partner…asked me have lunch today and I had to turn them down so I could meet with you instead.”

“What’s that? You mean you aren’t attached at the hip?”

“You’re just jealous because I’m in love.”

“Yes, I’m fucking jealous, but I’m also mad because you still won’t introduce us. Which one of us are you ashamed off?”

“Definitely you.”

“Oh, fuck you. You know that if I were seeing someone, I’d introduce you, like immediately.”

“I will introduce you! Soon.”

“You’ve been saying that for months.”

“It’s just complicated, ok?”

“It can’t be more complicated than that girl you dated freshman year who practically moved herself into your dorm after three dates.”

“That…was a mistake. This relationship is way better and that’s why I’m afraid of messing it up.”

Eddie was glad for the distraction from his own confusing thoughts, but he couldn’t help thinking that Stan was overreacting. Not that that was anything new. Eddie and Ben had discussed this mystery person multiple times, trying to figure out why Stan was actually keeping them hidden from his best friends. They’d known since high school that Stan was bi, and he’d never been shy about introducing them to whoever he was interested in. In fact, he usually came to them for advice when he was interested in someone. Him being so secretive was not something they were used to at all and they couldn’t help being a little concerned about who he was hiding and for what reasons.

“So, your best friends meeting the person you’re dating could ruin the relationship…how?” Eddie asked, realizing that his appetite had come back and he’d already devoured half his bowl.

“It wouldn’t. I just want to take things slow.”

“Dude, you just said you’re in love. How is that taking it slow?”

“Ok. I’m done talking about this. I will introduce you when I’m ready.” Stan sighed, not giving Eddie a chance to protest. “Now, it has been a week so catch me up on your life.”

“What life?” Eddie asked, sitting back in his seat. “I recently found out that the person I hate is my neighbor and now I have to go shopping with him and Ben after class.”

“How did that happen?”

“We’re shopping for a gift and he knows the recipient better than either of us so he’s helping.”

“So, you invited him?”

“Not intentionally.”

Stan smirked, noting the way Eddie’s cheeks colored a shade of pink as he talked about this guy he supposedly hated. He knew his friend too well to not see the underlying feelings he had for this person. He couldn’t tell if it was romantic or just friendly. It was rare for Eddie to get romantic feelings for anyone. Even after he’d come out to them, he was excessively picky about who’d he pursue. He wanted to know more about this person, find out exactly what it was about him that Eddie didn’t like so he could determine what he was feeling.  He wasn’t going to push it though as he was sure it would circle back around to his own relationship and they’d just moved past that.

“If you’re free this afternoon, you could come with. Be an extra buffer between us.” Eddie suggested.

“Yea…I…”

“Have a date?”

“No. Not really. We’re studying.”

“Ok, what about tomorrow night?”

“We’re going to a party together.”

“Of course. Don’t you get sick of seeing each other all the time?”

“Not at all. We’re in a…what do they call it…a honeymoon stage? I like being with them. All the time. I’ve never been this happy before.” Stanley smiled in a way that Eddie had never seen on him before. He’d dare to say that he looked honestly and truly happy.

Part of Eddie was happy for him, glad that his friend found someone who could make him make that goofy face just at the thought of them. It made him second guess his worries about this person and how they treated Stan. He wouldn’t fully put his worries away until they met them, but in this moment, he pushed that out of his mind. He hadn’t been lying when he said he was jealous. He wanted what Stan had, what Ben and Bev were sure to have soon. He wanted to be in love and smile whenever he thought of that other person. He wanted butterflies and that feeling like his heart was going to burst just from seeing their face. He ignored the face that flashed through his mind then, pretended like it didn’t happen as he shoved a forkful of rice and vegetables into his mouth.

*

Eddie had always been the shortest of his friends. He wasn’t really that short, he was average height. His friends were all just so tall. None of his friends owned a car either, so when they wanted to go shopping, they had to take an uber. These two things factoring together meant Eddie was squished between Ben and Richie in the backseat of a stranger’s car, extremely unhappy. When he’d told Ben that he’d unintentionally invited Richie to join them, he’d expected, or hoped rather, for him to be against it. Instead, he was excited about having someone who knew Beverly so well helping him.

In a moment of desperation, Eddie had suggested that maybe just the two of them go shopping then. Ben wasn’t having that though.

“You promised, Eddie.” He’d reminded him.

So, there he was, arms crossed tightly over his chest, frown in place as they quietly sat closer than he wanted. He leaned closer against Ben, but with the limited space he was still in constant contact with Richie. When the shopping center came into view, he just about cheered. Luckily, he managed to hold it in, but he couldn’t suppress the sigh of relief that slipped out.

Eddie made sure to make Ben walk in the middle as the three made their way into the store. Ben was nervous, so he didn’t even notice that he was being used as a barrier. None of them had very much money and Richie had told them that he and Bev often went to Target together and they could definitely find gifts for her there. So, that’s where they went in hopes of finding three moderately priced gifts that their mutual friend would appreciate.

“I think I can manage to look for a gift myself, so why don’t we split up and I’ll meet you guys when we’re done?” Eddie suggested as they walked in the front door. Hopefully this attempt at a hasty escape wasn’t too obvious to the other two.

“What? No. Eddie, I need your opinion on what I pick out. You said you’d help me.” Ben said, almost whining.

“I know, but Richie knows her better than I do. Does my opinion really matter?”

“Yes!”

Eddie sighed. “Alright. Fine. Let’s go.”

He didn’t miss the smile on Richie’s face and his conversation with Bev from the day before invaded his mind without his permission. “You just called him adorable.” And suddenly his face was feeling warm and he had to focus on not looking at the other man. He had already admitted to himself that he thought Richie was attractive. Wasn’t that enough for his stupid subconcious? It didn’t matter though. Didn’t matter if he thought he was adorable. Which he didn’t because he didn’t like him.

Richie grabbed a cart and steered them toward the women’s clothing. Bev loved clothes and would surely like something they picked out for her, right? Maybe she didn’t like Eddie’s style all the time, but he kind of knew what she tended to wear. Ben and Richie probably did as well. Not that he imagined any of them really paid close attention to her daily attire. It was just dumb little things they would notice, like how she seemed to favor dresses when it was nice out. The women’s clothing section was vast and overwhelming ranging from juniors to maternity clothes.

“Alright, when it comes to clothes, I feel like Bev wears a lot a crop tops.” Richie said, grabbing a dark blue one with a key printed across the chest.

“It’s the middle of winter.” Eddie pointed out.

“Ok…well…what about a sweater?” Ben asked, grabbing a dark maroon sweater from a nearby rack.

“You can’t give her a sweater.” Eddie said, taking it from him.

“What? Why not?”

“Because you’re trying to woo her. Clothing is not the way to do that.” Despite his words, Eddie threw the sweater into the cart. “I, on the other hand, can give her sweater.”

“Seriously, Eddie?” Ben said with a smile. “Are you really trying to help me, or did you just want to steal my idea?”

“I’m helping, but I do think she will like the sweater.” Eddie said, pretending to be slightly defensive.

“I agree. You can’t give the person you like a sweater for her birthday.” Richie chimed in, pushing the cart across the aisle to where the jewelry resided. “This is where you should be looking.”

“Jewelry? Isn’t that the kind of gift you get a girlfriend?” Eddie asked.

“Or a girl you’re trying to ‘woo’.” Richie grinned, teasing Eddie for his choice of words.

Ben scanned the display of earrings. There weren’t many options that looked like they were meant for adults. Some looked like little colorful balls of slime with different neon colors sticking up in spikes. He remembered that being a thing when they were in middle school and high school, but couldn’t see someone Bev’s age wearing them. Finally, he grabbed a pair of golden hearts. He held them up for the other two to see, with a hopeful look on his face.

“No. Absolutely not. Too obvious.” Eddie said, crossing his arms.

“She doesn’t really change out her earrings either.” Richie said, shaking his head.

Ben’s smile fell away and he put them back, giving up and moving on to the bracelets. There were plenty to choose from there, but they were all fairly ugly. Bev often wore a black cord wrapped around her wrist and he didn’t see anything that seemed similar enough that she’d like. The necklaces weren’t much better. There were some made from chunky mismatched beads that looked like a child had made them from one of those plastic jewelry making kits.

With the lack of good options, Ben was getting ready to give up entirely when his eyes landed on a necklace hidden behind a large pendant. He pulled it out to get a better look at his eyes lit up as his smile returned. He turned to the others and held it up. The chain was golden and thin, hanging from it was a stone wrapped in gold wire. The stone’s color was a reddish orange that looked like it was glowing when it caught the light. Like an ember that was still glowing before it burned out.

“It’s like her hair.” He said, in awe.

Eddie held the stone in his hand and looked it over. “It’s nice.”

“You think so?” Ben turned to Richie, expectantly. “Would she wear something like this?”

“She does love necklaces. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her without one. I think it’s perfect, my dude.” Richie gave a thumbs up.

Ben cradled the necklace in his hands, not wanting to put it in the cart in case it fell out. Richie already had an idea of what he wanted to get for her and lead them to the electronics. Specifically, the video games. Eddie took control of the cart when Richie turned a corner too quickly while also trying to ride the cart and nearly knocked over a display.

“I swear, you are like a child.” Eddie griped, smacking Richie’s hands away from the cart handle.

Across from the electronics was the kitchen wares section and Eddie was suddenly reminded of the note he’d made in his phone. He left Ben and Richie to look at the games while he wandered over to the kitchen appliances. He walked past toasters, hand mixers, and blenders before he stumbled across the coffee pots. He didn’t need a full pot for just him but right past them were the one cup machines. They were kind of pricey and he knew he couldn’t ask his mom to help him buy one. She didn’t even know he went to a café twice a week. There was a reason he always paid with cash. It was better than her asking him why he was throwing his money away on coffee and then fretting over him getting too much caffeine and how it would mess with his sleep.

Near the end of the aisle was a single cup machine that was smaller than the others and about $80 less. He grabbed the box and looked at the features, hoping to find out how easy it was to use. If he could get this and a box of the pods, he’d never have to go to the cafe again. As if on cue, as soon as he started thinking about him, he could hear Richie’s voice nearby, growing closer.

“I’m usually the best at these games, but she kicks my ass about half the time.” Richie was saying.

“She’s just amazing at everything isn’t she?” Eddie could practically hear the heart eyes in Ben’s voice.

They rounded the corner and immediately spotted Eddie. Richie had a game in his hand and Ben was still carefully holding the necklace in his hand, out in front of him. As they approached, Ben came to stand beside Eddie to see what he had, while Richie dropped his gift choice in the cart.

“What’s that?” Ben asked.

“One of those one cup coffee machines. Figured I could use it in my apartment.” Eddie answered.

“Uh…no way.” Richie said, snagging the box from his hands.

“Excuse me?”

“You can’t buy one of these.”

“And why not?”

“If you make coffee at home, you won’t come in to see me anymore. Besides, the coffee we make is way better than the crap they put in those pods.”

“Not going to the café anymore is the point. I’ll save a lot of money if I get this.” And I won’t have to see you, he thought.

“Yes, but at what cost?”

Eddie took the box back from him. “I’m not too concerned about the quality of my coffee. If I were, I wouldn’t trust you to make it for me.”

“Oof, you hurt me, Eds.” Richie put his hand to his chest. “I still think it’s a mistake.”

Eddie sighed and rolled his eyes as he slid the box back onto the shelf. “Yea, well, I can’t afford it right now anyway.”

“Oh good, then our relationship is safe.”

Ben smiled, enjoying listening to them argue. Having known Eddie for so long, he’d seen him argue or bicker with others on countless occasions, but there was something about his interactions with Richie. They were different, less confrontational and more teasing. Ben wondered to himself if Eddie even realized that the corners of his lips turned up whenever he rolled his eyes at Richie. He said that he hated the guy, couldn’t stand to be around him, was upset that he had his number and lived so close. But Ben couldn’t help thinking that Eddie actually enjoyed it. Why else would he keep going back to the same café, knowing well that Richie would always be there when he went? To think, Ben was the one he called clueless and oblivious about matters of the heart.

As they made their way to the front where the registers were, Richie grabbed the handle of the cart and forced Eddie to turn it toward the grocery section. Of course, he was annoyed, but he also couldn’t help the jolt that went through him when Richie’s fingers overlapped his own. He pulled his hand back quickly, using it to slap Richie’s arm for grabbing the cart in the first place.

“You could have just asked me to turn, jackass.” Eddie grumbled.

“I need some stuff for Bev’s cake.” Richie explained, heading into the baking aisle.

Eddie and Ben followed him as he gathered things and dropped them into the cart. Flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, sugar. Beverly had told Eddie about his baking but for some reason he had been expecting him to buy a cake mix, not the things to make one from scratch. He grabbed three cans of chocolate frosting, which the other two thought was kind of excessive for one cake. The last things he grabbed were a bottle of vegetable oil and a pack of chocolate chips. Turning to the others, he smiled.

“That should do it.” He said, putting his hands on the side of the cart.

“You’re baking her cake?” Ben asked.

“Yea. I do every year. It’s a tradition.”

“I wish I could do something like that for her.”

“Want to help me make it? If I tell Bev it was made with love that might help you woo her right?” Richie winked at Eddie as he said this.

Eddie again felt heat rising up his neck, though he couldn’t tell if it was embarrassment or annoyance that was causing it. It was just a stupid word to he used to describe Ben’s pursuit of Beverly. He kept using it just to get to him and it, admittedly, was working.

“I don’t want to mess it up.” Ben frowned, earning a look from Eddie.

“Impossible. If this idiot can bake without burning the building down, so can you.” Eddie said, patting Ben on the shoulder.

Richie grinned. “How do you know I’ve never burned a place down before? You never asked what happened to my last apartment.”

“Even more reason to move.”

“Well, if you’re serious, then I’d love to come and help.” Ben said, ignoring their banter.

“For sure, man. I’m gonna make it tonight.”

Ben smiled and turned to Eddie, who was looking less than thrilled. “Is it ok with you if I postpone hanging out tonight to bake the cake instead?”

“We literally hang out all the time. We’re going to the party together tomorrow. I think I’ll survive one night.” Eddie said, dismissing it with a wave of his hand.

“When you’re ready to admit that you’ll be lonely, you know where I live.” Richie said, taking the cart from Eddie and finally steering them out of the baking aisle and toward the registers.

“That’s not going to happen. You couldn’t pay me to step foot into your apartment. You let a mouse live with you, it’s probably filthy.” Eddie said, following after him, his cheeks flushed.

*

The ride back to the building Richie and Eddie both lived in was less awkward. Ben and Richie chatted the whole way about Beverly, her birthday and the cake. Eddie was sat between them again, trying to zone out watching the road beyond the windshield. Occasionally one of them would ask him something and bring him into the conversation, though he really didn’t want to talk to Richie anymore. Everything he said was teasing and either made Eddie angry or caused a weird flutter in his stomach that he hated.

They rode the elevator up to their floor together and Eddie made a beeline for his door while Ben and Richie continued down the hall to the latter’s apartment. They asked Eddie if he was sure he didn’t want to join them, and he insisted he had things he needed to do. Once inside his apartment, away from the other two, he finally relaxed.

Eddie hung up his coat and kicked his shoes off before making his way to the couch with his bag and collapsing into its cushiony embrace. He’d grabbed a gift bag and some tissue paper to wrap the sweater in. He put it all together, grabbing a pen to write ‘From Eddie’ on the attached tag.

He sat back on his couch in the quiet room when he was done and sighed. Every day this week he’d been forced to see Richie. Monday when his disease carrying pet invaded his apartment, Tuesday at the coffee shop, then spending his Wednesday shopping with him. Thursday he’d have to see him once in the morning at the coffee shop and then at Bev’s party in the evening. Friday would be the first day that he could enjoy a Richie free 24 hours and he was so ready for it.

He closed his eyes, letting his head fall back against the cushions behind his back. Richie really was annoying. Always trying to get a rise out of him, always encouraged by whatever Eddie said in response. It was infuriating. Even the things he did. Like nearly crashing the cart or just grabbing the handle and nearly making him crash.

The feel of Richie’s fingers against his jumped into his mind and his heart seemed to leap as his stomach stirred. Opening his eyes, he let out a long deep breath. It didn’t mean anything. It had just been a while since he’d had any physical contact that wasn’t Ben, Stan or Bev. It also wasn’t a normal occurrence. Sometimes their hands brushed when he was handing his money over or taking his drink at the café. Then there was the other night when he’d ruffled his hair. He’d never had a reaction from it though. It was all Bev’s fault for pointing out that he’d called Richie adorable. He couldn’t stop thinking about it and it was all because of her teasing him.

One thing Eddie was certain of, he didn’t like Richie.

*

Ben dried his hands on a towel while he watched Richie gather everything they would need to make the cake for Beverly. Despite Eddie’s assumptions, the place really wasn’t that messy. Maybe a bit cluttered compared to Eddie’s, not as meticulously clean as his either, but clean. Ben had yet to see the mouse but thought it best to wait until they were done making the cake before he asked to meet her.

“Mmkay, I think that’s everything.” Richie said, setting the oven to preheat. “I’ll tell you what to do so you can tell Bev you made it.”

Ben suddenly felt nervous. He’d baked before with his mom, but not like this. She would usually mix it all up and he’d just scoop balls of cookie dough onto the parchment paper. This wasn’t just some random baking lesson, this was Beverly’s birthday cake. For a party that was the following day. If he messed it up, they’d be screwed.

“I don’t know that that’s a good idea.” Ben said, stepping up to the counter anyway.

“Dude, it will be fine. I know what I’m doing, and I won’t let you mess up.” Richie came to stand beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Bev likes you. I can tell. And from what I’ve seen so far, I think you’ll be good for her. I’m not going to let you look like an idiot.”

Ben smiled. “You’re different than you are around Eddie.”

Richie couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Oh, believe me, I’m just as bad when he’s not around. I’m also a good guy when I need to be, though.”

“So, is it just him you like to annoy then?”

“We can get into that while the cake is in the oven.” Richie said, pulling back and handing him a measuring cup. “Chop, chop. We’ve got baking to do, good fellow!” He changed his voice to a British accent as he said that last bit.

Ben smiled and took the measuring cup, ready for his instructions. Around forty minutes later, feeling overwhelmed, Ben slid the cake pans onto the oven rack carefully. The recipe wasn’t really that intense, he just kept almost spilling everything with his nerves getting the better of him. Somehow, he’d managed to get the batter into the cake pans without spilling any of it on the counter. When he’d opened the bag of chocolate chips, he had managed to nearly drop the open bag. Twice. Luckily, Richie found it hilarious.

“Time is set. We’ve got 30 minutes to kill.” Richie said, slipping his phone into his pocket.

“Right…so…about this mouse.” Ben said, eager.

“Penny. Do you want to meet her?” Richie smiled.

“Yes. Please.”

“C’mon.” Richie motioned with his hand for Ben to follow as he made his way from the kitchen to the bedroom.

While his apartment was relatively clean, his room was kind of a mess. Not enough to be gross or annoying to walk through. Just like he hadn’t picked up in a while. This would definitely annoy Eddie and with the way Ben expected their relationship to grow, he assumed he’d definitely see this room eventually. He thought it best not to mention that though, in case he was wrong.

Against the wall was a low and wide dresser with a large glass tank sitting in the middle of it. Richie went straight to it and took the lid off. Ben crouched down in front of it and looked at the small brown mouse scurrying around inside. Richie dipped his hand down into the tank and she immediately ran over and climbed onto his fingers. He lifted her out slowly and held her out toward Ben.

“This is Penny. She’s very social and mischievous and likes to escape.” Richie said, affectionately while running a finger over her head.

“Eddie told me about how she infiltrated his apartment.” Ben laughed.

“Yea. I think she likes him too.”

Ben looked from Penny to Richie. “So…Eddie…” He said, hoping it was enough encouragement for him to start talking.

“Eddie.” Richie looked up at Ben as Penny began crawling up his arm. “You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?”

Ben shrugged and smiled despite his best efforts not to. “No. I already know. I can tell from the way you look at him.”

“What has he said about it?”

“Nothing. I love the guy, but he’s completely oblivious. Back in high school, there was this girl who really liked him. She started hanging around outside his classes and sitting near us in the lunchroom. It was completely obvious that she was practically stalking him. I told him that she was into him when she asked to join our group for a project in class. He didn’t believe me at first and then panicked when he realized that it was true.” Ben laughed at the memory of Eddie grabbing for his inhaler while he explained why this was a terrible revelation.

Richie smiled, lifting Penny from his shoulder back into his hand. “Here I thought he hated me because he was straight and knew I liked him.”

“Oh no, Eddie’s definitely not straight. I don’t think he really hates you either. He’s just…not used to someone like you.”

“Is that the nice way of saying ‘asshole’?”

“No, no…I mean the way you interact with him. Sometimes when someone annoys him and he gets snippy with them, he ends up saying something that comes out wrong and…it’s been bad. But you always laugh and just say something right back. I think it’s good for him. I just don’t think he realizes that yet.”

Richie grinned and looked down at Penny. “I like talking to him. His face gets all red and he glares at me with this intense look. It’s so funny and so fucking cute.”

“If you like him, you have to tell him. I guarantee he has no idea.”

“I guess I’ll have to be more obvious.” They were quiet for a moment, both watching Penny as she climbed up one arm, scurried behind his neck and then back down the other. “Want to hold her?” Richie asked.

“Yes. I really, really do.” Ben said excitedly.

He cupped his hands together out in front of him and Richie held his hand out to him. Penny sniffed his fingers for a second and then crawled right over. Her little toes were scratchy against his palms. She sniffed around for a little bit, her whiskers and nose tickling as she went. When she was satisfied, she began crawling up his arm.

“She likes you.” Richie said, leaning back against the dresser.

“I’m in love.” Ben said, making Richie laugh.

Just then, the timer on Richie’s phone went off. “I’ve got it. You bond with Penny.” He said, shutting off the alarm and heading back into the kitchen.

He took the trays from the oven and tested each one with a toothpick. The two moved to the living room while they cooled, sitting on the floor opposite one another with their legs stretched out and their feet pressed together so Penny could run around the floor between them while remaining locked in. When the cakes were cooled enough, Penny was returned to her tank and they stacked and frosted it. Ben watched in amazement as Richie managed to use all three cans of frosting, explaining the Bev really liked chocolate.

Richie had a lot to think about after his conversation with Ben. When they were finished and he said goodbye, Ben thanked him for helping him and letting him make the cake. In turn, Richie thanked him for giving him some insight into Eddie. Richie had gone into this hoping to spend the day with Eddie, and instead he made a new friend, who he truly enjoyed spending time with. Not everyone loved Penny the way he did. Having mutual friends with Eddie wasn’t a bad thing either.

While settling into bed, Richie made a decision. Tomorrow he’d see Eddie again. He’d make sure he was as obvious as he could be that he liked the boy. Before falling asleep, he pulled out his phone and sent Eddie a screenshot of an article with the headline “Man arrested for putting fake arrow decals on the floor of IKEA and for creating a labyrinth with no exit”. He added “Date night ideas” beneath it before hitting send and closing his eyes with a smile.

#It #it (2017) #it (2019) #reddie #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #ben hanscom #stanley uris #Ro writes