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officebubble · 2 years

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I can feel you

Summary: The journey of a soldier made anew, riddled with the guilt of his past and on a steady path to redemption.

Warnings: Violence, injury, mild language, more warnings as the series progresses.

Word count: 5.1k

a/n: Quite a big stepping stone for Wanda and reader this chapter, a heartfelt moment that changes the nature of their relationship. Hope you guys enjoy it!

Chapter thirteen

New Avengers Facility, The compound

It had been a few weeks after the Sokovia tragedy, and everything had begun to settle down. Hulk had gone MIA and turned off the Quinjet’s tracker so that he couldn’t be found. Stark relief foundation had been working endlessly trying to find all the Sokovian civilians new homes and making sure they had access to proper healthcare after the incident.

The team had officially offered you a place as an Avenger, you were a viable asset, and they’d need you fighting their corner; but you were still considering their offer. You didn’t know if you were ready to make a decision like that right now. You’d been alone for so long; working with a team was so unfamiliar to you.

Everybody had taken a well needed break, Thor returning to Asgard to be with his family and the others taking some time away from fighting. Sam had heard of what happened in Sokovia and decided he wanted to be there for Steve from now on, therefore making him an official Avenger.

You, however, felt as if you couldn’t catch a break. You hadn’t completely finished your recovery period when Steve had asked for your help and you hadn’t gone back to Wakanda since; so the nightmares were still in full force, jolting you from your bed every night in a cold sweat. You spent most of your time in the training room to get your mind off things and it tired you enough to grant you a few hours of sleep before the night terrors woke you.

Since you’d returned, the air between you and Wanda had been… very still. She had her own room at the other end of the floor you were on meant for the new recruits, but she never left it. She’d sometimes get up to get something to eat but that was it, even then, she did it at times when nobody could see the looming emptiness that had settled in her bones.

You couldn’t blame her; she wasn’t supposed to be here alone. She was supposed to have her brother in the room right across from her. You could tell that the empty room haunted her, she’d walk past it and remember that he wasn’t here anymore. That he never would be.

You hadn’t tried to talk to her. You knew better than anyone that sometimes you’d feel so lost you just… couldn’t find the words. You still felt the same things she did, the ache in your chest whenever you were near her; the grief she couldn’t shake. You hated that she was feeling so much all alone.

“I walked by here this morning, and you were in the exact same spot. I’m starting to think I should be a little concerned.”

You held the punching bag by its sides until it stopped swinging, turning to Steve as he leant against the training room’s doorway, “Not much else for me to do.”

Steve nodded, watching as you wiped the sweat from your forehead and walked over to the benches to grab your water bottle, “How’s Wanda?”

You frowned at this, shrugging at him. “How would I know?”

“She hasn’t talked to you?”

You started unwrapping your fists as Steve stared at you, “Did you expect her to?”

Steve uncrossed his arms, walking towards you “I guess not. How have you been?”

You sighed, clenching your jaw as to not lash out at him, his constant questions agitated you but they were of good nature. He was one of the only people who actually cared, you reminded yourself, “I’ve been… okay, I guess.”

Steve was clearly expecting more out of you, but you didn’t know what to tell him. You couldn’t describe how you had been because you didn’t know. You didn’t know if this was you doing good or not.

He relented after a moment, patting your shoulder, “Well, dinner should be ready soon. Will I be seeing you tonight?”

You lowered your head, scratching the back of your neck, “I don’t know…”

“It’s just me tonight, everyone else is out.”, he rushes out, trying to convince you before you have the time to disagree.

You look back up to him, seeing his hopeful smile and biting the inside of your cheek, “Okay.”

Dinner wasn’t terrible. You talked with Steve about mundane things, which was… easier. He wasn’t the worst chef, and the food was admittedly much better than the slop hydra gave you. He had given you strict instructions to not go back to the training room tonight, and just to satisfy him, you didn’t.

Instead, you took a slight detour.

You stepped quietly over to Wanda’s door, lowering yourself to the ground and leaning your back against the wall beside it. You couldn’t hear anything coming from the other side, so there was the possibility that she was asleep. You didn’t mind. You hadn’t come to strike up a conversation with her.

You didn’t fully understand what it was that the two of you shared but you hoped that she knew you were sitting there. That you were trying to be there for her.

You’d gotten the same pulsing ache within you as you sat down, and you wished desperately to take it from her. You knew you could handle it and even if you couldn’t take it all; you wanted to take as much as you could. So you could hurt together.

It was likely that she wouldn’t leave the room tonight, so you stretched your legs out, crossing one over the other, and let your eyes slip shut. You couldn’t give her much, but you could give her this.

The next morning was even less eventful, you’d been startled awake by a particularly rough nightmare, a slight tremor to you and a sore back as you were still beside Wanda’s door. You’d headed for the gym not long after awakening and you had been in there from the early hours, noticing that Steve had seemingly disappeared considering he hadn’t come to do his routine check on you.

At around ten, you decided to roam the building, really see how much money Stark had. You had been walking for nearly ten minutes and come across an indoor swimming pool, a cinema room which seemed a little unnecessary, a basketball court, and a field track.

There was a lot of option, that’s for sure, but you were more interested in the never-ending running track, and when you got to it, you could admit it was pretty cool. It was a large, grassy area with red tarmac stretched across it and sprinklers scattered around to cool you off.

You had nothing to do today so you figured you’d try it out.

You stepped onto the track and began a slow jog, your intention wasn’t to train necessarily, just to think. You had been doing that a lot lately; thinking for yourself. There was so much you realised you never had the chance to think about, to really understand. It petrified you. There was this expansive mind you had yet to explore, and it was almost too big for you.

You wanted to know who you were, what you liked. The simple things. You feared there wasn’t any of that left to find out.

After a few hours, you decided you’d been in your head for too long and that Steve probably wouldn’t be too fond if he found you doing any form of exercise this late into the day. You maneuvered yourself off the track, stepping into line with one of the sprinklers and letting it drench you.

The cold water helped you come to, all previous thoughts rinsing away with the liquid dripping down your body.

Heading back to your room, you walked past the kitchen, pausing when you heard faint clattering. You peered inside, catching sight of brunette hair and feeling your entire body tense up. You watched as Wanda padded around the room, searching for something; and you were tempted to go in, but you didn’t want to scare her away and ruin any chance of her staying out of her room.

With one last glance, you turned away and continued back to your room.

“I just think it’s kind of… I don’t know, unnatural leaving them two alone in the compound. Dangerous even.”

Steve turned to Natasha with a frown, not seeing where she was coming from, “Dangerous? I don’t think it’s dangerous, do you think it’s dangerous?”

She shrugs, taking a sip of her drink, “It’s kinda dangerous.”

Unbeknownst to you and Wanda, Steve had purposefully made sure that the team weren’t in the compound 24/7 and he did it because he wanted to make sure you both felt comfortable enough to explore the compound on your own. You couldn’t exactly do it if there were people walking around and watching you all the time.

Now that he’s hearing Natasha’s opinion on it all, he’s starting to second guess his decision, “I just want them to be- “

Natasha interrupts, “Comfortable. I know, and it’s nice, really, but we’re a team. We learn to work together because that’s what we do for a living. How are they going to learn that if the aforementioned team is never there?”

Steve looks away sheepishly, “They have each other.”

“And neither one of them talks.”

Steve sighed, now seeing that she was right. He took a sip of his coffee, leaning back in his seat. He had invited Natasha out for coffee as a means to get her out the compound, and while it was a genuinely nice outing, he had too much on his mind to enjoy it completely.

Natasha leans forward, placing her cup onto the table, “They’re adults, Steve. They know what they’re doing.”

Steve looks back to her, sitting up similarly to her, “But that’s the thing, they’re both still kids, Nat. Their experience doesn’t make them any older. I just hoped they’d find some comfort in one another.”

“It’s gonna take a long time for them to come around. This isn’t something that’ll happen overnight. I mean, it took you seventy years to come join us so, I wouldn’t get your hopes up.”, she smirks at that last part, Steve returning it.

“Alright, very funny.”

Natasha chuckles, raising her hands in surrender, “I thought it was kinda funny.”

Steve laughs, his eyes trained on her as she smiles back at him.

Natasha quiets down at his stare, resting her chin on her hand, “What?”

Steve just shakes his head, looking down, “We should probably get back, huh?”

Natasha agrees, rising from her seat and pushing Steve back into his as he tries to stand, eliciting a laugh from him.

A few days later

Steve had deemed today ‘team training day’, much to everyone else’s displeasure. He had pulled you to the side and told you that it wasn’t mandatory, and you didn’t have to participate if you didn’t feel comfortable doing so, but it was only training so you figured it couldn’t do you much harm.

Wanda on the other hand, she had immediately shut it down.

“I’m okay.”

“Look, I think this could be a really good chance for you to work on your abilities. I’m sure you’ve got a lot of emotion pent up inside of you, this would be an ideal way to get it out.”

Still, to no avail.

Steve had listed off a few more reasons as to why joining would benefit her but she dismissed them all. Eventually, he gave up and let her be. You’d watched him walk into the training room a little less preppy than usual and quickly understood what Wanda’s answer had been.

Again, you couldn’t blame her. A room full of people she barely knew, practicing a skill she also barely knew. It seemed like a lot.

At some point during training, Natasha had slinked out of the room and you were intrigued to know where she had gone. You were a presence Steve would notice missing much quicker though, so you didn’t try to follow her.

You were on weird terms with Natasha. You weren’t friends, but she wasn’t the worst person to be around. She had been there for you in Wakanda, and you were grateful for that, but you still couldn’t trust her.

Steve was the only person you could see yourself trusting somewhere in the far future but that stemmed from a situation you had no control over. Steve knew everything there was to know about you based on your files and what he had seen in Wakanda, not that he’d ever use that against you, but it still unsettled you.

Natasha had returned not long after her leave, slipping into place as if she’d never left and it amazed you how no one bat an eye. She was sneaky, you could give her that. She must have noticed your gaze on her because she turned to you and threw you a small smile to which you nodded in return.

She had a tendency to soften slightly around you and it made you feel like a child. You knew it was pity. Ever since Wakanda, she had begun trying to be extra cautious when interacting with you and you hated it.

She didn’t know you. She may have seen something she wasn’t supposed to but that didn’t mean anything. She didn’t know anything.

She didn’t know anything.

You had to close your eyes for a moment, you could feel those dreaded thoughts coming back and Shuri wasn’t here to tell you what to do. Breath. Breath, she’d say. Why couldn’t you breath?

It all happened too quickly. One minute you were gripping your head trying to quiet down the voices and the next minute, you were advancing on Natasha. She hadn’t expected your attack so she couldn’t dodge the kick to her legs and when she dropped to a knee, you grabbed her by her collar and dragged her to the nearest wall.

The team were all yelling at you to put her down at this point but their words were no match for the ones swirling inside your mind.

You pushed Natasha against the wall so hard you could see the small crack in it from the force, gaze hardening as she watched you in fear. It excited you seeing her so scared of you. She didn’t know you; she didn’t know what you could do. No one did.

“You were stupid to think you knew who I was. To think you meant anything to me.”, your words cut through Natasha like knifes. They were harsh and dripping with hate. You were holding her so tightly against the wall, she couldn’t breathe properly.

“Y/N! Put her down!”

Steve’s shouts fell on deaf ears as you gripped Natasha tighter, you’d strangle her to death right here just to prove how little she knew. And that’s exactly what you planned to do, reaching for her neck before you were tossed across the room. Your back hit the stack of dumbbells at the far corner and as you stood, you saw the fading wisps of red around you.

You stood; eyes locked to the girl across the room. Your fists tightened beside you and your breathing picked up. She clenched her jaw as he stepped closer, hands out and ready in front of her. You turned your head over to Natasha gasping for air against Steve, clutching his arm tightly. When your eyes slid back over to Wanda, her eyes had returned to their normal cool green and she just watched you.

Her eyes didn’t hold any malice, not like you had expected them to. You kept watching them, they were drawing you in like a tidal wave. You could feel the anger dissipating slowly, she wasn’t someone you’d fight. Your chest heaved with your laboured breaths, and you slowly sunk to the floor, hands gripping your chest as the realisation set in.

You had done it again. You had hurt them, again.

Wanda didn’t come any closer, she just lowered her hands and waited. She watched as your hands shook with your guilt over your chest. She could… feel you. It was like she was you in that moment, burdened by the weight of what you had done. It startled her. Your body was wringing itself out, trying to dispel this feeling, it almost hurt.

You stood abruptly and the team all jolted back in defence. You observed their faces. Fear. Betrayal. Confusion. You couldn’t handle it.

By time the lights came back on, you were gone.

The team searched the entire compound and had come up empty. Steve was determined to find you and ask what the hell had happened, but he’d never get anywhere if you didn’t come back. He was disappointed, but not in you, in himself. He should have known you weren’t ready for this; he had pushed this on you, and it ended terribly.

Natasha was fine aside from a few bruises, but she just wanted to talk to you. Understand what she had done to make you react that way. She wouldn’t soon forget the look in your eyes when you attacked her. The words you had said. Cold and empty, like you wanted to rip her to shreds right then and there. For a moment, she thought you would.

She was glad she had talked to Wanda beforehand; she likes to think it was the reason she came down to help. She hadn’t said much, just that once training was over and everyone had left, she and Wanda could train just the two of them. If that would be easier. Wanda had said she’d consider it and Natasha took that as a win.

She doesn’t see that happening any time soon.

“Anything?” Steve had asked, meeting up with the rest of the team in the living room.

He sighed when they all shook their heads, rubbing his temples, “FRIDAY didn’t see him leave the building but he could have easily slipped past her.”

“I should probably install a heat signature detector.” Tony suggested, his mind already coming up with a way to do just that.

Sam sees the dejected look on Steve’s face and chooses to stay optimistic, “Look, there isn’t much for him out there. He’ll realise that we aren’t mad at him and he’ll come back. He can’t stay mad forever.”

Steve smiles thankfully at Sam, straightening his posture and trying to rid his mind of the predicament he’s in, “Sam’s right. Y/N knows we aren’t out to get him and hopefully once he’s cooled off, he’ll return to the compound. There isn’t much we can do while he’s gone, so get some rest and we’ll continue this tomorrow.”

The team separated, going to do their own thing, all for Natasha, who hung back. She watched Steve with a sympathetic look, not knowing what to say this time round. She wanted to find you just as much as he did but clearly today wasn’t that day. This changed things, she knew you still needed help and that was a decision she couldn’t make on her own.

“He needs help, Steve. He can’t stay here while he’s like this.”

Steve didn’t respond, he kept his eyes cast downwards as he thought. He didn’t want to send you back, it’d put too much distance between you and the team. But Natasha was right, you weren’t healed, and you never would be as long as you stayed here. He turned to look at Natasha and it was almost as if they came to a silent agreement.

Wanda could still feel you. It was distant and disturbed, but it was still there.

It intrigued her greatly and she wanted to know why she could feel so much around you. It was so strong it overwhelmed her. There was an odd balance to you, she discovered. Your mind was silent for her; like it wasn’t even there, but your body hummed with emotion.

Feelings and sensations she couldn’t decipher.

Turmoil.

There was a turmoil raging within you and because of it, you were never still. Even at night when you lay in your quarters across from her, asleep, you were never still.

You ran rampant around her body almost like you were living vicariously through her. Your presence lingered even when you weren’t there.

She wondered if you felt the same things. If you could feel that sinking sensation she got whenever she thought of her brother. The cold dread within her when she realises how lost she is, how far she’d strayed from who she used to be.

She had known you were at her door the other night, only because she was able breath for a moment, despite her tears. Usually she’d choke up and be sat there gasping for air until she felt lightheaded, but that night was different.

It was as if a surge of air had penetrated her lungs and for a split second… it didn’t hurt so much. She had felt the air around her buzz with an energy that soothed her enough to let her drift off to sleep, a comforting presence blanketing her in a dome of… something. She hadn’t figured that out yet.

She wanted you at her door every night.

The late evening breeze served as a temporary reprieve from the constant heat flushes running through your body. Your legs dangled over the edge of the building you were perched on, eyes cast forward at the hustle and bustle of New York city.

You liked how miniature the people looked down below. They all seemed so insignificant compared to the buildings that towered over them. Silenced out by the beeping of cars and patter of feet on the wet ground.

You wished more than anything to be like that. Irrelevant and unknown. To not have anyone bat an eye at you as you walked past. A quiet soul in the midst of such a large world.

You held such a heavy weight on your shoulders, and it was tipping you further down than you’d ever been. To the depths of something so cold and lonely. You’d been hardwired to hurt everyone around you, and you were naïve to think you’d ever be rid of it.

It was coming up to 4 days since you left the compound. You’d been sneaking into cafes and restaurants after closing time to get food, and you’d endured worse conditions than the gravelly floors of rooftops.

You hated that you had to leave in the first place. It hurt more because you knew they cared. The team had taken a chance on you, let you into their home, their family. They’d given you the benefit of the doubt and all you’d given them were empty promises.

You couldn’t be better. Not for them, not for anyone. It didn’t matter what you did, you’d always circle round to your roots. The branching evil within you.

You wished to tear every person who allowed you to become this shell of a person to pieces. Rip their hearts right from their chest just so they could see how they’d so severely damaged yours. Torment their minds in the most torturous ways just so they could see how they’d destroyed yours. Left it for ruin in their wake; singed every nerve ending until you were numb.

You would never understand what you were. How was that fair? How were they able to break you so easily? Twist the image until you saw that you were never really whole in the first place. That there had always been something missing, a blurred part of the picture.

You’d go your whole life without finding it and what did that make you?

“He hasn’t been spotted on the premises, sir. I could get my squad to search further beyond the gates, but we don’t have much of an idea as to where’d he be.”

Steve thanked the agent for her help, dismissing her from the meeting room. He turned from the closing glass door to face the expectant gaze of Natasha who sat at the head of the table, one leg crossed over the other as she leaned back into her seat.

“Anything?”

With a solemn shake of his head, he shuffled over to the seat beside her, dropping his head into his hands. He was at a loss. He’d never find you if you didn’t want to be found.

It was concerning how much pressure Steve was putting on himself and it had Natasha’s mind racing, trying to come up with a solution. She was confident in the notion that you’d return in your own time, she understood that you probably just needed space right now. It didn’t make her any less concerned, however. It wouldn’t take much to reel you back into hydra’s grasp and she had an underlying fear that they were lurking around the corner, waiting for the best moment to strike.

She hoped you had the will power to come back to them. Come back to the people who only wanted to help you.

These thoughts stayed with Natasha until that night, but as she was rinsing the day’s stress from her face, she reached behind her to grab a towel when she heard a soft voice from inside her room.

“I’m sorry.”

The words were awfully quiet and if she hadn’t stilled immediately at the sound, she probably wouldn’t have heard them. She wiped the water droplets from her face, placing the towel on the sink and leaning her hip against it. She took the time to consider her words, she didn’t want to say the wrong thing and have you running off again.

“It isn’t you. No matter what it says.”

You don’t answer straight away, and she knows she’s hit the nail on the head. She hears your shaky exhale, switching off the bathroom light so that her eyes can adjust to the dark. Once they do, she can just about make out your silhouette in the dark room as she slowly takes a step forward.

“What did it say?”

You keep your eyes glued to the floor, the tension throttling you as you try to find the words, “You don’t know enough. You don’t know anything. I…”

Your words trail off as your breathe catches in your throat but Natasha doesn’t rush you. She waits patiently for you to articulate all the thoughts screaming at you. She has all night after all.

“I want you to know what you don’t. The truth.”

Natasha blinks a couple times, taken by surprise at your admission. You were placing a fractured piece of yourself into her hand, and she didn’t want it to slip through her fingers. She needed to keep it so that she could gather the rest.

“I want you to know who I was, what I did.”

Natasha couldn’t understand why you’d want that. The truth was a calamitous thing, destructive. There was so much more to you than whoever you once were but such bitter honesty could change the way you were seen, perceived by others.

“None of that matters now. We… we think it’s best we send you back to Wakanda. To alleviate the burden.”

Your head lifts at this, eyes trained onto the woman in front of you. They were getting rid of you.

You felt your resolve slip momentarily, a flash of betrayal coursing through you.

“You did nothing wrong, Y/N. You saw the progress you were making; you can have that again.”

You didn’t believe her. Her words were a harsh contrast to her intentions, to everyone’s intentions. Whispers of comfort carefully woven into her looming fear. Her fear of you.

“You’re getting rid of me.”

“No, Y/N- “

“You’re getting rid of me. Because I hurt you.”

She was shaking her head rapidly now, stepping closer, but you flinched back. You’d only hurt her again. You supposed she already knew. Her tone was too gentle, condescending almost. It plucked at your patience, withering it down ever so carefully.

It was interesting watching your mind go to war with itself. The ultimate duel between rage and reason. You wondered how it would end this time.

“Look at me, Y/N. You have earned your rightful place on this team, that’s something we won’t ever take from you.”

Liar.

“We just want to help you; we can’t do that here.”

Doesn’t she get sick of lying? Doesn’t she know you’re not fond of being lied to.

You’re slipping again.

You frown, eyes dropping down to Natasha’s lips. The lips that aren’t moving anymore. Panic alights in your chest as your mind reels in disorientation.

I know you can hear me.

Your breathing grows erratic at the voice, eyes scanning the room for the source of it. You were going insane.

Natasha notices your sudden display of distress, her gaze flittering over you in immediate concern, “Y/N? What’s wrong?”

Leave the room, Y/N.

You comply, not wanting to disobey the order. You stumble past Natasha, shrugging your arm out of her grip when she reaches for you. You pull open her door, looking down both ends of the hall, and try to catch your fleeting breath.

You’re okay.

It was odd. The voice was intentionally soothing and you wanted to keep the low pitch soaring through your head. Let it wrap itself around you until there was no room for anything else inside you. You felt your chest thrumming again, it made the hairs stand on your arms and your chest warm.

You walked towards the only place you recognised the thrumming to have ever come from, eyes teetering on the edge of closing at the sensations you were experiencing. When the elevator pinged with its arrival to your floor, the air pulsed with an energy that had your mind mollifying.

You practically sunk to your knees against her door once you’d reached it, hands gripping the material of your pants as you leant your head against the door. You wanted to drown in the feeling, the silence in your mind. You’d weld yourself against the wooden barrier between you and the other side just to stay here as long as you could.

Gentle puffs of air left your mouth and you could feel them ricochet off the door and back onto your face. They were slow, and effortless. Beyond those breaths, there was a resounding silence in the dim hallway. There was a current of peace within you and it made your eyes sting with tears that never fell.

I can feel you.

You nodded silently, hand reaching up to press against the door, “I can feel you too.”

#Avengers #male reader #part thirteen #slowburn #wanda x reader #wanda x male reader #wanda maximoff

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cherry-pipers-blog · 2 years

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Shae Landers will see in a few more years that I was right and even more so in another 8-10 years.

I sent Shae Landers some DM just trying to tell her she needs to come down to reality. She accused me of other peoples DM hate when not all the stuff she shown was mine. She is turning 32 this year. As of her 30th birthday I let her know her acting aspirations and acting like a teen are coming to a sad reality wake up call in the near future and that she is no longer that young and needs to grow up and maybe realize acting is not going to be a career job for her. She had like two speaking parts in 15 years. the other few were extra and even very famous actresses careers dim at age 35 and she is not even established . She hardly did anything since 2007 to now.. not enough to live on, not even close..

So what is she doing? Living off her parents, must be working odd little jobs like restaurant work and going to Disney Land every week and hanging out with her friends like she is still 18. She said she looks a decade younger than her true age. ( I disagree, maybe late 20s) so see how she is stuck on trying to be younger. As time goes by it’s going to get more difficult. Well, as soon as she hits middle thirties and late thirties she will see how the aging will kick in big time. All her little botox is not going to change the fact she is getting old... If this bothered you, than you are in for a big rude awakening, as you should know this.

I don’t care about Alex honey, he’s a douche bag and kind of ugly now. and was always a jerk. But you can’t deny you and him did have a affair. She threatened to track me down and find out who I am so I won’t be messaging her directly anymore. So now I am just answering her replies to me and stating my opinion. No law broken.

You can do all the pilates you want but as you keep aging you lose a lot of muscle and firmness not only in your face but in your body and your matebolism drops severely and you will sag and bloat more and sag and sag and beome more flabby. Nobody is young forever and even if you are thin at 40 lets see how cute 40 years olds are walking around in shorts and trying to act cute so good luck to you. Plus you can be thin when you are older but it’s not going to be the same look. As stated above muscles, skin, bones change and you are not going to be as tight no matter what you do. So still won’t be the same plus your face will age and change also with the body.

You and your friends are snotty stuck up people who go around calling other girls sluts and making fun of other people. So stop acting like a victim. Snobby stuck up and your mom can say anything she wants but I am right.... and you will see how right I am as more time goes by. You will be 45 taking classes with teens and children dressing in tight short kiddie clothes trying to be cute and making a a$$ out of yourself.

Taking acting classes with children and teens 32 is not the new 18. The fact is you can’t change your age or that you are getting old. Stop calling other girls sluts and look in the mirror. You try to seem modest but you think you are better than other people but you’re not. and at almost 32 isn’t it time you grew up? all I was doing was trying to save you from waking up at 40 and find yourself working as a hostess or waitress claiming you’re a successful full time actress but no means of support and going into deep depression. You should have thanked me. You’ll see. You and your sister r living in a fantasy and if you women can’t support yourselves on your music (your sis) and acting (you) Pay your own rents or mortgage and completely support yourselves at your ages, I think you better have a back up plan. At your age you need to stop dreaming and come down to reality

You walk around like you’re this big rich important celebrity. Reality will hit you hard

And other people have laughed and said “how old is she?” when I showed them some of your posts. Maybe your “crush” isn’t into you. how shocking. as you age these hot little boy toys will be far less interested in you. And crush? see you sound like you are 13. ... she is too shocked to believe her crush wasn’t interested in her. And how is it I am a baby boomer because I sent her some DM and didnt’ say how wonderful she is when I was just trying to spear her from a deep depression in the near future... Children and teens say stuff online to people that they don’t like and they are far younger than you. And no I am not a baby boomer but the Millennials will be the new baby boomers in the near future.

And you are so stupid you started saying with all these pictures “this is 30″ because you missed my whole point, you don’t turn 30 and suddenly everything falls apart.. I was saying this is the age where slowly aging will kick in and by your middle thirties will slowly go down hill from then on. And that you are at the age where all this dreaming and kiddie stuff should be coming to a hault. You don’t have the time you had when you were 20 so you missed my whole point.

And you already gained some weightt and don’t look like you did years ago to now, yes, you are declining slowly and it’s a simple reality. See how full of herself she is posting pictures “this is 30″ now 32 coming up...... but see how narcisstic and full of herself she is. That alone proves it... And she missed my whole point. Pictures are touched up but she missed my whole point.

She is so full of herself and her friends, they are so shallow and act like teenagers and “you’re so hot, no you’re so hot” and think they are better than many people and into this “hot “ people only club” and I always thought she kind of looked like a horse. They act like they are still in high school

I would have said my peace and been done but when I saw her replies to me on FB I needed to answer those replies. I was not saying when you turn 30 suddenly all at once you are going to be so old and fat and ugly. I was saying she is getting at the age when her life is going to change and she will start to age slowly and acting is a very youthful career unless you are already very established. The fact aging is not pretty. If she was not so full of herself she would not needed to blast me but she’ll see. She acts like she is above so many other girls. She is not. Also getting further into your 30s you will begin to be treated differently and not get so much attention from guys anymore and just treated differently by everyone. Some argue 40 starts mid life but many say 35 and regardless this is the time everything goes down hill from then on...To be denying this shows you are going to be in for some sadness.

I can see it now, when she is 38 she’ll be walking into casting calls to read for a character age 18-22 LOL and soon they will be like “what the hell?” and “don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out” She will be treated different, not like when she was a young thing. Taking classes for teens and children trying to be cute with her high ptiched voice.

Your prime is leaving the bus terminal. Your youth is leaving, you are actually heading into middle age. 35 starts mid life. Even the amount of eggs will drop severly and fertility decreases significantly. oh, I know you most likely don’t want kids anyways, you want to still be a kid but you’re not. At your age acting like a kid and like you are still 20 is going to get very comical pretty soon. The fact she gets so mad and upset over this shows she is in denial of this reality. I never said aging is a crime, it happens to all of us but what I am saying is the way she still acts like a teenager is pathetic and maybe come down from fantasy land and she and her friends act like they are still 16.

There are so many younger, prettier very youthful and more talented girls coming and she is at the age where she needs to face it, her dream didn’t happen but the fact is she still acts like a teen is pathetic Yes I know I am getting older too but I am not the one trying to still be a teenager and I don’t go around acting like you.

At least you know now modeling is in the past. LOL. and I never understood why some people thought she was ever that great looking. Totally flat chested, not all that tall like 5 foot 7 is barely model material barely the height is for modeling and a long nose, squinty eyes and kind of horesy looking and plain. When she was even thinner her face looked exactly like a horse so honey you arleady gained weight in your thighs, arms and face.... but did your face a little good. SO you already gained weight... ALREADY and more loose.

Her mommy, sister, friends trying to come to her defense when she is in her 30s might be half of what is wrong with her. And everything I said are just cold hard facts. She’ll be living off mommy and daddy when she is 40 from the looks of it. 30 something year olds living with parents, acting like teens and living in a fantasy land is annoying and I know it’s none of my business but it’s human nature to say whats on somebody’s mind especially when a certain person is annoying and a bully who thinks she’s hot shit

32 is not the new 16

She stated about me “I am not going to let this person bother me anymore” so how is everything I said not true? this shows you will be in for a rude awakening. And do you and your friends not see how you all are trying to still be teenagers? Take a look at your videos and tell me you don’t act like a teenager.....

And no, you will not be young forever and age changes your looks and your body. hard facts. You can do pilates and diet till you turn purple the natural aging process with your skin, bones, muscles and every cell in your body changes and as you age less cells are replenished. You will not look like you did when you were young and I was saying you are getting into that age bracket where these changes will slowly start to happen. FACT. Your body already stopped producing collagen at age 25 and you are at that age when everything will start to go down hill on.

As you age every cell in your body changes, bones and muscles in your face and body and your body does not replace cells as much when other cells die and get damaged, your body stopped producing collegan at 25 which is why by middle thirties the aging process kicks in at a high...and worsens from then on.

your bones change, your muscles change and muscle and bones deplete, your body and face sags, your face wrinkles, muscles and bones deplete, skin sags and your slowly decline. this is why old people look old. You don’t have a fountain of youth. For the way you are living, you act like you are still a young teen with all the time in the world for fun and fanstasies... and you are going to be in for a great sadness .....You getting mad and saying I won’t upset you anymore shows you want to be young forever and that you are deluded.

You ALREADY GAINED WEIGHT from a decade ago to now.... But it did your face some good as before your face looked longer and thinner but is that fillers in your lip? LMAO. her lips look different and fuller than they use to. Wow... but your body already put on weight from before. 30 was just a tip of the iceberg when aging slowly kicks in.... but it’s not like you are 20 where you have all this youthful bliss ahead of you, that’s coming to an end... you missed my whole point.

My biggest beef is how she calls other girls sluts and when she gets down and dirty with anything she finds hot. Plus, she does not exactly dress conservative and thinks her poop does not smell and thinks she is higher than many others.

Like as if she is above some other people. Just because she grew up with a little money, that’s her father’s money, not hers and regardless the fact she is snobby and looks down on others unless you are in a higher class and snubs people and looks down on people. She isn’t anybody special. She’ll give you this annoyed “I am better than you” pissy look. with some catty claws. Her and her friends would spend time just making fun of other people, the way they look,ect as if they are so hot and great and better.

Her with her friends would hang out making fun of random people. I hate people like this. as if they are so perfect and is this their way of making themselves feel better about themselves? But when they are bullied it’s a big crime.

Stalking for years? I now just found posts she made to me from along time ago. Once like every three years I will take a zoom at her social media and if she has it public, that’s on her. So once in a great while taking a look at public social media that she shares publicly I am allowed to do. I NOW just found her replies she made to me like two years ago. Once in a great while I do have a look at her public stuff. Not every day, not every week, not even every month. Since she has a open publc page. I can look and than state my opinions. . So once in a great while taking a look at public social media that she shares publicly I am allowed to do. I NOW just found her replies she made to me like two years ago that’s how often I look at her page.

She judges poeple she does not even know as if they are automatically below her. She does not know what other people accomplished just because they are not famous she still does not know what their accomplishments have been and does not know them as a person. And who is she to call other girls sluts? She acts like she is upper society and poo at others who are not famous or upper class.

Since when is she that famous? and her daddy has a few bucks and she grew up in Calabasas and puts on the ritz while she works odd little jobs. And one other thing which I also have beef about are people like her who posts on social media pretending they are something important with a lavish life. And don’t show their true life. She wonders why she gets depressed? reality hits off and on. I grew up in nice surburban places in Los Angeles and I am not a fake wannabe. I had acting gigs off and on and just like me, she will never be able to live on her sparodic acting gigs.

It’s staggering in some videos and some in particular she is in a teeny bopper outfit in a store and other places with her friends and the immaturity of their act and I swear this is something only a 16 year old would act like. sad and pathetic.

Those Beedy half closed looking eyes and squinted eyes. I hope she knows when she calls other girls sluts she makes it more difficult for all females and since when is she so pure and innocent? So don’t give me some BS women need to stick together when you slut shame girls that are not even sluts.

If you have to get mad if one of your boy toys is looking at another girl and give that girl the evil eye, maybe it’s a sign to not get involved with that player, not get mad at the girl or act like “he’s mine” no he wasn’t, that’s obvious..... and if a guy has roaming eyes and gets talking to other girls, if it’s not one girl, it will be another girl, and another and another..... that’s a red flag to not be involved with that dude as a tight relationship person because if he has eyes for other women, babystitting him and giving other women the evil eye instead of realizing he is a player and may not be relationship material. Duh

“Im not adding all these sluts” you don’t even know people and you are bullying them. You’re a Biatch. And slut shaming constantly when you and your friends are no perfect virgins.

And her voice is high pitch little girl sounding and her diction is not that great. But her voice, sounds like a little girl.. I can’t explain it.. high pitched and child like. She isn’t cute.

I also suggest you cut down on the dark eyeliner. It’s not becoming at your age and your eyes are all squinty. And you may think I am the enemy and a toxic person but honestly I am not toxic..... not everyone will love you especially when you are as deluded and snobby as you are but this is more honesty than you will get from your pampering mommy and sis and friends. Sometimes brutal honesty from somebody who does not have a warm fuzzy feeling for you is better than people who love you coddling you and not be completely honest. Her family and friends are simply setting her up for more depression in the future. She may hurt to hear the truth but it’s for her own good.

You and your friends make fun of people but than when you get bullied you threaten and cry and yell. Cowardly call girls sluts not to their faces, indirectly laugh at, insult and make fun of others but not directly to their faces. and give people this pissy annoyed look like you are annoyed to breathe the same air. .. so who are the cowards? Everything I stated are just cold hard facts.

You can’t fight your own battles? Your peanut gallery mom, friends and sis has to fight your battles? Making fun of people but not directly to their faces is so kind and brave. NOT.

Your thighs and arms are already heavier than they use to be. You do not see that?

I am not saying when you get passed your youth to go sit down and not live but you are trying to be far younger than you are Society beats women down with ageism as soon as they are not super young anymore. The more you are coddled by your loved ones,the worse reality will be as time goes on. Taking classes with much younger people and acting like you are still 16. Dressing like a teenybopper half the time and the other half of the time half naked but you call others sluts.

If your sister was not your sister and you did not grow up with her,did not bond with her and if your sister was some random girl, you probably would call her a slut and snub her. Any of these other girls if they were your sister you wouldn’t be calling them sluts, but you are good at making judgements on people you don’t even know at all just because you don’t have a emotional bond with them and you don’t even know them... . And you are the one stuck on youth... not only are you stuck on youth with the way you dress and act at your age, but you go around calling other girls sluts and making fun of other people than you turn around and say I make things harder on women? PLEASE.

Your days of eating everything and anything you want and still be skinny is coming to a close. You already gained weight and are more heavier and looser in your arms and thighs and wider.... And you don’t see that? You are heavier and looser already. not fat but if you look at you years ago and now your thighs , arms did get heavier. This is only the beginning.

Pretty soon even on a strict diet you will struggle. Cat clawing women over a douchebag and giving other girls an annoyed evil snobby look. calling women sluts but than your sister says she hopes I”m not a girl saying this when you are the one making it so much harder on other girls. Slut shaming hurts all females, idiot. I wonder how many times you had sex when first meeting a guy..... and you are the ones who make fun of other people and are shallow and fake and naracistic and stuck up.

If I am not mistaken some of the guys she fancied are younger than her. The Puma is heading into a cougar.

also your parents are getting older, they will be gone by not even the middle part of this century at judging how old they are about so if they were born in the 50s, they will be in their 80s by the next decade 2030s. do the math. It’s not that far off when it’s now 2022 so what are your plans? to get married and have some guy take care of you? and most of them will have roaming eyes and some will cheat, while you wait tables? or wait for parents death insurance policy which won’t even support you for the rest of your life. I mean this is at the point in your life where your dreaming and kiddie crap should be coming to a close. So you missed my whole point.

And I know it’s none of my business but since you like to make fun of people, call girls sluts and think you are still some spring chicken, I am intelleigently letting you know you will fall hard when you do wake up.. I know I don’t really give a crap but what I am saying are hard facts even though I don’t like you. So you think you’re so bitchy telling me off, at least what I say are simple facts even though I can’t stand you. I give back to people what they ditch out to me but mostly everything I said are cold hard facts. You think it’s funny I am this consumed with you? I just took 2 minutes once in a blue moon to type out my opinions of what I see when I see how you are so deluded and still act like a kid. and yes, it’s to insult you and laugh at you but with that said, everything I said is the truth. You act like you are still 16 and taking classes with younger people instead of a regular class. i just think it’s sad and contemptable the way you still try to be a kid and live in a dream world. You have opinions about others too even if you don’t give a crap about them... I wonder sometimes if you are a little challenged acting like 14. I must be miserable? No, you can’t face reality. At your age if you didn’t make it, it’s not going to happen, maybe on the side lines once in a while and the way you act like a teen is amusing. And trying to be cute at your age. Like a cute little girl. Sad and pathetic. Calling other girls sluts when you are half naked half of the time.

If you didn’t blast me I wouldn’t had said anymore as I said my peace and those posts are two years old I now just recently read, that’s how often I look at your stuff. But the truth must hurt. Speaking of coward, you and your firends cowardly diss people indirectly and behind their backs and make fun of them. It takes one to know one.

Seems like people who have to live in fantasy land and than becomes depressed when reality kicks in has a bigger problem than their claims of me. I’m not miserable. I have done a lot in my life and live in a good area and have good things going on but I don’t live off of parents and live in fantasyland. I don’t act like i am still 14. Her and her friends get a kick out of feeding their own self esteem by making fun of other people which is quite sad and pathetic.

Boy is she in for some sadness. I got crap said to me by people, others get haters, it’s part of life. She is too narcisstic to deal with it. Calling girls sluts and such is so kind, what a hypocrite.

Oh and by the way I had some acting gigs myself over my time ..... most of hers has been extra work except for two since 2007. I still had to work a regular job and have to and I dont’ go around acting like somebody I’m not

#shae landers

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niemernuet · 9 months

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Shameless crack for the tenth prompt of the off-season winter sports challenge. The subject is "apologies" and the inspiration comes from that one picture in Gino's photo dump.

You know which one.

Exactly.

Rating: M pairing: Ginodi, Justiel, Loïc/Zoé (all background) characters: Marco Odermatt, Gino Caviezel, Thomas Tumler, Loïc Meillard, Zoé Chastan, Justin Murisier, Daniel Yule length: 1'700 words

On one end of the call, the camera panned over sharp, snow-capped peaks rising behind a small lake high above the tree line, the water looking as cold as it probably was. The other end showed a small beach; the ground was coarse sand mingled with pebbles whetted into round spheres by the tides. High cliffs overgrown with weather-beaten bushes and shrubs protected the bay from the Mediterranean wind on both sides.

"Not bad," Loïc conceded from atop his mountain, and switched to the front camera again. He paused when Gino did the same. "Is it a good time?"

Gino's grin did not waver. His free hand lazily wandered up, and began to stroke Marco's hair who was sleeping with his head resting on Gino's bare chest. A soft breeze made their sunshade flutter, and shadows danced over their faces "No problem. He shouldn't be sleeping anyway, otherwise I won't get him out of the bar tonight."

Marco hummed in protest and without moving one muscle.

Loïc nodded knowingly. "See, that's where an older partner comes in handy. Mine never wants to stay out past ten."

"I can hear you!" Zoé yelled from somewhere out of frame, and a grin washed over Loïc's face.

"You're living dangerously," Gino laughed.

Loïc winked. "It's going to pay off later."

Amiable silence settled between the mountains and the sea.

"Come on, think!" Gino urged after a while.

Loïc pensively shook his head. "I am and I can't find anything," he said with a shrug.

"Don't lie! You always find something to nag about."

"I'm not lying!" Loïc exclaimed. "You are having a perfectly nice holiday."

"Not even our clothes?"

"Quite to the contrary, actually," Loïc said. "That picture of you three in shorts and linen shirts from last night? You looked downright sophisticated and tasteful. I wouldn't mind going out to dinner with you dressed like that."

"Oh god," Gino groaned, and Loïc burst out laughing.

"Accept it, you're getting old and boring."

"Never!"

Loïc rolled his eyes, and took a gulp from his water bottle. "I don't know why you're so upset. It's good to evolve, you know? Otherwise you'd still run around in your terrible Hilfiger-jackets."

"I love that one!" Gino threw in.

Loïc pretended to shudder. "Whatever. At least you're not showing it off anymore. That proves you've grown."

"I found another!" Zoé's voice suddenly piped up in the background, and Loïc's gaze drifted off.

Somewhere beyond the phone's field of vision, something heavy plopped into the lake. Or rather, over it.

"Three, four, five, six!" Zoé counted, and cheered. "Six times! I told you I could do it!"

"I only counted five," Loïc protested. "And that last one was a bit meagre."

"There were six rings!" Zoé objected, her voice suddenly very close to the phone. "But that's not what's important right now. I have a bone to pick with you, Mister! Are you still on the phone with Gino?"

"He is!" Gino said, and watched as Loïc's phone suddenly moved, and showed the blue sky.

"Sorry, Gino," Zoé's voice said. "Loïc will have to call you back."

"No problem," Gino laughed, even though nobody on the other side was still listening to him.

"You said I’m old!"

"But in a totally loving way!"

"Sure! And do you call that old too?"

"Put that back on, we're on a public hiking trail!" Loïc hissed as the camera suddenly juddered, and turned black.

Gino chuckled, and threw the phone on top of his beach bag. With a contended sigh, he settled back into the deck chair, and started to stroke circles in Marco's sun-warmed skin.

"That is the most insulting thing Loïc has ever said to us," Marco muttered against Gino's chest, his eyes still closed.

"Agree," Gino smiled.

"Tasteful? We cannot let him get away with that."

"No way no how!" With one swift movement, Gino's hand shot across, and swatted Thomi sleeping on the other deck chair. With a snort, he jolted awake.

"What?" he asked drowsily.

"We have to go shopping!" Gino said.

-----

The salesman, upon realising that his new customers might occupy his shop for quite some time, had retreated back to his chair next to the till, and was scrolling through his phone. Marco, meanwhile, examined the display with a look of pure focus.

"I'm not sure," Thomi threw in when Gino picked up a pair of swim shorts with tiny palm trees printed on. "I thought for sure he'd object to my pink shorts. Now that we know that he actually likes them, he might also like those."

Gino sighed, and put the shorts back. "You're right. This is so difficult."

"We need help!" Marco piped up, and turned away from the swim outfits. Quickly he pulled his phone out of his pocket, and dialled a number. They did not have to wait long until a familiar voice shouted out of the loudspeakers.

“What?”

“Hey, Justin,” Marco said. “Could you switch the camera on for a second? We need your help.”

They received a string of French swearwords first but after a few moments, Justin’s dirtied, sweaty face greeted them out of a bulky helmet.

“I hope there’s a reason why you’re making me take off my glove,” he said. “Shouldn’t you be at the beach?”

“We’re on our way,” Gino answered. “But we wanted some new swim shorts first and we can’t decide.”

“You’re our deciding vote,” Thomi added.

Justin frowned. In the background, loud engine noises roared past. Next to the big helmet they only saw a glimpse of a muddy race track somewhere deep in a forest.

“You’re three people,” Justin said. “You don’t need a deciding vote…”

“Please?” Marco asked, and smiled.

Justin rolled his eyes, and a soft grin appeared on his face. “Okay, okay. Show me what you got.”

“Thank you!” Marco said, and pressed a button on the phone. He slowly waved it over the display, taking in every corner of the shop.

“That’s a big selection…” Justin mused.

“We know,” Gino said. “But we trust that you will find the right one for us!”

Justin remained silent for a moment. “Maybe you should ask Loïc. He knows more about this kind of stuff.”

“No!” Marco exclaimed. “We can’t ask him!”

Justin frowned. “Why?”

“Because we don’t want something Loïc would choose,” Thomi explained. “We want the opposite, you know?”

“Something truly hideous,” Gino added.

Justin could not see their faces as the camera was still panned on the clothes but the three of them could see him, and his sudden frown.

“Excuse me?” he asked. “You called me because you think I’m going to choose the…ugliest thing?”

The expression on his face was difficult to read, and the others held their breath.

“You think my taste is shit?” Justin asked softly.

Gino, Marco and Thomi exchanged sheepish looks.

“Okay, maybe that was a bit…insensitive,” Thomi whispered.

“We’re sorry, Justin,” Marco said. “We didn’t mean to…”

He could not finish his sentence because Justin doubled over the handlebar of his bike with laughter, and needed a few moments before he could hold his phone straight again.

“This is the best thing ever!” he hiccupped. “I can’t wait to tell Daniel about this.”

Gino cringed. “Maybe don’t?” he asked. “I don’t think he’d take it well, and we don’t need his…”

“No, I’m absolutely going to tell him,” Justin chuckled, and waved his free hand, still sticking in a glove, in front of the camera. “Okay, show me those swim trunks again!”

With a sigh, Marco turned back to the display.

“No, not those!” Justin snapped impatiently. “The other corner of the shop.”

“But there are no swim shorts there,” Marco said. “We need….”

“I’m going to tell you what you need!” Justin interrupted him. “That’s why you called me. Now walk over there, chop chop!”

-----

“Man, those things really wander in there when you take big steps,” Thomi griped, and shook his legs while pulling on his new swim suit.

The sun was setting spectacularly behind the harbour, sending golden rays over the shore, but neither Gino nor Marco had eyes for the beauty that unfolded all around their rental boat.

“Did he write back already?” Gino asked.

Marco shook his head. “He read it but he’s not typing,” he said with disappointment.

“Probably still looking for words,” Gino grinned, and sank down on the deck chair next to him. He propped his chin on his hand, and bent one leg but before he could attract Marco’s attention on his new outfit, his phone beeped.

“An answer?” he asked excitedly.

Marco frowned. “No, a message from Zoé…” He opened the message, and burst out laughing. Before Gino or Thomi could ask, he turned his phone around, and eagerly they read Zoé’s words and marvelled at the photo she had sent.

I hope you’re proud of yourself. He’s been peppering his hamburger for five minutes with the same thousand-yard-stare. I think this time you really broke him.

Thomi laughed. “Success!” he cheered.

Marco smiled at Gino, and leant over for a kiss. “All thanks to Justin.”

“And your genius,” Gino added.

Before Marco could answer, his phone lit up again. His smile fell like a stone when he saw what it was.

“A voice message from Daniel,” he hissed, and held his phone as if it could explode any second.

Thomi winced, and took a step back until he was leaning against the railing of the boat.

For a moment, they all stared at the gadget in Marco’s hand.

“How bad can it be?” Gino eventually asked. “We’re at least a thousand kilometres away from him, so…”

With an unsure look, Marco tentatively pushed the button, and they all listened as Daniel’s enraged voice boomed over the deck.

“Congratulations, idiots! You better hope I don’t see your perky asses anywhere when you come to Zermatt, unless of course you want a bunch of slalom skis up them! I only just managed to convince Justin to wear those nice slacks and the shirt I bought him, and you morons ruined everything! I hope a pack of seagulls attacks you!”

With bated breath they stared at the phone a while longer until they were sure that Daniel was finished.

“That could have been worse,” Marco said, and they all nodded.

#osws fandom challenge #rpf #sports rpf #alpine skiing #dumbassery #text #mine

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crystalninjaphoenix · 1 year

Text

Turning Eyes

Switch AU

A JSE Fanfic

This is already a pretty short chapter, but it was originally supposed to be slightly longer. Unfortunately I burned my finger in the most inconvenient place for typing on a keyboard so I had to cut some length cause it hurt to write :( I should be fine by next week tho. Anyway, it’s late as I’m queuing this, so not much to say. Some more follow up after the Aspen Street incident, plus Anti gets a strange phone call. Happy reading.

More of this AU found here

It didn’t look like anyone was home. Sure, there was a car parked on the street, but there were no lights inside. Jack double-checked his text messages. As he did so, Sam peeked out of his pocket to look at his phone screen. “Careful,” he muttered to them, vaguely indicating the cars on the street. Sam pointed out that nobody could possibly see them here. “Well, still. Be careful.”

There was nothing in the texts indicating nobody would be home right now. So Jack put his phone back and knocked on the door. He waited for a minute, and was considering knocking a second time when the door opened. Jameson poked his head out, looking wary at first before relaxing. Hi Jack, he signed.

“Hey.” Jack waved back a little. “I got your stuff.”

Thank you. Please, come in. JJ opened the door wide enough for Jack—and the grocery bags he was carrying—to squeeze through. Again, I’m so sorry for the inconvenience, I’m sure it must’ve been difficult getting everything here.

“No, it’s fine, this is what I do.” Jack waved away JJ’s comments. “You didn’t even have that much on your list. I’ve carried more on the bus.” Once they were inside the house with the door closed behind them, Sam zoomed out from Jack’s pocket and settled in his hair.

You took the bus? JJ asked, surprised.

“Well, yeah. I don’t have a car. I can’t even drive.”

Jameson hit his forehead. Then I’m especially sorry. I don’t know why I assumed everyone could drive. Most people I know don’t!

“It’s alright, really,” Jack reassured him. “Like I said, this is what I do. I wouldn’t have done it if it was hard. Should I put the stuff away?”

No, I’ll do it, Marvin is very particular about the cabinet organization. By the way, if you want to see him, he’s in his room. JJ gestured down the hallway.

“Got it. We’ll stop by.” Jack made an okay sign with his hand and Sam flicked their nerve-tail cheerfully. “See you in a minute.”

See you.

Jack headed down the hallway until he reached Marvin’s bedroom. The door was closed, so he knocked. “Marvin? It’s Jack.”

A slight pause. “Jack?” Marvin’s voice was muffled from behind the door.

“Yeah. Can I come in?”

“...sure.”

Marvin didn’t exactly sound excited, so Jack opened the door slowly. The bedroom was dimly lit, with only the lamp on the nightstand turned on. Marvin was sitting up in bed, left leg extended out in front of him, with Mr. Fluffington sitting in his lap. He gave Jack a suspicious look at first, then eased up as he stepped inside. “Jems said he asked you t’pick up our groceries,” he muttered.

“Yep.”

“Don’ understand why he didn’ ask Anti.” Marvin idly scratched Fluffington’s chin. The cat closed his eyes and purred loudly.

“I don’t know either, but who knows?” Jack shrugged. “Maybe he did and Anti was busy.” He glanced around the room, looking for a place to sit. The closest was an armchair across the room. Well...that wasn’t entirely true. But Jack knew it would be weird to sit in the wheelchair by the bed. So he walked over to the armchair and sat down. “How’re you feeling?”

“Hmm. Not’ing hurts anymore,” Marvin said, trying to sound casual. “Well, sometimes t’ere’s a twinge with the leg. But mostly I’m just...tired. More t’an usual, I mean.”

“I think that’s cause your body is healing,” Jack said. “It’s using all your spare energy to rebuild bone and all that. You think that shit is easy?”

Marvin laughed. “No, it’s not. I’m jus’ sick of being tired. And t’is is just the start!”

“Yeah. Jameson said you got home from the hospital...yesterday, was it?”

“The day before, actually.”

Jack shook his head. “I’m sorry. It sucks that this happened to you. Whatever it was.” He had a vague idea of what the group of friends was dealing with. Sam told him it was a supernatural creature, a monster of some sort with mind-based magic. But he didn’t know the details of what it did to them. And they didn’t seem inclined to tell him, so he wasn’t going to ask.

Speaking of Sam. While the two of them were talking, they jumped out of Jack’s hair and flew over to Marvin. They nuzzled his arm affectionately, then dropped down to look at Fluffington. The cat stared at them, then reached out and batted at the strange, floating object. Sam dodged for a while before flying closer and settling against the cat’s chest fur. Fluffington looked down in surprise.

Marvin grinned. “You remember Sam, Mister? I t’ink you’ve met once. How long are cat memories? Because it was awhile ago.”

Fluffington was too busy trying to look at Sam, who kept shifting to be in his blind spot, to glance at Marvin as he talked.

Jack chuckled. “Sam, you’re bothering him.” Sam protested that they were not bothering him, they were just playing. “How do you know? You can’t talk to animals any more than I can.” Sam said that if Fluffington was so annoyed, he would get up and move. “I don’t know, he looks really comfy on Marvin’s lap.”

“He hasn’ left me alone since I got home,” Marvin said, petting Fluffington. “Ye might notice how Jems had to move his food and litter in here, it’s because he hasn’ left here except when I go to the bathroom.” He wrinkled his nose. “Smells awful, sometimes.”

“Ahhh, so that’s what the scented candles were for,” Jack said, recalling the grocery list Jameson texted him.

“T’at was my request, yea.” Marvin nodded. “Well. Don’ let me keep you. I’m sure you two have all sorts of business to do.”

They didn’t, but Jack could tell when someone was trying to end a conversation. “Alright, we’ll go, then.” He stood up. “C’mon Sam.” The little eye leapt out from their spot, causing Fluffington to jump in surprise but not leave his spot. “Bye Marvin. Hope I’ll see you later.”

“I do too. It’s been awhile.” Marvin waved him and Sam off as they left the bedroom, closing the door behind them.

Jack was planning to check on JJ in the kitchen, but as he headed that way, he passed the archway leading into the living room. And stopped. Then he backed up and looked inside. There was a woman in JJ and Marvin’s living room. She had red shoulder-length hair and wore a yellow hoodie, and was standing on a kitchen chair in the corner, bracing herself against the wall. “Uhhh...” Jack waved a little. “Hi?”

The woman looked down at him. “Oh hi. I heard you come in, sorry for not saying hello earlier.”

“It’s okay. Uh...you need...help? With...” Jack gestured vaguely at the chair situation. “...whatever you’re doing?”

“No, probably not,” the woman said. “It’s a steady chair, I’m just a little nervous about any height I can fall from.”

“Oh, same.” Jack stepped into the room. “Well, I’ll stand nearby. That might help you, if you know someone can catch you.”

“Yeah, that would be great, actually.” The woman took a deep breath, and straightened. She was holding something in one hand, while the other still rested against the wall.

“You’re...Aoife, right?” Jack asked. “I think we met once.”

“We did. You’re...Jack.”

“Right.”

Aoife nodded, then looked at the ceiling. She reached upwards, putting the thing in her hand into some sort of mounted handle that...hadn’t been there last time Jack was in the house.

“Sorry but...what the hell are you doing?” Jack asked.

“Installing cameras,” Aoife said. “Jameson’s idea. You know about magic, right?” She glanced down at Jack and saw him nod. “And the problem these guys have been dealing with?” Another nod. “Well, the reason they haven’t been getting magical help has been because the main magical organization—who I work for—won’t help until they get proof about the problem. Because we’ve never heard of something like that before.” She sighed. “I’ve tried to tell them, but that’s not proof. It’s a lot of stupid bureaucracy. So, after whatever happened recently, Jameson decided to put cameras in their house.”

“Oh.” Jack went silent for a moment, watching as Aoife stopped bracing against the wall to fiddle with some wires coming out of the camera. He instinctively went tense until she let go and braced herself again. Now the camera was attached to the mount through the wires, but still needed some connecting parts. “That’s a...you know, normally, when people put cameras in their house, they make sure they’re small models that can be ignored. That’s a pretty big camera.”

“It’s some sort of special motion detection camera,” Aoife said, taking a screwdriver and a handful of small parts out of her hoodie pocket. “I’ll be honest. This whole system is giving me a bad feeling.”

“Huh. Yeah, I can understand why.” Jack nodded. “So...why are you helping put it up, then?”

“Well, my bad feelings are tricky to figure out,” Aoife explained. “I can’t tell if the cameras themselves are causing it, or if they’ll see something terrible that’s causing it, or if I’m putting them in unsafe locations. Maybe it’s all of those. I don’t know. I only know that Jameson still insisted they go up after I told him about the feeling. So might as well know where they are, in case something goes wrong.”

Jack felt something move on his shoulder. He glanced to the side and saw Sam wrapping their nerve-tail around them. “Sam? Is everything okay?”

Sam said they didn’t like the cameras. They weren’t normal cameras.

“What do you mean by ‘not normal cameras’?”

Someone coughed. Jack turned around to see JJ standing in the living room archway. Talking about the new security? he asked.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Hi, Jameson,” Aoife said. “Almost done here. There’s two left in the box, where are they going?”

Downstairs hallway and upstairs hallway. Thank you so much for doing this.

“Wait, Jameson,” Jack interrupted. “What are these cameras? Why does Sam think they’re not normal?”

Jameson shrugged. Maybe they can sense how advanced they are. I went shopping for the best possible cameras the day after I got back from the hospital. It took all day to find them, and it was really expensive just to get six. Imagine if a business wanted these.

“Where did you get them?” Jack pressed.

Online, from some American company. They got here really fast for the distance. I’m sorry, I don’t remember the name right now, but I know the website is in my computer browser history. I can find it and text you later.

“Yeah...yeah, that would be great,” Jack said slowly. “Thanks.”

“Done!” Aoife announced. She put the screwdriver back in her pocket and carefully climbed down from the chair. “You know, Jameson. I forgot to ask you this right when I stopped by. How are things going with the Magic Circle?”

JJ winced. I missed the last meeting because of...recent events. But the woman I spoke to said I should stop by for the next one. It’s on the full moon, apparently.

Aoife chuckled. “Yeah. Get used to that. The Circle loves the moon and sun. For good reason, it’s easier to cast group spells around certain dates on the solar or lunar calendar. Who’d you talk to? Persephone?”

JJ nodded.

“She’s great. If you’re worried about stopping by before the meeting, don’t be. Sephy will be happy to fill you in on anything.”

I’m not worried about that. I just think it will be easiest if I concentrate on the meeting.

Sam tapped Jack’s neck with their nerve-tail. They wanted to leave now. “Well, uh...sorry to leave so suddenly,” Jack said. “But I have things to do today.”

Oh, of course, don’t worry, Jameson said. You can stop by anytime you want.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind.” Jack glanced over at Aoife. She met his eyes, and for a moment, her expression became very serious. And she nodded. “I’ll see you again, then. Bye.”

Goodbye.

Jack turned and left the living room, heading straight for the front door and going right out. Once he was outside, he let out a breath, and looked down at Sam. “Worried about the cameras?”

Sam wasn’t sure. They only knew that they weren’t normal, and that kind of freaked them out.

“Well...Jameson is insisting, apparently.”

Sam said they could tell he was on edge. Whatever happened recently must have been hard. They didn’t blame him for wanting to keep an eye on things, but they still felt weird about all this.

“I’ll trust you on that,” Jack muttered. He headed down the street towards the nearest bus stop. “I think...we should check in on these guys more often. Something tells me they’ll need the extra support.”

———————

It was hard to believe that one week ago, she was stuck in a weird pocket dimension of a house. And now, Stacy had returned to her normal life as if nothing had happened.

Could this be called her normal life? She’d been staying in this city, halfway across the world from her home, for a good few months now. Was that long enough to be considered her new “normal?” It was long enough that she’d taken to renting an apartment instead of staying in a hotel room. And it was long enough that the real estate company she worked for had stopped sending her texts and emails asking when she’ll come into the office. They’d just accepted that she was going to be “working from home” for the foreseeable future.

Stacy used to wonder if she should just abandon the weird things going on here and go back to the states. But after what she saw—who she saw—at the house on Aspen Street, she didn’t have those thoughts anymore. She had to stay. She had to see this through.

But that didn’t mean life would just stop. She still had work to do. Right now, she was just finishing with the reports she’d had to write for the day, and was ready to get up from her computer, stretch, and order takeout for dinner. Before that, though, she checked her email, as she usually did this time of day.

Spam... spam... work stuff... social media notifications... spam... nothing exciting. She scanned the subject lines, scrolling through the inbox. And then she stopped. At the very bottom of a line of new emails was something... weird. A strange subject line.

Have you ever experienced a terrible occurrence that has impacted you significantly?

What was that supposed to mean? Stacy looked at the sender’s address for clues. Something about... science? Maybe some company was looking for volunteers for a study? It was strange enough that she ended up clicking on it out of curiosity.

Have you ever experienced a terrible occurrence that has impacted you significantly? Have you ever seen anything strange that you just couldn’t explain away? Have you ever been physically or psychologically injured from something terrible and strange? We’re here to help! Our goal is to protect you from those strange and terrible things out there. If you’re reading this, we think you’d be a great help to our efforts. Just contact us at the phone number below, or click the link here to fill out an online application. Thank you!

It was a pretty bare email, and Stacy immediately went on guard. This was probably some dumb phishing scam. Vaguely worded so that anyone gullible would click on the link. She moved her mouse pointer to the delete button... but didn’t click. Instead, she read through the short message again.

She had experienced a terrible occurrence. Then again, who hasn’t? But... it felt like the email was trying to bring up a specific type of “occurrence.” Maybe something like... that house?

After a moment, Stacy closed the tab on her browser. It was just a scam. That’s all. She stood up and decided she should take a walk around the apartment building, to clear her head and stretch her muscles.

But for the rest of the night, the hairs on the back of her neck stood straight up.

———————

“Do you want anything for dinner?”

Anti blinked, shaking his head a little. “Sorry, what?”

“I asked if you wanted anything for dinner,” Rama repeated.

“Uh...” Anti straightened. He’d been spacing out hard just now, and it took him a moment to return to reality. That’s right. He and Will were visiting Rama and Michelle. He could hear the sound of the kids watching a movie in the living room. Meanwhile, he’d been sitting at Rama’s dining room table staring into space for a good few minutes. “What are you making?”

“Nothing fancy, just some empanadas.” Rama shrugged.

“Right. Sure, thanks.” Anti rubbed his eyes.

“Are you okay?” Rama asked, walking over to the dining table and sitting down in the chair next to him. “You’ve been kind of...strange.”

Anti laughed. “I’m a strange man. Thought you would’ve known this.” Rama didn’t laugh back. “It’s fine. I’ve just been fucked up since last week.” But what if it was more than just spacing out? What if it was something...more? Anti shook his head again. No. There was no guarantee that his strange mental space was anything other than his usual problems. Paranoia would just wreck him more. He didn’t have any gaps in his memory. It was probably fine... Probably.

“I know how you feel,” Rama muttered.

“Right. You’re probably fucked up too.” Anti nodded. “Did you report Jackie leaving to the police?”

“I did. But I said that it wasn’t like last time. He just left.” Rama sighed, playing with their wedding ring. “Still. Probably not in the best mental state when he did so. The police handle things like that, I think.”

“Well—” Before Anti could answer, he felt his phone vibrate in his jacket. He dug into his pocket, brushing against the folded knife, and pulled it out. “Ugh, fuck off.”

“Spam number?” Rama asked.

“Yeah. It’s this weird foreign one, see?” Anti showed them his phone screen. The number calling was +49(032)2215-1220. “I don’t know what they want with me, but I’ve been getting calls from this one number since two in the morning. Fucking annoying.” He denied the call. “Anyway. Uh...yeah, I think the police handle things like that. But I don’t count on it being handled well.”

“Who else should I call then?” Rama asked quietly.

“I...don’t know. His therapist?”

“I already did that. She works for an independent agency, and they don’t have the authority to go after someone.”

Anti fell silent. He really wasn’t sure what to say in this situation. What were you supposed to do on this end of things? Awkwardly, he reached out and patted the back of Rama’s hand.

Rama laughed. “You’re not good at this.”

“Fuck you, I’m trying.”

“I know. And thank you.” Rama gave him a small smile, then changed the subject. “How’s Will been?”

“Good.” Anti paused. “I mean...he hasn’t been sleeping well. Rama, has Michelle... has she... been having more nightmares than usual?”

Rama’s brow furrowed in thought. “If she has, I haven’t noticed it. Which is concerning about my abilities as a parent—”

“Nah, you would’ve noticed, you notice stuff,” Anti dismissed. “I was wondering if it was because of... you know. Their disappearances. But no. Just Will.” That was weird. Will had been very open with Anti recently about his dreams. Particularly the ones featuring ‘the gray man.’ They’d been happening more and more. Several times, Anti was up late recording and editing videos when he had to stop to go comfort Will, whose noises of distress could be heard even through Anti’s soundproof padding. Weird...and worrying.

He wondered, again, if there was a reason. He wondered if, maybe, it was his own fault. The thought scared him so much that he froze solid right where he was sitting.

“Anti.” Rama reached over and shook his shoulder.

“Don’t touch me,” Anti muttered, pushing their hand away.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Rama worried.

“I’m as okay as you are.” Anti poked their arm. “Don’t think I don’t notice the bags under your eyes. I bet you’ve been getting as much sleep as Will has.”

Rama chuckled. “I guess you’re right.” They wiped their eyes. “What’s getting to me is that I still have to work at a time like this. Hard to write crime thrillers when your whole life has become one.”

“Hah. Uh...sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault.”

Anti’s phone vibrated again. Not the extended shaking of a call, but the short buzz of a text notification. He glanced down at the screen. It was the foreign number again. It had texted him.

Anti pick up my call right now.

His eyes locked onto the notification. He could feel his pulse speeding up in his neck, and his hand automatically slipped into his pocket and grabbed the knife handle. How did this strange number know his name? “I...I have to take this,” he said, standing up. “I’ll be right back.”

“Um...okay,” Rama said slowly, visibly confused. “I’ll start on dinner, then?”

He was already down the hallway by the time they asked that question.

Rama and Jackie’s house had a pretty big bathroom. With a solid lock. Anti shut the door behind him and twisted that lock. Just in time for his phone to start vibrating again as the mystery number called. He hesitated, then pressed the accept button, lifting the phone to his ear but saying nothing.

“Is that you, Anti?”

No.

It couldn’t be.

This was impossible.

“Henrik?!” Anti gasped.

“You never call me that.” Schneep’s voice—loud, clear, and distinct—pounded against his hearing. “Are you really that shocked?”

“I—what the fuck, Volt?!” Anti shouted. Then he glanced at the closed doorway and lowered his voice to an angry hiss. “What the fuck?! You fucking ass! Where the hell are you?! Why haven’t you fucking talked to any of us?! Fuck you, you fucking...fucker!”

“Okay, so it is you,” Schneep said calmly. “I do not think anyone else would use that number of fucks in such a short time.”

“Fuck you!” Anti said again, one more time for good measure. “Answer my questions! Where are you? Why haven’t you called or texted—and why the weird number?! Did you go to Europe or just steal a European phone?”

“I do not think I can tell you that,” Schneep said.

“What do you mean—?!”

“Anti, you have to shut up and listen!” Schneep snapped. “You could be watched.”

Anti blinked. ��What?”

“Watched. They could be watching you. They watch a lot of things, you know.”

“Who?!”

The other end of the call was silent.

“Volt, don’t you fucking do this,” Anti warned. “I’ve had a terrible past few weeks. We all have! I guess you leaving was some cue for the universe to swoop in and come fuck the rest of us.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Schneep said quietly. “Really. I did not want to go. But...I had to. The police—never mind. This is not the time. All I will say is you need to be careful.”

“You need to be careful or else I’m gonna track you down and lightly stab you for all this bullshit,” Anti grumbled. “You can’t just leave without telling us! I get that you were in a tight spot, but at least say that you’re going before you do! First you, then I guess Jackie decided you were a good example and did the same thing. What’s next, J—”

“What happened to Jackie?!” Schneep interrupted, sounding alarmed.

“Good fucking question.” Anti leaned back against the wall, resting his head on the tiles. “I don’t know, he freaked out and left. Said a lot of stuff about ‘fixing’ what’s going on.”

“It might already be too late, then,” Schneep said quietly. “They could have found him. Or he found them.”

“Volt, what the fuck are you on about? You can’t keep saying shit that makes you sound like you’re in a bad movie, you have to give me solid answers.”

“I can’t, Anti. I do not know if the call is safe. For the same reason, I cannot talk too long. I will leave you with this. Be careful of any...any watchers out there. Tell Marvin and Jameson as well. But you be especially on guard. I think they have specific interest in you.”

“What? Why?”

“I do not know. But I assure you, this is all real.” Schneep chuckled, but there was no humor in the sound, only anxiety. “I-I will try to call again, but I am not sure when that will be. Be safe.”

“Volt, you can’t—”

Beep. Schneep hung up, and the call ended.

#jacksepticeye #jacksepticeye fanfiction #jacksepticegos #septic egos #septic egos au #jacksepticeye au #marvin the magnificent #1920s marvin #jameson jackson #the jaunty jackson #antisepticeye #programmer anti #dr schneeplestein #von voltage #jackieboy man #dr jackie parker #brigid writes fanfiction #septicswitchau

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iviarellereads · 9 months

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Nona the Ninth, John 1:20(1)

(Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For detail on The Locked Tomb coverage and the index, read this one!)

(No icon) In which someone murdering one of their best friends is still not the most horrifying part of the chapter.

In the dream they go through long corridors, seeing furniture, stones, bodies, bones, little round pockmarks of bulletholes in the walls, relics of the fighting.(2) Eventually he animates some of the bones to clear the path for them, and continues his story.

They couldn't get into political conferences anymore, but the president puppet he controlled was still invited, so John got in for free by proxy. Nobody even argued about the FTL plan anymore. They only argued about what to do with John's crew. He found it funny when he had to puppet the president into speeches about how he should be brought to justice.

What he did mind was the state of the first-wave evacuee ships. None of the reports about them passed the smell test. They'd thought the worst the trillionaires would do was set up a pay-for-preference system, so the richest would leave first, with others on future waves, but that turned out to be so naive. One day, M- came to him, looking like she'd seen a ghost. She and A-'s little brother and the nun had been going over bank movements and manifests.

She said, there was no queue, no second or third wave. Half the passengers on the manifests weren't real people. There was one ship of internationals, and everyone else would have bought a ticket, or been "useful".(3) The rest of humanity was being left to die.

I had to have her breathe into a bag for a while, because she hated it when I tried to fix her anxiety attacks with necromancy. When she could talk I was just all, Are you sure. She said, John, there they go!! And I said, Not as long as I have breath in my body.

In the dream-present, the skeletons have opened an entryway, leading to another wrecked room he identifies as the kitchen. He finds cans in the cupboards, and modifies one of the skeletons to have a can opener for fingerbones. Together, he and she eat slippery sugary peach halves with their fingers, and she feels a little better.(4)

The last chance they had was to talk to their government, which was a mistake. They spooked someone, who told someone else, who told the FTL project, who accelerated the timeline to days, not weeks. John was going to have to physically stop the ships from launching, but with so many platforms, he wasn't sure he could catch them all.

C- asked if he could do some sort of miracle in good faith. A- suggested rushing the ships and pulling the occupants out to force the cryo plan instead.

John, meanwhile, was trying so hard to crack the problem of the soul. He couldn't distinguish it from the rest of the energy in the body, not even on the day he'd killed all those people. He could tell it was big, and it was what he was looking for, but not how to use it.

So I said to everyone, I can’t stop them myself, not yet. We have to stall them. We know they need Pan-Euro’s orbital gate access, so let’s make sure they can’t get it. Let’s make sure nobody wants to give them orbital gate access. He said, And all of us looked at the floorboards.

None of them really wanted to use the nuke, but it was good blackmail against the people who had given it to them. So, they went to their clients, and said, Pan-Euro can't give the trillionaires access, they're cutting and running and leaving everyone else to drown. The clients said, fine, but give us back the nuke first so you don't do something crazy.

It took so long, the FTL had started counting down to launch. When a couple of nations asked what the rush was, the project said they were doing a mock run to make sure it's all in order, since prep went so well. John wondered how anyone bought it, and who got paid how much of the money that the trillionaires obviously thought wasn't worth anything anymore, tied to the homeworld as it was.

He said, So here’s us, planning to meet these agents in neutral territory, across the ditch,(5) over in the huddle where the Territory refugees were. They wanted us to pass the nuke back. We all voted to trust them, but A— and G— and M— and I came up with a just-in-case plan. Forty-eight hours became twenty-four so quickly. G— fixed up the case and carried it over alone, with caveats. Nobody liked that. They were all, Shit, John, send someone dead, send a puppet. But I wanted G—.(6) P— volunteered to go with him, but G— said he wouldn’t arm it if P— was in range. P— went off at him, but it was one of those times where he held his ground against her. I remember. She called him a stupid kid.

John had an odd gut feeling before G- got on the plane, so he took him downstairs, and took his arm off, totally painlessly, and regrew him a new one with magic. G- didn't even question it.

He added contemplatively, Should still be around here. The arm, I mean. I stuffed it in the morgue so nobody would find it. I’ve got plans for that arm.(7)

While they waited, the nun kept pushing him about the soul, as if trying to get him to "instantiate the Trinity"(8) and save everyone. Suddenly, C- admitted she was dating N-, and everyone said they'd known for a year, and they had a nun, why not get married here, at the end of all things. N- said that wouldn't be legal, C- said what does it matter. In the dream, he points at the corner where they got married. He made flowers grow for them, but they were weird, and some of the roses had teeth. The brides thought it was hilarious though.(9)

When G- landed and got to the meetup, John informed the crew that G- was a deadman's switch. Everyone lost their minds at him.

I said to them, You think they weren’t just going to shoot him first thing? You think there aren’t six snipers with beads on G—right now? But they weren’t only aggro about G—, they were aggro that a nuke might go off and kill a couple million people. I was like, Guys, it’s fine, they’re Australian. He said, Wow. Talk about jokes with no hope of landing.

The clients, on the other hand, stayed cool and said they wouldn't talk to John until the nuke was disarmed. They weren't even at the meetup, either, they said, so who would he really be hurting? He'd thought of that, of course.

I said, Yes. On that note, do you remember the dead guy you’ve mocked up to look alive, the one who still has executive power over your own nuclear codes, who you gave me total access to?

John had got him into position, with the codes, and made sure nobody around the puppet could stop him. He told the clients they had thirty minutes to stop Pan-Euro letting their gates open for the ships. The clients think he's bluffing, but he says he'd do anything, wouldn't he? He quotes another cow fact.(10)

John's own people were angry with him, too, on the whole. C-, N-, and P- were all having a go at him, A-'s brother and the nun were trying to mediate. Only A- and M- were really on his side, and it was more "we can still save this, walk it back" than really backing him up.

N- said this was going to end with killing millions of people for nothing, this isn't the saving the world that the crew signed on for. He said this is how they would save the world. She said he cares more about punishing people than being a saviour, and be can be "appallingly vindictive".(11)

Worse, they had cultists inside and outside the cow wall, and some of them flipped sides and surrounded them with guns. This is how all the barricades, all the bodies, all the bulletholes were formed. A- thought they'd sold out, but John thought it was more about internal doubt. He wondered if he'd lost some of his friends, too.

The confrontation went down, inside and outside the cow wall. He was still in touch with G- the whole time, and he was holding up pretty well. But, John had a lot to focus on, with him, and the fighting, and the dead politician.

He lost his nerve, and locked himself in a room with Ulysses and Titania because they wouldn't argue with him.

In the dream-present, he leads her out of the kitchen, down to another place, where a body in brown clothes looks awful, and he looks anywhere but at it, but he continues the story here anyway.

M- and her nun yelled at him through the door about not pushing buttons, until M- gave up and went away. The last hour was almost up.

It was only a matter of time before someone I loved caught a bullet that I couldn’t bring them back from.(12) I needed to do something. I couldn’t do anything.

Eventually, it was the nun who turned things around. She asked how he was doing with the soul, he said poorly. After a five minute pause, the nun said she thought she could help, but he had to let her in. He did, and she'd brought P-'s gun.

Standing in the hall, in the dream-present, she recognizes the body. He tells her that's not what she looked like.

At first, he thought the nun was there to kill him, but she said that in trying times it's common to push yourself away from God, but she knows John could do this, if he concentrated. Then she prayed, and she shot herself. He saw the soul hanging there for a second, and with the thanergy conversion, he could see it, could finally conceive of what he was missing. If he could control it, he could remove the bullet from her brain and glue the soul back in.

He said, But I held her soul in my hands and I knew why it had been so hard, because I was tuned in. I was looking at the code. I knew why I hadn’t been able to see anything. He said, When I touched her soul, I touched you. He said, You were the noise that was everywhere. It was like trying to talk to someone down a phone line with someone screaming through a megaphone in the same room. You drowned everything out. You were so huge and so complicated, and you were screaming. You wouldn’t stop screaming. You were so scared. You were so goddamn mad.(13) She said, “I was?” He said, “It wasn’t your fault.”

He realized he wasn't holding two nukes, he was holding three, and compared to her, "the other two were birthday candles."

He left the nun in the bedroom, dead. He didn't even take Ulysses and Titania. While he'd been locked in, some of the faithful had also turned, when the others accused him of "plotting nuclear war or something else wildly unfair." In the kitchen, everyone was just taking turns shooting each other, and they didn't even notice him come back.

Some of the memory gets fuzzy there, barricading with A- and M-, and them being shot in front of him.

He stood there and he said: “Do you remember what I said was coming?” She said, “Yes.” He said, “This is the part where I hurt you. Are you ready?”(14) She said, “Yes.”

He wanted her to stop screaming, he wanted her, "like a caveman wants a wildfire". He reached out and hurt her, but he wasn't strong enough to finish the job. He felt P- die. G- was the last one left alive, until John stopped his heart.

He paused and said, I’m still sorry it was Melbourne, honestly. Love a working tram service.(15)

In the dream-present, he walks back to the kitchen, abruptly.

He knew the nuke hurt her. He ate every death, and he let go the puppet's nuke codes as well, and thousands of missiles and other nukes were launched in response.

He said, First, I became a demigod. I nearly fell out of my body. I put my hand around half the world’s throats. [...] I drank them in, and it wasn’t enough. I needed those ships. I needed to extend my hand. I got it around the throat of the other half. I made them go away too. Then I had control of everything on the surface, but not the ships … birds flying above the fire … kids playing keep-away. He said, I put my hands around your neck. He said, I cupped your soul in my hands. He said, I took you into myself and we became one.(16)

Well, he started to, but there was so much of her. He dropped to his knees, ate dirt until he vomited, until he realized she was too much. This was the hardest part: the human instinct is to take into yourself, and that wouldn't do.

I needed a house to put you in, if I wasn’t going to put all of you in me. I made you one on the fly … I wasn’t even thinking … I ripped half my ribs from my body and made you from the dirt, my blood, my vomit, my bone. He said, I wanted to make you the most beautiful body I could think of.

Here, he notes that he was stressed out and absolutely insane at this point. He was barely himself at all, but he recalled that his Nana had some of his mother's toys at her house, and his favourite of them…

He gave a long, shuddering sigh. “My favourite was her old Hollywood Hair Barbie,”(17) he murmured

He made for her a body, the best he was equipped to form out of his own flesh. He remade them both, putting part of himself in her and part of her in himself. Together, he became like unto God.

But it wasn't enough to stop the ships.

He said, I bit through the sun first. It’s human nature. That started things going. Once you take down the sun, you’re cooking with gas, pardon the pun.

He killed the planets, with her help, even Pluto, and every satellite and craft that was still in-system. But in the end, he could only reach one of the ships, and for a moment, he and she held it in their hand, and he felt their terror. Then they were gone, out of his reach, lost forever because he hesitated.

He said, lightly— “That’s it. That’s the story. That’s what I did.” “Oh,” she said. Then he said— “Do you remember what you said to me once I had done it? When we stood here together?” She looked at him and she said, “Yes.” He said— “You said, ‘I picked you to change, and this is how you repay me?’”(18) She said— “What else did I say?” He said: “You said, ‘What have you done to me? I am a hideousness.’”(19) She said— “What else did I say?” He said, “Where did you put the people? Where did they go?” She said, “I still love you.”(20) He said, “You said that too.”

=====

(1) John 1:20 reads "And he confessed, and did not deny: and he confessed: I am not the Christ." This is supposedly John himself, admitting that he is only repeating the word of the man he believed to be God. Not all of the verses have directly parallelled their respective parts of Jod's story, but some of them just punch right at the core. The fact that Muir was able to synchronize this with the A1Z26 being meaningful, so closely that so many of the verses match their chapters' contents… this is god-tier, Homestuck reference fully intended. Speaking of letterizing the numbers, this nearly completes our message: THE TOWER IS REACTIVAT-. We just saw another mention of a tower last chapter, from Varun. What does it all mean? (2) I think it's worth thinking, here, about the truth of this presentation. It aligns with some of what we have been told is true, and it aligns with some of what we may assume is likely to be true. Is this really just John's idea of what it would look like if the ocean drained around his first bunker? Is it what it actually would look like, or have looked like some weeks or months afterward? Is any of this real? (3) If that word doesn't send a shiver down your spine… (4) I'm so fascinated at how Harrow(?) reacts throughout these sequences that happen in Nona's dreams. How she feels, tied to John even here. (5) At a guess, given context, I'm assuming this is NZ slang for the waters between their islands and Australia. (6) Why did he want G- specifically? Did he want a martyr for his cause? Did he think his reaction times might be subpar in a puppet? (7) What plans could he have for his best friend's arm?! Honestly, folks, the questions this series has left open… (8) Instantiate is hard to describe, but by understanding the three parts of the body (bone, flesh, spirit?) or perhaps the three forms of energy (thanergy, thalergy, soul?), or some other trio of concepts to do with the necromancy, the nun seems to have thought John could become as Jesus, become as God, with ultimate power. Christianity trains you into threes with its Trinity, you see. (9) Sometimes your life is so absurd all you can do is laugh and accept that it is what it is. Especially when the roses grow teeth, I guess.

(10) Most of the time, the cow facts have been things others have used against John in this story. How interesting that now, when he needs to prove how badass he is, how absolutely without limit he is, he quotes one back at them. Cows exhibit mourning behaviour, and I killed them, didn't I? (11) Ain't that a fact, mister "ten thousand years seeking revenge for the moment being described in this chapter". Interesting that he admits it here. (12) Ironic that he said this right before someone did. (13) Of course the Earth was mad. Of course they're screaming at us, in their own way, for what we and our ancestors have been doing to them for these last two hundred years or so, or perhaps the last several myriads of years from a certain perspective. Our lack of stewardship, as a species, over the lands we ought to know better about maintaining. It's the fault of those in power, not those on the ground, but nevertheless. (14) Sweet of him to make sure she still consents to hear the story. (15) John, you absolute goddamn asshole (fond). (16) Lyctorhood is a pale imitation of the first conversion at the Resurrection. (17) If you've ever seen Locked Tomb fans screaming at the Barbie Movie hype or Barbies in general, or a long-limbed blonde with a sword and chains, this here is why. (18) He was chosen, among all the humans on the Earth, he was chosen particularly. Why would she choose him? Just a normal guy? (19) Imagine being a whole damn planet and being stuffed into a Barbie-shaped flesh suit. How horrified must she have felt? (20) But still, her love is unconditional. She loved every one of them, and she loved him, and she loves him still though perhaps... just perhaps... she's still not entirely sure what that word means. And Nona still loves us all, because Alecto once loved us all.

#the locked tomb #tlt #nona the ninth #ntn #nona the ninth spoilers #ntn spoilers #emperor john gaius #harrowhark nonagesimus

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excellentexecution · 2 years

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@brothersgrim | Continued.

He’s leaning forward in his seat, resting his chin on his fist. His eyes are closed and his shoulders are slumped. If you didn’t know better, he might be asleep.

He’s not. Exhausted though he may be, this place is not safe enough to rest at. Not even for him.

No, he’s not sleeping, he’s waiting. Waiting for Paul– No, not Paul. Ted. It’s Ted now. Not Brother Love anymore. Not Paul now. But it’s okay. It’s okay because it was helping the home. They needed the money, Paul said. They were behind on bills, Paul had told him.

If he was lucid enough - paying attention enough - to think through it, that might not make sense to him. Hasn’t he been working hard? Hasn’t he been doing well in all of his fights? The orders were still coming in, last time he was home. … But he’s not thinking of that. In his mind, he’s a million miles and ten years away, on the back porch of the home with his mother. He can remember the way the rope creaks when it moves. The peachy-orange colour she used to paint her nails. If he focused enough, he could almost–

Footsteps.

He looks up, even though he wasn’t told to. He almost expects it to be Ted, even though he didn’t hear the door open.

It’s not Ted.

It’s Bret Hart.

The deadman’s shoulders tense without permission, and he’s about to stand - is Hart here for a fight? - when Bret… Holds out a drink. For a moment that stretches out far longer than it has any right to, the Undertaker studies Hart. Scrutinises the outstretched hand. What is he doing? More importantly, why? The deadman sits back down. He hasn’t been told to drink. He could get in trouble for this. Ted might get angry. Did he want to deal with that?

But he was tired. It had been a hard fight. And that drink did look good.

Okay.

He reaches out and accepts the drink. After another moment, he gives a nod of his head, raises the bottle, and downs a mouthful. And he speaks, even though his voice is hoarse and rusty from disuse.

“Appreciate it.”

Never had Bret ever felt so beaten, so sore and tender. Bones felt fragile, as if they would shatter upon gentle touch, muscles mere goo underneath the skin, mush. Neidhart wasn’t doing much better. Cooped up in the Hart Foundation safehouse, the small locker room that they and several others had to share, a beautiful bruise had taken shape over his pretty left cheek. DiBiase and his Million Dollar Team had wasted no effort in annihilating the Hitman and all of his friends. Though mere days before at the Survivor Series, battle wounds still ached terribly. It pained him to even try to walk. A limp that nagged with every step, lightning bolts straight up the spine, through the shoulder blades, burgled was poor Bret’s body, his ways of defense stolen. But even so, he knew that there were others who fared worse than he.

Nobody said as much, were perhaps too afraid to speak a word, but all of those under the WWF banner were well aware of the situation concerning the Million Dollar Man and his latest acquisition. A heavy bag loaded with coin was the most popular of the rumors that spread. A favor that was needed to be done, from one crook to another, fellow monsters united through their own greed, the Undertaker was the sole person who seemed to suffer most. A man who carried the burdensome weight alone. Troubles that weren’t of his own name or creed, never did the Hitman notice a mark to his pale flesh, but he could see the distant gaze in the green of the Deadman’s eyes. A cold look. Frozen almost, like a corpse on ice just waiting for the moment when it would all be over, frigid. Bret didn’t even know his real name.

Ted never allowed for Undertaker to go out with the rest of the boys. Always chained him good on that invisible leash - kept the giant within close distance - sheltered from authentic and honest relationships. He was safely stunted that way. Never given the chance to grow normal, it was clear that he wasn’t much like anyone else on the roster. Unsure, maybe, but that didn’t mean that Bret didn’t feel bad for him anyways. For how weird Undertaker was, different, unique, he was still human at the end of the day. Sympathy wasn’t so difficult to come by. Least for Bret who watched him whenever they crossed paths, he had been called a weird kid, too. A freak to anyone who didn’t understand - cruel of heart sorts - he could relate. Responsibility weighed on each of their shoulders, though for reasons that couldn’t have been further apart. Bret for his loved ones back in Canada, the Anvil and the brothers nearby, beloved companions. Undertaker for himself and for the mysterious ghost that seemed to haunt him at every opportunity: gossip had mentioned the name of Paul before.

Their dressing room was off limits. A private expense, a check that smelled sweet of fraud, con, but was nonetheless accepted. Dibiase would never have allowed for himself and his associates to mingle with anyone who wasn’t within the stable. A business mutual, a member of his demented family, everyone was banned from entering the room, even the Federation’s esteemed president. But for once, Bret ignored such demands. Walked through the door without knock, quietly entered the space, searched for the Deadman. Dressed still in his jeans and tee, sneakers on his feet instead of wrestling boots, compassion had urged the Hitman forward. It was the least that he could do. A peace offering, a truce after they had nearly torn each other apart during their latest match, a sign of respect from one athlete to another. Though it would be counted as a loss for he, it would still be taken in pride. Bret had tried his best and lost. Was defeated, belabored by large fists, stomps from shoes. A bottle of pure water seemed like a wonderful victory prize. Especially for a soul who seemed so tired, so lost; that pathetic sight of the Undertaker huddled into the corner like a caged dog. An animal that he wasn’t and wouldn’t ever be.

Carefully shutting the door behind himself, so that it wouldn’t slam, Bret crept to the Deadman with steps so light. As to not scare the guy more than he already seemed, as to not alert those who may not wish for the Hitman to be there, the bottle of water was extended, offered. Chilled to the touch, still cold from the cooler that Bret had grabbed it from. A subtle smile passed over his lips as he observed the Undertaker and his thankful drinking. A nod of his head, too, there was no telling how long he had been without proper drink. Starved by those who owned him - Dibiase and his brood of bastards - dehydrated. Listening still to the outside world, part of Bret was comforted that the other took his offering at all. They weren’t friends, maybe never would be, but it soothed him regardless. Consoled that always worried side of himself - the protective brother and friend that just wouldn’t quit - he couldn’t stand to see others in agony. Not when there was something that he could do to help them. His father had raised him to uphold that. Seeded the very idea from such a young age, Stu, he hoped, would be proud of him.

“You’re welcome.”

He asked, puzzled still, running his browns over the very face, the person, he spoke to. Hunting for an answer, for some reason as to why. “How are you, Undertaker?”

#[ brothersgrim ]#[ Muse: Undertaker ]#Best There Was // Best There Is | WWF Era #[ Sweet babies <3 ]

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folklauerate · 2 years

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a treatise on midnights

a lot of things can happen at midnights.

a recurring theme of my life—or, at least, the end of my young adolescence, the years when I was working too hard, staying out too late, and flying by the seat of my pants and the last twenty dollars in my bank account saved for booze after paying for rent and my monthly mta card—was late nights.

nights didn’t end at midnight. they started then.

I’d have shifts where I’d clock out at midnight, punching a code into an iPad, brushing past the faint thumping of a curated mix of something vaguely clubby but inviting, meant to make restaurant guests linger over expensive cuts of steak, and I’d solider out through the side entrance, and onto the streets of new york.

sometimes, I’d meet the line cooks and servers for drinks; the haunts that pop up and go away and don’t exist anymore, the ones that are tucked away down corners and up the stairwells in between streets and only there if you look for them, only available to the people that haunt new york when the time on the clock is a single digit and the night is pitch black. start off with vodka sodas, eight dollars and reliably strong, before switching to tequila shots, dancing in bars where nobody else was dancing, and making friends with bartenders just so I could forget their names by the time I woke up.

those midnights were about forgetting the burn in my gut telling me this wasn’t enough, couldn’t be enough, and forcing it aside, trying to find a place where I belonged.

often, I’d go for dinner at a korean place in k-town with one of my best friends, linger over a shared dish of spicy pork, eating Chloe’s fish when she didn’t want it. we’d talk about our weeks, complain about our sore feet, we’d wonder if the world was coming to an end after all. we’d talk about god, we’d talk about religion, we’d talk about boys. when the check came, we’d split it down the middle, fair’s fair, and uber home.

those midnights were better—everything seems better with the perspective a full belly and a best friend provides. someone who laughs at my quips and makes her own and tells me I’m not crazy, she thinks that, too.

there were nights when the weather was nice—though, it takes a lot for me to think it’s bad—and I’d forgo the train, knowing the 1 would arrive at the 23rd station in twenty minutes. in that time, I’d have swung by taco bell, got the dollar menu quesadilla and nacho fries, and make the trek home.

in those days, I lived in the west village and in those days it was okay for me to be walking home from the flatiron area to the far corners of the west village, where it edged along the water, jersey on the other side, in the middle of the night. I’d put on music and take the meandering way home, sometimes doubling my walk, just because I liked to pay a visit to all my favorite brownstones, inspect the way the leaves drooped over the windows from one evening to another, liked to see what people put out for the garbage men to take away come morning. lights were on and people were rarely home but I’d run into the odd man out, walking the dog, and because it was then, I’d pet the dogs and make pleasant meaningless chatter while I did.

those midnights were about me. I answered to no one, I lived by my own rules, if I wanted to delay getting home by forty minutes just to touch the plaque that marked Bob Dylan’s home with my right hand and leave it a kiss, I could. If it wanted to float down the odd streets of the west village in the dark like a friendly ghost who had a greasy bag of taco bell tucked under her arm, I could. If I wanted to take the most convoluted path back to my apartment, if only to prove that I live here, that I know the way, you could place me in any spot blindfolded and I’d feel my way out because each nook and cranny and crevice was now burned into my skin and bones—I’d do it. those midnights were about belonging.

some nights, odd nights, I’d be on a bus or a train home; often with friends, rarely alone. but it’s funny how, when your demons take root inside your soul, you can feel so fucking alone, even when you and your friends are pressed six deep on a C train headed uptown. he loves me not becomes the echo and the sparkly makeup and sharp sharp contour and hemlines that inched higher became my armor. there were days—glorious, blissful, blistering, backbreaking days—that I worked myself to the bone, threw myself into books, and juggled too many things too quickly. but I didn’t give myself a respite at night, I couldn’t; I practiced being the shiniest person in the room, turned the shitty bottom shelf vodka into a drinking game so everyone could choke it down, always had another place to go when the bouncer didn’t let us in, always made friends at the parties in williamsburg where I was invited but didn’t know a single soul, leaving the night with a steady ___ now follows you on the little apps on my phone. I’d prance and preen around the party like I was a chandelier, like I was a mirrorball, because it’s better to be surrounded by fun at all times, with a friendly haze of weed and the high of the night rather than think about the arms you won’t ever feel around you again or how you’re work work working towards something it feels like you’re never gonna get.

and then there were nights where I chased the bitter taste of the emptiness with the reminder that I was still here, like a wedge of lime shoved in my mouth, tangling with salt, keeping the liquor down. I’d come home, halal in hand, stumble into my room far past midnight, put on an old record, and dance in my underwear, the rug with the old pattern I’d paid far too much for becoming the dance floor I’d went out that night searching for but didn’t find. I let myself cry over boys, I let myself chase a feeling down a flight of stairs and a warm embrace that was fun for just right now, I let myself lope my arms through my friends and toast a city that never slept, vowing to stay awake with it, and came home well past midnight, a little light still burning in my heart.

you can only stay down for as long as it takes until the next song comes on the speakers, until the shift you wake up bleary eyed for, until the next morning when you sniff the underwear to make sure it’s clean, put on your old jeans and a nice coat, chug a gatorade and keep going. I was only ever down long enough to baby my wounds, letting my pieces fall apart prettily—always prettily—so I could stitch them back together, shining, exciting, and faking being new—everybody wants new, nobody wants old. I was only down long enough to write a song on my guitar at 3 am and complain to the ceilings when I couldn’t sleep, only down long enough to scream my cries into a pillow until my throat was hoarse and the words didn’t make sense anymore and the morning pushed away midnight and I had hot tea in my hand and professors to impress and a world to conquer and a city to show that I was the mastermind of it all.

and I’d keep going and going, burning through the daylight until it faded away into the inky black that felt like home and felt like a prison; until I hit midnight.

#writing #midnights #I'm getting old and self reflecting #taylor said we're looking at our demons and I'm doing just that #this album is SO me in nyc from 2017-2019 coded #it's INSANE #taylor swift

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knucklegagging · 2 years

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Take My Breath Away ...Forever?

I’m spending the day vomiting and wondering if weight loss is worth it. Nobody else even notices. I’m not medically overweight. I’m muscular and I don’t like it. My thighs touch but I wear a size children’s age 8. I’m not sure why I’m doing this. My life is all around what does and doesn’t go in my body. I’m alone all the time. Nothing really changes that but why does not eating feel like something I’m doing right? I’m in my late 20s and I’ve already had two strokes from this life. Why am I still here. Why am I still suffering. And why am I obsessively contemplating a junior whopper and sugar free vanilla ice cream as though 371 calories or 210 including the sugar cone are somehow going to make me worthless. ...I’m already worthless. A couple calories aren’t going to change that. The bruises from the past remind me well enough. Memorialized injuries that still make it hard to breathe from bones that never healed over right and my head held underwater in a full tub. No one sees me. Why would making myself less ever change that. Nobody ever sees me unless they’re mad and need a punching bag.

Maybe that’ it though. Maybe if I’m invisible I won’t be raped again. Maybe if I turn sideways and am so thin that I finally disappear, the family who threw me away instead of protecting me won’t have to haunt my thoughts anymore, letting me know I’m insignificant for breathing in their air: For daring to ask for some sense that any of them could ever care about me.

I don’t want to hurt myself. I wish it was that easy. To know that and just eat. Just cram it in my mouth and swallow.

I wish it was that easy....

I wish.

#tw ana thoughts #tw 4n4

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jazzycasino · 3 years

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Captain ‘Carter’ and Peggy having more promotion and merch than Sam Wilson as Captain America right now yeah I’m obviously going to have a problem with this¿

#I’m tired of that woman #the character AND especially that actress I hide no shame #nobody wants to see that bag of bones anymore #idc if cap 4 hasn’t came out yet #did they put a halt on everything cap with evans when his movies weren’t out?#don’t think so so why now?#we all know that reason #marvel #mcu #what if?#what if you kiss my-#anti peggy carter #j rants #captain america #sam wilson #deserves better #disney +

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neowinestainedress · 2 years

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forever is the sweetest con ; jeong jaehyun

title: forever is the sweetest con

part three of amami ancora

pairings: jeong jaehyun x OC | (side characters, suh johnny, kim doyoung, nakamoto yuta, lee mark, lee taeyong, | mentioned: qian kun and lee donghyuck)

genre: domestic fluff, smut, established relationship, parent!au, humour (if you squint), slice of life

warnings: smut, fingering, squirting, oral sex (f and m receiving), multiple orgasms, brief tied up sex, unprotected sex (she’s on the pill this time, though), morning sex, food play (nothing messy, just chocolate and a strawberry), sensory deprivation, that should be all

summary: After the storm always comes the rainbow. And finally, after eight months, Jaehyun and Scarlett can live their life with fewer fears creeping in their bones and with the consciousness that nothing and nobody can take their little paradise away from them. So they decided to take some days off to make up for all the wasted time, filling their hearts with sweet and cherished moments with each other and Eunbi, that somehow always know how to surprise them.

word count: 21.530

a/n: My child’s finally here! I’m so happy to make it see the light of the day. I loved writing this and I might be addicted to these three, ngl. So, enjoy two parents being in love with each other and their baby. Just a small disclaimer; I’m not sure if some terms are right, mostly the ones that concern Eunbi’s needs, I don’t even know how some things are called in my language and I had to look for their name on the internet and they might not be accurate, but if you understood what I wanted to say and know that that’s not the right way let me know, please. I hope this is what you wanted. Let me know if you liked it, I'd love to know your thoughts!

The salty scent of the summer air filled the small house perched on the hill of the rough road of Seashore. It was the end of a mild June that was leaving its place to a burning July, but the morning sun was still bearable, while it shined in the blue sky leaving no space for a single cloud to stain the perfect picture.

The clock was about to hit nine, and most of the people that lived there had already left earlier in the morning. Johnny and Mark had started their morning shift at six, while Doyoung dropped Taeyong at the bakery and Yuta by the port at eight, even if he had to go to work later.

The sound of the kettle ringed in the kitchen, bringing Scarlett's attention to the water she put to boil before, drifting away from Eunbi that was livingly playing with her toys on the ground.

"Stay there," she warned, getting up, pointing her finger to her child. She was almost eight months old now and had started to be very energetic. She loved to explore, probably a little bit too much for her -everybody's- sanity. The only answer she got was a low giggle and some other jabbered syllables that weren't addressed to her but to the soft plushies she was holding in her small hands.

Scarlett huffed, turning off the stove before pouring the hot liquid into two cups with tea leaves, one for her, the other for Jaehyun that was still sleeping. He had a night shift at the port, after a day working at the fishery.

He was the only full income they had. Not that she stopped working, but after the first month Eunbi had some health problems and she had to take more time off before going back to work. And even now, they couldn't afford a babysitter, and she didn't trust anyone near their house anyway, so they all had to take turns to stay at home with her. But they both were aware of the fact that she wasn't everybody's baby, and they couldn't weigh too much on the others, no matter how much they insisted. So Jaehyun was busy, he couldn't travel anymore so he mostly became an all-rounder, moving everywhere to do all the work he could. He did his best to show no bother about it, but Scarlett knew that it was tiring. She could see it in his hollowed face, and eye bags and the way he would fall asleep as soon as his head met the pillow.

She dragged her body out of the kitchen with the two cups in hand, she then put them down on the coffee table and grabbed Eunbi that was trying to lift herself up on the new couch.

"Where are you going?" She asked in a light tone, booping her nose. Eunbi simply laughed and cupped her mother's face with her hands. Yes, another new habit; smashing and pulling everything and every face she could find on her way. Kun had explained that it was another way to get more in contact with the familiar faces, but she was sure she also found some happiness in seeing their suffering expressions.

"Let's wake Dada up, ugh?" She cooed, making her way to the corridor but before she could turn the corner she bumped right into his broad figure. A sleepy, frowning, Jaehyun was standing with a hand on his face to wipe the sleep out of his eyes and the other in front of his mouth to hide his yawn.

"Oh," she exclaimed, surprised of seeing him up already.

"Look at my favourite princesses," he greeted, pulling Scarlett closer to leave a peck on her forehead and then on Eunbi's. Scarlett smiled fondly and inhaled his scent deeply, that wasn't her favourite pet name but she was getting used to seeing it in a different light. He wasn't using it as a title anymore, it was just full of love and tenderness.

"Let me take her," he suggested, wrapping his arms around the child that was clapping her hands together and mumbled sounds close to "mbba".

"She's going to say papa first," Jaehyun teased, wrapping the other free arm around Scarlett that just laughed and clicked her tongue.

"Sure, whatever makes you sleep at night, Jeong."

"Let's be honest, she'll probably say Johnny," he joked, sitting down on the couch next to her. "I always catch him talking to her and repeating his name like a parrot."

Scarlett laughed throwing her head back. "They are doing their best to be her favourite," she justified.

"They are doing too much, I'd say," he corrected, swinging Eunbi's hand wrapped around his finger in a playful movement that made her giggle. He then got up to place her in the small playpen they afforded to buy, to enjoy the tea Scarlett prepared. She had her favourite baby mobile there and spent hours staring at the animals moving around, the stack and sing rings with the monkey on top, the first discoveries table, and some other smaller toys that she loved a little bit less.

"You need some rest," Scarlett affirmed, pulling her knees on the couch, turning her body to the side to look at Jaehyun that was sipping on his cup.

"I'm fine, it wasn't so late when I came back."

"No, not sleep. But rest, you need to unwind. You rarely stopped working since we had her and the rhythms you keep are insane."

"We can't afford a vacation if that's what you're hinting to," he replied, raising a brow before biting on the cookie she had brought when he settled Eunbi down.

"I know, but just a few days, somewhere," she insisted. "Or even just at home, we don't have to go far from here, but you could just relax, and then we could go to the park or the beach," she suggested. "Eunbi's never been there before, and, shamelessly, me too."

Jaehyun stared at her with wide eyes and mouth open, "You've never been to the sea?"

She denied with a shook of her head, "Do you see a Princess splashing around with commoners? Planting an umbrella next to them?" She sneered, faking superiority.

"Oh, no, but I can imagine her having a child with one of them," he grinned, pulling her close to leave a kiss on her cheek, "you broke the worst rule you could break. An escape to swim in the sea? Mh, not. But escaping to give birth to the child of an illicit affair? Hell, yes."

"Oh, shut up, imagine if I stayed there," she rolled her eyes, pushing his chest back.

"No, thanks, that's a nightmare, I don't want to think about it."

"So? What do you think?" She asked, going back to the main topic.

"About you staying with the spoiled Prince?" He teased, lifting a brow.

"No, stupid," she replied, "about you taking some days off."

Seeing his non-convinced expression, she added, "The contract has days off they can't refuse."

"Fine, but when?"

"Take this Friday, and then next week. Saturday will be Taeyong's birthday, and I wanted to prepare a surprise. I know we can't afford big gifts so Doyoung and I thought about doing something here. You could help."

"So you're putting me to work from home, I see," he pouted, pretending to be offended.

"No," she whined, "I'll do the most, just look after Eunbi. She misses you so much, Yoonoh," she finished, looking at the small girl that was crawling in the box trying to sit up by herself.

Jaehyun's expression turned sadder, "I know, I miss the both of you so much. I wish I didn't fall asleep as soon as I step inside, but it's stronger than me."

"I know, love. But you need to unwind. You are a block of nerves, and you also look like a ghost. Have you been eating enough?"

He rolled his eyes before pulling her closer. "Mhh, nope, maybe I could get my other breakfast."

She slapped his arm playfully and glared at him, "Not when she's here."

"You had no problem last Christmas," he reminded her, kissing her again.

"She was sleeping on the other side of the room in the dark, and we were completely silent."

"Completely silent," he chuckled, "and the other lies you love to tell yourself."

"Oh, shut up and go freshen up. Do you have to work today?"

Jaehyun nodded, moving her off of him delicately, "Yeah, Yuta needs me for something, but it won't take long."

"You eating lunch with us, right?"

"Yep, it's after two, don't worry. You can poison my dish," he winked, getting up from his spot.

“That would be very dumb of me to be left all alone with the reincarnation of Satan right here.” Scarlett tilted her head toward the box where Eunbi was loudly playing, smashing some toys on the ground.

“She's an angel," he defended with a pout.

“She crawls and tries to climb everywhere," she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "where does she even have to go? She's always moving, and I'm glad she's fine, but Lord, she never sleeps."

Jaehyun chuckled, "She sleeps at night. Except sometimes for the teeth, she's good. Some parents stopped sleeping for years, Scarlett, we're lucky."

"Yes, but I don't want to imagine what she's going to be like when she starts to walk, or worse, talk."

"I'm sure she'll keep us entertained. We can never say we are bored, right? Much better than all your useless courses with the old lady with different socks?"

Scarlett laughed, remembering the one that had been her teacher for most useless things. "Yeah, a thousand times better. "

“You can leave her with us for a few days,” Johnny proposed while he was bent over the fan, desperately trying to make it work. The evening weather wasn’t as clement as the morning one, and they were trying to get a glimpse of relief.

“I can’t. You all work too, and also I’m still breastfeeding her,” Scarlett answered, passing a toy to Eunbi. They were sitting on the ground on a soft blanket next to Johnny, talking about how stressed Jaehyun was.

“Well, can’t you pump it and put it in a sippy cup so we can give it to her?” He suggested, drifting his gaze from the fan to her.

“She’s growing the first teeth. She won’t make you sleep at night.”

“She spent one night up, Scarlett,” he retorted, raising a brow. “We are careful. We won’t break her,” he reassured her.

“Oh, I know,” she whined, “I trust you with my whole self but, you already do so much for us. She’s not your daughter. I’m sure you have your own things to do.”

“Well, Taeyong and I have been here longer than Jaehyun, so I guess we kind of developed a certain connection with her,” he joked, pressing the button of the fan that finally was working again. “Also, it will be for just two days,” he added, getting up to position the fan in a way that the air flowed in the room without hitting Eunbi or them directly.

Scarlett frowned, sulking at her thoughts. She knew they loved spending time with her; she wasn’t even that hard to look after except for some burst of energy here and there and some cries given to the pain of the first teeth coming out. But she also felt like a burden; if they wanted a child to take care of, they would’ve had one.

“Hey,” Johnny called, kneeling in front of her, hands wrapped around her shoulders, “you never rested since you arrived here. You’ve been through so much while you were expecting her and even after. You also need to relax for a bit.”

“But what about you?”

Johnny rolled his eyes and sat in front of her, pulling Eunbi on his lap, “We’ll be fine, right baby?” He asked the girl that giggled, raising her hands to touch his face.

Scarlett smiled and then exhaled deeply, “Fine,” she gave up, “but just for two days.”

“Yes!” Johnny cheered, leaving a kiss on top of Eunbi's forehead.

“But where can we go anyway?" She questioned, shifting on her seat to adjust the long linen dress she was wearing. It was cool to the skin and of a beautiful pastel blue. "We don't have much money to afford a real vacancy. We have to buy things for her."

“Down at the port, there's a lovely tavern, it's right in front of the seaside, they have some rooms, and it's not expensive.”

“Are you sure? How much is that?"

"Well, you'll have to get an economy room, but I guess it'll be fine if you only have to sleep there... Or make the number two, you know," he winked, tilting his head left, pointing at Eunbi.

She smacked his arm playfully, feeling heat rise on her cheeks, "What number two, we can barely look after her."

"Fine," he sighed, "then use protections."

"Johnny, if you don't shut up immediately!" She warned, pointing a menacing finger at him.

He pretended to be afraid and started laughing. "I'm just saying, orgasms bring serotonin, don't they? I'm sure you both need it."

"Okay, thanks, but it's not the time to discuss it. How much is the room?"

"20 lire should be the less expensive. I've been there once, it's nice. No big bath or sparkling chandelier like the ones you were used to, but it's pretty."

"I don't want luxury, I just want to be with him," she chimed. "Should we book right now?" She suggested. Two days alone wasn't much, right? They weren't terrible parents for wanting some time alone, right? Seeing the worry on her face, Johnny sighed and spoke again, "She'll be fine. Taeyong will cook her the homogenised food she loves the most, while Doyoung will read her stories every time he can. And I'll dress her up like a princess; I also learned how to treat her curls," he exclaimed excitedly, pointing at her hair.

Scarlett smiled, relaxing her shoulders and, without thinking, hugged the man in front of her, careful to not crash Eunbi.

"I love you so much, Johnny. I don't know what I'd do without you," she confessed, leaving a kiss on his cheek.

"That's much for booking a dick appointment, but thanks," he joked, kissing her back.

"Be thankful I can't swear in front of her or I would've already called you names," she kidded, "but seriously, you're the best friend I never had."

"It's a pleasure. You can be really headstrong, I have to say, but I love you too, and I'm so glad you came into our lives."

Before the sweet moment could prolong, they smelled a bad odour in the air.

"Eunbi, God," she cursed, covering her nose with a hand, "you always pick the worst moment."

Johnny laughed loudly, raising her up by the armpit so she wouldn't cause more trouble by sitting.

"Let's change this messy girl, and then let's book the room for the two love birds," Johnny said, standing up and walking toward the changing table.

Two days passed quickly, and it was already Friday, Taeyong's birthday. Luckily for them, he had to work all day at the bakery. So they could prepare what they had in mind without worrying about him.

It was early evening and Jaehyun and Johnny were blowing some balloons while Eunbi stared at them in awe, and Scarlett and Doyoung were in the kitchen.

"Where did you learn all that?" Doyoung asked, glancing swiftly at the woman that was shaping the napkins like roses.

"From one of my maiden. They were very nice and always took time to teach me some tricks they knew," she answered with a fond smile on her face and eyebrows knitted in concentration.

"Do you miss that?" He probed while cutting the tomatoes to make the Caprese.

Scarlett stopped what she was doing for a second, thinking about her life before. She tried to push that out of her mind most of the time, not like she really had time to dwell on that anyway. But also because she would get quite anxious about it, still scared that, as soon as she lowered the guard, her little patch of heaven on earth would've fallen apart.

"Not really," she replied, placing the last napkin with the others before walking to the cupboard to grab the red plates. "Just my mom, sometimes, and some handmaiden."

"Did she say anything about the baby?"

Scarlett sighed, hands pressed against the table, elbow bent outward, "I didn't see her when I found out, I... I don't even know if she knows."

"Why don't we change the subject," Jaehyun chimed, entering the kitchen, stilling behind her to leave a kiss on her temple. "Why don't you come to see if the balloons are enough and how to place them?" He knew that Doyoung meant no harm, but it still was a triggering topic for her, and he didn't want to see her break down or start to be anxious again.

She nodded before excusing herself out of the room, followed by her boyfriend.

"They are perfect," she exclaimed, looking at the red and green balloons. "Let's take one red in the middle and two green at the sides and then hang them somewhere." She illustrated, pointing at the corners of the room. "I'll be in the kitchen-" Just when she was about to say that, Eunbi started crying. She looked at the clock and sighed, "I will be the kitchen. I have to feed her."

"We can give her the formula," Jaehyun proposed, sensing she wasn't so excited about it.

"Yeah, you should save your own, you know," Johnny reminded her, raising a brow, and Jaehyun looked at them in confusion but didn't ponder long on it.

"Yeah, it's better if I give it to her later. Why don't you give her a slice of apple? She likes to suck on it. Just give it to her, and she'll handle it, she'll make a mess, but I have to change her into something else anyway."

"'Kay," Jaehyun shrugged, walking into the kitchen with her to place her in the highchair before grabbing an apple to cut it and peel it.

"Stay there. I'll take care of here!" Johnny shouted from the other room. Jaehyun thanked him and then handed the slice to Eunbi, that immediately stopped crying, "Why do you have to save milk?" Jaehyun asked, sitting down at the table next to Eunbi. She was happily sucking her apple while holding it in her little hand.

"I simply want to let her get used to other food," she answered, pulling out the ingredients she needed for the red velvet cake. "She'll have teeth soon, also."

Jaehyun nodded before wiping a string of saliva off of Eunbi's chin. She was already so big; it really felt like time was slipping out of their hands, and he somehow felt like he had lost so much. He hadn't been there when she was pregnant, and now he was always busy. He felt like a terrible father, no matter how much time he spent with her any time he could, even if it was just a few minutes.

"Do you like it?" He asked, pushing some curls out of her face. She nodded, stomping her free hand on the small table in front of her baby chair in happiness. "You didn't start doing it a long time ago, right?" He addressed Scarlett, terrified he had missed way more things of her.

"No, Jae," Scarlett reassured, turning around to caress his face. "I gave it to her for the first time this Monday. I didn't tell you because it slipped my mind. You feel like you're missing something?"

He nodded, humming lowly, "I know I won't be here on her first step or word."

"You didn't miss when she started crawling the first time or when she started lifting herself on her feet. And not even when she started to mumble some syllables and vocals. She loves you so much, Yoonoh. Please don't ever think you aren't good enough for her."

"She's always clinging to you when you're home," Doyoung intervened. "And you always cling to her. You are a great father."

"Need praises also from me, or you're fine?" Johnny asked, entering the room with the last set of balloons in hand, smiling fondly at his friend.

Jaehyun laughed, "I'm fine. Sorry if I want the best for her."

"Aren't we the best? She has like five parents and two cool uncles." Johnny bragged, patting Eunbi's head gently, drifting her attention to him for a second.

"Mark will be furious to hear you declassed him at uncle," Jaehyun replied, grabbing a towel to clean Eunbi's messy face.

"Let's be honest, if you leave her with him, she'll be the one taking care of the other," Johnny replied, defending his statement. "He's the older brother, and that's all he can get, right Bi?" He added, looking down at the baby. "Oh, she murdered the apple."

Eunbi giggled while her finger poked into the sloppy slice of apple.

"Okay, big soft daddy, clean her up while Doie and I finish the cake, or else Tae will be home, and nothing will be ready. We still have to cook bulgogi."

"I'll give her a bath since she has apple everywhere," Jaehyun noted, picking her up. "Did you already pick her dress?"

"Yes, it's the one in the bag in the closet. I brought it from work the other day."

"Renjun lets you do things for her while working? " Doyoung asked, surprised.

"Yeah, it didn't take much. Also, we sewed the clothes for the season at the start of the month, so we have free time."

"I think he's just whipped. When Taeyong worked there, he tried once to do something for him, and he almost fired him."

"Or maybe Taeyong wasn't as good as me at selling things that nobody would buy in their right state of mind," she joked, "This might give me some privileges," she added, pouring the red colouring into the dough before restarting to mix.

"And you're all cleaned up," Jaehyun exclaimed as he lifted Eunbi from her small bathtub and wrapped a towel around her body. He laid her on the bed and started to gently rub the soft material on her skin to dry her, and then grabbed a diaper.

"Are you happy?" He asked, blocking her ankles to lift her lower body up to slide the back of the diaper under her. "Giggling and moving your little legs," he continued, struggling to close the two ends of the nappy.

Once he finished, he started to tickle her, making her laugh louder and move her limbs faster.

"Oh," he faked stupor when she kicked his arm, making her stop for a while, "your legs are so strong," he praised while grabbing the bodysuit and making it slide on top of her head. "You're going to walk soon."

"Let's wear Mama's dress now," he cooed while taking the bag where the dress was neatly folded. It was a light red dress made of lines, with roses embroidered on the puffy shoulders and a bigger pop up one at the middle of her belly. "Do you like it?" He asked, lifting it for her to see.

"Mama does so much for you, doesn't she?" He made her sit up to slide the piece of fabric on her. "She gave up so much for you; I hope you'll never forget it or take it for granted." He was still incredulous of what she did just for them. She risked her life with the possibility to get caught and living an even harder life. He never knew that love could be so strong, but it was, and he was more than happy that it was her.

“And we’re done,” he said, lifting her up, wrapping an arm around her and putting the other things he didn’t use back at their place.

“Wow,” a feminine voice came from the door. Scarlett was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed on her chest and a sly smile on her face. “I did an amazing job with the dress,” she bragged, flipping her hair back.

“Well, yes,” Jaehyun agreed, chuckling, “it really is amazing.”

“The model adds ten points to it, doesn’t she?” She chirped, talking directly to Eunbi, that was sucking her hand closed in a fist.

“Why don’t you change too?” She proposed, grabbing Eunbi to put her in the stroller and giving her a toy to fool around. “There’s a matching fit for us.”

“Now we are that kind of couple?” He asked with a raised eyebrow and a laugh on his face.

“It’s just the same colour and fabric. I wanted to gift us something new.” She said, handing him another bag, “I didn’t even pay for it. It was the leftovers of a fabric Renjun didn’t want to use anymore.”

“Liar, you also embroidered roses on my shirt and your dress,” he pointed out after taking in the clothes that were in the bag.

“Let’s be cliché for once, can we?”

“I actually like this a lot,” Jaehyun said, pulling her into a hug, “I was expecting something terrible like ‘His Queen, her King,’ so I’m glad it’s not.”

“I’d never get that low,” she reassured, cringing at the mere idea, “now let’s get changed, Taeyong will be home soon.”

“This cake is so good,” Taeyong hummed happily after swallowing the last piece of his slice of red velvet, “I’m stealing you to work with me. Renjun doesn’t need you.”

Scarlett laughed, “It’s not that hard to make actually anybody could do it.”

“Not me,” Mark answered, throwing his hands up.

“You are a special case, Mark,” Yuta replied, “let’s keep you out of the kitchen forever.”

“Do you like the balloons? And the roses all around the room?” Johnny asked, face propped up by his hands under his chin. “Me, and Jaehyun, but mostly me, did it.”

Taeyong laughed and then cut another piece of the cake while answering, “I love it so much. I really wasn’t expecting a surprise party and came home tired from work, but you made my day.”

“It’s what you deserve, Tae,” Doyoung said, taking his hand in his. “You really thought we weren’t going to do anything?”

“Well, no, not like this at least. You’re also all wearing red, the roses are everywhere, and all the dishes were red. It’s so thoughtful.”

“I don’t have much to do when Miss energy lets me breathe,” Scarlett joked. “No, but seriously, it was funny. We spent some time together, and as Dodo said, you deserve this and more.”

The others around the table nodded silently, “Almost had to cut Mark’s hands off, but we had fun,” Doyoung joked, pouring a glass of wine into his glass.

“Hey, I was hungry! I had no idea you needed bread,” Mark defended.

“Good things you’re still all together, right?” Taeyong said, raising a brow. “And you’re fed now.”

“I’m quite content,” Mark beamed, tapping his full stomach.

“Talking about feeding,” Scarlett sighed, “She’s tired, she’s almost falling asleep on the chair. I have to breastfeed her and put her to sleep.” She turned the highchair around and took the tray off before freeing her from the safety belts.

“Why don’t you wait?” Jaehyun asked, helping her to lock the tray in place since she was holding Eunbi.

“She’s going to fall asleep for sure, and I don’t want her to wake up in the middle of the night because she’s hungry. I’m fine. I’m used to this after every meal by now.”

“Then let’s clean up, and then we’ll give Yong the gifts,” Yuta encouraged the others, standing up to pile up the empty dessert plates, followed by Mark that was grabbing the used napkins and forks.

“I’ll do the dishes,” Doyoung yelled, walking to the kitchen.

“Stay here,” Taeyong ordered when he saw that Jaehyun was about to stand up to help the others, “it’s rude to leave who’s eating alone,” he added, also pointing at Eunbi that was sucking on her mom’s breast with her eyes closed.

“We have to change her,” Jaehyun noted that she was still wearing the dress for the party.

“Let’s just pull this off and let her sleep with the bodysuit. It’s super hot anyway,” Scarlett answered.

“You two look absolutely wrecked,” Taeyong pointed out, staring at their tired faces, finally finishing the last piece of cake, “why don’t you go to sleep with her?”

“We can last a little bit longer, I promise,” Jaehyun comforted him, “We’ll wait for the gifts.”

“As you wish, just don’t pass out, please,” the celebrated begged, earning a laugh from the two.

“Why are you acting like this? Is there something wrong?” Jaehyun asked, voice low, as he changed into his pyjamas. They had just finished giving Taeyong his gifts and walked into their room, leaving the others still up in the living room, talking and having their fun. But they were too tired to join them any longer.

Scarlett bit her lips and walked closer to him, “I wish that I could tell you in a better way, as a surprise or something, but I can’t wait any more.”

Jaehyun widened his eyes, “You’re not waiting for number two, right? We did it only once. It can’t be possible.”

“Lord, no. What’s with this thing of hinting at another baby?” She mumbled through gritted teeth to not wake Eunbi up. “Also, I’m on the pill, so don’t worry.”

“Yeah, not like we have a chance to worry about it,” he snickered, hinting at how they never got the chance to do something.

“Well,” she started, fingers trailing down on his chest, “maybe if you wait just one day, we could.”

Jaehyun furrowed, staring down at her. “I’m confused.”

“I might have booked a room down at the port just for the two of us,” she confessed.

“That’s amazing but, what about Eunbi?”

“Johnny said he’ll take care of her with the others. He spent the whole afternoon trying to convince me, but we need it, not for /that/ but for us, to spend some time like a couple,” she said. “We never really got the chance to be one.”

“As long as they don’t leave her alone with Yuta and Mark, I guess I can spend some time with my lovely girlfriend,” he hummed, pretending to be considering the offer, and then pulled her close into a kiss.

“I feared you were going to break things up, to be honest,” she confessed.

“Over this?”

She nodded, wetting her lips, “Well, you didn’t want to when we talked about it. Maybe you were going to be mad since I spent money without considering it with you first.”

“I just want to prioritize her and you. But I guess you didn’t spend much, right? And also, we can still do so many things for the rest of the week once we’re back.”

“Yes, it’s super cheap and just for two nights, but it’ll get the job done.”

"Oh, I'm sure I'll enjoy even staying in a cave as long as I'm with you," he purred, kissing her neck eliciting a small whimper from her. He then pulled away and asked, “And what are the plans for tomorrow?”

“I wanted to take her to the beach in the early morning, just to enjoy the water for the first time. And then we can come back here and rest.”

“That sounds great, so it’s better if we go to sleep or we won’t wake tomorrow.”

The sea was flat, calm waves were crashing on the shore, and not many people were on the beach. Most of them were eating breakfast by the seaside, enjoying the beautiful view the land offered.

Scarlett was holding Eunbi in her arms wearing a flower-patterned bucket hat to protect her head, the stroller left in the car to not get the sand in the wheels, and Jaehyun was holding a bag with the sunscreen and water.

“It’s beautiful here,” she exclaimed in awe, the oversized floppy sun hat covering half of her face. It was always better to hide a little bit, never knowing who could be watching.

“It is, the sand is super thin, and the water is clear. Try to put Eunbi down and see what she does,” Jaehyun suggested.

“She’s probably going to try to eat the sand,” she joked, seating Eunbi down, kneeling next to her. She could sit by herself, but it was a different ground, and it was always better to be careful. Sometimes she would get too excited over her little achievements and fall face forward, not controlling her energy.

Eunbi stilled, looking at her mom with big eyes as her legs moved against the new surface, trying to get used to it. The denim dress protected more of her from direct touch with the sand, but she still felt it under her calves and feet.

“She doesn’t seem to like it,” Jaehyun pointed out, seeing her confused expression and curious hands trying to touch it before swiftly pulling away. “Maybe she’ll like water more.”

“Let’s see,” Scarlett replied, picking her up again and heading toward the shore. “Oh, the temperature it’s nice,” she affirmed as soon as her feet met the surface. She then lowered the baby so that her toes could come in contact with the sea.

A giggle escaped from Eunbi’s lips as she started to kick her feet playfully against the liquid.

“See, she does the same when we wash her up,” Jaehyun said. “We should see if there’s a swimming class somewhere in town, she might need to know how to swim.”

“I don’t know how to swim,” Scarlett admitted, lifting her eyes on him for a moment.

“You don’t know?” Jaehyun almost yelled in shock, blinking his eyes rapidly.

“You want me to list all the things I have never done so you might get an immediate heart attack and make me become a young widow, or do you want to spread them in time?”

“No, thanks, I’ll wait,” he replied, “but seriously, you don’t know?”

Scarlett shook her head before signalling him to grab Eunbi because her arms were tiring, “I know how to float, moving my legs to don’t drown, but I never properly learned. I had no time for it.”

He tried to suppress his still shocked expression and grabbed Eunbi so that she was sitting on his hip, “Let’s walk,” Jaehyun said, and they started to walk down the seashore. “Why, though? They don’t consider it vital at court?”

“I had better things to do, like learning how to dance, or how to use religion to make citizens believe they could trust us, or how to properly sit at a table,” she rolled her eyes, “you don’t live without these things.”

Jaehyun laughed, “How did you survive before I came there?” He asked, kind of out of the blue, but he was really curious. For some reason, she had always been very vague about her life at the castle before him.

She sighed, trying to think how her life was back then, “I don’t know,” she confessed. “I made friends with my maiden, mostly. Especially one that was my caretaker since I was a child, she taught me so many useful things, I’m so glad I had her in my life.”

“Was it Nadia?” He asked, trying to get if it was one of the ones he knew.

“No, her name was Irina,” she replied, intertwining their hands together. “She looked so cold, with her blonde hair, crystal eyes and pale skin. Her thin lips were always pressed together in a severe expression, and she always stood tall and proud,” she remembered with an affectionate smile on her face. “I can say she was my first bodyguard; nobody dared to come close to me when she was standing by my side,” she chuckled, thinking how she scared everyone away with a single glance.

“And were you also afraid of her?” He asked, turning around to stare at her.

“When I first saw her, yes,” she admitted, “she was wearing a navy blue dress, her hair was pulled in a low bun, never a single strand out of place and had a cane that terrified me. But as soon as we got left alone, I found out that she was the sweetest soul ever.”

“How old were you?”

“Five. She had to stay with me when I finished the morning lessons and just make sure I would always study. But she was much more than that, she basically raised me and also protected me. She was my best friend before you,” she smiled. “Even if she was already in her fifty.”

“Why did I never meet her? She doesn’t sound like somebody that goes unnoticed,” he questioned. He knew everybody there, he had to, just to know who he could trust and where everybody was supposed to be.

“Well, the main reason why you got the job was that she passed away,” she whispered. “As I said, she was the one protecting me, and when she suddenly died, my dad needed a quick replacement. And thank God it was you.”

“Oh, so you didn’t hate me when we first met,” he mumbled, only now getting why she seemed so distant at the start.

She nodded, “I never hated you. But her death came like a bolt from the blue, and I wasn’t in the mood to make new friends,” she cleared her throat, forcing herself not to cry. “I was also surprised my dad had chosen you. You were so young back then.”

“You do know that I’m just two years older than you, right? Will you stop treating me like a grandpa?”

“Shut up, I know!” she exclaimed, “but you were only twenty, and my father never let anyone this young in court for those roles, even worst near me.”

“Maybe he had a point seeing what happened,” he joked.

“It took us more than two years to do something,” she answered, “and it only happened because it was you. If my bodyguard had the same personality of we know who, nothing would’ve happened.”

“So my charm was fatal,” he teased, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

“It was, I mean, we couldn’t be together but damn if you looked good in those uniforms,” she chuckled, teasingly biting her lower lip at the memory.

“Oh, you’re underestimating the power of my fisherman suit, baby,” he joked.

She laughed, “You look good even in a dustbin bag, to be honest.”

“Okay, an unexpected compliment, but I’ll take it.”

“Ba,” Eunbi mumbled suddenly, hand caressing Jaehyun’s face and looking at him after finally drifting her gaze from the sea.

Jaehyun smirked and looked over at Scarlett that was shaking her head vigorously. “No, no, that’s not a full word, it doesn’t count.”

“But it’s closer to Baba, or Papa, or whatever she wants to call me,” he affirmed.

“Maybe she was just making a popping sound,” she said, “right, love? You were just making bubbles with your mouth.”

“She looked at me,” he highlighted.

“You are holding her, of course she’ll look at you,” she retorted with an offended expression on her face.

“Ouch,” Jaehyun exclaimed when the child pulled his ears laughing loudly, “What are you laughing at?” He cried, staring at Scarlett in disbelieve.

“We are fair,” she replied, raising her hands in the air, “that’s the price you have to pay if you want her to ‘say your name,’” she mimicked the quotes with her hands.

“Stop it,” he whined, gently moving Eunbi’s hands away even if she kept laughing and tried to touch him again.

“At least she doesn’t pull your hair,” Scarlett looked on the bright side, “for now.”

“And let’s hope it’ll stay that way,” he replied, moving her to the other side so that now she was between them. “We should head back home now. Maybe we could get an ice cream at the shop before leaving.”

“Yes, why not,” Scarlett agreed, and they started to walk toward the dock.

After a few minutes, they arrived at the closest shop. Eunbi was sitting in the stroller playing with the toys on the guardrail in front of her while they checked out what the shop offered.

“Flavours?”

“Call me basic, but cream and chocolate,” she answered, “no wait, tiramisù.”

“Yeah, basic, but it’s fine.”

“Oh, what are you going to get, Mister unpredictable taste?”

“Pistachio and chocolate.”

“Not only basic but also with terrible taste,” she criticized with a disgusted expression on the face.

“Shut up and let me order.”

“Has she ever tried it before?” Jaehyun asked. They were now sitting on a table right out of the shop that faced the ocean enjoying their food.

“Nope, we can give it to her now,” she said, filling the small spoon and giving her the chocolate. Eunbi immediately opened her mouth and then made a funny expression as soon as the cold food met her tongue, squeezing her eyes shut and pressing her lips together. But after the first shock, she swallowed it and leaned close to the spoon again to get some more.

“The cold doesn’t bother her,” Jaehyun joked, “wait, I’ll give her mine,” he said, stopping Scarlett that was about to feed her again.

“Don’t you dare give her the pistachio! I don’t want her to side with the enemy,” she warned with a fake stern tone.

“I was planning to give her chocolate, but you know what, I might also do that just to spite you.”

“I can’t stand you,” she swore, throwing her head back.

Jaehyun laughed and then stuck his tongue out, “Blah, blah, you love me.”

“And you give her milk just before she goes to bed, okay?” Scarlett finished explaining. “Oh, and wait, always change her diapers before putting her to sleep even if she doesn’t do anything and -”

“Scarlett,” Taeyong stopped her, “we are here with you every day. We already know how to look after her.”

She stammered, “I just, fine, I’m sorry.”

“She’ll be fine,” Jaehyun assured her, running his hands on her forearms to guide her toward the door where their bags were.

“One last kiss,” she said before turning on her heels to kiss Eunbi on the forehead in Taeyong’s arms.

They rolled their eyes at the nth kiss she gave her, but a smile soon appeared on their faces when the baby kissed her back.

“Okay, bye,” she greeted, siding Jaehyun again. “Take care.” And after that, they closed the door behind them, placed the bags in the car and started driving downtown.

The sun was shining, and the sky was clear over the city but on the ocean, clouds could be seen and a stronger wind blew that day.

“It’s going to rain by the end of the day,” Jaehyun noted as his eyes drifted from the road for a few seconds to look up.

“That’s what happens when we take time to ourselves,” she joked as she stared out of the window. The ride downtown wasn’t going to take long, but it was nice to take time to watch the small town and its typical shops. Rare were the times when she walked around, a little bit because of the baby, but also because she always tried to keep it low. The walk to the tailor shop was the only time she would go out and rarely to the market with Taeyong.

Jaehyun looked over at her when they stopped at a red light, and caressed her hand on her thigh with his thumb. “She’ll be fine.”

“I know,” she replied, focusing the gaze on him, “I’m not worried for her.”

“And for what then?” He asked, starting the car again as soon as it turned green.

“I’m not worried at all,” she said calmly, fixing a crease on her dress, “I’m excited,” she concluded, smirking at him.

Jaehyun furrowed his brow and tilted his head, “Uhm, in what meaning? Like excited for Christmas or horny?”

She laughed, throwing her head back, “If I have to be honest, both,” she said, turning her torso toward him, back resting against the car door, “but I meant the first one more. This is basically our first date,” she giggled.

Jaehyun nodded with a big smile on his face, realizing that their relationship didn’t have one normal thing.

“Like I can’t believe we had a child before of a date,” she added.

“Well, in our defence, we had better things to do than go out for a date.”

“Like?”

“Listening to your father talk about foreign policy at breakfast, lunch and dinner while I stood behind you like a statue or picking what fabric fitted the best for the curtains in the hall.”

She laughed, “Oh please, but we had fun.”

“Your idea of fun was messing around like a Princess wasn’t supposed to do, and I had to babysit you,” he corrected.

“You had fun too,” she puffed, rolling her eyes, “remember when we entered the kitchen at night and stole food and the chef almost caught us?”

Jaehyun glared at her, “He did catch us,” he corrected, “and he also thought we were thieves, and I clearly remember the knife he threw at us.”

She laughed, “but he didn’t catch us.”

“He told the King, and he doubled the security in the kitchen just to protect his turkey, Scarlett,” he reminded her but then broke down laughing. “And we had to hold in our laugh right in front of him, God what even was that?”

“He turned it into the main topic of the night,” she laughed, “he probably loved his food more than he ever loved me.”

“He probably even loved his food more than himself and the country and your mother.”

“Fair, he’ll bring a chicken in his casket. Oh, we’re here,” she cheered as soon as the sign of the tavern came into their view. They parked in the lot and went inside, carrying their two suitcases with them.

“Good morning, and welcome to the White Sand Hotel. I’m Colette, and you’ll find me, or my colleagues, always here at the reception,” a brown-haired girl greeted as soon as they reached the front desk, she had a bright smile on her face and her hair was neatly collected in a long braid that fell on one side of her neck.

“Good morning, we booked a room for two nights at the name of Jeong,” Jaehyun informed, reciprocating the smile.

“Sure, let me check,” she answered and scrolled down on the screen to look for them, “Here you are. Room number 12, the twelfth on the corridor at your right."

“Thank you,” they bowed before heading to their room.

“Wow, it’s pretty,” Scarlett commented as soon as she opened the door and studied the room. The walls were light blue with small paintings to decor them, the bed was against the wall and had white bedding while a big window was at its left, giving a perfect view of the sea. There was a small closet with sea-themed decors and two bedside tables. Johnny was right, it wasn’t big or luxurious, but it was nice. “There should be the bathroom,” she said, pointing at a door after the closet.

“Not much bigger than ours, but it’s beautiful,” Jaehyun admired, looking around and closing the door behind him.

Scarlett ran toward the window to look outside. “We can see the boardwalk from here. It’s going to be so beautiful at night. We could go out after dinner and walk on the seashore and then come back here and then-” Her words stopped as soon as Jaehyun grabbed her chin and crashed their lips together in a soft but long kiss.

“Now that’s better,” he whispered when he pulled away, still just inches away from her.

“Sorry I talk too much,” she murmured.

“No, I like when you talk a lot, but I wanted to save your breath by saying that we can do anything you want,” he smiled before kissing her again. “God, your lips are so soft,” he whispered, deepening the kiss and letting his hands roam on her body. A low moan rolled out of her lips as they started to walk behind toward the bed. When the back of her knees hit the mattress she let her body fall behind, pulling Jaehyun on top of her, but when he was about to lift her dress his phone rang.

“Ugh,” he cursed, still leaving trails on her neck.

“Jaehyun,” she called in a stern voice, “answer.”

“No,” he protested.

“Maybe it’s them, for Eunbi,” she insisted, pushing him off. Jaehyun huffed, pulling the phone out of his pocket in annoyance as he sat on the edge of the bed, but when Johnny’s name appeared on the mobile his expression turned into worry.

“Johnny? Is everything alright?” He asked, recomposing his voice.

“Damn, yeah, don’t be so worried,” the voice, now put on speaker, said. “We just wanted to know if you arrived safe and sound.”

The couple rolled their eyes, pissed that he made them think of the worst possible case scenario.

“Yes, we arrived just now. We told you we would’ve texted,” Jaehyun answered.

“Just wanted to make sure,” Johnny replied. “And you didn’t.”

“We entered the room now,” they said in unison.

“Oh, what a nice choir,” he joked.

“How’s Eunbi?” Scarlett asked, ignoring him.

“She’s fine, playing on the floor with Taeyong. I think he’s having more fun than her.”

“Oh, good, as long as yall are fine, we're tranquil,” she said, sitting better on the bed.

Johnny hummed and then said, “I’ll hang up, bye,” without giving them time to say anything back.

They looked at each other and started laughing at how random the call had been.

“I’m going to kill him one day,” Jaehyun joked, stretching his arms over his head.

“If it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t be here now,” she recalled him.

“He just interrupted something to hang up two seconds later, didn’t even pass Eunbi.”

“She can’t talk. What is she going to say to you? Go go ba ba?” Scarlett smiled, crawling toward him to sit on his lap.

“Yeah, we have great conversations even with only those sounds,” he replied before leaning in to kiss her, but before the situation could get heated again, Scarlett pulled away.

“Why don’t we shower and then go to the art and crafts open market? Johnny told me that the stands have interesting things.”

“Sure, I’d love to,” he answered, kissing her nose and then standing up, lifting her with him.

“Stop, I’m heavy,” she complained, moving in his arms.

“I’m not listening,” he ignored her, walking to the bathroom, “and stop struggling, you’re going to slip and get hurt."

She huffed and gave up, “Fine, but it’s not fair you always win."

A deep laugh rumbled in his chest, “Not my fault you are whipped."

The night had fallen on the city that was now lit up by all the lights of the shops, houses and street’s lamppost. The hot weather left its place to cooler air that promised rain and thunders flashed at the horizons lighting up the sea.

After a whole day walking around, they were sitting at the end of the boardwalk swinging their feet in the salty water. They had dinner and then called home to greet goodnight and check up on how their day had been, and now they were almost alone, just a few people were chilling on the beach behind them.

“How’s the other side?” Scarlett asked all of a sudden, breaking the comfortable silence between them while they simply enjoyed each other presence. The other country wasn’t really visible at night, apart from its lighthouse that shined in the distance, but she couldn’t help but wonder about how life was there.

Jaehyun shifted in his place to get closer to her, tightening the hold on her waist and then answered, “Opportunities,” he simply stated, with a mix of sadness and heaviness in his tone. His brown eyes were staring at the distance, getting lost in a city he couldn’t see but could remember vividly.

She snuggled closer to his chest and started playing with the end of his shirt. “Like job opportunities?”

He shrugged, bringing his gaze back on her, “Just a better life, I guess.”

“And why you didn’t move there?”

He sighed, “That was the plan initially, make some money and then leave even further away, but then I found them, and I didn’t want to go anymore,” he paused, lacing their hands together. “And a part of me wanted to be found. Even by your father, I couldn’t care if he would’ve killed me, I wanted to see you again,” he admitted, and she pulled away to look at him in the eye. “I knew I had to let you go, but... I couldn’t.”

“And now? Would you leave?”

“Now? Now that I have you?” He snorted.

“Yeah, you said there are more opportunities there, a better life.”

He nodded, biting the inside of his cheek and then answered, “Definitely, but you still have to be someone. The merchants there are rich, the clothes they wear are not much different from the ones they wear at court. The cold doesn’t bother them in winter, and the hot doesn’t make them sweat in summer. The supplies never lack, and the sea seems sweeter on the other side.”

“So it is better,” she replied, trying to meet his eyes, but his head was low, facing toward the reflecting surface.

“They look at you up and down, Scarlett,” he said, taking her hand in his again and raising his head, “And they love gossip much more than here. They are in everybody’s business, and I don’t want to live more in fear than how we already live now. It’s like a whole town of super rich people with big houses and dogs that never asked to be styled the way they do.”

At his words she felt a lump form in her throat; just how far the rumours reached? “Do they know about me?”

“Something arrived for sure, I can’t tell you if they paid much attention, but they know. They work, not saying otherwise, but they have much more free time than people here. It’s like an open court, and I don’t want to live in a place like that anymore,” he explained. “But why are you asking? Do you want to leave?”

She shook her head, pressing her lips in a thin line, “No, I like it here, but I was just wondering how it is somewhere else.”

“There’s a nicer town in this country if you want to travel around,” he informed, “but it’s better to go there in winter.”

“How much have you travelled when you were away?” She asked, chuckling, shaking her hair out of her forehead with a swift shake of the head.

“I also travelled with you, but we rarely got the chance to see any town we’ve been in,” he reminded her. “Maybe we could try to save some money and go there this winter for the holidays.”

“It’s okay, Jay,” she reassured, caressing his cheek, “Christmas here feels like home: with Mark burning the kitchen down, Eunbi crying for no reason, snow blocking the fireplace, tv not working because of the storm, the tree's balls of thousands different colours because it’s a miracle we got to put them together.”

He giggled and pulled her in, making her sit on his lap, kissing her softly, “I love you,” he mumbled in the kiss.

“I love you, too,” she replied, intertwining her hands in his long wavy hair.

“Fuck,” he cursed, tightening the hold around her waist, “I need you,” he pleaded, pulling away from the kiss to stare at her: the faint silver light of the moon reflecting on her brown skin, softening her features, the warm lights of the lampposts sparkling in her eyes, and the wind blowing her hair out of her face.

“Me too, but not here,” she replied, smiling slyly, getting up and fixing the crease of her long blue satin dress, high heels in hand. “Catch me,” she teased, raising a brow and wetting her lips with her tongue, in a gesture that was anything but chaste.

Something in his eyes shifted and a playful smirk painted on his face too before they started running on the boardwalk, toward their place for the night.

Scarlett was the first one to reach the hotel and immediately ran to their room after seeing that he was getting closer. Rushing in the corridor, she opened the door, but before entering, she unclasped her bra and threw it on the ground, right outside the entrance and left it ajar behind her. There wasn’t much place to hide, but the folding screen next to the mirror seemed like the better option to still have room to run away if he saw her.

“Oh, so we’re doing it seriously,” Jaehyun hummed as soon as he entered the room and saw no sign of her, the bra she left out of the door still in his hand. He turned the knob and locked the door. “In the trap,” he sang, the smirk on his face visible in her mind even if she couldn’t see.

“Come on, babe, there’s not much space to run here,” he teased, and with a swift movement, he moved the curtains, expecting her to be there, but much to his surprise, there was nobody there. He laughed and then walked to the closet opening it without saying a word, but she wasn’t there either, and not even in the bathroom or under the bed. Looking around the room, he finally saw the last place where she could be.

“Oh, oh, what a shame, little lamb, I guess your race has come to an end,” he cooed, moving the screen, but instead of her, there were just discarded lace panties. He furrowed and then snickered as he picked them from the floor and put them in his pocket and looked around the room. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Babe, you’re playing a dangerous game with me tonight.”

Scarlett rolled her eyes and tried to suppress any sound as she could only see his feet moving around from the position she was hiding.

“I might give you something you love if you come out of your hiding,” he said, circling the bed to reach the curtains again. “Maybe you’re not here,” he faked when he heard a sound coming from the bed. A smug grin crept on his face as he walked to the door, he opened it and then closed it but hid behind the closet.

Scarlett didn’t see him anymore and decided to come out of her hiding spot, but as soon as her legs came out of the bed his cold hand wrapped around her ankles, making her freeze on the spot.

“Tag, you’re it,” Jaehyun whispered with his low voice before pulling her out of the bed.

“Hi,” she said, innocently batting her lashes.

“Oh, no, sweetie,” he cooed, cupping her chin, “it’s not going to work,” he whispered against her lips before kissing her harshly. He swiftly pulled away to lift her up and throw her on the mattress, climbing on it after her, his eyes staring at her as if she was a pray.

“What’s not going to work? Have I done something wrong?” She asked, tilting her head to the side, the innocence in her eyes in total contrast to the pose of her body, her feet planted on the mattress as her legs were open, the dress easily rolling up on her smooth skin, leaving nothing to the imagination.

Jaehyun was kneeling at the end of the bed and his eyes briefly looked down between her legs just to look up again, innocence gone, replaced by a sly smirk and lust-filled brown eyes looking back at him. “You’re playing with fire, babe, and you’re going to get hurt,” he susurrated, crawling to her, hands pushing her down against the mattress by the shoulder.

“Oh, I’m terrified,” she joked, covering her mouth with a hand to pretend to be shocked. Then she reached for his fully clothed dick and traced the outlines of his growing boner, palming and pressing against it just the time for him to lose control and for her to slip out of his hold.

Jaehyun stilled for a second before turning around and seeing her on the other side of the room. She was teasingly staring at him with a smirk on her face while her hands played with her hardening nipples through the thin fabric of the dress, eyes keeping the contact.

“Oh, so you want to play some more,” he cooed, sitting on the edge of the bed, one hand behind him to support his body, the other on his thigh. “And where do you think you can run?” He asked, looking around the room before going back to her. He got up and started walking to her, but right when he was close to reaching her, she ran on the bed again.

“Ring around the rosy now, seriously?” He asked, wetting his lips and raising a brow.

“You found me too soon,” she whined, walking backwards when he crawled on the bed to get to her, “there was no fun.”

“I think you had just enough,” he retorted, trying to block her way out with his body.

She sprung to the bathroom door but Jaehyun was faster at reaching her, slamming their bodies against the wall.

He smirked and then whispered against her ear, “Got you.”

He raised her, hands under her thighs to hold her up and walked to the bed again. She sat there, legs just partly open and teasing eyes looking at him. “Don’t run away babe, my patience is wearing thin,” he warned, kneeling between her legs, upper body hovering over her.

“I’ll be good this time, I promise,” she winked.

Jaehyun snickered, fingers hooking the strap of the dress, “I’d tear this off if I didn’t know you spent hours doing it, so I’ll be gentle,” he said, pushing it down her shoulder, “for now.”

Once she was naked in front of his eyes, he did the same with his own clothes and then leaned down to kiss her, his body caging her.

“So,” he whispered, lips against the skin of her neck, “since you like to play,” he raised his eyes meeting hers, “let’s see how much you can take.”

“I could surprise you,” she answered back, hands running on his shoulder. But with a swift movement, Jaehyun grabbed her wrist and pulled them over her head, tying his belt around them, careful not to hurt her but tight enough she couldn’t get free.

A gasp of surprise rolled out of her mouth as she stared at him with wide eyes.

He winked and said, “Let’s see what you can do now, ugh?”

“That’s not fair,” she whined, struggling.

“Oh, there’s no use, love, and if you keep going, you’re probably going to hurt yourself.”

“Are you going to set me free?”

“Later, maybe,” he said, “if you act like a good girl.”

A pout formed on her lips, but she stilled the movements of her arms, waiting for him to go on and show her what he had in mind.

Jaehyun smiled and then started licking her left nipple while his hand played with the other, soliciting moans out of her mouth. He knew her boobs were still extremely sensible, so he decided to use it at his advance. It was difficult to concentrate on the nub without sucking out milk but just licking made shivers run down her spine.

“Jae, please,” she moaned, arching her back to push more into him.

“Calm baby,” he warned, lifting his head up, “now I want to play.”

“I didn’t tease you,”

He raised a brow before sinking his teeth lightly on the flesh of her sideboob, making her yelp in pleasure. “No? Leaving your underwear around is not teasing? Touching me and then running around is not teasing? Playing with your nipples is not teasing?” He asked, fingers trailing down on her body till they reached her most sensitive spot. A breathless gasp left her open-mouthed when his thumb pressed down on her clit. “Tell me, babe,” he urged. “Tell me how that’s not teasing?”

She whined and shut her eyes close, “I’m sorry, I’m not going to do it anymore.”

“Oh, trust me, I’ll make sure you won’t,” he replied, standing up, the warmth of his body leaving her to the heat of the summer. His hand laid on her bent knees and pushed her legs open before sinking between her thighs. He looked up from behind her mound while he left an open-mouthed kiss on her pussy. She felt more heat rush between her legs and had to throw her head back, harshly biting her lips to suppress a lewd sound that was closer to a growl than a moan.

“No, angel,” he called, “you look at me as I devour you,” he ordered and started to move his tongue on her wet folds, collecting her juice and then sucking on her clit. She forced her head up and her eyes open to stare into his that were filled with lust as he pleased her, but it was hard and slightly uncomfortable since she couldn’t use her arms to lift her upper body up.

She knew she should’ve suppressed her moans, but it was also the only time she could be a little bit loud, and it was the first time they had some action in six, maybe seven months honestly, she couldn’t remember. So she didn’t really want to keep quiet.

“Fuck, babe,” she moaned, digging her nails in the palm of her hand.

“You like that?” He mumbled against her, fingers parting her lips to get better access, his tongue slipping past her entrance.

She moaned louder at the new intrusion and squeezed her eyes shut before forcing them open again, gaining a content hum from Jaehyun.

“I’m close,” she whined, involuntarily pushing her thighs around his head as the orgasm drew closer and closer.

“Go on then,” he encouraged, moving his mouth faster on her, nose teasing her clit just right to send her over the edge. The climax washed over her while she let her head fall behind, feeling the rush run all over her body.

Jaehyun crawled up once he finished helping her ride the orgasm and kissed her roughly. His fingers travelled down her body and dipped into her taking her breath away.

“Oh, too much,” she cried in the kiss.

“Two rounds are too much for you?”

“No, but, fuck,” she cursed, lolling her head back again when he started moving inside of her. The stretch of two fingers was a little bit uncomfortable at the intrusion but nice now that her walls welcomed him well.

“As I imagined,” he smirked, looking down at her. Her eyes were now closed while her head was thrown back, lips parted letting out low whimpers. His fingers started to pump faster as his thumb tortured her clit, causing her to snap her eyes open. “Too much for you, baby?” He teased with a smug smirk on his face. “My pretty angel can’t take it?”

She shook her head and started struggling again against the belt. She just wanted to touch him, feel him even closer, but she couldn’t.

“It’s good,” she slurred, “but I need you,” she cried and then bit her lips to muffle more moans that were menacing of coming out.

“You have me, I’m right here,” he replied, but he knew damn well what she wanted.

“No,” she whined, squeezing her eyes shut.

“Come for me again and I’ll free you from this,” he urged.

A groan was the only response he got but they both decided to focus on the pleasure.

Jaehyun started to move faster in and out, curling his fingers to reach the spot inside her that made her see stars, and the movement on the clit got faster. The sounds filling the room were lewd, skin slapping against skin and wetness pooling down on the sheets. And she could feel the knot on her stomach form again, but this time it felt different, lower and more intense. And just when she thought it couldn’t become more than that, Jaehyun pressed her leg against her chest, and the new position didn’t give her the time to warn him before she came squirting all over his hand, arm and chest, making a mess also on the sheets and her legs.

“Fu-uck,” she whimpered as he kept going, fucking her dry, until her legs were shaking and she started curling against him, chants of ‘no more, no more,’ spilling out of her mouth. And just when he made sure he had got every last drop out of her, he pulled out and stood up. She was dishevelled, already putty in his hand, mascara’s stains on her cheeks, plump red lips, and messy hair on the pillow and her forehead.

“Beautiful,” he praised before moving to unbuckle his belt and finally set her free. She smiled, stretching her arms a little before throwing them around his neck to pull him into a heated kiss. They kissed for what felt ages, lips crashing against each other with eagerness, hands intertwined in each other and legs tangled together.

“Can you take one more?” Jaehyun asked in the middle of the kiss as he ground his hard dick against her throbbing clit.

She nodded, “Yes, need you inside.” And spread her legs more so he could have better access. He smiled and then entered her with ease in one thrust, bottoming against her ass and stilled for a second. She threw her head back while he let his fall against her shoulder and started moving slowly.

“Feel so good,” he mumbled against her neck, biting at her skin lightly.

It felt different than all the other times. More romantic, more intimate. It was just the two of them, nobody else that could hear them, nobody else that could pull them apart. There wasn’t the fear that their story brought along seeping in their bones. No more skeletons of the past ready to jump at their throat. No hand was promised to a prince that really believed she could be the one. No talk of the streets could get between them.

No sad thoughts fogged their mind now. Jaehyun didn't need to make it last longer to have her close because the sunlight would’ve brought her away from him. And she didn’t have to beg for him to stay in her bed anymore. There was just love and hope for the future.

Jaehyun kissed her again and again, while their hips moved in a perfect rhythm to meet each other halfway. The room was filled with their low moans and whispers and the sound of their skin slapping together while outside the storm finally broke down.

“Faster, please,” she moaned, arching her hips higher to get even more friction. No matter how sensible she was down there and how close to exploding again she felt, she wanted more and wanted that to last forever.

Jaehyun hummed and started moving faster. He grabbed the back of her knees and placed her legs around his waist so he could reach deeper. And she let out a loud moan before digging her nails in his back, surely leaving marks.

“Fuck,” he cursed, throwing his head back and starting to thrust faster and faster in her.

“’m close,” she cried, squeezing her eyes shut.

“’m almost there. Can you wait for me?” He asked, pressing their forehead together, nose to nose.

She nodded and tried to control her orgasm.

Jaehyun left a peck on her lips and then sneaked a hand between their bodies to play with her clit.

“Can’t take it anymore,” she whined, biting her lower lip.

“Come with me, love,” he urged, “Come.”

And in a second, the orgasm hit them both, fogging their mind as they kissed each other eagerly.

They laid there in silence for a while, their breaths and the raindrops against the window the only audible sound in the night. Scarlett’s head was resting on Jaehyun’s chest, right over his heart, and he was playing with her hair, twirling a curl in his finger and then letting go.

She tilted her head to look up at him, cheek still pressed against his chest and smiled before turning how she was before.

“What are you thinking about?” He asked, the smile on his face could be heard in his voice.

“That we almost risked to don’t have all of this,” she replied, fingers tracing patterns on his lightly tanned skin.

“Well, guess we deserve this after everything we’ve been through.”

She hummed, “To be honest, I never thought I’d meet the love of my life like that.”

Jaehyun raised a brow, “And how?”

“Well,” she said, lifting her torso to look at him, “When I was a child, I really did believe in fairy tales. I thought that there was nothing more romantic than marrying a Prince and living in a castle that would’ve been all ours while reigning a country. I was naïve, I thought royals seriously cared about something more than themselves and money.”

“And then? What happened?”

“I opened my eyes and saw how terrible reality is.”

“I thought you were going to say that you met Donghyuck,” he joked.

“Oh, yeah, also,” she laughed. “But seriously, even when you arrived at the palace, I never imagined it was going to end like this.”

Jaehyun nodded, lips pressed against each other and then gathered the courage to ask what was haunting him, “Can I ask you when, why and how you fell in love with me?”

“Wow, very specific,” she chuckled but then started to think. “Probably the night we danced together for the first time,” she said, smiling fondly at the memory. “Do you remember?”

He chuckled, “How can I forget? You pouted the whole night, they made you meet too many Princes, and you were furious,�� he laughed, “And worst of it all, nobody wanted to dance with you,”

“So you asked me to dance,” she finished, beaming.

“And you looked at me with eyes full of fear, I can say it now, I thought I had crossed the line and that you were going to fire me,” he admitted, “but then you took my hand and said that nothing good starts with a dance.”

She nodded, her lips curled up in a melancholic grin, “I was thinking thousands of things. I don’t know what happened that night, but I started seeing you in a different light. I thought about our conversations and then the ones with the Princes and knew that nothing could come close to you, not even a noble title, not even a crown.”

“But you were scared.”

“I was,” she agreed, “We had just become friends, and I didn’t want to make things worst by falling for you. But then we danced the whole night, and you kept whispering funny things in my ear about all the snotty duchess and dukes, and I slipped a little.”

Jaehyun grinned, “So, I guess I’m a good dancer.”

“Oh, you are,” she answered, smiling at the memory. “And you looked so good in your red suit, with your brown hair slicked back, hands behind your back, and head high. You’ve always been the prettiest face that castle ever welcomed.”

“A little bit biased, aren’t you?”

“No, when you first arrived at court, some duchess and court women thought you were my promised husband, a Prince from a faraway land they have never seen before.”

“They manifested this, then,” he joked. “But after that night?”

“Nothing, I simply tried to push you out of my mind like that. You were my only friend. I didn’t want to lose you.”

“And then you couldn’t make it anymore.”

“No, but I thought that turning it into sex would’ve been a good compromise. I would’ve had you but not too much.”

“Terrible idea,” he sneered playfully, still caressing her scalp.

“Hey! We wouldn’t be here today.”

“Who knows?”

“You didn’t love me before that.”

“I couldn’t look at you other than the Princess I had to protect with my whole life, Scarlett,” he reminded her. “But why me?”

“I don’t think you can choose who you love, it just happens,” she looked up at him, “and you made me feel good, not sexually, but mentally. I couldn’t wait to finish the lessons to come and see you and rant to you about my day. The long trips to other cities weren’t annoying anymore because I had you by my side, and you always had stories to tell me and things to teach me. You listened to me, Yoonoh. You genuinely cared for me and my ideas, my random thoughts, and my passions. Nobody ever did that, well except for Irina, but she was like a mom for me, so.”

“Why you never told me before that you loved me?”

“I thought you didn’t love me back, and I didn’t want you to lose your job or make things harder. And you, when did you fall for me?”

He smiled, “During our two am talks,” he confessed, “I always knew you were more thoughtful than the rest, but at night you changed into a another person, and I understood that at the end, we weren’t so different from each other. I felt seen, I felt appreciated, and I felt warmth spread in my chest every time you laughed or smiled,” he stopped, thinking about their nights together, “I mean, look at us now, we are two bandits on the run from the law.”

She light-heartedly laughed at that, “I don’t think they’re looking for us anymore, but yeah, technically we are.”

They went silent for some minutes before she spoke again. “Can I ask you something now?”

“Sure.”

“Have you ever dated somebody else?”

“I did,” he admitted.

“Loved them?”

“Maybe, I don’t know. I was really young. I don’t know if you can call it love, more infatuation.”

She nodded before wetting her dry lips, “So it was different than this?”

He hummed, “Oh yes, it was. I never felt like I do with you with anybody else. And I know I’m never gonna love again if I had to lose you for whatever reason.”

"So, you don't regret anything that happened?" She sat up, turning a little to face him, that was now standing on his elbows.

Jaehyun shook his head to move the strands of hair out of his face and smiled, "I regret so many things I've done, but trust me, you will never be on that list."

She felt her eyes get watery and threw her head back to stop tears from falling.

"Oh, no, come on, I didn't mean to make you cry," he said, sitting straight to pull her in his embrace, "Come here."

Scarlett sniffed and then shook her head to regain composure, "I just never imagined that I could feel so much for someone and that someone could feel so much for me. It feels good to have you here, for real now. I'm not sure I'll get used to this anytime soon."

Jaehyun smiled before kissing her forehead and hugging her tightly. "Well, it is. And please, don't ever doubt my feelings for you.”

The morning light pierced through the window, hitting Jaehyun's back, lighting up his toned back. Scarlett shifted in her place to get closer to him and started kissing his neck while her hands roamed his muscular chest. She smiled as she heard him squirm and huff.

"Scarlett?" He mumbled, rubbing his eyes to adjust to the light.

"Who else could it be?" She whispered against his ear as her hands travelled south, hovering his morning boner making him moan. She kept placing kisses on his back while her hands teased him.

A groan escaped his lips when her hand wrapped around his length, pumping up and down slowly.

Jaehyun turned face to the ceiling and smirked, "Making up for the lost times?"

Scarlett hummed and moved down, leaving pecks on his abs as she hid under the covers.

"Yeah, actually, we haven't played hide and seek enough," he joked when she disappeared under the sheets before lifting them up to have a perfect view of her.

She grinned and then wrapped her lips around his cock, almost taking his full length in one go.

Jaehyun cursed, throwing his head back, and gripping the sheets at his sides. "Fuck, feels good."

She smiled and then started bobbing her head up and down, hollowing her cheeks and twirling her tongue on the tip, just like he liked it.

He forced his eyes open and watched her, her eyes were already looking up at him.

"You're so pretty like this," he praised through gritted teeth as he tried not to let the pleasure completely take over his brain. "But I want you."

She gave him a few more pumps and then pulled away with a lewd pop and smirked.

Scarlett crawled on top of him and lined up his dick on her opening, slowly sinking till she bottomed out.

"God," he moaned, lolling his head back and wrapping his hands around her waist. "You feel so good."

"I know," she winked before starting to move in a steady rhythm.

They kept a constant pace for a while, till the pleasure became too much and their thrust became erratic.

"I'm close," she moaned, clenching around him, as she tightened the hold on his shoulder, half-moons blooming on his skin.

"Fuck, me too," he slurred, trying to move better against her, and then touched her clit, sending both of them over the edge.

When the high passed, they stood there, in each other embrace, still panting heavily. She lifted her head from his shoulder and smiled. "Good morning, by the way."

Jaehyun laughed and rolled his eyes back, "You're surreal."

"I'm telling you, enjoy this freedom because nothing like this will happen back at home," Scarlett warned, leaning against the bathroom frame as she stared at Jaehyun that was sitting on the bed with food on the sheets.

"That's exactly why I'm doing it," he smirked, "we're never going to have so much fun anytime soon."

She rolled her eyes but walked toward him, dropping the robe to the ground, revealing her body, which was only covered with black lacy lingerie and a short lacy robe.

Jaehyun stared at her with his mouth open, and she shook her head. "You've seen my body thousands of times, don't act so surprised."

"I never get used to it, and sorry if I don't expect you to come out with this lingerie every time."

"Well, don't get used to it. I only have these four pieces, and I'm not going to walk around the house with a thong, so I hope you'll love me with my ugly and boring cotton white panties."

Jaehyun laughed, "I love you the most with your boring underwear."

"Good, because that's all I can offer," she chuckled, crawling to him to kiss him.

"So I guess this is a special occasion?" He winked, pointing to the chocolate bottle that was at the centre of the bed.

She stared at him in disbelief, "Seriously? Food play?"

He shrugged, "Why not? You didn't let me get my dessert at dinner, so maybe it's time."

She sighed, "You're really making it up for lost times."

"I'm not the one that came out of the bathroom like a tease," he defended, "I swear I had the best intentions for tonight. Just some sweets together while watching a movie, hoping that the small tv works."

She gasped, pretending to be offended, "Sorry, we can stick to your plan if you care so much about it."

He shook his head, and in a second, his body caged hers, "No, we're postponing. Dessert first, movie later."

She laughed when he attacked her neck, starting to kiss her, but he pulled away to get closer to the bottle he had eyed before.

"Just chocolate, Yoonoh," she ordered, glaring at him, already sensing he had other intentions.

And, as expected, he pouted, "Just one strawberry, please?"

She rolled her eyes but gave up, "Fine, but don't be too messy."

He smiled happily and pulled closer to him the basket with the red fruit. Scarlett raised her upper body and threw the robe to the ground, leaving the bra and panties the only thing to cover her. "Want me to get rid of those, too?"

He shook his head and then popped the bottle open, "Just lay there and let me do all the job," he reassured her and then started to pour the chocolate on the hollow of her boobs. She moaned loudly when the cold substance came in contact with her hot skin but maintained eye contact with Jaehyun. "If it feels uncomfortable, I'll stop," he said before lowering down.

"Just eat me up, baby. There might be something even sweeter waiting for you later," she whispered, voice low already filled with lust, as expectation raised in her.

Jaehyun gulped before flattening his tongue on her skin and slowly started to lick the chocolate from her skin, his eyes never leaving hers.

Scarlett rolled her head back when he poured some more on the uncovered part of her boobs and did it again and then again on her stomach. She didn't expect to enjoy it so much, but there was something so erotic about everything that she couldn't describe.

When he reached her mound, he stopped and hooking the band of the panties he pulled them down at an incredibly slow pace, so devastating that the brush of the fabric felt like fire on her skin.

He grabbed a strawberry and smeared some chocolate on top of it, but instead of placing it on her body, he crawled to her and said, "Can you hold it for me?"

She nodded, but not understanding what he really meant, and when his free hand was placed under her chin to part her lips, she felt her breath get knocked out of her lungs.

"Good girl," he praised, once the fruit was placed in her mouth, "Hold it for me while I eat you out."

She emitted a throaty sound as excitement rushed between her legs. She was basically gagged but couldn't bite down the strawberry, and she wasn't even so sure Jaehyun was going to be so nice to her.

He pushed her legs open and dived between her thighs, starting to trail kisses in the inner thigh while his fingers ghosted on the skin of her other leg and then on her neediest part. She wanted to squirm under him, begging for more with her body, but tried to keep still and let her senses go to his torture. It went on for what felt like minutes before he finally decided to pay attention to her throbbing clit. His movements were slow and precise; long licks on her folds and then intense sucks around her sensitive bud. Over and over. And she started to feel dizzy, as tears collected at the corner of her eyes, and she felt her lungs burn. There was something gruelling and painful about everything, and yet so good. And she felt so close to reaching her high when Jaehyun pulled away, leaving her speechless. She searched for his eyes, but he was turned around, at the feet of the bed, searching for something. He was holding something she couldn't see, and curiosity bubbled in her bones.

"Do you trust me?" Was everything he said, looking at her pleading, wet, eyes. And she nodded without hesitation.

Jaehyun smiled and then moved his hands out of his back, revealing his black tie to her. She wanted to complain, thinking he was going to tie her up again, but what he did next surprised her more. He wrapped it around her eyes, securing it behind her head, and everything around her went pitch black. Statics sounds, his breath and the crash of the waves were the only things she could hear.

She clasped her legs together when she felt an embarrassing amount of wetness pool out of her, and the mocking chuckle that rolled out of Jaehyun's lips didn't help.

"Glad you're enjoying this," he hummed, "but if you ever want me to stop, tap me anywhere, okay?"

She nodded and then relaxed against the pillow again. In a second, Jaehyun was again working on her, collecting her juice and spreading it around. And then the torture started again. His big hands against her thighs, his lips moving on her folds, his moans vibrating against her, but this time she also couldn't see. And time felt different as she started to disconnect from the world and let pleasure take over her completely. She couldn't point out how long it had passed, but she came with an orgasm that never felt so overwhelming. But Jaehyun didn't stop, he kept going, now inserting two fingers inside of her walls.

She lifted her hips up at the intrusion, feeling over sensitive, but the discomfort didn't last. Muffled cries came out of her full mouth while Jaehyun praised her and thrust faster and faster inside of her. Her hands desperately grabbed at the sheets beneath her, and her head rolled back, and she felt lucky she wasn't tied because she could somehow still ground herself to reality and don't let the bliss fog her head completely.

"Don't bite my strawberry, love," he reminded her, moving his fingers in her ruthlessly. "I have to eat it after. It's not polite to ruin food."

She groaned in the back of her throat and bucked her hips, trying to fight another climax to come. But Jaehyun knew her and her body too well, and the fast movements on her clit were all she needed to be sent over the edge again. But this time, with a stronger orgasm, feeling her muscles twitch and toes curl as she squirted harder than ever before.

She squirmed under his hold when he didn't stop after riding her high but kept going. She felt tired, but it also felt so good that she didn't want to stop, so, ignoring the tears that were freely falling from her eyes, she let him go on. This time it took nothing for her to come undone, with the work of his fingers and tongue and praising words.

"You're so fucking beautiful, fuck," he praised, lifting his face from her pussy for a second, "And mine," he added, biting her inner thigh, making her clench harder around his digits.

"Come for me again," he urged, voice muffled against her skin, "I know you can do it." He curled his fingers inside of her and only focused on her clit, wrapping his lips around it to suck. And she couldn't take it anymore. When it all became too much, she exploded, letting the third orgasm of the night wash over her, making her squirm under his firm hold, and making her head feel dizzy and light at the same time. And this seemed to last much longer than the other, like a shock that had no intention to stop.

Jaehyun smiled, seeing her legs shake, the wet patches against his tie, or the drool that ran down her chin, and her boobs still stained with a little bit of chocolate heaving up and down.

He moved closer to her and wrapped his mouth around the strawberry, sinking his teeth in it to cut it in half, his lips brushing against hers like a breeze. "Eat the rest, love. You deserve it." Scarlett did as told and chewed the rest of the fruit, not even thinking about the bandage on her eyes but still lost in the new sensation. And when Jaehyun lifted his tie, and she could see again, it almost felt strange.

"You did so good," Jaehyun praised, gently wiping away the tears from her temples, "I love you."

She smiled and then pulled him closer to kiss him properly. "I think I made a mess, so why don't we take a bath?" Jaehyun giggled, wrapping his arms around her.

"But I'm tired," she complained, even if she was fully aware that they couldn't sleep in those conditions.

"I'll take care of you," he reassured her before taking her to the bathroom.

The hot water filled the bathtub and kept their bodies warm. Scarlett was resting against his chest while Jaehyun washed her with a sponge.

"I think your movie will have to wait," she said, snuggling closer to his neck.

"It's fine. We can always do that at home, right?"

She hummed, "Eunbi will start to monopolize the tv, and we'll only watch cartoons for at least ten years," she laughed, kissing his chest, as her hands searched for his to hold them.

"Ten years sounds so scary," he admitted, looking down to stare at her.

"I wanted to scare you about not being able to watch movies ever again, not to see you panicking over everything else," she joked to light up the mood.

Jaehyun hummed, "I know," he leaned his head on top of hers, "why don't we think about what to eat tomorrow morning?"

"Mhh," she moaned, "that sounds like the only kind of tomorrow I want to worry about," she said. "Life proved us enough times that no matter how much you plan it, it never turns out how you want, right?"

Jaehyun shrugged, "I don't know," he confessed. "I think it proved us the total opposite. Let's be honest, we weren't supposed to be here. We rewrote our destiny, breaking every law, on heart and heaven. Going against the Gods, well, good luck to us when the day will come."

"You make it sound more dramatic than what it is. It's not that bad. There are people that kill out there."

"Yeah, but they don't con the Gods, or whoever or whatever writes the stars. Me and you, on the other hand..."

She smiled at the dramatic picture he was drawing, "So, we are con artists that dare to cheat with the upper floor?"

Jaehyun threw his head back, "You can't call them the upper floor, Scarlett, please."

"But that's where they are, high in the sky, while we're here, suffering. I mean, it's normal that sometimes some people snap and decide to take the matter in their hands if nobody wants to give them their deserved happy ending."

He tried to suppress a laugh but failed, "You might have a point. I would've worded it a little bit more nicely, but you're right."

"As always," she bragged.

"Anyway," he said, "I don't care how we got here as long as I have you. I don't have to worry about the past anymore. There's just the future in front of us, right? Ten years, twenty, thirty. Turning grey with you sounds fun, even if I'll have to burn in the pits of hell forever when I die."

A fond smile crept on her face, "Who knows, maybe we'll meet each other again in hell, burning side by side."

"Mhh, the idea of my perfect date."

"And probably the only date we'll get to have after this one," she joked.

"Talking about dates," he said, "I really needed this, you know, spending time with you, doing dumb shits we have never done. Or, at least, now I can also have fun without thinking about my head in the guillotine if something happens to you."

She laughed, "I needed this, too." She then stopped, suddenly realizing something. "Wait, you didn't come," and that made Jaehyun explode in a laugh.

"I was trying to be romantic," he scolded.

"I know, but I was so tired that I didn't even think about you," she said, feeling guilty and shitty.

"I'm fine. I wanted to only focus on you. Consider it a gift for this morning blowjob." He winked, and she smiled at him, wrapping her arms around him, careful not to splash the water on the floor.

"Thank you," she said, kissing him on the lips. And he simply kissed her back without adding any superfluous word. They knew it wasn't about that night. It was gratefulness for never giving up and always fighting for what they had. It was gratefulness for always having each other's back.

Two days went by quickly, and before they could even notice, they were once again in their home; Eunbi clinging to them, scared they were going to leave again, Taeyong telling about all the fun they had together, and Johnny swearing he wasn’t going to have a child in his life.

“This was your idea, Suh,” Scarlett reminded Johnny when he finished whining about how stressful it had been.

“Yeah, but it turned out harder than expected,” he replied, eyes wide open, hands in his hair, “Probably because you appeared in the back of my mind every time I did something, terrorizing me that if something bad happened to her, my life was over.”

Scarlett glared at him, “You make me look like a terrible person.”

“You’re not a terrible person, but you’re a mother, and I had to take the responsibility of her life. Damn, that’s scary.”

Jaehyun chuckled, lulling Eunbi as he held her in his arms in a sitting like position on his hips, “You’d make a great father, though. Trust me, she wouldn’t have left her to you if she didn’t trust you.”

“Maybe, but definitely not now. You are a great reminder to always be careful.”

Scarlett playfully slapped his arm, “If it wasn’t for her, probably he and I wouldn’t even be together now.”

“I don’t have a cursed love story, so I don’t need a pregnancy that makes me do reckless things, like walking around two countries at six months.”

“For real,” Taeyong intervened in the conversation, “you were insane.”

Scarlett shook her head and puffed, “I was in love.”

“Same thing,” Doyoung added, sitting down on the other end of the couch, looking for the best spot where the wind blew and cooled him.

“I was good with her,” Mark said with a proud smile, peeking his head out of the kitchen to peck Eunbi’s nose, making her giggle. “I think she’s going to say my name soon.”

“Or maybe she’s going to say mama, don’t you think?”

“No, no, she pronounces a hard sound close to the k. I’ll be her first word,” Mark clarified, smiling and then whispering in a stupid voice something that only Eunbi could hear.

“Sorry to let you down, but she already said ‘Ba’ at the beach,” Jaehyun bragged, looking at Mark with a smug smile.

Scarlett rolled her eyes and lolled her head back, “She just mumbled random things. That Ba could’ve been anything.”

“No, she looked at me and said that. She knows who I am. Just wait for it.”

“Maybe she was saying Ma for Mark and you heard wrong,” Mark intervened, resting a hand on his hip.

“Oh my,” Yuta exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air, “y'all are going insane over random sounds. Watch how her first word is going to be something completely unrelated. Like, I don’t know, ‘You need to chill’.”

“Yuta’s right. She’s going to surprise us all, I’m sure,” Taeyong asserted, “She never does anything as planned anyway.”

“Maybe she’ll start walking before talking,” Doyoung presumed, shrugging.

“Yeah, she’s super athletic. Where does she even get all this energy from?” Johnny asked, looking at her parents.

“Her mommy’s milk,” Jaehyun answered, laughing.

“Oh shut up, Jeong,” she huffed, throwing a pillow at him.

“Hey! I’m holding your child,” he yelled, successfully avoiding it. “And it’s true, it gives her strength.”

Scarlett scoffed, ignoring him to answer Johnny seriously, “Kun said that she’s really healthy considering she was born premature and also had that little problem during the first months. Since she started getting better, she never stopped, and the fact that she always moved a lot helped her get stronger.”

“Maybe it’s the royal blood,” Johnny joked.

Scarlett snorted, “Please, I don’t even want to know how my ancestors mixed with themselves, how good can it be?”

“So, it’s true? Royals do that?” Yuta asked with a disgusted face, bringing his attention on them again and not on the journal he was reading.

“As I said, I kind of don’t want to know.”

Jaehyun walked over to her and sat on the armrest, “So, mixing with the pleb is the best thing you can do. Maybe we should go back to your father and let him know that yours was a revolutionary act.”

“Thank God, I think they stopped doing it at least four generations ago, but yeah, nobody went that far as procreating with a commoner. Can I say I hold a record in my line?”

“Definitely, not sure they would throw a celebration, but it’s still something,” Yuta shrugged before drifting in his world again.

Eunbi giggled and crawled on her mother, one hand holding tight her favourite plushie, a white stuffed bunny that Scarlett and Taeyong sawed together, the other gripping her dress to keep balance.

“Don’t undress me,” Scarlett whined, moving her hand away, but the baby kept bringing it there, mouth trying to reach for her boob. “No milk till tonight.”

“But you haven’t breastfed her for two days,” Johnny said, pouting, almost as if he was the one to get something out of the situation.

“Look here, the devil’s advocate, did she pay you?” Scarlett looked at him with a shocked expression.

“I’m just saying that drinking from the sippy cup wasn’t the same thing as eating from you and she was disappointed when the only boob she had was mine and not yours.”

Scarlett rolled her eyes and then pulled her dress down, not even the time to adjust that Eunbi was already sucking. “But just because they hurt like hell and after two days, I think there’s enough milk to feed a whole nation.”

“Why didn’t you pump it out?”

“Might’ve forgotten the breast pump here and wouldn’t have done it anyway. Too busy relaxing.”

“I don’t want to know how,” Doyoung replied, getting up from the couch and disappearing into another room.

“Can I ask you something?” Mark said, shily walking toward her. Scarlett nodded, reassuring him to go on. “What are you going to do when she has teeth?”

“What kind of questions are those, Mark!” Taeyong screamed, hitting his nape, making him wince in pain.

“I asked her if I could,” Mark defended.

“It’s fine,” she intervened before Taeyong could hit him again. “She’ll know she doesn’t have to bite.”

“Why does it looks like you are at your twelfth child?” Yuta interfered again, stopping his reading for the nth time, glancing at her from his half laying position on the armchair.

“I might’ve had the same fear and read every magazine in Kun’s studio while fighting off anxiety,” she said, pressing her lips together.

“See, she’s also feared the same thing,” Mark said to Taeyong.

“Of course, it’s her boobs, not yours!”

“Oh, let him be, Yong,” she reassured. “It’s not like that’s the most embarrassing thing that happened between us. You saw me giving birth, and we barely knew each other, now that was embarrassing.”

“If it consoles you, we didn’t stare,” Yuta chimed again, fanning himself with his hand.

“Oh, I sure hope you didn't,” Jaehyun warned, narrowing his eyes.

“Uh,” Johnny exclaimed, “so you are a little bit jealous after all.”

“I don’t want you to get too comfortable, that’s it,” Jaehyun said. “If a snotty Prince takes her away, it’s a thing, but if one of my best friends does it, I won't like it at all.”

“So if Donghyuck knocked on the door, you would let me go?”

“He would have to run over my corpse,” he affirmed with a serious tone. “But that wouldn’t be a double betrayal.”

“You don’t have to worry about us,” Johnny waved his hand, “we’re just very happy to have a milf at home.”

Jaehyun glared at him.

“And a dilf, I would never forget about you,” the oldest added, grinning at his offended expression.

Scarlett muffled a laugh as she glanced at Jaehyun’s face. “Oh, come on, that was funny.”

“Now I understand why you two get so along,” Jaehyun answered, but his pissed-off expression faded immediately. “Guess I’ll have to carry the weight of being a dilf forever on my shoulder.”

“Girls downtown ask about you when you’re not there,” Yuta informed, giving up finding comfort from the heat and sitting straight on the armchair as a normal person would.

“I hope you tell them he's booked and busy,” Scarlett pried.

“I do, but that doesn’t seem to scare them off,” Yuta chuckled, thinking about how desperate they were to somehow have his number, “Got yourself a charming man, it comes with a prize.” He shrugged, before stretching and creaking the bones of his hands.

Jaehyun flipped his hair and then kissed her temple, “But nobody comes close to you, love, so don’t worry, they can keep dreaming.”

“Good, that’s what I wanted to hear.”

After a day at home, spent playing board games and building legos on the floor and eating junk food with the boys, they decided to go to a park that was one hour out of town.

It was a confined space, with a small lake in the middle and was full of weeping willows shielding them from the sun rays. The perfect place for a picnic and to stay out of people’s eyes, since it was a Wednesday morning, and nobody was there.

“I can’t believe you convinced me wearing matching outfits, again,” Jaehyun said as he laid the blanket on the ground and then placed the picnic basket in a corner to block it from flying in the wind.

Scarlett chuckled, “They are just matching in colour,” she replied, blocking the stroller where Eunbi was sleeping, “and pastel blue looks good on us,” she finished, looking up and down at them, a proud smile on her face, happy of what she created.

“Fair,” he said, raising his hands up, “ but I can’t promise it’s going to happen for the third time.”

“Don’t worry, in one week, you’ll go back wearing that ugly suit,” she retorted, placing another bag on the ground and then sitting, adjusting the dress so that her thighs were fully covered.

“I thought I looked sexy in it,” he teased, kneeling to the ground in front of her.

“Don’t know,” she shrugged, faking indifference, “ask the women downtown what they think about it.”

Jaehyun laughed, throwing his head back, “So you are jealous, like for real.”

“You are mocking our matching outfits that I made. I feel offended. I doubt somebody else will take so much care of you,” she pouted, crossing her arms on her chest.

Jaehyun beamed and then moved over so he could kiss the pout away, “I wasn’t mocking you, babe,” he whispered. “I was just noting that you could convince me to do anything. The power you have over me it’s quite scary.”

She smiled and pulled him in by the collar before Eunbi started moving on the stroller and their attention shifted to her.

“Look who’s up,” Jaehyun cooed, opening the belly bar of the stroller and unblocking the belts to lift her up. Eunbi giggled, stretching her arms to her dad, doing grabby hands. “Do you like it here?” He asked, sitting her between his legs, one arm wrapped around her waist to help her stay in balance, even if she was perfectly able to sit by herself.

A happy giggle rolled out of her lips as she looked around in awe and then smiled at her mom.

“She’s going to make me die from cuteness one day,” Scarlett said, leaning over to caress her curls.

“She got it from you,” Jaehyun replied, tightening the hold around her when she started to move.

“Let her. Maybe she just wants to crawl around,” Scarlett reassured him and moved back to give Eunbi more space to move.

“So I'll have to run after her?”

“She’s not that fast, come on,” she groaned, and Jaehyun freed the baby from his hold. In one second, Eunbi was on all four crawling on the blanket to go to the grass, but as soon as her hands touched the grass, she whined and pulled away and looked up at her parents with a disgusted expression.

They both started laughing, “What, baby? You don’t like grass?”

She frowned, shaking her head but then tried again to touch it, just to utter another louder whine and crawl to Scarlett.

“Stay here, little bird,” she cooed, opening her arms for her, and Eunbi smiled brightly, letting her mom lull her. “Today, we found out we don’t like grass.”

“She’s brave, though,” Jaehyun added, “she tried touching it again.”

“Our baby is curious, isn’t she?” Scarlett praised, looking at her.

“Bo bo bo,” Eunbi mumbled, stamping her hands on the blanket, signalling she wanted something, but Jaehyun and Scarlett stared at each other in confusion.

“She wants to come to you?”

“I don’t think so. I’m not Bo,” Jaehyun replied. And Eunbi kept bubbling the same syllables moving her hands on top of the other.

“Oh!” Scarlett exclaimed, “she wants to play with the soft blocks. They are in the basket under the stroller.”

Jaehyun leaned to grab the bag and said, “Oh, so that’s Bo Bo, well creative.”

Eunbi squealed as soon as her father rolled them in front of her. She kicked her legs to slip off of her mom’s leg and sit on the blanket. “Bo Bo!” She exclaimed, clapping her small hands, eliciting a smile from both of them.

Scarlett bent down to fix the hem of her shorts that folded on itself and asked, “We played with them yesterday. Do you like them so much?”

“I think it’s Mark fault, he always plays with her with this.”

“Mak,” Eunbi repeated, and Scarlett and Jaehyun froze.

“Tell me that doesn’t count as her first word, please?” Jaehyun asked, trying to hold back a laugh mixed with a cry.

Scarlett shrugged before erupting in a loud laugh, “I mean, I guess it does. She’s not going to develop the r sound soon, and that’s the closest to a word she ever said.”

“That’s not true, she says Ba,” Jaehyun denied, looking at Eunbi in disbelief. “And stop laughing!”

“I’m sorry,” Scarlett apologized, but without stopping grinning. “She might as well mistaken him for her dad at this point.”

“That’s unacceptable. I didn’t do anything to deserve this,” he replied, pretending to be weeping, “Well, Mark’s not here, so it doesn’t count.”

Scarlett rolled her eyes and shook her head at how headstrong he could be, “She’s probably going to repeat it at home.”

“Mak,” Eunbi said again, holding up a block before placing it on top of another. Jaehyun whined and let his head fall in the palm of his head.

“She thinks he’s a block. It doesn’t count!” He insisted, eyes full of desperation trying to convince his girlfriend of the same thing.

“She simply connects an act with a person.”

“Oh, great, so she’s going to say Baba every time someone changes her diaper,” he wrinkled his nose in disappointment, and Scarlett laughed again.

“He probably spends the whole day repeating his name to her. I mean, I know he does because he’s the one that spends more time with me.”

“So it’s a conspiracy against me.”

“Why are you mad, she says Mak, but not Mama when it could be much easier for her. And yet I’m not complaining,” she joked, taking his hand in hers.

“Baba,” Eunbi said, her small hands hitting Jaehyun’s knee to gain his attention. Jaehyun’s eyes widened before he looked down to see her big brown eyes look up at him, a proud smile on her face as she finished her crooked and small sculpture.

“Oh my God,” Jaehyun stuttered, feeling tears pool at the corner of his eyes, “Did she, did she call me?”

A fond smile crept on Scarlett's face as she stared at the scene before pulling out the camera to shoot a picture. “See, Mr Negative Thoughts? She wants you to look at her little piece of art.”

“Oh my, oh my,” he chanted, feeling his heart explode in his chest. “You did this for me?”

Eunbi chuckled, clapping her hands, “Baba.”

“I’m going to cry, I’m going to cry, I’m too old for this. I wasn’t ready for this.”

Scarlett rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose while shaking her head.

“You did an amazing job,” he praised, bending more so he could be at the same level as hers. “My good girl, aren’t you?”

“Baba, Baba,” she chanted again through giggles and happy stomping of her legs.

“I can leave you alone if you want to,” Scarlett teased, pretending to get up and leave.

“Oh, stay here,” Jaehyun said, grabbing her wrist and pulling her down. “Now you know how I felt.”

Scarlett cocked her head and pressed her lips together, humming in disappointment, “She has her favourite and doesn’t even try to hide it.”

“She loves you,” Jaehyun replied.

“Only when she’s sticking to my boobs, that’s opportunism.”

“I mean, I understand her,” Jaehyun joked, winking.

“Oh, shut up,” she exclaimed, hitting his arm playfully. “You don’t need them to grow up.”

“They still keep me alive,” he said, pouting.

“If you don’t stop, Jaehyun,” she warned with a playful smile on her lips. “Your daughter wants your attention,” she added, glancing at Eunbi that was trying to climb on his lap.

Jaehyun helped her climb, and then they started to pile the blocks together as Scarlett stared at her. “Why don’t you help us build a castle?”

“Mh, I’d love to,” she purred, laying on the ground. “Should we make it super big so we can play inside?” She suggested, starting to build the walls around Eunbi, making her giggle.

“Do you want to be a Princess?” Jaehyun asked, adding more blocks on the base that Scarlett and Eunbi were making.

“Maybe in a better castle, with better people,” Scarlett added, popping her nose with a finger, making Eunbi fall back on Jaehyun’s lap. Eunbi started laughing and then straightened again, trying to grab her mom’s hand to make her fall again.

“You want to do it again?” She asked and then carefully did it again, making her laugh again.

“She doesn’t give me Princess vibes,” Jaehyun observed.

Scarlett chuckled, “You have no idea how I was when I was a child.”

Jaehyun raised a brow, a small smirk curled his lips, “Really? You?”

“My mom hated me for good five years. Why do you think they called Irina to look after me? I needed discipline, and I wasn’t rude or anything, I just acted like a child, too curious, never shut up. I once risked falling down a precipe because I was a little bit too curious. I made her go insane.”

“Wow, you’re going to be a little bit calmer, right?” Jaehyun asked Eunbi that was still busy piling the blocks on top of each other, not really caring about building a castle.

“Johnny said that she climbed on top of the sofa the other day. And that after she pushed the footstool near the window to see outside.”

“She doesn’t even walk.”

“But she crawls. And have you seen how strong her legs are? I mean, it’s stressful, but after what she had been through, I’m just glad she’s fine and healthy.”

Jaehyun nodded and wet his lower lip, “She’s going to give us a bad time when she’ll start walking.”

“Nah, she’s good, aren’t you?” She asked her, watching her crawl on the blanket to reach other blocks that rolled away from her.

He let out a sarcastic huff, “If she’s just like you, I'd doubt that.”

“Oh, and let’s hear, how were you as a child?”

Jaehyun took a deep breath and flaunted, “I was an angel, the child everybody would want.”

“Yeah, sure, I’d like to hear from your – oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to,” she stopped immediately, covering her mouth, realizing that she slipped up.

Jaehyun smiled, reassuring her, “It’s fine, really. I also do that sometimes. I think about them, getting hyped wanting to tell them about you and her, just to realize they will never know.” But even if his word were reassuring, his expression turned darker, and his eyes avoided her, focusing on a spot on the blanket.

Scarlett reached for his hand, “You never told me anything about them.”

Jaehyun shrugged, “I don’t want to give you negativity.”

“But that’s what being together means, sharing everything, even the things that are not nice. You dealt with the negativity of my family for years. I promise I can take the sadness of a family that never wanted their child locked just for falling with the wrong person.”

Jaehyun let out a small laugh at her words and then sighed, “I don’t think I ever faced their deaths. I was just seventeen when it happened. I had to survive, so I just threw myself into work while finishing school just not to drop out. They wanted me to study, and I owned them to at least finish high school.”

“That’s why you’re good at so many things?”

“Yeah, the people of my town were nice enough to let me help, using me around to do everything I could. Good thing I’ve always been a fast learner and did great at many tasks.”

She nodded in understanding, moving closer to him to move his hair out of his face, so she could stare at his eyes while talking. “And how did you make it to me?”

“When I turned eighteen, I enrolled and followed a course that gave me an attestation, it lasted one year of preparation, and then the second year we practised with real people. It paid money, and it kept me out of my house. And I was personally proposed to your father when the offer came. They were quite proud of me.”

“And do you think you would’ve done it if things went differently?”

“Honestly? No,” he admitted. “My plan was to keep studying. We weren’t rich, but I was the only child of the family, and my parents worked hard to give me a better future.”

Scarlett's eyes crinkled, “They must’ve been proud of you.”

“I think they were,” he smiled fondly, bringing Eunbi closer to him so she couldn’t crawl away.

“And what did you want to be?”

“Promise you won’t laugh,” he warned, and she crossed her heart. “A paediatrician.”

Scarlett widened her mouth in surprise, “Really? That’s so nice.”

He nodded, “I always got along with kids, and honestly, I didn’t think I was going to have one of my own anytime soon. So a job that could make me help them seemed great. I had seen a lot of them die at an early age because of the poor conditions of the families in my town, and I wanted to help.”

“You are an amazing person, you know?”

“I try my best.”

“Why did you think you weren’t going to have one your own?” She asked, surprised. Jaehyun had always been vocal about wanting to have a family and a child, whether it was a casual conversation or during dirty talks in bed, so that was surprising.

“I had dated, but deep down, I knew they weren’t the ones. I know I might sound cliché, and hopelessly romantic, but my mom always told me that when you meet your person you just know it. And I knew it wasn’t any of them. And after breaking up with my last ex, when they died, I didn’t want to jump in other relationships just to fill a void.”

“And why have you agreed to do that with me?”

“I wanted to feel something, and I honestly thought it was going to be just one night. But then we started doing it more and more and no voice in the back of my head was telling me to stop it, so I started to think that maybe you were the one, or at least someone that made me feel good. You were the last person I had, Scarlett.”

She hummed, feeling a warm sensation spread in her chest. It was nice to find out all these things. How much they meant for each since long ago. How their feeling had always been reciprocated even if they weren't aware of that. How they saved each other without even knowing. They had been there at each other's sides, and everything else came naturally.

“If you feel like answering, how were your parents?” She dared to ask, sitting better so that she faced him perfectly. “Were they like you?”

Jaehyun smiled, “My mom was the kindest person I’ve ever known. She taught me to be vulnerable and open and that there’s nothing wrong with falling apart sometimes. My dad was a little bit busier with work, but he always found time to be with me. He taught me to fish. We would always go to the river on Sunday and spend the evening together and then go home and cook with my mom,” he remembered, with a melancholic expression on his face. “I want to be a great father like him, you know. He was always by my side. As if he could sense when something was wrong or when life got too tough and was always there to help me distress and enjoy the little things. That’s why I feel so bad for always being out and leaving you two alone. I feel like I’m failing her and failing him, too.”

“I think you expect too much from yourself, you’re human, and no matter how hard we’ll try, we’ll never be perfect parents. She’s going to hate us, she’s going to love us, and none of this will really depend on us. She’s her own person, and she will be the only one that can judge us one day, just like we judged our parents,” Scarlett said, rubbing her thumb on the back of his hand.

“She loves you, and I’m not saying it just because I have to. Have you seen how she looked at you before when she called you because she wanted to show you her job? And how she stretches her arms to you every time you walk past her? How easily she falls asleep in your arms? She feels safe with you, she feels loved, and that’s the only thing that matters. She’ll understand why you’re out and why you fall asleep before me when you come back home, and I’m sure she won’t hate you for that.”

As much as he found comfort in her words, fear still crept in the back of his head. Being a parent was harder than expected, and it wasn't easy to know what was good and what was bad. Sure, he knew that everything he did was for a reason, but guilty thoughts were still there when he looked at her and realized how merciless time was. “How can you be sure?”

“My father was always by my side physically, but I can guarantee that I never felt any kind of love or affection from him. I was just something that was supposed to keep our name alive. And imagine how disappointed he was to find out that their only child was a girl and not a boy. Why do you think he reacted so badly when he found out about us? About her? I saw it in his eyes his fear of seeing his kingdom fall apart. I can still hear his sigh of relief when Donghyuck said that he was going to marry me anyway because he only cared about money and affairs. I know what a careless father looks like, and that’s definitely not you,” she smiled, looking down at Eunbi that got quieter and was almost falling asleep between his legs. “And she knows it too.”

“You truly have a way with words, would’ve made a great leader,” he praised, feeling the weight on his shoulder a little bit less after hearing her kind words. And overall, he felt better if he thought that he was in this with her by his side. They had been through worse, right? Raising an amazing baby together would've had just the right difficulties.

“I’m good at using this skill to make people buy my beautiful clothes,” she joked, flipping her hair.

“I’m sure my parents would’ve loved you,” he affirmed, moving Eunbi over his lap to hold her better now that she was fast asleep, the soft blocks long forgotten on the ground.

“I’m sure they are loving us from up there. Maybe they helped me arrive at you safe and sound, you know, that was really reckless. I don’t think I would’ve made it without help from the sky. And as I told you yesterday, I think Gods are too busy thinking about them, so only our dears look after us.”

A genuine smile crept on his face as he squeezed her hand tighter, “You know what, I like thinking about it like that.”

Her eyes lit up, and then she moved closer to him to leave a peck on his lips. “I love you. Please, never forget it,” she whispered close to his lips when they pulled away.

“I know. I love you, too.”

They spent the whole day like this, cuddling and playing some more after eating what they had prepared in the morning. The sun was starting to lower on the horizon, and they were about to go back home. Eunbi had been particularly energetic, and after a few other tries, she also got familiar with the grass, which led them having to panic because she started crawling farther and farther from their little spot.

And now she was laughing loudly, laying on her back while Jaehyun was blowing raspberries on her tummy after he finished changing her diaper. She kept mumbling Baba every time he pulled away to make him do it again, and that warmed their hearts.

Scarlett had to fight back tears as she felt her heart fill with joy even more. All of this felt like a fever dream. She had never planned it, never imagined her life was going to be like this, her plans were completely different, and yet, she could swear she had never felt this good in her entire life. Eight months ago, it was still scary, but now it felt different. She knew they had each other, and nothing and nobody was going to change that.

"I can't wait to go home and tell the boys she called me Baba. I want to see who will be more jealous," Jaehyun said, putting her shorts on, before starting to play with her again.

She chuckled at his words and the tender scene in front of her eyes. She had never seen him so happy and free, his eyes never shone so bright as they reflected in Eunbi's, and his cheeks were tinted red.

Going back home to the boys, with her lover and their child, sounded so nice.

And she pondered that, after all, Jaehyun was right; they were bandits. They had cheated to be there, rewriting the pages of their story even if it was already written in the stars. But now that they were all together, happy, safe and loved, it didn’t matter much. They did that for a good cause. They did that because they deserved something good in their lives after everything, and Eunbi deserved to be loved by her real family. And after all the bitterness and the pain, there was something good. After all the uncertainty, there was forever. And forever is the sweetest con.

part four (final): our gentle sin

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