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#saw this in person at the met a couple of weeks ago and almost shed a tear
jstor · 1 month
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Anton Mauve (Dutch, Zaandam 1838–1888 Arnhem). Changing Pasture. ca. 1880. Oil on canvas, 24 x 39 5/8 in. (61 x 100.6 cm).
Open and available to all on JSTOR, courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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justsavy · 1 year
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Part 1:
T,
I didn’t even realize how much your first born looks like you until today. Today was the first time I saw him in person since he was about one, and even then I never got a good look at him. I just happened to be assigned to work in the children’s clinic at the medical center that day when your wife brings him in. I think he is four now and my god does he look like you. He had the cutest lil grin on his face with his bright blue eyes and ears that look just like yours. I can’t help but wonder what our first born would have looked like. Then our second, then our third, and so on and so on. I can’t help but feel a bit jealous of her and the life y’all have created together because that was suppose the be the life that we created together. High school sweethearts, marriage, college degrees, great careers, and then babies. Life just has the damnedest way of slapping me in the fucking face. But I guess that’s what I get for choosing my ex husband when I should have chose you. My first love, my first time, my first heartbreak, my first almost everything. I have only ran into you a number of times I can easily count on my two hands since I broke your heart about 5 years ago. Which of those, only a couple times making eye contact and to be honest, I’ve never seen as much pain, heartbreak, and hatred in those hazel eyes before, which makes it even more difficult to breath around you. All these years later and I can still clearly feel and remember us like it was just yesterday we said goodbye without even knowing it was going to be goodbye. I met with you not even a week before I got engaged, having no idea I was about to be engaged. I needed to see you and talk to you before I flew across the world for another man I was falling for. I was terrified to see you because I had no idea what you were going to say but either way, I was going to be leaving you with a shattered heart because there were only two outcomes to this: 1. You tell me you love me and will wait for me as long as I allow you too or 2. You will tell me you don’t love me anymore and wish me well. To be honest, I wish you would have gone with the second option cause then at least I still wouldn’t have hope for us and regrets. That day you told me you couldn’t be with anyone else because you couldn’t imagine your life without me and had hope we would get back together, I should have told you I felt the exact same and chose you, right then and there. But instead I tell you how much I still love you and want to be with you, but right now there is someone else and I have to give him a chance, I had to try or I would never know if I was meant to be with someone else because honestly at that moment, I didn’t know. I knew I loved you, I knew we could have been end game, I knew we could’ve had the life we always talked about, but I also knew how much pain and hurt you had caused me since I was 14. How ugly and pathetic you made me feel more times than I could count. I knew that wasn’t the kind of “love” I wanted or needed but I also knew, that wasn’t who you were anymore. You had changed so much since we had last broken up and you had been waiting on me all that time.. I knew in my heart if I gave you one more chance, you would have made up for every tear I shed over you all those years. It broke my heart to leave you that day, knowing how you felt but I knew I was going to come back to you.. that is until the most unexpected thing happened.. I leave the next week to go see the guy I had been falling for since meeting him that past summer, but I couldn’t tell how serious he was about me which made me question my feelings for him constantly. Was I falling for him or the idea of him? Why hasn’t he made it official yet if we basically act like boyfriend and girlfriend? I had so many questions about our relationship which is why I told him if he didn’t make it official the next time I saw him, then I just wanted to stay friends because I’m too grown for guessing games and I wanted something serious..
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otptings · 3 years
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Flowers
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☽ Requested; Yes
☽ Idol; Jungwon
☽Word Count; 3.3k+
☽ Genre; Hanahaki (lots of mentions for it) Friends to Lovers, slight Angst
☽ Warnings; Self deprecating thoughts, mentions of hanahaki disease, slight blood, lots of cringe flower metaphors
☽ Synopsis; Date night has been a monthly tradition since before Jungwon debuted in Enhypen. This is your first day out in months with Jungwon, but somethings different about this one. Is it the fact that he's an idol now, and all of your activities happen in empty establishments that have been bought out by his management, or is it your newly returning feelings for Jungwon that threatened to choke you out, causing dark violet flowers to spew out of your mouth at every interaction with him?
☽ A/n; The zoo I am describing for this is the Honolulu Zoo because that is the last one that I've been to, so if some of the animals aren't in Seoul than I apologize for that. Hope you enjoy this and sorry for taking so long on this request I had so many ideas of how to pull off the dates
You trusted Jungwon. It came easily like breathing, only a natural side effect developed effortlessly over 5 years of friendship. Days spent laughing and telling jokes, venting to each other about worries and stresses, studying for hours the night before tests. With someone as generous, and lovable as him it was easy to trust him with your life. He has also used this to his advantage, convincing you to do questionable things with a flash of his dimples. Like now, allowing him to lead you down the streets of Seoul while blindfolded. Completely at his mercy.
"Are we close? My feet are starting to hurt. We've been walking for hours." You whined as Jungwon pulled you around another corner. You've lost your sense of direction 4 turns ago, and he seemed to keep on going. "Why couldn't your manager just drive us the whole way? You had to have him stop super far from wherever you're taking me?" Jungwon just let out a laugh and gently squeezed your wrist. . His hand surrounding your wrist was comforting and grounding, a reminder that you were safe with him.
"We're almost there I promise. And if I would've done that it wouldn't have been a surprise now would it." You humphed knowing that Jungwon was stubborn when it came to things like this.
"You always do this. It's not fair, your ideas are always so much fancier than mine." Jungwon let out another laugh, and you didn't have to see him to know his expression. Eyes probably scrunched up, his dimples greeting the world as he laughed at my pain.
"It's not my fault that I love you so much. Plus I always want to do something special with you." Confusion flooded your mind while your heart skipped multiple beats at his words.
In the same sense of truth, feelings were natural too. Flowering in your chest with every sweet action he did, never wanting a reward for it just doing them because that's the kind of person he is. Packing extra food in his lunch box knowing your tendency to forget your own. Cupping your cheeks while he wiped away your tears, listening to you rant about your sorrows or broken hearts. Pulling you close to his chest afterwards, massaging the back of your head knowing how bad your headaches get after crying. Arms wrapped securely around you as he whispered calming words into your ear, a sense of security and comfort blanketing you while listening to his heart beat. Every gentle, caring and loving action made the flowers grow.
When Jungwon told you about his plan to audition for Be-Lift one part of you was selfish. You wanted him to stay, turn down the biggest opportunity of his lifetime, continue being only your Jungwon. That part was tiny however; and you squashed down those bitter feelings. You were absolutely ecstatic for him, having been the one to even push him towards the auditions. Stayed up hours at night to watch him practice, seeing his confidence grow tremendously the weeks leading to that fateful day.
When he got accepted you both celebrated the great news. His parents held a dinner in his honor, and his family sat around the table, congratulating him and his accomplishment. At first you were happy for him, overflowing with joy that your best friend had passed the biggest audition of his life. But as the day got closer you had to hide your heart break, smiling despite the tears you shed at night. Knowing that he was going to leave you soon.
The night before he left for I-Land was the hardest one, cuddling into his side while you laid in his bed. The last time in a while you would be in his room like this, only the two of you and the quiet of the night. You didn't sleep the whole night, only savoring the feeling of Jungwon holding you tightly, the last night of him being yours. Your best friend. Your first love.
Your Jungwon.
For the first time in 5 years you were apart for longer than a couple weeks. During this time the flowers started to wilt. You were grateful, ecstatic. Of course you missed Jungwon terribly, tuning in every Friday to support him. Eyes watering every time you watched him perform , pride prevailing over any negative emotions you could have as he confidently took the stage. When it was revealed he had made the debut team you had wailed, preening at your best friend's accomplishment knowing that his hard work paid off.
When Jungwon came home to visit your feelings were gone. You didn't feel the twisting in your chest when you hugged him, tucking your face into the crook of his neck as you both cried. Pulling away to look him in the face your heart didn't flutter at his smile, you only relished in the feeling that your best friend was back.
You thought your feelings had wilted into piles of dust and blown away. Not having seen him for months of course that'd be normal. You had thought your feelings were gone for good when you started to see him more frequently and they still hadn't returned.
You were wrong.
"Are you okay bugs?" Snapping out of your daze you realized that Jungwon was standing directly in front of you, one hand cupping your face and concern in his eyes. You nodded your head, cursing yourself for being getting so distracted.
"I'm fine bunny." His eyes scanned your face once before he leaned back, letting his hand linger.
"You know I just worry about you sometimes." Dropping his hand to his side he turned dramatically, switching the topic and gesturing at the box office in front of us. His manager was there waiting for us, underneath the gigantic sign for the zoo. "But I knew that you missed the zoo since we haven't gone in a long time. So I actually convinced management to rent it out for us for 2 hours."
Practically leaping into his arms you wrapped your arms around his neck, a huge smile spreading across your face. "Thank you thank you thank you!" Pulling away you saw his facial expression mimicking yours, dimples proudly on display and bunny teeth prominent.
"Come on, let's go." You giggled as you grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the gate. After getting your wrist bands - just for the experience - you downloaded the digital map and headed into the zoo ecstatic for your day with Jungwon.
♤♠︎♤
"Come on bugs, just look at the snake." You shook your head vehemently, trying to yank your hand free. His fingers only tightened around you wrist as he attempted to convince you to look at the giant snake in the glass enclosure merely 3 feet away from where you stood.
"Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Jungwon." You whined out his name, refusing his outrageous request.
Snakes were definitely a no for you. Especially a boa constrictor that can grow up to 13 ft long. The one they held in the exhibit was only 5 ft, but it could always become bigger. What would even need to get that big? Any animal that needs to be 5+ ft is a menace to society, and only here for evil. You'd already catered to Jungwon enough in this godforsaken reptile and amphibian section. The frogs were cute, absolutely adorable with their big glassy eyes, hanging on to the glass. Lizards weren't a big deal either, some of them over 3 ft long, lazing about their enclosure, enjoying the surprisingly warm Seoul day.
"Isn't this supposed to be a special day for me? Why would you make me see a stupid snake? They don't even have arms, that's so weird and creepy." Jungwon let out a laugh before pulling you over to him, a squeal leaving your lips as your back met his chest, and his arms wrapped around you. At the slightest display of affection you stopped fighting him, feeling the vines squeezing around your heart painfully, before he started to walk forward and you remembered where you were. Fighting for your life.
You tried to plant your feet in the ground to prevent Jungwon from forcing you to see the snake, but he only lifted your feet from the ground as you cursed the stupid Be:Lift gyms. His manager stared in amusement from the corner, his phone out to record the two of you and undoubtably show it to the rest of the members.
Another loud squeal left your mouth as Jungwon brought you right in front of the glass enclosure, the snake was sitting in the corner but slowly started moving towards the two of you, as if you had fascinated it. You turned your head, placing it in the crook of Jungwon's neck as you squeezed your eyes tight. Ignoring the fear that coursed through your body knowing that the snake was only separated by a thin layer of plexiglass.
"Bugs just look." You only shook your head, "I promise the snake won't hurt you as long as I'm here okay? You know I'll always protect you." Jungwon's soft voice cut through the fear, and you sighed knowing that you were falling into another one of his traps. You turned your head while taking a deep breath before opening your eyes, being met with the face of the snake.
With Jungwon's constant flow of reassurance in your ear you took a good look at the snake. The snake was against the glass, falling back down before slithering up again. Its eyes were wide open and almost looked like doe eyes, black and glassy as it stared at you. The scales were a pretty pastel yellow, mixed with white, resembling a banana cow. You were so distracted admiring the snake that you both jumped when his manager suggested you should get along, and walk further into the park. You felt your heart clench painfully as Jungwon stepped away from you, a blush running up his neck and spreading over his cheeks as he quickly walked to the next exhibit not bothering to wait for you.
♤♠︎♤
"I think this is the best friend date we've ever had." Jungwon spoke happily as you two walked out of the zoo gift shop, a red fox panda stuffed animal tucked safely in your arms. His treat since he refused to let you pull out your wallet and purchase it for yourself. You chose to ignore the flutter of your heart and rush of heat at the thought of this being a true date, your mind decidedly ignoring the word 'friend'. Your cheeks ached as you smiled. They've started to hurt after the amount of time spent joking and laughing while visiting the animals.
"It was. I really appreciated it. I've missed you, it's been so long since we've been able to hang out like this." Jungwon nodded in agreement, an uncharacteristically shy smile spreading across your face.
"Come on. The nights still not over, I have one more surprise for you." Jungwon tossed his arm over your shoulder as he led you to the car, excitement and surprise as you thought about what he could potentially still have planned.
Being ever the gentleman he opened the door for you, waiting until you were safely inside to close it and join you. His manager turned on the radio as he drove you two to the next destination.
"Don't tell me we're going to have to walk again? My feet are still dying from the zoo." Jungwon let out a laugh as he grabbed your hand, rubbing his thumb over the back of it as he intertwined your fingers.
"We won't have to walk too much I promise. Just sit back and relax, it shouldn't take too long to get there." You nodded your head before quickly looking out of the window, no longer able to ignore it.
The vines grew in your chest, clenching painfully around your heart, writhing and squeezing like a boa constrictor trying to capture its prey, crawling up your throat making you resist the urge to gag. Lungs filling with petals that swirled and fluttered around with every breath until there were too many, leaving no room to move around, just clumping together as breathes became sickly. Until you could no longer resist the urge to cough.
The sound of you hacking and gagging, the sight of a worried Jungwon when the first petal comes out. Dark violet petals fluttering out with every spasm of your lungs, some full flowers with stems still attacked, coated with a thin layer of maroon liquid, staining the pretty petals and tinging your pink sweater with spots of red, the bitter taste of the flowers mixing with copper. Your throat sore as the taste of bile rose alongside the rest of the petals, finally emptying your lungs. Filling the car until there was no room to hide from it, hide from your feelings. Hide from the predicament that you were in, feelings for you best friend, the rookie idol.
How could you be so stupid to believe that you could hide it? You were always so easily exposed to Jungwon. He knew you better than you knew yourself. What if he already knew and was just biding his time before he left you, the thought of your feelings disgusting him, being too much for him? He could surely find another best friend, one who wouldn't fall for him.
But could that ever happen? Someone not falling for him. It's easy to fall for his eyes, chocolate eyes that always saw right through you. That knew when you weren't feeling good and were trying to hide it. Dark unruly hair, never easily tamed but was so silky when you ran your fingers through it. Despite being called bunny he practically purred whenever you did it, causing your face to burn at the feelings that always resurfaced. Caring nature that assured he'd become the leader of his group, always wanting to care for everyone around him and make sure that they were happy.
You don't think it'd ever be possible for someone to not fall for him.
"Are you okay bugs?" You blinked realizing that the car door was open, Jungwon standing in front of you with the same concerned look that made you feel ashamed, and yet warmed.
Glancing around you realized you had imagined the coughing fit, drowning in the sea of your own emotions and being buried under a mountain of petals. It was all in your imagination, hanahaki didn't exist. How could it? If it existed you would surely be dead.
Shaking your head you waved off the question, unbuckling your seatbelt and quickly hoping out of the van.
"Of course. I'm perfectly fine, just feeling a little tired I guess. Must've gotten lost in my thoughts. Anyway, where are we?" Jungwon raised a brow at your rambling, knowing you only did it when you were nervous before choosing to ignore it and grabbing your hand again. You hoped he couldn't feel how sweaty your palms were, nerves taking over you at the realization your feelings and thoughts had run away from you again.
"Well I wanted to do something really special for you," You shook your head before cutting Jungwon off.
"The zoo was perfect Jungwon, you don't have to do anything else. Today was perfect already." Jungwon shushed you as he led you into the building, his manager staying behind. Leading you to the elevators he pressed a button before getting on, waiting for the doors to close behind the both of you before he continued to speak.
"You've supported me throughout this whole journey. Pushing me to audition when I was too nervous, and didn't think that I would make it. When I got accepted into I-Land you supported me even when I was leaving you in the middle of the school year, texted me every night to let me know that you were watching and were always rooting for me. Knowing how proud I was making you when the thought of me debuting wasn't official helped me work harder, and continue to push myself," He got cut off as the elevator dinged, signaling that you were at your floor. Jungwon pulled you off the elevator towards a set of stairs that led to a door labeled roof. Jungwon turned towards you, his face deathly serious causing you to get a lot nervous at the sudden sober move.
"Before we go out there I just wanted to tell you that I am grateful that you are in my life. I wouldn't have been able to do any of this without you, constantly supporting me throughout everything. You are what has pushed me this far bugs, and I love you. You're my best friend and I owe you so much for constantly being there." You smiled, ignoring the pain in your chest. Of course he'd only think of you as his best friend, there's no way he'd see you as anything else.
"Of course Jungwon. You can't put it all on me, you worked hard to get to where you are. I'm proud of you because you constantly push yourself, not because you've been successful. You'll always be my Jungwon even if you wouldn't debuted with Enhypen, and I would've always been proud of you." Red dusted over Jungwon's cheeks as he smiled shyly, before opening the roof door and pushing you in front of him.
You were left speechless at the sight in front of you. Blankets laid out over the ground, picnic baskets placed in the middle to prevent the wind from blowing them away. Pastel pink flowers spread out being blown lightly by the wind but not leaving the roof. Fairy lights spread out emitting a soft golden glow barely recognizable under the setting sun. Clouds flitting over the pink, and orange sky. Adding on to the beautiful aesthetic of the set up.
What truly had your attention was the rest of his members standing around the blankets, signs being held out at arm's length. Their various expressions showed excitement, minus Niki who tried to look emotionally detached from the situation but was bouncing on his toes, practically jumping.
From tomorrow,
I'll protect you
All Day and Night
Now Lean on Me
Will you go out with me Bugs?
Hot tears pricked at your eyes, a thick lump in your throat growing. All of their expressions morphed into worry, Niki had even stopped bouncing on his toes, Heeseung glanced at Jungwon slight panic evident in his face. A loud sob left your mouth as you turned around and threw yourself onto Jungwon, tossing your arms around his neck. A nervous laugh left his mouth as he slid his around your waist, holding you almost protectively.
Jungwon pulled away from you, bringing his hands to cup your cheeks, attempting to wipe the river of tears away.
"These are happy tears right?" A weak smile spread across your lips, nodding slowly at him. Seeing his smile come back full force, dimples showing happily. Vines loosening around your heart for the first time in months, falling away as they disintegrated. Petals evaporating leaving behind only fresh air in your lungs, breathes flowing freely as you stared at Jungwon. Boba eyes staring back at you, only showing love. His thumbs stopped wiping as he leaned forward barely, glancing at your lips briefly.
"Can I kiss you?" You eagerly hummed, a soft yes being your answer.
Jungwon leaned forward, leaving space for you to back out if you were too overwhelmed. You met his lips, inciting cheers and groans from the members present, seeing their leader kissing his best friend. Your lips moved in sync, one more thing you guys did perfect together. You must admit, the taste of salt from your cheers, along with the dramatic cheers from his members did not make for the best first kiss experience. Especially for a first kiss that you had fantasized and imagined about for years.
Knowing that was only the first of many however, made it all the sweeter.
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yoursinfulurges · 3 years
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AntiHero
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[The Venom Within] <- read part one here.
Description: The events that soon followed your emotional downfall turns dark and horrifying after Hydra gains possession of your freedom. 
1/2 of part 2
Warnings: Abuse. Kidnapping. Angst. 
Disclaimer: In this story' venom has no conscious and is simply just the readers alter, or the readers inner thoughts and insecurities. This takes place after civil war time. So Endgame and Infinity War never happens.
____________ 
You huffed inaudibly, hearing your stomach roar from starvation for the fifth time this minute. You had only gotten twelve blocks away from the tower, which was still very much visible when you turned back. Annoyingly so, you tried to avoid any peripheral contact with it, in fear of changing your mind and running straight back. 
Even trying your very hardest to block out any childhood memories spent there from coming back to you, as the last thing you needed was for more tears to be shed. You felt eerily deprived of sensation, and you didn't know if it was because of the cold New York air or the fact that you left a part of you behind back in that tower. The one capable of deciphering the many layers of the overwhelming apathy you ever so felt reside within you. 
The one able to comprehend and break down your other feelings that remained intacted, yet almost seemed brain dead. As if not computing the sitution that had happened moments ago, defying how your tense heart truly ached. Feeling as though you were just a walking body, an empty shell of the person that once was. You knew your inner subconscious was protecting you from added trauma, and was doing the best thing it could by preventing you from feeling the complexity of it all and only allowing minor details to slide. As said feelings would only send you into a spiralling depth of anxiety.
 And only god knows what would happened if your emotions alone suddenly decided it was time to have a panic attack at this very moment. Despite being greatful for the somewhat unorthodox coping mechanism that was forced upon you, you were at war with yourself. Almost angry that you couldn't process the overwhelming wave of sensations, having to submit to the black cold solitude of your mind till your brain finally decides to open up and evaluate just how badly the damage was to your mental health. 
But till that happens your soul was left to wonder and yield in confusion instead of settling on one dependent emotion.... 
You were conflicted to no doubt. 
You were angry yet, if tried hard enough and dug a bit deeper, pass the wall you built around your heart, you found yourself strangely at peace. Contradicting the forefront frustration you had with the profound perplexity of the situation, confusing you once more. As a part of you almost beams at the sudden calmness that over came you, in contrast to your outbursts merely an hour ago. 
Sure, you felt a myriad of miniscule emotions coincide you, tiny enough not to affect you in any way shape or form, or take away your apathetic structure, (thankfully so). And you knew that you were definitely far from okay as of right now, especially since you were somewhat going through an existential crisis. Yet in a funny defiant kind of way you were fine. It was as if your amygdala had froze, preventing you from registering everything that had happened. Forcing you to rerun the moments leading up to here in order to get to the bottom of what your true emotions and opinions were. 
You made it out of the tower unnoticed, given the fact that you dressed a lot more muted than you'd normally do. Nobody would think that it was Y/n Stark under the hood of one of Steve Rogers' old jacket. Your clothes weren't exactly ideal, but you were in no position to complain, you acted in a panic and grabbed whatever was on the way to the exit. 
That being Natasha's grey hoodie and Steve's oversized leather jacket. Both laid untouched, draped over the abandoned conference room chairs. You saw it the moment you stepped out the elevator, peering through the glass walls just to confirm whether it was really their's. It was a given that the room hadn't been cleaned out yet, being that it had been months since anyone has been in there. But then again, only a few people had conformation to that area of the tower. 
Without thinking, you had scanned your hand onto the access pad, and before you knew it, the glass door slid open. A decision you silently curse yourself on now for doing, since there was no doubt about it that Friday had already informed your dad that your last digital encounter was going into that room. You knew how incredibly smart that AI was, so you even made it an effort to take the route with less cameras. Even purposely running around the building, going to useless area's to confuse her in the future before sliding pass an unsupervised emergency exit. 
Despite the fact that it was 1:30 AM, the streets of Manhattan was as lively as ever. Though there was a lot less traffic at this time of the night. It gave you comfort to know that you weren't completely alone walking the streets. You may be skilled in hand-to-hand combat, but at the end of the day, you were still a girl, and that fact alone made you a clear target for some. 
And you doubt you could put up much of a fight, especially with how starved weak (and not to mention injured) you were. You had to be weary of who was around you at all times, stick to crowded areas yet be inconspicuous enough not to be spotted by cameras. As you knew for a fact that Friday was most likely scanning the area. 
Though despite how stress driven the situation was and how fidgety you felt, you weren't completely wandering lost, you had a destination set at mind and it gave you all the hope that you needed to keep moving onward. That location being the small little Chinese restaurant tucked away at a back alley passage seven blocks away from where you were. As you were quite close with the owner, being a regular weekly. So you knew for a fact that if you asked she would let you stay for a couple of days without hesitation. The small cozy family owned business reminded you so much of your old home, back when you still lived with your mother. 
After that night- or more so week spent with Tony, your mother had decided it would be best to stay put in China for a while. Delusions of starting something more than just a hook up with the oh so' brilliant Tony Stark flooded her mind. She wanted to be at arms reach for the man and stay exactly where he left her. Tony told her multiple times over the course of seven days that he'd be back for her, but he never came back... 
As weeks went by your mother had come to the realization that those words were merely nothing but empty promises and drunken slurs. Thus feeding her resentment for the small little child that grew inside her. You weren't a native of China but you were born and raised there up until age eleven or twelve, when your mother passed from cancer. Your childhood for the most part was dry and barren of any affection, having to submit and be degraded to being your mother's personal maid. Despite the mistreatment you had to endure, you couldn't exactly complain because you weren't exactly suffering. You had a roof over your head and all the food and water you could ever want, not to mention access to education. From a young age you had always shown signs of carrying the infamous Stark gene, harboring a profound skill to grasp and master any subject thrown your way. At the age of only six you were already capable of speaking three different languages; English, Chinese, and French. You had all characteristics of being a Stark. 
Except of course the looks.... Which was primarily why Tony didn't believe you were his child to begin with. You knew from the age of twelve that you looked more like your mother rather than your dad, but the contrast was blatantly eye striking next to the man whom was supposed to be your father. You had your mom's features more not to mention her complexion, being that your mother was [your race]. 
(If you're white then imagine y/n is paler or tanner than Tony, I'm Asian so....) 
You had never forgotten the most pivotal and accurate representation of your relationship that unfolded the day you first met... 
🕸🕷🕸 
You ran towards the man stood a few feet away from you, letting go of the woman's hand. Your face beams displaying a blinding smile as you ran towards Tony. 
"Dad!" 
You screamed in joy running towards the male engulfing his mid waist with your arms. The man looked down at you in a fright, his brows furrowing together as he looked at the Stark family lawyer and the social worker. 
He gently yet assertively pulls your arms off of him, not sparing you a glance as you looked up in question. 
"Are you sure she's mine?" 
Your heart drops at that moment as all becomes clear... The smile no longer present on your face as you looked down and distanced yourself away from Tony. Something no one took notice of. 
"We've already done a DNA test on her sir and she's yours..." The social worker lady spoke timidly, clutching her files tightly. 
"Well do two more tests, god damn it!" 
Tony screamed causing you to flinch slightly. A prickling sensation of shame washing over you as you watched him begins to pace, rubbing his face with the palm of his hands in distress. 
"Come here sweetie, let's go get you something to eat, you must be hungry from your flight." 
A woman with ginger hair spoke lightly as she forced out a smile, extending her hand for you before glaring at the man when you took her hold. 
"I want a cheese burger...." 
She nodded briefly, pulling you away from the scene and straight towards the elevator. 
🕸🕷🕸 
And at that day was when you realized that things were only going to get more complicated from there. Because the first moment that you both met, he had already decided that he didn't want you. 
Though contrary to his primal feelings, you were very much aware of your fathers attempts in searching for you, even though it had only been forty five minutes since the fight. It was reassuring but, you weren't in the mood to awe about it. You were still mad at him, and had zero plans of forgiving him any time soon. Or returning any time soon... You wanted him to worry and loose sleep, it was petty but it would be a mere compensation for the suffering he put you through. 
You brush pass a halted group of people, no more than twelve, lightly shoving pass them irritably. Slightly annoyed with their odd behavior, as they all seemed to be watching something you couldn't care less about. You let out an inaudible scoff, as you walked passed them. Your attention devoted to unwrapping the bubble gum you had in hand. Harshly shoving the minty treat into your mouth before putting your bandaged hands into the pockets of the leather jacket. You heaved in relief, finally giving your roaring stomach a somewhat rest after fourteen hours of starvation. The gum was probably months old by now since you found it in Nat's hoodie, but you couldn't care less. It was only meant to sustain your hunger for twenty more minutes. 
You walk at a leisurely pace, stopping slightly to push the pedestrian button at the cross walk. You watched as multiple cars pass by, rolling your eye irritably as you hear the crowd of people gasp in awe again. You normally weren't so easily agitated, but you're currently having a hard time figuring out just what your new normal would be from now on... Tapping your foot on the concrete pavement, you wished time would speed up. 
"What do you think is happening up there?" 
"Who knows" 
"Maybe he's just testing out his new suits.' 
With that, you freeze all movements. It was as if everything stilled at the command of one word. You were scared shitless of all the possibilities it could be, not knowing whether you were willing to look or not, but your anxiety was killing you. Feeling it increase at every breath, taunting you like marionettes on a string, dearing you to look, only to scream no just afterwards. With an in take of air, you pushed back those thoughts and slowly, you turned to view what all the fuss was about. Gasping in shock and horror at the sight infront of you. 
He was insane. 
There stood the Stark tower tall and proud, being lit up like a firecracker with multiple yellow streaks of light ejecting from the building. It looked as though hundreds of missiles were being fired into the air, contrasting the twilight sky. Even with the skyscrapers that surrounded the tower, the sight demanded all the attention. No, those weren't missiles...  
They behaved too smart to be simply just that. And you knew better than to dismiss them so easily. Multiple flew in every direction, some swirling around the tower, and others going straight up. There was at least two or four going north and south, while a dozen takes off headed east and west. It looked as though someone was celebrating New Years early, and doing so extravagantly, except it was the middle of fall... 
The sight was beautiful you couldn't deny that, but you were confused as to what exactly that could mean. Was it meant for you? Was he calling you back? Was that his version of an Amber alert? Or maybe they celebrating that you were finally gone... Images of Pepper, Tony, and Peter celebrating your leave quickly flash through your mind, stabbing you in the back ones more. Quickly, you shake them out of your head, returning your attention once again to the event in front of you. Your brows pulled together in question before it officially clicked. Hitting you hard like a brick, demolishing the wall of protection you built around yourself to stop the flood of overwhelming emotions. Feeling a small tug in your chest, the numbness that guarded your heart slowly dispersed as anxiety crept up your spine. 
He had unleashed the entirety of his Iron Legion's to search for you. 
All 108 suits.... 
Without thinking, you quickly crouched down, seeing one flying low into the street, right towards you. Your hood fell from a gust of wind as your hair blew all around. You screw your eyes tightly, covering your ears at a loud swooshing sound invading your eardrums. Thankfully, it flew pass you. You ignored the cheering of the crowd, quickly trying to run and sprint into an underground sub station. Turning back one last time, only to be greeted by more iron suits taking off from the tower. You frantically focusing your eyes, seeing a blue and red figure swinging from a far. 
      Peter....  
As luck may have it, he swung left, following a completely different road. 
And with that, you ran. You ran as fast as your feet could carry you, frantically looking for the 99th street substation opening so that you could hide underground. 
Cut short gasps of panic erupt from your mouth as you hurriedly ran across the street. You closed your eyes tight, feeling tears forming and falling down your face. Oh no, not now... Cold frost bitten air hits your skin as you maneuver yourself around bystanders. Not now, not now, not now. The tears fell more frequently as you squeezed your eyes shut once more. 
You were not going to send yourself into and anxiety attack, not now, and not because of this. 
Your running comes to a halt as you stand exactly where you're supposed to be, eyes quickly looking around in search for the station opening. 
There! 
In a fright, damp cold sweats engulfs your body as you enter and ran down the steps, out from above ground sight. You jump over the turnstile, panting from the tiredness as you took note of how soar your legs were becoming. You gulp, chest rising and falling rapidly as you looked around to see if anyone saw your odd behavior. And to your surprise the station was completely empty, odd... Though that could very well be because the scheduled 1:40 train had just took off fifteen minutes ago. You moved with hesitation and weariness as you looked around for any person in sight. Silently, you plopped yourself down onto a steel bench, trying desperately for your breathing to calm down. 
You didn't know how long it had been or how much time passed since you've sat down, but you stayed put fidgeting for what seemed like hours. Your thighs bounced anxiously as you kept an eye out for any short of movement, the dimly lit grimy station gave you an on edge feeling and it didn't sit right in your stomach. You felt like you were being watched from all sorts of corners and you shook it off as anxiety but something told you to stay guarded. 
Your ears would perk from time to time, hearing loud gusts of winds and cheering from above ground, ensuring the fact that your father's search party wasn't going away anytime soon. 
You hear movement coming in, snapping out of your haze as you felt a presence sit beside you. You peer up meekly in curiosity before gasping in shock and horror at who the person was. 
      Brock Rumlow.... 
"Long time no see little Stark." He spoke voice raspy and sinister as you cringe at the sight of his face. There, half of his profile was burnt and agitated red as one of his eyes was completely titanium white, you figured he was blind there. Wanda really did a number on him as you all suspected that she had killed him.... 
Little Stark.... That was something only Fury called you... 
You swallow in fear as you notice five more men appearing suddenly. You suddenly felt incredibly hyper aware of the situation, your vision tunneling as your heart rate increases. This was really happening... 
"I've waited a long time for this kid... knock her out!" 
Before you could scream in distress a throbbing pain consumes the back of your skull, and then everything turned black...
_____________
I owe you guys an explanation, and to put it simply, I was depressed and felt unmotivated so I took a lot of time to myself... I wasn't aware that so many people were expecting a follow up to a stupid little story I had written in April... I am without of words and am absolutely overwhelmed by the amount of support and love you all have given me. Yet the feeling of being pressured to write came with the notion of so much positivity, thus tainting it. I can't promise when the second half of part two will come out, but know that it is coming......
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wastelandcth · 3 years
Text
Pierre - cth
part of love songs for calum, a series
summary: so i found me a lover who can play the bass
author’s notes: i obviously had to choose this song for this series, how could i not? 
warnings: mentions of drinking. 
masterlist || request
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You liked to think of yourself as adventurous. The days spent in the desert terrains and lost in the cities brought back memories of love and happiness. You liked to think that you were adventurous and that you never thought twice about something because if you didn't try, you wouldn't know. Many nights out consisted of drinking and dancing the night away, only to wake up next to a stranger whose name you'd forget by the time you got back to your hotel that afternoon. 
That was until you met Calum. 
It had started out like a typical hookup, one too many drinks shared between the both of you as you listened to him talking with the rest of the people he'd come to the bar with. You were just overjoyed to have found more people who spoke the same language as you did, the more alcohol in your system the less you remembered French. So as the night when on and the drinks kept flowing, you found yourself stuck to Calum's side while you tried to listen to him over the loud music. 
"Do you want to head out?"
Usually, whenever someone would ask you, you would be more than happy to follow the person who'd been buying you drinks all night home. But with Calum, it had been different. You'd almost convinced yourself to say no to him before his hand found yours and gave it a reassuring squeeze, the soft smile on his face waiting for an answer. 
"We can try and find something good to eat. Not sure what could be open right now," he said over the loud music, his warm breath on your ear sending shivers down your spine. 
"Yeah, okay." you smiled and with that, you found yourself walking out of the club hand in hand, a bubbly feeling forming in your stomach. 
Most nights out on your adventures were spent getting tangled up in a bed, with soft moans and sloppy kisses. Most nights were spent with a stranger who you knew you'd never see again and leaving before the sun even peaked through the horizon. They were rushed movements and clothes falling onto the floor, both you and the person you were with racing to reach whatever high you needed from one another. Most nights like this didn't involve someone like Calum. 
He'd been quiet for most of the night, watching you from afar as you made conversation with a few of the people in his friend group. It wasn't until he'd had a few drinks in him that you heard him speak up and ask you if you wanted another drink yourself. From then on you two had chatted the night away, talking about why you were both in France and what the next couple of days held for you. You'd blushed as you saw watched the way his smile grew when you told him all about your flight to the city and how customs had been eventful. And when he told you about the show they'd played a few hours ago, you saw how passionate he was for the career he had. 
Even after you'd both left the club and made your way to the streets of Paris, things were different. There was no rush to get back to a hotel room, no rush to find each other in the darkness. It was the opposite, it was lingering touches and soft voices spoken into the lit-up city streets. It was laughing at silly jokes and trying to impress him with the minimal knowledge of the French language to order fries from a stand. Even as the sky lightened up and the sun threatened to peek up from the horizon, you and Calum found yourself in no rush to head back. It wasn't until your feet were both too tired to keep walking through the cobblestone streets that you found yourselves in a car to an address you'd forced yourself to memorize since you'd landed in Paris. 
Sunlight was bleeding in from behind the curtains of your room by the time you and Calum had stumbled in. You'd both shed your clothes in slow steps, a shoe by the door, a jacket near the bathroom, and even as you managed to lay under the covers with the soft fabric of his shirt covering you things felt different. You didn't feel the nerves you usually felt when someone came to your hotel room, the pressure to find pleasure in a stranger. Calum seemed to sense whatever it was that you were feeling, his tired smile and eyes finding yours as he laid back on the bed, a gentle kiss finding its way onto your forehead.
"Get some sleep."
Paris had been magical. It had been a short trip, something you'd regretted even now as you watched the cloud pass under you. It had been a city full of history and art you'd never imagined yourself seeing in real life. It was late-night walks in the park watching the twinkling lights of a tower so well known. But it was also the city where you'd met Calum. Where the bass player had snuck his way into your thoughts and where his warm hand had warmed yours in the chilly afternoons. 
Paris had been filled with days spent seeing the wonders it had to offer with him, both of your eyes shining as you took in the sights and smells of amazing food and wonderful scenery. It was evenings spent eating fancy cheese and laughing over flubbed French words. Paris was nights spent awake in each other's arms, whispering about moments in life when you'd both realized how amazing it was to be there next to one another. It was early mornings where you'd both be lost in one another, sharing soft kisses under soft covers that hid you both away from the world. Paris was the place where you found Calum and where you had left him with your heart and a promise of seeing him soon. 
"I'm glad I found you, you know that? Glad I took those two shots before I walked over to talk to you. I might've chickened out if I hadn't taken those." he'd whispered on your last night, his chest rising and falling as the curls you'd been tugging on a few minutes before stuck to his forehead. 
"Mmm, me too. Glad you came over to talk to me. Wanted to hear your accent." you whispered and smiled, pressing a soft kiss on to the warmth of his skin. 
Home felt different. It felt like there was a piece of you missing as you returned to your daily routine. The sunny days didn't seem so bright and the iced coffees weren't as sweet. The only constant in your routine had been the text messages, and even then, they weren't always on time. Sometimes they'd pop up on your phone late at night as you got ready for bed, a silly picture from the bunk. Other times, they'd pop up in the early hours of the morning while you were asleep and you wouldn't answer until much later, whenever Calum had drifted off to his own dreams. 
Sometimes at night, you could still feel his arms around you, could feel the way he'd pulled you closer in the middle of the night and mumbled something you couldn't quite catch. It helped on the nights when you'd watched him drift off on a video call while you were typing away at your computer while trying to work. It was nice to feel like the piece of you that you'd left in Paris was still somehow close enough that you could feel him, still hear the words he'd whispered into the air as you'd both laid there the night before you left. 
"What happens tomorrow?" he asked quietly, his eyes meeting yours, "What happens when you board that plane?" 
You'd been thinking about it too. What would happen when the keys to your room were no longer in your bag and the air of Paris no longer in your lungs? What would happen to you and Calum when the city of love was far from you and he was back on a tour bus? 
"I don't know." you mumbled, "I don't think I could ever forget about this, about you." 
"Neither could I." 
And when he came back to you a few weeks later, you knew it had nothing to do with Paris, but the boy who could play the bass with the quiet eyes and soft lips who'd made your trip magical. 
taglist: @hoodhoran​​ @finelliine​​ @moonlightcriess​​ @dinosaursandsocks @mxgyver​ @calpops​ @karajaynetoday​ @notlukehemmo​ @calumrose​ @devilatmydoor​ @lyss-xo @lowkeyflop​  @stollls @hemmo1996-5sosvevo​ @myloverboyash​
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fuwahiko · 3 years
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...imagine a Non-Despair or Pre-Despair Kuzuhina scenario where Hajime gets into a huge fight with his parents (most likely about Hope's Peak in some way) and after a few days to a week of shutting out his friends and boyfriend in class 77, he finally goes to them for comfort and just breaks down from stress and bottled up emotions.
(No I'm not projecting onto Hajime what are you talking about thats cRAZY-)
Hurt/Comfort is my specialty what can i say.
uh oh time for hajime to suffer again
so.
hajime's parents are those like, really shitty parents that see their kids as someone to live vicariously through rather than valuing them as people. they hold him to high standards that get more ridiculous as he gets older.
his and his parents' goals happened to align well when it came to hope's peak; hajime always admired the school and his parents insisted he go to a good school so that he could get the best education he possibly could - because they wouldn't be satisfied with any less than that.
they were content for a while and happy to pay hajime's tuition fees, but his parents' contentment was only ever temporary. one day they called hajime to the living room for a 'talk'. they'd decided they weren't happy enough with hajime just keeping up with the rest of the class, oh no, he had to be the top of the class. hajime kept up with school work just fine and did pretty well of the tests too, about average in his class, nothing to brag about but certainly nothing to be ashamed of or anything - but for his parents average wasn't going to cut it anymore.
so they told hajime he would have to be in the top five highest scorers on his upcoming test or they would stop paying his tuition fees.
of course, this was incredibly upsetting to hajime; he'd always dreamed of going to hope's peak, and now he finally was, and on top of that he had made some amazing friends there and had even met fuyuhiko. the thought of not being able to see them anymore, or at least seeing them way less than he saw them now, was honestly terrifying to him.
and not to mention, what his parents were threatening didn't even make any sense; what good would it do to stop him from going to hope's peak anyway? wouldn't that just go against what they wanted?
he argued with them further and they said if that did happen they would think of something else to have hajime do, suggesting the idea of sending him to some strict teacher that would teach him one on one - someone that would be ruthless and do whatever it takes to make hajime "get his act together", as they put it. that thought was also terrifying.
hajime was already trying hard as it was though. he'd managed to form a healthier relationship with studying at last and he was doing better in the subjects he struggled with most. he was really proud of how far he'd come and how much he'd grown since coming to hope's peak... but whatever he did or whatever he said his parents would never see it the same way.
very quickly his studying grew more intense now, he was studying for much longer and he had less time for the things he enjoyed - less time to relax. but what choice did he have? there was no changing his parents' minds, so all he could do was push and push to get a high score, even if it completely burned him out.
that's how hajime spent his days for a while. he didn't have time to hang out with anyone because he needed to focus on studying. usually he talked with fuyuhiko and the others a lot; they'd text each other often and usually met up at lunch and after school ended, but hajime didn't want to be distracted, and if he had spare time he could be studying. it seemed to be working for maybe a couple of days, but hajime knew deep down he was only going to get burned out... but he pretended like he wouldn't - he told himself he'd make it work somehow.
he couldn't make it work.
so, inevitably, hajime felt that familiar feeling of anxiety and stress building up and consuming him; he was exhausted and his mind was fuzzy - the words on pages in front of him blurring together and making no sense anymore, his eyes just drifting across them without picking up any meaningful information from them. he was tired and drained but his body was buzzing with panic and urgency.
he didn't know what to do, and when hajime didn't know what to do he went to his friends.
it was the late evening now and class had finished hours ago, but he left a message in his group chat with class 77 saying he needed someone to talk to and that he'd be waiting at a park just by the school - somewhere they often hung out.
hajime sat on a bench at the park. the cool fresh air outside usually helped to calm his nerves but was having no effect on him today.
it wasn't long before he heard footsteps approaching him at a fast pace. hajime lifted his head and saw fuyuhiko, ibuki, sonia, nagito, sagishi and mahiru all rushing to him, with chiaki a little ways behind but trying her best to keep up.
they all seemed really worried, even more so because hajime had been so quiet recently. it turned out they had all been wondering what was up with him and discussing how to deal with the situation; they'd decided to give hajime space for a start in case he needed it, but they'd agreed to drop whatever they were doing if he needed them there. they didn't want to overwhelm him though, so only some of them went to meet with him, just in case the whole class would be a bit too much.
this was so much more than hajime had expected though, he never would've guessed half the class would come to him on such short notice like this. they must've been really worried.
mahiru, prepared and sensible as always, pulled a large blanket out of her bag and set it down on the ground opposite the bench as hajime watched with a confused but curious expression. then, one by one, hajime's friends sat down on the blanket, fuyuhiko and sagishi sitting on either side of hajime on the bench, with fuyuhiko gently holding hajime's hand.
fuyuhiko asked hajime to take a deep breath and then asked if he could tell them what was wrong, and hajime began explaining from the beginning the best he could. the more he talked though, the more he got worked up, and as he talked about how scared he was to have to leave all of them he found himself stumbling over his words and breathing rapidly, tears building up and then quickly running down his face, his body shaking.
"hey, hey, hajime. it's okay." fuyuhiko comforted him, running his hand up and down hajime's back to calm him. "there's no way we'd ever let that happen. if they want to stop you going to hope's peak they're gonna have to get through us first."
hajime was calming down a little just from hearing that, but by this point his tears wouldn't stop; it was like all the stress and the pain and the worry was being flushed out all in one go, and all he could do was continue sobbing until it was all out. fuyuhiko slowly pulled him in closer and hajime wrapped his arms around him, crying onto his shoulder. fuyuhiko could feel hajime shaking as he held him back, but after a couple minutes he was becoming more and more still.
"if it comes down to it..." sonia spoke up as hajime relaxed and separated from fuyuhiko a little, returning to holding his hand as he shed his final tears - "...if they will not pay for your tuition then those of us who have the means certainly will. we shall do our upmost to ensure you will be able to continue studying here, as you have every right to do so. isn't that right, fuyuhiko?"
fuyuhiko gave hajime a reassuring smile. "of course. I reckon with a yakuza and a princess and with nagito's lottery money you'd have enough to pay for a hundred hajimes to go to hope's peak" he laughed.
"ibuki will hold a concert! a big concert, better than any concert the world has ever seen! all the money from the tickets sold can go to helping hajime!" ibuki grinned as she leaned forward and used both her hands to hold onto hajime's free hand, shaking it up and down a few times before settling down again. "really." she spoke much more softly now, almost sounding like a different person entirely, "we won't let them stop you from being where you're meant to be." ibuki let go of hajime's hand and sat down again.
nagito was the next to speak: "and if they take you away and force you to study with a private tutor or anything else you don't want, then we'll find where you are and steal you away again." "we'll do it over and over if we have to." mahiru added. "that's right! you know how stubborn we all are, there's no way we'd allow that to happen, not without a fight!" sonia chimed in, one fist in the air and a determined look spread across her face. "what can they do to stop us, anyway? they're just two people. they're older than us, sure, but together we're capable of so much more, as long as we work as a team." sagishi said as they placed a hand on hajime's shoulder for a moment.
hajime had some really amazing friends.
"are you feeling better now?" chiaki asked in a soft voice.
hajime relaxed his shoulders and sat up. "yeah. I'm feeling a lot better now. I... I really appreciate you guys being there for me like this. I didn't expect you all to rush over, and you've all been so... so sweet. I don't know what I did to deserve friends like you."
"dumbass. we're your friends because you're the same. we know you'd do the same for us if we were in trouble, don't sell yourself short." fuyuhiko furrowed his brows and poked hajime's cheek. hajime smiled at him and fuyuhiko smiled back before turning to face the others again.
after another few minutes everyone began heading back - fuyuhiko walking hajime home and insisting on holding his hand the whole way.
hajime didn't want to burden his friends, but knowing they'd be there for him if anything did go wrong made him feel incredibly relieved. he could tell that even if he told them not to help out, they still would. maybe that meant he wasn't such a burden after all.
knowing they cared so much for him, knowing that they valued him as a friend as much as he valued them, made hajime feel invincible.
he'd probably never be good enough for his parents, but to his friends he was someone who couldn't be replaced.
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seungmoroll · 4 years
Text
Electric Love - Hwang Hyunjin
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Word count: 2.4k
Genre: fluff
A/N: This is the fourth story in the Electric Love Series. If you would like to read the rest, you can check them out here. 
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One week ago, you definitely did not see yourself being Hwang Hyunjin’s date to his cousin’s wedding. He had been complaining to you and Seungmin at lunch about how his mother was trying to get him to bring her coworker’s daughter to the wedding. Tired of his complaining, Seungmin had suggest that Hyunjin bring you as his date.
“Seungmin! That’s a great idea! Y/N, you don’t have plans this weekend, right? Please say you’ll be my date.” He gives you his famous puppy dog eyes, and in that moment, you knew you couldn’t say no.
Later on that day, when Hyunjin had left for dance practice, happy to tell his mom he had a date, you and Seungmin were walking back to the parking lot, when you asked him, “Why would you suggest me being Hyunjin’s date?”
He responds, “Because I knew you didn’t have any plans this weekend and I wanted to enjoy my rice in peace without his complaints. Shouldn’t you be happy anyways? You get to stare at Hyunjin in a suit.”
“I don’t stare at Hyunjin.” Seungmin gives you a look, “Okay, maybe I stare at him, but it’s not that obvious.” He gives you another look, “Is it that obvious?”
“Oh Y/N,” Seungmin sighs as he pets your head.
Fast forward to later on that week, the day of the wedding. You’re waiting for Hyunjin to come and pick you up as you do some last-minute touch ups. When you hear your doorbell ring, you take one more look at yourself in the mirror.
As you approach the front door, you take a deep breath and then open the door, “Wow Y/N, you look beautiful.” Your face flushes and you look down at the ground to hide it. You couldn’t believe that he called you beautiful when he was standing there looking like that. He had on a formal black suit with a black tie and his blonder hair slicked back. To you, he looked like he stepped out of a movie.
“Do a little spin for me.” Hyunjin asks of you. Timidly, you do a little spin. You were unsure about the dress you chose for the wedding, but Seungmin and Changbin had both urged you to wear the lilac dress, so you had no other choice. Speaking of the two boys, you totally did not realize that they were sitting on the couch in the living room. Embarrassed, you give them a quick goodbye and head out to Hyunjin’s car.
“Bye guys!” Hyunjin says to them as he follows you.
“Ah…they grow up so fast.” Changbin says as he pretends to wipe away a tear.
“I bet you 10 bucks that they’ll be dating after tonight.” Seungmin challenges.
“Make it 15.”
On the drive to the destination of the ceremony, Hyunjin warns you about his crazy family, but from what you’ve heard from him, it just sounds like he’s exaggerating things. You’ve already met his mom and dad, but that was it, so you weren’t really sure what to expect. You had also met his cousin that was getting married, Soobin, a few times, and she was really nice. Hyunjin had also warned you that his ex-girlfriend, Seohee, was attending the wedding. You have never met her, since her and Hyunjin were together before you had met him, but you had heard all the crazy stories from the others, so your goal for the night was to avoid her.
As the two of you arrived at the church, you take in the scenery. The church they had selected for their ceremony was beautiful and had a gorgeous fountain right in the front. Once Hyunjin had parked the car, he had told you to wait, and walked around the car to open your door, and then he held out his hand.
“M’lady.” Giggling, you take his hand and climb out of the car. You let him lead you into the church and as step into the church you let out a gasp. The inside of the church had been beautifully decorated with white lilies and gold accents. As you take in the décor, you hear a loud, “Hyunjin!” Sticking an arm out to let you rest yours on his, he quickly whispers to you, “I forgot to mention, I didn’t tell my mom you were my date.” Your eyes widen from his confession, but as his mom and dad approach you, you give them a sweet smile. Hyunjin’s mom goes to hug him and you hear her tell him he looks handsome, and then she turns to you and hugs you as well.
“Ah, Y/N, I didn’t know you were Hyunjin’s date. It’s about time he– “
“Mother.” Hyunjin cuts her off. He gives her this look that you can’t quite explain, but then he turns to you gives you a smile. Hyunjin’s mom gives you the exact same smile and says, “It’s good to see you again Y/N. We should go sit down; the ceremony is about to start.”
During the ceremony, you two sat next to Hyunjin’s parents. You were amazed at how beautiful Soobin had looked in her wedding dress. She was already gorgeous in her regular outfits, but she looked like a real princess. ‘Dang,’ you think to yourself, ‘there must be something in the Hwang bloodline for everyone to be this beautiful.’ The ceremony itself was beautiful as well, the groom had even shed a few tears. As the newly married couple had walked down the aisle together, you had managed to catch Soobin’s gaze and she gave you her signature sweet smile and quickly turns her attention towards Hyunjin and gives him a small wink. Hyunjin turns around towards you and just shakes his head while laughing. If you could capture a picture of this image of Hyunjin with a camera you would, but you’ll just have to make do with capturing it with your mind.
The drive to the reception was quite short, and all you and Hyunjin could talk about was how beautiful the ceremony was. Hyunjin even admitted that he almost cried because Soobin was like a sister to him. When you arrived at the reception hall, cocktail hour had just started. You and Hyunjin were by a table off in the corner when you heard a squeal and then a loud, “Hyunjin!” You heard him say an uh oh under his breath. Suddenly a girl pops out and goes to hug Hyunjin. You’re not sure what to do so you just stand there awkwardly watching them.
“I haven’t seen you in forever!” You watch as Hyunjin has to physically pull her off of him. “I saw you at the ceremony but didn’t get a chance to say hi. Oh my gosh, you look so good.” She goes on to touch his hair and his face.
“Ehem.” Sohee finally realizes your presence.
“Oh? I’m sorry, how rude of me to not introduce myself, I’m Sohee.” She flips her hair and waves at you.
“Sohee,” Hyunjin starts, “this is Y/N, my date.” She narrows her eyes towards you as you give her a curt nod.
“Oh, I see. Well, anyways,” She turns her attention back towards Hyunjin, “I expect a dance with you later on tonight.”
“Sohee-“ She cuts him off, “Oh is that your mom over there? I should go greet her. I’ll see you on the dancefloor later, Hyunnie,” She gives his arm a squeeze before departing, not even bidding you a goodbye.
“Nice going, Hwang. It seems like you have impeccable taste in women.” He scoffs at your statement. “She’s crazy, it’s like she thinks she still owns me.” Noticing that his mood has gone down, you say to him, “Hey, forget about her. This night is supposed to be a fun night. The next time she tries to talk to you, just tell her you have explosive diarrhea.”
He laughs at your advice, “Ah, Y/N, what would I do without you.”
“That’s the thing Hwang, you don’t have to worry about being without me because I’m going to be stuck to you like a leech.”
Eventually the doors to the reception hall opens, and the guest are let in to sit at their tables. Upon finding your table, you see that everyone else at your table is already there and you greet Hyunjin’s parents again and are introduced Hyunjin’s other cousins.  As you guys mingle, the bridal party begins to enter. You go on to watch the newly wedded couple’s first dance to Dan + Shay ‘Speechless’. You gasp in excitement when you hear ‘Isn’t She Lovely’ start playing for the father-daughter dance and you miss the endearing look Hyunjin gives you. As the night goes on, dinner is served to the guests, and because you and Hyunjin got two different dishes, you both eat off of each other’s plates. You ignore the butterflies in your stomach when Hyunjin tries to feed you, as a result, you end up smacking his arm as his parents laugh at the two of you and your antics.
Later on that night when everyone has had their dinner, the real party gets started. Once the DJ begins to play the ‘Cupid Shuffle,’ Hyunjin drags you onto the dance floor with him. Fortunately for you, this is one of the few dances you know, however, when ‘Yeah!’ starts to play your body freezes, not knowing what to do. Hyunjin, knowing you, grabs you by your arms and starts making you dance as crazily as him. Your body relaxes and lets him do whatever because you know there’s no way to change his mind. When the DJ changes the pace and switches to ‘Perfect’ by Ed Sheeran, Hyunjin had attempted to say something to you, but was cut off by his little cousin, Heejin, who wanted to slow dance with him, and Hyunjin being Hyunjin, he gives you an apologetic look and goes on to dance with his cousin. Luckily for you, you don’t have to sadly walk back to your seat because Hyunjin’s other little cousin, Doyoung asks you for a dance, and being the polite person you are, you agree. As you dance with the younger boy, he goes on to tell you about the funny stories he has about Hyunjin and as the two of you laugh, Hyunjin watches you with fondness in his eyes.
The next song also ends up being a slow song, but as you walk towards Hyunjin, Sohee quickly cuts you off and grabs Hyunjin, forcing him to dance with her. You give Hyunjin a look, but he returns it with a shrug and a mouthed ‘sorry’. Defeated, you return to your seat to give your feet a break. You don’t realize it when Soobin comes up to you.
“Hey Y/n!”
“Hey Soobin, you look so beautiful! The ceremony and reception were wonderful.” You tell her.
“Thank you! Now tell me why you’re out here sitting all alone? Where’s Hyunjin?” You point in the direction of Hyunjin and Sohee, and as her gaze follows your finger, you hear her gag.
“I see…Good to know that Hyunjin’s still an idiot who can’t say no.” You laugh at her remark.
“You want to know something Y/N? I’m not surprised that Hyunjin asked you to be his date for tonight.”
Confused, you ask her, “And why is that?”
“Because, you’re always the first thing on his mind.” Not sure of what she’s talking about, you look out to the dancefloor and your eyes are met with Hyunjin’s that were already looking at you.
“I hope you’re not too worried about Sohee. There’s no way Hyunjin’s getting back with her, but don’t worry, I’ll make sure that tonight becomes your night.” With that being said, she gives you a wink and walks off towards the DJ. You watch her as she says something to him, and he gives her a thumbs up. She gives you another wink, lost in confusion, you hear the DJ say, “Okay, ladies and gents, this next one is for the ones who are feeling electric tonight.” Finishing his sentence, the DJ begins to play ‘Electric Love.’ Your attention was too focused on the DJ and Soobin that you didn’t realize that Hyunjin had approached you with his hand out for you.
“May I have this dance?” Not saying anything, you place your hand on his and let him lead you to the dance floor once again. Unsure of how to dance to the song, you’re surprised when Hyunjin wraps his arms around your waist. You slowly wrap your arms around his neck and try to move your body along with his.
Giggling he tells you, “You’re such a bad dancer.”
“Hey, I’m trying my best here Hwang.”
“I’m sorry I’m such a bad date.” Tilting your head in confusion, you ask him what he means by that.
“I mean that I’ve kind of been neglecting you tonight. I know you said I should just turn down Sohee, but I just couldn’t, and I felt really bad having to see you walk back without me. I just wanted to let you know that I told Sohee to leave me alone after tonight.”
Playing with the hair against his neck, you tell Hyunjin, “You have nothing to apologize for Hwang. It’s not like you left me alone for the whole night.”
“Yeah, but I wanted to be with you the whole entire time.” His statement makes your heart skip a beat.
“If I didn’t know any better Hwang, I would think that you like me.” You jokingly say, trying your best not to be awkward.
“Maybe what you’re thinking is right.” At that moment, you swore that your heart stopped beating. The two of you stop swaying, and instead Hyunjin looks into your eyes and then down to your lips and with all the confidence he has left in him, Hyunjin kisses you. Surprised, you don’t move for a second, but as Hyunjin begins to pull away, you pull him back in. The melody of ‘Electric Love’ playing through your ears as you kiss Hyunjin.
Around you, you can hear cheers, embarrassed, the two of you pull away from one another and instantly you are met with the sight of Soobin and Hyunjin’s parents smiling at the two of you.  You hear an embarrassed whine escape from Hyunjin’s mouth, when Soobin says that he finely grew a pair. Laughing, the two of you separate and continued to dance the night away.
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A/N: Wow, I’m already half way through the series. This one was a bit longer than I expected it to be, but I hope you guys enjoyed it! Feel free to let me know what you thought of it
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stayforya · 3 years
Text
SPRING DAY | MIN YOONGI
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member: min yoongi
genre: soulmate!au
words: 7.9k
summary: from the moment you said hello to the moment you teared apart, from winter to spring – you never stopped thinking about each other, not even a day.
a/n: every time I listen to spring day, I can imagine many scenarios and this is one of them. long time friends/lovers who keep meeting again because life doesn't seem to want them apart.
spring, 5 years ago
spring is one of the most beautiful seasons. after a long, cold and monochromatic winter, the flowers start to bloom, the trees become green again and the fresh air and bright sun breathes life into people’s faces. you were going through a good moment – finally started college, met new people, got into a whole new world. even though you weren’t very good at starting things over, the challenging feeling would always be worth it in the end and you were quite excited about the unknown this time. the idea of ​​how unexpected life is and how the little moments of today can become decisive in the future has given you a sense of "destined to be". the random person you partnered with for an assignment in the first few weeks of school was now your best partner, for instance. 
later that day, you finished everything you had to do. in the front courtyard of the university, the cherry blossoms were blooming and some petals even fell due to the strong wind that blew every now and then. it was a romantic setting, some couples were walking and hugging, some people (like you) were watching or reading books under the trees, and a few others seemed to be living a decisive moment on a beautiful day. a day like that didn't go well with breakups, but the couple sitting on the bench a few meters from where you were seemed to be going through a difficult time.
“just tell me right away. you’re letting me go because you found a better one, isn’t it?”, his voice was stable and calm, as if he wasn't sad. but his face showed something else, he barely looked at the woman beside him.
“where would I find someone better than you? listen, what I’m saying is that we are both going through a hard time”, she explained, gesturing a lot.
“we are not going through a hard time in this relationship. our issues come from college, job, these kind of stuff. but between us, isn’t it all fine?”
she remained silent, no longer looking at him but at her own hands on her legs. you felt weird for listening to that conversation while keeping your head hidden behind the book you were reading.
“my family and I have other plans for me now. I’m going abroad”, the woman said. that made the guy immediately look at her, probably looking for answers in her face, but all he could find were more questions.
“so why are you creating excuses? why didn’t you say it right away?”
“I didn’t want to hurt you! and I am hurting too”, she was actively defending herself as if she was being wrongly accused.
“are you? are you really? I am almost graduating and I have no steady job, but I would move heavens and earth to find anything that would make you feel safer with me. I was ready to give you whatever you needed.”
his words were so sincere she started to cry. you could see the tears falling down from her big eyes and his hands reaching hers. she didn’t let him touch her hand because she reached out for a hug, holding him closer not to keep him, but to say goodbye. you didn’t know if he still had hope, if he was still waiting for her to change her mind and stay with him.
“you can’t give me what I need, yoongi. I’m sorry”, she said looking into his small and sad eyes that didn’t shed a tear.
“will you come back?”, he asked.
she shook her head in denial, “I still don’t know. don’t wait for me, though, you’ll find someone better.”
he didn’t say anything else while she stood up and left. he also didn’t look her way again, maybe because it would make the moment even harder. by the way his face seemed unbothered, you knew he was the type that hurts inside. the type that wanted her to stay, even though he didn’t ask for it directly. you spent the rest of the day thinking about this couple, the reasons that made her go away. as a believer, you know everything happens for a reason and you were dying to know how that love story would lead to the other chapters of that couple’s life. it was just your common habit, to imagine what fate had prepared for people, how moments interconnected and how paths could cross again. you always think about it, always about others, never about you. 
didn't fate have something ready for you too?
winter, 5 years ago
rainy days were great... when you were home. to go out in the pouring rain could be very annoying, considering what the wet weather makes to your hair and how tricky it is to run under the rain. as if you didn't know that, you still left home late. you had this very important presentation about modern art at the fine art department, which was open to the public. thankfully, there would be many other presentations happening at the same time as yours and the rain could make people give up going. the auditorium was reasonably full when you arrived. there were fifteen minutes to go and your professor was already looking at her watch impatiently when she saw you walk through the doors.
“I thought you wouldn’t come!”
“I’m sorry, ms. lee. the rain didn’t help at all”, you sighed, putting your bag on the table. “is everything ready?”
“yes, we still have some time. here”, she handed you a bottle of water. she was a great professor. that presentation wasn't the easiest thing you had done in life (in fact, it was very challenging), but she believed you when she chose you after a classroom presentation. and when someone believes in you, you must also believe in yourself. 
during the remaining fifteen minutes, more people arrived and you went up the stairs to the auditorium stage. your heart was beating so hard that you could only hear the blood pumping. talking about modern art is a pleasure to you. from the historical to the visual – when the pictures appeared on the big screen behind you –, it was like immersing yourself in the painters' minds. all you wanted to do was to transmit some passion on to those who were watching the presentation, because that is exactly what you feel when you are studying the fascinating world of art.
and so you did. you didn’t have more than thirty minutes to say everything you wanted to say, but it went just like you rehearsed a hundred times at home. it was fascinating to see some unknown faces enjoying the historical and visual travel you tried to communicate through the images stamped on the big screen. after you, someone else would present too for the next thirty minutes, so you sat down to watch and breath again, feeling as if a heavy weight was taken off your back.
“what is the next presentation about?”, you whispered to your colleague. 
“it’s about the relationship between music and art”, he gave you the flyer of the event. you found your photo there, along with all the people who would be presenting that week, schedules and themes. you were too focused on that flyer, but when classical music reached your ears, your attention went directly to the stage.
the man on the stage was wearing all black clothes. the turtleneck shirt, the coat on top of it and the glasses made him look like a professor, but you knew that everyone who was presenting was still a student. he spoke smoothly, which perfectly matched what he was talking about and made the entire auditorium pay attention not to miss a word. somehow that spell was hitting you too. you had studied a lot what you needed to say, but the way he spoke seemed like he had already been born knowing everything. it was a relief that he took the stage after you and not before.
after all, everyone got up and started to leave the auditorium. the organizing team, however, remained there and so did you. the turtleneck guy (you decided to call him like that) was there, still talking to two people who went to ask him questions after the presentation. you were also finishing a brief conversation with a girl very interested in modern art.
ms. lee called you and you immediately answered. she wanted to thank everyone for the hard work, as she always did. you saw the turtleneck guy approaching the group too.
“it was great, everyone! we shall do it again”, the whole group smiled. “of course I need to thank the team from music department, thank you for joining us and bringing so much content to today’s meeting. mr. min, your professor must be very proud of you.”
it seemed like everyone knew who mr. min was, you were the last one to find out by looking at the same direction as ms. lee. the turtleneck guy was mr. min and it sounded even more sophisticated.
“thank you, ms. lee”, he formally thanked while a shy smile appeared on his lips. you wondered if you were overanalysing him, since you couldn’t lose any opportunity of looking at him, mainly because his face was somehow familiar. 
you didn’t know you’d do what you did next until you already had done. when everyone started to leave the auditorium, you followed mr. min-turtleneck for some reason.
“congratulations on your presentation”, he looked back to find out who was the owner of the voice. it was okay to say that, right? you and him were the ones who presented something, so it was perfectly okay to congratulate him.
“oh, thank you. congratulations on yours, too”, it was kind of... nonchalant. or maybe you were expecting more, even though he didn't say more than this to anyone else during the last minutes. 
he kept walking and you stood in the hall, wondering if you should walk into another auditorium to attend a lecture or just go home. the rain hadn’t ceased, you could see through the big glass doors of the building, and your professor and colleagues had gone somewhere else, but you had already lost sight of them. you walked to the glass doors to watch the rain while you waited for it to stop. it wasn't like you had nothing to do, you just weren't in a hurry to get home.
your phone was ringing non-stop because of the messages, which you read and replied quickly. the ideal for that post-presentation night was to go out with your friends, eat something, have fun. however, everyone was busy or traveling, so you would have to deal with an evening alone watching netflix and eating chips (which wasn't too bad, honestly).
you felt a human presence next to you, but you were too absorbed in watching the rain to look at the person. only when you heard the sound of someone putting up an umbrella, you redirected your attention. about to step out of the building, there he was: mr. min. you swear you looked at him for only two seconds, but it was enough for him to notice and look back at you. you didn’t avoid eye contact, though, because it would be more awkward and, honestly, you didn’t know what to do when the whole hall was empty, leaving you and him alone.
“do you have an umbrella?”, he asked. the words ran out your mind for a moment.
“I don’t”, you answered. it would definitely be easier to say you did, so the conversation would be over and your mind would be at ease again, because your brain was working so hard you didn’t understand what was going on. was it because he was a very smart guy and you were scared to sound stupid?
“do you want to...”, he didn’t finish the sentence and you felt so much better to see he was feeling awkward to say that too. mr. min was pointing to his own umbrella with his head, which meant he was willing to help you get to the bus station or wherever you were going.
“it’s fine, I can wait.”
“it doesn’t seem like it will stop anytime soon...”
you looked at him for a while and shrugged, “fine”. you were proud of yourself, since you seemed calm and unconcerned by the way you responded . your brain rested a little now that the situation was under your control, but it didn't take long for you to feel tense again. he wouldn't borrow the umbrella, he would go with you under it, and the space seemed too small. “you can leave me at the bus stop”.
the whole one minute walk was silent. when you reached the bus stop, you were ready to say goodbye and thank him for the help. however, he didn’t leave, he put down the umbrella and stood there.
“it’s okay, you can go if you want to...”
he looked at you, confused, “go? where?”
you were as confused as him. “wait, will you wait for the bus too?”
“yes. why did you think I was here?”, his tone was calm, but you felt your face warming slowly as if you said something wrong. “wait, did I sound harsh?”, there was a bit of concern in his voice.
“no”, you giggled. 
“oh. I thought I made you blush because I sounded harsh.”
“huh? you didn’t- forget it”, you gave up and he smiled, not looking at you. you just stood there, waiting for the bus. it took about five minutes, but it felt like forever because you and mr. min were in complete silence. by the way, calling him ‘mr. min’ was starting to sound weird now that you saw a glimpse of his sense of humor.
when the bus arrived, he started to move and you noticed he was about to get on. he was closer to the door, so he got on first and sat on the chairs at the back. the bus was almost empty, just you, him and three people sat separately. where would you sit? would it be weird to sit far from him after getting to know him, or it would be better to sit next to him since you got to know him? it was pretty confusing and you had to think quickly. 
he was looking through the window when you sat by his side, unbothered by your presence. you were feeling stupid for sitting there and for the fact that your heart was beating faster than it should in this situation. why was that, though? maybe because of the mysterious vibe he had and how he started to show a glimpse of his personality when he joked about you blushing.
you knew breaking the silence was the only way to make it less awkward. “are you going home?”
“no, I’ll meet some friends”, he said, looking at the watch on his left arm. you never noticed watches a lot, for you they were just essencial items. but looking at his left arm, relatively close to yours, that silver watch was shining and his hands were so beautiful. you scolded yourself for paying attention to those details, after all, it would only lead you to have a crush on someone who had a high chance of never seeing you again. “you?”
“I’m heading home”, you felt his eyes indirectly looking at you. 
“you don’t seem very excited about it”, he said and you still felt his eyes on you. he was looking at your arms holding your bag, because you two were a little too close to look at each other’s faces.
“I am not, indeed. I’ll just buy food and watch a nice christmas movie”
“so, netflix and-”
“stop there, just netflix”, you interrupted him immediately because you didn't know if he would complete the sentence. he laughed after he understood what you were saying.
“I was just going to say netflix and eat”, discreetly, he raised his hands in surrender. “what are you planing to watch?”
you shrugged, “anything, from the grinch to a cliche rom-com.”
“it sounds fun, though”, he started to look at the window again.
“you don’t look like someone who watches the grinch or cliche rom-coms”, you said.
“it depends. I think everyone needs to watch movies like these once in a while.”
“and christmas time seems like the perfect time to watch them.”
“exactly”, he agreed. it didn't look like he was the serious person who was giving a lecture an hour ago, because of the way he managed to get from that to someone talking about fun movies with a stranger on the bus, and that said a lot about him. “oh, I gotta go”
the bus slowly stopped close to a busy street full of restaurants and people. he stood up and looked at you before the door opened.
“I’m yoongi, by the way”, he said.
“I’m y/n. nice to meet you”, you smiled without much excitement, a little disappointed because he was getting off the bus. 
summer, 4 years ago
it was finally summer time, the sun was bright and high in the sky. you felt it warming your skin and it felt good, because it was time to have fun. your friends called, wondering where were you. they were waiting for you at a restaurant, with some other friends of them and people you probably didn’t know yet. but to be honest, you were excited. it was summer, time to have fun and enjoy. plus, you were free for that day and the whole weekend too.
you entered through the front glass doors, thankful for the cold air conditioner that reduced the heat, because the day was really hot outdoors. your friend raised her hand, signaling where they were, and you walked to the table. there were ten people there, most of them you didn’t know but already had seen before.
you sat next to your other friend and she immediately asked if you wanted to eat something. you said yes, while she started to introduce you to everyone, but then your eyes met someone else’s. his eyebrows raised discreetly and you tilted your head to the left, trying to understand if you were really seeing what your eyes were witnessing. 
“we know each other”, he said when your friend said his name and yours, introducing both of you.
“really?”, she was surprised and glad at the same time. the way her eyes looked at yours said something, you immediately remembered: she said you and one of her friends definitely should meet, because you two would match well. was it him?
“yeah, we met before. it’s good to see you again”
“you too”, he said and then everyone started side conversations. he was sitting in front of you, which made him comfortable to talk a little bit more. “did you watch the grinch?”
“hm?”, you almost choked on what you were drinking, “you didn’t forget, right? actually I watched it and other two movies that night.”
“oh, it was a long night, then”, he took a sip of his drink.
“yep, it was”, you took a sip too.
when all of you left the restaurant, the sun was almost setting and the weather was much better. each would go their own way, some as a couple, others among friends and others alone. your two friends were accompanied by their boyfriends, but they still asked if you would like them to go home with you. you said you would be fine, you wanted to buy some stuff before going home, anyway. 
“didn’t you like him?”, one of them asked.
“who? yoongi?”
“yeah, he’s the guy I mentioned, the one that matches you well.”
you laughed, “no, forget it. but he’s nice.”
“well, you should give it a shot...”, she shrugged and smiled. yoongi said goodbye to his friends and walked up to you with his hands in his pockets. there were only you and him behind everyone else. 
“are you going to ride the bus?”
you looked at him quickly, “no, I’ll buy some stuff before.”
he nodded and didn’t say anything else, which forced you to speak again to keep the conversation going. you wanted to talk to him.
“and you?”
“I have nothing to do right now.”
“is this your way of offering to go with me?”
“excuse me?”, he looked at you and smiled. you noticed you were smiling too, because looking at his face made you smile for no reason. “if you want me to go, just ask.”
“I want you to come with me. what about it?”
“I will go with you, thanks”, he was acting so cool you laughed at his attitude.
walking around with yoongi wasn’t supposed to be that fun – at least you didn’t expect it to be. he helped you to find nice sneakers, laughing at the ones that didn’t fit your style at all. he went to the makeup store with you, giving an opinion on everything you tested (but his opinion wasn’t always valid because, when it comes to makeup, he said all of them looked good on you). 
“do you want to eat something?”, you asked, “you must be hungry.”
“nah, we have been walking for just four hours”, he exaggerated and made you laugh. you were walking just for one hour and a half, maybe.
“is that so boring to walk around with me that it feels like four hours?”, you pretended to be offended, but he hesitated for a second, as if reflecting on what he said before. “I’m just kidding”, you said.
“you really got me thinking for a second”, yoongi said and you two laughed for real. when you laugh with someone, it's like a connection is created between you. that's exactly what happened, and because of that connection, the two of you were closer, including physically. if at the beginning of the meeting you were a little far away, respecting the space, at that moment you could already feel your hand touching his when the bags you were holding hit the ones he was holding.
yoongi said he knew a nice place to stop by and eat, so you told him to take you there. it was a lovely cafe with a pleasant atmosphere, and he guided you to the second floor, where there were fewer people and more space to be at ease. he asked for the bag that was in your hand, added it to the bag that was in his and placed it near you.
“I’ve never been here, it’s nice”, you said.
“I come here mostly by myself, it's a quiet place to work. and the food here is great”, yoongi looked through the glass wall, through which you could see the street.
“and you work with music”, you guessed it from the lecture months ago.
“yes, I do”, he smiled slightly, but with satisfaction. you could tell he was looking even more cute at that moment under that light. “I like it very much, to be honest. but tell me about you too”
“what do I do? I am still studying art and now working with it. an internship”, you said.
“by the way you spoke at that lecture, I’m sure you’re doing amazing”, he said, but didn’t look directly at your face. the way yoongi was confident at some moments and shy at other ones made you smile every time.
the conversation was interrupted by the person bringing the orders. you thought you both would eat in silence, but none of you could stop talking. he asked more about you, and you answered, also asking about him. it was obvious how you two wanted to know each other in a short amount of time, as if at the end of the date you would part ways for a long time, like before.
you liked when he laughed at what you said, because it felt like winning an award. yoongi was deeply into that conversation, almost forgetting to eat the cake you two were sharing.
“if you don’t eat, I’ll do it”, you said.
“I’m full just by watching you eat”, he said and you giggled immediately, “was it too cringy?”, he laughed too.
“no, it wasn’t”, you knew your eyes said it all. you were having way too much fun.
yoongi told you stories about his work, his university years and his friends. you could say he was comfortable with you by the way he spoke easily, not holding back details. you enjoyed to listen to his intelectual side, the way he knew everything about music; but when he told you stories about his life, it was even more enjoyable. 
but he didn't just talk, because he wanted to know about you too. after only two or three questions from him, you were comfortable talking about your life and your plans. it wasn’t difficult to do that because he didn’t judge what you said or thought, he was interested. 
it is extremely difficult to put some feelings into words, but to shorten the story: the feeling was that you had found much more than a nice person, but a connection so strong that for a minute you could believe in soul mates. not soul mates who can’t live without each other, or who are incomplete on their own, or who knew each other from other lives, as people said. not like this. you felt like you connected more than through a good conversation, or physically, but in an even deeper way.
after eating and being much more closer than before, he walked to the bus stop with you. it was time to part ways and you were already missing the unexpected date you and him had. 
“let me give you my number”, he said, right away. you felt your heart skip a beat.
“here”, you handed him your phone. he called his number so your number could show up on his phone and he saved it.
“I had a great time today”, you said, not looking directly into his eyes.
“me too”, hands on the pockets. “wasn’t it unexpected? how we met today.”
“yeah, I had no idea we had mutual friends.”
“neither did I, even though my friends know a lot of people”, he smiled. “but it was a nice surprise to see you again.”
you finally looked at him. his eyes were affectionate, just like everything about him.
“then we should see each other again”, you said.
“then don’t go”, he joked, but he was also saying the truth. “you can call me, ok?”
“I’ll be waiting for your call, too”
“I’ll do it at the moment I ride the bus”, he said and you smiled. 
you got closer to him, your arms touching his. why wait? slowly, you touched his arms and placed yourself into them. you hugged him and he hugged you back, trying to hold on from not holding you closer and tighter. you felt his head touching yours. 
you and yoongi were so close that when you separated from the embrace, it was inevitable that the faces wouldn’t touch. then, without thinking too much, the two of you leaned in sync for a kiss. his gentle and warm lips touching yours, warming not only your face but your whole body. yoongi’s right hand stroked your hair and the side of your face, which made you forget everything else. he smiled when he noticed you liked the kiss. yes, you liked the kiss and you liked him. you liked to spend time with him. you could forget the bus, but it was almost arriving. your hand touched his neck and you left a last kiss on his pink small lips, noses touching.
autumn, 3 years ago
in one year together, a lot happened to you and yoongi. a lot of great things. you had dated before, but no one could ever compare to him. he was something else, he was special. he could be a very serious and focused guy when working, fun and affectionate when with you. was it possible not to love him? not to want to spend your whole life with him?
the way he holds you, kisses your cheeks with his pink lips, buries his face on your neck, caresses your hair. the way he tells you beautiful things, talks to you about his feelings, plays the piano while you’re around, watches the corniest movies with you and make fun of every cheesy line of it.
he doesn’t say he loves you all the time, because he shows it through every single thing he does for you and with you. but when he says it, he’s so sure, so intense, you could marry him right away. 
“you look tired”, he said, as tired as you after a long day of work.
“it’s because I am”, you smiled looking at him. you two were cuddling on the sofa. 
“do you want to eat?”
“no, I’m fine”, you touched his hair. “how about you?”
“as long as I’m with you I’m good”, he hid his face on your neck so his voice was barely audible.
you caressed his hands until he looked at you again, then leaning to a kiss. he loved when you kissed him first, he once said it (and never again, because he was shy to admit sometimes, but you knew it just by the way he smiled when your lips touched). he touched your arm, shoulder, neck, until his fingers were placed comfortably in your hair. he kissed you slowly and when your lips parted, still close enough, he looked at you and said “I love you”. he meant that. he always did. he meant it with his gentle touch, kisses, hugs, words, and even when he didn’t say anything but cared for you in so many ways. “please, just stay forever”, you whispered against his lips. he gave you a smooch. “between you and I, nothing will ever change”.
that moment lasted forever. it really felt eternal and you didn’t want to leave. you were in his apartment, which was almost half yours just by the amount of time you spent there. he gave you the password, said you could go there whenever you wanted, even if he wasn’t home. you did the same, gave your password to him, and that led you to a bunch of times he surprised you when you arrived home. wherever, to be you and him alone was the best thing in the world.
the bell rang and took you out of that moment. it was not eternal, after all. you hadn't ordered food, nobody was coming to visit. what could it be? you stayed there, sitting on the sofa, and yoongi got up to open the door, without even checking who was it through the screen next to the door. he didn't expect it to be who it was. he was too sure it was probably someone knocking on the wrong door, but it wasn't.
“jia?”, you couldn’t see who it was from where you were sitting, but he sounded very surprised.
“hey, long time no-”, she walked in and found you on the sofa, as confused as she was from that moment on, “oh, sorry.”
you got up quickly, as if you were a visitor and not the person who has been in that house almost every day in the last few months. “it’s okay”, you tried to smile.
“I’m jia”, she said.
“I’m y/n, nice to meet you”
yoongi was still there, but you almost forgot. he was the central figure in the story, the person who knew you and knew jia, yet he was immobilized behind her. you could see him from where you were and he was uncomfortable, you knew it.
“sorry, y/n, this is jia. and jia, this is... y/n”, he said, pausing before he said your name. you thought he would say who jia was and who you were, but he didn’t. “I didn’t expect you to come here”, he said to her. 
“I thought you were by yourself, that’s why I came over. I arrived last week, but I lost your number... anyway, I’m sorry for interrupting”, she looked at you and you could say she wasn’t expecting you there. for some reason you felt like you were the person who was interrupting, because something about the way jia and yoongi communicated had some kind of familiarity from long before you.
“yeah, hm... the boxes are in the bedroom”, yoongi extended his arm towards the bedroom door. his bedroom. jia excused herself and opened the bedroom door, once again with such intimacy that it felt like she lived there for a long time. still standing there, you thought: maybe she really lived.
yoongi breathed out through his mouth, running a hand through his hair.
“won’t you help her?”, you said. it came out of your lips before you even think properly. he finally looked at you.
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting it to happen... like this.”
“was it supposed to happen, then?”, you asked, looking for your bag.
“yes, she was supposed to pick up her stuff a long time ago. I was almost sending it to charity... wait, are you going?”
you tried to look at the bedroom discreetly and saw jia there, “well, she’s right now sitting on your bed, I don’t think she’ll leave too soon.”
“hey”, he knew you were uncomfortable with the situation, “I’m sorry, it really was unexpected... jia is my ex girlfriend, as you may have noticed. we broke up a long time ago and now she’s just picking up her stuff.”
“yoongi”, jia showed up with a medium box and a backpack. yoongi, who was touching your arms, stopped instantly. you noticed, of course. “I couldn’t find my perfume anywhere”
“maybe you didn’t put it in the box or it’s just not here”, he said.
“yeah... that was a good one”, she looked at him and they were communicating through their eyes, a communication you were not part of and you would not understand. “hope you’re not keeping it, huh”, she joked and laughed.
you couldn’t see very well, but yoongi smiled for a second. what was happening there? were they just very friendly? you were there. his girlfriend. why were they acting as if you were just another friend standing there, or worse, as if you weren’t even there?
“I’ll open the door for you”, he walked her to the door and you stood there. you wanted to move, but somehow you were stuck.
“see you?”, she smiled at you.
you smiled back, “see you”, even though you didn’t really mean it. 
“oh, this is heavy...”, jia said.
“is your car downstairs?”, yoongi asked, opening the door.
“no, I took a cab here. I’ll just take the bus home now. it’s not that late, right?”
you showed up next to them, bag on your shoulder. yoongi looked at you and you felt like she was indirectly asking him to take her home. 
“I can... give you a ride, I guess”, he looked at her and then at you, wondering if you were okay with that. “it only takes ten minutes, I’ll come back”
“no problem, I’m also going home”, you said.
“won’t you wait? I thought you’d-”
“stay?”, you completed the sentence, “next time. bye”
you walked out. when you reached the sidewalk, you felt weaker and hated yourself for that. it was as if the feelings were hitting you because you knew, somehow, that would lead to something bad.
winter, 3 years ago
you wish everything could be different. the arrival of jia shook everything between you and yoongi, even when you tried so hard to keep it steady. she wasn’t a bad person exactly, but she surely wanted to start over from where they stopped and you felt like an intruder. days went by and things started to get harder. firstly she showed up out of nowhere to return his old coat that was still in her stuff. then, she started to send him messages, or set up a meeting with friends from the university days so he could go too. 
you never really told him you were annoyed by this. you just questioned him a couple times and he noticed how upset you were when jia made a new move. maybe the lack of communication set you two apart. day by day, you were drifting away from him and it was harder to come back to what you two were as a couple. you stopped going to his house, started to find excuses to not meet him, because you knew everything was different for you now. 
until the day he came to your house to spend time with you. you were different, you just couldn’t be with him like before, as if by staying far from him you could avoid the inevitable heartbreak. 
“what’s going on, y/n?”, for the first time ever you saw him extremely worried and upset. 
“nothing, I just... I’m just tired, yoongi”
“you don’t tell me what’s going on anymore, we don’t go out as often as we used to, you don’t even... you don’t even kiss me like you did before.”
tears started to fall from your eyes slowly, “did you ever ask? since your ex came back, did you ever ask why was I different?”
“why is jia a problem? what’s really going on?”
“see? I am telling you! everything changed from the day she put her feet on your apartment and it felt like she was just coming back to her place. she’s finding any excuse to meet you and you’re simply going. can’t you see? she doesn’t want to be friends with you, she wants you. I just don’t want to compete for a place in your heart.” 
you didn’t know how but it all came out as a flash flood. was he really naive about her intentions or did he like it? 
“y/n...”, he hugged you and you let him do it. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“and I don’t want to be hurt. that’s why I can’t be the same anymore. I can’t be who I was because I feel like things changed.”
“please, I love you...”, he didn’t know what else to say but you could feel his heart beating fast.
“don’t say it...”, there in his arms, all your worries seemed to fade.
“there’s nothing going on between me and jia. it’s all past. please, don’t let it set us apart now.”
you walked away from the hug and looked at him. “is there something you wanna tell me?”, you knew him very well.
he sighed, sitting on the sofa. you sat by his side, still waiting. “I received my enlistment letter a while ago, before even meeting you that day. I can’t postpone it anymore, mainly now that I already achieved my academic goals. I really need to fulfill my duty, y/n.”
“wait...”, you were confused, “I thought you already completed your military service.”
“most people did... I wish I could have done it before, but I had to go through a shoulder surgery. I told you about the accident while working for the company that fired me after that. I was dealing legally for a long time to finally receive the benefits I didn't get from the company back then, and jia was helping me with this, since she’s a lawyer.”
“you should have told me.”
“yes. I should have told you since the start. I’m sorry for that... I didn’t want to worry you.”
“the only reason you postponed was the surgery?”
“no, at that time I got accept into the university and wasn’t able to stop studying for two years, because I was enjoying it so much ”, he was very sincere. “I love to study and work with music, but I know I also have to fulfill my duty now.”
to hear him say that again made it feel more real.
“when are you going?”
“next week”, he looked away while saying this.
you blinked twice, trying to understand if you heard correctly. some of it had been explained, but now a new problem has arisen. you knew, he had to serve for two years in the army. two long years. would you two be able to wait? you needed to think. the idea of seeing him just a couple times during the year, how would you deal with it?
he pulled you into a hug again and then whispered, “I’m sorry”, and you almost didn’t hear it. he hugged you so tight, you wanted to cry. cry because of everything, cry because of him, because of you, because of the love you were feeling.
“will we be able to do it?”, you looked at him, still into his arms. 
he touched your face and looked into your eyes. you knew his eyes very well and you could notice the sadness in them. “I don’t want to be apart”.
“neither do I.”
but how would you manage it? he didn’t know. none of you did. you only knew you wanted him – would that be enough for the two years ahead? so many questions. you shut all of them by kissing him like before, like you missed him already.
summer, 2 years ago
since you lost contact with yoongi, you were trying to move on day by day. breaking up wasn’t the only solution, but you and yoongi decided it was the best. you met him one day before he enlisted and had a great time together, as friends. 
you talked to him once in a while, when he sent a text or a picture, and it made your hear race because of the notification. you met your friends in common, even met jia on a store, which was surprisingly nice. but of course, even moving on, even finding things to do on your own, even not being in bad terms with him, you couldn’t stop thinking about him and wondering: did he think of you too? would you even meet him again?
you didn’t know, but he always thought of you. he thought about sending you a text or a picture when he had time to use his phone, but maybe it wasn’t the best option since you were living a life without him now. he was thinking of you while you were thinking of him. missing each other and wondering without answers. 
on a day off, he was walking by the same street you two hang out on that summer day, for the first time. he didn’t know you were there too, just like you didn’t know he was there, but for a second you thought you saw him.
winter, months ago
how could you watch the grinch and those cheesy rom-coms without thinking of him? you smiled, wanting to send him a picture of your tv. “hey, guess what I’m watching for the 2397473rd time?”, you almost typed. does he have time off on christmas or... has he been discharged already? no, maybe he’s busy, you thought.
he was home that night, by himself. drinking wine, eating and, yes, watching tv. searching for the grinch or any new rom-com to watch, even though he didn’t really enjoy those at first. but because of you and the memories you two created together, those kind of movies made him feel good, have a good laugh and think of you. 
spring, nowadays
life is better on spring – that’s what you always thought. just by walking and seeing the cherry blossoms painting the world in pink made you feel like a brand new person. you were feeling good, having a nice time, feeling the spring breeze on your hair. for the first time in a while, you weren’t overthinking anything, your mind was completely in that moment.
it was 4pm, you finished all your work for that day and it was time to go home, take a bath, maybe hang out with your friends later... you were open to other possibilities. when you approached the avenue, the pedestrian crossing traffic light turned red and you remained standing, holding the bag with both hands in front of your body. you were looking at nothing in particular, but when your eyes briefly passed over the faces of people across the avenue, a face caught your eye.
under the golden light of that time of day, yoongi was standing in front of you. many meters away, but still in front of you. you would walk to the side he was on, he would walk to the side where you were and your paths would cross in the middle of the avenue. maybe he would pretend he didn't see you, or maybe you would. but was it possible to pretend when it was written on your faces how surprised you were to see each other again?
the traffic light was now green for the pedestrians and everything seemed to happen in slow motion. you started walking and then lost sight of him. for a second you thought you would stop in the middle of the avenue, just to look for him, but you were still walking to the other side. 
when all the people walked by and you were reaching the sidewalk on the side he was on, you saw him. standing in the same place, one hand in his pocket and the other holding his cell phone and wallet. looking at you. a strong breeze made some flowers come off the tree and it looked like a movie scene, those beautiful ones. was it fate? was that moment meant to be?
you were finally by his side, on the sidewalk, and felt his gaze on you. you always thought that, if you saw him, your first impulse would be to hug him again, but no – something stopped you. 
“hey”, he said first.
“hi”, you answered. “nice to see you”
“I’m- hm, nice to see you too. how are you?”
“I’m fine, yeah”, you brushed a strand of hair away from your face. “and you? how’s life going?”
you knew he finished his service months ago because a friend in common posted a picture with him. 
“great, I got a new job after completing my service”, he was still talking when a very hurried person accidentally bumped on your shoulder. then yoongi touched your arm lightly, so that the two of you would move away from that busy area a little.
“this is great news! I’m happy that now you’ll be able to keep working with what you like the most.”
“yeah, right? well... I’d love to hear about you too. maybe we can see each other anytime?”
you just needed five seconds of courage and less pride. now or never, you thought.
“do you have time?”, you heard the words coming out of your mouth.
“now?”, you could see he was surprised, but not in a bad way. 
“yes. maybe”
“I do”, he said, “let’s go somewhere, then”
“I need to buy some stuff, if you don’t mind”
“no problem”, he said with a smile on his face. you knew it because you looked at him quickly, smiling too. you two were walking side by side, trying to avoid eye contact and craving for looking at each other at the same time. it would take just a few minutes for you two to start feeling comfortable again, after all this time. you knew it because it was like this since the first time you met him and, years later, it surely didn’t change.
it was a spring day again; you missed him and he missed you. but now you were face to face.
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fiddlepickdouglas · 3 years
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Viva Las Vegas, Pt. 10 - Clean This Up
Summary: Sunset Curve Alive AU, Willex, who is he really?, 2.9k
@trevor-wilson-covington is the bestie who makes these lovely edits, we stan supportive friends
WARNINGS: abuse, mild violence
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9
Alex had said to check the diner, so Victoria opted to have dinner there and asked to see the owner. She was aware of the vigilante-style work she was doing, but with everything else going on in her life, this couldn’t possibly hurt any worse. Folding her hands, she breathed calmly as she peeked at the menu. It was important not to act as authoritative as she usually did, she reminded herself. A portly man with short gray hair and a mustache came over and took the seat across from her.
“Hi there,” the man said, shaking Victoria’s hand. “What can I do for you?”
“Hi, I’m Victoria Molina,” she introduced herself. “I was actually trying to find someone and I was told you could help me.”
The man raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“Oh, alright. Who are you looking for?”
“I’m looking for a young man of about seventeen, he goes by Willie? I was told he works here. I just have some questions for him. Would he happen to be in at all today?”
“We don’t have anyone named Willie here anymore,” the man told her. “I actually just bought this establishment along with the hotel about two weeks ago and a few of the staff followed the previous owner to a different business. You might want to talk to him instead.”
“Oh,” Victoria sat back in slight disappointment. “I take it you’re not Caleb Covington?”
“No, he’s the guy I bought it from. I’m Frank Wolfe. I can give you his contact information, though.”
Nodding, she smiled politely.
“I would appreciate that. Sorry I had to come bother you, though.”
“Not at all,” he said. “I apologize that I can’t be any more useful. If you like, I can take your order.”
“Oh, thank you. I’ll actually have the carne asada.”
“Perfect,” he smiled as he took her menu away. “I’ll have that information for you in just a minute, too.”
Taking a gulp of water, Victoria sighed. It certainly felt just like any regular case. The fact the business had recently changed hands made her want to be suspicious, but she fought to remain level-headed. It was enough that she was going off the word of a teenage boy and an old poster. If it was a dud, if this trip led nowhere, she would buy Carlos a gift and head home safe and sound.
After finishing her meal, she returned to her hotel room and pulled out the business card Frank Wolfe had given her. Something about the dark purple design and the old-fashioned lettering he’d chosen made her feel like Caleb Covington was at least a little pretentious, if not flashy about his business. Picking up the phone and dialing the number, she held her breath waiting for an answer.
“Caleb Covington, who may I be speaking to?” a baritone voice chimed on the other end. The touch of sing-song in his tone was unexpected.
“Hi, my name is Victoria,” she introduced herself for the second time that night. “I was told you were the guardian of a young man named Willie?”
“Are you with social services?” he asked.
She furrowed her brow. “I’m sorry?”
“I usually only get a call when we have a hearing scheduled, but our last one was just a couple months ago.” His tone had gone from happy to serious at such a jarring speed it took Victoria a moment to process his words.
“No,” she said finally. “No, I’m not with them. I didn’t mean to confuse you. I’m actually reaching out on a personal favor. See another young man I know says they met a while back.”
“Oh, is it the band that came through a few weeks ago?” Caleb immediately picked the cheer back up.
“Yes, I’m glad you remember,” she responded, surprised.
“How are those boys doing?”
“Oh, they’re just fine. I think they’re gonna be a success.”
“Good to hear it,” he said. “Listen, no harm done. I own a swanky little club just in the south of town. I would be delighted if you gave me a visit, and I’d be happy to chat.”
“Sounds great, thank you,” Victoria smiled, unable to believe how easy that felt. “I can stop by tomorrow evening.”
“Wonderful. If it isn’t too much, I’ll make you a reservation.”
“Well, I can’t say no to such generosity!” It had been a long time since Victoria had gone on a night out. This was a much needed vacation, and if it killed two birds with one stone, all the better. She said goodbye and decided since she was practically getting everything she needed at the club, the rest of the day would be spent treating herself for once.
Willie skateboarded up the driveway and only just remembered Caleb’s rule about the pool in time to hop off before pulling off his helmet and going around the back. He took the back route into the house and dropped a number of grocery bags on the counter. One of these days he would age out of the foster system and not spend the morning being Caleb’s errand boy, but for now he just laid Caleb’s credit card on the table and went outside toward his shed.
Opening the door, he saw Caleb standing in the middle of the room, looking around at all of his drawings. Paper covered most of the walls now. Faces with no names to them, locations with no map to their destination - only snippets of a past life. Willie couldn’t stop drawing them. There still weren’t many memories returning to him, but any detail was an important one. He hadn’t drawn this much in ages, since before he found Sheldon. The backwards dream had become a recurring one by now, and there was still very little that he understood about it. Still, he had so many scenes made out of it that he could almost recreate the dream in a very rough animation.
“Hi C-Caleb,” Willie stammered. This never happened. It made him immediately nervous.
“What a collection, William,” Caleb said, not exactly sounding like an awed patron in a museum. “I mean, the sheer volume of work that went into these is absolutely mind-blowing.”
A small pebble of pride rose in Willie’s chest.
“Really?.... Um, thank you.” He couldn’t suppress his smile.
Caleb held up a hand and looked down at his well-manicured nails, and then back up.
“I just don’t understand why I look so hostile in this one,” he said, pointing to the picture in question. “And that one. And all of these in this corner.” His gaze returned to Willie with unprecedented menace.
Willie immediately shrank away, his mouth gaping open.
“Well...I..they’re from a dream.”
“A dream?” Caleb repeated, not liking what he was hearing.
“Yeah, I think it was a memory.”
Willie watched the man straighten his posture, a calculating expression on his face.
“Are these all memories?” Caleb asked after a tense moment, casting his eyes about the room.
“I think so,” Willie said hesitantly.
Caleb lifted a hand and grabbed the bottom of one. It was the first one WIllie had done of his dad sitting inside the truck and smiling at him.
“Hm,” was all that he said for a second.
And then he tore it in half.
Willie made toward the picture in alarm, feeling a part of him inside being torn just the same, but was stopped as Caleb held a hand out.
“Ah ah,” he said. “What have I told you about becoming your own person regardless of the past?” He took a handful of another drawing and ripped that one too.
Ignoring what Caleb said, Willie lunged forward to try stopping him anyway. Caleb was faster, grabbing his shirt and tossing him backward into the wall. He couldn’t help but begin crying.
“But these are my memories, why would you - ” he sputtered, lost for words.
“Because, William,” Caleb continued loudly, pulling as many as he could off the wall and shredding them into smaller pieces. “Your history? The one full of loss and being shuffled here and there? That is all that awaits you. You know it’s the truth; that’s how you ended up here. I offer you the opportunity to become a new person, and I can’t allow you to spoil yourself with reminders. And besides, those little friends you not-so-secretly made a few weeks ago have started snooping around in my business, and I can’t have that.”
He didn’t even pick anything up, he just left paper strewn all over the floor and walked all over it. As he made for the last wall, Willie made one more attempt to overpower him. He leapt onto Caleb’s shoulders and tried to pull him back with all his weight. A fist landed in his eye and he slacked his grip. Caleb wrestled him onto the bed and held him down, a crazed look in his eye that Willie swore he’d never seen no matter how familiar it felt.
“I don’t understand, what do they have to do with it? Why can’t I have friends?”
“I’m doing this for your own good,” Caleb hissed at him. “You” - he reached up and touched the scar on Willie’s head with his finger - “You got a reboot and you know how many people are lucky enough for that? You should thank me. Unfortunately, you can’t have friends when they send someone asking me questions about that little past of yours. That’s just asking for trouble.”
All Willie could do was hold his eye and lay back as Caleb tore up the last of the drawings. Once he finished, Caleb patted himself off and made his way out the door.
“Clean this up,” he told Willie. “And don’t bother doing any more art.”
As the door shut behind him, Willie scrambled onto the floor to search for just one of the drawings. Shuffling through smudged pieces of paper, he saw a few tears drop onto his ruined work. Eventually, he held the picture of his father in two pieces in his hands. Sobbing, he tried to hold them together evenly, but Caleb’s work had made that hard to do. His only hope was to try drawing it again, but he was already terrified of what Caleb’s reaction to that would be if his first one had been this.
A piece of another drawing caught Willie’s eye from underneath. He recognized Caleb’s snarling face from the dream and was surprised at how well it captured what he’d just witnessed. His mind went back to the way he knew the look in Caleb’s eyes. Suddenly, the awful realization dawned on him: he finally understood the dream.
Victoria walked into the club that evening, glad she had taken the time to look and feel fresh. This place was clearly up to snuff and then some. A live band played with dancers scattered throughout, all in bright, sparkly, feathery getup. A tall man with neatly styled dark hair was mesmerizing the crowd as he sang, keeping the energy high. As she was led to a table, Victoria simply sat and watched, greatly impressed with the talent.
Once the man’s solo finished, he bowed, gestured at the band to play on without him, and exited the stage. To Victoria’s surprise, he took the seat directly across from her.
“Ms. Victoria, you look so lovely, how are we this evening?” he asked with a charming smile. “I’m Caleb Covington.”
“Are you kidding me?” she started. “That was you up there? You’re a man of many talents; I’m already dazzled.”
“Oh, well, I hope that remains a constant while you’re here,” he said. "But you came to ask me about some other things, what were they?”
“Yes, I had some questions about Willie.”
Willie sat outside the bodega, unwilling to move for a while. He felt like everything inside of him was empty, as if Caleb had possessed claws and dug everything out until he was left hollow. The many ideas that had risen in his mind in the past few hours were all too much, all at once. If he dared, was he sure he could handle everything that might come his way? Every time he’d heard that ridiculous speech about starting over, becoming his own, yada-yada, he hadn’t considered any of the options he was now contemplating.
He’d already done some things. Already bought some things. Now he got up to collect Sheldon and held him tightly as he nodded to Escobar, who saluted him back. The man had said he didn’t want a dramatic thank you. Stuffing the items he purchased in his bag, he kept a hold of Sheldon as he skated off into the darkness.
“So, you see, Willie isn’t missing. He was abandoned,” Caleb was saying to Victoria. “Poor thing has struggled to adjust. I’ve dealt with some handfuls in the past, but I really have been doing the most for him, and he’s been with me for more than three years. I think it’s really sweet of those boys to raise a concern, and I hate to be a dead end, but that’s the truth of it.”
Victoria sat, nodding in acceptance.
“That makes a lot of sense, Mr. Covington, thank you for providing that for me.”
“Oh, call me Caleb. We’re all friends in here.”
“Okay, then, Caleb,” she corrected. “What got you into foster care?”
He put a hand over his heart and a fond look came over him.
“The youth are just full of so much magic, and I hate to see that their parents have chosen to lay it to waste. I’m the one who takes some of the tougher cases so I can bring out the best in them. You see that young man over there, Dante?” Caleb pointed at one of the dancers. “Classic rebel when he was young. You wouldn’t even know, he’s turned into such a gentleman. There’s a few more here and there in the club. I call them my graduates.”
“Well, I will tell you,” Victoria said. “When I first talked to you on the phone I wasn’t expecting you to be so generous. But now I can see that it’s just how you are.”
Caleb shot her a playful smile.
“Victoria, no need to butter me up. I do have some tight business practices to keep up.”
Fluid poured over every inch of the shed. Willie had made sure it was more than enough to get things going. He’d made sure to get the essentials: food for himself and Sheldon, a few changes of clothes, and a stash of money he’d taken from the safe in Caleb’s bedroom. The man shouldn’t have given him the combination in the first place.
Stepping out of the shed he looked at it one last time. What a sad, lousy existence. Living to perform for this man who shut him up inside this little thing and he had actually called it home? The further he was into his plan, the bolder he began to feel. He remembered when he had missed getting into the Pearl and that feeling of wrongness that had made him so frustrated. This feeling he had right now? It was so right. It was so right it drowned out anything scary about this whole idea.
He looked back at where he had put Sheldon on a small leash and tied him along the fence around Caleb’s backyard. It was definitely a safe distance. Then Willie pulled a box of matches out of his pocket, lit one, and looked at the flame for a minute. He held it just over the threshold of the doorway so it would land inside. It was so weak, like he had been ever since his accident. But he knew it was going to become so powerful, and he desperately hoped that he could retain some of that power for himself.
“Clean this up, Caleb,” he said, and he let his fingers go.
Victoria had stayed just a little longer to enjoy more food and music before standing up and heading toward the door. Caleb saw her on her way out and made her stop for a moment.
“It’s been a lovely night, and I’m grateful for everything you told me,” she said to him.
“Well I’m glad you took the opportunity to see what I have here,” he replied. “If you’re ever in the city again, please stop by. We’re always partying and putting on the best show.”
“Oh, I most certainly will,” she said, smiling as she made her way outside.
Someone tapped on Caleb’s shoulder from behind. Wordlessly, he turned to see who it was and why it was important.
“Sir,” one of his servers said. “You have a phone call. It’s the fire department.”
“What?” Caleb spat as he went to pick it up.
Willie sped along on his board the best that he could with Sheldon in his arms. He carefully made it down the ramp onto the freeway, controlling his speed as well as he could. He could picture Caleb now, just getting back to his home, eyes wide as he came upon the blaze. It was a very strange feeling, but right now Willie chose to focus on his newfound freedom. The cost wasn’t the matter right now. Freedom was all that was going to take him and his cat as far as they could go. The destination for now was Los Angeles.
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cheri-translates · 3 years
Text
[CN] Lucien’s R&S - The victim who disappeared (Eng Translation)
🍒This R&S (消失的遇难者) was part of the Dream Heart Lake event which will unlikely come to EN🍒
Angst warning!
More Lucien R&S from this event:
> regarding what books don’t say (important to read this first!)
> my love rival older brother
> the victim who disappeared ♡
> since that rainy night
[ Chapter One ]
Recently, the girls in the precinct have been addicted to a variety program called “Miracle Finder”. When it’s time for lunch, there’d be a bunch of them piling in front of the computer screen, watching and exclaiming.
Filled with curiosity, I lean over to take a look. The girls immediately stop me, recommending it fervently.
“Captain Fan, do you watch this program too?”
“This week’s guest is Professor Lucien. He looks so handsome!”
I shake my head in resignation. “You girls only know how to look at appearances the whole day.”
“Captain Fan, you can’t say that! Our Professor Lucien became a neurologist at a very young age.”
“Exactly, exactly! He’s also a guest professor at Loveland University!”
“Sigh. If I had such a handsome teacher back then, I’d have definitely worked hard.”
Watching the girls chat, I can’t help but tease them. “Don’t all of you have an even more handsome-looking superior? It isn’t too late to start working now.”
The moment I finish speaking, their exclamations completely cover my words. Seems like the young and gifted “Professor Lucien” they’ve been talking about has appeared on the screen. Seeing his refined manner and gentle appearance, I actually feel a sense of familiarity.
“Hurry and look! Even Captain Fan is dazed!”
“We were right, weren’t we? Doesn’t he have an especially good temperament!”
The crinkled and smiling eyes of that boy in my memories overlap with the person on screen. That unresolved case which almost disappeared finally has a favourable turn after so many years. Even though I know that the chances are slim, I still wish to grasp this new lead.
“What’s his name again?”
“Oh? Wasn’t Captain Fan completely uninterested just now?” The girls notice the change in my attitude, becoming enthusiastic in an instant. They start introducing him, their words pouring out in an unceasing torrent. “His name is Lucien, a neurologist who returned after studying abroad. I heard that the thesis he released at twenty was published in an internationally renowned science magazine...”
“Isn’t he just as intelligent as that boy?” I mutter softly, the hope in my heart brightening by a few notches.
Although the name doesn’t fit, if that child managed to survive after that incident 19 years ago, it feels as though he would have gone down such a life path.
“Uncle has worked very hard. Kid, have you been doing your best over the years too?”
Even though I’m unable to find concrete evidence to make public the incident 19 years ago, the least I could do is to shed some light on the truth concerning that kid and his family. 
In the midst of a cruel reality mixed with tears and blood, and the truth which cannot be found, the me of the past finally decided to step out of the days of living in a wasteland, plunging deeper into a depthless pool of truth.
-
[ Chapter Two ]
At night, I dreamt of that day yet again.
It was that boy’s 7th birthday.
Early in the morning on that day, he had headed out with his parents. Before he left, he specially gave me an invitation card to his birthday party in the evening.
He rarely revealed the innocent smile a kid should have. Instead, his mouth remained merciless, saying something unadorable. “I’ve already spoken with my dad. Tonight, he can tell you how to play chess. If you don't improve in your chess skills, I won’t know how to play with you anymore.”
I snatched the invitation card in his hand in an impolite manner, deliberately provoking him. “You’ll have to make do with it, little genius. I’m the only one who’s willing to play with you.”
In a huff, he ran over to where his parents were waiting for him not afar off. Taking their hands, they left while talking and laughing.
I rarely saw this busy couple accompanying their child outside over the weekend. They must have taken a day off from work specially for his birthday.
“Kid, have fun!”
“Mm.”
“Also, happy birthday!”
“Thank you, Brother Fan.”
His parents and him turned around to wave goodbye at me, the three of their smiles under the sunlight, sparkling and bright.
On hindsight, I should have given him his present then.
It was a sci-fi novel which was popular amongst kids, and I’d frequently see children gathered in the yard discussing it together. Although I didn’t know if that kid liked reading other books aside from those profound science materials, I felt it wouldn’t hurt for him to engage with things people his age liked.
He was still a child. From the bottom of my heart, I hoped that he could live a little more like a child.
However, this wish that I never said aloud was completely shattered by that car accident.
That evening, which should have filled with presents, cake, and the sound of birthday songs, only welcomed pattering and whistling rain, as well as blood stains on the asphalt road which couldn’t be washed off even with a scrub.
Sirens from the ambulance and police cars intertwined. Mixed with the sharp cries of passers-by, they composed the saddest and shrillest background music.
-
[ Chapter Three ]
“Oh my goodness, that’s so horrifying! Those two people are covered in blood!”
“Let’s leave, it’s too pitiful.”
The crowd in the surroundings remarked in soft voices, showing sympathy towards the victims they weren’t acquainted with.
The incident happened on the road outside our estate. After receiving the task, I rushed over to the scene. When I saw the names of the casualties, I was both shocked and had a flicker of hope in my heart, praying that they were people who happened to share the same names. However, after confirming the identities of the two bodies underneath the white cloth, coldness rushed through my body--
Those were the parents of the little genius.
In just the blink of an eye, the couple who had greeted me with warm smiles had turned ice cold, lying in a pool of blood. I didn’t dare to imagine how such a young kid would be able to face such a cruel reality, and my insuppressible tears, along with the rain, drenched my face.
The captain came over to pat me on the shoulder, consoling me with a lowered voice. “Settle your emotions, and do a proper investigation.”
I nodded my head silently, lifting my hand to wipe my tears away. After that, I started taking down records of what the witness had to say.
The witness was a boss of a news-stand nearby, around 45 years of age. He was in a state of fright, hugging his elbows and shivering.
I asked if he needed a rest before supplementing the record, but he shook his head repeatedly, saying that it’d be better to record it early, since he wouldn’t want to recollect such a horrifying image afterwards.
According to his description, the cause of the accident was a large truck which had lost control. It was yet to be confirmed whether the reason for the loss of control was due to a human error, or the slippery road.  
After realising that there was an issue with the truck, the driver had frantically tried to turn. But in the end, it still ended up hitting the family of three who were walking on the zebra crossing.
The three of them were sent flying a great distance. The places where they fell turned into pools of blood not long after.
As for what happened after, the boss of the news-stand expressed that he didn’t pay attention due to fright.
After handing him over to the medical personnel to console his emotions, I continued making notes for the next witness.
The images described by all the witnesses were virtually the same. From the various indications of the scene, this tragedy could have been a normal traffic accident.
When I finished making the records, the scene was more or less cleaned up. After wrapping up my work, I inquired about which hospital the boy was taken to. But I was notified that no injured child was found on the scene.
“How’s that impossible! That sketchbook over there belongs to him! That boy suffered such grave injuries - where else could he have gone!”
Agitatedly, I pointed at the exhibits collected, one of them a sketchbook coated in blood. At a glance, I recognised it as the book that boy would carry with him all day. That’s because the flower garland on the cover was a work he was proud of, and it was exactly the same as the one drawn on his birthday invitation card this morning.
He was definitely at the scene when the accident happened. Also, he definitely couldn’t have left on his own.
“Has the scene been investigated? Are there any other suspicious areas or areas we’ve overlooked?”
"Didn’t all the witnesses say there was a family of three at the scene? There’s definitely one more kid!”
“How much time passed after the incident before the scene was cordoned off? Could the kid have been taken away before that?”
I tossed out points of contention in succession, but the expressions of my colleagues remained confused and blank. In a moment of anxiousness, I burned with impatience and went to check the surveillance tape on my own. However, I didn’t notice any suspicious people entering or exiting the scene before or after the incident.
I didn’t have a single clue regarding his whereabouts, and could only hold onto hope as I contacted his relatives one by one.
They were generally not from the city. Most of them didn’t even know that the family had met with an accident, much less the whereabouts of the boy. After consoling their emotions, I hang up dejectedly, turning back to the scene of the incident.
The police cars stationed around earlier had long since left, and traces left on the asphalt road had been washed clean by the rain. Everything returned to peace and quiet, as though nothing had happened. Only the lingering grief served as a reminder that it wasn’t over yet--
The sudden car accident, the missing child, the ignorant relatives - all of these seemed to remind me that this wasn’t a simple traffic incident.
Without any orderliness, I started investigating the vicinity, imagining countless times for that smart fellow to suddenly lunge out from a dark corner, telling me that this whole thing was just a prank he pulled.
However, that didn’t happen. Even after checking every corner of the large streets and small alleys, I ended up empty-handed.
In the end, I sat down tiredly along the side of the road, looking at the pitch-black sky as it started turning into a grey dawn.
Although it was dawn, the truth of the matter would forever be hidden in that dark night.
All my hopes and hopelessness fell into pieces, leaving behind a maze of doubts, akin to a dense fog.
-
[ Chapter Four ]
On the morning of the second day, without even washing my face, I headed to the news-stand to buy various newspapers, looking through them seriously to search for any reports on the matter.
As it was temporarily classified as a normal traffic accident, the length of all the articles were very short. Also, they were placed in nondescript corners.
I closed the final set of newspapers, realising in disappointment that none of them mentioned the missing child.
It’s as though he had evaporated from the world. Aside from me, no one else remembered his existence. 
I couldn't stand for the case to be closed just like this, and finally understood the anxiety family members felt when they asked for our help in conducting investigations. As long as it was related to a living person, there wasn’t anything not worth investigating.
With a determination to investigate the matter and leave no stone unturned, I once again returned to the scene of the accident. I asked around the small shops along the roadside, hoping to obtain just a tiny hint.
Heaven will not disappoint the person who tries. From the lips of an owner of the shop facing the zebra crossing, I received an important lead which wasn’t brought up before - a black car.
“When the accident occurred, I was busy, and even had a scare when I heard the truck braking. By the time I set down my stuff to watch, the police cars and ambulance weren’t here yet. But a black car was stationed here for quite some time.”
Regarding this lead, I first expressed shock. Then, I had doubts.
Based on the surveillance tape I watched on the day of the incident, no suspicious cars appeared. If this person deliberately toggled with the surveillance footage to capture the kid, the remaining investigations would likely be a bitter struggle.
“Why did he take the kid away?”
“Could there be a conspiracy behind this?”
That black car had taken both the truth and that boy, disappearing into thin air.
The scene I had witnessed, the images depicted by the witnesses, the true footage of that surveillance tape, pieces of evidence which weren’t able to fit together, created paradoxes. The entire incident was akin to a vicious cycle, tangled and complicated, twisting and turning, unable to grasp a hint of it, and left one spinning around on a superficial level.
In the end, the police classified this matter as a normal traffic incident. And I could only continue investigating in the dark.
-
[ Chapter Five ]
Many years passed. From a small police officer who had accomplished nothing, I struggled and worked hard, becoming a captain who solved countless cases.
Even so, the unresolved case concerning that boy hasn’t had a breakthrough.
Over ten years, I found some leads, but they would ultimately be flawed fragments. And along with the passage of time, they’ve eroded even more.
This time, the person called “Lucien” was probably the finally hope of this case.
-
I visit Loveland University over the weekend, asking the kids about this “Professor Lucien”, but receive scant results even after a long while. He’s indeed very popular amongst students. But regarding his personal life, everyone expressed that they weren’t clear about it.
“Then again, which student would be so free to ask about a teacher’s personal life?” With a wry smile, I take a seat at the resting area of the math building. Without realising it, someone sits beside me. While feeling puzzled over why someone would choose to sit next to a middle-aged uncle when there are so many other empty chairs around, I see the face of the person I was looking for.
“Lucien?!”
“I heard from the students that you were asking about me. So I thought, why not let you ask me in person directly?” His tone is as calm as what I saw in the program, but I can vaguely sense a hint of irritation.
“Please don’t get the wrong idea. I didn’t mean to offend you.” I find an excuse on the fly. “It’s just that after watching your program, there were some issues I didn’t quite understand, and wanted to consult you.”
He listens patiently to the many unorganised questions I have, and explains them thoroughly. That look of concentration makes me think about the boy again.
Finally, I can no longer contain myself. When I’m about to bid farewell to him, I ask, “It might be a little presumptuous of me, but could I ask if you’ve always been living abroad since young?”
There doesn’t seem to be much change in his expression, but he raises his eyebrows slightly.
“In that case, could I be also be presumptuous and ask why you have such a question?
Since things have already reached this stage, I decide that there’s no longer a need to conceal anything. So I tell him the honest truth. “You kind of resemble a kid I used to know, but he’s gone missing.”
Upon hearing this, a sadness dyes his eyes in an instant. He lowers his eyes, his expression sad, as though he had also once known that pitiful child. “I feel deeply sorry for that child... but it’s a shame that I’m not the person you’re looking for. From the moment I could remember, I’ve been living in an orphanage.
“Ah... sorry about that.” I feel uncomfortable knowing that I’ve rubbed someone else’s sore spot. As though he’s talking about matters pertaining to somebody else, he says relaxedly, “It’s all right. I hope you can find that child soon.”
His eyes really do resemble the boy. It’s just that he’s much more modest in how he conducts himself. I increasingly hope that if the boy were still living on this earth, he must definitely be a person who is just as well-liked.
“Many years have passed. To tell you the truth, I think whether or not I find him isn’t that important.” I look into the distance, making a wish from the bottom of my heart. “I just hope that in a corner of the world, he’s living happily and well.”
After Lucien hears this, he chuckles lightly. “I’m almost envious of that boy - that he was able to meet a kind-hearted person who would think of him even after such a long time.”
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pearl-blue-musings · 3 years
Text
Perchance to Meet pt. 5
...hey...how yall doing??
Pairing: Aizawa Shouta x fem!Reader
Warnings: some angst, assault although slight it’s still there, be careful of the company you keep
Part 6
Masterlist
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sports festival came and went in flash, despite not being able to see as well as he would have liked. Aizawa was incredibly proud of his students, regardless of how unorthodox and rambunctious they all were. Heck, he even found a potential protégé from the general studies course that he couldn’t wait to tell-
Oh that’s right.
The extra key that was thrown at him weighs heavier in his pocket as Present Mic helps him walk away from the sound booth. It’d been two weeks since he’d last seen (Y/n) and heard from her. The man isn’t surprised, he did use all the stops to make her leave, break her in a way that only those close to her had the ability to. Did he mean all the words he had said to her? Hell no. He had been trying to put her first, something new and unfamiliar in his life, but the safety of his students and his job as an underground hero came first. And she knew that. At least, that’s what he tells himself.
He’s doing his best to act like everything is okay, which isn’t hard for the stoic man to do. But those closest to him know how much he’s really hurting. Aizawa figured moving on to the sports festival was not only best for the school but for his students and the well being of others around him. He knew it would be a tough decision; placing the woman he loved more than anything behind his career and livelihood was a choice he never thought he had to make.
He didn’t even hesitate to put his own feelings aside for the good of everyone else. He didn’t hesitate to hurt the one person who fell into life and fit into it so easily; did it like it was nothing.
The tears he doesn’t shed are the most painful ones he feels within his heart. And that feeling will keep nicking at him until he does something or they fade away. He silently hopes for the latter.
**********
It was hard seeing him on every television. The U.A. sport festival was a sight sorely to be missed. (Y/n) knew that he taught class 1-A so it was nice to finally see them, but why couldn’t she had been there with him? Why couldn’t she have been there to support and celebrate his students like she wanted to do? Frustration evident on her face as she quickly turns the tv off in her apartment.
She hears a scoff behind her and remembers that Kona decided to help around the shop that day. “Hun, staring holes into the tv isn’t gonna let him know you’re angry.” She hmphs at her friend and abruptly turns off the screen.
“You’re lucky I invited you up here.”
“I wasn’t gonna let you sit and mope around forever. Not when I know we need to talk about a certain someone who’s been visiting the store almost once a week.”
“Can we not talk about him as I just saw my ex on television?”
Kona laughs and shakes his head, “I mean, the best way to get over someone is to get under someone so…” He eyes his superior smugly, knowing full well that she has considered it. A throw pillow catches his face by surprise as he now tastes cloth and velvet on his tongue. Kona growls at (Y/n) and flicks her off as he moves to her kitchen.
He hears her sigh from the couch as she sinks lower into the cushions. “It’s not like I haven’t thought about it… It’s just,” she pauses as her eyes begin to sting with threatening tears, “Shit.”
Warm tears are falling freely down her face as the hurt settles in again. “Fuck, I’m sorry for crying again,” she feels Kona hug her awkwardly from behind the couch and hears him shush and coo her. It’s hard for him to not want to cry too when he feels the sobs shake her body.
“There’s nothing for you to be sorry for. You’re hurt, and that’s not okay with me. I honestly didn’t think he would be there…” He trails off trying to gauge her emotional state at the moment. “Fuck, (Y/n) I had no idea you loved him that much, sweetie.”
She merely nods, knowing that’s all she can do at the moment.
“Hey,” he whispers, “why don’t I take some of the load off of you for the next couple of weeks?”
She turns quickly to face him, shock and awe in her eyes. “No Koko you can’t. I’ve got to work here and at the bar and-“
“And I don’t give a shit.” He snapped out that last part to notate his seriousness.  “You’ve worked harder than anyone I know.
“Take a break.”
********************
Hizashi Yamada does his best to not show his true and underlying emotions. He’s done his best to keep up his loud persona around his best friend in order to have some sort of normalcy. He knows normalcy won’t ever happen again, not with all the villain attacks and personal life issues that keep showing up. Hizashi can see in those dark pits Aizawa calls eyes that he isn’t okay.
But now that he sees him on television with their principal trying to keep the peace about one of his own students getting kidnapped, it’s more than obvious shit has hit the fan.
The blond knows all too well that his friend won’t open up about his choice to be alone. The choice he made months ago that has affected almost every aspect of his life but won’t readily admit it. Sure, his hero work, teaching, and side lessons with Shinso have been going exceptionally well but he’s not the same man he was a year ago. Hell, even five months ago.
Present Mic is fully aware that the kidnapping of one of his students broke him. Correction, it broke him down further. For his years of teaching experience, Aizawa has never had a student kidnapped and taken from a school sanctioned event, never had to apologize for it on national television, and then going to each students’ home to apologize and ask more of them. His best friend is stressed out, without anyone to go to that isn’t enamored in his world or another hero.
Moving into the mandated school dorms was just another nail into the rickety and unstable mind that was Aizawa Shouta. He’ll never admit to it, but having all these changes happen in such a short time is taking a toll on him. The bags under his eyes have somehow become darker and more bruised. Hizashi isn’t sure of the last time his friend had shaved or properly slept, considering he did what he does best.
The overly tired man throws himself into his job, his students, and his hero work. To anyone on the outside he was back to himself, giving 110%, doing the most for the best outcome and doing it all with his signature stoic face. And he’ll push. He will push and push farther deep into his heart and soul the feelings he wants kept.
That he loves her, that he misses her, that he fucked up… But he will always do what’s right and what’s best for those around him.
When it came time for another break from the norm, Aizawa’s students along with the other first years of U.A., were set to go get ready for their provisional licenses. Even when he ran into Ms. Joke, usually he’d play into their “will they or won’t they” dating banter but couldn’t find it in himself to do it fully. He wanted to focus on his class’s success, fathoming their struggles thus far and understanding how important this all is to them.
He doesn’t mention how he had wanted to do this with (Y/n) but blows that thought away.
It’s for her safety, he thinks, it’s for her safety.
Hizashi knows that Aizawa misses (Y/n) and what she brought to his life without him knowing the full affects of it. He frowns, something rare to occur, as he thinks over the events of the last month or so. Now he’s really hoping that she’ll come back or that Shouta will come to his senses before things take a drastic turn.
*********************
“Kai, I can’t thank you enough for helping me out and being here. I know you’re not the biggest fan of crowds.”
(Y/n) had been suddenly called to bartend a private party one night, which is not her usual sctick. However when she realized she was called for by name, her mind reeled at who could’ve done this and filled with panic at the thought it might be another stalker. But when she had finished preparing the bar and was met with yellow golden eyes, her mind calmed.
“It’s not just crowds, it’s touching people and their quirks. I know you understand.”
She gives the man a hearty smile as she prepares sets of drinks for his cohorts. The addition of the plague mask was new to her as he had always worn a regular mask upon entering her store. Regardless of that weird nuance about him, (Y/n) continued her duties as a bartender and caregiver. The young woman doesn’t normally close because of her pulling double duty, but when her manager mentioned the extra money in this who was she to say no?
Keeping up with Kai throughout the night kept her sane, despite the strange aura his posse or gang or whatever gave her. She figured it was better to not use her quirk based on the company Kai keeps as a way to save her soul. Kona’s words are still fresh in her mind, despite them being from months ago. Sure, she’s considered Kai Chisaki as a possible rebound, but she didn’t want to hurt someone or be hurt in return. Besides, he told her about Eri, he helped her with both of her business money wise, and was kind; she’s not going to acknowledge the eeriness of personality that she couldn’t get a grip on.
The night presses on and the private party starts to wind down. “Alright friends, it’s 1:45 meaning it is now last call for drinks! Get them before I decide for you and the club closes.” Hoots and hollers are heard after her words which cause her to giggle at their antics. Unbeknownst to her, light gold eyes don’t leave her body. His glove clad hands pick at the fabric of his jacket and gloves as his mind wanders. He knows this woman keeps Eri happy, and if Eri is happy he gets what he wants. He also knows that this club has a back alley that is hidden from most prying eyes and knowing this woman is just a bonus.
Does he have feelings for her? No, he just knows that she is a good pawn in his plan. Which makes things harder as the night comes to an end.
Chisaki takes his mob at the end of the night and leaves the club. They head out to the back where they are meeting a client to exchange a new batch of quirk enhancing blood bullet and quirk eliminating, or balancing in his opinion. He’s proud of this particular batch, Eri was most responsive and useful all because she had some of her favorite books from her favorite person.
It also didn’t hurt that she was more obedient after their run in with some new and upcoming heroes.
The brunet hates waiting. He thinks of ending his clients life as the minutes tick by in the dark of night. His thoughts rub rampant as his impatience grows by the second. He’s suddenly nudged on the shoulder by Hari Kuruno, his only trusted friend, who alerts Kai of the incoming company. The deal goes without a hitch until Kai speaks up.
“You kept me waiting longer than I would’ve liked. A balance must be put in place.”
He then walks up to one of the client’s underlings, and uses his quirk on them. Blood splatters everywhere as his eyes are unchanging and intense. The whole scene is gruesome but Chisaki rationalizes that it is necessary to establish order and punishment.
However, in the midst of that he was unable to hear the back door of the club open and close.
A shrill and disgusted scream is heard by him and his men and they immediately turn toward the source. Golden eyes narrow at the interruption and scowls, if they could be seen, adorned the faces of his cohorts. He can see that the woman he had been keeping tabs on is shaking and conflicted. She’s seen everything, the exchange, the blatant murder; there’s even some blood on her cheeks.
“Chronostasis.”
All he had to do was say that name and (Y/n) suddenly felt immobile and deathly sick. What the fuck did she just see? There’s no way he’s a terrible person, no way… But she can’t deny what she saw. Her eyes dart left to right as she sees and feels no means of escape. A cold gloved hand grips her cheeks and forces her to look at the man who currently holds her fate.
“I, I won’t say anything I swear, just please let me go Kai!”
“That’s Overhaul to you.” He doesn’t even flinch or react to her crying or her huffing, as he continues to hold her face.
“I guess you’ll get your wish, you will be able to see Eri again.”
Darkness envelopes the young woman as she loses consciousness and her body is taken to an undisclosed location.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taglist: @kiribaku-queen @cupcake-rogue @shinsouskitten @prk-pyo @therealwalmartjesus -taglist is open-
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xxgoblin-dumplingxx · 3 years
Text
I Learned That From You: Two
You sat at the counter and stared out the front window of your shop, debating the merits of closing up early. No one had been in all day, though that was surprising. The spring tourist season hadn’t started yet. There was still too much snow in the mountains for anyone but seriously outdoorsy people and those people didn’t usually come to antique stores in search of curios and depression glass. 
“What do ya say, Rocky?” you hum at the mutt, sunning himself in the window and idly watching to trickle of foot traffic, “Are we gonna head home?”
At the sound of your voice his head turned and he eyed you lazily, yawning. 
“Silly boy,” you sigh, picking up his leather leash, “C’mon. Maybe a treat.”
The word treat was, like always, a magic word. And the elderly beagle hauled himself to his feet with a soft woof and a swish of his tail. When he sits, waiting patiently for you to shove the money in your safe, you keep a running string of commentary up for him. Partly because with the shop being empty you got lonely. And partly because… well. You needed to talk but. Who else were you going to talk to? It’s not like you had a man waiting for you at home. 
“Did I tell you I saw him on the news again?” you ask the dog. 
He doesn’t answer, but he does cock his head listening. 
“Yeah. There was some fancy party or something. He looked good. Tired, though.” You sigh and glance at the dog. His big brown eyes looked, to you, slightly judgmental. “I know but…” you stop. You aren’t sure why you’re explaining yourself to someone that licks his own ass. But. You’ve never met a dog with such judgy eyebrows. “I loved him, ya know? Still love him.”
The soft grumbles from the dog make you chuckle and rub his ears. “Don’t worry, Rock,” you tell him, kissing his head, “You’re the number one man in my life… Besides. He knew me a long time ago. And I’m pretty sure he’s gotta beat women off with a stick.”
The dog huffed at you and you shook your head, “Tinder hook ups don’t count,” you snort. “I could stand on the porch and yell “come get it! And they’d line up. Especially here.”
If dogs could roll their eyes, you were sure Rocky would have and you smiled. “Let’s go, huh?”
And he didn’t need telling twice as you clipped the leash to his collar and tugged you out the door. 
You paused at the door, taking the time to engage the security system and lock it before letting Rocky pull you insistently towards the doggie boutique where they had treats he found especially tasty. “Ready for your paycheck?” you ask him, laughing as his tongue lolls out. 
Six months ago, he’d been in a shelter. Someone had dropped him off to make room for a baby or a puppy or some damn thing and because of his age, no one had wanted to take him home. But. His calm demeanor and the coloring on his eyes that made him look like he had eyebrows had been… just what you didn’t know you needed. And it had only taken a couple weeks for him to get comfortable being a shop dog. And more comfortable still getting gourmet treats and a heated doggie bed. He was old. And spoiled. And you were reasonably certain he might be your favorite person. 
“There’s my favorite customer!” The woman behind the counter said laughing, easing herself off of a stool and going to get Rocky’s favorite biscuit. “Closing up early today?” 
“Yeah,” you sigh, pulling two bottles of water from a cold case and your money out of your bag, “No tourists to sell to,” you snort. 
“Isn’t it just the pits?” she sighed, “Honestly I wish they’d hurry up.”
You smile, “No joke, Mari, no joke. Sure. Online business is fine but… god I hate the post office.”
She made a sympatheic noise, “Did you ever figure out how to ship that end table?”
You nod, grinning, “In one piece even.”
Rocky made a soft grumpy sound on the floor and you roll your eyes, taking the treat from the other woman, “Alright, ya old grump,” you tell him, “here’s your paycheck.” You hold it out to him and he takes it from your hand gently before crunching down happily.
“Ah, Happy crunching sounds,” Mari giggled, “And another satisfied customer.” She turns and goes to ring out the order. “Hey!” she said abruptly, “I just remembered. Mom wanted me to ask if you’d take a look at the old wash tub in her shed. See if you could make it into a planter or something.”
“She’s not going to use it in the produce stand any more?” you ask taking your change. 
“It’s too heave to lift,” Mari said shaking her head, “She almost threw her back out last year trying to get it set up.”
You make a soft sound of understanding and nod, “I’ll take a look at it… I may be able to some up with a good planter. Put some nice perennials in there. Make it less fuss.”
“Perfect! I’ll have her give you a call.”
“I’ll keep an eye out for it,” you tell her with a wave as Rocky, now done with everyone now that he’d had a treat, started towards the door. Making you laugh, “See you tomorrow!”
_________
At home, you sit in the kitchen, sipping a cup of tea. You aren’t entirely sure why but, the kitchen has always been your favorite room in this house. Maybe, it was because you’d spent time crafting it in to your dream kitchen. One that felt like it came from a fairytale while still having modern comforts. 
And against your better judgment you pull out your laptop. 
You’d wondered what would become of Clint. Worried for him. Cried over him. Even though you’d been the one to leave. You had grieved. The fairytale that could have been. The boy you’d loved. And now? He was a hero now… And. You’d be lying if you said that that didn’t hurt. That you weren’t reason enough to change. 
But. As your scrolled through pictures and articles, you couldn’t help but be proud. He wasn’t the boy you knew anymore. But. He was a man with a purpose. And you hoped he was happy.
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axelbluesworld · 3 years
Text
Alone in the lake
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Riley sat on the floor of her room staring at nothing, this whole week had been very stressful, and the worst thing was that Jack had died.
Many times she said that she hated most of the things that Jack did. She hadn't realized then that those little things were the most missed of him.
His irritating laugh, his constant jokes, his jokes and references to old movies, his obsession with rock and his great love for Brus Willis
Her phone rang on the ground for the third time in the last hour, but she didn't bother to pick it up because she knew exactly who the call was from.
Mac had been calling her all day, and all she did was ignore him, she didn't want to talk to him or anyone else unless it was Jack, but he was gone.
She tries to suppress her feelings and let go of the worst pain, which is extremely difficult.
Without realizing it, tears were already falling freely down her cheeks after almost 3 years, and the only time she was able to see him again was from inside a coffin.
Once again, her phone vibrated on the ground, and finally, giving up, she decided to answer.
"What do you want, Mac?" she asked
"I just wants to talk to you Riles, I need to know how you are," Mac said.
"I'm completely fine, you don't have to worry," Riley said calmly.
"Riles ..." before Mac could say anything else, she hung up.
She hit her head against the wall and groaned in annoyance. She wasn't sure who she was upset with, she just knew she was upset.
At that moment she hated the whole world for every second she was away from Jack, she was sad, angry and hurt.
She didn't know how long it had been since she was sitting on the ground and she didn't care at the time.
Suddenly, she heard a sound coming from the hall, immediately became alert and walked to see who it was.
She picked up a baseball bat from her room and walked down the hall. She put the bat down when she saw the person in front of her.
"What are you doing here?" she asked a little annoyed.
"I needed to see you" answered Mac
"How did you get inside?" she demanded
Mac simply smiled and showed her a small hair clip that was now bent over.
"Why don't you imagine it?" She rolled her eyes and went back to her room.
"Where do you think you are going?" Mac said, taking her hand.
"To my room, and if you don't mind, I'd like to be alone," Riley said.
"Riley, I just want to help you" said Mac
"Mac, I really appreciate that you want to help me, but I'm completely fine," Riley said.
"I know you are not, I know you Riles" said Mac
Riley just lowered her head and sighed as she looked at the ground, Mac walked over to her and wrapped her in his arms.
"Talk to me, Riley." said Mac
"It's so hard to get over all of this, he promised me that we would spend all our time together when he comes back and I didn't know at the time that that was the last I would hear from him, I miss him so much," Riley said.
"Riley, I know that losing Jack is one of the hardest things that can happen to us, but I promise you that from now on everything is fine, fine, I will be with you at all times, and we will overcome this pain together" said Mac
"Mac, this is more complicated, Jack was one of the most important people to me, but you've already lost a lot of people, I don't want to bother you with my pain too" said Riley
"Riles, you and I are a bundle, remember? We support each other no matter what, I'll be there for you as you will be here for me, I don't want you to be sad Riley," Mac said.
Riley shed several tears, Mac looked into her eyes and gently wiped away the tears that had stained her cheek. They stayed like this for a couple of minutes, just hugging.
"Let me take you somewhere," Mac said out of nowhere.
"where?" Riley asked
"Don't ask, it's a special place," Mac said.
"It's too late," Riley said when she saw that it was 9 PM.
"Do you have time to sleep," Mac joked.
"Okay, but tell me where will you take me" he asked again.
"I won't tell you," Mac said.
Mac led Riley to his car, and they were both silent for a couple of minutes, Riley watched as Mac turned on the radio and then Wilie Nelson's music began to play.
"Wilie nelson?" Riley asked a little amused.
"Jack liked it, this music makes me remember him," Mac said.
"I remember" she smiled a little but became serious again.
Mac drove in silence for a couple of minutes while Riley just stared out. Riley moved from her place and looked at Mac with a serious expression.
"Why are we leaving town?" asked Riley
"you will see?" He playfully winked at her
"Are you planning to kill me?" Riley asked sarcastically.
"Yeah, where i'm taking you, no one will be able to find your body," Mac joked
Riley shook her head and leaned her arm against the window to look out, they drove about 25 minutes until they finally reached their destination.
The place was a forest quite far from the city and the people themselves, everything around it was very dark, and the only thing that lit up were the lights of Mac's car.
"where we are?" Riley asked when he got out of the car.
"you'll see" said the words from before
Mac took a flashlight from the car and guided her down a path that was there in the woods, Mac held her hand as they walked through that dark place.
After a few minutes they came to a clearing in the middle of that forest, but the clearing was not the only thing there, right there was a small pond that was illuminated by the light of the moon.
"Where are we Mac?" Riley asked him again.
"It's a place that Jack and I found a few years ago, he and I used to come here to get rid of the stress of work," Mac explained.
"So this is where you two disappeared when no one found you," Riley said.
"Jack said he wanted to keep this place a secret from everyone else. He and I were very close, sometimes we just need a place where he and I can be alone," said Mac
"Why did you bring me here?" Riley asked
"Because you need what I needed years ago, a quiet place and someone to help you overcome the pain, I know you are a very strong woman, Riley but I want you to know that sometimes it is okay to cry when you feel sad, Jack was the only person I went to when I felt bad and we both came here and since he left the only person that has been for me has been you and you should know that now I will be the one who is there for you "said Mac
Before Mac could say, anything else, Riley threw herself into his arms to hug him, Mac immediately returned the hug, wrapping his arms around her.
"Thanks Mac, thanks for bringing me here" she said against his neck
"Anytime, Riles" Mac gently kissed her head
They stayed like this for another minute until Mac picked her up off the ground, and she panicked because she knew what she was about to do.
"Mac, put me down, don't you dare do it" Riley yelled, hitting him on the shoulder.
Mac just ignored what she said and took her to the lake and then threw her into the water.
"You are a fool" she yelled annoyed
"But that's how you love me" scoffed Mac
Riley was not happy, and without him being able to do something, she took his legs and made him fall into the water as well.
They spent most of the night in that little pond enjoying a quiet and fun time.
When it was 2 in the morning, they were both in their underwear by the fire that Mac had made to dry their clothes.
Neither of them was bothered by the fact that they were both literally in their underwear, they had seen each other half naked before and there was no one around, so they were fine for the moment.
Riley lay down on the ground to get a perfect view of the stars. She looked at Mac who was looking at her.
"That's a children's story, but right now I want to believe that Jack is up there next to the stars, watching us from above," Riley said without taking her eyes off the stars
“When I was a kid, I believed it, and maybe I still do. So when I was little, I really liked astronomy, I thought my mother was there somewhere, "Mac said.
"Maybe she is, she and Jack must be up there" she said pointing to the stars.
Mac got up from his place and took his clothes since he was close now and started dressing. Riley did the same as well and followed Mac to the water's edge where Mac had sat.
They both stayed a few minutes just looking at the water, the stars and the moon were reflected in it, and it was a spectacular sight.
"I love you," Mac said out of nowhere.
"what?" asked Riley surprised
"I love you, I love you as more than a friend Riles, I know you don't see me the same way, but right now I don't want to keep this to myself" said Mac beside him.
"Seriously?" Riley asked
"Yeah, I've been in love with you for a while, and I never had the guts to tell you," Mac said.
He turned to look into her eyes and Mac put his hands on her cheek and slowly approached her, Riley didn't know how she reacted to everything she had just said, it was what she had wanted for so long and now she could have done it . that, and that made him nervous.
"Can I kiss you even once?" Mac begged inches from his face.
Without thinking twice, she nodded and slowly her lips met his.
It was such a soft, sweet, tender, affectionate, intimate kiss, there were so many emotions in that simple kiss. Riley gently ran her hands through Mac's hair as one of Mac's hands rested on his waist while the other rested on his neck.
They parted when shortness of breath was present, but kept their foreheads together, Riley looked Mac in the eye and leaned in closer to wrap her arms around him for a hug.
"I like you too, I love you too" he said
"in cerium?" asked Mac
"very cerium" said Riley
Mac moved to leave the hug and stand up, reached out to help her up.
"There's something else I want you to see," Mac said.
"What?" she asked
"Come with me" Mac took her hand and led her to a nearby tree.
On the tree were engraved the letters "M + J" and just below were other letters "BFF" she knew what each of the letters that were there meant
He looked at Mac and saw small tears trickle down his cheek. He smiled a little and then saw her.
"Jack wrote this the first time we came to this place, he put the M for Mac and the J for Jack, which are the initials of our name, and then he put the BFF which stands for best friends forever," Mac said.
"Typical Jack," Riley said with a smile.
Mac smiled back, pulled out his knife before crouching in front of the tree. Riley watched him do worse, wasn't sure until he got up.
Mac had engraved the letters "R + M" with a heart next to his initials.
When he stood next to her, she jumped up in his arms and kissed him on the lips. When they walked away, Riley smiled at him and he took her hand to lead her to the water's edge.
"I wish Jack was here" said Riley
"Me too, but now I'm happy because I have you" said Mac
They both enjoyed that moment alone at the lake, they missed Jack, but now they knew that everything was going to be fine because they had each other.
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stargaze-issei · 4 years
Text
— "𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝" (𝐤. 𝐞𝐢𝐣𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐮 𝐱 𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫)
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𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭; kirishima is your best friend, who you had absolutely fell for. does he like you back? or is he too oblivious to even notice?
𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞; fluff, angst if u squint.
𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬; none.
𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭; 1.7k
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when you got into u.a., last thing you hoped was to actually make friends, you expected for a remastered version of middle school, where no one would hang out for several reasons that you couldn't quite understand. so when you arrived at the classroom on your very first day, you almost pass out at so many people talking to you at the same time, wanting to know your name, your age, your quirk, everything they could. overwhelmed from the attention, you shyly answered your name before seating in the first empty spot you saw. a few minutes later, your new homeroom teacher, aizawa shouta, the eraser hero,  appeared. 
"hey, y/n, right?" said the person next to you, low enough to not distract aizawa sensei "i'm sorry for what happened earlier, we're way too excited" his voice and his whole self made you feel comfortable, he irradiated warmness "i'm kirishima, by the way". 
little did you know, that was the first time you spoke with who would be your best friends a few months from now. kirishima just made himself loved by everyone, even bakugou, earning a place in every friend group in the class. he always asked you to have lunch with him and his friends, and somehow you, the most quiet person in class a, ended up being part of the bakusquad. it was one time, hanging out with mina, that it hit you.
"wait, he dyes his hair?" the alien queen had been telling you stories from middle school kirishima, and she swore you never seemed as focused as you were right now, trying to mesmerize every word she said.
"what? you thought he had matching eye color and hair?" both laughed, besides eijirou, mina was the closer thing to a sister you could have. "so, since when?" her question was totally out of nowhere, making no sense in your head.
"since when what?" 
"oh don't act all innocent on me, you like kirishima" in less than a second, your face heated, your hands started to sweat and you bit your inner cheek. you haven't actually liked anyone since... ever, of course you didn't like him, how could you? you met a few weeks ago, it was impossible, even with his pretty red eyes that gave you confidence with just one look, or his soft cheeks that you wished to grab between your hands, or his hair, so soft when he didn't had all those layers of gel, or–
"i like kirishima" you said, more to yourself than anyone "oh my god, i like kirishima" mina, who had witnessed your whole realization just now, combusted on laugh once again. 
"congrats, you are officially the last one to know" she talked between laughs. your eyes opened wide when a thought struck your mind.
"does he know too!?" with that, mina started to shed tears of laughter, enjoying way too much your not-so-inner struggle.
"if there's anyone more oblivious than you, it's him. there's nothing to worry about".
after that, you started to continuously talk to her about your obvious crush on the red hair, and she would listen, thinking about how could he be your best friend if you didn't tell him something that big. mina thought you two would make a wonderful couple, he took you out of your comfort zone and help with your lack of confidence, and you... he just seemed way happier when you were by his side. if only one of you realized, things would've been easier.
*.✧☆゚.*・。✧*⊰⊹ฺ
the dorms had already been settled, after continuous attacks against your own class, it did help you feel safer. you liked the dorms, you could be with your friends as long as you wanted, have sleep overs with the girls, idiotic competitions with the boys, but the best part was him, being able to see him all day, every day. you thought kirishima was perfect as he was, not just his personality, his looks were amazing too. you proved yourself wrong the first time you saw him with his hair down. mina had to practically catch you from passing out, it was just too much of a shock. if you thought he was pretty before, now he had surpassed all your expectations, but after a few days of getting used to it, you could safely say that your heart didn't race that much anymore. 
you were in your room when he came in, asking yo to help him cook. how could you say no when he had the biggest puppy eyes in history?, so you were making him some pancakes for dinner. your phone rested in the counter, in front of him, who animated spoke about his new training equipment. your phone vibrated, indicating that a someone texted you. kirishima checked without even asking, not that you minded because... it was him, you told him almost everything.
"mina says 'where are you? i need you to braid my hair please!! you can talk about your boyfriend'. i didn't know you had a boyfriend" he read the text out loud, his voice wasn't bright as usual and his eyes never left your phone, maybe looking for an explanation to what he had read. his mood decreased noticeably, but you thought it was because you kept a secret from him.
"no! no, that's not– i don't, i swear" you were really struggling, between keeping the pancakes from burning and explaining the whole situation without actually confessing.
"it's okay, i just thought that we– nevermind, it's fine" his face was inscrutable, maybe he was sad? angry? annoyed?, the uncertainty was killing you "you can go, mina needs you, i'll finish here"
"but you said you didn't know how" his whole persona towards you had change, he wasn't your usual sweet friend, if anything, it seemed he wanted you out of his sight as fast as possible. 
"of course i know how to do pancakes, y/n, i'm not dumb" that was the last hit. despite the tears in your eyes, you smiled at him. if he wanted you gone, there wasn't anymore you could do. 
you washed your hands before going into mina's room and finally let everything out. your friend, even though surprised, hugged you, comforting with her unspoken kindness. you stayed there until no more tears came out, she stroking your hair. even when you stopped crying, mina held you in her arms, saying that she'd hug the sadness out of you. when you where completely sure you wouldn't cry anymore, you told her everything that happened and had to stop her from going and kick his manly ass. 
"stay here tonight, please?" she asked you, both because she was worried of you spending the night alone, and for giving you some more comfort cuddles. you said yes without giving it second thoughts. 
hours went by, and you were in the fifth dreamed, so mina took it as her sign to leave. when she reached her destiny, after knocking on the door, a sleepy kirishima appeared. 
"i love y/n, she's an awesome person. and i feel really fond of you too, but if she ever cries like she did today again because of you, i'll make sure she never even look at you anymore, got it?" to say he was confused was an understatement, why was mina so angry at him? did he made you cry? dude, he was the one who should be crying. you had a boyfriend, after giving him all the signs needed, you were with someone else, and somehow he was the bad guy?.
"look, i–" 
"she likes you! you, it's you, you are that boyfriend i was talking about, you dumb!" right now nothing made sense to kirishima "i did what i had to do, you'll see what you do now" and with that, mina went back to her room, where you still slept. 
you liked him? so his assumptions were right, then? what if mina was wrong and you didn't like him in that  way? he had so many questions in his mind, and not a single answer.
*.✧☆゚.*・。✧*⊰⊹ฺ
for the whole day, you avoided kirishima, despite the urge of talking to him, or looking at him in class. you really were hurt by how he treated you, but in time, you would get over him. it still sucked that the first person you actually liked had done that to you, but as mina said last night, you didn't need a man to be happy, and to have him as a friend was enough for you, of course, once you didn't want to cry at his sight. he had tried to reach to you, but the curly girl had stopped every move he made, being carefully enough to not disturb you. until eijirou had it. 
he was sure of one thing, he liked you so much, and he needed to know if you actually felt the same way. kirishima had no room in his mind for doubts. despite of his efforts to get to you, mina had been in his way. he understood, though, she was trying to protect you because that's what friends do. he would probably do worse if anyone else made you cry. at lunch, his patience was running out. screw it, he though. 
"y/n!" his voice came to your ears from behind, why was he screaming in the middle of the cafeteria? oh. his built up figure was standing on a table, and was smashing two lunch trays together to get everyone's attention. "you are the best friend i could ever ask for, and you are beautiful, and funny, and smart, and always there when i need you, and i could stay here talking about you for hours but i guess that what i'm trying to say is... i like you, i like you, i like you. i was an idiot, i'm so sorry, but i really like you! please, go out with me!" while he talked, he started to walk closer to you. your heart was beating harder than ever, like in any moment, it would explode. you whole body shaking, and your mind blank, only wondering if this was actually happening. when kirishima got close enough, he cupped your face in his warm hands, staring lovely at your eyes. "go out with me, please" his lip curved in a pout, what made you melt in place.
"of course i'll go out with you" you whispered, a little uncomfortable because of the staring. he leaned a bit before crashing his lips against your, and the cafeteria launched in claps and shouting. you were just to astonished. eijirou's lips felt so good. 
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chachkayes · 3 years
Text
Double Trouble
So... I wrote a spontaneous sister fic to @herrera-n-hayes ‘s newest fic post “The Four of Us”, where Amelia tells Link that they’re expecting baby number 2 on Christmas eve. Go read it first before this one! Link here. I got SUPER inspired to write a part 2 for it, where Amelia and link reveal to everyone else that they’re expecting, and this fic is that. It is quite possibly one of the fluffiest fics I’ve ever written. Many tears of happiness are shed in it. I love a good Christmas fic, and I have another Merhayes Christmas fic that I’ll be working on throughout the week. Anyways, enjoy!
“Wait, so what time are you guys coming over again?” Meredith asked her sisters in a group phone call. It was the evening of Christmas Day, and the sisters had made it tradition to have Christmas together as one large family ever since Scout was born. “Uh… I think we planned on heading over around 5pm? Right, Link?” Amelia asked her fiancé. “Yep. We’ll see you all soon.” Link’s voice rang through Mer’s phone. “Maggie, what about you?” Meredith asked her younger sister. “Oh, um, sorry! We were just packing some stuff into the car. We’re heading out in a few minutes.” Maggie replied. “Alright, well I’ll let you guys go then. I’ll see you soon!” And with that, Meredith hung up and headed downstairs to her children waiting impatiently for their aunts and uncles to arrive so they could open more presents. Luckily, Austin and Liam were quite content to sit in their rooms and play their new video games until their dad and Meredith called them down. Christmas was always an incredibly hectic time in the Hayes/Grey household, but Meredith and Cormac loved it.
Not long after, Maggie and Winston finally showed up at Meredith and Cormac’s house. Meredith and Maggie hugged once they got inside, as did Cormac and Winston. Everyone settled in and Maggie listened intently to the stories that her nieces and nephew were explaining to her. Their stories were certainly much more coherent now that they were 8, 11, and 14 – but they were still mostly nonsensical. Winston and Cormac brought in all the presents from the couple’s car. The kids got incredibly excited whenever they saw a big box with their name on it.
Just as all the adults had finally sat down and were talking, Amelia, Link, and Scout pulled into the driveway. “Ladies, it’s your turn this time.” Winston said with a chuckle as Meredith and Maggie stood up to meet Amelia and Link at their car. Link helped Scout out of his car seat and lead him inside while Meredith, Amelia, and Maggie gathered up every single present and brought them all in, in one trip. Scout happily greeted his uncles and then moved on to playing with his cousins. Cormac got up and walked over to the bottom of the stairs. “Austin, Liam, everyone is here!” He called for his sons, who quickly came downstairs and sat on the couch with the rest of the adults. Link and Amelia, and Winston and Maggie always got the boys something every year. They were family, after all.
45 minutes later and almost every present had been unwrapped, squealed over by the children, and ripped forcefully out of the boxes if it could be. There were only a few small gifts left to open. Maggie picked up two small boxes and handed them to Meredith and Amelia. “Oh, it’s got both of our names on it!” Amelia said as she smiled at Link. “Same here.” Meredith mentioned as Cormac wrapped his arm around her shoulder. As discreetly as he could, Winston began recording. Mer and Amelia quickly unwrapped the small boxes and opened the lid – each box revealing a positive pregnancy test. “Oh my god.” Cormac said with a laugh. “MAGGIE!” Amelia squealed in delight. “Are you serious?!” Meredith said, her jaw on the floor. “Is… are you guys completely serious?” She repeated, her voice breaking. “Totally serious. I’ve been trying not to cry all day.” Maggie responded as she wiped tears away from her eyes. “Oh my god.” Meredith said, standing up to hug her sister. “Oh my god!” Amelia repeated, doing the same. At this point, all three women were laughing and crying. “Aye, congrats man. I’m happy for you.” Cormac said, hugging Winston. “Same here.” Link said, joining the hug fest.
After what felt like a lifetime, everyone sat back down. Meredith leaned her head on her boyfriend’s chest, still sniffling and wiping away tears. “Wait, so have you told Richard yet?” Amelia asked, snuggling into Link. “No, not yet. I was planning on telling him tomorrow night during dinner.” Meredith smiled as another tear fell down her cheek. “Why are momma and aunties sad?” Scout said to Link, as he looked at his aunts and his mother, who were all tearing up. Everyone laughed at the young boy’s observations. “Oh, sweetie, we’re not crying cause we’re sad. We’re happy, Auntie Maggie is going to have a baby.” Meredith explained to her nephew. “Like my mommy and daddy?” Scout said casually, to which Amelia choked on her drink. “What did you say?” Maggie inquired, Meredith whipping her head around to look at Amelia. “I heard my mommy and daddy say last night that they’re going to have another baby.” Scout said, as if it were common knowledge, and turned back around to playing with his new toys.
“Amelia…” Meredith said, her voice cracking again. “We were, uh, going to wait to tell you guys since it’s still so early, but yeah. We’re having another baby.” Amelia admitted. Maggie and Meredith were both close to sobbing. “I’m so happy for you guys.” Meredith said through tears as she hugged Amelia and Maggie again. “I can’t believe we’re going to have kids so close in age!” Maggie said excitedly. “I’m so excited for more nieces or nephews. Hopefully at least one of you guys has a girl, I have so many clothes from when Zola and El were babies that I’ve had nothing to do with for the longest time.” Meredith said as she sat back down on the couch beside her boyfriend, wrapping her arms around his torso and leaning her head on his chest, feeling wholly content. Liam and Austin came back downstairs, sitting beside their dad on the end of the couch. Zola, Bailey and Ellis cuddled up with Maggie and Amelia, while Scout sat with his dad and his Uncle Winston.
“Oh, Mer, there’s one more present under the tree. It’s for you.” Link said as he smirked and reached over to pick up a small present with Meredith’s name on it. Link began recording again, knowing exactly what was about to happen. “Oh, hey, look who it’s from!” Meredith said happily as she looked up at Cormac, who was smiling widely at her. “I wonder why I missed it this morning.” She added on. The reason she’d ‘missed’ it was because it’d actually never been there in the morning. Link and Amelia had brought it with them in order to help with the surprise, but she didn’t know that. Carefully, she unwrapped the small square box. Everyone watched intensely, as they knew what was happening. Cormac had gotten everyone involved in the planning for this very moment. The only person who didn’t know what was about to happen was Meredith, and maybe Scout, who had the excuse of being 5. The wrapping paper tore away to reveal a small ring box. Now, Cormac had boughten small rings for Meredith before, so she didn’t think too much of it, until she opened the box and found a beautiful, sparkling diamond ring. She looked up at him, her jaw dropped. He started, “I, uh, debated for a really long time how I’d go about this. Truthfully, the kids, and your family helped me out, they all thought it’d make most sense to ask you this on Christmas.” Meredith looked at Cormac, wide-eyed, barely breathing, and still holding the ring box. He continued, “Um, you and I know better than anyone else how precious time is, and how we have to make the most of every moment we have with the people we love. Before Abby died, she told me I had her permission to fall in love again. That she wanted me to be happy. But I didn’t think it was possible. I didn’t think it was possible for me to fall in love with anyone again, that was, until I met you.”
A tear ran down Meredith’s cheek as she continued to look into Cormac’s eyes, and sniffles could be heard that were a result of the hardly contained tears coming from the pregnant women and their fiancés behind her. “You understood me, right from the moment I needed the understanding. I knew I loved you before we began dating. When you did your pro bono surgery day, that was the day that solidified for me, just how magnificent of a person you are, and that you were someone I wanted to love, every day for the rest of my life. And ever since we began dating, I’ve found more things to love you for every day. I love the way you love your kids, your sisters, your nephew, Austin and Liam, and me. And I love that we can always talk about Abby and Derek, when it’s just the two of us, or with the kids, and it’s never an issue. And as scary as this is for the both of us, I know that they’d want us to be happy. And god, Meredith, you make me so happy. You amaze me, every time we work together, or when I see you in the hallways, and every time I come home from work to you. And I feel like Abby would want this more than anyone. She sometimes berates me in my dreams for not asking you yet. So, with all that being said, Meredith Grey, will you marry me?” He finished. He and Meredith continued to keep direct eye contact. Amelia and Maggie had stopped trying to hold in their tear’s eons ago. At this point, they were sobbing. However, aside from the sniffling, the room was completely silent.
“Yes. A hundred thousand times, yes.” Meredith said breathlessly after a few moments, and the room erupted into cheers. Cormac took the ring box from Meredith’s hands and took the ring out, then he placed it on Meredith’s finger. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him, then took another look at her ring. She showed off her ring to Maggie and Amelia, who were both complete messes. All 3 of the sisters were marrying the men they loved, and Amelia and Maggie were both ecstatic to be pregnant at the same time. Meredith couldn’t remember a Christmas ever being so filled with tears of joy, but she couldn’t complain. Everything about this Christmas had been perfect – for everyone.
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spaceskam · 4 years
Text
From A Whisper To A Scream (4/10)
warnings: torture basically, sprinkle in a little trauma
1 | 2 | 3 |
ao3
“Alright, you got five seconds to come out of there.”
Michael froze, laying on the backseat of the broken-down ‘97 Audi. He was hoping if he stayed still enough, Sanders would forget he ever saw any kind of movement. Did he move? He couldn’t remember. He must’ve dozed off.
“Now, I ain’t about to tell you again. Get out of there.”
Michael closed his eyes and cursed under his breath. He’d been trying at the junkyard for a couple of weeks now with no problem. He knew it was too good to be true. Slowly, he sat up and made eye contact with Old Manes Sanders. He gestured for Michael to get out and Michael listened. 
“You gonna tell me why you’re in there at 7 in the morning or am I supposed to read your mind?” Sanders asked. Michael just stared straight ahead.
“I’ll leave, don’t worry about it,” Michael said. Sanders snorted a laugh.
“You ain’t goin’ nowhere until you tell me what’s goin’ on,” Sanders told him. Michael glared. At fifteen, he wasn’t as tall as Sanders, but he was nothing if not willing to overcompensate with anger. 
“I’m not telling you shit.”
“Don’t get snappy with me, boy,” Sanders said, “When’s the last time you ate?”
“Why the fuck do you care?” Michael snapped. Sanders took a deep breath, giving him a very unimpressed look. But it wasn’t pity either. That was the only thing keeping him from storming off.
“Look, you ain’t gotta tell me specifics, but, that home you’re supposed to be at, it’s so bad that you’re sleepin’ in the junkyard? Or is it you just feeling rebellious?” Sanders asked. Anger boiled beneath Michael’s skin at the insinuation that he was overreacting. Max did that stuff even when he was well-meaning. Just because he didn’t spill every tiny detail didn’t mean he was a liar.
Despite his better judgment, Michael pulled up his sleeve and showed the healing burn mark on his arm that had directly covered an older burn scar they put there before. Forever engraved with a cross, reminding him that he was a freak of nature when it came to these humans. But he wasn’t about to let Sanders drag him back.
“Come inside, eat somethin’ ‘cause you look like a sack of bones, and then we’re headin’ over to that house.”
“No!” Michael yelled, a little more desperation in his voice than he intended.
“We’re gonna head over there,” Sanders repeated, louder and firmer, “So you can get your shit. Then we’re gonna find your social worker and figure out what we need to do to make sure you stay out of places like that.”
“What?” Michael scoffed, “You don’t think they’re gonna just throw me somewhere else for running? Juvie, this time, probably.”
“Well, if things go like they should’ve gone damn near a decade ago now, you’ll stay with me and I ain’t gonna put up with the running away shit,” Sanders said. It shut Michael right up.
He didn’t understand what he was being told. It almost sounded like someone wanted to keep him around. 
“Why?” Michael asked cautiously.
Sanders sighed and looked everywhere but at him.
“Long time ago, I met a nice lady who took care of me like I was her own and she showed me where her own actually was. Made a promise I’d keep an eye out for him and I ain’t about to break it now,” he said, leaving out far too many details. Michael felt like he got punched in the gut and his head spun. He didn’t understand.
“Wait, does that mean you know‒” my mom, what I am, where I’m from, what I’m capable of, if I’m dangerous, “That I‒”
“You want breakfast or not?” Sanders asked gruffly, already walking away.
Michael ran after him.
-
Michael gasped back into consciousness and Eff stood over him with confused eyes and an acupuncture needle in his hand.
“What’d you see?” Eff asked.
“When my dad decided he was gonna adopt me,” Michael said. Eff made a face like that was disappointing, but he nodded and took a few steps back to record it in his notebook. Michael lifted a shaky hand to rub the nearly invisible hole on his left temple.
Apparently, aliens had very similarly placed pressure points to humans, but they did very different things. Provoking them could trigger powers or memories or any number of things that the brain could do in someone’s subconscious. It took them a few tries to find the exact point on Michael’s head to stab a needle into, but, when he found it, he was thrown back to being just a kid.
“Let’s test your telekinetic limit again, see if that affected it in any way,” Eff said, taking the gloves off and dropping the needle into a glass of some ambiguously clear substance to sterilize it. 
Michael stood to his feet, feeling a little dizzy from the memory. Eff gave him the space to do so and waited for him to get steady before they walked outside.
Eff’s workplace of choice was a small shed in the middle of nowhere. No one lived for miles in any direction and the only way someone could find it is if they knew where it was and they were willing to drive 45 minutes into the desert. It had a couch, a cot, a bathroom, and a kitchen area. Most of the shed, though, was covered in equipment to test on Michael.
It turns out, though, that everything got a lot less scary the more he was there. Yeah, Eff was still mean and he never let Michael truly forget that he didn’t see him as an equal, but, for the most part, it wasn’t that bad. Or at least he’d focused on the bright side. This was the first person who was allowing and actively encouraging Michael to explore things about himself that he’d never gotten the chance to. If this was his fate, it wasn’t the worst.
So what if it was slightly off his game and tired and hadn’t had nearly enough alone time with Alex. It was better than having none of those at all.
“Alright, lift the truck again,” Eff said, pulling out his stopwatch, “And I swear to God, if you drop it again, I’m going to kick your ass.”
Rolling his eyes, Michael held out his hand and focused. The 5,000lb truck was definitely a strain on his abilities, but it felt so nice. It was like an itch that he’d been waiting to scratch, a muscle being stretched, a lung filling with air. This was what he needed. Yesterday, he’d been able to hold it up for 45 seconds before he got a nosebleed and dropped it. Before the needle, he’d again only got to 45 seconds before he had to put it down to prevent dropping it again. No nosebleed.
Now, a little stretched out and a little more excited about what he could do, he fought through the shakiness and ignored the itchy feeling of an oncoming bloody nose. He breathed steadily and just focused. Eventually, though, he gave out and put the car down, dropping to his knees and catching his breath. He wiped his nose and caught his breath.
“One minute, seven seconds. Not bad,” Eff said. Michael smiled. “Now throw the ball.”
Michael took a few extra seconds to breathe before slowly getting back to his feet. He turned his attention to the steel ball that was somewhere around 100lbs, give or take. Michael breathed in deep before picking it up and hurling it as hard as his body would allow at a mat that was propped up 20 yards away that was only there to stop it from going too far.
“Only 35mph,” Eff said.
“You didn’t give me enough time to recover,” Michael argued.
“Doesn’t excuse your shitty number,” he said. Michael clenched his jaw. And he was almost doing good. “Get inside, we’re doing a few more pressure points.”
“Do you know when you’ll let me go home? I have homework,” Michael said, still staring out into the distance.
“Why are you doing homework still?” Eff scoffed.
Michael was about to ask why he wouldn’t, but then he remembered who he was talking to. Eff didn’t see a need because he didn’t think Michael would have a future.
He’d be the one personally making sure he didn’t.
-
Alex walked into the Crashdown with his eyes tied to his phone.
Ever since last Saturday had ended in him holding Michael all night, things had been a little weird. He couldn’t put his finger on it exactly, just that Michael’s mind wasn’t always with him. He wasn’t begging Alex to come over every night like he usually did, simply satisfied with making out in the back of the truck before Alex had to go home. Tuesday Alex had gone to his house to surprise him only to be told Michael wasn’t home. It’d caused so much embarrassment Alex refused to even drive in that direction unless Michael specifically asked ever again.
Alex didn’t want to push or assume or be that guy. Being with Michael was fun and nice, but there was clearly something going on with him and if he was having second thoughts about them, Alex wasn’t about to try and beg him to stay. Besides, it might not even be that. He might be embarrassed for breaking down or there might be a football thing Alex didn’t know about or any number of things. He didn’t know, he hadn’t really gotten the chance to ask. He wasn’t going to act like Michael was pulling away until he knew for sure. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t stare at his phone.
Good timing, too, because it rang.
“Hello, littlest brother,” Flint said loudly into the phone, clearly on speaker with the sound of a car running in the background. Alex smiled just as Arturo, the owner of the Crashdown, came up to take his order.
“Hey, give me one second,” he said, moving the phone to tell Arturo his order. He nodded and told him to tell Flint that he said hi. “Mr. Ortecho said hi.”
“Hello, Mr. Ortecho!” Flint said loud enough that Arturo heard it. He chuckled and walked back into the kitchen. “So, I got some good news.”
“What is it? You finally got that stick surgically removed from your ass?”
“I’m personally offended by that. I thought we were on the same team when it came to the stick being in Clay’s ass,” Flint said. Alex huffed a laugh. “No, but I’m coming into town soon.”
“Wait, for real?” Alex asked, excitement coursing through his system. As much as his brothers annoyed him and he thought Flint was just as lame for listening to their father, he loved them. He also loved not having to be alone with his dad all the time. “When?”
“I’m thinking Monday or Tuesday? Soon, I’ll keep you updated so we can make plans,” Flint said, “Gotta give some shit to Dad.”
“Okay, yeah, can’t wait,” Alex said.
“Tell me something fun, though, what’s going on with you? Anything new?” Flint asked.
Alex bit down on his lip and wondered if he should mention Michael. He wanted to. He never really came out to Flint, but he was pretty sure Flint knew and didn’t care. Either way, he wanted to share like he shared with Maria and Liz even if it was just because he wanted to say “hey look at this thing I got even though Dad said no”. Even though he was kind of unsure about where exactly they stood, this was still an achievement. This was still his. That counted.
“I’ve, uh,” he said, glancing around quickly. There was a table of cheerleaders from his school in the corner, but they were too far to hear. “I’ve kinda been talking to someone.”
“Oh, what? My baby brother is suddenly not such a baby?” Flint teased. Alex smiled and rolled his eyes.
“My not being a baby has nothing to do with having a relationship. I haven’t been a baby for a long time.”
“Yeah, okay, I’ll believe that one day, maybe,” Flint said, “So, tell me about them.”
“It’s not, like, super serious or anything,” Alex said, hesitating just a little as he considered if he was ready to officially come out via pronouns, “But… he’s really nice and smart and I like him a lot. I think you’d like him, he’s got the same rebellious-but-not-really vibe you do.”
“Oh, so you chose someone with the same vibe as me? Glad I showed you what good taste was,” Flint said. Alex laughed. When Arturo brought his tray over, he mouthed his thanks. “Well, is he making you happy? Does he know you have a brother who will kick his ass if he isn’t?”
“He does make me happy, yeah,” Alex promised, “But I’m not telling him your threats.”
“Fair enough,” he said, “Maybe I can tell him myself when I come to see you.”
Alex chewed on his lip for a second. “I don’t know, I’d have to ask him.”
“Well, do that. We’ll even go somewhere outside of Roswell if it makes you two feel a little better.”
“I’ll ask,” Alex repeated, “And, uh, thanks. For being cool.”
“You say that like I’m not the coolest person you know,” Flint said, “Alright, weirdo, I’ll let you eat. Call you later. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Alex put his phone down, feeling more confident that he had in a few days. He probably wasn’t actually going to ask Michael. Things were already a little weird and he didn’t want to press, so he’d probably just lie and say Michael wasn’t ready for all that. But, still, it was nice to know that Flint asked. He was interested.
It gave him enough confidence to text Michael first, deciding that it wasn’t too needy to reach out instead of waiting for Michael to do it. He sent a simple hey and then got to his food.
“Hey, Alex,” a sing-songy voice said. Alex looked towards it to see one of the cheerleaders. He furrowed his eyebrows, chewing slower as she sat on the stool beside him. She had never said a word to him before. He didn’t even know her name.
“Uh, hi?”
“Sorry if I’m bothering you, but I wanted to come talk to you. I mean, we’re friends, right?” she said. Alex felt like he was falling into a trap.
“I guess.”
“I just wanted to let you know that when you come to the games, you can sit up front with the rest of the guys’ girlfriends,” she said. Alex kept staring at her with a confused expression. “If you come, I mean. I haven’t seen you at any of the games before.”
“Why would I go to a football game?” Alex asked slowly. She smiled even wider.
“To watch Michael play, silly,” she said, “It’s a part of dating a football player.”
“I’m not dating a football player,” Alex said. And he wasn’t. Or, at least, not that she needed to know. He didn’t owe any of them that knowledge.
“Come on, you can tell me,” she pressed. He just stared. “I’m just letting you know that you’re welcome to sit by us. We can all gossip. We’d love to hear what it’s like to actually date Michael. He’s always been super interested in just really quiet hookups. I guess I can see why.”
“Yeah, well,” Alex said. He still couldn’t quite tell if she was making fun of him or not. The rest of the girls at the table weren’t laughing, but…
“You don’t have to,” she said, flashing the biggest smile it felt like he’d ever seen, “I just wanted you to know that we think it’s super cool we finally have a gay football player. We think you guys are just so cute.”
Alex wondered how many more times he could listen to people call Michael gay when they knew literally nothing about him before he lost it.
“How are we cute when we’re not together?” Alex asked. She rolled her eyes playfully.
“You know what I mean. The whole two separate looks, it’s perfect,” she said. Alex’s phone saved him by going off and Alex immediately gave it his attention.
Michael: i was just thinking about you where are you
Alex: Crashdown
Michael: room for 1 more?
Alex: For you? Always
Michael: 😍
“Is that Michael?” the girl asked, bringing him back to the conversation. He looked at her.
“Yeah,” he said honestly. He didn’t want to be rude. She wasn’t technically being rude. But, still, he wasn’t sure if she was or not. “Thanks for the offer, by the way, but I’m fine. You don’t have to sit with me.”
“Okay, okay,” she said, holding up her hands in surrender, “It was nice talking to you.”
“Mhm,” Alex hummed. He spared her a glance as she walked back to her friends and saw them giggling which wasn’t a good sign. He took a deep breath and tried to focus on his food.
Within the next couple minutes, the bell above the door dinged and a warm presence sat close beside Alex. He looked up to see Michael standing beside him. He had on a big smile despite the fact that his eyes had dark circles beneath them. It again had him questioning if something was actually going on and not just him questioning their relationship.
“Hey,” Alex said.
“Hey,” Michael said back, reaching over him to grab a fry from his tray.
“Get your own,” Alex said, unsuccessfully trying to stop him from shoving the fry into his mouth. Michael just smiled as he chewed and Alex was too charmed to be irritated. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.”
“Me too, this week has been a lot,” Michael said softly, sitting down on the stool beside him and pulling it close, “But I wanna see you more. What are your plans tonight?”
“I gotta have the car back by 8, but I can sneak out if you wanna come get me,” Alex suggested. Michael nodded.
“Yeah, we can do that,” he said, reaching over to steal more of Alex’s fries. 
“Dude, do you want to order food?” Alex laughed. He shook his head.
“I’ll just eat yours.”
Alex rolled his eyes, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he stared at him as they ate. Not only did he have dark circles under his eyes, but he was also chewing slow and seeming to zone out just by sitting there. And Alex was beginning to really think that it had nothing to do with their relationship.
“Hey,” Alex said, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Michael said.
Alex considered just leaving it. But he left it last time and things had clearly not gotten any better. His eyes drifted over to the girls at the table, noticing that they were not-so-subtly watching them as if they were an exhibit in a zoo. He tried not to let it bother him as he leaned a little closer.
“Seriously, what’s going on? You’re worrying me,” Alex told him quietly. Michael made eye contact with him and gave him that little tiny smile that felt like it was only for him. Maybe it was. “Stop it, tell me. Are you sick or something? Is something going on?” 
“You are my favorite person in the whole world, Alex Manes,” he said. Alex tilted his head in that no-nonsense way that just made Michael smile wider. “I’ve been helping Max fix his car, sorry I didn’t really let you know. It’s been taking up my time. And it’s just been one of those weeks. I’m okay.”
“So you’re not just trying to get rid of me either?” Alex clarified. It was honestly relieving to see that it wasn’t anything too bad. Michael’s eyes widened a little bit.
“No, absolutely not. I want to see you more, this week has sucked without you,” he said, batting those eyelashes, “It’s really hard to sleep well without you anymore.”
“Mm, well, maybe I’ll help you get to some good sleep tonight,” Alex said, a suggestive tone in his voice. Michael grinned, his tongue pressing to the back of his teeth.
“Can I touch you in public or is that a no go?” Michael asked. Alex again found himself looking over to the cheerleaders. “No?”
“They were asking me about us earlier,” Alex said, “Told me I could sit with the other guys’ girlfriends and we could all gossip. And that we’re so cute.”
“I think we’re pretty cute,” Michael told him, still smiling. When Alex didn’t respond right away, it faded. “Were they bothering you?”
“No, I just…” Alex said, trying to find the right words. He didn’t have them. Instead, he thought about his conversation with Flint and how good that felt to just be. To talk and act like there was nothing to even think about. He wanted that. “Yeah, you can touch me.”
“You sure?” Michael said. Alex nodded.
“Nothing too extreme.”
“Obviously, that’s for later,” he said. Alex snorted, but let Michael just move closer and rest his head on his shoulder. He could feel the way his body immediately released some tension. 
He couldn’t wait to get him alone so he could remove the rest.
-
“Michael.”
“Nope, not talking about this with you.”
“Michael! This isn’t just about you! This affects us! Stop fucking avoiding us so you can do what you want!”
Michael sighed, bowing his head. He took a few deep breaths and opened his eyes slowly, looking at the engine he was working on. It helped to work with his hands. All the shit he was doing with Eff was too much with his mind and it was nice to just turn it off and use his hands. And, besides, this was the one day it seemed Eff had no interest in doing tests. He planned to just work on this car until Alex could come back over. 
But apparently, he had to still use his brain today.
“What do you want me to say?” Michael asked as he turned to face Max and Isobel. They both looked angry at him. Which was fair. He’d been avoiding them as much as possible. He didn’t want Eff to get any interest in them. They were going to have a future. They weren’t going to end up like him. 
And, besides, he should’ve known this was coming. People were talking about him and Alex. He had no drive to stop them. He had way bigger problems than people gossiping about his love life even if that meant having his siblings find out through someone else.
“Well, first off, why aren’t you talking to us? Did you think we wouldn’t notice?” Isobel asked.
“And are you actually dating Alex? Because what happens when something goes wrong? What happens when he gets hurt?” Max added.
“Or what happens when you get hurt?” Isobel said, “If he breaks up with you or realizes you’re lying to him? Because you are lying to him.”
“And don’t even think about telling him. This isn’t some small little thing, Michael, this is our lives.”
“You don’t think I know that?” Michael asked. He intended for it to have more bite than it actually did. He wanted to be angry with them, but it was hard when they weren’t wrong. Michael was stupid. It was how he ended up being the one caught by Eff. “Look, I’m being safe.”
“Michael,” Isobel said, stepping up to him. She had that concerned look in her eye that made it hard not to listen. “We don’t lie to each other, okay? That’s not something we can do when it’s just the three of us. We were there when you decided to join the football team and I helped you fake all your physicals, you remember? We’re not trying to hold you back. This is something extremely serious.”
“I know it is,” Michael said, “I just… I like him, Isobel. He makes me feel good. I don’t want to give that up just because I’m not human.”
“But we said‒”
“I know what we said,” Michael sighed, looking to Max and then back to Isobel before he closed his eyes, “But, I can promise you, it’s okay. We’re not toxic to them. Nothing has happened to Alex or the girls I’ve slept with. They’re all fine. We don’t have to be alone like this.”
They stared at him, unreadable expressions. He was anticipating them to yell at him and he was prepared to bury himself in a hole until he felt better. But they didn’t yell. They just stared.
“How long have you known?” Max asked. Michael took a deep breath.
“About two years,” he answered honestly. Max scoffed.
“So, what, I kept away from Liz for no reason?” he asked. Michael didn’t have the heart to tell him that he didn’t think he would’ve gone after Liz anyway. 
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Isobel wondered.
“I didn’t want you to be mad at me for breaking the deal,” Michael admitted, rubbing his eye, “I, I should’ve told you. A while ago. That wasn’t fair of me and I’m sorry. And I’m sorry for ignoring you, I’ve been stressed lately and I don’t want to affect you guys.”
“But you still didn’t have an answer for what happens when he realizes you’re lying to him. You can’t tell him what we are,” Max insisted. Michael immediately shook his head.
“I swear, I won’t. You two come first always.”
“Do we? Because It doesn’t sound like it.”
He swallowed harshly, closing his eyes. He thought about the other day when Eff had pricked him with that needle on his wrist and it had triggered waves of power that he couldn’t control that had sent him into a seizure-like state or when he pricked the one on his neck and that same power paralyzed him until he cried, both times immediately followed by Eff bringing him outside to test again. At the moment, it hadn’t seemed like it was that bad. He was still free and still had Alex. He still wouldn’t wish it onto Max and Isobel.
“Trust me,” Michael said, “You come first.”
“This is bullshit, Michael. You’re being stupid,” Max scolded.
“Max,” Isobel said, “Come on, this is good news, isn’t it? We can be normal.”
“Normal,” Max echoed, huffing a laugh, “I can never be normal."
"But, normal enough, right? College, wife, kids, white picket fence?" Michael pointed out, "You can have that. It's safe."
"Since when have you wanted that?" Max scoffed. And Michael didn't want that. It had always sounded boring. But with his current circumstances, that was an unachievable paradise. He wanted Max and Isobel to take it and run with it.
"I don't, but you guys do," he offered lamely.
"You really like Alex that much?" Isobel asked, "That you're finally telling us this?"
"Yeah, I do," Michael said. It wasn't a lie. He did like Alex that much. Just… it wasn't the entire reason. 
"And you're happy?"
Somehow, that felt like a trick question.
"Yes," he said.
"Then we're happy," Isobel said, "Shut up, Max."
Michael wished that was a sign everything would be that easy. That maybe when it came out that he lied to them again about something a million times worse that they wouldn't be angry. He just had to tell himself that.
But, later, when Alex came over again, he still found himself feeling wrong and off. He was wondering if he was always going to feel wrong and off for the rest of his life.
Alex, however, was a nice distraction from the bullshit. He was reading a book for class and Michael had wedged himself between his legs, his knees hooked over his shoulders and his head resting comfortably between his thighs. If he stayed right there, nothing could hurt him.
He breathed slow and closed his eyes, trying to convince himself that this was worth every single mistake. Alex's warm skin against his cheeks, the grounding presence of his feet on his stomach, his hand in his hair, the door and the window locked, and nothing but the sound of the AC and Alex turning pages filling his mind. This was the safest space in the world. He refused to believe differently.
Michael dozed in and out of consciousness, his mind drained and wanting sleep more than he was able to give. He was almost actually asleep until the sky decided to be a bitch and thunder loud enough to wake him up. He slowly dragged his eyes open, his fingers gliding over the unrealistically soft hair on his thigh. He pressed his nose into his skin, breathing him in. Then he pressed his lips there and reveled in the way Alex shifted a little in response. It wasn't until he parted his lips and carefully bit into the sweet skin of his inner thigh that Alex actually reacted. He tightened his legs around him, giving him a little squeeze that was way hotter than it was meant to be.
"Excuse you," Alex scolded, voice soft and a little deeper than usual as if he'd fallen asleep too. It made Michael smile. This really was safe. 
"It's right here in my face, what do you want from me? I only have so much self-control," Michael said. Alex chuckled, his hand taking through his curls before tugging a little.
He spread his legs wider and urged Michael up to move up. Michael complied, laying beside him and accepting the kiss he gave. He didn't want tomorrow to come. Tomorrow meant more Eff, more work, more stress. Today meant this.
"Hey, can I ask you something?" Alex asked, "You can say no and I won't be mad even a little."
"What's up?" Michael asked. He couldn't imagine telling Alex no.
"You remember that brother I told you about? He's coming into town," Alex said, not really making eye contact. Michael hummed. "Would you wanna meet him?"
"You want me to meet your brother?" Michael asked. Alex shrugged and nodded.
"It could be fun. He said we could go somewhere outside of Roswell so it won't be too bad," Alex urged, "You can say no."
Michael stared at him and weighed his options. He didn't mind saying yes. If it was before he ran into Eff, he would've said yes in a heartbeat. But now things were a little different and he didn't want to make such important plans when he had no idea when he would steal him for the evening.
"Um, can I say yes but pull out if I need to?" Michael asked. Alex eyed him but nodded slowly. 
"You really can just say no."
"I want to go, though. Things have just been weird lately and something might come up. I'll let you know if it does, though," Michael said.
"Like what?" Alex asked.
"Like if Sanders needs me to help him or Isobel needs me to come get her. I'm surrounded by needy people lately and it's making it really hard for me to be needy towards you," Michael teased. Alex smiled and reached out, touching his cheek softly.
"Okay, whatever works," he said, "He just wants to meet you."
"And I want to meet him," Michael promised, "But, uh, does this mean you're my boyfriend? 'Cause this feels awfully official."
Alex grinned and rolled his eyes, pushing himself into Michael for a long kiss. Michael pulled him even closer.
It was the nicest yes he'd ever gotten.
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