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#tagging everyone feels like it took longer than the actual painting my god
hinamie · 17 days
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some quick jjk eye paintings
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seungkwan-s · 3 years
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second chances | thirteen
previous | next
pairing; lee heeseung x female reader, ft second lead jay park x female reader
warnings; one mention of blood from a papercut
genre; a little angst, some comedy and fluff
word count; 1.5k
taglist; @staysstrays @iminchaosnow @preciousdeerchild @fylithia @wooyoung-a @katyasrussianaccent @geminirules @lix-freckle3 @bluejayjay @blossomnct @shrutiajit @itsyaapollochild @witheeseung @seungstarss @meiinumaki @dreamyeyes26 @punneysushi01 @gtfovi @hrrhmay @soobnny @zhaixiaowen @leagreenly @grassbutneo @aurumness @minkyunheewon @milkycloudtyg @youreverydayzebra @liliansun @itsamemarioo (can’t tag)
a/n: yo this is the moment everyone has been waiting for. this was way longer than i intended it to be. i'll have the texts and stuff back in the next chapters ♡
as you step back into the cafe, the warm air and the smell of a freshly made cup of coffee hits you. you sigh, catching the attention of ryujin who's leaning against the coffee machine picking at her fingernails.
"y/n, are you okay. what happened?" you put your face into your hands, taking a deep breath and before you can say anything, the door opens and in walks heeseung, jake and sunghoon—the three boys soaked from the rain.
"do none of you own an umbrella?" sunoo blurts out, "i literally have two with me, do you want one?"
you see jake shaking his head, and mouthing a "no, thank you" to sunoo.
your mind is clouded with thoughts of the conversation you shared with jay earlier, was this related to that day when he asked you how you'd feel if you two were soulmates? or are you already overthinking this?
ryujin can sense something isn't right with you, she's noticed immediately that you're not your usual happy self; all smiles and laughter and you haven't greeted the boys as you normally do, in fact, you haven't even looked their way since they came in.
how are you supposed to start things over with heeseung? do you hold off for now until jay gets over you or do you just focus on working things out with heeseung and leave jay to sort things out himself? no matter what option you go for, you're going to hurt someone...
"y/n, what's going on?" ryujin puts her arms around you and leans her head on your shoulder, "i don't like seeing you sad, who am i kicking for hurting my favourite person?"
you shake your head, looking around the café before turning to her, "jay told me he's in love with me, and he reacted quite badly when i told him i didn't feel the same. and it's now put me in a position where if i start a friendship again with heeseung, it's gonna hurt jay. but if i hold off on things for now, i'm gonna hurt heeseung and i don't want to hurt anyone, and i feel like whatever option i choose, i'm gonna be made out to be the bad guy,"
"i'm sorry, y/n but you can't help how you feel. if you don't feel anything for jay, you can't force yourself to feel feelings plus the fact—and i really hate to say it, but non-soulmate relationships aren't destined to work out. they always fail, you read so much about them on the news, on social media. if you want my honest opinion, i think you should do what makes you happy. and i know there is absolutely nothing wrong with you working things out with heeseung. he is your soulmate after all. just give jay some space, he'll be okay,"
you let out a sigh of relief, you know she's right. you're only rebuilding the friendship you once had with heeseung, you're not just going to jump into a relationship, these things take time, and with time, hopefully you and jay can be friends again. you just hope he's okay...
~
a yelp from the back end of the cafe pulls you from your thoughts, "oh heeseung, you idiot, a papercut, really?"
"oh calm down, jake, it's just a bit of blood,"
"dude, you need a band aid, hold on—y/n! we need you," ryujin passes you the first aid box before whispering a "good luck" as you take it out of her hands. you're kinda wishing you didn't know first aid because not only do you now have to talk to heeseung, you have to touch him as well. baby steps first, you thought but no, destiny wants to throw you in the deep end.
you slide into the seat next to heeseung and place the first aid box on the table in front of you, "who's injured themselves now, hm?"
"your soulmate is an idiot, y/n, who cuts themselves on paper?"
"you'd be surprised at how many papercuts i've had to tend to in here, jake, especially with how thick people's books are and the amount of studying that goes on in here. they're the smallest of cuts and can hurt a lot but it's nothing serious," you pull out one of the alcohol wipe packets including the small box of band aids.
heeseung puts his hand out willingly and you're thankful you didn't need to ask, as the nerves are already creeping up on you. the last time you were this close to him was when you two were kids and it pains you a little. you really missed him...
"how did you learn first aid?" ah. you chuckle, thank god he initiated the conversation because you didn't know how the hell to.
"i took a course online, riki's always injuring himself, he's clumsy and because our mom and dad are always away working, i thought i might as well take up a skill that's going to be useful—that and cooking,"
he winces a little at the contact of the alcohol wipe and the cut on his finger, "don't be a wuss, hee," ...and there it is, the nickname you gave him when you two were kids. heeseung ignores that tiny little feeling in his stomach, he doesn't know whether it's guilt because he stopped talking to you or if he really missed the nickname you gave him. either way, he feels awful about how he's let this go on for so long.
"y/n, i'm sorry," you pause, you look down at his hand as it's now holding onto yours. the contact making you feel warm.
"it's okay, heeseung, we were kids—kids fall out over silly things, we can start over, it's fine," now you're rambling and trying to not look at him, fear you won't be able to look away.
"y/n, please, look at me," you can hear the sadness in his voice, you know he means his apology but you're not angry at him at all. if you did something to hurt him when you were kids, you owe him an apology. you raise your head and look at him, and it's a weird feeling you feel. maybe it's because the last time you looked into his eyes like this was that day you fell off your first bike and he tried to put a band aid on your knee and you were so thankful that he was there to help you.
"i'm so sorry, for ignoring you for basically most of our lives, it was over something so silly and i hate that i let this go on for so long, and i hope you can give me another chance to make things right between us. as each year passed, i just felt awful but i didn't know how to talk to you anymore, i thought you hated me. to be honest, it made it easier for me if i just pretended i didn't like you," his voice lowers to a whisper as you now hold his hand ever so gently.
"hee, i don't hate you, i never hated you, i just wondered what i did wrong. i wondered what i did that was so bad that you just pretended like i never existed. i won't lie, it hurt a lot but i- i missed you and i want us to be friends again but i need to know what i did so i can apologise,"
he lets out a sigh and runs his fingers through his hair, he's looking everywhere just not at you, "it's so stupid but do you remember when we were painting together? we were out in your garden and you were painting the sunset and i was doing a rainbow. i had it finished and you knocked over your jar of blue paint and it spilled all over my paper. i got so mad at you that i thought you did it on purpose because i told you it was a present for someone but instead of telling you the rainbow was for you, i just left you there alone, went home and that's why i stopped talking to you,"
"that's why you stopped talking to her, heeseung, oh my god, YOU GUYS WERE FIVE YEARS OLD!!??" jake snapped, slamming his hand on the table. heeseung turned to glare at him but the feeling of your fingers caressing his hand brought his attention back to you and his face softened.
"that was an accident, hee, i would never have intentionally ruined something of yours. i'm sorry i ruined your painting, and i'm sorry i made you think it was out of jealousy," you look up at him and he gives you a smile, "it's fine, i'll just paint you another one,"
"you don't need to paint me another one, hee,"
"i don't need to but i'm gonna do it anyway," he sends you a wink and you just about crumble to the floor.
~
as the clock hits 10pm and the lights go out in the cafe, you stand outside in the cold air waiting for the uber to come and pick the three of you up to take you home.
"so, y/n, how did it go with heeseung?" sunoo asks you, his arm linked with yours.
"it went really good, actually. better than i thought but i'm still nervous,"
"nerves are normal, my love, the two of you are going to be fine, just invite me to your wedding, okay?" you playfully slap ryujin, "shut up,"
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bobohu4eva · 3 years
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Pink Lace - Chapter 2
Characters: Baekhyun x Reader
Genre: College AU, stripper AU, fluff, smut, slow burn
Summary: Baekhyun, a philosophy professor with mysterious wealth, got himself completely fucked over a girl who can’t let him into her life.
Word count: 6.2k
Warnings: sex work, mentions of sexual assault, adult themes/situations, eventual smut
Tag list: @smolbeanmika @leave-me-in-the-summertime @totallynerdstuff @bbhmystar @nana-banan @kimyhappy @thegreatandi @geniusloey​ @deligxt​ 
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“God I’m so fucking sick of this semester and it hasn’t even started yet.” You complained, lying on your roommates bed flipping through one of your textbooks for the upcoming semester.
“Relax, at least you have money and you’re smart y/n, you’ll be fine.”
“Easy for you to say, you’re an arts major, not an architecture student.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?!”
“Nothing! It’s just different!”
“Mhm sure I’d love to see you paint a landscape or sculpt something.”
You gave your best friend a dirty look before focusing your attention back to the textbook.
Mia had been your best friend since 2nd grade and she had lived with you since you were 18. She had always been the more artistic one, doing dance from a young age and taking all sorts of art classes whenever she could. Her overall view on life was quite different from yours. She saw the world through the lens of an artist, and an optimist. 
Her views on relationships were very different from yours as well, with quite the laundry list of exes, each one more thrilling than the last. You honestly loved hearing all her stories and found it impressive how well she seemed to have the dating game figured out. You on the other hand, could count the men you’d slept with on one hand, and aren’t one for parties or anything like that, preferring to stay home and study or watch a drama.
With your dislike for parties and dating apps, you stayed pretty single. Not that you minded, being too swamped with schoolwork to make time for a real boyfriend anyway. Sometimes you thought about going out to parties and trying to find yourself a hookup but you never followed through, not wanting that kind of intimacy with a stranger.
“Did you see Baekhyun again last night?” She asked casually, knowing all about your work. Although for her, asking if he was there really meant ‘are you going to buy me my lunches again this week’.
“Yeah...” You contemplated for a second if you should tell her, but you quickly decided to just say it, not wanting to keep things from your best friend. “I told him my name. Like my real name.”
Her eyes went wide, definitely surprised by your confession. “Wait seriously? Why?”
“He asked and I just couldn’t tell him no.” You replied, much quieter now.
“Well it’s your choice but that really wasn’t a good idea, he’s already way too into you and now he’s just gonna think he actually has a shot with you.”
“Yeah I know I just.. I can’t explain it but it felt different.”
“He’s just another pervy dude who wants tits in his face! There’s a reason he pays you.” 
“He’s not a perv! He’s still a guy of course, but he’s sweet.” You felt a twinge of embarrassment at how quick you were to defend him. 
“All that matters about this guy is that he gives you nearly a thousand dollars every night he sees you, right?” You nodded. “You don’t want him thinking he doesn’t have to pay you anymore do you?”
You stayed quiet, because you knew she was right. This was the nature of your relationship with Baekhyun, and straying from what you had with him now just meant opening yourself up to the possibility of losing a lot of money, money you needed.
You were kind of surprised by how opposite you and Mia seemed to be in this situation. Usually it was you talking to her about boys, telling her not to make reckless decisions.
“Yeah you’re right. I’m gonna go to bed. I have classes starting pretty early tomorrow.” You told her as you left her room for yours.
You needed to sleep, but your conversation with her left you with the same uneasy feeling you’d had after last seeing Baekhyun. The longer you stared at your ceiling, the more you felt like you did the right thing telling him your name. He really liked you and it probably made his day, and you knew he wouldn’t use it against you in any way. He was too nice for that.  What’s the worst that could happen, right?
~
The first few classes of the day had gone okay. Your physics and statics professors didn’t seem like complete assholes, and you only had one class left for the day, philosophy. Part of you was annoyed you even needed to take the class, since you wouldn’t exactly consider yourself a very “deep” person, but you figured it would be easy enough.
Being the good student you are, you decided to get there early to get a seat close to the front to make a good impression on the professor. When you arrived the previous class hadn’t finished yet, so you sat down on a bench nearby and opened a book.
“Hey, are you waiting for philosophy class too?”
You looked up to see a rather cute boy, books in hand, looking down at you with a smile on his face.
“Yeah, do I know you?”
“I’m Lucas.” He sticks his hand out for you to shake, so you do and he sits down next to you. “Are you a philosophy major?”
“No, architecture. And I’m y/n.”
“Damn you must be really smart then! I’m a business major.”
“You also just have to take this for the humanities credit?”
“Yeah, but I’m excited, the professor seems cool I met him earlier today.”
“Really? What’s he like?”
“Super cool and smart, kind of young, but like a genius.”
“Yeah well hopefully he’s nice too. Especially with grading”
Lucas laughed and you noticed the previous class leaving the lecture hall so you got up and made your way in, sitting down in the second row, Lucas sitting down next to you. The professor hadn’t showed up yet so you turned to Lucas again, making small talk to pass the time. As you talked to him you realized he was actually fairly funny, although not the smartest. You had to admit though, he was pretty damn handsome. He had to be an entire foot taller than you, with beautifully tanned skin and a smile that would make any girl weak in the knees. 
“Are you going to any parties this weekend? I’m going to one at my buddies frat Friday night if you wanna be my date.”
You frowned “Sorry, I don’t really do parties.”
You could see the disappointment on his face. “Damn really? Well if ever change your mind you can text me.” He said as he scribbled something down and slid a piece of paper with his number on it across the table to you.
You internally cringed, but took the paper anyway and give him a small thank you. You weren’t lying when you said you didn’t do parties, but you still felt bad shooting him down, especially since he was actually pretty cute. That was the problem with you and dating in college. No matter how cute a guy was, what they wanted and what you wanted rarely added up well.
You’d bought your textbook already so you decide to get back to looking through it before class started. You also just wanted an excuse to stop talking to Lucas. You got lost in the book, finding yourself surprisingly interested in different moral theories and types of ethical arguments.
“Ahem.”
You heard who you assumed to be your professor and looked up, not expecting to see Baekhyun of all people smirking back at you. Fucking smirking.
You almost choked on air when you realized who you were looking at. Not only was it Baekhyun of all people standing in front of you, but he was wearing a fitted white button down and slacks with his hair styled out of his face, and glasses abandoned on his podium. He looked hot. You felt your face getting warmer and warmer.
“Hey you ok?” Lucas asked, having seen your reaction to Professor Byun.
“What? Yeah I’m totally fine why wouldn’t I be?” You responded, too loudly. Loudly enough that Baekhyun noticed. And laughed.
“Do you guys know each other or something?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” You told him while giving Baekhyun your best version of a death stare, but he didn’t seem to care.
“Hello everyone I’m Mr. Byun, I’ll be your philosophies of life professor.” He said, starting the lecture with a fairly neutral look on his face, although you noticed him looking in your direction often, and smiling.
You had to admit, he was smart. Not that you were particularly surprised, he seemed fairly intelligent from the conversations you’d had with him at work, but granted those weren’t always the most intellectual conversations either. The way he explained what you had read in the book was both interesting and informative, but you couldn’t focus on him talk about Socrates when just two days earlier you had been grinding on him, and had even let him touch you. Especially when he looked like that now. Your whole body felt hot and you knew you were probably as red as a tomato. 
You tried your best to focus on what he was saying for the sake of your grade, but he wasn’t making it easier by the way he kept looking in your direction with that smile on his face. Now, often looking you directly in the eyes with the same intensity from the club. Only this time, while sounding incredibly, frustratingly, smart.
As much as you tried, you couldn’t focus. Not when you had to process the fact that Baekhyun was now your college professor, and knew way more about you and your life than you ever wanted him to. You were hit with the realization that he now also knew you’d lied to him about nearly everything.
You became painfully aware of how you looked compared to him. While he looked exquisite in his business-casual attire, you had barely rolled out of bed in time to throw your hair up in a messy top knot and apply some mascara. Your hoodie and leggings combo wasn’t your best either, and you started feeling more and more embarrassed by the second.
Every other time Baekhyun had seen you, you had been dressed in expensive lingerie with your hair and makeup done perfectly. You had always been the one in control of the situation. Now, you only felt small and underdressed.
After what felt like hours he finally ended the lecture. But he wasn’t done yet, not with you at least. And you could tell by the way he was staring at you, smile now gone and replaced with a much more serious  expression. As soon as he dismissed everyone to leave, you frantically started shoving your things in your bag, trying to get out of the room as quickly as possible but your hands were shaking so badly that you ended up fumbling and dropping most of what you’d been holding.
“Shit, shit, shit” you whispered to yourself as you desperately reached for your belongings, feeling Baekhyun’s eyes on you, but it was too late and right after you saw the last student leave the lecture hall, you heard your name.
“Y/n come here.”
Not really having the option to say no, you walked up to him, trying to look as annoyed as possible.
“You look cute like this, without the heels and everything. I like it.” He said, now smiling down at you. Despite the mocking feeling of the statement, his face was soft now, the smug smirk from earlier gone.
Baekhyun was absolutely thrilled. The girl he usually looked forward to seeing all week long was right in front of him now, within reach. And he’d get to you see you much more now as well. He had to keep himself from looking too happy since he knew you weren’t in nearly as good a mood as him.  
You’d never wanted to disappear as badly as you did in that moment. Here, Baekhyun was the one with all the power, and you despised it. He was the one all dressed up and making all the rules. You felt small and embarrassed, having little choice but to listen to whatever it is was he had to say to you. You hated the feeling.
“What do you want?”
“You lied to me.” His face didn’t look angry at all, just blank, void of any emotion.
“Why are you making me do this can I please just leave?” You asked, hoping he’d have some sympathy but you have no such luck.
No answer
“Baekhyun, please. Just let me go home and switch into a different section.” You look at him with pleading eyes, wanting this nightmare to be over.
His face hardened, now slightly annoyed.
“Professor Byun, and I’m afraid you’re stuck with me y/n. I’m the only one teaching this class this semester.”
“Well, fuck” You muttered, looking down at the floor. 
“Is that how you speak to your professors?” 
Your head snapped back up, and you narrowed your eyes at him.
“You know, y/n, I’m not mad that you lied to me. I should’ve assumed as much. After you told me your name and I saw it on the attendance sheet I had been hoping you’d been lying.” He still looked annoyed, but his face had softened a bit. 
“Oh fuck off Baekhyun”
Immediately his expression went sour again, jaw clenched and brown furrowed.
“Here it’s Mr. Byun. And don’t use that language with me again, I’m serious.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“What do you mean? I didn’t know you’d be here. It was just yesterday that I even realized your name was on my roll sheet.” 
He had a point. He couldn’t have planned this, you’d signed up for the class months ago and he didn’t even know your name until two nights ago.
“Why aren’t you freaking out then? Shouldn’t you be worried about having me in your class?”
He only let out a chuckle.
“Why would I be worried? As far as I’m concerned this only means I get to see you more often, which I’m fine with. And you need to pass this class to graduate on time, so shouldn’t you be glad you’re already friends with your professor?”
You knew it wasn’t what he intended, but the smile on his face felt like it was mocking you.
“Yeah. Friends.” You scoffed. “Can I go home now?”
“So this is your last class of the day?”
You internally cursed yourself for giving up that bit of information.
“Yeah. Now can I leave?”
“Well you’re not in a hurry are you? Since you don’t have anywhere to be after this.”
“Baekhyuuun” you whined “please, this sucks, just let me go home.”
He smiled, seemingly amused by you begging him.
“Okay. I’m not gonna make you stay any longer since you obviously don’t want to. But let me make it clear, I’m not gonna go easy on you here just because I like you. You still have to try.”
“Okay, that’s fine.” You reply, picking your bag up to leave, wondering what exactly he meant by like you. 
“I’m really looking forward to reading your essays by the way.”
He flashed you a smile as you finally turned to leave, and you hated yourself for not doing a better job at looking mad. As much as you hated to admit it, he had a damn beautiful smile.
“See you on Wednesday!” He shouted after you as you left the room. You didn’t respond.
When you arrived back at your apartment your mind started to fill with panicked thoughts. He wouldn’t come to the club anymore now would he? That meant having to try to mingle with strangers again, something you hated about your work. It also meant less money. It’s not often that customers bought hour long dances.
And what if he did show up again? How would you even act around him? Part of you wanted him to for the easy money, but you just couldn’t imagine grinding on your professor. Your face heated up just at the thought, especially since you knew he could look that good now. Would you even be able to give him a lap dance without losing your own mind?
You had trouble processing the fact that this was even able to happen. You’d  never thought to ask Baekhyun for his last name, and since it had been summer break he didn’t mention his job. The whole situation seemed bizarre. 
And what about class? Will he make it more difficult if he doesn’t get what he wants? 
No. Baekhyun isn’t like that, you tell yourself. As much as you disliked having him in a position of power over you, you’d gotten to know him well enough to know that he wouldn’t abuse it.
The more you’d gotten to know him the more you liked spending time with him rather than other customers, regardless of the money. And for good reason. The longer you knew Baekhyun, the more you realized he wasn’t like the other guys who came to the club. You could tell he was good, decent guy.
He was always there to see you, and only you. You had several other regulars, but none of them had any qualms about talking to and getting dances from other girls. Not that you minded, but you’d never seen Baekhyun even speak to another dancer.
He’s also just nice. The kind of nice that you don’t see in people often anymore. He was always incredibly respectful and would never do anything you weren’t comfortable with. Very few of the guys you came in contact with cared at all if they made you uncomfortable. They’d just assume that’s a part of the job for you.
Baekhyun was actually interesting to talk to as well. Since you’d met him at the beginning of summer, he usually told you about adventures he went on with his friends, most of whom you knew from the night they’d dragged him into the club.
They were a genuinely cool group of people. The one he was closest with, Chanyeol, was a music producer, another named Kyungsoo was an up and coming actor, and the one who’d introduced himself as Jongin was a professional dancer. Chanyeol had been the one to come with the idea of taking Baekhyun to the club in the first place. 
Baekhyun would tell you anecdotes from nights out he’d had with them during college, as well as other wild stories and you’d often find yourself laughing and smiling so hard your face hurt. Ever since your first night with him, you noticed how good he was at making the people around him feel at ease. He always knew what to say and when to make people laugh. 
Baekhyun was different from the other men at work because you liked being around him. You’d be lying to yourself if you said you didn’t find him attractive either. If you’d met him anywhere else, and he wasn’t your professor, you’d probably be more than willing to go on a date with him. 
But unfortunately that wasn’t the case.
You tore yourself out of your thoughts and realized how late it had gotten. Although it was only the first day, you already had homework you needed to start on. You spent the rest of the evening trying to be productive, but you couldn’t stop thinking about Baekhyun. How good he had looked, how attractive he sounded giving the lecture, how he wouldn’t stop looking at you. 
He was going to be much more present in your life now, whether you liked it or not.
                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wednesday morning Baekhyun felt stupid for how excited he was to see you. He’d decided to get up early to work some exercise into his day, and hopefully clear his mind, but even as he took a shower and started getting ready to leave for work, he couldn’t get you out of his head. He’d decided to wear something a bit more casual and stylish, opting for a new pair of glasses, striped red t shirt, and cream slacks. He tried to make other excuses for why he wanted to look nice but in the back of his mind, he knew he wore it because he wanted to look good in front of you.
During the class before yours he noticed a female student in the first row chewing on the back of her pencil as she very intentionally leaned over her desk to grab a pen, putting her cleavage on display to him.
He only rolled his eyes, but he was pleased to see that his outfit was getting good reactions. He just hoped you’d like it.
When the class before yours left, Baekhyun felt his heart rate go up. What if you’d found a way to get out of his class? Would you even show up? Or if you did, would you just end up sitting as far from him as possible?
Usually he’d leave to go get a coffee during his break between giving lectures, but today he stayed in case you came early again. As the minutes went by students started to fill the lecture hall. Baekhyun couldn’t help but keep his eyes fixed on the door every time he heard it open, but he just kept seeing everyone but you. 
A minute before class started, you walked in and sat down in the second to last row.
Baekhyun felt his face light up as soon as saw you, only to immediately turn into a frown when he saw where you chose to sit down. It was as he’d suspected, you wanted to be as far away from his as possible. But at least you were there.
As Baekhyun started the lecture, he couldn’t help looking in your direction every few seconds. Even though you were in casual clothes without any fancy hairstyle or makeup, this was the version of you Baekhyun loved seeing the most. He was used to the perfected product you presented yourself as at your job, and he knew that wasn’t the real you. This was. You in leggings and a t shirt, your hair messily falling over your shoulders as you scribbled down notes. He could watch you like this all day. He noticed how your brows would furrow in confusion whenever he’d bring up a new concept, and how you chewed on your bottom lip when you were concentrating. Ever since he’d seen you like this on Monday, he couldn’t get enough. It was you, the real you.
He also noticed how you seemed to look everywhere in the room except for at him. You spent as much time as possible with your head down taking notes, even when there wasn’t much to write down. Other times your eyes would stay glued to the power point slides, or wander around the walls and ceilings. He understood why you weren’t exactly comfortable looking at him.
Despite being on the other side of the room, he was still able to pick up on little things. He noticed your leg bouncing, fingers tapping on the desk, and how much you would fidget when you weren’t writing notes.
He knew you were uncomfortable, and he hated it. He hated himself for being the reason. He wished there was something he could do or say that would make you enjoy being in his class more. Anything that would make you feel more at ease with him in this situation. If he wasn’t the only one teaching the class he wouldn’t have minded if you’d switched to a different professor, if it meant you were more comfortable. Of course he would’ve missed seeing you, but he also knew that was a selfish thought. He felt guilty that you had to be there and be uncomfortable because of him.
At the end of the lecture he gave the class their first proper assignment, a short essay analyzing Plato's “The Ring of Gyges”. It was an assignment he always gave at the very beginning of the semester, since it was a quite difficult read and gave him a good idea of how everyone would do in the class.
He was especially excited to see how you would do.
When class ended, you were the first one to leave and this time he didn’t stop you. He knew you wanted to leave and didn’t want to bother you again, still feeling slightly sorry for how late he’d kept you the first day. He’d only done it to try to reassure you about having him as your professor, but he hadn’t been expecting you to be as distressed about it as you were. In hindsight he realized he’d probably only made things more stressful for you.
Once the room was empty aside from him he packed up his things and left as well, hoping that you could become less anxious over time, and eventually, maybe even enjoy being in his class.
For now though, class had not been something for you to look forward to at all. You’d been dreading it ever since Monday afternoon.
That morning as you were getting ready, you tried to make yourself look a bit more presentable than you’d looked Monday, not wanting to live through the embarrassment of seeing Baekhyun look so nice while you were basically wearing pajamas again.
For the first half of your day you threw yourself into your other class work, successfully taking him off your mind for a while, but when your physics class ended and your next class was with him you felt yourself starting to panic.
You thought about skipping class, but you cared too much about your grade. You decided your best choice was to just get there as late as possible and sit as close to the door as you could so he wouldn’t be able to get you to stay after class again.
As you walked across campus you felt yourself get more and more nervous. Despite being there 20 minutes early and the room being open to sit down in, you sat down outside. As the minutes drew closer to class starting you felt your heart start to race and had trouble controlling your breathing. One minute before class was to start you got up, walked over to the door, and took a few deep breaths to calm yourself down a bit. You pushed open the door with shaky hands, and the second you could see into the room you notice Baekhyun's eyes on you, and his beautiful smile. You quickly looked down and hurried to the closest available seat in the back of the room, cringing at yourself.
As much as you wished you could, you couldn’t just ignore Baekhyun. He was the professor, you had to listen to him. But you had a hard time doing anything when he looked like he did. His shirt showed off his broad shoulders and he was wearing different glasses now too. He looked even better than he had on Monday. Had it not been for you already knowing him, you probably would’ve found him distracting for different reasons. You did everything you could not to look at him directly, knowing he’d catch you and see you blush. But who wouldn’t blush if he was staring at them while looking like that? You could tell some of the other girls in the class liked his outfit as well by the way they whispered to each other while shooting glances his way.
You wondered if maybe this was something he did often, if he liked starting things with students. If maybe his whole nice guy persona was fake and he really was just another scumbag.
But you soon realized that was just the bitterness speaking. You wouldn’t admit it to yourself but the thought of other girls trying to seduce him was bothering you. Baekhyun wasn’t a scumbag, not when he’d dedicated his life to teaching people about ethical issues and moral arguments.
As the class went on you couldn’t help but fidget and shift around in your seat. Even though you were avoiding looking at him, you knew his eyes were on you for much of the lecture. You’d figured it would be like this.
As it got closer and closer to the end of class you felt yourself get more and more panicked at the thought of him keeping you after again. You didn’t know what he could possibly keep you after for, but you didn’t want to stick around and find out, so as soon as he dismissed the class you nearly ran out without looking back.
“Hey, y/n!”
The sound of your name nearly gave you a heart attack, thinking it was Baekhyun who was going to force you to talk to him like this again but when you saw Lucas waving at you, you let out a relieved sigh.
“Hi Lucas.”
“I thought you’d come sit by me again today what happened?” He asked.
“Sorry about that, I was almost late today so I didn’t want to walk out there in front of the whole class” you said, hoping he wouldn’t see through your lie.
“Well I hope next time you’ll sit with me again.”
You managed to give him a small smile and nod, still a bit too frazzled over everything to want to talk to him.
“I have to get home, but I’ll se you Friday. Bye Lucas.” You waved at him as you went in the opposite direction.
You felt bad for not talking to him any longer, but you just weren’t in the right headspace.
On your walk home you felt weird. Had it really been that bad? Or were you just overreacting? Although he did look at you a lot Baekhyun seemed to teach the class as if everything was normal, more or less unaffected by your presence. He hadn’t seemed to mind your leaving either. Maybe he’d hadn’t planned to make you stay again. Maybe, it seemed, he was going to leave you be.
You knew Lucas would bother you about it if you didn’t sit with him again next time, but would you be okay to sit that close to the front again? Or even worse what if Lucas caught on that there was something going on between you and Baekhyun? He’d already seemed suspicious on the first day.
You decided your best course of action was to just do it and tough it out. All you needed to do was act like you did in all your other classes and everything would be fine right?
First however, you had to go home and face your roommate and tell her about this nightmare, having bottled it up until now. You weren’t exactly sure why you hadn’t told her right away. Maybe you felt strange about it since she had already told you you needed to keep him from getting any closer to you. Obviously that wasn’t going to be easy now.
As soon as you got home and put your things away you knocked on her door.
“YEAH?” You heard her yell through the door.
“Can I come in?”
“One second!”
A little while later the door opened.
“What’s up?”
“Can we have a girls night? I have some shit I need to tell you.”
You couldn’t remember the last time you saw Mia look so excited.
“You?? Have tea for ME??? Fuck yes!”
You thought about it, and this was pretty rare. 90% of the time she was the one unloading her boy problems on you, or any other kind of drama too for that matter. Not that you minded, that was just the dynamic you had gotten used to.
“Wanna order some food and put on a movie?” You asked.
“Sure.”
Your food eventually arrived and you put on a chick flick you’ve both seen a thousand times.
“So?? Are you gonna tell me what’s going on or what?” She asked turning to you, obviously looking forward to whatever you were about to fill her in on.
You sighed.
“So my philosophy professor this semester...” You swallowed, now having trouble getting yourself to say it.
“I know this sounds fucking insane but, Baekhyun’s my philosophy professor.”
The look on her face told you everything you need to know. The two of you had known each other for so long that words weren’t needed.
“I don’t know how it happened either. I signed up for the class forever ago anyway, before I even met him at the club. Just a bizarre coincidence. And he’s the only one teaching it and I need the credit to graduate so I'm stuck.”
“Shit dude.”
“Yeah I know. He kept me after class Monday and it was a fucking nightmare.”
“What did he say?”
“Basically just that I’m stuck with him. He also called me out for lying about what university I go to at work. And he said he liked me better ‘like this’ whatever the hell that means”
“He’s like obsessed with you isn’t he? He’s probably over the moon that he has a way into your personal life now which really fucking sucks for you.” She had a point. “Do you think he’ll still come see you at work?”
“I honestly really don’t wanna think about that right now.”
“Be careful, y/n. A customer having a crush on you is one thing but having him in charge of your grade is another. What if he starts trying to make moves on you and you shoot him down? He could fuck up your GPA just to get back at you or something.”
“No.” You responded, perhaps a bit too quickly. “No, Baekhyun isn’t like that. He’s not a bad guy, and I don’t think he’ll try anything anyway.”
“Really?”
“I’m not sure of course but he’s also a lot older than us and this is his job, I can’t see him risking his livelihood just for me.”
“He’s a college professor who’s giving you a thousand dollars a week, how does he even have that kind of money anyway? No way he gets paid enough as a professor to be giving you that much. He either has some other source of income or you’re already making him broke.”
You felt stupid for not having considered that yet. How the hell was he giving you so much? She was right, unless he was secretly rich or something there was no way he could afford to give you so much money every week without fucking himself over. Your stomach started to churn with the idea of him possibly even putting himself in debt just for your Saturday nights together. He couldn’t be that stupid right?
She could tell how much the conversation was stressing you out at that point.
“Listen,” she said, grabbing your hand “you just need to get through the semester. You can handle 16 weeks, class with him will get less awkward, and hopefully he’s at least smart enough not to come see you at work anymore now.”
The thought of him not coming anymore wasn’t a good one either though. You made much more money when he was there, and in under 2 hours. Staying at the club until 3am with school going on now, only to take home less money wasn’t really a good option either.
“I don’t wanna see him there but I need his money.”
“You’ll find some other guy who’s rich and in love with you soon enough, don’t worry, it’ll all be fine.” She said, pulling you in for a hug.
“Yeah..”
You knew she was just trying to make you feel better, but realistically you weren’t going to find another guy like Baekhyun at work, Even if someone came along who gave you as much money as he did, they wouldn’t be as fun to talk to, or as respectful as him. Guys like that just don’t come to strip clubs. You still didn’t even fully understand why he did.
“Just think of him as another one of your professors. It might be tough at first, but I think if you can do that you’ll be okay.” 
“You’re right, I just need to get my shit together and not let him distract me.” 
“See? Of course I’m right.” She grinned, and you couldn’t help but smile back. 
Eventually the movie ended, and by then it was late enough for the two of you to get ready for bed.
Talking to your best friend about it had made you feel slightly better. At least whatever happened, she would be there for you to talk it out with. Baekhyun wasn’t a bad person or anything either, it was just the situation that was stressing you out. As long as you could get ahold of yourself enough to focus on his lectures and do well in the class, you’d be fine. 
You kept reassuring yourself as you closed your eyes, and for the first night that week you didn’t stare at your ceiling for hours worrying, you went right to sleep.
Next Chapter
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star-lemonade · 3 years
Text
Iced Americano
Ateez Wooyoung x Reader
Genre: fluff
Cw: being tapped in an elevator
Rating: G
Word count: 2.2 k
The coffee shop on the ground floor of the building you worked in was a fixture in your daily routine. Every morning you would enter through the glass door and get in line. There were a few tables, but at this time in the morning no one was sitting down. Everyone wanted a coffee to go. The line for the counter seemed to get longer every day. You should not wish for any one to get laid off, but you wanted the guy fired. The barisa was a young man but that did not he was agaile in any way. He was slow and made a lot of mistakes. He did not want to be there, it was written all over his face. Every day you wished that he would quit. It was mean, but he would do better somewhere else. Yes, he should do something that he actually enjoyed.
Today was the day where everything was different. It was your usual time, but there was barely a queue. You got in line after two men in suits and soon it was your turn. It became clear why there was no queue. The old barista had left and there he was, the cutest guy you had ever seen. He had a smile that everyone wanted to be the recipient of. It was so charming the phrase “to be wrapped around someone’s finger” suddenly made sense. There was a moment in which you just wanted to be in any shape that would please the cute guy with the two toned hair.
“Good Morning! What can I get you?”
He beamed at you and his voice was so cheerful, you automatically smiled back. The little beauty mark under his eye added to his already beautiful face.
“Ehm… one iced americano.”
...and your number, please. You did not say that out loud of course, but you definitely thought about it, when you were at your desk. He must get that a lot.
Mornings got way more relaxed and exciting. You found yourself looking forward to seeing the cute barista. He did not wear a name tag so you did not know what his name was and you were too awkward to ask him. These days you could be found at the coffee shop in the afternoon too. You would get something that was not coffee and sit down at a table. For ten minutes or so you would get your mind off work and watch the barista work. You marveled at little drawings he made on the cappuccinos and the ease with which he handled his work. He had fun, genuine fun, doing his work. It was not something you saw often. For most people their work was soul crushing and they would not do it, if it was not for the money they needed to pay their bills. The barista however loved it to make coffee and other drinks for the customers.
It was Thursday evening and no one was in the office any more. Well, almost no one. It was just you and the three people, who had a meeting in one of the conference rooms. You had finished what you had to do, but at what cost? The summer sun was setting outside. It was late already. You shut down the computer and stretched. It had been a long day and going home was your only objective now. How nice it would be to fall into bed and sleep! Tomorrow was your day off and you intended to sleep in. Before leaving you went to the restroom. I look as tired as I feel. You pouted at your reflection. It did not help.
When you returned to your desk to get your bag, the room was filled with the smell of coffee. The meeting must still be going for a while, when they drink coffee at this hour. Although there was Mike in there and he could drink coffee whenever.
The elevator was already on your floor and the door opened immediately. You pressed the button for the ground floor. Finally, work was over.
“Wait!”
A shout echoed in the empty hallway. You pressed the button to keep the doors open and a moment later he entered. The barista from down stairs. He was still wearing his uniform.
“Thanks!”
He flashed you a smile and the doors closed. You stood in one corner of the elevator and he stood in the other. The only sound in the small room was the noise of the machine descending. You were alone with him for the first time, maybe you should say something? The number over the door counted down 15,14,13. He had his hair up in a half ponytail that exposed the blond layer in the back of his head. Even though he looked more tired than you had ever seen him, he was still beautiful. You had a hard time trying not to stare.
The lights flickered and with a crunch the elevator jerked to a hold. You grabbed the railing, but the sudden movement of the elevator sent you to the floor anyways.
The normal white light had been replaced by the dim red wash of the small emergency light.
“Are you okay?”
The barista was still on his feet and offered you his hand. In the dim light it was hard to make out his face.
“Yes, I’m okay.”
You took his hand and he helped you up. The elevator was not moving anymore. The faint surring of the fan and your breathing were the only sounds in the room. Your eyes started to adjust to the new situation and you saw the red bell button next to the door.
“Looks like the elevator is stuck. Let’s try calling someone.”
You stepped closer to the panel with the buttons and pressed the button with the bell on it. An almost inaudible electric buzz came from behind the button.
“Hello?”
A tinny voice came from the loudspeaker. It reminded you of old radio recordings, highly compressed and cut off at high and low frequencies.
“Hello. The elevator stopped and we are inside.”
You did not know where the microphone was so you just talked loud to the room.
“How many people?”
“Two.”
You glanced at your plus one who looked over your shoulder. He stood close to you and you felt his presence.
“Okay. First of all don’t panic. We will get you out but it will take 30 minutes for someone to arrive. I can’t open the doors alone. Okay?”
You looked over your shoulder. The barista was looking at the speaker then his glance flickered to meet your eyes.
“We will be okay.”
He answered with confidence.
“Good. if you don’t hear the fan moving press the fan button. See you soon.”
With that the disembodied voice vanished. You were alone.
“Looks like we’re going to be here a while.”
He sat down leaning against the wall opposite the door. You did not know what to do now. This was just perfect. You wanted nothing more than to go home, but here you were stuck in this metal box. Standing alone felt not appropriate so you put your back against the wall next to the panel and slid down.
“I’m Wooyoung by the way.”
He smiled even though today it was not as bright as usual. Now that you looked at him, you noticed that he looked more tired. It was late for him too. You introduced yourself.
“I know your name. You come to the cafe everyday.”
“Right.”
Oh my god, he knows my name. If you were not so tired and irritated by this situation you would be happy about that. You finally knew your crush’s name and knew that he remembers yours.
“Do you work here?”
“Yes, I do.”
You had an ordinary office job, so you did not know what else you should say about it. He had started the conversation, and you really wanted to continue it.
“What were you doing up there?”
You tried to make the question not accusatory. Whether it worked or not was unclear, but Wooyoung smiled.
“Someone called and asked for a delivery. We don’t really do that, but since it’s the same building, I said yes.”
“And now you're stuck here.”
You knew that they did not deliver because you had tried to place an order when you had just started to work there. What bad luck Wooyoung had had. He had been kind enough to make an exception but now he was trapped on the elevator for an unknown time.
“It’s not so bad. Since I have good company”
He looked up at the ceiling. This almost shy behavior contrasted with his playful tone. You smiled to yourself.
“What do you do when you don’t work at the coffee shop?”
“Not much. Playing games and learning Italian.”
There was a small pause before ‘Italian’ and his shoulders tensed.
“Italian?”
Not a lot of people here learned the language, so naturally you wondered why he was learning it. Apparently this was the question he had dredded. Wooyoung loosely wrapped his arms around his legs.
“Is there a special reason?”
You paid attention to your tone when asking this question. It felt like you were on a minefield trying to avoid what would upset him.
“I want to go to Italy and learn more about coffee there.”
He looked at his hands. The bracelets on his wrist looked pretty on him. His shoulders slumped slightly.
“Wow, that’s so cool!!”
Wooyoung‘s head shot up, eyes wide open in the dim light.
“Really? You don’t think that’s dumb?”
You could almost see his eyes sparkle. Damn, he is so cute.
“I have seen you make a cappuccino for a friend. It was super cool.”
Your friend and you had smiled at the cute pattern in the milk foam. It was more something you expected from a bit more expensive coffee shops.
“Thank you.”
Wooyoung beamed at you. Now that you thought about it, his reaction made sense. Most people do not see the value in doing such a menial task as making coffee. Who would want to work at a coffee shop, if they were not the menager? However there were people who enjoyed these things. They often ended up in jobs that paid more, but were less enjoyable.
“What do you do in your free time?”
You looked up, just now noticing that you had been lost in your thoughts. Wooyoung rested his chin on his hand and made you feel like you had his undivided attention.
“I play video games and I paint.”
These days you arguably spend too much time playing games. After coming home from work you had not enough energy to do anything productive. You just watched something or played games.
“You paint? That’s so cool!! Can you show me something?”
Wooyoung was thrilled. He leaned forward, eyes sparkling, hoping to see something you had painted. You wanted to say no, but his puppy eyes made it hard. You caved and pulled out your phone.
“I’m not very good, so don’t expect anything groundbreaking.”
You showed him some of the recent pieces you had done. Most of them were landscapes with some still lifes thrown in. Humans were simply too hard to draw and you did not have the patience to learn it.
“Woah. I like that one!”
Your face felt hot from his compliment and your heart skipped a beat, when you noticed how close he was. It was totally innocent of course. He had just moved closer to look at your phone, but the effect was still the same. Your heart hammered in your chest. Wooyoung looked up and you could see the little beauty mark under his eye. It was very pretty. He noticed how close you were and gave you some space.
“Wooyoung-”
BANG-BANG!
“Are you okay in there?”
A voice followed the banging on the elevator doors. The old building manager and a technician opened the door from the outside. They helped you climb up to the next floor. The air in the hallway was much better and the lights almost blinded you. Sitting in the artificial twilight of the emergency light had made your eyes sensitive.
You thanked them and together you and Wooyoung took the stairs. It was unlikely that the other elevator would get stuck too, but you just wanted to move your legs.
“They were pretty fast.” Wooyoung’s voice echoed in the empty staircase. “It wasn’t even 30 mintues.”
You nodded. That had been your chance to ask him out. Now that you were in the outside world again, you could not bring yourself to ask him.
“Can I ask you something?”
Your steps had synchronised as you walked down between floors 7 and 6.
“Sure.”
He stopped and looked at the floor. He bit his lip before saying: “Would you like to play some video games some time?”
You stared at him as heat was creeping up your face.
“I would love to.”
You smiled at him and he beamed right back at you.
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bastillewolf · 4 years
Note
hi, idk if requests are open (if they aren't just ignore this) but could you do a platonic corpse x lesbian! reader oneshot ? i just found out the supreme court's tryna get rid of gay marriage in the us and i'm having a huge panic attack right now and i'm really struggling since i'm closeted in a family of homophobes. so maybe just corpse comforting the reader and helping her cope ? idk i just feel like he gives real good hugs,, if you don't feel comfy writing this i totally understand !
I feel like he gives really good hugs too omg. Hope you enjoy this one, and I’m so sorry to hear about everything. I hope things will get better. If not, move to a different country lol. Europe’s not too bad.
Also, I’ve had panic attacks before too, and this is how I interpret them. If anyone does not agree, please feel free to share. I’m not an expert.
Pairings: Corpse / Reader
Warnings: Panic attacks.
You were sitting at a restaurant. You didn’t necessarily go out often, but tonight just felt like one of those random special occasions. To dress up and have a nice meal with a friend while pretending this wasn’t harming your bank account. It was a moment to enjoy, and to be fair, you did enjoy yourself for most of the evening. Your best friend, who we’ll call Corpse for his secret identity’s sake, had surprisingly also been in a terribly good mood, and when you’d managed to get a table far away from the crowd of people, it seemed like nothing could ruin your little excursion into the real world anymore.
But when your pizza was near halfway finished, and you looked down to see your phone vibrating, you choked up.
You always felt it coming right at you, like a train suddenly running of its tracks and hurdling through a dense forest, destroying the serenity and peace. And to be fair, you weren’t quite good at hiding it. It’s a sudden rush of adrenaline that surprises you with a right hook to the face. Food no longer seemed appetizing, everyone appeared to be glancing your way even though they probably weren’t and your fight or flight instinct wanted to kick in.
Yet, your feet remained rooted to the floor. Your jaw clenched and the breaths through your nose became rapid. You wanted to leave, escape, but you did not want to walk past all these people.
Corpse had noticed your change in demeanor, thankfully. “Are you having a panic attack?” he asked. He was familiar with them as his anxiety more often than not brought one upon him, and knew how awful it could be when people did not understand. You managed to nod, even though it was stiff. “Alright, breathe with me. Through your stomach.”
You did as told, and he reached across the table to hold your hand. Once he was sure you weren’t going to start hyperventilating, he went off to find a waiter for the check.
He pulled an arm around you and led you outside until you were inside a cab and driving away. He started telling you about how he murdered everyone the other day in Among Us, and what a grand victory it had been. He helped you calm down a bit.
Corpse set the leftovers on the counter and then took a seat next to you on his couch. You were still shaking, and your spine was as stiff as a wooden plank. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked. You shook your head. “Okay.”
Instead, he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you close. When the warmth of his black hoodie had engulfed you, you were finally able to cry. He rubbed your back in soothing circles, and told you everything was going to be alright. “Don’t worry about it. It’ll pass. You’re strong like that. Deadass.” You sputtered out a laugh.
“I’m sorry we had to leave. I really wanted to have a fun night out.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad you’re okay, yeah?”
“You’re a good friend.”
“Not half as good as you.”
***
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dreadpoetssociety · 3 years
Text
Fevers Don’t Exist
TW: Fever ? (I’m not sure what counts for triggers so pls lmk if I miss anything)
Prompt: hi!! could u do one maybe where like, the reader is an actress on supernatural and she plays like their younger sister on the show or something and she gets sick at a con or something? Thanks !!
NOTE: Hey guys, I’m alive!!!! I know I have a lot of Spencer prompts atm, but it’s really hard to write them when I’m not like, hyper focused on Criminal Minds. I am going to try though! So sorry I’ve left so many of you in the wind, I am a very inconsistent person, my bad. But here’s this! It’s REALLY bad because I’m terrible at being realistic but like idk it’s something.
I really don’t even know what to put for tags on this. 
()()()()()() 
Ah, September. You knew what came along every September, and looked forward to it for the first eight months of every year. Secaucus, New Jersey. You loved every con you went to, truly. Everyone was so nice, you love staying in hotels, panels are such a great time, the whole thing. It's a great experience outside of the set to get connected with fans. And, they loved you almost as much as you loved them. You were typically closer in age, since you were still just a teenager. You also started out as a fan of the show before somehow snatching a role, so you really were with them at one point. Everything that excites them excited you just as much. And, you loved making friends with them. You weren't allowed to be reckless with your phone number, so you made a snapchat that you shared exclusively with con goers, whom you made swear to secrecy. It was like a club, and you just enjoyed genuinely talking to everyone. But, when you woke up that first morning, you knew it was going to be a long day. Your body ached, and you were still pretty exhausted. You had a fever, but didn't really know if it was a fever because you were still young, and God forbid you ever decided to recognize the signs of you being sick. It was almost like a form of denial, not knowing. You were sweating, but freezing, and your throat felt particularly dry. Your headache rested underneath your eyes for the most part, to which you just blamed on being tired. Your stomach didn't hurt, but you definitely weren't hungry. Even though you hadn't felt exactly 100% the past days before, and you obviously weren't feeling right now, you just deduced that it was all because you were tired, and had a late flight in. As a responsible person does, of course. You didn't even bother taking any medicine for it, because hey, you obviously weren't sick, you'd feel better in a bit, and you didn't have any, so why waste the time, right? 
You groggily got dressed and met up with "the boys" (even though they were all older than you) for the free breakfast downstairs, in a separate room, since fans did happen to stay in the same hotel. You grabbed some Cheerios, only to conspicuously throw them away after. 
"You good, Y/N?" Jared asked out loud, gaining the attention of Jensen, Misha, and Alex. You could feel their eyes burning through your skin. Or, maybe that was the fever. It had to be their eyes, you convinced yourself, you didn't have a fever. You were fine. 
"Yeah, why?" you asked, faking the perk in your voice and confused eyes. Your eyes felt really heavy, you noticed. 
"You just... You look exhausted. And pale." he said, "And you threw away that cereal without eating any of it." 
You looked down at yourself as an effect for what you were about to say, "Wow, well that's one way to make me self-conscious. I thought I looked kind of poppin'." you laughed slightly, trying to play it off. 
"W-wait, no that's- that's not what I meant! You look fine, I just-" he was embarrassed. You and the others chuckled.
"I'm kidding. I'm all good, just went to bed late, y'know?" you smiled. It was hard to try and mask the rasp in your voice, and doing so made you feel the need to cough, so you downed some water until it dialed down a bit. He nodded. In your mind, you blessed your acting skills, thinking you got away with it. What you didn't know was that Misha, Jensen, and Jared, as fathers do, knew every trick in the book, and each noted to keep an eye on you. Not to mention, they'd been acting far longer than you had, and could just tell when one switches into a character. They all figured that if you weren't sick now, you would be in days to come, and exchanged glances with each other, while Alex innocently continued to chew on his toast. 
"Well, if you're tired, I don't think you have a panel or anything for another hour or something, maybe you could catch up on some sleep then." Jared suggested. You shrugged.
"Nah," you said, "I've got photo-ops in like, twenty minutes. I should actually probably get going. I'll catch up later!" 
You left with a wave, and disappeared into the hotel somewhere. You stopped in your room, allowing yourself finally to set free the coughs living in the back of your throat. You blamed it on your throat being dry since you didn't drink enough water. Not on germs. So, you grabbed two water bottles from the small fridge in your room, and left, making your way towards the convention center.
  You felt slightly better during photo-ops, which just confirmed in your mind that it was impossible that you were sick right now. You smiled and talked to everyone. There was one girl, who introduced herself as Meredith, who stuck out in your mind. She gave you this super cool hand painted keychain, which you very excitedly put on your keys instantly.
"Dude, I've been looking for a cool keychain. Not just one of those janky ones you find at like 7-11, like a cool one. This is so exciting." you smiled genuinely. You had just recently bought yourself a car, and thought that your keys looked a little lonely, and searched for hours on Etsy for something to spice it up a bit. A weird obsession, thinking about it now.
She laughed, "I'm glad you like it!"
"Hell, yeah! Now, are there any poses you wanna do? Or do you just want to hit that casual look? I could make it look like I'm meeting you." you stupidly rambled. One of your traits that was so widely known was how funny and awkward (in a good way) that you were. It took you a long time to get to that point, though, because you were always anxious about meeting others. You still are every now and then, but it's different here. 
"I was just hoping to get a hug." she said, "If that's okay with you." 
"Yeah, that's cool!" you wrapped your arms around each other and shot the camera a grin. The girl looked a bit confused. 
"Hey," she said, quietly, "are you like, okay? You feel really hot."
Nervously, you replied, "Oh, no, yeah totally fine. I'm just wearing two layers, and it's getting spicy in here."
"Yeah," she answered, "don't push yourself, okay?"
"I won't, thank you. It was really nice meeting you!" 
"You, too! Thanks!" she waved goodbye and you moved on to the last few people in line. She was right, though. You realized that you felt worse than you did when you walked in. You thought it had gone away for a while, but now it was just amplified. You noticed you were cold again, but that you were sweating as well. It must've just been the temperature in the room. These conventions aren't always able to keep a steady temp in the entire building, right?
This day, you didn't have much to do. Most of your events were on the other days to come. You had one panel in a few hours, and then a panel with Jared, Jensen, and Misha a few hours after that, and then bam, the day was over. You just had to get through those two events. Just two. 
Two, events. And both were an hour. So, two hours out of the day. Rookie work. Yet, as your panel approached, the headache had expanded from under your eyes to anywhere that there was space to hurt, your throat ached and so did your lungs from how much you were going off somewhere to cough in privacy, your body felt heavy, you couldn't tell if you were hot or cold at this point it was some weird combination of both, your stomach hurt just slightly, the world was moving around you a bit more than it usually would, and the fever you "didn't" have had climbed a degree, probably two. And, at some point during the day, you got pretty congested. You felt like you could just fall asleep at any moment. Jared and Jensen happened to be walking by where you had been waiting by yourself, away from any congoers or employees, and noticed that even though you were leaning against a wall, you somehow were still swaying.
"Y/N?" Jensen called out, worried. You heard him, you knew you were supposed to respond, but didn't know how. Maybe you did have a fever, and maybe you sort of let it out of control. It was like you were comprehending them, but not at the same time. You heard everything, but it just swept right through your feverish mind. The walked in front of you and examined you within seconds. You felt Jared's cold, really abnormally large man hand sweep your hair back and land on your forehead. 
"J, she's burning up." you felt another hand on your face. You, quite exhaustedly, swatted it away. They couldn't figure out how it'd gotten so bad so quickly. You were sick this morning, but not to this degree. They knew then that you had just shrugged it off all day, and your teenage fever brain probably didn't even think to take any kind of medicine or anything for it, even if you were trying to hide it.
"I'm good. Just tired. Fevers don’t exist." you finally mumbled, taking a few deep breathes, which you hadn't really been able to do in a bit without being rudely interrupted by a bone-shaking cough. It felt nice, almost. The boys sighed at you and shook their heads. 
"Y/N, you should go back to your room and get some rest. We can bring you some stuff that'll help." Jared suggested. You shook your head and opened your eyes, which somehow felt even heavier.
"Nah," you said to them, "I've got a panel, I think, in like, I ‘dunno, some minutes or something. Something I-" you pushed yourself off the wall to try and make your way somewhere, but stumbled a step or two, which result in Jensen and Jared instinctively to grab you in order to keep you steady.
"Like hell we're letting you go to that, Y/N, you can't even form a sentence, or stand for that matter. You're out of your mind. We're going to bring you back now, we'll take care of your panel thing." Jensen stated pretty sternly. You were about to fight back, and they could see it, but you coughed a few times, and they could almost feel it in their own chests. You just nodded in defeat.
"Yeah, maybe I could just like, sleep, for an hour or two." you whispered, tiredly. The two were still holding you steady, and could see you already falling asleep before even going anywhere. 
"Or six, by the looks of it." Jared joked lightly.
"Poor kid." Jensen said to Jared as the were walking out of your room. They helped you get there, and you were gone before you even saw the bed, "Why do they always have to pretend like they aren't sick? Look where it gets them."
"Don't know, man. You can't talk, though. You literally tell people you are immune to illness." Jared laughed quietly, shutting you door.
"Well I am. I am the perfect example of health. I don't get sick." 
"Yeah," Jared rolled his eyes, "Right. Watch you catch what Y/N has. You practically carried her all the way here. There's no way you're escaping it." Walking towards the center, the back way of course, Jensen scoffed, "Please, germs take one look at me and know not to mess this up. And, by the logic, that means you're already infected, too. So, tell me, princess, what sort of soup do you want spoon-fed?" 
Again, Jared rolled his eyes, and the two laughed. They weren't making fun of you, they were making fun of each other, and knew that you would've wanted in on that action.
"Y/N probably would've destroyed us if she heard that. Something along the longs of 'You want me to tuck you in? Carry you bridal style?'" Jared pitched his voice a tone higher for it. Again, the two men laughed.
They made their way backstage of what's supposed yo be your panel, and informed the crew about what was going on. They were just going to fill in for you, probably tell a few embarrassing stories.
When they made their way through the curtain, the crowd shouted. They were obviously excited to see the two leads, but also were obviously confused. "Alright, you're probably confused." Jensen stated the obvious, "Because obviously, we look nothing like Y/N, and thank God she does not look like us." The crowd laughed.
"Anyway, Y/N can't make it today. She's really sick-" the crowd cut Jared off with a unison "awe." People yelled out that they hoped she felt better, tell her to take care of herself, and so on.
"Yeah, poor kid looked like she was just going to fall asleep right where she was standing. She literally tried to come anyway, like, kid, you're making no sense. Y/N couldn't really fight against us, though, so she's sleeping now." Jensen explained, "So we came here to chat in her stead, but just know she really was planning on coming. That kid loves you guys." and again, the "awe" rolled through the crowd. 
"If she wasn't sick, she could totally kick both your-" the last word was cut off, but was implied anyway, someone screamed from the crowd, which resulted in laughter.
"Yeah, probably. Even if we were stronger than her," sarcastically, of course, "she'd still beat us. Kid's too fast, and I'm too old." Jared laughed.
In the last ten minutes of the panel, Jared decided to give you call. Not only to check in on you, but so you could at least say hi to your crowd. When you heard the phone ring, you groggily opened your eyes and aimlessly reached for it.
"Hello?" you answered. Jared almost frowned at how sick you sounded, even with just one word.
"Y/N?" Jensen stepped in, "It's Jensen."
"Unfortunate." you sighed exhaustedly. It was joke, a really tired one, but still enough to make the crowd laugh.
"We're here at your panel, we thought you might want to say hi." Jared said loudly, holding the speaker of his phone to the microphone. 
"Panel?" you asked. Panel? What panel? Your delirious mind was clearly confused, "Who's that?" 
"Y/N, the con. The convention panel?" Jensen actually sounded worried. They probably should've thought to give you some sort of medicine to do something about the fever you had before they'd left.
"Oh," you closed your eyes again, almost falling asleep, before remembering finally what it was they meant, and after a moment, "Oh! Crap, the panel thing, I'm late."
"No, Y/N, stay there, we've got it covered remember? You can't come. You can say hi to them, though." Jensen interjected quickly.
"Okay, hi guys." you just followed as told.
The crowd responded with a series of hello's. 
"'M really sorry. I hope they aren't boring you." the two men could practically hear you closing your eyes. The crowd responded in inaudible chatter. Jensen and Jared walked from the mic for a second.
"Sorry if we woke you, kid." Jared apologized, having just realized they probably could've left you alone, "W also just wanted to check in. See how you're doing."
"How are you feeling?" Jensen asked, but got a mumbled word in response, "Alright, well, just go back to sleep, we'll be up there soon." 
Jared hung up the phone, and the two began to answer the last few questions and close up. They waved their goodbyes to the crowd, and started heading back your way.
"Jensen, you got any over the counters with you? Thermometers or anything? All I've got is Advil, and I don't even know what's really bothering her yet other than that cough and being tired."
"Yup. Danneel always makes me carry literally an entire medicine cabinet, just for these moments. I'll go get 'em and meet you there. It'd probably do her some good to eat something, too. I don't know if she's got like, a stomach virus thing going on, though." Jensen answered.
"I'll see what she'll say and let you know." 
The two parted ways, and Jared made his way to you. Even though he'd only talked to you just a few minutes before, you were dead to the world by the time he opened the door. The room was boiling, and Jared looked over to the thermostat to see that you'd at some point put it on to 90 degrees. 
"Jesus, Y/N, I know you've got a fever, but damn." he said, more so to himself than to you. He looked over at you after turning it down to see you curled beneath what looked like any blanket you could find. He came over and started removing the blankets slowly, and shook you gently to wake you up.
"Y/N, wake up for a minute, it's Jared."
"'Mm." was all you said, until you realized your layers of warmth had been moved, "What're doing? It's cold."
"Y/N, you're dripping in sweat. It's the fever making you cold."
"I don't have a fever." you retorted, "I'm good. Just tired."
"Kid, you've been tired the whole day. You've been sleeping this whole time." he tried rationalizing.
"I have?" you questioned, closing you eyes again. Jared put his hand to your forehead again. Somehow, it was warmer than the first time he'd done it before the panel. It was then that Jensen finally appeared, a whole bag of things in hand, "Could you bring the thermometer over?"
"Yeah, gotcha." He walked over and rummaged through the bag at the same time, pulling out a thermometer.
"Y/N, we need to take your temperature." Jensen said.
"No need." you said, "'M not sick."
"You are so obviously sick, I'm not asking." again with that stern voice. Jared gave him a "Hey, she's sick, back off a little" sort of look, but it had worked, and you let them take your temp. They were almost shocked when the thing beeped at 103.
"Should we take her to a hospital? That's way too high." Jared asked. 
"If it gets any higher, yes, but let's see if we can bring it down first." Jensen replied.
"No hospitals." you demanded, opening your eyes and glaring at them. 
"We aren't bringing you yet, Y/N, but I need you to eat this so you can take some meds." he held out two pieces of toast that he must've brought from his room. You hated toast even when you weren't sick.
"I'm not really hungry." 
"I know, but it'll help. You haven't told us what's bothering you yet, either." Jared responded.
"Nothing's-" you coughed a few times, a bit violently, "bothering me." "We can see that." Jensen said sarcastically.
"Everything's bothering me." you whispered, giving up.
"Your stomach hurt?" Jensen asked. You waved your hand from side to side to signal a so-so, "Think you'll get sick at all?"
"No, it's not like that, I don't think." you breathed out, another cough escaping you. You took a few bites out of the toast. It made you uncomfortable, but it was then that you realized you probably felt that way since you really hadn't eaten much that day or the one before, which probably contributed to the splitting headache. It didn't go away after, either though. You pushed yourself up. You almost fell over, but Jared put a hand out for you.
"Alright, good. Take this. I'm going to be frank, it tastes disgusting." Jensen handed over a small cup of liquid, "Sometimes, if you take it like a shot, it helps. But you shouldn't know how to take shots, but if you do it, I won't judge." And so you did, causing the two to chuckle slightly at you. 
"You were right, about the sleep thing." you slumped back onto the bed heavily, like a brick.
"When am I ever wrong?" Jensen asked, "Don't answer that, actually."
But you were already sleeping again, and the boys decided to stay nearby for now. The next panel wasn't for another few hours anyway, and they just didn't want you to be alone. Also, incase you were wrong about the toast, and it decided to make its return. Jared's phone began to ring loudly, to which he very quickly tried to answer so his obnoxious ringtone wouldn't wake you up again, not that you wouldn't have just fallen back asleep anyway.
"Misha? Hey, what's up?" Jared answered. Jensen walked over to hear what was going on on the other side of the line, but Jared just decided to put it on speaker.
"Where are you guys? I haven't seen you all day. Felicia, Alex, and I are going out for lunch, we were wondering if you guys want to come. I tried calling Y/N, but she didn't answer, so." he rambled.
"That's because Y/N's not feeling well." Jensen said, giving him a solution to his predicament of not being answered, "We're with her right now, so we'll have to pass."
"She's sick? Is she okay?" 
"Yeah, I think so. She's just got this crazy fever we've been trying to bring down. Thinking about it now, Jensen, we should probably check it again." 
"A fever?"
"It's been at 103 degrees for like, two hours. At least for what we know of. She's probably had one all day, but as a dumb teenager does, she just tried to ignore it." 
"If it goes up you should-"
"Yeah, we know," Jared said, "we're trying really hard to avoid that, though. Also, she'll definitely fight against it, I don't know." 
Jensen, from the other side of the room at the sound of a beeping thermometer, could be heard on Misha's end, "It went down, finally. 102.2."
"Thank God, I was getting worried."
"Should I come there? Do you guys need any help?" Misha asked.
"I mean you can, but I think we're good. She's just been trying to sleep it off the whole time, so not much is really going on." Jensen was closer to the phone now, "Like, she's got this cough, a headache, and you can hear how congested she sounds, but mostly I think she's just exhausted. I honestly don't know how because she's just been sleeping for hours."
"Fatigue."
"Yeah, poor kid. I don't think I've ever seen her so tired, it almost makes me tired to be honest." Jensen joked.
"Maybe you're just getting sick." Jared slipped in.
"Not possible. I am immune."
"Nobody is immune, Jensen." Misha sighed.
"I'm not nobody." he shrugged. 
"Alright, well, we're going to get lunch then. If you need anything let me know, and tell her I hope she feels better." Misha concludes.
"We will, thanks Misha." and with that, Jared hung up. For a few more hours, the two hung around. They were there when you woke from some fever dreams, and when you needed a cough drop, or twelve, and wake you up every now and then to check your temperature, which raised and dropped and raised and dropped, but currently was at a very steady 102.4. But, soon enough, it was time for them to leave for the last panel of the day, and unsurprisingly, you tried to follow suit.
"Y/N, we gotta go, but we'll be back in about an hour from the panel." Jared said. You took a deep breath and sluggishly pushed yourself to the side of the bed. Having been sick, and not having sat up in a few hours, the blood rushed from your head, leaving you dizzy.
"What're you doing?" Jensen asked.
"The panel. I missed the last one I should go to this one. I feel okay." you yawned, then coughed slightly.
"Y/N, really, you shouldn't even think about pushing it like that." Jared said. Jensen walked over to you, half on the bed, clearly trying to steady yourself just from the movement of sitting up. The spinning room honestly almost made the toast make a reprise, and you hiccupped, and held your breath.
"Hey," Jensen grabbed a can quickly, noticing, "are you going to be sick?"
Giving it a minute, it went away, and you shook you head no, causing a huge tension to leave the room.
"Alright, well, remember how you said I was right all the time earlier?" Jensen pun the can down.
"No, must've been the fever." you half joked, causing Jared to laugh. 
"Alright- well- okay, shut up. We agreed I'm always right, and that I was right about needing sleep, so I say you need some more." Jensen demanded rather than suggested. 
"Yeah, or at least lay around and do nothing. I can't imagine ever sleeping as much as you just did." Jared joked, pushing you very gently back down, with his hand on your back, knowing you would just hit the bed without it. Your eyes were heavy again, and your throat was painfully dry, and you coughed. Your aching head also agreed with the two of them to your dismay.
"Maybe just a bit more." you mumbled, "A few minutes."
"Yeah a few minutes, sure." Jared smiled, knowing you were probably going to knock out for a few hours once again. You opened your eyes again.
"You think," you coughed, "that they'll be mad?
"Who?" Jensen asked.
Feeling pretty sick, you said, "That I don't go? I don’t feel really good."
Ah, the fever comes to play once again, it seems, but the two felt some sort of triumph now that you've at least admitted to being sick, even if it's been hours. It concerned them, though, if you felt bad enough to admit it.
"No, they'll be fine about it. We'll be back soon. Misha or Alex might come in to check on you, alright?" Jared answered, to which you nodded.
They weren't gone long. You spent half the next day sleeping, too, until you could stand without swaying. You did sneak back to the con, against Jensen and Jared's orders, since you really didn't break that fever and cough for a few more days, only to be caught after a tweet of you at the con was trending and the cast caught wind of it. But, eventually, you were better, and got the chance to help Jared take care of an "always immune" Jensen. And he was more stubborn than you were.
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glxssylaufey · 3 years
Text
Mischief Maker - Chapter 2
a/n: i’m sorry this is a bit longer than usual ahh! i also apologize if the writing is a little bad or if there’s any mistakes, i tried my best :) also i apologize if you’re not on the taglist, it didn’t let me tag some of you. anyways, enjoy!
summary: loki x reader ; The time has come to attend Stark’s party. How will the reader handle Loki’s mischief?
word count: 5,156
warnings: mentions of alcohol and drinking, mentions of bullying, language, slightly spicy hehe
taglist: @alex-sulli @delightfulheartdream @mademoiselledubois @destructivebliss @kingtwhiddleston @madcrazy50 @rachel-voychuk
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It was no secret that Tony Stark loved to make a grand entrance to everything he does. This morning was no exception. The time was around 8:15 when Tony practically kicked your door down to rip your blinds open. Sometimes you almost felt as if he was just another father figure in your life.
“Rise and shine!” he announced, forcing sunlight into your room. “We have a big day today, Y/N, c’mon!” he spoke as he continued to shake you awake. You lazily blinked open your eyes, groaning when Tony ripped your blankets from you. You already knew what he was here for.
“Alright, whatcha got for me?” Tony asked as he looked for the paintings he had requested the night before. You sighed.
“A headache, that’s what I have for you.” you replied, shoving your face back into your pillow.
“No, you’re not allowed to have a headache.” he simply stated. “Let me guess, you don’t have any paintings picked out?” You sat up on your bed, rolling your eyes when you saw Tony standing in the middle of your room with his arms crossed like a child.
“I can pick some out in literally five minutes, Tony, just let me wake up.” you said waving your hand at him, hoping he’d be satisfied with your answer.
“Yeah? Well make it quick, I don’t have all day.” he argued, walking towards your door. “By the way, breakfast is ready.” Tony said in a sing-song voice before leaving your room. You simply hummed in response, rubbing the sleep from your eyes. Today was going to be difficult, you already knew. Even though you were agreeing to spend your time with bidding paintings at the party, you still had your heart set on sneaking Loki in somehow. You were just stumped on how you would get that to happen.
~
After a morning of much needed breakfast, you got ready to face the day. Tony had asked both you and Natasha to go to the store to pick up a long list of supplies for the party. So there you stood, scanning the store’s large selection of alcohol bottles, not knowing which one Tony would want.
“What does he have on the list?” you ask, turning to Nat. She quickly scanned through the dramatically large catalog and shrugged.
“Just whatever looks good, I guess.” she replied before looking back to the shelves. Without another word, Natasha settled for three huge bottles of vodka. You don’t argue, seeing as you were just as clueless as to what Tony would want. “So tell me, what’s been going on with you?” she asks suddenly. You both proceeded to explore the store for whatever else the list requested.
“Oh, you know.” you paused. “The usual.” What ‘the usual’ was, you had no idea. Your life hasn’t exactly been normal since Thor had brought Loki into the Avengers Tower.
“Like what, painting pretty pictures and babysitting gods?” Nat laughed, plopping a case of Coca-Cola into the shopping cart. You were about to protest against her teasing when you realized that truly was what you have been doing for the past two days.
“Yeah, pretty much.” you admitted with a sigh. Natasha chuckled, before a moment of silence.
“How’s Loki?” she asked suddenly. The question made you tense up. It wasn’t that you hated talking about Loki, just something about him made your mind go blank.
“He’s fine.” you replied plainly. You then noticed Nat raise an eyebrow at you as if she knew that you were hiding something. Which she did, of course. You opted to continue, not seeing a point in lying to your friend or yourself. “He’s not as awful as everyone claims him to be. I think he’s just misunderstood.” you persuaded. Natasha nodded, listening intently.
“What makes you think that?” she questioned. That’s when you realized Natasha only knew the Loki that had invaded New York city, much like everyone else. She only saw the villain of the story and not the god that you saw up on the hill. That’s when you began to pour your heart out.
“Yesterday when I took him outside, I saw a side of him that I don’t think anyone else has seen before. He told me stories about Asgard and it sounded like so much more than just some ancient legend. It seemed so normal. He seemed so normal.” you explained, almost passionately. “I don’t know, Nat. I think he’s actually really sweet.” you admitted. Natasha’s eyes went wide.
“Oh my god, Y/N, you like him!” she gasped. Your heart practically stopped at her accusation. There’s no way that you had feelings for the God of Mischief.
“Oh my- absolutely not!” you stammered. “I’m just simply being kind!” you insisted. You could feel your face burning, undoubtedly displaying your embarrassment.
“Y/N, you cannot like Loki, that’s insane!” Nat declared. You could practically feel the stares from the other people in the store, considering how loud the two of you were being.
“I just said I don’t!” you corrected her.
“But you most certainly are lying!” Natasha accused, halting the shopping cart.
“I’m not.”
“Say that to me with a straight face then.”
“Nat, PUSH. THE. CART.”
“HA! I knew it!”
You both continued to bicker and squabble for the rest of the shopping trip. It wasn’t until you and Natasha reached the checkout line that the childlike arguing returned back to its normal conversational tone.
“Oh god, what will Tony think?” Natasha said with a gasp. You groaned, covering your face with your hands. The longer you listened to her babble on about Loki, the more you realized she could be right. You admit, Loki was a fairly attractive person. Plus his gentlemanly charm didn’t help your case much. Oh, who were you kidding? Loki was downright gorgeous and you knew it. No matter how much you tried to convince yourself otherwise, you knew that you were slowly catching feelings for the god.
“Tony can’t know, he’d have a fit.” you spoke almost in a whisper, as if Tony was listening to your conversation.
“Oh, so you admit it? You do have a crush on Loki?” Natasha asked eagerly.
“N-no! Well, yes, but you can’t say a word about it!” you pleaded almost in disbelief at what you had just admitted. You had a crush on the almighty Loki and there was no denying it. Natasha simply giggled like a school girl.
“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.” she assured you. Except the way she continued to smile about it the whole car ride home showed that she was going to have a difficult time keeping your secret.
“Wipe that smirk off your face, Romanoff, nobody can know!” you suddenly said as she drove the two of you back to the Avengers Tower.
“I’m sorry, I just have to say it.” she started. You shook your head, knowing this conversation wouldn’t end anytime soon. “You should try to make a move tonight.” she suggested, giving you a smug smirk.
“Oh c’mon, you know he’s not allowed at the party.” you claimed. “But I have been thinking about ways to sneak him in tonight.” Natasha mocked a gasp.
“Y/N, how scandalous of you.” she poked fun at you, causing you to giggle. “I must say though, I think you can absolutely do better.” she suddenly stated, making your jaw drop slightly.
“What do you mean?” you asked, slightly put out.
“Loki is a mass murderer!” Natasha indicated. “Not to mention he’s tortured our friends and acts like a complete asshole.” she continued. You wave your hand at her in an attempt to silence her.
“Like I said, he’s changed.” you defended. Natasha didn’t respond, leaving you two in silence. After some time, you thought of your task to sell your paintings at the party. You decided that it could be best if you were to just leave Loki in his room. Plus, it’s not like everything Natasha had said wasn’t true. Perhaps it's for the best that you don’t get too close with the terrorist of New York.
~
Third Person POV:
Loki watched his brother pace the floor as he sat on the bed, pondering ways to sneak himself into the party. The longer they allowed time to pass by, the more hopeless Loki began to feel.
“We’re short on time brother, this won’t work.” Loki sighed. “I say we just go with my idea.” he suggested. Thor gave him a stern look and crossed his arms.
“Loki, we are not going to tie up one of the party members to disguise yourself as them.” Thor lectured his brother. Loki scoffed at Thor’s statement. After a bit more pacing, Thor snapped his fingers as a scheme formed in his mind.
“But perhaps disguises are not such a terrible idea after all!” Thor quipped with a large grin. Loki raised his eyebrow at Thor, signaling him to continue with his thought. “Think back to when we were children. That trick you always played on me when you would transform yourself into a snake just to stab me.” Thor explained with slight annoyance in his voice, remembering those times of his childhood.
“If you’re suggesting I slither into the event as a snake, I don’t think the midgardians would be too pleased with serpents being let loose in the building.” Loki glared at Thor, thinking it was a poor idea.
“Yes, but that’s only if you are caught.” Thor urged with a devious smile. He knew his younger brother was always up for a challenge and this task seemed perfect for him. Loki gave the thought a second chance before chuckling to himself.
“Excuse me, brother.” Loki sighed, standing up from the bed. “I have a party to attend.”
~
Stark’s party was full to the brim with people. You had already known ahead of time that the event would be completely packed, yet the amount of people still managed to astonish you. So there you were, greeting people as they walked in. You gave warm smiles and shook hands with the ones who offered it. After some friendly greetings, you were approached by Tony who had ushered you away from the entrance. You expected nothing less from him.
“Alright Y/N, this is your deadline. Where’s the paintings?” he asked, feigning impatience.
“Relax, Tony, I’ve got everything set up by the bar.” you advised him, gesturing towards your stand which displayed the art.
“Oh good, because I’ve already promised like four people that I had museum quality shit here.” he shared quickly, walking towards your platform. You roll your eyes and dramatically sigh at Tony.
“Of course you have.” you said, following him. “Well I suppose I should get to work then.” you said, observing the line of people in front of the small stage.
“Good thinking. Thanks again, Picasso.” Tony thanked you, giving you a quick pat on the shoulder before sauntering over to a large group of people. You took a step onto the platform and strolled over to the small microphone displayed on a stand for you. Everyone took note of your presence and gave their full attention to you. You looked out to the crowd before sighing. As much as you weren’t in the mood to converse with a large amount of people, you always had an open heart for Tony.
“Hello, everyone!” you greeted into the microphone. “My name is Y/N and I am the creator of these paintings presented before you today. Let’s just start with a little bit of browsing, shall we?” you suggested, hoping the crowd would see eye to eye with your proposal. Much to your relief, they did, nodding their heads with agreement. “Great! Bidding will start in ten minutes.” you announced before turning the microphone off. You sighed in relief, happy you had extra time for yourself. In all honesty, you just needed time to get a drink. You were convinced you could never survive a Stark party without some sort of alcohol to give you an extra confidence boost. As you made your way to the bar, you were halted by no other than your friend Thor. He was dressed quite dapper, yet casual enough to give him easy mobility.
“Ah, Y/N! So lovely to see you.” he greeted, with a beer bottle in his hand.
“Thor, it’s great to see you too.” you nodded at him with a cordial smile. “You look striking tonight.” you complimented.
“Oh, you’re too kind. You look very well put together yourself.” Thor chuckled, giving you a friendly wink. You were wearing a nicely fitted red dress that fell right above your knees with lace to give it alluring details. You also wore black heels to give you an extra two or so inches.
“Thank you very much.” you blushed, giving him a curt nod. You began to walk away to retrieve a drink from the bar, but it seemed Thor had different plans. He quickly stepped in front of you, halting you in your tracks.
“One more thing!” Thor announced. “I believe my drink requires a refill.” he explained waving his empty bottle almost nervously. You chuckle lightly, wondering why he was telling you this.
“Are you asking me to get you another beer, Odinson?” you snicker. Thor’s eyes widen as he begins to stammer for the right words.
“No, no! My apologies, I’m perfectly capable of getting my own drink. I’d just like for you to join me.” he specified, gesturing towards the bar, awkwardly smiling.
“Oh!” you exclaimed in delight. You felt having your friend to accompany you would help ease your mind. “I’d like that, thank you.” you said as you started to walk. Thor followed closely next to you with a beaming smile.
Everything was going perfectly.
Once you reached the bar you took a seat on one of the tall bar stools. You were scanning the menu when Thor set his empty bottle on the counter before taking a step away from the bar.
“Please excuse me, Lady Y/N. I believe Stark has called for me.” Thor stated quickly. Confused, you turned to look at the large mass of people Tony was talking to. You could’ve sworn Tony hadn’t even paid attention to anything but his guests. Before you could question anything, Thor had already quickly turned to walk the opposite direction. You sighed, turning back towards the bar when you realized there wasn’t even a bartender to tend to you.
“Well this was useless.” you muttered to yourself. As you were about to stand from your seat, Thor’s beer bottle began to shake. You froze, thinking your eyes were just playing tricks on you. Suddenly, a small snake began to crawl out of the bottle and onto the counter. You gasped, jumping from your seat in shock. Surely you were imagining things. The green scaly creature paused to curiously look up at you then turned to slowly slither down the opposite side of the bar. You approached the bar once more, peeking over the top of the counter to search for the snake. Then with a green glow, the snake quickly transformed into the one and only Loki Laufeyson. He simply sighed, brushing off his gorgeously tailored black suit and looked up at you.
“Good evening.” he greeted casually. Your mouth hung open, completely caught off guard at what you had just witnessed.
“Loki, you- how- you aren't supposed to be here!” you stumbled your words in confusion.
“Yes, but was it not you who said I shouldn’t be cooped up in my chambers all day?” Loki snorted playfully. You had no possible way to protest. Instead you resorted to looking around to make sure nobody was looking in your direction. This earned a barely audible groan from Loki. “I presume you wish for me to change back and slither my way back to my room then?” he questioned.
“No!” you declared maybe a little too quickly. “It’s okay, you can stay.” you said trying to remain calm. Loki smiled at how flustered you were, finding it almost amusing.
“Verywell.” he settled calmly. “Now, my lady, may I offer you a drink?” he suggested with a tone that gave you uncontrollable butterflies. You blushed at his offer with a nervous smile.
“I think a red wine will suffice, thank you.” you replied as naturally as you possibly could. Though of course it was a difficult task trying to keep calm. Loki just nodded and turned to prepare your glass. You couldn’t help but look over your shoulder to be sure nobody was watching you. You knew that Stark practically had eyes everywhere, not to mention anybody could easily take a glance at Loki and recognize him from New York. Because of this, you spoke the first thing that came to your mind.
“Loki, we have to get out of here.” you uttered straightforward. He paused pouring your glass of wine to give you a puzzled look. “Tony is bound to realize that you’re here. Plus the bartender could come back at any moment.” you told him, quickly standing to your feet. Loki just nodded before setting the wine bottle down with a slightly disappointed sigh.
“Lead the way then.” Loki said almost in a testing tone. Without another word, the same green glow from earlier masked over his body and changed him back into his serpent form. Loki snaked back into the beer bottle that he had once emerged from, hinting for you to carry him as Thor did. You grabbed the bottle from the counter and turned to walk from the bar. Where you were headed was beyond you. At this point, you were simply just trying to get away from the crowd of people. As you walked, you looked down at the empty beer bottle to be sure Loki sat comfortably in his glass container. He simply looked up at you and poked his tongue out at you in response. As a result of not watching where you were walking, you ended up walking right into a woman’s body, nearly knocking her over. You gasp, taking a step back from the mystery person.
“I am so sorry!” you exclaimed before quickly looking down into the beer bottle to affirm Loki was okay. Though what you were not expecting was a familiar voice to respond to your apologies.
“Well would you look at who it is.” the woman spoke with a chuckle. “You were always quite a clumsy girl.” she remarked. When you looked up to identify the woman, you couldn’t help the gasp that escaped your mouth.
“Alice Weaver!” you exclaimed. You didn’t know who to expect the woman to be, but it certainly wasn’t her. Alice was a girl you had met back in highschool. She had insisted on devoting her teenage years to making yours miserable. It had started when her boyfriend at the time had broken up with her and he attempted to use you as a rebound. Her jealousy for you has been undying ever since.
“It’s so nice to see you again, Y/N!” she grinned, her shrill voice dripping with sarcasm. “How have you been?” she asked.
“I’ve been fine, thanks.” you said, shifting from side to side. You made an attempt to walk past her, but of course she quickly stepped in front of you before you could make any distance.
“Oh good!” she quipped as she looked you up and down. She then caught sight of the beer bottle in your hand. “I never took you for a beer drinker, though.” you panicked a little, hoping she wouldn’t see the small snake hiding inside of it.
“It’s for a friend.” you quickly whipped up an answer. Alice scoffed.
“That’s what they all say, isn’t it?” she questioned, keeping her seemingly sweet smile on display. You gritted your teeth. In all honesty, you were still in shock that she was even here in the first place. “Anyways, I’m sure you’ll be thrilled to hear that I’m actually staying at the compound until tomorrow. I’m here to assist Stark on research.” she went on. You listened in disbelief.
“Research?” you asked plainly, your throat running dry.
“Yes of course, I’m studying engineering and physics.” Alice gushed.
“Wonderful.” you spat as friendly as you could possibly muster. You went to take a step and she walked in front of you yet again.
“Oh, Y/N, shouldn’t you be over there bidding those… pictures?” she said, pointing over towards your stand. “Here, I’ll hold this for you!” she said quickly snatching the beer bottle. You gasped trying your best to grab it back.
“Wait, no! Alice, I need that!” you yelped, struggling to grab the bottle back. You were suddenly pulled back from her, leaving you empty handed.
“Y/N, what the hell are you doing?!” Tony whisper-screamed to you, retracting you from Alice. “I have a group of very unhappy people waiting for you. Now stop bugging my student and do your job.” he exclaimed before softly shoving you towards the small stage. Now you were panicking. Tony Stark and your high school nemesis were in possession of Loki and you couldn’t do a single thing about it. So there you were, nervously walking up onto the stage and turning the microphone on.
“I am so sorry for the delay everyone, I ran into some issues.” you spoke to the crowd nervously. “I suppose I’ve kept you all waiting long enough, let’s get started.” you clapped your hands together, trying to seem as normal as possible. As you continued to speak out towards the crowd, you watched from afar as Tony and Alice continued to talk. You could tell by the way the two kept glancing over at you, they were certainly speaking of your behavior. You shakily sighed, going to grab a painting to exhibit it on the easel. Once you were back in front of the microphone you opened your mouth to speak but was abruptly interrupted when you felt something crawl down the back of your neck, causing you to squeak. This earned a suspicious reaction from the people in the crowd. You quickly recomposed yourself when you heard little snake hisses behind your ear. Loki. You were immensely relieved that he managed to sneak out of the bottle. He must have quickly slithered up your arm and up your back when Alice had grabbed the bottle from you. Although you were beyond grateful for his escape, feeling his cold scales on your bare skin made you shutter. You quickly cleared your throat.
“Excuse me, I just am not myself tonight.” you managed to squeak out. “A-anyways, do we have any takers for this piece?” you stuttered out. As you continued to make biddings for your painting, you could feel Loki leisurely slither down your neck and into the back of your dress. You slightly jumped at feeling Loki enter the back of your dress, making your heart race. “Sold!” you nearly barked out, hoping it would get Loki to cease his crawling. It didn’t. He continued down your dress until he rested over the back of your bra. You began to walk as casual as possible to your next art piece. As you bent down to pick it up you felt Loki crawl to the side of your dress towards the cup of your bra. After picking it up, you subtly brushed your bicep over your side, hoping to halt Loki’s movement. With your luck, this seemed to only spur him on. Loki then made haste to sneak into the cup of your bra, causing you to gasp.
“Can we hurry it up, please?” a very impatient man nagged from the audience. You groaned in response, not entirely sure if it was from the man’s remark or Loki.
“M-my apologies, sir.” you apologized, clearly annoyed yourself. “I guess I just have a chill I can’t seem to shake.” you admitted to the audience, but mostly directed towards the small snake currently resting in your bra. You felt him nestled comfortably against your skin, finally stopping to rest. “Next up is one of my personal favorites. Do we have any takers?” you spoke out to the crowd. You continued the bidding, trying the best you could to ignore the fact that Loki Laufeyson, the God of Mischief was presently relaxed in the cup of your bra as a snake. As you continued speaking, you felt him hiss from time to time causing his small forked tongue to brush the skin of your sternum. You swore it made your breath hitch everytime. This continued until every single piece was presented to its new owner. By the end of the night, you ended up with a large amount of cash though you didn’t seem to care much about that. While you granted the very last person your last painting, Stark approached with a drink in his hand. You whined to yourself upon seeing him. You were far too flustered to even deal with his snarky remarks.
“Congrats, Y/N! You got the job done.” Tony joked. You leered at him, walking off the stage.
“Tony, not now.” you said, trying to walk away.
“Oh don’t be such a sour puss, you got loads of cash.” he continued to provoke. “Hold on, I got one more thing for you.” You felt your body stiffen. You sigh, turning on your heels to face Tony.
“What?” you asked plainly. Tony flashed you a smile as he handed you the drink he had come to you with. Whiskey on ice.
“For you, it’s on the house. Just a ‘thank you’ for tonight.” he said, sounding truly genuine. You couldn’t possibly stay mad at him, even if it was Tony Stark. You took the glass from him and returned the smile.
“You’re welcome.” you smiled. Just as you were about to take a sip of your much deserved reward, you felt Loki abruptly start to move again. He began to creep his way out the side of the cup of your bra, passing into the opposite one. This resulted in a yelp that had been caught in your throat all night, startling Tony.
“Y/N, are you-”
“Loki!”
“What?”
“I have to check on Loki!” you quickly shouted setting the drink down. “H-he’s been in his room all night!” you swiftly made an excuse. Thankfully, your excuse was adequate enough for you to get out of there. You swiftly speed walked to the nearest bathroom avoiding any more interruptions. The quicker you moved, the more agitated you could feel Loki getting. As you made your way to the bathroom you could feel him continue to slither around your bra. Once you finally reached the bathroom you slammed the door shut and pulled the hem of your dress away from your chest.
“OUT!” you screamed. Loki listened, crawling out of your bra and down your leg. Once he reached the floor, his magic glow covered him once more, turning him back into his godly self.
“Well…” he panted, clearly shaken up from how speedy you walked. “Could you have moved any faster?” he nearly growled. You could feel your anger rise and your patience snap.
“How is any of this my fault?!” you shouted at him. “What in the hell were you doing, going into my bra like that?” you asked. Loki rolled his eyes and scoffed.
“Oh my apologies, in case you didn’t notice, I had nowhere else to go!” he snapped back. You loudly groaned as you covered your face with your hands.
“Tonight was a disaster, all thanks to you!” you argued, pointing a finger at him.
“Me?!” he barked, causing his voice to echo throughout the bathroom. You jumped at his sudden loudness. “I put all my efforts in sneaking into this awful party just so I could simply serve you a drink to thank you for your generosity from yesterday.” he spoke loudly, slowly approaching you. His words shocked you. You hadn’t realized that Loki only wanted to attend the event just so he could show you some kindness. Your face fell, almost feeling sorry.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize.” you said in a softer tone. Loki remained irritated, taking another big step towards you so there was almost no more space between the two of you. Your breath became ragged.
“Perhaps next time, at least make an attempt to stay calm and keep yourself from squirming.” he requested bitterly.
“You want to speak about squirming?!” your voice raised again. “How about next time, you don’t go into my bra!”
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic.” Loki rolled his eyes. “Your breath betrays you, Midgardian. If I didn’t know any better, the hitch in your throat would tell me that you rather enjoyed it.” he mocked. You could feel your face burn a bright red, embarrassment flooding your emotions.
“Y-you disgust me!” you spat out. Loki snickered almost as if he was purposely trying to provoke you.
“There it is again.” he pointed out. “You get flustered so easily, it’s almost pitiful.” You remained silent, stunned by his remark. He continued to stare at you, his face dangerously close to yours.
“I hate you.” you whispered. What happened next was completely out of your control. Instead of getting anger out of Loki, your statement sparked something uncontrollable. He swiftly grabbed your hips and crashed his lips upon yours, sealing you both in a passionate kiss. Before your mind had time to register what was happening, he pulled away, removing his hands from you completely. He examined your face, searching for any sort of restraint. Realizing what he had just done, he became worrisome.
“My most sincere apologies, I-” you quickly cut him off, pulling him back into yet another searing kiss. Your heart was pounding out of your chest as the kiss grew hungrier. His hands traveled up to your face to pull you in closer, making your breath quicken. Your mind was racing with all sorts of emotions, but you knew one thing was for sure: you didn’t want this moment to ever end. But it did. You both quickly pulled away from each other when the door to the bathroom swung open. Your head snapped to look at whoever entered the bathroom and your heart sank when you realized who it was. Alice Weaver stood at the door, looking both you and Loki up and down. She laughed in disbelief at what she saw in front of her.
“Am I interrupting something?”
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archerdaryl · 3 years
Text
London in Your Eyes.
After pulling your name for Secret Santa, Daryl comes and finds you at the Christmas fair. Inspired by Last December by Nina Nesbitt.
Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Reader Tags: cute christmas vibes, sfw, a lil sad a lil fluffy a lil slow burn?? Word Count: around 3k Notes: This is my very first fanfiction I’ve written in literal years -- I’d love to hear what you guys think as I’m a little nervous but I hope you enjoy it!!
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Against the soft blankets of snow that had long settled since the beginning of December, flashes of red and green could be seen wherever you looked from the guard tower. Amongst them were shadows you recognised, the figures of the people weaving themselves in and out of various stalls that had been set up for the Christmas fair.
You wanted to object to it the first time The King brought it up, especially after the events that occurred at the original. It seemed futile, you weren’t sure you could take another massacre, and it was too God damn cold to be lingering outside. And yet, you folded.
You couldn’t argue with hope. And if Ezekial was good at anything, it was inspiring just that.
Snowflakes had begun to dance in the evening air once more as you diverted your attention back towards the forest that surrounded the walls. You could hear Luke sing what sounded like a song you used to know but couldn’t quite make out as he made his way to his stall where he had wooden instruments up for trade. Down the same lane were various baked goods and crafts made by different members of the community. The kids even had their own art stall, endearingly decorated with looped paper covered in paint and cotton wool shaped into snowmen.
Ezekiel had asked if you wanted to contribute anything. You declined, not because you didn’t want to help but because playing pretend had never been something you were good at -- even as a kid yourself. And especially at Christmas time.
Of course, you played it off a lot more casually than that. You weren’t one to divulge the details of traumas that no longer mattered in the grand scheme of things. After making fun of your lack of artistic talent you insisted on keeping watch for the majority of the evening so that everyone else could enjoy what the fair had to offer. You knew where you stood in that tower. You couldn’t feel the tip of your nose and you had to keep bouncing your knees to maintain circulation, but you felt secure.
You brought your gloved hands up to your mouth and huffed, allowing the warmth to wash over your fingers. You had been up there for several hours now and the most exciting thing to happened was a walker in a hard hat causing a scene by clanging its head against the metal walls. Someone else manning the perimeter had dealt with it, taking what little entertainment you could have had away from you, but at least no one had to worry about an oncoming herd.
“Hey.”
You turned swiftly towards a voice drenched in a Southern drawl, eyebrows raised in surprise knitting themselves together.
“You need to stop doing that.”
“Doin’ wha’?”
“Sneaking up on me.”
Daryl Dixon was one of few people who got the jump on you and it was equal parts annoying and endearing. You stood upright from the post you had been leaning on and took a couple of steps towards him, eyes adjusting to his height as you did so.
“Didn’ mean to.” He confessed, “Thought you might be bored.”
“Maybe a little.” You sighed, “I’m mostly just cold.”
He watched you carefully, one hand fiddling with something in his jacket pocket while the other swung at his side holding a large flask. Your cheeks and nose were pink and he found himself indebted to the harsh winds that were to blame.
“Is that-”
“Mulled wine.” He interrupted, “Whatever tha’ is.”
The pair of you had been dancing around something unspoken for the past year, aware but unwilling to cross a line that could ruin the comfort you found in each other. That and you had both seen what happened to people who got attached to others. It was uncharted territory neither of you had ventured into with anyone for a long long time, and though he often daydreamed of you like a teenager and you were constantly worrying about him, the risk seemed too much.
“You’ve never had mulled wine?” You asked curiously, taking the flask he handed to you and shivering slightly as you wrapped your palms around it, “It’s really good actually. And hot.”
The question may as well have been rhetorical. The pair of you hadn’t shared a great deal about your lives before the dead took over, but he had told you enough that you knew Daryl was raised on beer and moonshine. You cared for neither, admittedly. Gin had always been your vice.
“Besides, I thought you liked to drink alone Dixon.”
He exhaled in amusement but didn’t offer a retort. Instead he stepped towards the cabinet at the back of the watch tower and retrieved a large blanket. Your mouth practically dropped to the floor and he fought a smile from creeping onto his lips.
You hadn’t even thought to check. Your cheeks grew even pinker.
“C’mon. Ain’t’ nothin’ happenin’ in the next ten minutes.”
With furrowed brows you looked back out onto the forest, studying its movement and mystery. Chances are, he was right. Nothing had happened so far and nothing likely would, but that didn’t stop you from worrying.
“Don’ make me take back tha’ wine.”
“No! Don’t you dare.” You whipped your head back towards him and narrowed your eyes. “It’s warm.”
“So’s this blanket. Come on.”
You made a point of rolling your eyes as you followed Daryl out onto the deck. Before you could complain about the cold (which honestly wasn’t that much worse than inside the tower) Daryl had shook out the blanket and wrapped it around your shoulders. You mumbled a thank you as he lowered himself to the ground and allowed his legs to swing free over the edge of the deck. You followed suit, the flask of hot mulled wine still between your hands acting like your own personal furnace.
It was darker now and hundreds of lights had been switched on so that people could still find their way around the fair. Even you couldn’t deny the wonder and whimsy of it all. Kids were throwing snowballs, families were laughing and making memories that were worth something. There was makeshift tinsel and decorations all over the place and the rich scent of pig and apple sauce hung in the air. In the sweet silence you shared with the archer, there was a moment you forgot where you were. The world you now lived in was an afterthought, and the Christmas fair was an almost perfect picture of somewhere you yearned to be.  
Daryl noticed the unmistakable twinkle of mourning in your eyes before you could even try to force a smile. He reached for the flask and took it from you, unscrewing its lid and pouring you a cup of mulled wine. He took a swig straight from the bottle and though he furrowed his brows and smelled the contents immediately afterwards, he didn’t complain.
“Ain’t ever seen nothin’ like this.” He offered.
You took a large sip and closed your eyes, savouring every note that swam across your tongue.
“I have. A long time ago.”
“Yeah?”
Your eyes flit open and you looked right at him. In what little light was left you could see his lips were already slightly stained red. You didn’t doubt your own were the same. He watched your mouth as you took another sip.
“My family was close. Always saved up their holidays so we could get a long Christmas together.” You found yourself lowering your gaze as you spoke, soon returning it to the hustle and bustle before you,  “Spent a couple years in London. They had markets just like these. Winter Wonderland I think they called it. Never thought I’d see anything like it again.”
It was abundantly clear from the very beginning that the pair of you had led very different lives before the world went to waste. He liked talking about his past even less than you did and for very different reasons too. You never pushed like some of the other’s did. In the end that was likely what pushed you both together.
“It’s funny how shit like that sneaks up on you.” You continued, “Every time I think I’ve moved on or let something go it just… I don’t know. None of this should even matter anymore.”
“You got a past worth rememberin’.” You felt a large hand tug at the blanket hanging around you, pulling it to make sure it didn’t fall, “Ain’t no shame in that.”
In truth, Daryl enjoyed listening to you reminisce. It was a rare gift you offered him, one that he would have found annoying from anyone else considering the stark differences in your upbringing. But you spoke about your past like you were telling a story, keeping that little bit of distance so it didn’t wash over you all at once. Whether you knew it or not, you handed him another puzzle piece every time you let him in. He could sit there and listen to you for hours. He wanted to.
A calloused hand found its way into his jacket once again, fiddling with a small object wrapped in aluminium foil. Now didn’t seem appropriate. They still had time.
“Aren’t you cold?”
“Nah.” His cheeks said otherwise, “Wines doing the trick.”
You pulled your legs up and shimmied a little closer to him to him anyways before forcing your arm through his. He didn’t object, not even when you leaned on him a little.
“What other shit did they have in London?” He pushed.
“Mulled cider. That’s probably more up your street” You took your last sip before nudging him to top the cup up, “I used to love these little pancake balls covered in Nutella, strawberries, and icing sugar. Wasn’t Winter Wonderland unless I was covered in chocolate by the end of it.”
Daryl slowly lowered the side of his head down onto yours. It didn’t feel like too much, like you’d suddenly catch yourself and make excuses to go back on watch. Instead, you kept talking, and Daryl kept fiddling with the gift in his pocket.
“I remember it being loud. Music and people everywhere. And it was cold, but never as cold as this. Didn’t really snow there, which I always thought was weird.”
“If you wan’ loud I heard Luke and Jerry were gon’ go carollin’ later.”
A chuckle escaped you as you took another gulp of wine, “You know what, I think I’ll stay up here.”
Comfortable silence took over as you both watched the fair. It had barely quietened down, even though a lot of people had begun their ride back to Hilltop or Alexandria. It was the first time in a long time that there wasn’t a human threat to worry about, so why wouldn’t people make the most of a time like this? You only wished you could let go like others could.
“Oh, shit.” You sat up suddenly, “I forgot about that Secret Santa thing Jerry made us do.”
“Who’s name d’ya pull?”
“It’s supposed to be Secret Santa.” You paused and sighed, “I pulled Jesus. Is this irony? It feels ironic. I’ll figure it out.”
A smirk tugged at the corner of Daryl’s lips as he leaned forward onto the wooden barrier keeping them from falling if either of them were to take a wrong step. He felt something gnawing at him in the pit of his stomach, and he swallowed hard in a futile attempt to get rid of it before clearing his throat.
“Who’s name did you pull?”
“Like ya’ said, it’s Secret Santa.” He grumbled.
You rotated yourself slightly to face him, allowing just one leg to hang free from the deck whilst the other was bent at the knee. 
“Don’t be an asshole, Dixon.” You pleaded, “Tell me!”
“Mind ya’ business.”
“Unless it’s me I don’t see why you can’t tell me.”
Daryl stayed quiet and you couldn’t help but laugh in both amusement and disbelief.
“You’re kidding. Did you really get me something?”
“Will you shut up? You ain’t even s’posed t’ know.”
He finally turned his head to find you unable to suppress the grin spreading across your face. Your eyes were twinkling again, but not with the sadness of earlier. That paired with the blush on your nose and cheeks from the cold and your little hands clinging desperately to the blanket around you made it impossible to say no. That gnawing feeling grew and he took a large breath before retrieving his hand from his pocket.
“Don’ tell Jerry.”
He passed you an strangely shaped object covered in aluminium foil. You took it from him and beamed. You weren’t sure why you were surprised he actually got you something. Maybe it was the fact he thought to wrap it at all, or that he was trying to follow the rules so it really would be a surprise. Would you have ever known it was him if you hadn’t pestered him in this moment? You held the gift in your hands as if it could break at any second whilst your heart was attempting to beat itself out of your chest.
“Do you want me to wait?” You asked, just in case, “I can open it later.”
Daryl shook his head and grabbed the flask again, taking several gulps to warm up his insides. He couldn’t take his eyes off of you, studying your features carefully waiting for a sign of repulsion or embarrassment. It never came and without realising it his own features softened.
“It’s yours. Sorry I couldn’ find any paper.”
“It’s shiny and it serves its purpose.” You responded without hesitation, “It’s perfect.”
You carefully unfolded the foil in a futile attempt not to tear it and destroy the fantasy Daryl had created for you. The intricate motions felt painfully slow, and with every layer you tore away the nastier the self-deprecation in his head got. He felt stupid for trying. Was it too much? Was it not enough? He had no fuckin’ idea. Even before the world went to shit he didn’t come from the kind of family that exchanged gifts. He wanted to run, but he couldn’t. All he could do was drink and bite at the skin of his lips until they bled.
“Oh my god.”
He swallowed hard and braced himself for the worst. Your eyebrows were drawn together as you studied the object in all its detail. Eventually you shook it, and you grinned again.
“Where the hell did you find something like this?”
It was a snowglobe, somehow perfectly intact despite the number of years it had been collecting dust in a world full of violence and filth. Daryl had stumbled upon it on a run where he had found a strip of houses to loot. It was sat on a mantelpiece, and though Daryl didn’t know much about England or even London, he knew about Big Ben.
You shook it again and laughed. He watched you gaze at it in wonder, eyeing the details on the clock tower as plastic snow danced around it. Most of his anxieties melted away at the sight of that alone, but he still felt uneasy, as if he had done something wrong.
“I love it, Daryl. I didn’t even realise I’d spoken about London before.”
He nodded, his words stuck in the back of his throat. You had only mentioned London once before, something in passing, but he remembered. He remembered everything you said to him over the years. Maybe that was why this felt so wrong, as if he had taken this -- whatever this is -- too far.
Your heart was still thumping. Daryl had never been a talker, but he’d also never failed to show you that he cared. Even just by doing little things like making sure you ate properly or were sleeping okay. This was a different kind of show and tell and you weren’t sure what to do with it. 
Your affection for the archer had snuck up on you a long time ago and you usually found it quite easy to push it down and away. There were other things to concern yourself with, things to do to make sure not just you but your community could survive. But right now you were stuck in a loop. Behind his grouchy disposition was a warmth you desperately wanted to wrap yourself in.
The blanket wasn’t enough. Not right now. 
“It’s nothin’.” He finally responded, and this time you were lost for words.
You turned back towards the fair, avoiding his blue gaze as you thought to yourself. Neither of you knew what the hell this was or what the hell you were doing. You had spent so much time ignoring or rejecting the possibility of something more that now it had slapped you both across the face you were dumbfounded.
Was it supposed to be this complicated? This confusing? Or was it actually not at all and you were both just useless at all of this?
Tomorrow things would likely carry on as normal but right now, things were different. Something had shifted and it was entirely possibly you had been forced into the uncharted territory you were both so scared of. 
You swallowed hard shimmied closer to him again. Using your free arm, you tried to fling half of the blanket around his broad shoulders. It fell off of him immediately, but he didn’t question it. He picked it up, nudged closer to you, and wrapped it around himself.
A sigh of relief escaped you. Not just because he took the blanket but because he was practically a radiator. 
“I knew you were cold.” Your words were soft, almost hesitant despite being teasing.
Daryl looked down at you, his tongue flitting across his bottom lip as he watched you watch the world go by at the Christmas fair. He carefully sought out your hand with his own, and without even thinking about it you allowed your fingers to intertwine with his.
“You’re the one wi’ blue fingers.”
You wanted to roll your eyes, but you couldn’t bring yourself to. Instead, you rested your head on his shoulder again with a smile and allowed whatever excuses he made to comfort him. The fact you didn’t pull away was enough, and though he always knew you wouldn’t be as rough and calloused as he was, he couldn’t quite get over how soft your fingers were.
“Did you want to look around the fair?”
He allowed his thumb to glide across the back of your hand.
“Nah. I like it up here.”
175 notes · View notes
pl-panda · 4 years
Text
To Marry a Vigilante: Part 4
MASTERLIST || First || Previous || Next
To Marry a Vigilante: Part 4
-----
The next day, Marinette woke up in her bed, still dressed. By the time her father brought her into her room, she was already asleep. The emotions finally caught up with her somewhere along the way. Remembering the end of the evening, her eyes immediately latched onto her finger, but the ring was not there. A mere second before a panic attack, she looked at the bedside table, where both the box and the ring rested. She let out a breath. She didn’t lose it. 
“Morning cupcake,” a voice startled her. “Are you okay?” Her father was looking through the repealed doors. 
“Yeah… Did yesterday really happen?”
“We are still at Wayne Manor and I seem to remember to have put the ring on the night table.” 
“I can’t believe he actually proposed!” Marinette jumped off the bed and started to pace around with a dreamy look on her face. “I mean I know we are married, but it was still so romantic! And in front of so many people! Oh, Papa! I’m so happy!” She fell back onto her bed. 
“I’m glad you’re happy, cupcake. Remember that your Maman and I will always be here for you.” His smile took a sadder shade. “I know you’re almost a grown-up with a job and all, but to us you will always be the same little girl that I used to fit in the palm of my hand.” 
“Don’t worry Papa. I won’t forget you and Maman.”
“Good. Now let’s go open the presents! Race you!” He ran out of her room and toward the big tree in the hall. Mari giggled at her father’s antics before following him; the ring shining on her finger. 
In the back, Tikki floated with a big smile on her face. Her chosen finally had a chance for some happiness. If only that ruddy alley cat did not run away with the miraculous. She could still feel Nooroo and Duusu active. She could wait one more day before telling Marinette though. The girl deserved a peaceful Christmas.
---------
By the time Marinette arrived by the tree, most of the people were already gathered. Dick was seated in a large armchair next to a pile of gifts. He was dressed in a full Santa Claus outfit, complete with a fake beard. The only reason she recognized him was because of his voice.
“Now that everyone’s here, who wants…” He started, but someone interrupted. 
“Before that, I need to apologize.” Johnathan Kent turned toward Marinette. “Yesterday, after you left, I made some unsavory accusations about you, for which I want to deeply apologize.” Just for a second, his eyes jumped toward Sabine. The girl noted that her mother was glaring at the older man. “I’m a simple man and this… secret world you all live in is strange for me. Please, accept my sincere apology.” 
“Oh… No problem Mr. Kent. To be honest I’m still getting used to it all myself.” She smiled at him. Marinette was not that oblivious not to guess what kind of accusations the older man had made. 
“With that out of the way, I think we can get started. Maybe let’s begin with the youngest?” Dick said, trying to imitate how the real Santa Claus would sound. Marinette would admit that he was close.
“Me! Me!” Mar’i started floating in the air until Jon pulled her gently to the ground. He really got into the ‘older brother’ role. 
“Yes, you, sweetheart.” 
Mar’i received several gifts from the pile. Marinette was surprised to see one from her family. Inside were several baked goods from their bakery. She didn’t remember her parents packing any, but maybe they made them here.
“Me next!” Jon was giddy. His pile of gifts was slightly smaller, but there was a box of sweets there too. 
After that, it was Marinette’s turn. She received probably even more than Mar’i. There were also gifts from her Nona, grandfather, uncle Wang, one without a name tag that she was pretty sure came from aunt Sandra, a giant box from Chloe, and a small one that she had no idea who sent her. It was wrapped with a paper with black cats that would look better somewhere around Halloween, but she was too distracted to question it. Damian was busy arguing with Jon about whether he would get the Kryptonite knuckle dusters or not. 
She started with the largest box that Chloé sent her. Inside, there was a giant chest filled to the brim with detective novels and a letter that she chose to read when she was alone. Next was the gift from her uncle, which turned out to be an intricately decorated stone bowl for mixing ingredients. 
Her grandfather got her a beautiful rolling pin made half from cherry wood and half from solidified resin. The resin was in dark green color that reminded her of Damian’s eyes. But Roland had no idea about that, did he…?
Many gifts were some nice fabrics, a gift card to Gabriel, which she was tempted to burn as soon as she got it, but out of politeness just put it back into the box for now. Finally, the gift from aunt Sandra contained a set of beautiful daggers, a Katana, and a hairpin that had a space to pour poison inside. 
Her parents gave her a new rope dart, this time with a sharp end that she could use in combat. The line it was attached to was made from titanium-carbon alloy that would be able to withstand point-pressure of at least two tonnes. The weapon itself was practical instead of good-looking. The blade was thick, looking a bit like a diamond. The edges were sharp and the tip very pointy. The grip of the weapon was wrapped in a red cord for a more comfortable grip. Mari thanked them both before pocketing the weapon into her bag for now. She would probably fashion a better place for it.
Finally, only one box remained. The mysterious cats. Mari was about to open it when Jon noted it and leaped at her. The bow came undone the moment he covered the small box with his body. Everyone waited, watching carefully what was going on.
Nothing happened.
“Tt. Kent? Mind explaining to us why you decided to smash my Angel’s gift?” Damian glared at him.
“Um… I might have accidentally scanned it. You don’t want to see what’s inside. I definitely don’t want to see what’s inside ever again,” he shuddered. 
“Show me,” Sabine demanded. She picked up the squashed box and opened the top before closing it. A small lighter made its way into her hand and before anyone knew better, it was aflame. Seeing people staring at her, she smiled. “Nothing to worry about. It was a terrible prank.” She wrapped the now-charred remains and some vaguely straight shape into the torn paper. 
“What was this Maman?”
“A very distasteful prank.”
Marinette looked at the shape in her mother’s hand and her blood suddenly ran cold. It was shaped like a knife. The knife.
“No… He knows?! He can’t know!” She panicked, but Damian quickly pulled her closer to him, immediately soothing her some. 
“No, Sweetie. That bastard thought he would appease you by offering a painting of a stabbed Ladybug.” Sabine’s expression was heralding God’s wrath.
Jason growled. “He is sick.”
Next to him, Tim muttered so that only Stephanie could hear him. “You gave B. a crowbar on your first Christmas back…” Superman heard it too, judging from his reaction. 
“So what now?”
“Well, I think it’s safe to say we won’t be coming back beyond ‘appearing’ at the airport when your class is scheduled to leave. I still can’t believe how incompetent your teacher must be to force you to travel with them.”
“I know it might sound stupid, but I think you will be safest in Gotham City.” Lois offered. 
Mari nodded sharply before cuddling into Damian. “Don’t worry, Angel. I will protect you.” He reassured her while hugging her close to his heart.
“I can protect myself.” She huffed but didn’t reject his hug. 
“That I don’t doubt.”
“There is a good chance he won’t be able to reach you in Gotham anyway. He is just one kid, which will make crossing the border much harder for him.” Stephanie pointed. 
“He has his daddy’s money. That will probably be enough.”
“Let’s hope not. I will send the warning to the border control that he might be trying to enter the country, but that’s the best I can do.” 
“Meanwhile I will go check if my guns are working…” Jason tried to leave, only for Tim to grab the back of his jacket and pull him back into place.
“There is no point worrying for now. Let’s just enjoy Christmas.” Sabine nodded for everyone to return to gifts. When no one was looking at her, she pulled Jon to the side and placed the knife paper on the stone floor. They didn’t speak, not to start another drama, but the boy understood. A short heat-vision later the knife was no more than a piece of smoking paper and molten steel.
--------------
A blonde boy walked toward the terminal. He was dressed in a light gray long-sleeved dress shirt underneath a dark gray vest. He also sported a black necktie, dark gray dress pants, and black dress shoes. His hair was combed back, adding to the impeccable look. The green eyes swept over the guards as they observed him closely. He presented the passport.
He noted that it took them longer than it should. His eyes fell on the wanted poster next to the guards. 
“I’m not my idiotic cousin if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Ah… Um…” The guard that was speaking to him was clearly confused. 
“Really? Ugh! That idiot decided to play supervillain and suddenly I have to suffer for it! I am not Adrien Agreste.” He ruffled through his bag, not caring that several guards almost drew their weapons. He finally pulled out a magazine with him and Adrien standing side by side, modeling for Gabriel. When side by side, the difference in their styles was even more pronounced.
“Apologies, mister. You must understand thought…” The man started to back-track.
“Yeah yeah. Spare the prostrating.” He dismissed the guard and walked past the checkpoint. Once he was out of the hearing range, he grinned. “It’s not you that I want to see on the floor…” He whispered omniously. 
-----------
Marinette and Sabine arrived through a portal five minutes from the airport, with ten minutes to spare before class was scheduled to meet. The two did not carry any luggage so they would get past the customs much faster. An upside to having all your things brought through a magical portal the day before. 
The airport was buzzing with activity. Marinette and her mother quickly got past the checkpoint and met with Chloé, who awaited them eagerly. 
“Dupain-Cheng! How was Christmas with the Waynes?” She asked in a hushed voice, so the class didn’t hear her. 
“Well…” Mari grinned before showing the blonde her ring.
“What? Now that’s what I call a good Christmas gift.” 
“How did you like the belt?” Marinette asked. In response, Chloé showed her that she was already wearing it. It was white with some golden glitter around the elegant buckle. There was a barely visible MDC logo etched on the buckle. The designer worked on it for some time before repurposing it as a Christmas gift. She had to cut on the glitter decorations, but in the end, the more minimalistic design appealed to Chloé. 
Sabine watched the two girls talk. A year ago, the woman wouldn’t believe her eyes if Marinette and Chloé acted this friendly. Now though, they were cute. 
“Did you get my gift?” The blonde asked impatiently.
“Um… Yes. The books are great.” 
“What was under the books!” The girl whispered, hoping to avoid Sabine’s watchful eye and ear.
“What?” Marinette looked surprised and Chloé had to resist the urge to facepalm. 
“Honestly Dupain-Cheng! You’re ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!”
And then the mood was broken when the rest of the class found them. 
“Good morning Marinette.” Madame Bustier greeted the girl. “Sabine.” 
The older woman did not return the greeting. “It’s Madame Cheng. We are here in the role of chaperones.” She almost seethes. “Let’s keep at least the illusion of professionalism.”
“Um… right. Moving on kids!” The slightly embarrassed teacher declared. 
“She is just as bad as Maribrat,” Alya muttered to Lila when she thought Sabine couldn’t hear her. The glare she received in response made it clear she made a mistake in her judgment.
After they got to the plane, people started to whisper when Chloé and Marinette didn’t join them in the economy class where they had their tickets. Instead, the two left for the first class. 
“Why aren’t they joining us!?”
“Because Chloé’s father paid for hers and I can afford mine.” Marinette normally would be against such blatant flaunting of wealth, but she couldn’t stop herself from rubbing it a bit into them that she earned the luxury. 
“She probably…” Kim suddenly lost his ability to speak when he was met eye-to-eye with Sabine Cheng. 
“Think carefully about what you want to say next.” 
He could almost see the flames of hell burning brightly behind her. “Um… she probably earned it?”
“Good boy.” 
“While I agree that Marinette earned it,” Caline started speaking and Sabine, Chloé, and the girl in question all had to resist the urge to groan, sensing there was more to that sentence. “I think it would be preferable if the girls joined the class for the duration of the flight. It would serve to strengthen the bonds between kids.” 
“And how exactly do you plan on fitting them when all the places in this place are bought out. Not to mention the price difference. Or maybe you thought money was not a problem?” Sabine asked, her voice dripping in sarcasm. 
Before Caline could answer, Lila decided to open her mouth. “Maybe Madame Bustier and you, madame could switch places with them. We know how hard our teacher worked and a bit of relaxation and comfort would do her good. You too could probably relax a bit from all the hard work in that Bakery.” 
Immediately after that, everyone started to agree and try to convince the chaperones to leave them alone. Sabine was about to protest when Caline spoke up. “Well, I think it would be acceptable, provided the girls agree.” She sent both a glare. 
Sabine’s blood boiled. She wasn’t sure if any normal girl would actually have the strength to stand up to a teacher in that position. Only the fact that Marinette looked completely unbothered stopped her from reacting. 
“Of course they won’t agree! They are too selfish!” Alya shouted. 
Some of the people on the plane started to stare at the group, with many gazes falling on Marinette and Chloé. 
The blonde scoffed, but her best friend grinned. “Sure.” She pulled her ticket and handed her to the teacher. “But we’re blocking the flight, so let’s move.”
Chloé handed hers to Sabine, smiling politely at the woman. “Marinette suspected this would end like that.” She whispered before taking a seat next to Dupain-Cheng. Both girls pulled out old-fashioned dictaphones and started recording what was going on with the class. Then Chloé gave Mari one of her detective novels and they started reading. 
Sabine shook her head. Her little girl had a plan and she would trust her. And after seeing Lila in action, she now had some idea how that liar worked. The way she manipulated people’s opinion reminded her in some ways of the assassin training she underwent. 
-----
The plane was already half-way to Gotham. Sabine did her best to ignore Caliné’s rambling about Marinette, switching between praising her and making her into the heart of all the problems with the class. If she didn’t know better, Sabine would think that the teacher had some sort of mental disorder. Beyond simple stupidity that is. 
Out of the blue, Caliné stopped rambling and Sabine saw her asleep, snoring lightly. 
“A strong sedative. It should give us at least an hour of peace.” A calm voice spoke from behind her. 
“Sandra.” Sabine greeted her sister politely, but without the usual cheerfulness. “Clever of you to choose here of all places to meet me. Don’t think that it will let you escape my wrath. You left that girl on the mercy of a monster.” 
“Cassandra was… I did regret what I did, but I couldn’t risk trying to reclaim her. Not until I was sure she could defend herself.” Sandra said, allowing emotions to enter her voice. Sabine could tell she was genuinely saddened by the situation. 
“You could’ve brought her to me. I would raise her along Marinette without a second thought. And you know that nobody would dare to come after me.” The older turned in her seat to glare at her sister. Two men at her side were both also sleeping, each with a small wound on their neck. They had complete privacy. 
“I… I’m sorry. By the time I managed to find her again, I… I was ashamed. I admit that it pained me to see what Cain did to her. But I couldn’t…”
“We will talk about it when I can scream at you properly.” Sabine cut her off. “For now I want to know what is so important you decided to show up personally, risking my wrath.”
“The boy has allies.” 
“Who?”
“I don’t know, but they are influential enough to shield him from many of my contacts.”
“Don’t worry. I’m sure you tried. As opposed to with your daughter.”
“I deserve it…” Sandra lowered her head. 
“Yes, you do.” Sabine huffed. 
“If I find the kid…” 
“He sent Mari the knife he stabbed Ladybug with. I have no idea how he got his sticky hands on it…” 
“You still have the bag, right?”
“Already waiting for me in Gotham.”
“I will try digging some more, but I’m getting blocked at each turn.”
“Meanwhile I will keep both our girls safe.”
“I got the picture of Talia by the way.” Lady Shiva allowed a smile to ghost her face. “I carry it framed and put it by my bed. She got a few copies too.” 
“Good. That might remind her not to trifle with us.” The sisters shared a laugh, but Sabine was still angry and it showed. She would give her sister a piece of her mind when the time came. 
-----------
A figure stood cloaked in shadows. The small screen showed a series of images. 
“Poison Ivy; Bane; Penguin; Riddler; Mr. Freeze; Two-Face; Scarecrow; Clayface; Falcone; Harley Quinn; Killer Croc; Joker…” 
“The previous Hawkmoth was a fool.” Another figure spoke from the shadows. Their voice was neither feminine nor masculine. “He stuck to a moral high ground, giving powers to untrained kids. Then again, he was fighting kids.” 
A small, butterfly-like creature floated in the air. “But that is precisely what the Butterfly Miraculous is supposed to do! Its powers will work best with the common people.” 
“Interesting.” The main figure grinned. “So my father wasn’t such a fool after all.” He laughed when another image appeared on the screen. “And I see that my trap is already working.”
Duusuu had to hide from fear. This was not the kind boy they knew. What could’ve happened to Chat Noir, the great kind Chat Noir that made him into… this.
-------
Masterlist // Next
137 notes · View notes
jeongyunhoed · 3 years
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The 100-Day Relationship
alternatively titled: 10 Months Love
Member: Seonghwa Pairing: Seonghwa/OC Group: ATEEZ
Genre: Fluff, romance, comedy, tiny bit of angst (if you squint), fake dating
Summary: When wealthy socialite Juhyun is facing pressure to bring a date to the biggest wedding of the year and the beginning of the social season among the elite, she hurriedly asks an old college schoolmate, Park Seonghwa to be her boyfriend for the entire season. The longer they put up appearances, the more they realize that they never want the arrangement to end.
Things to note: Art curator!Seonghwa, a lot of expensive-ness going on. Other idols are mentioned as well (if you’ve read my fics, you know there will be). Tag list is forever open if you want to keep tabs on this fic, hehet! 
Warnings: Some cussing, we’ll be feeling poor and broke with what’s in here.
Tag list: @closer-stars , @masterninjacow , @kunrengui
Masterlist
Chapter 2
“So who is he?” Kibum asked the next day over breakfast. 
Kim Kibum was the son of the Kims that owned a chain of hotels and condominiums. The very building Juhyun lived in was owned by his family. The youngest son, he was a dedicated bachelor while his older siblings did all the corporate work. Kibum was also Juhyun’s best friend and constant date if she needed someone for an event, but she thought it would definitely change this time. 
“Who is who?” Juhyun raised a brow. 
“The guy you were with yesterday, grocery bags and all, I told you to call me after that meeting you had but you didn’t,” Kibum grinned. “So, who was he?” 
“Park Seonghwa, he’s an old schoolmate of mine, and the guy,” Juhyun paused. “The guy I have arranged to be my boyfriend for this entire social season…?” She looked at him, a little wary about what she revealed. 
Kibum gaped at her, unable to hide the surprise as he tried to understand what she did for a few seconds. “Juhyun….really? Are you that desperate?” 
Juhyun rolled her eyes at him. “No, well, maybe, but seeing as Jihan practically humiliated me when he cheated, I’m taking any chance I get. Seonghwa knows and understands what we’re going to get ourselves into anyway.” 
“Does Jinri know about this? You ought to tell the bride you’re bringing a plus one, given that she’s been bridezilla these past few weeks,” Kibum joked while taking a sip of his mimosa. 
“I didn’t need to. Jinri just assumed I’d be bringing someone, she always says it’s in case I finally move on from Jihan,” She sighed. “Well, any day now, I’d have to meet Seonghwa again to go dress shopping.” 
“Dress shopping? You mean no designer’s dressing you yet?” Kibum raised a brow. 
“No, because they’re all occupied with the other people attending this wedding and their parents,” Juhyun shook her head. “I figured I’d reuse the blue Elie Saab gown I only wore once and it was during a magazine’s anniversary party. I was only there for 20 minutes anyway.” 
Kibum sat up. “Either way, I’m looking forward to meeting Seonghwa, probably make him squirm about your relationship-” 
Juhyun slapped his arm. “You will not. Now that you know that Seonghwa and I are pretending to be dating, I won’t let him be subject to your foolishness,” She blew a raspberry at him, making him laugh out loud. 
“Alright fine. Anyway, you’re coming with me to Macau, right? I promised Elise I would be meeting her there.”
 Juhyun raised a brow at the name. “Elise? Your new pursuit?” 
“We’ve only been seeing each other for a month, Juhyun, I doubt it would last, but maybe I could still see her long enough until after the wedding.” 
“I’m still keeping my fingers crossed for the two of you, and yes I’ll be going.” 
That gave him an idea. “Ah, why don’t you bring Seonghwa along? We could have it like a double date,” He suggested. 
It was Juhyun’s turn to look surprised. “...What?” 
“Bring Seonghwa along. We’re taking my jet anyway, and it’s likely that Elise and I won’t be leaving our hotel room so I might not have time to take you around while we’re there,” Kibum winked, making her cringe. 
“I-I guess I’ll try and see if he’s free,” Juhyun shrugged. “I can’t promise you that he’ll agree to come, we haven’t even set the date for when I’ll go dress shopping yet either, much less Jinri announcing when the wedding shower is.” 
“You’ll never know if you don’t ask,” Kibum pointed out. “Tell him I asked, I really did ask you to bring him along after all.” 
They sat up when they heard the elevator doors open in the hall. “Unnie,” They heard the voice of her sister Jihyun, sounding even more chipper than the last time she came to visit. Juhyun’s sister Jihyun, was known among society circles for her fashion sense. She was also dating Moon Bin, a celebrity choreographer, the two of them having been together for 4 years, one year more than when she and Jihan dated. 
Juhyun and Kibum got up to see her. “Yeah?” She asked. 
“I was- Oh hi Kibum,” Jihyun waved at him before handing Juhyun a lavender envelope. “That’s for the upcoming epilepsy benefit. It’s next week.” 
Juhyun looked through the contents of the envelope. “Jihyun, did you know, your sister’s bringing a date,” Kibum suddenly said, making her nudge him hard. He laughed out loud, amused at her reaction. 
Jihyun’s ears perked up. “...Who is it? It’s you, isn’t it?” 
“Believe it or not, it’s not me,” Kibum thought to egg her on. “Juhyun’s got a boyfriend, the two of them have been seeing each other for a while now too.” 
“Kibum!” Juhyun nudged him hard again, and he laughed even more. 
Jihyun stared at her. “Well? Who is he? What’s his name? And more importantly, why haven’t you said anything?” 
“Park Seonghwa, an old schoolmate of mine, he owns the Mars Art Gallery,” Juhyun replied. “And I didn’t want to jinx it. Things have been going very well,” She added, Kibum trying his hardest to stifle his laughter. 
“What does he look like?” She could tell Jihyun was trying not to squeal with how unusually calm she sounded. 
Juhyun took her phone out, showing her the selca they took together, leaning away when, as she expected, Jihyun squealed. “Oh my god, unnie … He’s gorgeous! Okay now I have to meet him when you bring him to the benefit, okay?” Jihyun brought out her own phone, tapping furiously that Juhyun knew she was telling their parents. “I have to go, I just came by to give you that invitation and now I’m glad I did! See you at the benefit, unnie! Bye Kibum!” She rushed back to the hall where the elevator was. 
As soon as they heard the doors close again, Juhyun nudged Kibum again. “You really had to tell her, didn’t you?” She narrowed her eyes at him. 
Kibum laughed. “Come on, Juhyun, think of that as a trial run before the wedding. Seonghwa will be better prepared by the big day once you bring him along to Macau, and at that benefit we now have to go to.” 
“Alright, but because you’re insisting I bring him along, you are now sworn to secrecy,” Juhyun beamed. “If you tell, I’ll tell everyone you’re marrying Elise.” 
Kibum feigned surprise then nodded. “Alright, you drive a hard bargain. This whole thing is safe with me.” 
~
Hongjoong gaped at his friend. Seonghwa invited him over to eat lunch at the gallery, along with both their longtime friends who also worked for him, Kang Yeosang and Jeong Yunho, when he told all of them what was going on. Hongjoong worked as a producer for A Entertainment, but he also had a side gig as a street fashion designer, having launched capsule collections that were regular fixtures at Seoul Fashion Week. Seonghwa could argue that Hongjoong was also one of the few that actually succeeded in pursuing their major, and in Hongjoong’s case, it was music production. “...Are you joking?” Yunho managed to ask, and Seonghwa shook his head. 
“Really? Was that why she was talking to you?” Hongjoong chimed in. 
“Yes. It-It’s just for this whole social season she’s got going on and she said after all of that we won’t have to have anything to do with each other anymore,” Seonghwa explained. 
“And you’re okay with this? “ Hongjoong raised a brow, wanting to be sure. “People of her kind of crowd aren’t exactly the nicest.” 
“I know, I know, but I can hold my own, you’re making it sound as if I don’t deal with those types on an almost regular basis, rich stiffs tend to buy paintings from the gallery,” Seonghwa pointed out. “But I know Juhyun, I know she isn’t like that. She’s the opposite of a rich stiff. I mean, she’s rich, but she’s no stiff.” 
“I do know that, we all know that, we’ve all gone to school with her,” Yunho spoke. “It’s the people in her circle that we know are those rich stiffs you’re talking about.” 
“Well, I won’t say I’m not concerned, but who knows, maybe you’ll blend right in,” Yeosang commented. “Looks like the gallery’s going to get a ton of publicity once Seonghwa makes his society debut.” 
The art curator frowned as they tucked back into their food. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and he paused eating to take it out. It was a message from Juhyun. 
Epilepsy benefit next week. My sister’s dying to meet you already. Think we can meet tomorrow?
An amused smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, and it didn’t go unnoticed by his three friends. “That was her, wasn’t it?” Hongjoong eyed him. 
“As a matter of fact, it is,” Seonghwa replied coolly before typing his reply. 
Sure. We can meet at that cafe again for lunch? 
Seconds later, he saw a response. 
It’s a deal. 
“What did she say this time?” Yunho asked, wiping his mouth with a tissue. 
“We’ve got our first event to go to next week. It’s an epilepsy benefit and we’re meeting tomorrow to go over the details, I guess,” He said. “And her sister wants to meet me.” 
“Her sister? Choi Jihyun?!” Hongjoong’s eyes widened. 
“Yeah, the same Choi Jihyun who is already dating that choreographer from F Entertainment,” Seonghwa remembered, making the shorter male frown and Yeosang and Yunho snicker. “I don’t think she’s willing to leave that guy for you either.” 
Yunho and Yeosang burst into fits of laughter. 
Seonghwa arrived at the cafe the next day, quickly taking the table close to the counter so he could look at the menu while he waited. He wondered what they were planning to do today while also thinking of what his friends had said. It was Juhyun’s friends that they were wary of, and he should be wary of them too. He still wanted to make a good impression. There was the publicity his art gallery was going to have once they go public. 
“Hey.” 
He snapped out of his thoughts when he saw Juhyun, looking a little embarrassed yet for some odd reason she looked different. It was then he realized that they seemed to be wearing the same pattern on their clothes; blue polo stripes against white, her blouse with his dress shirt under his blue blazer. If anything, they looked like a couple attending a gala on a yacht. “Hi,” He got up to greet her. 
“Did you wait long? I’m sorry,” Juhyun said. “And what a coincidence too,” She gestured to their clothes, making the two of them chuckle. Seonghwa gestured for her to sit down and she sat across from him. 
“I came just a little before you did so you weren’t late at all,” He assured her. “Do you want anything to drink?” 
“Just the raspberry iced tea?” Juhyun replied. 
“Got it, I’ll be back,” He smiled, padding towards the counter. 
Juhyun watched him, thinking about what Kibum told her. One of those social events would definitely have her parents in attendance, and the fact that her sister was aware of her so-called “relationship” with Seonghwa, it wouldn’t be surprising if they and their friends already knew and were trying to find out more about him. She just hoped he was prepared for it. 
He returned a moment later, holding the tray with their drinks and set it down. “So what’s going to happen at this benefit? Other than your sister wanting to meet me?” He sounded eager. 
“Well, my sister is an understatement, pretty much everyone who knows me will want to know who you are and how we met and what family you’re from, what business you own or specialize in, all of that stuff,” Juhyun swirled her straw in her drink. 
“Oh, right, well, at least we have that covered. What time should I pick you up?” Seonghwa took a sip of his tea, looking at the invitation Juhyun slid towards him. “...Wow, this benefit seems huge,” He read the rest of the details. “It’s hard to book a function room in this hotel. Everything had to be made six months in advance,” It made him think of one high-profile exhibit he ended up hosting and the headache it caused him trying to book a venue months in advance. 
“8:30, how about that? Cocktails are at seven, but I’d rather not go in for the small talk,” Juhyun frowned at the thought. The last thing she wanted to do at an event like that was to pretend to be friendly with everyone, including Jihan. 
“It’s okay with me,” He nodded. “What time should we leave?” 
“Because I don’t plan on staying there very long, 8:45?” Juhyun asked. Seonghwa stared at her incredulously. “I know it seems like a waste of effort, but really, events like that are incredibly boring.” 
“So why do you even go in the first place?” Seonghwa was confused. He never understood why people of her stature would only afford to be at a black-tie event for a few minutes at a time. 
“They’re also expecting I shell out some money to the cause, and it’s a good cause, I just don’t like who I have to mingle with for the sake of that cause,” Juhyun looked down as she took a sip of her drink. “And, for the sake of being petty, I plan on showing up on Jihan and Eunbi, which is why I asked you to meet me, because today’s a day we have to prepare for those events.” 
“Prepare?” 
“Yeah,” Juhyun nodded. “We’re going to go shopping for your suits.” 
Seonghwa froze. “...Today?” 
“Yeah, I have to look for a dress too because I only have one dress to recycle, and Jinri is going to demand to see what I plan to wear now before she freaks out later, yeah, you’ll meet her in the events too,” Juhyun added. 
“Alright then, so where do we go first?” 
“Department store, for your suits. I know just the place, well, it’s the only acceptable place to get fitted for suits in my opinion, I’ve never seen guys walk out of that place not looking good,” Juhyun said with a knowing look. 
Seonghwa raised a brow. “...where is it?” 
Juhyun smiled. “It’s an old place, but it’s great.” 
They were standing in front of a Huntsman boutique at the topmost floor of the department store a while later. “This is what I was talking about…” Juhyun said quietly, glancing at him to see his reaction. 
“...Here?” Seonghwa couldn’t hide how surprised he was. 
“Yeah, what do you think? If you don’t want to, it’s okay, we can always go to where you usually get your suits…” Juhyun said, hoping she didn’t overstep any lines with him. 
“No, no, it’s- I just only thought this was like the Kingsman movie for some reason,” Seonghwa assured her.
“You’ll need a few more suits for every event, and this is usually my father’s go-to shop whenever he has events, and these suits are made to last too,” Juhyun recalled what her father would always tell her mother. She took his hand. “Let’s go inside, we’re catching them on a quiet day.” 
She led him inside the store, and Seonghwa looked at everything in awe. “Ah, Ms. Choi, hello,” He heard a man greet her, making him snap out of his momentary daze. 
“Hello Basil, this is my boyfriend, Seonghwa,” She introduced them, Seonghwa immediately bowing. “He needs a few suits for this season.” 
“Ah yes, busy time of year,” Basil replied, looking him up and down. “He has the built for a suit like ours, I’ll get your measurements and you could pick the fabric,” He gestured to the large rolls of fabric on the shelves behind the desk. 
“Send me the total and I’ll make some calls,” Juhyun said. “Sorry, I know, I know what you’re already thinking,” She flashed Seonghwa a sheepish grin. “I promise everything else is on you to spend on me.” 
“Now I’m getting nervous on how much I have to spend on you,” He teased. 
“I swear I’m not as fancy as I probably seem right now, I don’t even go in here a lot,” She pointed out with a chuckle. “I buy my clothes where everyone buys their clothes.” 
“I know, and I don’t doubt that at all,” Seonghwa kissed her cheek, the two of them freezing for a moment at the sudden display of affection. Juhyun felt her cheeks heat up, partly in embarrassment as it happened in front of Basil. 
She watched Seonghwa get measured, eyes traveling to the fabrics as she tried to compose herself. She was initially worried about insisting on everything so far, but she was relieved that he was okay with whatever she showed him. “All the men in my family come to this tailor for their suits. Basil worked in the actual Savile Row shop,” She eyed the tailor, who just smiled. 
Seonghwa looked impressed, lifting his arms when the tailor went to run a measuring tape along them. “Oh yes, Ms. Choi’s family have been loyal patrons at the Savile Row boutique. I remember having to measure your grandfather,” He replied. “I would personally recommend a navy blue velvet tuxedo jacket for one, bespoke of course.” 
Juhyun nodded, giving Seonghwa an assuring look as well, sensing that he was still trying to get used to getting fitted. “Sure, h-how long until it’s done?” He spoke this time. 
“For Ms. Choi’s date? Six weeks at the most, both of you won’t need to worry,” Basil assured them. 
“Oh, now I see why we had to go here early,” Seonghwa’s eyes widened. 
The two of them were walking along the dress boutiques a while later, stopping every now and then to look at the designs displayed on the mannequins. “There’s something else I have to talk to you about,” She said, as they stopped in front of a slightly more colorful dress shop. “My friend Kibum, he owns the building I live in, he’s inviting us to go with him to Macau.” 
“Macau?” Seonghwa asked curiously. 
“Macau,” Juhyun nodded. “He’s inviting you too to come with me, keep me company or something like that because he’s meeting his girlfriend there.” 
He couldn’t help but chuckle. “Really?” 
“Yeah. He also wants to meet you. He’s one of my best friends. We’re taking his jet so you don’t have to worry about tickets or anything.” 
“Alright then, I think I can leave for a week or something,” Seonghwa nodded. He hadn’t traveled in a while. Neither did Juhyun, who seemed especially surprised at his answer. The two of them figured they still had some getting to know each other to do. He noticed the green and black dress behind the mannequin. “That dress seems like it would look good on you,” He gestured to the display, making her turn around. 
“You think so?” Juhyun nodded, looking at the details. “Let’s ask inside then.” 
They quietly entered the shop, seeing all the mannequins dressed in long ball gowns and tuxedos. There were photos of celebrities on the walls having worn some of the dresses that were proudly on display, including the dress they were looking at. Juhyun rang the little bell on the desk, and her expression fell when out from the backroom was none other than Kim Eunbi herself, who looked just as disappointed to see her. 
“Oh, well, well, well, if it isn’t Choi Juhyun and,” She tilted her head. “Park Seonghwa, right? Jihan told me about your new...squeeze.” 
“Hello Eunbi,” Juhyun replied. “I was going to inquire about the dress on that display at the window-” 
“Nice, isn’t it? I was inspired by The Devil Wears Prada, Seo Yeji went head over heels for that number, but you’re no Seo Yeji,” Eunbi pointed out. 
“Of course I’m not Seo Yeji, I have a different name,” Juhyun quipped back. 
Eunbi’s expression stiffened. “Well, if you think I’m going to sell you that dress, you’re probably kidding yourself. Off you go, chop chop,” She gestured them to go away. 
“...Excuse me?” Seonghwa blurted out. He could feel his blood boil at the rudeness that was in front of him. 
Eunbi laughed a mocking laugh. “Go on, chop chop, before I close this shop out of an abundance of caution. As if I would give any of you the pleasure of wearing my creations.” 
Juhyun calmly nodded and turned on her heel. “Come, there are other places to shop,” She muttered to him, and he followed, his free hand curling into a fist as they closed the door, walking down the other direction to the other boutiques. 
“If I didn’t care enough, I would’ve lost it at the way she treated you,” Seonghwa frowned as they walked. 
“I kind of expected it anyway the moment I realized she owned that shop,” Juhyun said. 
“If she knows who you are, she should’ve honestly feared you, you might have her kicked out of this place or something,” Seonghwa said. 
“Maybe, since my family owns this department store.” 
Seonghwa gaped at her. “Then all the more you should’ve done something, have her kicked out for being rude to you, she doesn’t deserve to be here, she doesn’t deserve to run her own line at all if she’s going to be like that.” 
“I know, but it’s not worth my time, I’ve got other things to worry about, like what we’re going to do in Macau or something,” Juhyun chuckled, linking her arm with his. “Why would I waste my time trying to ruin her when I know I’m better off where I am anyway?” 
That seemed to make him feel better, but he figured he’d say something if Eunbi tried to do anything again if they were going to see each other at the events. Seonghwa placed his hand over hers. “...Since we’re going to be a couple for this social season, we’d better get comfortable like this, wouldn’t we?” 
“Yeah, for a second I was worried that this might come off too strong or something,” Juhyun chuckled, squeezing his arm, feeling the muscle tense under her fingers. 
“If we’re going to be believable, coming off too strong on each other is probably what’s needed,” Seonghwa agreed with a knowing look. “We’re going crazy like Jackson Pollock on his canvas.”
“Are you going to make art puns this whole time?” She laughed at the comparison. 
“Maybe, hey, you’re supposedly dating an art curator, and I know my art,” Seonghwa grinned. “Want to get some ice cream before we go back to shopping?” 
“Just the ice cream. I think after today, I’ll just figure out what I’ll be wearing for the next few months.”  
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deans-baby-momma · 3 years
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Truth or Dare-Part 5/20
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Summary: The Winchester sibling trio has been through so much in the last decade. From the night of their parents’ 30th wedding anniversary party where Sam and Dean eased Y/N from her innocence to Sam becoming a happily married lawyer with a kickass nurse of wife to the three of them now living in the same town they grew up in under the same roof where each of them came of age.  Y/N is a working mother of three,  her days spent helping the townsfolk make proper and suitable financial decisions while bustling about escorting her two oldest to school and her youngest, Mary Ellen, to daycare; Dean’s garage is the premiere body shop for classic restorations and  car maintenance; people from other state’s bring their vehicles to them to be repaired. Business at Winchester Wheels  is booming; Sam is the legal council for Winchester Wheels and has been since he moved back home almost 5 years ago. He has his work cut out for him dealing with the people Dean pisses off and threatens to sue the garage on at least a monthly basis.
After one lust-filled night, the siblings become more than family.  They become lovers. The three of them, together and separately.
One big loving family.
So when Y/N’s boss calls for her to take a much needed vacation, the six of them hit the road. What will happen? Will it bring them closer together or break them apart?
W/C: 1243
Warnings:  fluff
After the shenanigans at the cafe and RJ’s insistent revelation, the six Winchesters loaded into the rental vehicle and got back on the road.
“Where to first?” Sam asks, looking at a map on his phone. 
“First stop, Dodge City!” Dean exclaims happily but frowns when he is met with groans. “What?”
“Dude, that is like your fantasy sabbatical,” Sam says, looking over his shoulder at Y/N to see her nodding in agreement. “You love everything to do with the Wild West. Me and Y/N, not so much. The kids are going to be so bored!”
Dean huffs and sighs. “Well just so you know, they have a zoo and a water park that I had planned to take everyone to. Do you want to just cross that off the list?”
Y/N could tell Dean had gotten his feelings hurt at their disregard for his agenda. She scooted forward in her seat and put her arms around his seat and onto his shoulders. “I’m sorry. I’m sure we’ll enjoy Dodge City.”
“Don’t knock it until you try it,” Dean responds and bends his head to kiss her hand. “We’re going to get there just in time for the 5:00 mock showdown between Wild Bill and Davis Tutt. You know Wild Bill got lucky Tutt was such a bad shot. It took ol’ Bill a few seconds longer to steady his gun. Worked out though, because he shot his opponent right in the heart!”
Y/N could tell from the tone of his voice and the slight change of pitch that Dean was excited to be able to witness such a remarkable, albeit remade, event in history. She felt bad about their initial reaction.
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“Oh my god! Did you see that?” Dean remarks as they walk away from the stage of the mock gun battle. “Bill was the fastest draw in the land.” Dean pretends to pull a gun from a holster on his side and makes a pistol with his finger and thumbs, “shooting” left and right; mimicking the sound of shots by blowing air out of his puckered lips. 
Y/N shakes her head as she carries a sleepy Mary Ellen on her lap as RJ holds his uncle’s hand and Izabella holds her father’s non-gun one. As they walk down the street of the city decorated to look like an Old West town, they each take in the sights from the displays of the attire of times gone by. 
She can not imagine having to wear such drab and concealing garb that the women wore back then. Added to the fact that they were usually also squeezed into a corset that was two sizes too small and Y/N wonders how they ever got anything done, much less felt like populating the world.
She looks at one of the pictures that is hanging on the wall. The Vandall Family were photographed in front of what Y/N assumed was their homestead. The husband and wife and their 13 kids were all lined up from tallest to shortest. The woman was also holding an infant in her arms so that made 14 times she had taken off all those layers and laid with her husband to get pregnant. Unfathomable to Y/N!
Back at the hotel they had gotten rooms at, she places Mary Ellen in the provided crib and closes the door to the adjoining room. Izabella and RJ are in the adults’ room with Sam and Dean watching cartoons so Y/N decides to take a shower while the baby naps.
As she is rinsing her hair, she hears the door open and feels a presence enter the room. She waits and just a few seconds later, Dean’s head pops around the curtain.
“What a lovely view,” he says as he eyes her up and down. “So sexy,” he continues with a smirk on his face. “And all mine.”
“Uh huh. What do you want?” Y/N asks, trying to act nonchalant, that the fact that Dean is ogling her naked form is not turning her on. But sure enough she feels the first of the tingles in her pussy as he licks his lips.
“Sammy said he would watch the kids so we can go out,” Dean tells her, his eyes still trailing up and down her body. “So Y/N, wanna go on a date with me?”
Y/N stops what she’s doing and looks at her brother. An actual date? One where they can be the couple they want to be; hold hands and kiss? A date where they don’t have to worry about who sees them together?! The thought of that alone gets her blood pumping and her heart beat rushing.
“Yea,” she answers delighted and anxious.
“Okay. Well, dress up little lady because I am taking you out on the town!” Dean imitates a cowboy as his smile stretches across his face. He winks and blows her a kiss before disappearing. She hears the bathroom door click shut and she waits until she is sure Dean is back in the other room before she squeals.
Their first date. The first time they can go out and be a couple. She hurriedly finishes washing before turning the water off and stepping out of the tub, wrapping the fluffy hotel towel around her. 
She’s going on a date, her first official date. Ever!
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Knowing this is a special occasion, even if it is just for her, Y/N takes the extra time to style her hair the way she wants it and picks out the best blouse she had packed, pairing it with a pair of black trousers and her slip on booties. 
She even puts on makeup, using the barely-ever-used eyeshadow palette to create a smoky eye effect. She tops that off with a thin layer of mascara and some blush on her cheeks. Looking in the mirror, the reflection shown back to her is of a full-grown woman and not the half-grown kid she was so used to seeing when she looked at herself. 
Looking at her reflection, she now knows how she attracted both Dean and Sam because even she will admit with the way her clothes fit and her hair and makeup on point, she was beautiful and sexy. 
She briefly wonders what Dean’s reaction will be and doesn’t have to wait long to find out. The sound of the key in the door draws her attention and she looks over as Dean walks in. He is dressed up also. 
He is wearing a pair of dark blue jeans, with no holes or snags in them, a cinnamon colored henley under a multi-colored flannel, the colors distressed and faded. The jeans were tight around his thick thighs and groin, leaving little to the imagination. Y/N could melt into the floor right there.
“Hot damn,” Dean exclaims as he takes Y/N in. “I am one helluva lucky son of a bitch. You are gorgeous, baby girl.”
“Thanks, handsome. You look mighty fine yourself.”
“Ready to paint this town?”
“As I’ll ever be,” she answers with a smile.
Dean places his palm on the bottom of her back as they walk down the street heading to, what Y/N is sure, some cafe that serves lukewarm coffee, cold pie and has dirty ashtrays on each table. 
Imagine her surprise when  Dean directs her to the exact opposite of her assumption.
A/N: If your username is marked through, it’s because Tumblr wouldn’t allow me to tag you. Sorry. 
@lostinaseaoffictionalbliss @spnbaby-67 @tftumblin @sea040561 @delightfullykrispypeach @larajadeschmidt13 @atc74 @vicariouslythruspn @squirrelnotsam @death-unbecomes-you @sandlee44 @blacktithe7 @hoboal87 @mogaruke @deanwanddamons @onethirstyunicorn @supraveng @deandreamernp
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flamingo-writes · 4 years
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Mixtape Track 03
Humility by Gorillaz (feat. George Benson)
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Summary: Even though he's a big city boy himself, Josuke Higashikata still agreed to go camping with you and your dad. Learning in the process that camping isn't as easy as you usually make it sound. However, its during the trip that he discovers something. A new set of feelings for you start clouding his mind.
A/N: this was also inspired by the recent camping trip I had with a fre friends a few weeks back.
Warnings: none.
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People were usually surprised by how close Josuke and you were. Considering the both of you were so different. Sure, for two people who basically grew up together, you were very different.
Growing up, you constantly went camping with your father, since he was a botanist. Even though now a days he worked as a teacher in City S's University, he missed his researcher days when he'd go on field trips to research plants. And so, during school breaks, he'd go camping for a few days and take you along into the most recondite places in the middle of nowhere.
While you grew up spending a lot of time in the wild, you grew to be a bit feral and adventurous. Curious of the tiny details nature had to offer, with a lot of knowledge about plants, how to light a fire, how to climb, you were very much like a wild animal yourself. You kept your appereance always simple and practical and despite liking being clean, you didn't really mind if you got dirty.
Josuke on the contrary, was a city boy, despite living in the small town of Morioh. Always looked after his appereance, always clean, always smelling nice. Josuke was a smart kid, no doubt, but when it came to survival skills, he had none, since he usually took many things for granted because he was raised always withing the limits of Morioh.
In the summer before starting highschool, as per usual, your dad planned out a camping trip with a couple of his friends from college. They usually brought their kids along, with whom you got along with, but neither of them lived in Morioh. However, this time, your father told you you could bring a friend with you.
But boy, poor Josuke Higashikata didn't know what he had gotten himself into. He though it was gonna be different, considering how you always spoke so excitedly about your camping trips with your dad.
Its not that he didn't have fun. But it was all too complicated. Sleeping on the floor, not having a mirror and having to style his hair from muscle memory. The cold at night was something he never had lived through, his hands freezing as he tried to eat his very simple dinner, as the small group of people gathered around a small fire.
"So, what's the plan for tomorrow?" You asked your father, sitting next to you as he took a big sip of his beer.
"We're gonna go to Sendai, we want to visit the Tama River, probably take a swim there" Your dad said.
"Oh nice!" Kenta, a boy around your age sighed. "I love the Tama river!"
"Sendai? Oh gee, where are we?" Josuke whispered low enough so only you could listen.
"Not sure. But it doesn't matter. When we go to Sendai, we stay a night in some cabins with hot water and beds"
"Oh thank god. I really need a shower. And a roof above my head" Josuke sighed relieved.
"Youre such a city boy" you giggled as Josuke felt a blush creep on his cheeks.
"Yeah, camping its not my thing. I am having fun though" Josuke admitted.
"Thank you for coming here. And I'm sorry I dragged you out of the city" You muttered back, looking at your friend underneath your lashes.
"Hey, don't apologise. I am having fun. You dont get to see landscapes this beautiful in Morioh. Besides, I get to spend time with you, thats ways fun" Josike added apologetically, windering if you felt offended in some way.
It wasnt all that bad, he thought. The cold weather had him sharing a blanket with you. The two of you snuggled together, sharing a blanket. And for the first time, Josuke noticed a different glow in your face.
"Thank you, Josuke" You spoke after a few seconds of silence, resting your cheek on his shoulder and snuggling closer to him as he swore he felt you shiver and tightening the blanket around your shoulder.
Josuke mirrored your movements, getting closer together so the warmth between your bodies helped you stop shivering.
The way you seemed so comfortable in nature, how you breathed in so deeply l every now and then, and how you were quick to day dream while staring at the landscape. He always thought you were objectively a pretty girl, but seeing you like this, he wondered if you had always being this pretty.
Josuke's favorite part of the camping trip was indeed spending the night at a cabin your dad and his friends rented. The first thing he did was take a hot shower while everyone else gathered around a fire outside the cabin exchanging stories of all natures while a friend of your dad cooked dinner.
However, the hot shower was nowhere near close his new favorite experience of the trip compared to when you swam in the river.
The city boy felt slightly intimidated by the idea of swiming in a river. What if something happened to him? Was it really safe to swim in river? It took a little convincing for Josuke to get in there. But nothing you couldn't do.
"C'mon, you know how to swim!" You cheered.
"Its cold!" Josuke whined as he got a si gle foot inside and thought ofnhow the temperature was going to feel in his whole body.
"I know, but as long as you keep moving, you wont feel cold"  You added.
"Its easy for you to say it, you're already in there"
"Come on! I'll buy you lunch when were back if you get in here and swim towards me!"
Josuke looked at you as you slowly swam on your back towards the centre of the river.
"You're gonna be fine! I promise!"
Josuke took a deep breath before jumping into the river and swiming towards you. The cold water stinging his skin at first. However, he soon felt the warmth of your skin underwater, as his arm brushed yours.
"Hey you made it!" You said wrapping your arms around his bare shoulders covered in goosebumps due to the cold. You hugged his as he kept moving his legs, brishing his knees with yours every now and then
"I cant feel the bottom, how deep is this river?" Josuke asked.
"Dunno. But it doesnt matter. Just keep swimming!" You cheered.
"I'm going to be honest, Im a bit scared right now" Josuke admitted, a blush painting his cheeks lightly.
"Hey, nothing's going to happen to you. Here" you said holding his hand "Some otters hold hands to keep themselves from drifting away, so, as long as we're holding hands, you're gonna be fine" You squeezed his hand softly as he looked at your uands, oretty visible through the crystal clear water.
"Are we otters now?" Josuke asked.
"You're my otter half" You giggled mischievously as Josuke glared at you at your bad joke.
"Wow" Josuke laughed as he noticed he no longer felt cold anymore "that is the cheesiest joke you ever made"
"Okay fine, you can stop holding my hand now" You joked.
"No! Dont let go! I'll behave, I promise!" Your friend whined.
You laughed, Josuke tightening his grip on your warm hand as the both of you were floating without going anywhere.
You swam together as everyone was enjoying themselves as well swiming in the river. A few hours went by before your dad and his other two friends got off the water and started a fire ready to warm up the food before the sunset.
It a few instances, you had held hands with josuke, without much of a thoight. However, this time ot felt a bit different. It felt a bit more intimate. The time you spent in the river, you were hding hands the entire time. Outside the river, you remained with your fingers entwine despite it not being necessary anymore.
Something in your chest felt different than usual. And you thought you were just being silly, suddenly feeling romantic about holdong hands with your best friend.
However, what you didnt know is that Josuke was having the exact same thoughts. And the same fast heartbeat you were having, as neither of you let gonofneach other's hands as you approached the fire upon being called for dinner.
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[Mixtape]
Dont forget to leave feedback! If you want to be tagged in the future, let me know!
Also, have an actual pic from my camping trip. I did swim in a river and even though the water was very cold, I still had a lot of fun
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m-is-for-mungo · 3 years
Note
👀 for Lily from Mason’s perspective!
I actually wrote a little about this a few days ago!
Mason feels all kinds of ways about Lily when she first gets to Nuka World.
SLIGHT NSFW CONTENT FROM HERE ON (you have been warned)
So it’s gonna be Yuuto (my General) and Lily going through the Gauntlet in tandem, and they tag team to bring down Colter. Mason isn’t too impressed cause he’s seen Colter take down challenger after challenger, but he is on the edge of his seat when he witnesses Lily rip out the controls for Colter’s HUD, leaving him effectively blind.
He is actually impressed by the time the dust settles, but notices Yuuto is running their show, seeing as Lily is like MacCready and a hired merc.
He gets ANGRY when they’re first properly introduced. Yuuto and Gage are doing the meeting of the bosses, and Lily is trailing close behind Yuuto. Once Yuuto and Mason have their back and forth, she turns to speak to Gage, and they’re interrupted by Lily pinning Mason (that LOVELY commission I had Drovenna do) cause he took her ignoring him as a sign of her not paying attention and tried to steal her sachet of caps off her belt. He tries to yank his arm back, and can’t make it budge, and Lily digs her knife in a little to make a silent point that yes it’s sharp and yes she will use it. But no matter how much rage is pulsing through him, god damn it if he can’t help that his pants are TIGHT and he storms off after they leave to fix that predicament.
They quite frankly hate each other the first bit. Lily gets stationed in the Amphitheater because Yuuto sees the Pack as the problem crew (jokes on her when the Disciples turn). Mason actively ignores her presence, and is furious she’s practically baby sitting him and his gang. She doesn’t leave his side by his throne, just leaning against the wall in silence, chain smoking and drinking heavily. He’s convinced she’s gunning for his spot, and then...
One day, Lily starts getting harassed by some of the Pack. Sneering at her that they don’t need a watch dog, they’re surprised Mason hasn’t made her his bitch after that little stunt she pulled in front of everyone, how she’s asking for her death and then one of them decides to challenge her. Mason just quietly watches, intrigued by her not even batting an eye at these guys, one of which is easily a foot taller than her.
He can’t explain the heat in his chest. He’s never felt this, and it’s like an itch he can’t scratch. He realizes he’s holding his breathe as she just silently walks towards the fighting cage and sets her gear to the side (her hat, mask, and jacket). He has pretty much lost interest in the daily fights in the cage, but he can’t lie that his eyes aren’t glued to her. She can’t be serious, right?
And oh boy, his body turns into a furnace as she methodically makes each guy tap out, even picking one up and slamming him to the ground. Good god when she wipes the sweat matted hair from her forehead, and then looks at Mason, their eyes locking, and she just grabs her stuff and bows towards him, a sarcastic curtesy, before leaving the Amphitheater for the night. He wants to follow her, ever part of him is screaming that she is meant to be his. And he realizes then, he may do whatever she asks just to have her.
Eventually... Yuuto demands the bosses help her and Lily take the parks back. You want a park, you have to get your hands dirty. He tries to cage her, pulling his rank as Alpha and people don’t get to say no to him. He definitely ended up with a black eye over that one. With his pride wounded, he tries again, this time tries to make her jealous by opening inviting various female Pack members to his private quarters, but he can’t even be satisfied by them anymore. It’s too hollow. It isn’t her flowing green hair in his hands, it isn’t her mismatched eyes admiring his form, it just... isn’t her.
But, they get separated together in Safari Adventure and have to retreat to the treehouse for a night.
The start of Mason’s desire is watching Lily intently while she’s sniping the Gatorclaws that she can see. The way she holds her breath with each pull of the trigger, her rifle is an extension of her... the dried blood from the initial assault, watching her charge towards death and winning, dodging wildly swinging claws, she even dodged one attack and swung up onto the beast’s back and loaded its head with her desert eagle. He tried his best to be macho and watch her back, but she ended up saving him. So surely... she doesn’t fully hate him?
When it starts pouring down rain and Lily no longer has the visibility to shoot, she undoes her gear and sets up a little nest in the treehouse. She tries to sleep, but she can feel Mason’s eyes burning holes in her figure, and frustrated, walks out into the rain to lean against the balcony, viewing all of Nuka World. Mason can’t take it anymore, seeing her dripping wet, her hair slowly loosing the mud and blood and her vibrant green starts nearly glowing under the moonlight. Her clothes are clinging to her, and his breath is labored as his eyes travel from her head, down her back and lingering on her ass. He HAS to have her. He believes he may truly die if he can’t, and these feelings of needing someone has his mind reeling. He doesn’t just need her for sex, he needs her for everything.
And so... he does the opposite of what he’s tried. He comes up behind her, placing his hands on the railing, caging her once more.... but sighs into her hair. “Kitten..” he purrs into her ear. “Please. I NEED you. I ain’t ever needed anyone but the thought of being here with anyone else...”
She shivers, a completely involuntary action. She wants him but can’t... or can she..? She lightly leans back onto his chest and the sigh that leaves her chest... The pure warmth and comfort that his presence gives is nothing compared to actually being pressed against him. She snaps back to reality and shakes herself out of it and snakes her way to face him. She couldn’t hide the fire lit in her eyes but she gritted out “Oh, the Al-pha~ is begging for once? You have plenty of women prowling your quarters, I’m not a substitute.” She accentuated Alpha, it almost sounded like a purr to his ears. He gripped the railing, the wood protesting the vice grip he had on it. God damn this woman.
The rain had slowly washed away his face paint, and Lily couldn’t take her eyes off his bare face. Her will to deny him was steadily shattering, and then... he slowly lowered himself to his knees, gently pressing his forehead to her exposed stomach. The rain droplets that had settled on her navel did little to cool him, and he nuzzled his nose on the soft skin. “Lily...” he whispered, the hot puff of air causing another shiver. “They aren’t you. No one... no one can give me what I need. I know you hate me but god I need you like I need to fight, to breathe, to live.” He slowly brought his hands around the small of her back and started trailing light kisses along her stomach. He could feel his ears and cheeks burning with a crimson blush, and tried to push that to the back of his mind. He had his mate, he just needed to convince her of the same.
She tried to resist. Let the record know that god she tried to resist. But the last glance at him... knelt before her, his paint gone revealing the most handsome face she had ever seen, god she could stay here memorizing every freckle, mole and scar... his eyes glittered in the moonlight, highlighting that for once, these soft words were genuine. His hair was no longer perfectly coiffed, the loose tendrils hanging over his forehead dripped with the soft rain. She almost felt like it was a foreign act, as she gently reached and cupped his chin. “Mason...” her voice was soft, pleading, a delicate song in the dead of the night, but was the most beautiful word he had ever heard. His groin throbbed at the word, his name... “Say it again...” he murmured, scared that if he said it too loud, he’d wake from this dream.
“Maso-“ she was cut off from him scooping her up, wrapping his arm tightly around her waist and tangling his hand in her hair, pausing just millimeters from her lips. “Tell me yes Kitten. I need to hear it.”
“Mason... yes. Yes yes yes.”
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alexiessan · 4 years
Text
Never alone - Chapter Twenty Four - Soulmate AU - The End
AO3
Previous - Here
Master List
Last chapter! Thanks to everyone who followed this story!
After Gabriel Agreste and Nathalie Sanscœur got arrested, Emilie Agreste was brought to the hospital. She has been in a coma for a few years now, with no sign of waking up, and the doctors weren’t very optimistic about her.
Emilie Agreste would probably never wake up.
Adrien has been very sad when he got the news, but he had the time to grieve her mother years ago when his father has lied about her death. While he missed her every day, he had learned to move on. Still, knowing that she was alive, brought hope to the young model. He didn’t care about the doctors’ prognostics, nothing could crush his hopes.
Thankfully, Adrien has been declared innocent in the whole Hawkmoth debacle. He and Ladybug had revealed to the police that the young Agreste has been Chat Noir all along. The information didn’t make it to the news, thankfully.
Paris celebrated that night and would celebrate for a whole week, finally happy to be free of Hawkmoth. People allowed themselves to cry, to scream, to let their emotions free.
That night, Marinette cried in the arms of her soulmate, not stopping even when he carried her to his bedroom, the short girl in his arm clinging to him like a koala.
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Life, without having to fight Akumas, was weird. Marinette had gotten so used to miss classes or a few hours of sleep because of attacks that she was nervous as if waiting for something to happen.
But nothing happened. Her shoulders were free of the burden of Paris’ safety.
She no longer needed to be Ladybug.
The Miraculous on her ears felt so heavy now.
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It’s at the end of April, after a month and a half of peace, that the fashion designer decided to take off the earrings.
“I think we both need a rest,” she said to Tikki, a sad smile on her lips. “I need to heal from Hawkmoth, to detach myself from Ladybug, and I can’t do that with you around.” She winced. “No offense.”
Tikki laughed. “None taken, Marinette! I totally understand. It will be nice for me to be with the other Kwamis for a while,” she smiled, floating up to Marinette’s face to nuzzle her cheek. “And it’s not like we’re saying goodbye. You’re the guardian now, so we can see each other whenever we want!” She settled on her chosen’s shoulder. “But you’re right. We both need a break. So…” she fell silent for a few seconds. “See you soon, I guess!”
Marinette laughed, placing a kiss on the Kwami’s head.
“See you soon, Tikki.”
And she took the earrings off, placing them in the Miraculous Box.
It was like a weight has been lifted off her shoulder. Marinette hadn’t felt so light in years.
She almost jumped when she felt arms circle around her from behind. Sighing happily, she leaned back so she could be closer to Damian.
“How are you feeling,” he asked, placing a kiss on her neck.
“Good,” she breathed, turning around to face him. “I feel really good.”
She pulled him closer and kissed him.
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Adrien was moving away. He had told his friends that he would live with his aunt and his cousin in London.
“I mean, I’m eighteen, so I could live by myself but…” he played with his fingers, embarrassed. Nino looked at him with a warm smile, encouraging him. “But, as much as I don’t want to admit it, I’ve had a golden childhood, you know? People did everything for me, from cleaning my room to cooking the meals. I can’t live by myself yet, so I’m moving in with my aunt. Then, I’ll learn everything I need to take care of myself.”
Alya laughed.
“Try not to give food poisoning to your family!”
Adrien gasped, falsely offended. “How dare you?!”
Adrien and Alya laughed while the others just shook their head in exasperation.
The young Agreste turned to Damian. “I heard you’re leaving soon?”
Damian nodded, unconsciously bringing Marinette closer to him. “Next week.”
Alya groaned. “Finally. I won’t have to see you anymore.”
The youngest Wayne smirked. “Sorry to break the news, Césaire, but I’ll be back in August as I’ll study here.”
The look on Alya’s face made everyone laugh.
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Even though she knew that she would see him in a few weeks, saying goodbye to Damian at the airport brought tears to her eyes.
She hugged Dick first, who hugged her back so tightly that she couldn’t breathe for a few seconds.
“I’ll miss you so much.”
“Aw, you’ll see me soon, I promise,” the oldest of the Wayne siblings winked.
“I know, but it won’t be the same.”
Richard ruffled her hair with a smile. “I’m only a phone call away if you need anything. And when I say anything, I mean it, ok? Don’t hesitate. That’s what siblings are for, after all!”
She almost cried at that, but he gently pushed her towards Damian, giving them privacy in their goodbye.
Marinette let out a sob.
“I’m sorry. I swear I won’t always be this sensitive,” she said, embarrassed with the amount of tears she had shed lately. She had cried earlier when she said goodbye to Cloud and Alfred the cat too.
The green-eyed boy took her hand in his, pulling her closer to him. He kissed her forehead.
“I understand. Take time to allow yourself to feel, alright? Then, you’ll be okay in no time.”
She nodded. “You’re right.”
She cupped his cheek in her hand. “God, I hate seeing you go.”
He leaned in her touch. “I know. But you’ll see me in a few weeks for Prom.”
“I can’t wait,” she said and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.
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With the Baccalauréat coming and all the studying she had to do, time passed more quickly than she has expected.
In no time, she was in Gotham with the help of Kaalki, in her prom dress with Damian’s family in their manor.
Her boyfriend rolled his eyes as his father and brothers insisted to take a lot of pictures. Marinette didn’t mind. She was just happy to see Damian again.
She was happy to see his siblings too, of course.
Prom was exactly how she imagined it. It was such a shame there was no such thing in France.
The look on Damian’s classmates’ faces was hilarious. They obviously couldn’t believe that Damian Wayne was there, and with a date!
Their faces were even funnier when they saw him dance with her or when he tried to discretely kiss her.
Which was discreet at all, what with everyone watching them like a hawk.
It was a very nice night, one Marinette wished wouldn’t end, but alas, in the end, she had to go back to Paris.
While it was only one in the morning in Gotham, it was already seven in Paris, and she would have only three hours of sleep before having to get up to meet Alya and Chloé for a study session.
And, ok, maybe she got back at eight in the end because she couldn’t detach her lips from Damian’s.
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Marinette and Damian passed their own tests easily, saying goodbye to their high school life.
The Eurasian girl was disappointed that she didn’t get to go to Damian’s graduation — she loved how it was such a big event in the US — but Jason sent her all the pictures they had taken, so it made up for her absence.
They didn’t get to see each other much during the summer. Just a trip here and there to Gotham thanks to Kaalki. Damian had to figure out a lot of things about Robin not being in Gotham for at least three years — five years if he decided to get a master degree — and all the paperwork needed for an American student studying in France.
Plus, his friend Jon was forcing him to spend time with it as it would be a long time before they would get to see each other.
Marinette has been accepted into the Fashion University of her choice and had immediately filled all the paperwork needed to finalize the registration.
Her summer has been busy with helping her parents in the bakery and going on a trip with Claude, Allan, and Allegra, and then on another trip with the original class from middle school. Even Lila was there and was actually pleasant.
All in all, August was there, and Damian and Marinette had finally moved in the Wayne’s penthouse. They had redecorated to make it their place and were exhausted after two weeks of painting and Ikea trips.
They were cuddling on the couch, Titus, Cloud, and Alfred the cat sleeping in a pile at their feet.
The couple was exhausted, but happy and ready for the next step in their life.
Marinette turned slightly so she could face her boyfriend. She smiled at him as he raised an eyebrow at her, and kiss him softly.
“Hey, I love you, you know?”
Damian kissed her cheek.
“Yeah, I know,” he said, bringing her closer. “I love you, too.”
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hobbitsnapes · 3 years
Text
The Red Hoods Protègè chapter 21
Older Damian Wayne x ofc
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(Photo made by my lovely friend @iamhollows
Summary:Red Hood has taken a young vigilante under his wing and subsequently changes Damians life forever.
Tags: @comic-nerd-dc @comic-brew @psychovigilantewrites @psych0crybaby
Her feet tapped against the floor, her heart beating rapidly in her chest.
There she sat in the family room, papers shattered around her like a hurricane came through. She sat listening to one of the manigorrs for the fundraiser, which was in only 2 days.
“Mhm, yes he’ll be attending.” She said, her voice clear despite her nerves. “And what about your father?” The man asks. Her heart sinks into her stomach at his question. “No, my father won’t be making it sadly.”
“Okay thank you so much sir and have an amazing day.” “You as well miss Todd.” She hung up the phone, slumping back into the now uncomfortable couch. Her hands rubbed at her eyes, a headache that she tried ignoring biting back.
“And here I thought I had the best customer service voice.” She jumped slightly at hearing the voice, looking up and seeing Tim in the door, a smirk on his face. “Screw you.” She chuckled, making him laugh as he sat beside her.
He put his arm over her shoulder, smiling as she curled her head into his chest. He rubbed his fingers into her hair, noting the tangles that she had from pulling the strands.
“What’s on your mind?” He asks, breaking her out of her trance. “I’m just really overwhelmed with all of this. I mean just 4 years ago, I wasn’t allowed out of my house and nobody but my parents knew I existed. Now millions of people do, and I’m hosting a huge event in just under 2 days.” She groans, rubbing her eyes again. “Then tell me what’s eating you up.” “How did you-“ “really?” He chuckles, making her smile. She takes in a deep breath. “What if, what if I screw up? I say something wrong, I miss something, What if I didn’t do something right and I’m eaten up again by the media? What if I’m not good to do this?” She says, her voice cracking towards the end.
Tim sighs, running his fingers through her hair again. “What is your reason for doing this?” “To help people.” “Are you doing this for selfish reasons, to gain a better presence in the media?” “Of course not.” Tim smiles at her, “sandy, you are one of the most caring, loving, selfless, just overall one of the most amazing people I know. You have the biggest hearts I’ve ever seen. Your will and drive to help those in need well surpasses anything I and the others have done in our lives put together. I promise, when you get up there with your speech, you’ll move countless people, and change so many lives. And that’s just because it’s coming from you. I promise, everything will work out.” Tears spilled down her cheeks at his words, not even trying to wipe them. She reaches up, wrapping him in a tight hug. “Thank you.”
“Mister Wayne can you sign this for me?” A man asks, shoving a paper into his face. Bruce smiles as he scribbled his name into the paper, barley reading what it said.
People ran around the large room, setting up tables and such.
He looked over to his left, seeing Sandy standing as she signed papers herself, talking to some of the helpers. He had a tray of cookies that she had baked, handing them to each of the workers with a smile.
It was sweet, seeing just how caring she was towards each of them, giving her full attention to each person speaking, never interrupting or being rude.
He knew from the moment he met her, she had a kind heart, even stronger than his own. He could see how much she truly wanted to help everyone. Even at times when she was angry, she always had their heart in mind. It was a shame how things had become between her and his son.
Looking back, he saw how she rubbed off of him, how just her kind nature changed Damian. He wasn’t so short with everyone, wasn’t so rude or blunt. He had a kindness to him that bruce had only dreamed of for the young man. He truly saw how much she helped him to show kindness and love. If only he wasn’t so set in his beliefs that sadly Bruce gave him, he could be happy again.
Bruce felt a tap on his shoulder, turning around and seeing her. He saw only 2 cookies were left, a smile on her face as she hands him one. “I know you didn’t get any, so I saved the last two for us.” He smiled at this. “I’m good-“ “Bruce, I know you live off of protein and brooding, but one cookie won’t kill you.” She scolds, a hint of laughter in her tone. He smiles as he rolls his eyes, grabbing for one. He took a small bite, his eyes widening at the taste. “These taste just like-“ “your moms, I know. And actually, alfred wasn’t the one who taught it to me.” He looks at her in question, urging her to continue. “My dad, he learned it from Alfred, and then one night he taught me how to make them.” E chuckles at this, remembering when he had first made them for him and Alfred. The bright smile on his face when he ran into Bruce’s office with a tray of them. They were overcooked, resembling the feel of hockey pucks. But Bruce was so happy to see how happy the young boy was, he ate it with a smile.
“Your dads always been amazing at cooking, surprised he still likes doing it after all these years.” She smiles at this. “It’s one of our favorite things to do together. It’s, one of the first things that helped us bond. My dad’s amazing.” A pain stings in his heart at her tone, the sadness evident in her voice. “That he is. After everything that’s happened, I’m so happy and proud of the kind of father he’s become. The amount of love he has for you, makes me wish i had done for him. You’re his entire world.” A tear gathers in his eye, quickly blinking it away. “I know, he’s the greatest thing to happen to me. He’s, got such a big heart. After everything that’s happened to him, you’d expect him to be cold, heartless, and cruel. But, he isn’t. He’s one of the kindest people I know. I love him, so much.” She wipes away a tear falling down her cheek. “It sucks that, he can’t make it tomorrow.” She says, another tear falling from her eye. “Just know, he’s not doing it because he wants to. He’s, terrified. He hasn’t been in the spotlight in a decade. I know he would give anything to make it.” “Oh I know. When he told me, it sounded like he shot himself in the foot. I could hear how painful it was for him. But, I understand why. It’s terrifying for me. I can’t imagine how he must feel. After being ‘dead’ for a decade, to having everyone finding out you’re alive, it’s terrifying. I’m not mad or upset at him. I just wish I had him there. After all, he’s what’s driving me to do this.” Bruce smiles at her words, putting his hand on her shoulder. “And he’s gonna be watching, being the proudest dad there’s ever been.”
The room was packed, people talking filling the entire room.
Everyone with a name or money was there, from polititons, to ceos, to just anyone who could make it were there.
But nobody knew what the night was for. Bruce was notorious for hosting a gala whenever, so it wasn’t a shock when they were invited. But what was a shock, was it wasn’t his gala. No, it was hers.
Everyone there knew who the young girl was, having seen her interview plastered on every screen and paper for weeks.
Some wondered if it was her birthday, but that was shot down when her birthday was months prior. Some thought it was her coming into the Wayne family finally. But again, that idea was shot as well.
Some hoped it was for her and the youngest son to the Wayne family. They hoped they had finally gotten together after all those photos of them surfaced all those months ago. Some hoped it was an engagement announcement, or even that they tied the knot in secrete. Nobody had actually been able to figure it out.
Gasps were heard as she walked in, all eyes on the star of the night.
Her heart hammered against her chest as she walked in, seeing everyone’s eyes trained on her. But for once, she didn’t want to hide from their eyes. She felt, beautiful. She never thought she would say that again, after everything that had happened in her life.
Her hair layer in soft waves against her head, having it cut even shorter than normal. Soft winged eyeliner Accentuated her eyes, making them sparkle. Her lips painted in a soft red color.
She adorned a soft black dress, that was sleeveless but came up right above her neck. It stopped at about mid calf, sinching in at her waist. She took a cue from Audrey Hepburn, having been compared to her countless times due to her striking resemblance to the old Hollywood star. She didn’t want anything flashy, or over the top. That wasn’t what the night was about, it want about showing off how much money she had or her status with the Wayne name. No, it was much greater than that.
She walked over to the small carpet where photos were taken. Bruce had brought up the idea, having done it for most of his galas.
Lines of Photographers stood as hey captured her, yelling out questions and complements to her. She had grown somewhat used to the blinding lights, no longer hiding away in sheer fright. But they didn’t stop her heart from beating out her chest.
She smiled wide at the cameras, remembering to keep it on her face. “You look amazing!” One yelled out, making her smile wider and laugh. That was, until she heard another voice. “She really does, doesn’t she?” She heard hun yell, whipping her head to the side, her mouth opening in shock as she gasped.
Jason walked faster over to her, his heart racing as he reached her.
“DAD!” She screamed, tears spilled down her face as he picked her up. Her arms wrapped around him as he held her tightly, tears falling down both of their faces.
The photographers screamed loudly when they realized who it was, snapping photos and yelling out even more as the one and only Jason Todd was there.
She pulled away from him, a large smile on her face. “I thought you-“ “did you really think I was gonna miss this? For what, my fears? God no. Tonight is about you, my daughter.” Tears spilled down their faces as they held one another. “But you said you were to scared to make it?” “I lied, I wanted to surprise you. I knew you understood, but I knew you’d feel lost and scared tonight. I wanna be here, for you.”
Both smiles brightly at the cameras, laughing at everyone going mental with him there.
They walked up to an interviewer, smiling at the young man. “Jason Todd! How’s it feel to be back?” “Hey buddy, no questions about me. I’ll answer all of your guys questions one day when I’m ready. Tonight’s all about my daughter.” He said, a proud smile on his face. The man puts the mic over to her, “miss Todd, can I ask what this event is for?” She smiled at him, seeing his nerves evident in his face. “It’s for a good cause, one that’s very close to my dad and I.”
Tik walked over to her, smiling at the camera on his way. He brought her in for a tight hug, one that she happily reciprocated.
He pulled away from her, a smile on his face that she knows all to well. She looked at him in question, wondering what he was about to do.
She laughed out as he melt to the ground, his arms stretched out to her. He was recreating the will smith meme, putting all the attention to her.
She couldn’t help but laugh at his antics, making everyone laugh along with the two.
Dick walked to her, a large smile on his face as he too hugged her.
He pulled away, putting on his best smile to the cameras, a hand on her back. He pointed his finger down to her, making her laugh as he too put all the attention to her. “You’re the star of the night, gotta make sure they know.” He whispered to her, making her laugh.
Bruce stood beside Damian, won’t watching as she took photos with each member of the family. “Come on Damian.” “You’re not going to make me take a photo with her.” Bruce sighed at this, putting his hand on his shoulder. “You know it would be great if you could pit your pride away just tonight. This is for her. This event is for something that means so much to her. And besides, do you really want them speculating? Cause it sure as hell looks like you guys dated and broke up. If you take a few with her, it not only looks good, but it’s for her.” Damian sighs at this. He knows he’s right, having to remind himself that sometimes, you gotta bite your tongue and suck it up. “Fine.”
Her heart skipped rapidly when she sees Damian walking up to her, shock quickly being replaced with a smile. It’s fake, not a genuine one that she wore with everyone else.
He pulled her into his arms, making her heart soar inside her. He smells exactly the same, even his touch calming her like they did. “What are you doing?” She whispers, her arms still around him. “Don’t ask any questions now, let’s just get these photos done.” He whispers back, her heart stabbing in pain.
His hand wrapped around her lower back to her side, pulling her into his side. Her arms around his shoulder as they smile at the cameras.
It didn’t feel as uncomfortable as they thought, both feeling the comfort of one another.
He ducked his head down to hers, “just go with it okay?” He whispers. Before she can ask what he meant, his lips planted a soft kiss to her forhead. Her heart skipped rapidly in her chest, barley hearing people yelling out at the action.
They walked over to an interviewer, watching as the man struggled on who to point the mic to. “Did-did you guys just anouce your relationship?” The man asks, his words rushed. Damian smiled at the man. “No we did not. We just happen to be good friends, who have a slightly flirty relationship.” He chuckles, winking at her at the end. “I’d this true?” The man asks her, shoving the mic into her face. “Yes, it is. We’ve always been this way since we met. It’s mostly a running joke between us. As I right dames?” She asks, kissing his cheek at the end. Damian smiles at her, his hand on her back pulling her in. “That you are.” He chuckles. The man puts the mic between them again. “Well I gotta ask, I’d there a chance of a relationship budding between you two one day?” She chuckles at this, “we’re just really good friends.”
Everyone sat in silence, patiently waiting for her to start.
Her heart hammered in her chest as she walked up the stage. Only the sounds of her heels were heard through the large room.
She finally got up to the desk, hands clutching onto her papers. “Thank you all for coming tonight, it’s been a pleasure to meet each one of you.” She says, her voice smooth despite her anxiety being the highest it’s ever been.
She looks down to her papers, chuckling as her hands shake. “You know, I had my speech written out so I wouldn’t mess up. But you know what? Screw it.” She says, throwing the papers across the floor, a collective gasp heard around the room. “What I’ve come here to talk about, shouldn’t be planned, perfected, or written out. It should come from my heart.”
“As many of you know, my father, Jason Todd, found me on the streets. I, never really talked much about my past.” She takes in a deep sigh. “My parents died when I was young. I won’t go into the details, but I was without parents, a home, everything. I had nobody. For years, I lived on the streets. Fighting for food, stealing, trying to find where I was going to sleep each night. Winter was the worst, it was, so, cold. I felt it creep into my body, wishing for sweet death to finally take me. I, I remember finding, people. People who got that release. Frozen to death. I’ll never forget, when I found a little girl, frozen to death in her sleep. She, looked so peaceful. But I knew her short life was anything but.I’ve come here today to talk about those children. Those children who don’t have a home or a place to go. Now, I know you all aren’t stupid. We know what’s going on in those homeless shelters, kids are being taken, killed, Tortured, put into places that no child deserves! You all put a blind eye to them. I get it, it’s hard to talk about. It’s hard to admit that these things happen. But if we don’t talk about it, then it’s just going to keep happening. My father, was too a street kid. He thankfully was found by Bruce. As I was found by him. But some kids aren’t as lucky. Those kids, don’t know what’s it’s like to sleep in a warm bed, with a full belly, and not fearing for their life.”
Stray tears fell down her face, quickly wiping them away. “It’s time, to change that. We, need to help those children. For they are the future of our fallen city. They, are what will change this city one day. I’ve come here today to bring light for these children. I don’t wanna just be a socialite who’s only known for being with the Wayne’s. I want to make a change. And I, need your help. Tonight’s event, is a fundraiser. A fundraiser for my company that I’m building as we speak. All of your donations, from those who are in this room, to those watching at home, any cent you give, are going to the Todd/Wayne foundation fir homeless youth of Gotham. There, they will have a home. Rooms, a bed they can sleep in, food, and education. All ages are welcome, and you’re not just kicked out when you turn 18. No, we will help them find a job, and a place to live. It’s time we help the children of our city, it’s time to show them what it’s like to feel safe, and loved.”
“YEEAAHH THATS MY GIRL!” Jason screams, standing tall and clapping wildly. Cheers erupted through the room, claps almost deafening. She skilled wide, tears streaming down her face as everyone cheered for her. “SEE THAT! THATS MY DAUGHTER!” Jason screamed, never in his life had he been so proud, and so happy.
Tears stream down her face when she looks at the amount of donations were made. Millions had been made just tonight, enough to build a plethora of safe houses around the entire city.
Arms wrapped around her from behind, her mrltibg into then immediately. “You did so amazing tonight bub. I’m so fucking proud of you.” Jason says, his voice hoarse from crying. “I wouldn’t be able to do any of it without you dad.”
Hugs were shared between almost everyone, each one bringing her more joy.
Bruce held tightly to her, a proud smile on his face. “You did amazingly tonight. I can’t believe how well you moved everyone. I can’t remember a time I was so proud of someone.” He says, making her laugh.
“That was so amazing! I can’t believe you came up with all of that on the spot too. And here I thought I was the best at pulling out a speech out my ass.” Tim says, making her throw her head back laughing.
Barbara and dick both pulled her into a hug, nearly crushing her. “You did, so amazing tonight, you even made dick cry.” Barbara said, dick agreeing with a smile.
Alfred hugged her tightly, no words were spoken between the two. She could feel how proud and happy he was, just in his touch.
Damian walked over, making her heart speed up. He had a soft smile on his face. “I know everyone’s said it, but you did amazing. Even I can’t come up with something that moving.” He says, his tone calming and happy for once. A smile foarms on her face, “thank you Damian.”
Laughs erupted around the room, a rare change for everyone.
Everyone sat around the family room, all joking and chatting. It was surreal, seeing everyone there, acting like a family. Nobody was angry, or uncomfortable. Even Jason cracked a few jokes to Damian a couple times. Mostly about how the young man was still the shortest, even with his growth spurt he had.
Jaso held a beer in his hand, sipping on it. He looked down at her, seeing her laughing at something Bruce was saying. He wasn’t listening much, only hearing enough to tell him it was about him. “I’ve brought more refreshments!” Tim yells, making everyone cheer.
Tim passé around some of the drinks, finally reaching Jason.
She was looking down at her phone when she felt Tims presence. She looked up, seeing him handing her a drink. “I-I don’t know.” She stammers, looking to her father. “As you dad, I would say no. But, where technically I’m not, and you’re only a few years younger than me, and way older thst I was when I started drinking, I’ll allow it.” He says, making everyone chuckle.
Everyone watches her as she looks at the drink. She had never drank, being underage.
She takes a small sip, the taste of fruit immediate. “Hm, actually not that bad.” She remarks. “It’s weird though. Isn’t this kinda illegal for me to drink?” Everyone laughs at this, throwing their heads back. “It’s perfectly fine as long as you’re 18 and home. Plus, don’t you see damians had a bit to drink?” Dick chuckles, making her eyes go over to him.
And he was right, Damian sat with a glass of a darkish drink in hand. “What are you having?” She asks him. He lets out a small chuckle. “Bourbon. Here, try a sip.” He says, reaching over the table, handing it to her. Their hands momentarily touch, sending shivers through their touch.
She smells it first before taking a small sip. She scrunches her face immediately, the taste awful and burning. Everyone laughs at her face, even Damian can’t hold in his laughter. “Fuck me that’s strong!” She says, her voice hoarse from the burning. “Yeah it’s not for everybody.” Damian laughs, taking another sip from his drink.
Her head rested against her pillow, nearly ready to pass out. Tonight had been one of the greatest nights of her life, truly something she would never forget. She fought hard with sleep, her excitement growing inside her at what was to come. But all of that was for tomorrow she thought, finally shutting her eyes as sleep takes her.
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igotyouniverse · 4 years
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Breathe Me - Chapter 2 [nct vamp au]
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Description: After dropping out of college and coming home for the first time in two years, 22-year-old Ava Lee gets caught up in a mystery surrounding the people she thought she knew for so long. Between friendship, affairs and true love the young women finds herself being pulled into a  nightmare she would never wake up from.
Pairing: Oc x Taeyong , Oc x Johnny [side: markxoc, tenxoc, lucasxoc, jaehyunxoc]
Included Members: Taeyong, Johnny, Mark, Lucas, Ten, Jaehyun, Doyoung, Haechan (maybe more)
Genre: Drama, Romance, Angst, Fantasy
Warnings: some swearing I guess and some umm angst (this chapter)
suggestive content, strong language, violence, blood, death. probably more, not sure yet (later chapters)
a/n: yeah who doesn't like awkward encounters in cafés and bookstores? Plus an awkward party with a big surprise? Sign me up. Anyway, that's the second chapter for this baby. I got carried away a lot, so it turned out a lot longer than expected but I honestly didn't want to split it up. A lot is happening! I'm honestly so excited for the third one as the main plot will start there and let me tell you – it will go WILD, haha. Enjoy ♥
ch. 1 || ch. 3
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“Oh, hey Ava. Haven't seen you in forever. How are you? That's exactly what he said.”, Ava told her best friend while savouring her freshly baked croissant.
Yunmi sighed and took another sip form her third coffee. “I mean you actually didn't see him in nearly three years.”
Ava shot her friend a glance and snorted. “Yeah, well, that's not my bad. He decided to completely ignore me for no reason at all.”
“Yeah, because he's a jerk. That's a fact.”, Yunmi said with a smile, trying to comfort her friend.
“Totally.”
“A handsome jerk, tho.”, Ava added and drank a sip of her water, trying to avoid her friend's gaze.
“Yup, we all got eyes. But I still don't get it. I mean you two didn't even hook up, did you?”, she felt Yunmi's eyes staring holes in her body.
“No, I've told you a hundred times. We just kissed. I think I'd remember if I hooked up with fucking Johnny Suh.”, Ava sighed with frustration in her voice. Of course she thought Johnny was attractive. Well, not only attractive. It was like she was just drawn to his simple presence. Not to mention, that he was funny, smart, caring and overall just a good person. Or that's what she thought before he decided to just erase her out of his life.
She just couldn't get a hang of it. The memories she had of that night were just magnificient. The farewell party was fun and chill. Everyone enjoyed themselves while dancing or just having drinks. She wasn't even that buzzed, especially not in the moment she remembered so clearly it even felt a little surreal sometimes. But she could remember so clearly how she talked to Johnny for hours about everything. It wasn't the typical smalltalk they usually had – she told him about her worries for university, her feelings about this god forsaken town and even managed to tell him that he crushed on him for years, not having the balls to ask him out. Him being the best friend of her brother didn't make the whole situation easier, though.
And then, just like in all these movies she binge-watched with Yunmi he actually kissed her. And not like a friend, no, she remembered his lips on hers so clearly. The softness of them and how perfectly fit on hers like they were just meant to be. Yet, it felt like a dream sometimes. She felt how much passion the kiss had, it was breathtaking, like a sweet drug she couldn't get enough from and yes, she absolutely would've slept with him but she knew that he was a gentleman. They just chuckled at each other before he brought her home, promising to call the next day before her flight would take off.
But that never happened.
“Maybe you should try talking to him? Like face-to-face. You won't be able to avoid him forever, especially because of Mark.”, Yunmi said and tried to read her friends emotions but Ava just chuckled.
“Watch me.”
The café Yunmi picked out was next to the bookstore Mark worked at. Ava remembered how the spot was always closed and under construction but apparently it opened a few months ago. The style was simple and comfy. It was a light store with paintings on the walls and different types of plants everywhere. Huge windows allowed a view over the main street and the small park right in the middle. It seemed oddly familiar to Ava, even though she never set a foot in this building. But something just felt like she's been there before but she couldn't figure it out.
“I need more coffee.”, Yunmi said and pouted looking at her empty cup.
“Dude, that was your third coffee.” Ava laughed and looked at her friend, with just a tint of worry in her eyes.
“Happens when you work as a nurse. Night shifts are just so tiring here. Nothing happens anyway but I wasn't able to take a nap because I had to do all these papers.”, she said annoyed and pouted at Ava, holding up her empty cup.
The girl sighed and smiled, standing up to get her friend her needed refill.
Ava went up to the empty counter and looked for the young waiter she saw earlier but to her surprise another young man came out, looking at her with warm eyes.
“Can I get a refill please?”, she asked politely and handed the guy the cup after he nodded. His eyes focused on her for just a second, but for her it felt longer. Did she know him? His hair was dyed in a ashy-blonde color, hair framing his delicate facial features. His eyes looked warm yet they had something deep and maybe even dark about them. The way he moved looked elegant. She eyed him just for a second longer, trying hardly to think why he looked so familiar. She even felt like she somewhat heard his voice before. She squinted her eyes trying to take a look at his name tag but apparently he didn't even wear one.
“Here. Do you need something else?”, he asked.
Ava froze for a split second, realized how impolite it was to stare at a person as bluntly as she did.
“No, thank you. I really like the place, though. It's pretty.”, she smiled lightly and took the cup.
The guy thanked her, his face lightened up, a smile appearing on his face, which made her feel warm all of a sudden. Why did his smile see so familiar?
She hurried back to the table her friend was sitting, giving her her desperately needed caffeine.
“Who's the guy at the counter?”, Ava asked.
Yunmi immediately turned around to take a look at who her friend meant.
“Taeyong. He owns this place.”
After Ava stayed silent, not quite sure if she knew him or not, Yunmi added,
“He lives together with Johnny and Jaehyun in that house. We met him there once, don't you remember?”, Yunmi asked and raised a brow.
“I don't know. I guess? You know how bad my memory is.”, Ava chuckled and stared at her glass of water before giving her friend a smile.
Honestly, she wasn't sure if she remembered. Maybe she did meet him back then. Maybe not.
“He's cute, isn't he? He even makes the pastries himself.”, Yunmi said and took a bit of her sandwich after inhaling her coffee.
“Yeah, he is nice, I guess.”, Ava said, looking over at the counter where Taeyong stood. She saw how his eyes met hers, holding the eye-contact for just a bit before he turned around and went to the back.
Weird.
“There will be a party tonight at their house.” Yunmi said, eyeing her friend once more. After Ava didn't answer right away Yunmi sighed.
“We should go. It will be fun.” she added.
“Since when do you want to go parties?”, Ava asked her friend, raising her brow. As long as she remembered Yunmi and her weren't the type of girls who went to parties. They usually preferred a good movie night with food over drinks and bad music. Even in college, Ava didn't attend many of those famous college parties she heard about.
“Their parties are usually really nice.”, she smiled softly and started to play with a strand of her brown hair.
“Mh-mh. Their parties or just someone at their parties?”, Ava teased her friend, poking her cheek.
Yunmi pouted a light shade of red on her cheeks. She caught her.
“Well, you won't know if you don't join.”, Yunmi poked out her tongue at Ava, laughing softly at her.
“Fine. But if I see Johnny I'll leave.”, Ava said firmly and looked at her hands for a second. She really didn't want to attend another party where he was after the last time, even if it was years ago.
“He lives there, genius. Of course he will be there. But it will be fun, I promise. Maybe you could even use the chance to talk to-”
A glance of Ava cut her friends words off, holding her hands up in defeat.
“Fine. Or ignore him. Just come with me. I'll introduce you to some cool people, okay?”
The girl groaned until she gave in.
“Okay. I will be there. Mark probably wants to go too, anyway.”, Ava said and rummaged in her bag, trying to find her phone.
“Probably.”, Yunmi answered, seemingly uninterested if the boy would join them or not.
“Mh, can't find my phone.”, Ava muttered, unable to find anything in her bag anyway.
“Well, the bookstore is right next-door, I'll just ask him there. I think he's working.”, she looked to her best friend who seemed to have spaced out for a second.
“You join me?”, she asked, touching Yunmis hand for a second. Her best friend shook her head, smiling at her.
“No no, I need to take a nap and a shower before the party. Just, um, say hello from me, will you?”, Yunmi stood up, taking her jacket over her arm, helping to put the empty plates and cups on the empty counter.
“Yeah, sure. See you then.”, Ava said putting the rest of the plates on the counter, a bit surprised about the sudden haste her friend was in.
She sighed taking a look around the café once more before leaving it for the day. Ava tried her best to not overthink the whole situation and slowly walked to the next door on the street, leading into the small bookstore her younger brother worked at.
She strolled through the filled shelves, inhaling the magnificent scent of all the bound books walking up to her most favourite isle – old classics. Her fingers trailed over the spines, feeling their different textures. She used to read a lot, every week a new book in her hand, ready to savour it in just one sitting. Back then, it felt easy to just sit down, a book in her hands and shutting the world out completely, focusing only on the words forming these beautiful pictures inside her head, making all these thoughts haunting her in real life go away just like that. When did she lose this talent? Nowadays, she just couldn't get herself to actually read a book. She continues to buy them, placing them prominently on her nightstand, in hopes for her to just grab it in the evening but the pile of books just grew bigger and bigger over the weeks until she finally stopped to even buy them. She hoped to get back into her once most loved hobby. Even if it was just for a few minutes.
“Hey, didn't expect you to visit me.”, she heard Mark saying and turned around, a big smile on her lips.
“I wanted to surprise you, I've actually met with Yunmi. We had breakfast in the café next door.”, Ava answered and looked at her brother. She chuckled mildly. He looked so grown-up and mature in his plain black shirt with his round glasses on, his dark hair falling into his face. She realized how different he looked from the last time she saw him. Unbelievable that he was already 20 years old.
“Oh-Uh, yeah it opened up a few weeks ago. The owner is Jaehyun and Johnny's roommate.”, Mark said after he scratched the nape of his neck. “H-How's Yunmi? She alright?”, he asked casually while sorting a book from his hand into the shelv.
“Yeah, I guess. She said hello but had to rush home.”, Ava answered, shrugging her shoulders.
She eyed her brother and how he fumbled with the hem of his shirt, he seemed to want to say something but decided not to.
“Anyway.”, he exhaled loudly and cleared his throat before smiling at Ava. “I'm happy you're visiting. Want me to show you around? I mean you technically know it, though.”, her brother chuckled.
But as the good sister she is she nodded and let her brother show her all the different types of book they had and which authors occasionally came to give a reading. Seeing his eyes lighten up just by the name of  these authors made her heart melt. He explained passionately the several differences in their writing techniques and why they were his favourites. He told her how he fell in love with classic literature, especially romance and tragedy.
Ava listened to him swooning over different works and their means to past society, yet he even read modern novels. She looked at all the books, most of them she already read by herself when she was younger. She felt proud seeing him glowing up, doing what he loved without hiding.
“I just hope I'll be half as good as them.”, she heard her brother sighing when he put down the last book.
Ava put a hand on his slim shoulder and smiled at him warmly.
“I’m sure you will be. Trust me, I will be your biggest fan!”, she laughed and ruffled his hair, making him scrunch his nose before trying to fix his hair.
“Please. I appreciate the encouragement but it's still a long way. Plus mom and dad are still not very fond of the idea of me becoming an author. They think it's still a phase and that I will soon realize it's stupid and become a doctor like – well.”, he shrugged his shoulders before speaking out his thoughts.
Ava bit her lip. “I will tell them.”, she said, not believing her answer.
“When will you, though? I mean, I'm not pressuring you. I get it, it's hard but don't you think it will be even harder the longer it lasts? They're not stupid.”, Mark said looking at his sister, his eyes were filled with worry.
“I know. I'm just – imagine their disappointment. I need a plan, you know?”, she muttered, trying to avoid his gaze. She felt guilty for lying but she would feel even worse seeing the disappointment in her parents eyes when they realize she wasn't that perfect daughter they saw her as.
“Promise me you'll figure something out, okay? It's not healthy.”, he said, looking up when he heard the door open.
“Yes, I promise. Just give me some more time, will you?”, she pleaded at him, pouting as best as she possibly could.
“Sure.”, he rolled his eyes, sighing deeply before he put on a smile and waved at the new customer.
Ava turned around and saw two young men walking in.
“Hey guys, what are you doing here?”, Mark said and smiled, walking up to his friends.
Ava just sighed, silently asking the universe why it made life for her that hard.
“Hi.”, she just briefly said, trying not to look directly into Johnny's eyes. She even managed to ignore him and just gave Jaehyun a smile which he joined.
“Long time no see. You look good.”, Jaehyun said and brushed his hand briefly at her arm.
Ava chuckled, putting a strand of hair behind her ear.  “Thanks.”
She felt Johnny looking at her standing next to Jaehyun, eyeing both of them. Just like she wanted him to do.
“We're actually looking for books for the café. Taeyong wants to have some more for visitors to read.”, Johnny said after clearing his throat. Ava's eyes wandered to Johnny's just for a quick second but she already found herself being mesmerized by his presence once again. She liked the way he wore his black hair, the strands falling into his face just perfectly. Her gaze locked at his lips while he spoke with Mark about the books Taeyong wanted and even though the name still rang a bell in the back of her head she couldn't free herself from the way Johnny's lips moved. She knew how soft they felt, recognizing the feeling just too well.
Her thoughts moved back to that night like they always did and the urge to confront him about why he decided to let her hang like that grew stronger. She knew that it would probably was just a kiss for most people but for her it felt so differently. It was romantic and intimate, just how she imagined kissing him over and over again when she was younger. Plus, him declaring his feelings for her made that memory even more perfect. Yet, it all shattered when he ignored her.
She felt a hand on her back and then a breath at her ear, before Jaeyhun whispered
“You good?”
She felt the grin on his face when she rolled her eyes and nodded.
For a split second she saw how Johnny turned his head towards her, looking away just another second later, continuing to talk to Mark.
“Will you be at our place tonight?”, Jaehyun asked, not moving his hand from her back.
“I guess so. Yunmi asked me, too.”, Ava smiled at Jaehyun, wordlessly thanking him.
“Well, you can't say no now. I'd be happy if you came.”, he smiled at her paired with a short wink before laughing with her.
She heard Johnny clearing his throat and looked up to him.
“Anyway, we should head back to the café or Taeyong will be mad at us for leaving him alone for too long.”, he said while taking books off Mark's arms he seemed to have collected for them.
“Sure.”, Jaehyun said and smiled at the others, before looking down at Ava again. “See you tonight then, can't wait.”, he said, stroking her back slightly before leaving behind Johnny.
Ava felt her brother's piercing gaze on her back while she tried to look away, shrugging her shoulders.
“Stop staring at me like that.”, she hissed at Mark and rolled her eyes. She finally looked at him but he just shook his head, wanting to say something but all he did was open his mouth for a second before closing it again, raising both of his hands.
“None of my business.”
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Ava's head felt already heavy without any alcohol in it. She stared at the dark street in front of her, trying to concentrate on driving the car her parents gladly allowed them to use to drive to the party. Of course, she didn't even want to drink. She didn't even want to attend the party at all but she had to admit that she was curious – curious about how the people had changed, curious about how they'd behave and obviously curious about certain of these people whose names she didn't want to think about again.
Even when the last time she visited the house was three years ago she remembered the way so clearly as if she'd just was there yesterday. She took a glance at Mark who was sitting next to hear, looking out of his window, seemingly way up in his own thoughts she wished to read.
Ava sighed quietly, focusing her eyes on the street. She felt anxious about meeting all these people. No one knew about her not so graceful career, still thinking she studied medicine on some ivy league college back in the city everyone dreamed of living.  The thought of them asking all these questions she already had to answer her parents made her shiver. Maybe she should just hide in a closet until Mark wanted to go back home. Would be smarter than awkwardly running into someone again – once a day is enough.
Yet she took hours to get ready, carefully picking out an outfit, lipstick and the way she wore her hair,  trying to look casual but not too casual. The chance of running into him was just too high for her to not try to make herself look presentable.
The street got more narrow, leading into the woods where the house was.
“I still don't get why they're living in the woods.”, she sighed and looked at Mark for a second before driving on the long gateway leading to the house.
“Taeyong inherited it from his grandma or something.”, Mark answered, waking up from his thoughts.
Ava just nodded, already seeing some more cars and people standing outside. She couldn't see enough to look at their faces. The girl quickly parked the vehicle and stretched her arms once she got out, looking around. The late summer air was still warm and comfortable yet one could sense the upcoming autumn as some leaves slowly turned darker.
The siblings walked down the path leading to the entrance, which led to a huge front yard. It was lighted with small paper lamps, showing off some of the landscaping done. She even heard a fountain splashing somewhere. She looked around, not quite sure if she'd remember the place at all. The house was surrounded by a traditional stone fence and she wondered how old it was. Ava could already hear the people enjoying themselves, with loud music pounding in her ear.
From what she saw through the darkness and the sparse light the house itself looked huge enough to  probably fit a hundred people. The door was left open, shoes flooding the entrance area.
After bumping into dozens of people greeting her, smiling and waving she helplessly looked at Mark who was still right behind her looking for someone.
“You made it!”, Ava heard Yunmi screaming in her hear, an arm around her waist, pressing a kiss on her cheek. Ava could smell a note of alcohol in her friend's breath and chuckled.
“How much did you already drink?”, she asked but Yunmi waved her off, her gaze meeting Mark.
“Oh hi Mark. Nice to see you, how are you?”, she asked politely while resting her head on Ava's shoulder.
“Uhm, I'm good thanks. And you?”, he scratched is neck, looking away, probably trying to find his own friends.
“Life's great.”, she answered and laughed, removing her head from her friend's shoulder to take a sip from her cup, shaking it in front of Ava's face.
“Want something? I can totally mix you a drink.”
“No, thanks. I don't drink.”, she answered and smiled apologetic.
“I'm gonna look for Johnny. Hit me up when you want to go home, alright?”, Mark said and disappeared in the moving crowd of people.
“I take it you don't want to look for Johnny?”, Yunmi asked her friend, directly looking at her, rolling her eyes when Ava shook her head.
“Nope. So, who are these cool people you wanted me to get to know?”, Ava smiled.
Yunmi entangled her fingers with hers and dragged her through the crowd, brabbling something about a girl and a boy.
Not long after Ava spotted to semi-familiar people her friend shouted at. A girl with a black long bob smiled warmly and waved.
The boy, a bit shorter than her, with short black hair smiled and greeted her. “Ava, you must remember Ten and Sunhyung, right? We went to Highschool together.”, Yunmi introduced them but Ava wasn't exactly sure who they were. She barely remembered anyone from Highscool, though. At least not their names.
“We were in another class, though.”, Sunhyung chuckled.
“Nice to meet you. So what are you guys doing?”, Ava asked them.
“Well, we're actually officers right now. Ten is my partner.”, Sunhyung explained and smiled at Ten, who just nodded and raised his cup.
“Not on duty tonight, though.”, he winked and exed the rest of the liquid.
“Yunmi told me you're studying medicine? Pretty cool. How's life in the States? This town must bore you to death.”, Sunhyung chuckled and looked at her cup, seemingly disappointed that it was empty.
“I'm actually enjoying it. It's like a vacation.”, Ava answered and hoped no one would ask her to further elaborate on her studies, which weren't even real.
“I'd give everything to travel to a real city. The only “crimescenes” we're looking at are rather boring. It's mostly just noise disturbance or someone's speeding who isn't from here.”, Sunhyung rolled her eyes.
“Hey, last week we had one burglary!”, Ten protested.
“You mean the sixteen-year-old boy who stole some Vodka from the store? How exciting.”, his partner answered sarcastically and laughed.
“I need a refill, you want something?”, Yunmi asked in the group as she apparently spotted something at the bar which needed her attention.
Ten and Sunhyung both nooded eagerly. She didn't bother to look at Yunmi, knowing she'd say no anyway.
Ava's eyes followed her friend to the bar, by which a tall young men stood. She saw how Yunmi straightened her back and smiled at the guy, who she probably knew. Ava noticed how her friend pushed her long hair back and saw how her mouth formed into a laugh after the boy said something. Ava tilted her head, trying to figure out if the knew him or not. She would probably remember a guy like him. He was handsome, yet his face had something sheepish when he talked to Yunmi.
“That's Lucas.”, she heard Sunhyung say and snapped out of her thoughts, “He moved her two years ago. Always hangs out with Johnny and the rest.”, she added and Ava raised her brows. She was pretty sure she never saw or even heard of him before.
“I swear Yunmi has the biggest crush on him. Always swooning over his hands or something.”, Ava heard Sunhyung continue and asked herself why exactly her best friend didn't tell her anything about that guy.
“Well, quite obvious that they're flirting.”, Ten added and nodded.
“Yeah, I'm betting they end hooking up tonight.”, said Sunyhung.
“Never. Both won't make the first moves. They're flirting for months and nothing interesting happened.”, her partner replied.
“Got it in my guts. Tonight is the night.”, Sunhyung nodded with a stern voice.
“Pff, wanna bet? 50 they won't hook up.”, Ten chuckled.
“Make it 100.”, Sunhyung answered, looking at her partner while shaking his hand.
Ava's gaze meanwhile scanned the room for someone else. As if someone read her thoughts, Johnny came down the stairs with Mark right behind him.
Johnny's eyes met Ava's for a moment and she clenched her jaw. She noticed how he was moving towards her and how her heart began to beat faster in her chest.
“I'm gonna get some water or something. Be right back.”, she mumbled and quickly disappeared in the crowd, trying to keep herself as small as possible. Her eyes searched for a kitchen, which she finally found. Gladly, there weren't any people in it. Probably because the whole alcohol was at the bar and no one here wanted to drink something else.
She sighed and looked for a water bottle but all she saw were some empty cups.
“What are you looking for?”, she suddenly heard a way too familiar voice and turned around just to see Johnny standing in the door frame, a small smile on his lips.
“Just some water.”, she answered quietly, trying her best to look away from his dammed face. She saw how he moved next to her and opened a door next to her which apparently belonged to the fridge. Just a second later he handed her a bottle of cool water. Ava looked up and mumbled a quick thank you but it was enough to catch him smiling again, which made her heartbeat increase.
“I'm glad you came.”, Johnny said and leaned with his back against the door, looking down at her.
“Yunmi practically forced me to. It's nice, though.”, she answered, fumbling with the bottle in her hands, not sure what else to do with them.
Silence flooded the room and all the questions burned on her tongue. Taking a deep breath, she managed to look up at him, meeting his gaze. She locked her eyes with his for much longer as initially wanted and already felt how she got lost in his gaze just like everytime he looked at her.
He was handsome. His black hair messily falling into his face, his beautifully shaped lips curling upwards to form a small smile. Johnny's dark eyes seemed to look right through her.
“Can I ask you something?”, Ava finally found her voice and gulped, without breaking of the gaze.
“Anything.”, he answered, his voice unusual quiet.
“I need to know why you ignored me after that night.”
“What exactly do you mean?”, his brows furrowed.
“My last night here. You kissed me. You told me you'd call me the next day but you never did. And when I tried to reach out you simply ignored all my messages.” she sighed loudly, breaking their connection for a second, to gather her thoughts, “Seriously I felt so stupid. I still do.”
“Ava, listen, it's not what you think.”, she heard him answer and looked at his eyes once more.
“Then tell me, Johnny. Seriously. It's driving me insane.”, she pleaded, letting her arms drop in frustration.
Silence came up once more. The girl's frustration grew with any second passing by, not sure what she could say to finally get him to answer properly.
“I really thought about every single reason why you did that.”, she sighed, pain growing inside of her body, “And the only possible reason left is what you never liked me at all.”, she said, her voice just a small whisper, anxious about his answer.
“It's not that I don't like you. It's quite the opposite.”, Johnny said as she looked up at him again.
“I can't believe you.”, she sighed and furrowed her brows, thinking about his reasons why when he liked her.
“Listen, I'm sorry if I had hurt you but it's not that simple.”, he tried to explain but Ava just snorted and chuckled bitterly.
“Seriously just tell me directly into my face that I imagined all of that and that you're not interested. I'm not a kid and you're owing me that.” she answered, pressing her lips together.
“I can't tell you that because it would be a lie.”, now it was Johnny who sighed.
“It's the only possible explanation. Don't you want to tell me that you're not interested because you don't want to hurt me? Honestly, it would've hurt less if you'd just told me instead of ghosting me for years!”, her voice got louder such as her thoughts, which were going crazy inside of her head.
“That's not it.”, now frustration filled his voice as well. Ava looked into his face, seeing how he pushed his hair back, seemingly unsure about what to say.
“God, this is so stupid. I'm just gonna go.”, she dropped her arms in defeat, tired and annoyed. She didn't want to maintain this nonsense conversation when she wouldn't get a proper answer anyway.
Just when she wanted to move out of the door she felt Johnny's hand on her shoulder.
“Just – don't go, please.”, she heard him say and rolled her eyes.
“Then tell me why.”, as soon as she turned around she felt how Johnny laid his arms around her figure, pressing her against his chest softly.
“I'm sorry. I honestly am, please believe me.”, she felt how he buried his head in heir hair and wrapped her arms around his torso, her heart hammering loudly in her chest.
“I want to.”, she mumbled in the material of his black shirt and tightened her grip around him.
It felt unbelievably good to hug him, yet she still didn't get an answer from him, making her anxiety rise inside her body. She still didn't know why and the sudden touch confused her even more.
Ava started to wiggle when she realized her thoughts wouldn't shut up. Reluctantly, she looked up at him, loosening the hug a bit, yet not ready to let him go completely.
“This is confusing. I just want to know what's going on, please.” she pleaded once more, locking her eyes with his, just staring into them, trying to find answers.
She felt how Johnny moved one of his hands up her back, reaching her head, carefully putting one of her strands of hair behind her hear, his hand lingering on her cheek.
Her breath quickened when her eyes wandered over his face, absorbing every inch of it, until she stopped at his just perfectly shaped lips. She licked over hers, memories of how his tasted on hers flooded her mind. Her gaze went up again, meeting his once again that night.
The girl was once again hypnotised by his gaze, unable to look away this time.
Without further thinking about it, she put her hands on his neck and pulled him closer to her, to finally press her lips on his. His lips were just as soft as she memorized them, fitting on hers just as she remembered. The kiss was careful, still anxious about his reaction but when he actually pressed her closer to him, deepening the kiss her mind went completely blank.
Her eyes fell shut, her fingers slightly tightening on the back of his neck, trying to keep him even closer. Their lips moved in perfect sync, just as they belonged on each other. The girl cherished every second of it, how his hands cupped her face while one thumbs caressed her cheek, touching her so softly, as if she could break any second. The taste of his lips were sweet, she couldn't even taste a bit of alcohol, which ensure her that this was what he wanted.
As soft as the kiss was, she knew she wanted more. She needed more. After all these months of anxiety, pain and worry she finally kissed him again. Ava opened her mouth for him, allowing his tongue to play with hers, just like she always wanted to be kissed by him. Her fingers buried in his thick her, while his hands trailed down her body to rest on her hips.
Just before she could press her body closer Johnny pushed himself away, as if he'd burn himself.
Completely puzzled, the girl stared at him, not understanding what was going on.
“I can't. I'm sorry.”, she heard him say, his voice sounding strained, as he quickly ran out of the kitchen, leaving Ava alone once again.
She stared at her hands, her heart still beating fast, trying to catch her own breath. The girl felt how tears formed in the corners of her eyes and how her chest, which felt so light and carefree the other second, now felt like some heavy stone was laying on it, stealing her breath away. She had the sudden urge of fresh air and stumbled out of the kitchen, trying to leave everyone in that house behind her while not being seen. She couldn't manage to explain her situation to anyone. She wanted to be alone.
Ava breathed in the cold air and closed her eyes for a second, trying to get as much distance as possible between her and that house. She took a look at her smartphone to check the time but it wasn't even midnight yet, and she didn't want to be a killjoy and spoil Mark's fun. She made her way out of the garden and looked at the woods behind the property and stopped for a second. She heard how the wind whistled through the branches and how the leftover leaves trailed through the air. Her heart was still pounding in her chest, the latest event flooding her mind. This didn't make any sense to her. Why did he kiss her again? It wasn't just a casual kiss, she could feel that. And this time it wasn't her freaking imagination. The way he hold her and returned her kiss, the way he pressed her against his body – that wasn't imagination.
She actually believed him. She trusted his words yet he was acting like something completely different was on his mind and she just couldn't figure it out. Her thoughts went crazy and she felt how her throat got sore. Why did he stop when it felt so good? Any why did he leave her like that, not explaining his behaviour once again.
Ava kept going towards the trees, sometimes looking up at the sky which wasn't as clear as she thought. Thick black clouds were blocking the moon and stars and she sighed, yet it felt nice to move and properly breathe since the air in the house was muggy and way too hot. Or maybe it just felt like that to her. Her body felt exhausted, yet still full of adrenaline. What did she do wrong? Once again, she went through all the possibilities and couldn't get the hand of it. She didn't want to get hurt again by him, yet there she was. Feeling exactly the same as two years ago. It felt like some kind of absurd Deja Vu.
She flinched when she heard a loud crackle next to her and squinted her eyes, when she couldn't see anything. For a second, she thought someone was here, probably some drunk people enjoying themselves in the woods. She rolled her eyes and continue to stroll when she heard a noise again, but this time it sounded more like a hiss. Ava turned around, trying to see anything but it was too dark. Maybe some brainless jock saw her and tried to scare her.
Another crunching noise, this time right behind her, made her flinch once more, the hairs on her neck standing up. She felt her muscles tighten, when she turned around yet still no one was there. The girl looked a round several times, until she decided to head back to the house which she only saw in some distance thanks to the lights outside. Maybe she could just wait inside the car until Mark wanted to leave the party.
For a few seconds, it was silent again when she heard another noise, this time way closer to her, besides her.
Ava started to run, fear suddenly filling her body as her breath and heartbeat quickened, a feeling of danger flowing her body. The noises got louder, someone was definitely following her. She heard fast footsteps approaching her, whispers and hisses starting to echo inside her head, making her want to scream. She shook her head, trying to leave the voices behind but it was like they were just stuck, burying every other sound under it.
The blood pulsated in her head, breathing loudly. Sweat running down her forehead while her feet tried to run as fast as she could, yet she didn't seem to come any closer to the house.
A dark laugh suddenly appeared as she saw a black figure suddenly standing in front her, which made her stop in her steps, almost falling over.
She couldn't see a face, nor anything else which could possibly explain who it was. The figure took a stop closer to her, making her move backwards until her back met with once of the trees, the tree bark scratching her back uncomfortably.
The girl blinked once and the figure was gone, her blood still pulsating in her veins. She gulped, looking around before continuing to run in the direction she thought was the right one, while still turning her head every other second.
Suddenly she felt a breath on her neck, paired with a deep chuckle, making her stop in her tracks once more. She wanted to ask something, scream, anything but it felt like she suddenly had a lump in her throat. The voices inside her head growing louder and louder with each second passing by.
As soon as she wanted to start running again, a hand grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stand still. The grip was harsh and strong, not moving an inch even when she tried her best to wiggle her wrist free. She grunted and tried to take a look at the person behind her but she couldn't move at all.
“Oh no, you can't look at me. Not now, dear child.”, a voice said. It was more of a whisper than a real voice. The sound seemed hypnotic.
“There, there, hold still. Don't scream now.”, he said as she tried to wiggle herself free until her body stiffened. Suddenly, it was like all the noises she heard a second ago were gone. She didn't hear the whistles of the wind, the arches or their leaves. Nothing. It felt like the was in a vacuum, only the voice echoing in her head, telling her to hold still.
“You see, it's nothing personal.”, he continued and chuckled, sending shivers through her body.
“It's just, you got to understand that you're part of something bigger.”, she felt a hot breath on her neck again, making her want to scream but it felt like she lost her voice.
He heard him click his tongue, followed by a cold finger stroking over her neck.
“Such a  pity. So beautiful. I see what he's found in you, honestly. But, you know, sacrifices must be made. And such a pretty one.”, the voice continued.
Tears started to form in her eyes, rolling down her cheek, burning her skin. She didn't know what was going to happen but she felt afraid. More than that – she feared for her life. Something in his presence made her body fill with this primal fear.
“Oh, so pretty while crying, what a sight.”, a finger wiped one of her tears, chuckling mildly.
“You know, I like it when they scream. And now you need to scream, so he can hear you, you know?”, like a snap, Ava seemed to found her voice and screamed in a high-pitched voice.
Suddenly he let her go, making her stumble over her feet, her knees meeting the cold earth. She coughed while pulling herself up, commanding her body to start running again. When her feet started to move and her thoughts came back, the voices also did. They laughed at her in different tones, from every direction. It felt like a circle was around her, closing closer around her, laughing louder with every step she took.
Another desperate scream fell of her lips as she pressed her hands against her ears, trying to make the voices go but they got even louder, so loud she felt like becoming deaf. She couldn't even hear her own breath anymore, while tears ran down her face.
“It's so much fun to play, don't you think?”, she heard his voice echoing inside her head again, the screams suddenly disappearing.
“You know why? Because I always win.”, a chuckle echoed inside her head, turning into a loud laugh next to her ear.
“Maybe he'll find you, maybe he won't. I hope he does, otherwise it would spoil the fun.”, the voice added and she felt the grip on her wrist again.
“Ah, I'd really want to keep you for myself, such a shame.” he sighed, her body stiffen again, whilst she felt like choking, unable to bring out the slightest sound.
“It's nothing personal against you, my love. You just picked the wrong person to spend your time with, that's all.”
Her eyes widened in fear, her mouth suddenly hanging open without leaving a  sound when the world around her suddenly turned pitch black.
・.。*†*。.・◆・.。*†*。.・◆・.。*†*。.・◆・.。*†*。.・
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