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lonelyharmonies · 5 months

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all is fair in love and war

when you meet a guy once and forget his name, the last thing you expect is meeting him again on your new job.

pairing: haechan x fem reader genre: fluff; college!au; (sort of) coworkers! warnings: suggestive; cursing; and i think that’s it. word count: ~19k a/n.: another repost <3 i love this one very much

"How's the job search?" your roommate asks while putting her earrings on.

Another week of failed attempts of looking for an internship, you think. Maybe you weren’t in your right mind when you decided to quit your job of 2 years at the campu’s café, but it was time for you to start looking for jobs related to your field of study. You want to become a journalist, you need real experience! Did you quit after impulsively screaming at your annoying boss because you were fed up with his rudeness? Yes, but you were unhappy and senior year is getting closer by the minute, you have no time to waste. At first, your parents and friends supported you, but after almost two months of unemployment, you were starting to question your own decision.

"Nothing yet." you mumble, playing a game on your phone.

"Have you thought about what Renjun said?" she turns her head to look at you expectantly.

"We've already discussed this," you sigh and she turns her head back to the mirror in front of her. "If it was only for the money, I could just go back to 7Dream,” you stubbornly answer.

“And you think they’ll take you back?” your roommate raises an eyebrow at you “I know it’s not the best choice, but listen to Renjun this time. At least it would be something.”

Huang Renjun, your roommate’s boyfriend, is a fairly rich art major and, in your eyes, a very sophisticated person. At least one of the most sophisticated people you know. The only one, actually. But as he comes from such an influential family, you thought he would be able to find you a job at a good newspaper or a famous magazine. You had to ask him for a job recommendation because, hell, if you’re friends with a nepo baby, take advantage of them.

Needless to say you were not expecting to be offered a part-time position at a beaten-up theme park in the city. You obviously declined, being too stubborn to go from one underpaid job that made you miserable to another.

You did accept, however, the invitation to his friend's birthday party. Free food, free alcohol and some socializing, you couldn’t say no to that. That’s how you end up in an overcrowded apartment in the downtown area of the city to celebrate the birthday of Renjun’s friend that you have never seen before.

As soon as you got there, you were introduced to the birthday boy, Lee Jeno, before being ditched by your roommate and her boyfriend. Deciding that it was too awkward to just stand in the kitchen by yourself, you are left with no choice but to choose your drink: cheap vodka with cranberry juice or cheap canned beer? Hard choice.

Your eyes were scanning the alcoholic drinks shoved in the kitchen sink when you felt someone standing right next to you. You cursed silently, too tired to deal with drunk men flirting tonight. You decided to grab a beer and get out of the kitchen as fast as possible, when the person next to you spoke.

"These ones in the sink are always hotter than the ones in the fridge no matter how much ice they put in there," you turn your head to meet the person next to you, beer in your left hand. "If I were you, I wouldn't grab the drinks from there."

"So I should just stay thirsty?" you ask ironically, raising an eyebrow.

"No, you should grab a drink from the fridge," the brown haired boy smirks and goes straight to the kitchen's fridge.

He grabbed an expensive Japanese beer from inside and placed it on the counter between the both of you. Your eyebrow is raised and the boy still has a smirk on his lips. He motions his head towards the bottle, silently telling you to take it.

"How do I know you didn't spike this drink?"

"How do you know the one you just grabbed isn't spiked?" he challenges you, tilting his head to the side.

"Isn't it a little impolite of you to just open someone's fridge? Especially to grab an expensive drink to give to a stranger?" The beer is long forgotten when you cross your arms and see the boy moving one step closer to you.

"If the stranger is cute it’s fine," he shrugs and you raise an eyebrow, clearly not falling for his attempts at flirting. "Plus, I bought these,” he points at the bottle he put on the counter “And the birthday boy is my best friend and roommate."

Oh, boy, he was bold and you didn’t even need to wonder why: if you looked that hot only in a pair of jeans and a simple Adidas shirt, you would be brazen too.

"Hm, I believe you," you puckered your lips and looked around the kitchen as if uninterested.

"I'm serious, we've known each other since we were little, I’ve seen Jeno butt naked thousands of times," he blurted out and you stifled your laugh.

"That's…" you can't really find the words to answer whatever that information meant. “I…I have no words.”

"What? We barely talked and I'm already leaving you speechless?" he got one step closer and you had resist the urge to move away. "Damn, I didn't know I was this good."

"You think you're smooth, but you were just spilling nonsense," you uncrossed your arms and moved to hold the cold bottle of beer he got for you.

"And yet you're still here listening," he moved one step closer, and this time you could even see the small moles spread across his face and neck.

"I find you really, really annoying," the smile on your face contrasted with the words leaving your lips.

"I get that a lot." He chuckled and you moved a little bit closer and felt him holding his breath.

"Yeah. We need to do something to shut your mouth for a bit, don’t we?" you were looking straight at his lips and he didn't waste much time, kissing you right after.

You find yourself in a very complicated situation the following day when the alcohol wears off of your system and it seems like you remember every little detail of that party, except the name of the boy who kissed you all night long.

You don’t really have much time to dwell on the boy’s name because you find yourself getting more desperate thanks to your financial situation, so all Renjun had to do was mention the job one more time.

“The Lee family is very influential in the entertainment business, you know? I’m sure they will transform that place in no time.” He said one night.

“I bet,” you answered uninterested, eating the soup your roommate had made you.

“It’s a way of having some income while looking for internships,” he reasoned “you can always quit when you find something better.”

“Okay, you’re right,” you sigh defeated “What number should I call?”

Fast forward to three months later: you are working in the job you’ve sworn you wouldn’t take.

That’s the story of how you became a ride operator at Sunny’s Funfair Park and Recreation last April. It is a very big name for a park that small, though, you have to admit. The Funfair is just as nonsensical as the name, but it’s not the most unpleasant workplace. Plus, you found out it’s a very traditional theme park in the area, the neighbors say it has been around since the 70s (considering how old everything looks, you don’t doubt it). It is like the city’s Disneyland, just dirtier. And smaller. And uglier. And unsafer. But it’s just like the city’s Disneyland. I mean, there’s even a mascot: the brown bear named Sunny who seemed to be fairly popular among children.

"How do these kids seem to like Sunny so much? He’s creepy,” you think out loud chewing the jelly Jisung just gave you.

“He’s like our Mickey Mouse,” Jisung turns his head to look at the bear as well.

“But Mickey is not that creepy.”

“Have you seen him in the 50’s? Girl…”

"Who are you talking about?" Yuta, one of the managers, creeps behind you and your friend.

"Hyung, that’s not cool!” Jisung jumps as he gets startled by Yuta’s sudden presence and you can’t help smiling at how much of a scaredy-cat he is.

“Mickey Mouse” you say, stealing another Jelly from Jisung. “Who do you think is creepier, Mickey or Sunny?”

In the beginning you were still very reluctant to accept that it was a good idea to take up Renjun’s offer (and your only choice). But the thing is that you need the money and the job is so much easier than working at the café, considering the Funfair is slow basically every single day. So, you adapted to the Funfair in no time and, slowly, started to see how fun it can be to work in a place like that. You have to admit that the job in itself is usually boring, but the people here are the highlight of it all.

“Sunny’s not that creepy,” Jisung says, making you scoff.

“No, it’s just an old ass costume of an ugly bear wearing a blue overall. Why do kids like it?” You say looking at the semicircle of children cornering the bear near the merry-go-round.

“Who’s Mickey Mouse, though?” Yuta asks you and Jisung.

“Are you kidding me? The Disney rat, hyung,” Jisung looks mildly offended at Yuta’s question.

“He’s not a rat, he’s a mouse. It’s literally his name,” you say, faking interest just to steal one more jelly from Jisung’s bag of candy.

“Never heard of this Mickey guy,” Yuta says with a poker face and you snicker.

"You don't know… Mickey Mouse?" You think Jisung’s face is priceless. Oh, the ever so sweet and gullible Park Jisung.

"Where is he from?'' he asks again, leaving Jisung even more confused.

“Hm… Hollywood? I don’t know where he’s from,” Jisung fishes for his phone and you are sure he is about to google ‘where is mickey mouse from’.

“Oh, I’m from Osaka. That’s probably why we never met.” Yuta finishes talking and walks away, leaving a bewildered Jisung behind.

“I don’t know what to do with this information,” you start feeling bad for him, the boy just looks utterly confused. “He’s joking right? They do have Mickey Mouse in Japan, right?”

“Yes, Jisung he is joking,” you pat his shoulder, but he seems hesitant. “He’s messing with you because you're literally the only one that still believes in any absurdity that comes out of Yuta’s mouth.”

“It makes me kinda relieved, I'm not gonna lie,” he sighs and you just chuckle. Why are your coworkers so dramatic? “I mean, it’s Mickey Mouse. Everybody likes Mickey Mouse."

“I don’t know about that…” your eyes go back to the weird bear as he starts moving around, now having Taeyong as a bodyguard to protect him from the kids jumping at him. "Wait, I think this is the first time I see someone actually dressing up as Sunny. Is it a new thing now?”

"I don't know, it's my first time seeing it too," Jisung frowns "Should I ask Mina?" you shrug. It didn't really matter, it's just that, working in such an uneventful workplace, anything could be something.

"I think you should start running if you don't want Doyoung beating your ass up," you say leaning on the railing of the bumper cars.

Jisung turns to look at his back and sees an angry Doyoung coming for him. "Shit."

"PARK JISUNG, DON'T EVEN TRY TO RUN."

"Serves you right for purposely shutting down the merry-go-round."

"If you had to stay there, you would understand the stress I go through," he says, handing you his bag of candy and running away from Doyoung.

So much for an uneventful workplace.

After you started working at the theme park, you had less time for parties and pubs and even dates. It was hard to fit in any social interaction in your now tight schedule: your shifts were usually 4 to 10 p.m on weekdays and 6 to 12 a.m on weekends. You never had time to go out to drink with your friends, unless they agreed to go clubbing on Monday. Damn, you didn’t want to go to a club on Monday, you had morning classes.

Juggling your job, your degree and your social life was not easy, and you started realizing that you couldn’t catch up with some of your friends and, eventually, they just stopped inviting you to hang out. Inevitably, you have to start hanging out with your coworkers and that leads you to Jisung’s dorm, a round of cheap beer, spicy snacks and a game of truth or dare in the crack of dawn on a Saturday. You, Jisung, Chenle, Yeri and Mina were all sitting in a circle looking at the bottle that was about to stop.

Bottom asks, top answers.

“Truth or dare, Mina?” Chenle asks mischievously and she whines.

“I don’t want Chenle!!! Please, someone else ask me”

“He got the bottom of the bottle, though,” Jisung smiles apologetically.

“Okay, truth.”

“Is it true that in middle school you had a crush on Jis-”

“DARE!!!! I WANT DARE!” she stands up on her knees, profusely shaking her arms so Chenle would stop talking.

Funfair might not be too amusing for the customers, but the whole workplace drama is absolutely entertaining to you. Yeri’s family owns the property where the theme park is located, so she (forcefully) works there to help her cousin Taeyong run the place (though she rarely does any actual work). There is an ongoing rumor that, since last year, she was in a love triangle with Taeyong’s accountant, Suh Johnny, and a mysterious guy named Lee. No one knows exactly who the Lee guy is and what happened between them. Chenle says he’s not brave enough to ask, but he thinks “Lee” is the last name of the guy, which also makes it weird because it could be another one of Taeyong’s relatives.

Taeyong is the sweet boss in charge of all of us, including the managers Yuta and Doyoung, although there has always been a suspicion that the latter is his (boy)friend.

Chenle, Jisung and Mina are freshmen that have been friends since elementary school and decided to work together at Funfair because it was their go-to spot to skip classes ever since they were little. You’re sure they chose the park, though, because they wouldn't be allowed to work together in any other environment, they are all just a bunch of kids. Chenle is that outgoing and kind person yet a menace, especially when it comes to Mina, Jisung and their painfully obvious crush on each other.

After some hair pulling (Mina got really angry after Chenle tried to make her confess to Jisung) and the last rounds of truth or dare, everyone starts to get sleepy.

“Alright, guys, I think it’s time to go home…” you stand up, but Mina holds your arm to stop you.

“Wait, before we all go, did you guys know about the new part-timer that got hired?” Chenle perks up and Jisung lifts his body from where is laying on the ground to look at Mina.

“What guy?”

“Another part-timer? I thought Taeyong was on a budget considering how slow the business has been since… forever,” you say truthfully and Chenle’s eyes widen .

“Do you think the Funfair is some sort of money laundering scheme?”

“I don’t think Taeyong would be driving that old ass car if he had a choice,” Jisung says, and you gasp.

“That’s mean, he’s always giving you rides!”

“What are you guys talking about?” Yeri asks, coming back from the bathroom “New part-timer? Oh, you’re talking about Donghyuck.”

You frown, feeling that you know that name, and yet can’t give a face to that name. Do you know anyone named Donghyuck?

“Do you know him?!” Mina exclaims a little too excited for Jisung’s liking, who scoffs.

“Yeah, I asked Taeyong if we could hire him,” she says sheepishly and you and Chenle exchange confused looks “What about him, though?”

“I was just curious,” Mina answers. “I saw this cute boy two days ago near the breakroom and he said ‘hi, I’m the new guy Donghyuck’ and then, never again.”

“Why are you so curious? Do you wanna see him that bad?” Jisung asks, clearly bothered and the three of you roll your eyes at the sight of a blushing Mina.

“It’s not like that…” she scratches her head “It’s just that I never saw him again. Where is he even working?”

“I think Taeyong put him in the ticket booth or something,” Yeri brushes the girl’s concern off and just grabs her bag.

“No way, I was in the popcorn stall near the entrance today and I haven’t seen him at all,” Mina affirms with wide eyes.

Yeri, tired of all of you and the workplace gossip, just brushes it off by shrugging and wishing everybody a goodnight before leaving Jisung’s dorm.

"What do you guys think of Sunny?" you suddenly ask and your friends make a confused face. "Sunny, the bear, guys."

"Creepy" Chenle says without second thoughts

"Not you again with the mascot rivalry. Be proud of our Mickey," Jisung points at you, making you roll your eyes.

"It's weird looking, but it's a very fun mascot," Mina says, drinking the remaining soju in Jisung's bottle.

"Not like that, guys." You apologize, starting to feel drowsy. "I should've worded it better."

"Are you already drunk?" Chenle scoffs and Mina motions to kick his legs.

"I meant,” you say louder, glaring at Chenle. “What if the new guy is Sunny?"

"It's plausible considering Mina hasn’t seen him again. Or any of us, really."

"Bear or not, I think he's Yeri's boyfriend." Jisung says as a matter of factly.

"His name is not Lee, though." Mina points out. "Plus, I'm team Johnny."

"You're all so nosy," you make a judging face at them, but giggle right after "I like it."

The four of you there stay there in Jisung's dorm for a couple more hours, conspiring about who was the new part-timer, what he was doing there and creating what had the potential to be the new hot gossip of Sunny's Funfair.

"I can't believe you're here again," you roll your eyes when you see Jisung standing next to the control panel for the bumper cars.

"Change places with me one day, that's all I ask!" he pleads and you turn away to pay attention to the cars that had just started to move around.

"Go to work, Jisung. I don't know why Taeyong hasn't fired you yet."

"Because he knows I'm a valuable addition to the team.” He fights back, making you scoff.

"Nah, it's probably because he has noticed that the high school girls keep coming back to flirt with you." You glare at him when you see him blushing. “Stop with this act, we all know you love it because it makes Mina jealous.”

“What’s with you today, woman?” he raises his hand defensively “I’m just keeping you company.”

“You should be at the merry-go-around. Working.”

“That’s why I always go to Mina,” he complains. “She always talks to me.”

“It’s because she doesn’t like working either,” you say harshly.

It’s Sunday and the park is fairly busier than usual, you think. Not enough to make children line up on the bumper cars, but busy enough to keep running it every three minutes. Suddenly, a stereotypical carnival music starts playing, startling both you and Jisung, who never really noticed there were speakers spread throughout the park. Then, you see Sunny happily walking around greeting small children and their parents.

“What the fuck is this?” you spit out and look at Jisung who has the same dumbfounded expression as you.

“Our Mickey Mouse is here,” Jisung laughs and you keep staring at the scene in front of you.

“I swear to god if they put this song in a loop I’ll k-”

“Where’s Mickey?” a little girl wearing a Disney t-shirt smiles at the both of you. “I like Mickey Mouse!"

“If you like Mickey so much, where is he from?” Jisung asks and you roll your eyes, going back to the control panel to see how much longer until this round is up.

“Well, I don’t know…” her smile falters and Jisung holds a finger up in the air while saying.

“Well, you can only ride the bumper cars if you know where Mickey Mouse is from-”

“But… I…” you see the girl’s eyes watering and you punch Jisung’s arm

“No, you don’t,” you say, giving him the stink eye. “But you do need to be old enough to ride it by yourself. How old are you?

“I just turned eight,” she smiles confidently with both hands on her hips.

“Sorry, sweetie, if you are under 12 you need adult supervision,” she deflates so fast that you almost feel bad for her.

“Can’t he go with me?” she points at Jisung and you scoff.

“He can barely supervise himself,” you smile at her. “Plus, there is no one else to ride the bumper cars, you would be all alone.”

The little girl tries to persuade you to let her go but you can’t. You could bend the rules a little and supervise her in the car, letting Jisung in the control panel, but you didn’t trust Jisung that much. Plus it wasn’t worth it getting in trouble because of a cute little girl. Eventually, you convince her to go talk to the creepy bear, saying he was friends with Mickey Mouse, and she runs to where he is standing.

“By the way, Mickey Mouse is from Mouseton in Calisota,” Jisung says looking at his phone and you groan.

After months working in the same place, with the same people, you are bound to get into a routine. Yours consisted of arriving at the Funfair around 3:50 pm, going to the break room, filling your water bottle, putting your backpack in locker 606 and putting your lunch box with some packed dinner in the fridge.

Any minor change in this calculated routine could mean something big.

That’s why you are surprised to arrive one day and see a black insulated lunch bag inside the fridge. You were used to see Mina’s green tupperware, Chenle’s half-eaten subway and Yuta’s energy drinks inside the fridge. You were not used to see an insulated lunch bag inside the fridge. You brushed it off as someone changing habits and bringing healthier food to work. It could even be Taeyong packing food for him and Doyoung.

You should have taken that more seriously, though, because the second change in your routine was much bigger and much more inconvenient than the lunch bag.

The next day, the lunch bag disappeared, but now, there was a backpack in your locker. It wasn’t that the locker is specifically yours per se, but there is a silent agreement of which locker belongs to whom. There are 9 lockers in total, Jisung and Mina’s are 607 and 604, the top left one and the one right under it. Chenle takes 608 and Yeri takes the one next to yours, 605. The only available lockers, then, are the 609, top one on the right, and the 3 lockers at the bottom, that are rarely used. 606 is an unavailable locker and yet, one day you get there, slightly late, and you see it occupied by a backpack that’s not yours — and locked.

Differently from the lunch box, the locker issue does not go away. In fact, no matter how early you get there, every other day there is a black backpack locked inside the 606. You aren't tall enough to reach 609, forcing you to use one of the lockers at the bottom. Everytime you try to crouch down to get something from your bag, you curse at the person who’s using your locker.

The last change to the quiet routine you led at Funfair was Sunny, the bear. In three months working there, last week was the first time you started to actually see it walking around. Of course, during your training, Taeyong made sure to give you a very detailed explanation of the origins of Sunny and even let you see the bear costume. Seeing someone wearing it, though, was something completely different. Considering the near-bankrupt financial situation Funfair has been suffering for a while, it is normal that the park is understaffed (and not a real problem because there aren’t many customers, anyways). But, with some many improvements to be done, why did Taeyong decide to hire someone to give life to that creepy looking bear? No one besides Taeyong seemed to care about Sunny’s presence, why is it around now?

You are too focused on your own thoughts to pay attention to Mina and Jisung entering the breakroom. They seem excited about something and trying to speak at the same time.

“Shut up, Jisung, I will tell everybody!” she squeals and Jisung mumbles something along the line ‘I barely breathed’. “Where’s Chenle? I have bombastic news.”

“He texted the group chat saying he will be late,” you answer unamused.

“Girl, cheer up, I have hot gossip.” You hum, more interested in your sandwich than the gossip.

“We saw the new guy enter Yeri’s car yesterday after work.” Jisung blurts out and Mina slaps his shoulder. “What? Someone can appear in the breakroom any minute.”

“We already know she knows him. Taeyong hired him because of her, remember?” You bite your sandwich and see Jisung deflates, agreeing that it wasn’t the big deal he was thinking.

“Well, she didn’t say that his last name was Lee,” she whispers the last word, making you and Jisung snap your heads to her direction.

“You didn’t tell me-”

“Doyoung told Yuta who told me that the name of the guy is Lee Donghyuck and he works part-time here every other day. That’s why we don’t see him that much.”she says, pulling a chair for Jisung to sit on.

“Do you think he is the Lee in the love triangle?” Jisung whispers, fishing for his phone. “Oh, Chenle’s gonna love this.”

“Have you guys seen this Donghyuck in the breakroom, yet?” you ask, looking at the lockers. “Or coming to work, at least?”

“Nope.”

“Do you think he is the one using my locker?” They look at you confused. “I usually see it locked with a black backpack inside.”

“Well, he works every other day,” Mina starts “I don’t think it’s him, you’re here everyday.”

“Who would do that, though? The managers use Taeyong’s office. I’m sure it’s him. I don’t like him.”

“You don’t even know him,” Jisung reasons, making you glare at him.

“He stole my locker!” you fight back making them shake their heads at you.

Two whole weeks have passed and everybody but you have met the locker thief. It's not that you are obsessed with knowing who the hell this Lee Donghyuck is, especially not after Mina tells you in secret that he is very funny and very hot (and begged you not to tell Jisung that). You are curious to meet the one who is behind the creepy bear that makes children laugh and forces all of you to listen to circus music (Taeyong said it is a new tactic so people can associate the song to Sunny and they will know when he is around. You don’t care, you just hate both the bear and the song).

It is on a Friday evening that you understand why people say “curiosity killed the cat”. You are sent to help Mina in the food stalls because Jisung, being the annoying brat he is, ended up breaking the merry-go-round thanks to his habit of shutting it off to avoid the children. When one of the rides breaks down, it means sending someone to help with the food stalls, but Taeyong knew that between sending Jisung or a lamppost to work with Mina, the lamppost would be more useful. That’s why Jisung is at the bumper cars right now and you are stuck in the food stall, with your hair and clothes smelling like butter and old popcorn.

"Hey, what's broken today?" she asks, leaning her arms on the counter and bending her body forward.

"The merry-go-round," you roll your eyes. "I bet it's Jisung’s fault for shutting it down on purpose at least three times per shift to avoid the little children."

“I thought they would send you to the haunted house to give Doyoung a break, though.” She hands you wet wipes so you can help her clean the counter.

“Nah, Doyoung has too much fun scaring away the horny teenangers trying to have sex and use drugs in there.”

"Aw, at least you're here with me today!" she smiles and you give her an unamused smile. "I'll be nice, I know you hate the smell, so I’ll stay here and you can do the stocking tonight!"

Your problem is being a little naive around your friends. Sure, the popcorn smell was bad, but you didn't know that stocking the stalls would mean walking around, back and forth, carrying paper bags, corn bags, cans of soda and even organizing the pantry's shelves. You also didn’t know the stockroom is basically all the way across the park.

"Who knew we sold that much soda here." You murmur after your 5th trip to the pantry to restock soda.

"It's not that we sell a lot, it's just that this mini fridge is too small."

"Yeah, I noticed," you narrow your eyes at your friend who just laughs and talks to a new customer.

After a couple of hours, things start to get slower at the stall, so you have time to organize and store everything in their right place. You were definitely not used to this kind of job, just staying behind the scenes, not dealing with annoying adults and small children, but you seem to enjoy it. You pull out your phone and plug your earphones to listen to some music to pass time. The stockroom was a container that stayed behind the ferris wheel and the walls of the park didn’t allow people to see it.

The songs coming from your headphones distract you so much that you don't notice someone hiding behind the open door of the container. They opened from outside, so they blocked the view of who was behind it, but the lights from the ferris wheel allowed you to see a weirdly shaped shadow. You get closer and jump at the sight of the Sunny, the bear too close to your face.

"What the fuck?" you hear him say and you get so startled that you end up pushing it, almost making it fall on the ground.

"I should be the one saying that, dude," you answer, holding the stack of popcorn bags close to you. "What are you doing here?”

"Hiding," you can faintly hear the person's voice through the gigantic head of the costume.

"What?"

"I'm hiding from the kids," the bear points to your left, the direction of the park. "There is a little kid today that is just obsessed with kicking my ankle."

You laugh at that and go back inside the stockroom to put the popcorn bags in their place. The bear stays outside and you wonder if this is your chance of finally seeing the mysterious not-so-new guy that has been the hot topic for a while.

"Hey," you lean on the door's frame, calling the bear's attention to you "How long have you been working here?"

"Since the 90's, or something like the story Taeyong told me." you laugh at that, hearing the bear chuckle as well. "I started some weeks ago. Why?"

"I was just wondering, because I’m seeing Sunny around too often," you shrug. "You’re the new guy Donghyuck, right?"

"You have a lot of questions, I see," you hear the teasing tone and just roll your eyes. “Flirty, much? Can’t resist the bear’s charm?”

"I hope you can't see shit with this big ass head in this terrible lighting, and end up falling."

"HEY! I was just kidding, don't be mean," he moves a little bit closer to you.

“You are very good at being vague and changing the topic, mister Sunny, the bear.”

“What can I say, I like being mysterious,” with the silence between both of you, you can hear Taeyong cursing, which is very unusual of him. "Shit, I think I hear Taeyong."

"Are you afraid of getting fired?"

"No, I'm afraid he's gonna make me work," he answers and you can't help but laugh, calling Taeyong's attention to you and the bear.

Ever since that shift, you started getting somewhat closer to Sunny, who you are sure is the Lee Donghyuck, even though he didn’t confirm it. You still haven't got the chance to see him without the costume and your interactions are always short, but there is something so familiar about him…

It is also very fun to see Sunny interacting with the staff. Sometimes, he walks past the food stall and shakes Mina's hand, or hi-five Chenle when he passes by the spinning cups. But your favorite thing is when he stays next to the merry-go-around, right across the bumper cars, and throws flying kisses in your direction. It feels like Donghyuck is showing a little bit of his personality through Sunny and you have to admit that the guy is pretty nice to be around. And just like that, what was once a very creepy looking bear that you avoided at all costs, becomes a very creepy looking bear that you expect to see during your shifts.

Today, Donghyuck decided to walk past the bumper cars and make a “call me” sign, right after sending you hearts and dancing with little kids. You try not to pay much attention to him, but it’s cute how he never forgets to interact with everybody around him and doesn’t leave until he makes his coworkers smile at least for a few seconds.

There is a particular child giving him a hard time, though. You see the little boy, probably ten, trying to take the bear's head at all costs. It tried climbing on Donghyuck, pulled his arms and even kicked his ankle once. There was usually someone to keep him company to avoid annoying kids like those. Where is Taeyong?

"Hey," you see a girl getting out of the bumper cars all by herself. "You, pigtail." The girl seems tall and strong enough to win a fight, you think . "I'll give you five bucks if you push that boy over there."

"Make it ten and I'll pull his hair too," she opens her hands, motioning you to give her money.

Eventually, Taeyong ends up putting you in trash duty for three days after finding out that you "incited" a fight in a family friendly environment, even though you will deny it forever. You don't mind it too much, because it allows you to walk around the park and talk to everybody, and whenever Sunny is around, you can get a little bit closer while he sends you flying kisses.

You don't know why, but having that huge weird-looking bear around has definitely made working here better.

"Well, I have some news," Taeyong says, calling everyone's attention. "We will be shutting down the haunted house, the merry-go-round and the spinning cup."

You shouldn’t be surprised, really. Although you were all expecting that summer break would be a game changer for the business, only a miracle could save the Funfair. To be fair, Taeyong had managed to improve a couple of things here and there: he repainted the front of the park, fixed the broken trash cans and even hired Renjun to make a nice mural at the front (which was really nice for marketing, because teenagers love to take pictures there). There was a general feeling that the business was changing and the summer was a breath of fresh air to everybody, but the summer break wasn’t as miraculous as your hopeful and young minds thought.

"Why the spinning cups? They were fine though," Chenle pouts and Taeyong just shakes his head.

"I know you like it there, Lele, but a third of the cups aren't spinning properly and there are just so many vomits I can clean up in a day," he sighs and you feel the tense atmosphere in the air.

“We should have shut down the haunted house a long time ago, in my opinion,” Yeri says, eating a lollipop. “I don’t know how Doyoung endured horny teenangers trying to have sex in there for so long.”

“It was nice staying inside to scare them away,” he shrugged.

“I bet the merry-go-round is Jisung’s fault though,” you say, provoking Jisung, who sticks his tongue out.

“Actually, the engine is heating up so, if anything, Jisung shutting it off every now and then actually helped.” Yuta says besides Taeyong, leaning on the lockers.

“Okay, let’s stop,” he says, visibly stressed. “This is a report, it’s not open for comments, everyone.”

“But, I have ques-”

“Shut up.”

"I know you are all wondering what's going to happen, but don't worry, we got this!” Taeyong starts speaking again, expecting us to be silent. “I have reorganized everybody’s positions: Jisung will take the bumper cars. Y/N and Chenle can decide who will take the ferris wheel and the roller coaster, I just can’t have Jisung on neither because I don’t trust him with the safety procedures. No offense, Jisung."

“None taken, hyung,” he says, eating a lollipop.

“We don’t have experience in those rides, it was usually the more experienced staff who took care of it,” you raise your hand, worried.

“It’s okay, we’ll train you.”

“What about Doyoung hyung and Yuta hyung?” Chenle asks worriedly.

“Kids, don’t worry about anything else, alright?” Taeyong smiles reassuringly, ending the meeting and sending everybody home.

A week after the sudden change of positions, everything was running smoothly. Doyoung and Yuta helped you and Chenle and for the first three days, teaching you how to control the rides and slowly letting you do it by yourselves. Despite everything looking almost the same as usual, you couldn’t shake the weird feeling out of your chest. Why did Taeyong suddenly shut down part of the park? It’s not as if there is much of it left anyways. He didn't say much about Yuta and Doyoung after they stopped training us. Did they get fired? You haven’t seen Sunny in a while. Did Taeyong fire Donghyuck too? Will you be next?

The prospect of getting fired makes you realize you haven't really worried about looking for a good internship in a while. You can’t really blame yourself for getting tired of it after the countless no’s. And, honestly, you were comfortable working for Taeyong. Sure, the pay wasn’t great, but the job isn’t demanding and your boss is not pressuring you to do anything more than come to work, press a few buttons, make sure no one gets into an accident, and go home. But your parents had already started to worry about your career, thinking your job at the theme park wasn’t as temporary as they thought it would be. You think it’s time for you to start worrying about it too, so you decide that as soon as the summer break is over, you must find somewhere else to work.

Even though you know you need to find another job, a tiny little part of your heart hurts at the thought of leaving everyone behind. Would you be able to find such nice and welcoming people anywhere else? You realize your mind has wandered for too long when you see brown paws shaking in front of your face.

"A penny for your thoughts?" you hear Donghyuck’s voice and smile.

"Sunny does not use human language to communicate. Taeyong will get angry at you," you cross your arms and lean on the railing behind you.

"It's not like there's a lot of people around anyways. The only kid is you" he stands next to you, just looking at the empty park. You slap his arm and he chuckles. "It's almost closing time, I don't know why I'm still wearing this."

"You get more breaks than we do, work for once, please," you joke and hear his sweet laugh muffled by the costume.

"Try walking around with this gigantic stinky head to see if you wouldn't need a break every 30 minutes too." You smile and make your way to the control cabin when you take a look at the time.

“Time to turn off the lights and go home,” you say, pressing a few buttons on the panel.

“I didn’t know they changed your position,” you hear the boy speaking loudly so you can hear him from the cabin. "I found out the hard way.”

“And what is the hard way?” you scream back, starting to get out of the cabin and heading to the stairs.

“I can’t really see from afar with this mask on, you know…” He sighs and you frown at him. “Yeri told me today I had spent the past week sending flying kisses to Jisung and not you.”

You cackle with laughter from the sudden confession. Now it makes sense why you have spent the entire week without seeing a sign of him. You just thought Sunny was one of the things Taeyong was slowly getting rid of.

"You must be completely blind with this head on," you say, walking down the steps and being face to face with the bear. "Can you even see anything now with the lights off?"

"I can figure it out."

You extend your arm, offering it. "C'mon, I'll lead the way."

“The ferris wheel is very far from the breakroom, you know. That’s why I never come here,” he says, locking arms with you.

“Yeah, I know. On the weekend I always have to run if I don’t wanna miss the last bus.”

“Will I have to keep walking all the way down the ferris wheel to see you?”

“Yes,” you laugh wholeheartedly as he groans. You start walking, your arms linked together, and your curiosity perks up. "I have a question," you hear some humming and decide to keep going. "Why have I never seen you, Donghyuck?"

"It’s because I’m not Donghyuck, I’m Sunny, silly!” you scoff and listen to his cheeky laugh.

"You are a little frustrating, you know that? I like it better when you can't speak." you huff, but keep walking towards the exit of the park. "Should I wait for you outside the bathroom to know who you are?"

"Don't be a creep,” he teases, and you slap his arm covered by the costume.

"I just think it’s unfair how you know who I am and I only know your name because Mina loves gossiping around,” you pout and feel a pet in your head.

"You really have no idea who I am?” he scoffs, sounding disappointed and you get confused. “Yeah, didn’t think you would remember me.”

“What are you talking about?” you frown and he just shrugs it off. “Am I supposed to know you?”

“I don’t know, are you?”

“Stop it!” you say, slightly frustrated.

“Okay, okay," you hear him chuckling. "I think our schedules are just incompatible.”

“I think you are just ugly and are embarrassed,” you tease and you hear him gasp.

“Holy shit, you’re mean,” he pretends to be offended as you laugh. “But, wait, have you been thinking about me and what I look like?”

You can’t see his face, but the smugness you hear in his voice is enough to annoy you (and make you blush, because… yes, you have.)

“If you don’t stop with the nonsense I’ll leave you to walk alone in the dark,” you warn him, passing by the merry-go-round, reaching the middle of the park.

“I think you are the one who doesn’t want to be alone, honey,” he teases you again, and you motion to unlink your arms but he immediately apologizes. “No, no, sorry, sorry. I’ll shut up.”

You keep walking in a comfortable silence until you decide to speak again “Do you think we’re getting fired?”

“Why do you think that?”

“It’s just…” you sigh and Donghyuck starts to slow down your pace. “I mean, we know this business is not flourishing, but I can’t lie, I thought summer break would help. Now with Taeyong shutting down part of the park, summer break is almost over, I don’t know…”

“I think you shouldn’t worry too much about that,” he says sincerely and you scoff.

“Yeah, sure,” you keep silent for a little while, but Donghyuck feels you still have some things to get off your chest. “If I get fired before getting an internship I don’t know what I’ll do. I’ve already disappointed my parents so many times, and I’m so frustrated with myself. I.. Should I even keep trying to become a journalist? I think I should just ask Renjun to set me up with some rich dude. I don’t think he would, though, He was the one that found me this job when his parents are filthy rich and know basically every businessman in the city.”

“Renjun’s parents are not that rich, they just know a lot of people,” he adds, making you sigh again.

“I wish I knew a lot of people. Actually, I wish I knew the right people. I wouldn’t be here struggling to find an internship if I did.”

“Well, I think you shouldn’t worry too much about this.”

“Yeah, easier said than done. I have been trying to get an internship for, what, six months? I must be really bad because I didn’t even get a single interview.”

“I think you shouldn’t worry too much because what is supposed to happen, will happen.” He turns his head to you and tilts it to the right. “Maybe, you won’t find the perfect job you’re looking for right now, but there will be some other opportunities that might help you achieve your goal. Have you ever watched Monsters University?”

“Oh, you are not about to give me advice based on a Pixar movie,” you chuckle and Donghyuck gets defensive.

“Well, if you haven’t seen it yet, you should, because you’re being very Mike Wazowski right now,” you laugh at his comparison, promising him you would see the movie as soon as you got home.

Even after the heartfelt conversation, you haven’t met Donghyuck as himself yet. You don’t know if your schedules really didn’t align or if he was actively avoiding you after you just spilled your worries out of nowhere. You don’t think it was a reasonable option considering he would still go out of his way to greet you at the ferris wheel, even if it meant cutting his break 5 minutes because it took him longer to get to the breakroom.

But you can’t help but feel weird when you hear Yeri and Mina casually talking about Donghyuck's opinion on the drama they are watching together. How did they even get that close? I mean, there was still the theory that he was Yeri’s boyfriend so you guess that made sense, but why wouldn’t he talk to you about the drama too? You could start watching it. Even Chenle seemed to socialize more with Donghyuck outside work than you, as he constantly mentions how they meet up sometime to go to a cybercafe to play games. Why are you the only one that has short interactions with him dressed up as the fucking creepy bear? Plus, there is the constant feeling of familiarity when you’re around him, but you can’t remember from where you might know each other. It was all driving you really, really mad.

“Why are you frowning?” Doyoung asks as you’re sitting down in Taeyong's office, waiting for him.

“I’m not.”

“Yes, you are. Your face looks like a raisin.”

“Don’t call me raisin!” You raise your voice, getting angrier by the minute. “Do you know Donghyuck?”

Doyoung seems startled by your sudden change of subject. “Of course I do, he works here.”

“Have you met him outside work? Like, in normal clothes, not in a bear costume.”

“Obviously, he’s Jeno’s childhood friend,” he says matter-of-factly. Jeno? You know that name… “Why are you being so-”

“Wait, Jeno? Lee Jeno? As in Huang Renjun’s friend?”

“I don’t know any Huang Renjun, but, yeah, Lee Jeno, he’s like a brother-”

“HOLY SHIT,” you gasp and cover your mouth. “Shit, what the fuck, this is not real.”

“I know you’re off the clock, but it’s sorta rude to curse like that.”

“Doyoung, I know Donghyuck,” you ignore him, standing up and holding his arms with pleading eyes. “I know who Donghyuck is.

“Considering you have been working together for a month or so, that’s… great?” He says cautiously.

“Tell Taeyong I’ll talk to him tomorrow, I have to make a phone call,” You say, grabbing your backpack and bolting out of the room.

As soon as Doyoung mentioned Jeno, everything clicked together.

You remembered the night at the party, when you met that cute guy and you just decided to kiss all night long, chat about the most random things while you get drunk on the expensive Japanese beer he said he bought, but you find out later that it was Jeno’s. You remember talking about your favorite seasons and him telling you you might be meant to be because you love summer and his gaming nickname meant fullsun. You should have recognized him as soon as you heard him tease you for the first time. Damn, he even mentioned Renjun’s parents as if he knew them personally and you didn’t bat an eye. How could you be so stupid?

The first problem is not recognizing him. The second problem is how are you going to face him after taking so long to recognize him. Now you understand why he probably didn’t want you to see him without the costume, imagine how embarrassing it will be for you.

Donghyuck never works two days in a row, so hopefully he won’t be here today, right? Wait, was he here yesterday? You don’t remember. If you don’t remember, he probably wasn’t, so, does that mean you will have to see him today? But maybe it’s just your bad memory. You needed advice about this situation, what would you do from now? You are sprinting to the breakroom, ready to put your things away and call your roommate.

When you get there, you immediately couch down to put your things on the locker, not bothering to look if the 606 locker is available. It hasn’t been ever since Donghyuck started here anyways. As you are having trouble shoving the backpack inside the small locker, you see someone standing behind you, silently opening one of the lockers too.

“Your phone’s on the floor.”

He points out to the bright screen of your phone that has fallen from your hands and is sitting right beside you. You take a glance at the lock screen, seeing Doyoung’s threatening message, and scoff.

[doyoung manager (dangerous)]: If you canceled this meeting to gossip with the other kids, I’ll make Taeyong put you in trash duty for a whole month.

“Honestly, I’m here having a crisis and Doyoung thinks I’m gossiping,” you grumble while still trying to shove the backpack inside “What’s wrong with this locker tod-”

“Do you need help?”

You feel like someone has knocked the air out of your lungs when you see Donghyuck crouched down beside you, wearing a cheeky smile. You fall on your butt and he immediately holds your arms to help you stand back to your original position.

“Do you need help?” he repeats, his head motioning to the lockers and you simply nod. “It can be tricky to fit the whole bag inside these lockers.”

You just nod again, and stand up, letting him put it inside the tiny metal box and close it. “Password?” you look at him confused. “Are you not locking it?”

“No, we never lock it,” you shake your head and gasp. You move a little to the side to see the 606 locker taken, and look back at him angrily. “So it was you this whole time. You stole my locker!”

“I didn’t steal anything, it was there and I took it.”

“It was my perfect little locker, perfect height., perfect size,” you mourn half-jokingly.

“Why don’t you take the other ones?”

He stands up, meeting you face to face and you have to admit that it is a whole new thing to see him in good lighting without his bear costume. He is hotter than you remembered. His hair is also longer and wavy, different from when you first met. Damn you and your thing for boys with long hair.

“They're all taken and I can’t reach the one above yours,” you shrug, avoiding his eyes. “I didn’t know you had work today, Haechan.” You use the nickname he told you back at the party and that makes him smile.

“Oh, so now you remember me?” The smugness of his voice makes you shy and he notices it by the way you smile and starts to move away from him.

“Yeah, about that, I should apologize,” you say, sitting down in one of the chairs. “I should have connected the dots as soon as you told me about Renjun’s parents.”

“Oh,” the smug expression on his face dies as he lets out what seemed to be a disappointed sigh.

“What?” you ask with wide eyes. “Am I being stupid again?”

“Oh, no,” he chuckles humorlessly as he leans on the lockers and puts his hands inside the pockets of the leather jacket. Be damned the leather jackets, you think. “I thought you were going to apologize for not calling.”

“What?” you let out an airy laugh.

“That night at the party, you said you would call me.”

“I don’t have your number though, how would I call you?” You remember the kissing, and his hands, and his hoarse voice whispering sweet nothings in your ears, but you definitely don’t remember having his number.

Donghyuck takes his hand out of his pocket and stretches it out in front of you, asking for your phone. You give it to him, open it on the keypad, and he gives a few taps before handing it back to you. He didn’t even need to finish typing the whole thing because it was there, on the top of the screen: “Lee Donghyuck” written in bold, with his number right beside it.

You start to think you don’t remember as much from that night as you thought you did. You grunt and he just chuckles.

“At least now I know I wasn’t rejected, you just forgot” he jokes and sits in front of you, who was hiding your face in your hands. “I just don’t know if that’s better or not.”

“I don’t know what happened, I wasn’t that drunk to forget your name and your number.”

“You forgot my name too?” he says half-offended, now understanding why you didn’t recognize him before. “Damn, were you that cock drunk?”

“Now, don’t cross a line, Lee Donghyuck,” you immediately sit up straight, sending him a glare. “We didn’t go that far.”

“Sorry, bad joke,” He lowers his head, avoiding your eyes, “We could’ve.”

“We could have what?”

“If you had called,” he says, leaning his body on the table as he doesn't break eye contact. “We could’ve gone as far as you wanted.”

“WHAT’S UP!” Chenle says loudly as he opens the door abruptly. “What are you guys talking about?”

You use that as your cue to compose yourself from Donghyuck’s very suggestive words, and point at your own ears, giving Chenle a sign that he needs to lower the volume of his earpods.

“Oh, sorry, was I screaming?” he puts his stuff in his locker and sits between you and Donghyuck, painfully unaware of the tension in the air. “What were you guys- Oh, Y/N, you finally met him!”

Donghyuck snaps his head in Chenle’s direction and you start praying he will not say anything that could embarrass you. “You were so jealous that you were the only one that hadn't met him properly yet.”

“I wasn’t jealous,” you say distressed, stressing your distaste for his choice of words. “It was just weird how-”

“Oh, you so were,” both boys giggled and you rolled your eyes, standing up hastily, making the chair screech. “Please, you got all pouty the day I mentioned we play together.”

“Honey, if you wanted my attention you could’ve just asked.” Donghyuck is clearly having the time of his life with Chenle’s information.

You groan as you leave the breakroom and they keep teasing you. You definitely need better friends.

"Who would have thought that all you had to do to start dating was confessing, right?” Chenle says sarcastically while all of you are hanging out in the breakroom.

“Wait, so you weren’t dating before?” Taeyong asks the couple sitting in front of him.

“No, they were just very much in love and just as oblivious,” you say, munching on the chocolate chip cookie Taeyong baked for the staff today.

"Well, it’s not like that, I was already planning on confessing…" Jisung scratches the back of his head and Chenle scoffs.

"Yeah, since freshman year… of HIGH SCHOOL," and you see Mina blushing when Jisung giggles and kisses her cheek, giving her a silent confirmation that Chenle's statement was nothing but the truth.

"Oh my god, she still blushes at everything he does!" Yeri exclaims and Chenle gags, muttering 'disgusting'.

Apparently, the past weekend has been full of surprises. Taeyong had a “pressing family matter” to attend to, so he decided to close the park and give everybody the Saturday and Sunday off. Probably not the smartest move for a failing business but who are you to complain?

With two days off on the weekend, everybody had their own thing: Yeri went to the beach with her boyfriend (Mina is still Team Johnny, but Jisung and I think he is too tall compared to the silhouette photos Yeri showed us). Chenle went to a basketball game and adopted a dog, out of nowhere. He only shut up about the game to show us Daegal’s pictures which we very much appreciated. Jisung had invited Mina on a picnic date, but she accidentally heard him practicing his confession, which led them to, finally, become boyfriend and girlfriend.

You, well, you had a date with Donghyuck. It was a friendly date, he just asked you out to get some coffee. And have lunch. And you eventually ended up going with him to his friend’s photography exhibition. In your defense, he was very pleasant to be around and it’s always good to be in contact with the arts.

You woke up that Saturday ready to do something fun, but your roommate and her boyfriend already had plans, just like everybody else from work. At first you decided to stay at home and just enjoy your day alone, but then you remembered how long it had been the last time you had a free weekend. Like, the whole weekend. After the whole ordeal with Donghyuck, you became good friends so you thought it wouldn’t hurt if you messaged him to see if he wanted to do something, right? As friends, of course!.

[you - 10:30 a.m]: hey how’s your day off?

[donghyuckie - 10:30 a.m]: damn honey

[donghyuckie - 10:30 a.m]: not even a whole day

[donghyuckie - 10:30 a.m]: miss me already?

[you - 10:30 a.m]: oh fuck off

[you - 10:31 a.m]: i just wanted to know if you had plans

[you - 10:31 a.m]: because i don’t and i’m bored

[donghyuckie - 10:32 a.m]: i can be free

[donghyuckie - 10:32 a.m]: why?

[you - 10:33 a.m]: wanna get some coffee?

[you - 10:33 a.m]: u pay

[donghyuckie - 10:35 a.m]: 🙄

[donghyuckie - 10:35 a.m]: meet me at 7dream in 10 min

[you - 10:35 a.m]: i need 30 to get ready tho

[donghyuckie - 10:35 a.m]: be there in 10 or you pay

You did your best to look as presentable as possible in record time, only for Donghyuck to arrive at the café twenty minutes later, saying he didn’t think you would take him seriously and would just take your time getting ready. He did apologize for being late and after eating breakfast, he waited as you went back home to look more presentable during lunch.

You see, spending time with Donghyuck was very confusing for you because he always made flirty comments and dirt jokes around you, but never really tried to initiate anything. He was pretty hard to read, in your personal opinion, but it was so fun to have him around and he was always so thoughtful and nice, that you never let useless thoughts fill your mind. And what if you made out once in a party months ago? You didn’t remember his name, you never called and you only met again by chance. You could totally be friends, all the “tension” that you once had, if you ever had it, was water under the bridge!

At least that’s what you thought.

"Are you gaslighting me into thinking I don't like you?" Donghyuck asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I am simply stating the fact that you are most likely only having fun flirting with me," you explained, sipping your drink. "It's like a sport to some people."

It was late, really late. The workers at the diner were probably cursing both of you for getting there as it was about to close, so you just decided to keep drinking your milkshake so you both could leave as fast as possible.

"Well, not to me," he scoffed, leaning back on the couch feeling frustrated at your words.

“Earth to Y/N,” Mina shakes her hand in front of your face, taking you out of your thoughts.

“OH, sorry, what’s up?”

“What did you do on the weekend?” Yeri asks, and you suddenly feel shy when everybody’s attention is on you. “Wait, are you blushing?”

“No way!” Jisung exclaims and you start to feel your face hotter by the second.

“And just know she was so distracted…” Mina smirks and your eyes widen, shaking your head.

“Y/N’S GOT A BOYFRIEND, Y/N’S GOT A BOYFRIEND,” Chenle sing-songs like a nine year-old and the other ones join him.

“It’s not-” you try to speak but they just sing louder, making you sigh in frustration.

“Stop, children,” Taeyong calls their attention and you sigh in relief, thinking he is going to scold them. Your peace doesn’t last long, though. “We don’t know if it’s a boyfriend or a girlfriend!”

They all look at each other before Chenle starts singing again:

“Y/N WENT ON A DATE, Y/N WENT ON A DATE.”

“You are all absolutely insufferable,” you say, standing up and pretending you don’t hear how they keep teasing you about your “date”.

Donghyuck opens the break room door right when you are ready to leave. You stop yourself before your bodies collide and he simply smiles. “What’s going on?”

“Noth-”

“Y/N WENT ON A DATE, Y/N WHEN ON A DATE.” Chenle chants again and you turn your body to face him from across the room.

“Shut up, Chenle! Nobody said it’s true.” You don’t have time to lay a guilt trip on Chenle because Donghyuck beats you to it, giving the crowd exactly what they wanted.

“It’s true, though, you went on a date with me,” Donghyuck says seriously and everybody gasps. He walks towards the lockers and smiles when he sees that you took locker 606 before him today. “We spent the whole Saturday together.”

You see Jisung flabbergasted as he lets out “Oh my god, you’re dating Yeri’s boyfriend?”

“Shut up, Jisung,” Mina elbows him at the same time that Yeri, Taeyong and Donghyuck scream a “What???”

“It was a friendly date, I’M NOT DATING ANYBODY!” You scream the last part, storming off the break room and pretending you don’t hear Donghyuck quietly say ‘yet”.

“So you’re telling me you have a boyfriend and his name is Mark?” Mina confirms the information, still not sounding quite sure of it yet.

“Don’t mind her, she was team Johnny.” Chenle tells Yeri, making her look more confused.

“Team who?” Taeyong just stands there, trying to understand the whole situation. “I have so many questions…”

“And you,” Jisung says, turning to Donghyuck. “Met Y/N months ago at Yeri's boyfriend party, fell in love, but she forgot about you, so you had to get this job as Sunny, the bear to make her fall for you again and remember you?” He finishes, leaving Donghyuck absolutely stunned at the boy’s lack of ability to hold a single information in his brain.

“This is not what I said at all, you literally made up 90% of this story.”

After you stormed out, you went outside some of the opening tasks for today and you were hoping someone would come to help you out soon, but twenty minutes later, only Doyoung appeared, asking where the others were. After not having any answer from you, he calls Taeyong who just says ‘wait 10 more minutes and we’ll have so much to talk about’. He decides to go to the breakroom and see for himself what on earth is going on in the park today, only to find the boss, one of the managers and all the other workers sitting around the table, gossiping.

“She does seem a little silly, I have to admit,” Yuta says nonchalantly.

“She’s worse than Mina and Jisung together, honestly,” Chenle shakes his head, “Dumb as a door.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Doyoung says in a serious tone, startling everybody.

“I told you to wait 10 minutes, Hyuck is about to finish his story,” Taeyong shakes his head, shooing Doyoung away. “Someone needs to be in charge. Go, go, I’ll tell you later.”

“YOU are the one in charge.” Doyoung scoffs, but goes anyway, someone should be helping you.

Donghyuck retells the whole story of how you met and how disappointed he was when you didn’t call. He told everyone about how he got this job because his friend’s girlfriend, who is Yeri, knew he needed a part-time job. He got to the Funfair having no idea what he was going to do, much less knowing that you worked here too. He told them how happy he got the first time he saw you helping Mina at the food stalls, and how he recognized you by your voice, because he couldn’t really see much when he was wearing the costume.

He told them all about how he tried getting your attention as Sunny when you didn’t seem to recognize him, but it backfired because you couldn’t remember him and he was starting to get sad. He told them that he actively avoided you when he wasn’t wearing his costume to avoid the embarrassment of you not knowing who he was. Then, he said how you accidentally found out who he was, how he got closer to you each day and how it all backfired when he confessed last Saturday and you rejected him.

"Are you gaslighting me into thinking I don't like you?" Donghyuck asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I am simply stating the fact that you are most likely only having fun flirting with me," you explained, sipping your drink. "It's like a sport to some people."

"Well, not to me," he scoffed, leaning back on the couch feeling frustrated at your words.

"Either way, it's probably not real feelings. At least not towards me." you said, not looking in his eyes.

"You are unbelievably stubborn, blind and borderline rude," he spitted out, feeling the anger building up. How dare you have a say on what he feels about you?

"See? Why would you like someone with a nasty personality like that?" your arms moved around excitingly, as if you were proving your point. "You like the chase, not me!"

And then, Donghyuck confessed how he was ready to look you in the eyes and fight back, but the words died on his throat when he saw the huge smile on your face. He paid attention to the way your palms were open in front of you, arms stretched towards him, the way that wrinkles were all around your eyes from how much you were smiling and how excited you looked. He admitted that it dawned upon him that he likes you to the extent that he could let you keep thinking, for a moment, that he's not absolutely in falling for you if it meant that you would keep smiling like that.

Donghyuck understands that he can't always win. So, he gave you that one, letting you think you were right. He let you go back to your milkshake and your pancakes tasting of syrup and the satisfaction of being on the winning end of an argument.

He let you win that battle so he could win the war. Eventually.

“How will you win her over, then?” Mina looks at him curiously.

“I don’t have a plan,” Donghyuck sees the disapproving look on their faces and quickly adds. “Yet.” They all look at him suspiciously, and he can see Taeyong’s amused face. “Can’t you guys help me? You’re all her friends.”

"Oh, no," Chenle clicks his tongue while excessively shaking his index finger "No, no."

"We're here to judge not to meddle," Jisung says and all of them start moving around, getting ready to go to work.

"Yeah, take Jisung and Mina as an example, they got together by themselves. We never helped, only judged.” Yeri complements, making Jisung agree with a sad ‘yeah’.

"That's so messed up," Donghyuck shakes his head in disbelief. "You are all insane."

"Well, I can call her a coward if it helps you," Chenle. "It's what I did to Mina all these years."

"That's mean, Chenle,” Taeyong says disapprovingly.

"Frankly, it worked eventually," Mina replies as she stands up from the seat and stretches.

She kisses Jisung cheek and heads out, and, slowly, everybody goes to their normal, uneventful job at Sunny’s Funfair Park and Recreation.

After the eventful Saturday when Donghyuck confessed, you never touched the “feelings” subject anymore. He is still Lee Donghyuck, your friend and coworker whom, sometimes, you go out with. Nothing more, nothing less. And on days like today, when it has been raining non stop since 10 a.m, it was amazing having an energetic friend like him.

You don’t know how he did it, really. The rain caught you all by surprise, so Donghyuck, who works outside, had to stay in the breakroom until the rain stopped, and that only happened around 9 p.m. There were no customers at all, the park was empty and even though you were supposed to stay open until midnight today, Taeyong decided to let you all go home early.

Chenle was complaining how the last hangout had been the one at Jisung’s house before Mina and him were even dating, and just like that, all of you end up in Donghyuck’s apartment drinking hot chocolate and playing card games.

It’s time for all of you to show your cards and you hear Chenle groan as Donghyuck smirks and gets all the tokens from the table.

“It’s rigged, he got a full house twice and then royal flush right after,” Chenle scoffs and Donghyuck just laughs.

“Damn, he really won three times in a row?” Mina says and you and Jisung just exchange confused looks, having no idea what had happened.

“Poker is a very confusing game,” you think out loud and Donghyuck smiles sweetly at you.

“Lucky at cards, unlucky in love,” he mumbles, shuffling the cards. “Do you wanna play again or will you keep crying?”

You look at the empty popcorn bowls and mugs beside you and look at Jisung who is just as confused as you. Tired of playing a game you can barely understand, you just shake your head. “You can keep playing, I’ll wash the dishes.”

Before you can even get all of the mugs around you, Donghyuck is standing up, holding the popcorn bowls and a few mugs. You don’t have time to tell him to keep playing because he just goes straight to the kitchen, making you follow him. When you get there, he already has the gloves and the sponge on his hand.

“I thought I said I’d do it,” you angrily put your hands on your hips, scolding him with your eyes.

“I’m sorry it’s against the house rules to have a beautiful lady washing the dishes,” he bumps his hips with yours, making you scoff as you try to hide your smile.

“Where’s Jeno, by the way?” you say, leaning your back on the kitchen sink, right next to him. “You invited us over before telling him, didn’t you?”

“Nah, it’s cool.” He shrugs. “He told me he wasn't going to spend the night here today anyways.”

“Girlfriend?” You raise an eyebrow, leaning a little to his side, almost brushing your shoulders together.

“Why are you so curious? Do I have to compete with Jeno?” He asks playfully and you just push his shoulder.

“I was just asking.” You mumble, moving back to your original position. “By the way, Doyoung told me the other day that Jeno is like his brother? And Yeri gave you this job? Your relationships are so confusing.”

He laughs looking at you fondly. “What do you wanna know? Ask away.”

“Hm, how do you know Doyoung? And Yeri? And Jeno?”

“Do you want to know my family tree too?” He jokes and you show him your tongue. “Jeno, Mark and I are childhood friends, Doyoung hyung’s family is really close to Jeno’s, so we all just know each other from birthday parties and stuff. We are not that close though.”

“Oh.” You mumble nodding. “Yeri told us she got you the job though?”

“Yeah, she's been dating Mark for like a year?” He says, shrugging. “Either way, that was a coincidence, I didn’t know she knew Doyoung hyung. Actually, I thought he was working at his father’s law firm? I don’t know what happened, his family is weird.”

“Damn, I was here waiting for the tea and you don’t know anything!” You huff, faking annoyance. “You’re really bad at gossiping.” You notice he is starting to rinse the dishes in the sink, so you grab the towel that’s on the counter.

“And you’re really bad at poker.” He fights back, giving you some mugs to dry and put away. “Why did you say you liked playing cards if you’re bad at it?”

“It’s because I don’t know how to play poker,” you answer, lining up the dry mugs on the counter. “I like to play rummy, not poker.”

“You should have said so.” He gently places the two big popcorn bowls and closes the faucet. “We could have played that instead.”

“It’s okay, I just wanted to hang out with you.” You confess, hoping he understands you weren’t using the plural form of the pronoun. “I didn’t know you were that good at poker, though, I thought you only played League of Legends or whatever.”

“I’m not good, it was rigged,” He leans to whisper in your ears and you feel your pulse hammering on your neck. He chuckles at your startled expression, thinking you’re reacting to his confession, not to his proximity. “I’m joking, don’t be that shocked. Jeno and I just play a lot.”

“What about your other friend?” you ask, not really minding his proximity.

“Mark?” He scoffs when you nod. “He can’t bluff to save his life.”

“You smell nice,” you blurt out and his eyes go wide at your sudden confession. “I- I meant your house.” You use this moment as an opportunity to slide away from him. “Your house smells nice, do you use scented candles?” He chuckles, ready to tease you, but lets it slide.

In the living room, Jisung is sleeping like a rock on Mina’s lap, who is starting to doze off as well. Chenle pokes his friends' arms, saying he has to go because his mom is already worried about his whereabouts. Slowly, they all start to collect their belongings and when you and Donghyuck are back from the kitchen, they are all ready to go. The two of you are taken aback as they bid their goodbyes and thank Donghyuck for being the host for the night.

You decide to stay a little longer to help the owner of the apartment to put everything back in place, when he suddenly asks you to stay the night.

“It’s late, I’ll worry if you go back now,” he pouts. “Don’t roll your eyes at me, I’m serious.”

“I go home late everyday, it’s fine.”

“You have 2 choices,” he raises his index and middle finger in front of you. “Either I take you home or you stay the night.”

“Why didn’t you suggest taking the others home too?” you cross your arms in front of him, clearly challenging Donghyuck. Oh, he is so ready for another battle, but this time he won’t bend.

“Because Jeno has the car.”

“Then how are you taking me home?” you tilt your head playfully.

“I’ll get an uber,” he shrugs, making you laugh.

“I was already gonna do that, silly,” you fish your phone out of your pocket to open the app, but Donghycuk steals the phone from your hands. “Donghyuck!”

“I’ll get an uber,” he says, locking your phone and putting it in the front pocket of his sweatpants. “And go with you to drop you off.”

You laugh, clearly amused at his absurd suggestion. “There is no way I’ll let you do that.”

“There is no way I’ll let you get inside a stranger's cars by yourself at 1 a.m.” The firm tone of his voice was enough to let you know he was not dropping this argument like he did last time.

“And how will you get back to your apartment?”

“It doesn’t matter, it’s none of your-” you get too close to him and he feels the words dying in his throat at the thought of you hugging him. Donghyuck quickly reacts, though, when he feels you putting your hands inside the left pocket of his sweatpants, making him hold your arms to keep you in place. “HEY. Bad girl.”

“Don’t say that, I’m not a dog.” You grunt, trying to break free from his hold. “Give me my phone, back Hyuck.”

Your whines don’t affect him too much, as he keeps his strong hold on you. You start to take a few steps around the living room, shaking your arms as you try to make him let go. Picturing this scene in your head, you start laughing at how ridiculous the whole thing must look.

“Good girls don’t fight with daddy!” He forces a mocking sexy voice, making you laugh even harder. “Damn, I love you laugh.”

You are still giggling when you turn to look at his face. Donghyuck is already staring at you with utmost adoration and slightly curved lips. Your heart skips a few beats when your eyes lock and he bites his lips to hold his ever growing smile.

“I really love the sound of your laugh.”

His face is closer to yours than you remember, and it’s when he loosens the hold on your arms, only to slide his hands to hold yours, that you realize you have been holding your breath.

“If you don’t want me to go with you, then, stay.” He whispers, using your interlocked hands to pull you closer to him. “I just want to make sure you’re safe.”

“You suggested riding the uber with me,” you smile shyly, slightly moving your head to the side, giving him the space he wanted to pull you closer and nuzzle up against your neck. “Aren’t you being overprotective?”

“Is it a crime, now?” you get goosebumps when you feel him mumbling against your neck.

“It’s toxic,” you joke, taking your hands out of his grasp and raising your arms to place them around his neck. “You smell really good,” you whisper again and feel him taking a deep breath, before wrapping his arms around your waist.

“Stay, please.”

Donghyuck may have not convinced you the first time he confessed because he had been too straightforward, too casual about it. He should have known better than that. Casual flirting and occasional dates weren’t enough to win you over. That’s why he lost the first battle. But when he wakes up in the middle of the night to turn his AC on because even though you’re both sweating, you don’t let him get out of your arms, he knows he’s one step closer to winning the war.

The first thing you do when you open your eyes the following morning is wonder what time it is. You palm the side of the bed to look for your phone, only to feel a human arm. You open your eyes, recognizing Donghyuck’s room. He has one of his arms under your neck, the other one is lazily around your waist and his head nuzzled against your nape. You smile, dreading the moment he wakes up and starts teasing you for staying the night and sleeping on his bed holding him.

You consider calling out today, because you are almost sure that by the time you get there, everybody will be aware that you and Donghyuck cuddled all night long.

Carefully, you get out of bed and go straight to the kitchen to get a cup of water. You shouldn’t feel as comfortable at somebody else’s house as you are right now. When you were about to head back to Donghyuck’s room, Jeno entered the kitchen, with damp hair and wearing only gym shorts. The boy stops on his tracks and you two stare at each other, frozen.

“Hello?” The boy greets you with a frown and closed fists, and you give him an apologetic smile.

“Hey. Hi. Good morning.” You answer avoiding eye contact, completely mortified of the encounter. “I-I just- Hyuck told me-”

“Oh, you're with Hyuck?” he acknowledges, smiling at you. “I thought somebody had broken in.”

“Yeah, sorry. I thought he had let you know I was staying the night.” You apologize again, and suddenly feel self-aware of your outfit consisting of Donghyuck clothes. “I’ll go back-”

You hear a door opening and steps heading towards the kitchen, and, suddenly, Donghyuck appears. Swollen face, bed hair and shirtless… you feel like melting right there.

“It’s not even 11 yet, why did you-” He looks at Jeno with his squint eyes and then back at you, only to gasp and slap his friend’s chest. “JENO? BE DECENT, GO PUT ON A SHIRT.”

“OUCH, THAT HURTS, ASSHAT!” The boy soothes the place where he was slapped, looking angrily at his friend. “You’re shirtless too!”

“I JUST WOKE UP!” He slaps his friend again, now getting in front of him to block your view. “HONEY, DON’T LOOK!”

“AND I WAS JOGGING?” Jenos slaps Donghyuck Back and you just laugh at how childish they look. “Oh, wait, honey?” He moves to the side to look at you again, but Donghyuck stays in his way. “Dude?”

“Stop moving around, she doesn’t need to see how ripped you are.” Donghyuck bites back and you chuckle.

Jeno shoves Donghyuck to the side and waves at you. “Sorry, he’s very impolite and didn’t think about introducing us. I’m Jeno.”

“SHIRT, JENO. SHIRT.” Donghyuck shouts, as he pushes his friend towards the hallway.

You stay there in the kitchen, holding your laugh, because of course you couldn’t have a nice and calm morning with Lee Donghyuck.

“Hey. Hi. How are you?” Donghyuck comes back a few seconds later, panting. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah.” You nod, biting your lips to hold your laugh while Donghyuck just walks towards you very, very flustered. “Why are you shirtless? I clearly remember you going to sleep fully clothed.”

“Well, if only someone wasn’t holding me so damn tight the whole night…” He grabs you by the waist, making you yelp in surprise. “When did you wake up?”

“Not long ago.” You answer as he nuzzles your neck and hums.

“What about Jeno?” He asks again, pressing you closer to him, making you involuntarily put your hands on his shoulder to keep your balance. “Did you stare at his ripped abs and toned arms for a long time or did he just get here?”

“You’re so annoying.” You cackle at his question, which only makes him hug you tighter. “Why? Are you jealous?” He tightens his hold on you even more, making you let out chuckles and whines “OUCH, you’re hurting me.”

“I’m holding you.” He answers, walking with you further down the kitchen. “I know the competition is strong, but, come on, I’m hot too, right?” He creates some space between you, just enough to look at you, pouting.

“Donghyuck,” you start and he hums, telling you to keep going. “Do you think you could set me up with Jeno?” You say mischievously, making him squint his eyes angrily at you.

He pokes his cheek with his tongue and rolls his eyes at you. Before you can see it coming, he presses you against the kitchen counter and starts tickling your sides, making you squirm and beg him to stop, but having fun nonetheless.

You can’t say you didn’t see it coming. After that night in Donghyuck’s house, it was getting harder and harder to ignore the butterflies in your stomach each time he did something for you.

You really try to restrain yourself as much as possible, but there is so much a human being can resist when Lee Donghyuck comes out of nowhere and slides his hands from your nape down to your lower back and kisses your cheeks right after. Or when you’re sitting next to each other in the break room and he plays with your fingers under the table. Or when you’re eating out and he makes sure to keep your hair out of the way for you. Or when he takes Jeno’s car and picks you up late at night from your shifts, even when it’s his day off. Or when-

“Hey, pay attention,” Mina nudges you as Taeyong enters the room, followed by Doyoung, Yuta and a panting Donghyuck, who’s late.

“Sorry, I’m late, I had-”

“Just sit down, Hyuck.” You have never heard such a serious grave tone coming out of Taeyong's mouth before. “Please.”

You all look at each other worried about what is about to happen. When the words leave Taeyong’s mouth, you shouldn’t be as surprised as you all are, though. It’s still shocking, though. From the moment you started, you knew this job wouldn’t last.

“You’re closing forever?” Jisung asks cautiously, making Yuta look at him fondly.

“Yeah, buddy. My parents decided to sell it.” Taeyong smiles apologetically at the three best friends. Chenle is frozen, staring at the managers with his mouth agape. “I know how Sunny’s Funfair is special for the three of you, I’m sorry, Lele, Ji, and Min. I wish I had something else to say, but I can only apologize for this news.”

“Don’t make a speech or else Jisung’s gonna cry.” Chenle tries to joke to lighten up the mood, but his friend only reacts by giving him a light tap on the shoulder.

“In the meantime, we will keep working.” Doyoung moves around the break room and hands us a sheet of paper. “Opening tasks, everybody! Let’s do our best during the time that’s left.”

You take a glance at Donghyuck who looks at you worriedly. You offer him a sad smile and shrug, which he mimics, making you smile wider.

“Hey, you two, did you hear Doyoung?” Yuta points at you and Donghyuck. “Stop flirting, go back to work!”

The gloomy vibes don’t go away for at least four days, when Taeyong appears with a cake and a box full of old pictures. The park was closed, but he asked us to stay, telling us it would be worth it and promising to give us a ride home.

We are all seated around the table, eating cake, with taeyong in the middle seat showing us old pictures of the park. There were pictures of families, of former employees, and even of Taeyong and his family. You could see from the first day at the job how much he liked being Sunny’s Funfair Parks and Recreation. It was more than an old park that he had to manage because it’s what his parents told him to do. He actually believed that this small, beaten up amusement park could serve as a way of bringing happiness to the community and help families build cheerful memories together. But there is only so much one can do. You could see that this moment of bringing together the staff and encouraging us to share our best memories of the park is a way of giving Taeyong some comfort.

You sigh, looking sadly at your boss as he rummages through the box of pictures and feel Donghyuck’s arm resting on your shoulder, slightly bringing you closer to his side.

“A penny for your thoughts?” He whispers in your ear and you just turn your head to look at him. Oh, you owed Sunny’s Funfair so much.

“Just thinking.” You lower your head to look at the piece of cake in front of you. “Taeyong did a great job.”

“Hey, you two lovebirds, stop flirting,” Taeyong says, quickly standing up.

“When did I become the butt end of your teasing and not Jisung and Mina?” You ask no one in particular, but Chenle replies.

“Ever since you and Donghyuck started dating.”

“We are not-”

“I have THE ultimate picture here in my hands.” Taeyong interrupts you, as he holds one picture close to his chest, with the back facing us. There is something written behind it and you squint to try to read it, but he is too far from you. “This one here is our most prized possession as a team. We have to cherish this picture.”

“Show us this damn picture.” Chenle’s impatient demeanor falters when Taeyong turns the picture and we see three little children holding hands at the entrance of the park. “What the-”

“How did you get that picture?” Mina tries to take it from Taeyong, but fails.

“Is that us?” Jisung asks dumbfounded.

“There’s a note too.” Taeyong flips the picture and reads the note. “ ‘Today is the day where our Chenle is celebrating his sixth birthday. Thank you so much for the fun memories, Sunny!’ and it’s signed by Mrs. Zhong.”

After their initial shock, you start analyzing the picture, looking at the details: the birthday hat on Chenle’s chubby face, Jisung’s missing teeth and Mina’s ice lolly that was melting in her hands as they were taking the pictures. Then, you see dozens of other pictures, all sent by Chenle’s mom with a note, thanking the staff for the happy memories they created with the children. Taeyong says that his mom was one of the people who used to send messages and pictures to the administration, back when the park was a little more lively.

When you get home, almost ready to go to bed, you reflect on how that place has meant so much for some people, how it is full of memories and how it holds stories from the entire neighborhood. You think about how that was supposed to be only a job, and yet, it is the place that has brought amazing people to your life. You know Funfair’s closing is inevitable, but you finally understood what Taeyong was trying to do that night: closure. He doesn’t want to shut it down and just let everyone move on with their lives as if it didn’t matter, because, for many people, like Chenle, Jisung and Mina, it mattered.

Sunny’s Funfair Parks and Recreation holds stories and you might not be able to save it, but you are ready to tell them.

“Shouldn’t you be looking for another job?” Donghyuck asks as he enters the parking lot. “I mean, I think it’s a nice idea, I really do. But…”

“I am looking, I just haven’t found anything yet.” You say, taking the parking ticket from his fingers and putting it inside your bag.

“I know you’re lying because you've been saying this for three weeks.” He parks the car and turns off the engine, but doesn’t open the doors. “Have you at least applied to anything?”

“Look,” you sigh and hold his face in your hands. “You don’t need to worry about me, I’ll figure it out.”

He sighs as he sees you unbuckling your belt and unlocking the door. “I hope you know you can’t be my trophy wife yet, I don’t have enough money to pay both of our bills.”

“To be your trophy wife, first and foremost, I need to be married to you.” You turn around to see him leaning on the car with the door open. “We’re not even dating yet.”

“Because you rejected me when I asked you out.” He closes the car’s door and reaches for your hand.

“Ask me again, then.” You say raising an eyebrow at him.

“Will the answer be different?

“I don’t know. Ask me out again.” you shrug and interrupt him when you see Donghyuck opening his mouth. “Properly.”

“Damn.” He sighs and you chuckle at him. “Why me? The world is female, you can ask too, you know?”

You enter the building, telling Donghyuck to wait while you talk to the receptionist. A few minutes later, a very stressed Renjun appears to talk to you. From afar, Donghyuck can see that the boy seemed frustrated at whatever you were arguing, glaring at you and sighing a lot. He knows Renjun was forced by his parents to drop out of art school and start business so he could work in his family company, so the least he needed right now was a very stubborn you adding to his stress.

At some point, he sees Renjun grabbing his phone from the inside pocket of his blazer and making a phone call. Donghyuck starts to think that it was better if you went to a more private place, but you seemed adamant about cornering Renjun in public. Not even two minutes later, he finishes the phone call and tells you something that makes you hug him and Donghyuck sees how his angry demeanor falters. You bid him goodbye and wave at Donghyuck so you can both go.

“What was that?” He asks as you hand him the parking ticket.

“I just needed one last favor from him.” You simply say, reaching for his hands.

“And that is…”

“You’ll see.”

It’s when you intertwine your fingers with Donghyuck and beams at him, that he knows he’s ready to confess again.

You did promise that he would see. Well, not only Donghyuck but the whole student body as well. A week after that weird interaction with Renjun, there is an article about you in the school’s official website, first page. It was also mentioned on the school’s newsletter and official social media pages. It was not only an article about you, but about Chenle, Jisung, Mina, Taeyong… All of you at the Funfair.

Donghyuck had to admit that when you told him your idea at first, he didn’t think you would go through with that. You wanted to tell the others the stories that the Funfair had seen throughout the years throughout an article and later, compile them in a book of memories, with pictures, messages, notes, stories about the place. He really didn’t think you would go through with that considering how much time and planning something like that takes, but, somehow, you did it.

It’s your last day. You spent the past month talking to people, curating pictures, writing, organizing schedules… you were tired, but it was all worth it. You wanted to let this old beaten up park tell the stories it held, even if it was gone. That’s why now, when the lights are already off and Taeyong is only waiting for you to come outside and lock the side door for one last time, you hand him a book with a small bow on top. You see, a little far from where you stand, your friends looking at each other confused, Yeri particularly impatient to go home.

“I want you to have this.” Taeyong looks at you confused. “It was a lot of work to get this done, especially because I’m not very artsy, but I think I owe you this one.”

He opens the book only to find, in a very neat handwriting, the words “Sunny’s memories” written. He looks between you and the book, slightly confused about what it is about, but when he flips the next page, he smiles. He finds a picture of him, Doyoung and Yuta taken many years ago. There were a few arrows connecting their faces to the words “boss”, “manager #1”, “manager #2”.

On the side, there was a small text about each one of them, how they ended up working there, what were their thoughts about the job and their favorite memory there. Every piece of information you gathered in these months working at the park was there, even some of the stories your boss has told you. Taeyong keeps flipping the pages, only to find more pictures of each one of you working there, your names, your thoughts, your memories, all written as if it was from Sunny’s perspective. He looks at you with watery eyes and pulls you to a hug.

“What it’s all this?” He sniffs.

“That day, when you showed us the pictures, I realized places hold stories and this one had many to tell.” You smile and he pats your head. “I know you didn’t want to close the park and let everybody move on as if it never mattered to anyone because it did. To some of us, at least. You did a great job, boss.”

“Oh, kid.” He sniffs and once again hugs you. “It’s perfect!” Taeyong said happily, taking you and his present towards the others. “Everybody, you need to see this!”

Now, after Sunny closed down, you are back to square one.

It’s a Friday night and you were invited to a party, but you managed to convince Donghyuck to stay at his apartment with you. You certainly needed a distraction after another week of failed attempts at getting a job and you know Donghyuck is much more entertaining than any party.

Your relationship status is still pretty much complicated. Even though it was already clear that you both liked each other, Donghyuck still hasn’t asked you the question, waiting for the right moment. It was really hard for him not to cross the friendship line, though, especially when, more often than not, he has make out sessions with you on his couch.

The worst for Donghyuck is how your friends have been keeping their promise of not meddling, but making sure of judging the both of you each time you deny you’re dating while Donghyuck’s hands are intertwined with yours. Tonight, with Jeno away at a party, you have his apartment all to yourselves and Donghyuck decides to make the most out of it. He needs to confess today.

“Hi.” You smile, showing him the take out bag you’re carrying when he opens the door. Your smile falters when you see him frown. “Am I too early? I can-”

“I thought I was supposed to pick you up.” He pouts, moving to the side to let you go inside. “And you shouldn’t have brought take out, I told you I could cook for us.”

“Oh my god, I barely got here and you’re complaining already?” You put the take out on the kitchen counter and go wash your hands.

“It’s just that you’re ruining my plans.” Donghyuck says while peeking inside the bag. “Is this…”

“Yeah, your favorite, kimchi-jjigae.” You turn around to look at him when you hear his groan. “What, now?”

“I had the whole thing planned, you just-”

“Well, maybe you should have told me then!” You scoff. “I just wanted to make something nice for you because I know your new job at the office is killing you, but I’m sorry I guess?”

You start to feel frustrated at his reaction. You were expecting tight hugs, warm smiles and maybe some cuddles, but all Donghyuck has done in the past few minutes is complain and blame you for ruining something you didn’t even know that existed. He senses your frustration and sadness and just quietly holds your hand.

“I’m sorry.” He mumbles, not really looking at you. “It’s just that I really wanted to do something nice for you too.”

“You always do nice things for me. You’re too nice to me.” You say, turning around to grab bowls to pour the food in. “I got this one.”

Despite Donghyuck’s plan of picking you up, bringing you to his apartment, cooking your favorite food and confessing the words that he has been dying to say failed, he still needs to do it tonight. Well, after months of pining, it was now or never. If you reject him again, he needs to be ready to move on.

“How’s the job?” You ask before taking a bite of your food.

“Hell.” He answers, groaning. “I don’t know why I thought it would be a good idea to study business. I hate that job.”

“Do you really hate the job or do you just hate the boss?” You raise an eyebrow, knowing fully well that Donghyuck doesn’t really hate what he does, he just can’t stand the presumptuous guys in his office, treating him like garbage just because he’s an intern.

“What about you?” He frowns when he sees you pouting at your food. “I don’t like this face.”

“Yeah, me neither.” You laugh humorlessly.

“I told you, give me five years and you can be my trophy wife.” He jokes, knowing how much you hate the idea.

“Wow, five? That much?”

“I can compromise and make it three if you don’t want kids in the future.” You laugh at his words and try to kick his leg from under the table, but he traps you.

You keep moving between topics because it was just that easy to talk to him. You mentioned how you had seen Mina and Jisung at the campus the other day and Donghyuck points out how he thinks they’re going to get married before graduation. You disagree, Jisung is still a kid. Then, he mentions how he had often seen Chenle around his office, only to find out later that the company he worked at was his grandfather’s. After the Funfair closed, he started working at the family’s company, but Donghyuck says that they are in different departments. You asked about his family that you haven’t met yet, but always heard stories about, and he tells you everything about his younger brother’s record card and his middle sister’s new boyfriend. He doesn’t forget to mention Jeno’s friends with benefits situation, and that he only found out after finding lingerie lost in the washing machine.

After dinner, Donghyuck suggests teaching you poker for the tenth time, which makes you slightly annoyed because, at this point, you just hate the game. You are both sitting on the floor and he is leaning his back on the couch while you are seated between his legs. He says the proximity is for “pedagogical purposes”.

“No, honey,” He stops your movement by putting his arm around your body and pulling you closer to him. “Look at my cards! I’m showing you my cards!”

“I don’t know what your cards mean!” You groan as you throw your cards on the pile in front of you and lean your head on his shoulder. “I wanna play rummy.”

“It's a children's game.”

“Well, it’s the only one I know how to play!” you exclaim, easily convincing him with a kiss on his cheek.

You realize playing games is not working very well because you shouldn’t see each other's cards, but that’s a very hard feature to achieve when you don’t want to move away from each other. Eventually, you also get tired of Donghyuck constantly cheating and just suggest that you watch a movie instead.

“Should we watch Monsters University?” you ask, leaning your head on his shoulder and he nods.

“Let’s go, Mike Wazowski!”

You move to the couch, complaining about being too uncomfortable for your butt, and at the end of the movie, you are both sprawled on his couch, with a blanket over you and your legs tangled. You see his eyes closed and smile at how tired he must be, but still chose to spend the night with you. He is close enough for you to nuzzle against his neck, making him stir at the sudden contact. You don’t smell his cologne, but the faint smell of your favorite lavender soap is there, making you smile against his neck.

“A penny for your thoughts?” He asks, running his hands from your nape down your spine.

“You owe me so many pennies.” You joke and he smiles. “I’m just thinking that I’m happy.”

Things didn’t happen the way you wanted from the beginning. You still feel like your life is a mess and sometimes you really think it will be the end soon. But you don't need to think that you’re alone anymore. Not when you have your friends. Not when you have him.

“I’m happy too.” He hums and a comfortable silence rests between you, the only sound is the music from the movie credits on the TV.

You think you are about to drift off to sleep, when Donghyuck stops his hands on the middle of your back and, because you're still nuzzled around his neck, you feel his pulse quickening. You hear him gulp a feel times before he has the courage to speak.

“There’s something that would make me happier.” He cautiously changes your positions, so he can face you when whispering the question he has been dying to ask and you have been dying to hear. “Do you wanna date me?”

“Do you know how impossible it is to say ‘no’ to you?” You kiss his cheek and he closes his eyes, feeling relieved already. “It’s especially unfair when you keep me so close like this.”

When you close the gap between you, holding his face tenderly and giving him the sweetest kiss he has ever tasted, he knows he has won. He definitely has. He moves, making you lie down under him, and as he kisses your neck, he says:

“All is fair in love and war, honey.”

Donghyuck has always tried to communicate with Jeno not only because they are childhood friends and roommates but because they also need privacy. Everybody does. So when Donghyuck tells his friend that he will be away for two days because of a conference, Jeno understands that he will have the apartment all to himself.

What Donghyuck doesn’t expect is to get an email as soon as he arrives at the airport telling him that the conference was canceled and he should head back to the office. He gets so mad that nothing would make him more happy than just killing his boss. He shouldn’t though, because he had promised to make you his trophy wife in five years, so he needs to get a promotion soon. He smiles, thinking of you, and decides to pick you up today.

Even after months of dating, he was still pretty much elated to say that he could pick up his girlfriend at work. His girlfriend. As soon as he pulls up in front of the office’s building, you send him a message.

[mike wasowski - 5:35 p.m] are you here already?

[donghyuck - 5:35 p.m] just got here babe.

[donghyuck - 5:35 p.m] ready?

[mike wasowski - 5:36 p.m] can you give me 15 more minutes?

[donghyuck - 5:36 p.m] i’ll be in the parking lot.

He smiles as he sees you exiting the building wearing a scowl. Oh, he was so ready for your work gossip. Your scrunched up face doesn’t last long, because you can’t help but smile when you see him waving at you. You run to him, hugging him tightly and kissing his lips tenderly, which is his favorite part.

“Hi, girlfriend.” He steals one more kiss from you, making you smile.

“Hi, boyfriend.” You smile, pushing him away from you and opening the car’s door. “Let’s go, I need to tell you what that bitch made me do today.”

That's how you spend the whole drive to his apartment, complaining about one of the managers that keeps making redo things, only to say that you’re slacking off and never get things done. ‘I could get things done if she didn’t keep asking me to solve problems that don’t even exist’, you would always say. He let you vent your pent up anger, so he would do the same about his coworkers.

You had finally found a job at a publishing house, a small one, and it wasn’t exactly the experience as a journalist that you wanted to have, but learning about publishing and editing is surely something positive and way more useful than working at a café like you used to. When life closes a door, it opens a window.

And your boyfriend is very proud of you not only for taking his advice and applying for your current job, but also for admitting that he is very smart. Donghyuck is smart in a lot of areas, it’s just that when it comes to you, he gets a little stupid. That’s why you get to his apartment and see something both of you shouldn’t. You really, really shouldn’t.

“WHAT THE FUCK, JENO?” Donghyuck screams and you run to the kitchen, thinking something bad happened. “NO BABE, DON’T COME, CLOSE YOUR EYES!” He puts his hands on your face before you can even understand what’s going on.

“WHAT THE FUCK, DONGHYUCK? YOU TOLD ME YOU’D BE AWAY FOR TWO DAYS.” Jeno screams back, hurriedly looking for his shirt to cover himself.

“I DIDN’T KNOW YOU WOULD BE BALLS DEEP INSIDE SOMEONE ON THE KITCHEN COUNTER!” You fight him, trying to take his hands off your face, but Donghyuck is faster than you. “Don’t try to look, what are you trying to look at?”

“Jeno, I-” The girl sitting on the counter looks mortified.

“I’m not trying to see anything, I’m trying to set free because you’re crushing my skull.” You keep moving, trying to fight him while Jeno and the girl are putting their clothes on.

“I know you’re tryna see Jeno naked. I’m your boyfriend, the only dick you’re allowed to see is mine.” He keeps his hand pressed against your eyes making you whine even more.

“Stop being a freak! You’re just pressing my eyes too aggressively.” You reach forward, trying to find his face. “And what about you? Uh? Are you trying to see Jeno’s girlfriend naked? I’m the only one you’re allowed to see naked.”

“He’s not my boyfriend.” “She’s not my girlfriend.” Both of them say at the same time, looking at each other sheepishly, while you and Donghyuck keep bickering at the kitchen's door.

“IF I CAN'T SEE JENO’S DICK, YOU CAN’T SEE HIS GIRLFRIENDS BOOBS!” You say, accidentally slapping his face as you try to cover his eyes as well.

“Are you SLAPPING me because I won’t let you see JENO’S DICK?” Donghyuck complains.

“I SLAPPED YOU BECAUSE I CAN’T SEE SHIT, YOU MOTHERFUC-”

He cuts you off by kissing your lips and pushing you to the hallway, warning the ones left behind: “JUST CLEAN EVERYTHING WHEN YOU’RE DONE!”

Donghyuck thinks that the first step before turning you into his trophy wife is buying his own place.

#nct fluff #nct scenarios #nct drabbles #nct timestamps #nct dream fanfic #nct dream fluff #haechan drabbles #haechan fluff #nct dream scenarios #nct x reader #haechan scenarios

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yourwosogirly · 10 months

Text

Thunder and lightning - Lucy Bronze

Just somet I came up with just a few mo’s ago

Word count: 1.1k

As you made your way down the wooden hallway of the house you and Lucy shared in Barcelona, the sound of your footsteps created a gentle pitter-patter. The familiar creaks of the floorboards echoed through the quiet space.

However, the soft sound of your footsteps couldn't compete with the deafening rumbles of thunder in the distance. With each rumble, your body instinctively flinched, the sudden noise causing a jolt of fear to course through your veins.

Like many children growing up, you too had your own fear that, looking back, seems quite silly and even cringe-worthy. It was thunderstorms and lightning that used to send shivers down your spine.

Regrettably, you never outgrew this fear, leading to moments of embarrassment and laughter when the secret was revealed to others.You couldn't shake it off, no matter how hard you tried. It was undoubtedly a personal struggle, one that made you question yourself.However, you were fortunate to have a supportive circle of people around you who never made you feel like an outcast or labeled you as weird. Their understanding and acceptance provided a comforting refuge amidst your ongoing battle with this fear.

Just talking or even thinking about thunderstorms and lightning still makes your body shiver uncontrollably. It’s one of those moments in life when you have to give yourself a rain check and acknowledge that, in someone else’s mind, your fear meant nothing to them.

Not only was you afraid of the storm, but there was another fear lingering within you.Usually, you would have already resulted to Lucy’s embrace for a sense of comfort,but tonight was different. We had made the decision, long before this stormy night, to sleep in separate beds following an argument we had.

It was an ordinary occurrence for us to have a disagreement, just like any other couple. However, neither of us could recall the specific reason behind our argument. Nonetheless, our stubbornness prevented either of us from extending an apology to the other.

You knocked on the door with a gentle touch, hoping for a response. When no answer came from the other side, you understood the circumstances and pushed against the door slightly. Holding onto the soft blanket draped over your shoulders, you maintained a firm grip as the door creaked open, causing you to wince at the sound. However, your girlfriend remained undisturbed, still peacefully asleep despite the noise.

You experienced a whirlwind of emotions as you gazed upon the love of your life, peacefully slumbering on her side, tightly clutching her pillow. Your countenance softened at the sight of this remarkable woman who exuded a dominant aura, now appearing serene and gentle. However, a tinge of envy welled up within you as you couldn't help but marvel at her ability to sleep so deeply, seemingly unaffected by the weather outside.

Quietly, you made your way deeper into the room, attempting to be as cautious as possible not to disturb her peaceful sleep. In your mind, you silently prayed and wished that she would remain undisturbed as you navigated around the room, specifically over to the right side of the bed—the spot that Lucy had always refused to lie on.

Fortunately, you managed to be successful without waking her, prompting a sigh of relief that released the invisible burden your fatigued body had been unknowingly carrying within your lungs.

You quietly maneuvered your way into her bed, gently lifting the covers and settling myself down to align your body with Lucy's. With delicate precision,you shifted her arm that was obstructing your path and nestled yourself against her chest, relishing in the soothing rhythm of her gentle breaths. To your delight, she instinctively wrapped her arm around me, pulling me closer, and tenderly rested her chin upon your head, causing your eyes to flutter closed in contentment.

In the midst of the raging storm outside, her gentle touch washed over you, instantly dispelling your mounting fears. The chaos and uncertainty that loomed over our little haven seemed to fade away, replaced by a comforting sense of tranquillity.

Gently, you slid your hands beneath her shoulders, carefully positioning myself to provide comfort. With my left arm, I began to caress her back in soft, soothing motions, aiming to alleviate the heat that emanated from her body.

In an effort to block out the chaos around me, my focus remained solely on Luce. Humming softly in her ear, I sensed her slight stirring as she began to awaken, sensing the shift in our gentle touches and the soothing connection that formed between us.

"Baby, what's going on?" Lucy asked, her voice filled with concern as she woke up, instantly aware of the fear radiating from me. She shifted closer, wrapping her arm around me, providing a sense of comfort and security.

"There's a storm," I whispered quietly, my voice barely audible as I fiddled with my hands, suddenly overcome by embarrassment at my own admission. Despite knowing that Lucy was well aware of my fear, I couldn't help but feel self-conscious about expressing it.

With my gaze fixed on the ground, refusing to look at her, I didn't notice the realization that washed over Lucy's face. Her eyes followed my trembling form, and it was then that she turned her attention to the pouring rain outside, understanding the source of my distress.

"I'm sorry, my love," she apologized immediately, suddenly being overwhelmed with guilt for not realising my affection for the storm brewing outside the glass windows.

Though, I myself didn’t blame her since there was no way she would’ve noticed.

"It's not your fault," I shook my head instinctively, rejecting Lucy's inclination to blame herself.

"No, baby, it's not. I shouldn't have argued with you in the first place. If I hadn't, you would have been in my arms, safe and sound," she justified.

"Its okay baby,I've got you now," I sighed wearily, resting my head on her chest. I hoped that she would understand my silent plea for her to remain quiet, as all I desired at that moment was to be enveloped in her comforting embrace and escape from the burdens of the world.

"What can I do to help you?" Lucy sighed softly, her chin resting on the top of my head as we sought solace in each other's embrace. We nestled closer, seeking comfort and warmth.

She knew everything about me inside and out, we had no secrets, that’s how our relationship had lasted so long and including that she knew exactly what would calm me down and help me in situations like these but a big part of it was what I wanted and what I needed.

“Mhm, just hold me and talk about anything," I mumbled into her chest, seeking refuge from the storm. I didn't care what she talked about; her voice alone was enough to distract me from the thunderous chaos while a smile graced her lips.

"Do you want me to sing to you, baby?" she suggested, her face lighting up with a sudden burst of inspiration. I nodded eagerly, desperate for anything that might alleviate the relentless pounding of my heart.

She inhaled deeply, and as her voice filled the room, it instantly calmed my troubled soul. A smile spread across my face, breaking the tension, as I recognized the familiar melody of the song.

Cars outside

That song held deep significance in both of our hearts.

Unless you pack your bags

You're coming with me

I had the sense that every couple possessed a special song that was uniquely theirs.

I’m tired of loving from afar

And never being where you are

Ours were most definitely cars outside.

Close the windows, lock the doors

Don’t wanna leave you anymore

Even before we officially started dating, it had remained a constant presence in our lives.

Ooh-ooh, ah

Our connection grew even stronger once we finally came together.

Don’t wanna leave you anymore

As the last lyrics drifted off her lips, a loving smile adorned Lucy's face as she looked down at me. With gentle care, she brushed a stray strand of hair out of my face, a gesture that brought me a sense of comfort and peace. My body, finally surrendering to the tranquillity she had provided, succumbed to a much-needed sleep.

“Sleep tight, baby”

#woso x reader #woso fanfics #woso imagine #woso one shot #lucy bronze x reader #lucy bronze imagine

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goldenseresinretriever · 21 days

Text

False Confidence: Chapter 2

Pairing: Javy “Coyote” Machado x Reader

Part of the San Diego Dogfighters universe

Summary: The Athletic named Javy Machado the fifth sluttiest player in the NHL last year. He’s a known playboy who leaves every game with a different girl. As far as he’s concerned he’s living the dream, playing his dream job with the dream lifestyle. Unfortunately his friends and bosses don’t agree. At 33, they think it’s time for him to settle down. You’re a kindergarten teacher at an esteemed private school. You don't expect much when you finally accept your colleague’s invitation to attend her husband’s hockey game but when you accidentally get separated in the post-game rush, you find yourself in a compromising situation with the last person you’d ever expected to meet. When his PR rep suggests a mutually beneficial agreement, your hands are tied. How long will you have to keep up the act? And how long will you be able to?

Series CW: 18+ ONLY, swearing, discussion of sexual harassment, angst, fluff, fake relationship, suggestive language, school system inaccuracies, hockey inaccuracies etc. There will be individual chapter warnings. No use of Y/N.

Word Count: 4.7k

A/N: What if instead of a teaser, I posted the chapter, hmmmm?

Previous Chapter // Series Masterlist // Next Chapter

Everyone’s waiting for your answer but your head is spinning. The silence stretches for just shy of too long before you finally clear your throat. “Can I have a minute?” You stand, shakily, pushing your chair back and making for the door. You curl your fingers around Josie’s wrist as you pass her, tugging her after you. No one tries to stop you and when you exit into the hallway, it’s empty. You glance in both directions, find them unfamiliar and then just pick one, dragging Josie behind you. Once you think you’re out of earshot of the office, you round on Josie who’s regarding you calmly. Your hands are still trembling but you can’t hide your anger anymore and you snap. “What were you thinking!” You snap and Josie’s eyes widen in surprise. Your voice trembles but the bite is still there. “First you tell me to sue him for sexual assault and now you want me to date him?!” Josie sighs, rolling her eyes.

“You really think that little of me, Roadie? Look, what he did was fucked up, and I knew you wouldn’t want to press charges because you’re well, you, but I want to support you if that’s something you really want. Either way he deserves to pay for what he did. If you don’t want to take this to court that’s fine, but why not benefit from this? You said it yourself, you’re worried about Dan’s rule, so play the system. Also, I didn’t say you should date him because I wouldn’t wish that fate on my worst enemy, I said to fake date him. It’s just a game, like playing pretend. It’s January, Dan makes his decisions on renewals by April at the latest and then maybe you stick with it until the end of the year and then you can say you broke up over summer break and it’s over. Plus it’s perfect, just have him show up to a few school events. It doesn’t have to be everyone since he has a career that has him traveling most of the year, so you have a good reason when you don’t bring him to something. And since he’ll be gone most of the time anyway, you don’t have to put much effort into the ruse.”

“Plus,” she gives you a rueful smile. “As much as it pains me to say it, Javy’s not such a bad guy. I don’t approve of his choices but I know from seeing him with the guys and Zam especially, he’s got a good heart. When he says he’s sorry and that he didn’t mean to hurt you, I think he means it. The guy has three sisters for heaven’s sake. I wouldn’t even think of suggesting this if I didn’t trust him in some capacity. And like I said, it’s not like you’re actually dating him.” She shrugs again.

“I couldn’t do something like that. Using someone that way? It’s not right.” Your heart squeezes as you force the words out and you try your best to ignore the way your voice shakes. Josie gives you a pointed look.

“He’s using you too, remember? Zam needs him to fix his reputation. A steady girlfriend is exactly what he needs, or at least the illusion of one.”

“Does he need it, or does the team?” Your words have more bite than you intended and Josie regards you curiously.

“He is the team. It’s his job, the way your teaching position is yours.” She says coolly. “I’m not going to force you one way or another, but I’m just saying, an opportunity like this isn’t going to come around again.” Your stomach is a tangle of nerves as Josie goes back inside and you consider her words. It would be mutually beneficial for both of your jobs, and he clearly wasn’t attracted to you, so perhaps some kind of agreement wouldn’t hurt. You can’t believe you’re actually considering this but you think about your kids, your classroom, and your job that you really do love. If this was what you had to do to guarantee that you kept it, you could play the game. Your kids are everything and you take great pride in your work. As a kindergarten teacher, you’re the kids’ first impression of the school and you take that job very seriously. The idea of having to hand that over to someone else makes your heart twist painfully in your chest. You can do this for them.

“Hey,” a voice breaks through your train of thought and you jump in surprise. Javy holds his hands up in front of him, backing up a step to give you space. “Easy, I didn’t mean to scare you, I’m not going to hurt you.” He says, brown eyes widening at your terrified expression. You feel your body curl into itself instinctively and see a flicker in his eyes that you can’t read. “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.” He says slowly, eyes running over your figure but not in a scrutinizing way. If you didn’t know better, you’d think he was checking you over. “So,” he says, posture relaxing as he leans a shoulder against the wall as he regards you. “How are you feeling about this agreement?”

You pick at the fabric of the skirt of the dress, averting your eyes so you don’t have to look at him. After it’s been a little too long without you answering you give a slight shrug before you force the words out, your voice quiet. “I really love my job. I don’t want to lose it.” It’s not an answer, not really but he nods slowly as you chance a peek at his face to see his reaction. He catches your gaze and gives you a small smile. It feels like the first peek of the sun through an overcast sky after a storm. It sends an unexpected droplet of warmth plummeting straight into your stomach. You find that you don’t want to escape his gaze nearly as much after seeing that soft quirk of his lips. Cautiously, you turn to face him fully and watch as the corners of his mouth slowly tick up in tandem. The clouds move apart and as you’re bathed in his warmth, you wonder what it would feel like to experience the full force of his smile. You think it might destroy you.

“What about you?” You don’t recognize your voice when you find it. You clear your throat and try again. “How are you feeling about the agreement?” He shrugs his broad shoulders.

“There are worse things.” You suppress the urge to flinch at his casual words that send a slice of cold down your spine. “Zam’s been on my ass for months about settling down, that’s true.”

He pauses so you ask, “And you wouldn’t rather have an actual girlfriend? A real one, I mean.” He gives you a curious look.

“I could ask you the same thing,” he points out and you feel your cheeks heat as you avert your gaze from the intensity of his.

“No,” you answer softly. “I wouldn’t.” You don’t offer any additional explanation so he just nods.

“Well, I wouldn’t either.” He says and you realize you’ve unintentionally placed the two of you at a stalemate. “So, that’s it then?” He asks, finally breaking the silence. “We’re doing this?” You swallow hard before nodding firmly.

“We’re doing this.” He nods back before extending a hand into the buffer of space he’d left between the two of you. You stare at it for a long moment before extending one of your own. He holds his hand still, leaving it to you to wrap your digits around his larger ones. He curls his around yours then and you’re reminded of how they felt on your hips, pressing into the flesh like a potter molding clay. When he shakes your hand you watch the muscles flex in his arm and wonder if you’ve unknowingly thrown yourself into the deep end, condemned to a death by drowning.

“Hi, I’m Javy, nice to meet you.” Even though he’s told you his name once before, this feels different. You introduce yourself as well. It feels odd. You’ve known him before ever being introduced. This feels different, almost like the air between the two you had shifted. He lets go of your hand as quickly as he grips it and holds out his hand back towards Zam’s office.

“Shall we?” He asks and you nod, turning to go ahead of him. You feel the ghost of fingertips against the small of your back and you stiffen instinctively at the unexpected contact. “Shit, sorry, I didn’t mean to,” he apologizes instantly, pulling his fingers away. “I’m a naturally touchy guy. It’s a bad habit, I’ll try to be more aware of it if it makes you uncomfortable.” He sounds genuinely apologetic and maybe a tiny bit embarrassed. He holds the door to the office open for you as you both enter and you square your shoulders, willing them not to shake as you approach Zam’s desk.

“I’ll do it.” Zam looks surprised but nods before turning to Javy.

“Javy?” You don’t turn to look at him but the pause before his answer tells you he’s nodding.

“I’ll do it.”

“Good,” Zam says, not sounding very convincing before she tries again. “Good. I’ll draw up something official that the two of you can sign. In the meantime, the two of you should get to know each other. Javy, I’ll arrange a press conference at which you’re going to address the photos and ask the press as well as your fans to respect your girlfriend’s privacy. After that you’ll need to start appearing together in public: dates, Roadie you’ll need to start attending home games and maybe even an away game or two where your schedule permits.” Your brain starts getting hazy as the weight of what you’ve just signed up for settles onto your shoulders. Zam’s still speaking but your brain is louder as it gets heavier and then Zam’s dismissing everyone.

You feel Josie’s hand on your shoulder, steering you towards the door. You file out of the office with everyone else and follow behind Josie, your mind still so busy that you don’t hear the calling of your name until a hand curls around your wrist and you jump, letting out a squeak of surprise. The hand retreats instantly and Javy gives you a guilty look. “Sorry, but you weren’t answering.” He scratches the back of his neck. You give him a shy nod, twisting your hands in front of you. “I don’t have your phone number. I figured that’s probably important.” You fumble to extricate your phone from your purse, tapping at the screen with trembling fingers before handing it to him. He inputs the digits with ease before handing the phone back. “Cool, well I’ll be in touch.” He says before giving you one last smile before turning to jog down the hallway in the opposite direction.

Once he’s gone you look down at your phone, and your eyes widen as you see what he’s done. Your texts are open to a new conversation with a contact named “Big Sexy ;)” with a single bubble from your side of the chain reading “How’s dinner sound?” Your phone chimes and a message pops up from the opposite side of the screen.

“It would be my pleasure.” Followed by an unfamiliar address. Your breath catches in your throat. Not for the first time today you wonder if you’re in over your head.

***

Your kitchen looks like a hurricane’s gone through it. The result of the storm perches on the corner of the counter, prompt seated in a frilly baking dish. The lemon-blueberry loaf fills the space with a delicious aroma as you frown at your reflection. You’d finally invested in a full-length mirror at Josie’s behest and you’re still getting used to using it. You smooth your hands down the surface of your light-wash jeans, resisting the urge to tug at the sweater you’re wearing as you regard your reflection. Your eyes shift to the sliver of the kitchen that you can catch in the mirror and frown at the mess. You’re a stress baker and so far today you have the loaf you’re taking to Javy’s along with muffins for your class tomorrow and another tray for the teachers. You glance at the clock on the wall and grimace. If you don’t leave now you’ll be late and you don’t need that extra stress on top of everything else on your mind tonight. You begrudgingly grab your purse and the loaf pan, heading out as the sun starts to paint the sky with the warm pallet of sunset.

***

You googled the apartment complex before you left but that doesn’t stop you from craning your neck up at the impressive reflective surface of the luxury apartment building. It’s smack in the middle of downtown San Diego and you’d passed a packed highway of commuters heading in the opposite direction on your way here. As you step into the opulent lobby, you feel severely underdressed, especially as you approach the front desk. You’ve never seen an apartment with a front desk but then again you’ve never had reason to interact with the extremely wealthy aside from teaching their children. The woman at the front desk doesn’t look much younger than you but she could be older. It would make sense that a job like this would age you less than corralling elementary schoolers all day.

“Can I help you?” She asks with a nasal voice that has everything to do with her pinched expression of thinly veiled disgust as she gives you a once-over that’s definitely not in her job description. You give her a tight-lipped smile in response.

“I’m here to see Javy Machado.” You consider calling him Mr. Machado but if he’s supposed to be your boyfriend you need to sound comfortable around him. Especially since this probably won’t be the last time you have to interact with… Emma. You find her name tag as she finishes her silent assessment of you, a pitying smile on her lips.

“Oh honey, you’re not going to need that.” She nods at the loaf pan in your hands. “It’s not the kind of cake he invited you over for.” She smirks like she’s won some sort of game and you wonder exactly how many girls she’s seen come through here. You plaster your polite smile on even harder, imagining her as one of your students’ mothers. You’re not sure where your confidence comes from but maybe Roadie, fake girlfriend to superstar hockey player Javy Machado is braver than Ms. Roadie, kindergarten teacher, because you respond coolly.

“I’d appreciate it if you let my boyfriend know I’m here, please, Emma. We have dinner plans.” She looks like she’s about to snort but then her expression changes completely and you don’t understand until she addresses someone who must be behind you.

“Mr. Machado! Good evening!” She chirps cheerfully and she reminds you of a baby bird. Desperate. You steel yourself and turn to face Javy, keeping your brave face in place as best as you can.

“Perfect timing, sweetheart.” The words sound clunky and unfamiliar in your mouth and you see Javy’s eyes widen almost imperceptibly before understanding fills them.

“Hey beautiful, ready for dinner?” He leans in then, eyes watching you carefully as if trying to convey his intentions before his warm lips meet your cheek in a chaste kiss that sets your skin ablaze in its wake. You give him a simple nod, words failing you as you turn over the casual term of endearment in your mind.

Emma’s watching your exchange with barely contained shock. Javy doesn’t even pay her a moment of attention, nodding to the left in silent instruction and you follow him to an elevator bay. You register then that his hands are full of takeout bags and you immediately wrestle one from his grasp as he juggles them to free a hand for the keypad to the elevator. “Thanks," he says and you arrange the bag in your arms. “I hope you like Cajun.” The smell escaping the bags hits your nose then and your nostrils fill with the rich, spicy scent and you feel a little of the tension slip out of your shoulders even though the smell is entirely foreign to you.

“I’ve never had it.” You admit as the elevator arrives and the two of you board it.

“Never?!” He looks surprised before it melts into a grin that knocks the air out of your lungs. “Well, then this is the perfect place to try it for the first time. Well, other than New Orleans.” He amends and you nod along. The two of you fall into silence as the elevator climbs. You notice then what he’s wearing as you stand on opposite sides of the elevator. You’d felt underdressed in the lobby but he’s dressed in a faded ASU shirt and athletic shoes over socks and slide sandals. He notices you looking and gives you a rueful look. “I was banking on having time to change before you got here.” He explains and you shake your head, dismissing his half-apology.

“It’s fine. It’s your house after all.” He smiles again and the silence is back before the door slides open onto an entryway. You’ve arrived straight into his apartment and you let your eyes explore the beginning of his home. The entryway is sparse and undecorated. It looks stiff, devoid of personality. There’s a hallway that turns out of sight to your left and a closed door to the right.

“That’s the spare bedroom.” He explains as he slips off his shoes and you follow suit. “It’s a weird layout but it suits my needs.” You’re not entirely sure what he means until you follow him down the hallway. Once it opens onto the living room you think you understand Javy Machado just a little bit more.

The living room is a complete 180 from the entryway. The furniture looks expensive and the floor-to-ceiling windows overlook a breathtaking view of the city but the end tables are littered with picture frames and the space has a distinct lived-in feel. You get the feeling that his overnight guests don’t make it this far into the apartment. He makes a beeline for the kitchen and you hurry to catch up with him. You manage to catch sight of at least one of the frames’ contents and a soft smile quirks at your lips. A younger Javy and Jake grin back at you. Their arms are slung over each other’s shoulders, faces sweaty, wearing red and gold hockey jerseys that you assume are from ASU given Javy’s shirt of the same color. You make your way into the kitchen where Javy’s opening the bags and accounting for all the food. He looks up when you come in, depositing the extra bag next to him and the loaf pan beside it. He snatches it up, groaning as he takes a deep sniff of the contents.

“Roadie, this smells delicious.” He remarks before excusing himself to his bedroom to change leaving you in the kitchen. Once you’re alone, you feel the nerves start to creep back in. You worry the hem of your sweater as you wait until a faint jingling reaches your ears and you turn just in time to see a wary black snout make its way around the corner into the kitchen. Of all the things you’ve seen so far in Javy’s apartment, this is the biggest surprise. The tiny dachshund regards you curiously and you do your best to manage your nerves, knowing the dog can definitely sense them and squat down.

“Hi there,” you whisper cautiously and the dog approaches carefully. You reach a hand out and she sniffs it suspiciously before licking at your fingers and you can’t help the giggle that escapes your lips. You catch sight of her collar as you scratch her head gently. “Roxie” it reads and you smile wider. “Hi there, Roxie, it's nice to meet you.” Roxie seems equally pleased and rolls over onto her belly to encourage further scratches and rubs. You’re so consumed with her that you don’t notice Javy return until Roxie squirms into your grasp to face her owner, giving a playful yip. He’s gaping at the two of you and you’re instantly nervous again. You stand quickly, dusting your hands off on your jeans.

“S-sorry I didn’t mean to intrude I just- She came in here so I just- I’m sorry.” You sputter but he’s still staring at Roxie before he slowly moves his gaze to you. Something unreadable passes through his eyes and then he shakes his head.

“No, it's fine I just, she was supposed to be in the laundry room. And I…” he trails off before continuing. “She doesn’t usually like other people, especially strangers.”

“Oh,”

“Yeah,” he says, looking back down at where Roxie’s sitting, regarding him with a cocked head on the floor. He looks back at you, expression unreadable. “Should we eat?” You nod and follow him to sit at the countertop. He pulls two bowls out of the cabinets and opens up some take-out soup containers. “How do you feel about seafood?” Your stomach drops as nerves twist your gut. He looks up and must see your expression because he just nods and grabs one of the containers, dishing the hearty-looking stew into a bowl before passing it to you. “That one’s just sausage. I didn’t know where you stood on seafood, so I got both.” Your heart aches slightly as you thank him and take the bowl. He fills his bowl from a different container before taking a seat next to you. “So, Roadie,” he says after taking a few bites in silence, “tell me about yourself.”

You squirm slightly in your seat. You’ve never been one to talk much about yourself so you decide to stick to the basics, and treat this like a job interview. It kind of is a job interview, except you’re interviewing for a position after taking it instead of before. “I’m almost thirty. I’m a kindergarten teacher at Acacia Academy. That’s how I know Josie and Reuben. Josie and I are colleagues and their daughter Skylar is in my class.” Javy nods, before asking.

“Do you like it? Teaching?” You nod vigorously and you think you see a ghost of a smile on his lips.

“My kids mean everything to me. I can’t imagine doing something else.” You admit and he nods again.

“What do you do other than work?” You give him a confused look so he clarifies. “What are your hobbies?”

“I’m an artist,” you answer easily. “It’s not in any way professional by any means, but I like doing it.” You shrug.

“What kind of art?” He asks and you shrug again.

“I work with lots of mediums, I don’t like being limited to just one.”

“What’s your favorite?”

“Painting,” you answer easily.

“Why?” He rests his chin on his hand and you feel pinned under his casual gaze. It feels odd, and unfamiliar, being the sole focus of his attention. It’s like walking to your car on a cloudless day and feeling every inch of your cool skin prickling under the unyielding warmth of the sun.

“It’s so versatile,” you explain, dropping your gaze to where your fingers pick at the napkin pinned under your bowl. There are so many styles and techniques and nothing is clear-cut. You’re not limited by the colors you have in front of you, everything can blend. Anything’s possible. The only limitation you have is your creativity.” An unreadable look passes through his eyes but then he’s back to normal. You don’t get long to dwell on it, though, before he’s back to asking you questions.

***

“So, you said your principal doesn’t care about making illegal rules because it’s a private school, so why not teach at a public school?” You fidget with your spoon, looking away from him before answering.

“Public schools aren’t really a good fit for me. I can’t get comfortable.” He doesn’t push and you’re thankful.

“Speaking of comfort, we should talk about how we’re going to do this.” At your confused expression, he elaborates. “Pretend to be in a relationship, I mean. For starters, if we’re really going to sell this, you can’t be jumping out of your skin every time I touch you. People are going to expect at least a little PDA.” He must see the wide-eyed dread on your face because he holds up a placating hand. “I’m not saying we have to make out every time there are cameras around, but holding hands, hugs, and the occasional kiss here and there are going to have to be something you’re comfortable with.” You nod, weakly. “That being said, if there’s anything specific you don’t want me doing, tell me. I don’t want you to be scared of me. We’re on the same team here. This doesn’t work if we’re not working together.” You nod, nervously. It wasn’t like this last time, this is all new territory for you. “If it’ll help you loosen up, we could just have sex. No strings attached, obviously, but if it’ll make you more comfortable-“

“NO.” Your voice comes out with more force than you intended it to, laced with terror as your heart hammers in your chest. What are you doing here? What were you thinking, agreeing to this? Of course, he’d expect you to have sex with him. He’s used to having a new girl every night. You’re losing the battle with your thoughts when Javy breaks right through them.

“Hey, HEY, easy Roadie, it was just a suggestion, we don’t have to.” He looks like he’s fighting the urge to grab your hands in his.

“Please,” you hate the way the word sounds. You want something to feel real. One first to be yours, truly yours. Clearly, he hates the way it sounds too because his face contorts into something unfamiliar before he nods.

“No sex, done.” He hesitates for a moment before he opens his mouth again, choosing his words carefully and you see a flash of rage in his eyes and you bristle in fear. “Roadie… I know I’m probably the last person you want to talk about this with, but I just,” he shakes his head, pushing forward. “Did, did someone hurt you?” You realize what the rage in his eyes is now. Not anger at you, for turning him down, but protectiveness. Because he’s taken your vehement refusal as something else. You faintly remember Josie mentioning that he has three sisters. Of course, that would be his first instinct. You shake your head quickly.

“No, no, it’s not that.” You can tell he doesn’t believe you and thinks you just don’t trust him as the fire in his eyes doesn’t dim.

“If you ever need someone to talk to, all the girls on the team are really sweet and would be willing to-“

“It’s not that.” You insist and you can tell he’s still unconvinced.

“Not that you have to talk to someone but I’m sure it might help-“

“JAVY, I’m a virgin.” You squeeze your eyes shut before blurting out the words, hiding from the shame that coats your throat in their wake. The silence between the two of you stretches long enough that eventually you crack open an eye to see his reaction, but there isn’t one. He’s just sitting there, waiting for you. You wrench your other eye, struggling to get comfortable in the silence. Your fingers twist together in your lap as you wait for him to say something.

“That wasn’t your first kiss, was it?” He says, finally and you can see the gears turning in his mind as he follows his new line of thinking but you shake your head.

“No, I, I’ve been kissed before. It’s just… it’s been a while. I’m a little out of practice.” He nods, contemplating something unspoken before he nods again and looks you straight in the eye.

“Roadie, can I kiss you?”

A/N: Aaaaaaaaa can he?????

#false confidence // sdd #fc // sdd #san diego dogfighters #san diego dogfighters au #san diego dogfighters hockey au #top gun maverick hockey au #top gun #top gun Maverick #TGM #javy machado x reader #javy machado x you #javy machado #javy coyote machado x you #javy coyote machado x reader #javy coyote machado #coyote x you #coyote x reader #no use of y/n

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ckret2 · 1 month

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this is a little bit of a bizarre question but the way you manage to “flesh out” characters while keeping them consistent is really remarkable to me!

I’m having a lot of trouble making characters feel less ‘one-dimensional’ (especially female characters…It’s like my mind just draws a blank)

I understand it helps that most of the characters you’re writing have pre established personalities, aesthetics, etc. but I still feel like you manage to make the characters your own in a believable way.

do you have any advice for someone with this issue? if not, just know that I’m really really loving Bill-Goldilocks-Cipher and always look forward to the next chapter!!!

so the first thing you have to do is get deeply deeply obsessed with the story and then you have to go on walks fantasizing feverishly about the characters

But more serious answer:

Advice #1: Just take whatever you already know about the character and dig dig dig dig dig.

Take Wendy. She's the cool girl. Her character concept when she was designed was The Cool Girl. She's such a cool girl that by the end of the series she's symbolically represented by a bag of ice. She also says in one episode that she's NOT laid back, she's stressed all the time, because of her family.

Why is a 24/7 stressed teenager trying to give off an air of being cool and chill? Why did she start? What's she getting out of it? Why does she feel the pressure to maintain that facade? If she's so stressed, what's going on inside her head when she interacts with people? Her friends? Her boss? In one episode, she responds to both a request to hang out at a carnival and a request to start a romantic relationship with "yeah, I guess so." It's so passive. Why's she so passive in her relationships? Especially when she's so outwardly tough and assertive? What's the source of this side of her that just goes along with what other people suggest with seemingly no interest of her own—again, including a ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP? How does this relate to her being the "cool girl"? How does this relate to her deliberate decision to portray herself as "the cool girl"? In one episode she gets a scrape and the FIRST THING she does is forcefully tell Dipper NOT to freak out—why is her priority hastening to reassure the people around her before taking care of herself? She's got three younger brothers—is that how she interacts with them? Is one of them scared of blood? Does she see Dipper like one of her little brothers? Elder sisters often get handed the responsibility to act like mini-moms at young ages—did that happen to Wendy? Her mom is GONE, did that INCREASE the pressure on her? Is that why her family stresses her? What's it like in that house? Being pushed into acting like a mini-mom is a very traditionally feminine role—nurturing—which is at odds with Wendy's kinda soft butch presentation and way of speaking/acting—but is it at odds with Wendy's overall behavior? Following along with what the guys do rather than deciding for herself, passively accepting romantic propositions rather than pursuing someone she actually wants? Is she comfortable in those roles or does she feel pushed into them? Does it grate at her? Does she ever want to act assertive rather than just appear like an assertive person? Why do we never see her "we're WOMEN and we TAKE WHAT WE WANT" side more than once—and is it significant that she only pulls that out when there aren't any guys around? Does being the cool girl—supportive, accepting, nurturing, passive—chafe at her? Why's she do it?

Just keep digging. Overanalyze those tiny character details. Tie them together. Become the "I've connected the two dots" "You didn't connect shit" "I've connected them" meme. You can, will, and must connect the two dots. Treat every character like a mystery to figure out.

But your starting point is always whatever you already know about the character. You're building off of that foundation. You throw NOTHING out the window, buster—EVERY detail is important. You're not just wholesale making shit up—you're extrapolating wildly from whatever you already have. Making shit up always feels unanchored and vague. I said in an ask a few days ago that I headcanon Wendy likes that "stomp clap hey" hipster music genre. I didn't grab that randomly. I grabbed it because when we see her bedroom, she's got a poster with a banjo on it; she's super stoked to go to the Woodstick festival, and when she shows some of the featured indie bands to Dipper she focuses on two of the hipsteriest-sounding ("Scarves Indoors," "Wood Grain on Everything") and the apparent headlining band is the Handlebar Bros (just look at them); and she desperately wants to move to Portland, which in 2012 was the hipster capitol of North America—that's the culture she wants to escape to. No making shit up!! BUILD OFF WHAT YOU HAVE.

And Advice #2: you're telling a story, here. You have a plotline. Shape your characters to serve the story you're telling. What kind of a story are you telling? I'm telling a story about the destructive consequences of being a "special" kid—gifted kids, child celebrities, pageant kids, kids pushed to fill adult roles too young—the perfectionism, the burnout, the fear that anything short of excellence is insufficiency, the need for external validation, seeking love through fame rather than intimacy. When I'm looking at shallow characters and seeing how to fit them into the story, I'm prodding at them to see whether anything we know about them holds the potential to comment on themes like that—and then, if they do, that gives me an direction to dig in that already personally fascinates me, because it helps me weave this character into the story I already want to tell. If a character doesn't inherently carry any of those themes—then what can I do with the contrast between this character and the others?

And then, sometimes, I'm telling a story about two guys getting hunted down by a tooth fairy that desperately wants to steal one's teeth and a dentist that's willing to do anything she says but not motivated to furiously avenge her when she's defeated. Now I've got to make up two characters completely from scratch, BUT I don't have to make them up aimlessly. I already know the exact shapes they need to be fill their assigned positions in the story—I know what they need to do to make the story work—and now I can build them from the edges in, to make them the kinds of people they need to be to perform the actions I want to serve the plot they're in. And from there I can build them just like any character—I take the things they need to be, the things I already know about them (the dentist obeys the fairy but doesn't want to avenge her) and I dig dig dig (why would he not want to avenge her if he's so obedient? Does he obey her out of obligation but not true loyalty? Why? What kind of a person does this make him?)

And the tl;dr of all of that advice is:

so the first thing you have to do is get deeply deeply obsessed with the story and then you have to go on walks fantasizing feverishly about the characters

#anonymous #ask #about my writing #bill goldilocks cipher

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hjemne · 7 months

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I could go on for years and years about Knives in Trimax, but THIS makes me physically unwell. Knives was the one who was constantly worrying that humans weren't going to accept him or Vash, and he was the one who first raised the question of becoming friends with humans, not Vash. When he asks Conrad (the second human he's ever met) what he thinks of him and Vash, there is a genuine fear of being rejected and is so relieved by Conrad's answer he cries. Knives is the sensitive, emotional child who needs the support of Vash, Rem and other humans to feel like he has a place in the world.

Conrad says if they can love someone with their whole heart, they'll be able to work and live together, but then what happens immediately after?

Knives and Vash discover Tesla. She is the only other Independent like them, and humans treated her like a science specimen and experimented on her body fell apart and she died horribly. Knives is 1 year old, and he's having to process THIS, knowing he can no longer trust any adult around him. Knives - again, remember he's the sensitive one - faints and Vash says he wishes he had also been able to cut himself off from the agony of the realisation too.

I absolutely adore that bottom panel of Knives' hope that they can coexist being stripped away. The boy he was just is not compatible with the world he finds himself in and this is the foundation of his adult self we see throughout the rest of Trimax.

With Knives unconscious, the focus then shifts to Vash who has the chance to confront Rem. It's incredibly significant that Knives is not part of that conversation and never lets himself be emotionally vulnerable around Rem again to have a similar talk with her where he might have been able to process his feelings like Vash did.

Vash actually tries to stab himself with a knife (and there's metaphors in that for someone else to unpack) and Rem prevents him, injuring herself in the process. Vash then turns against Rem and tries to kill her, severely wounding her and saying he won't shed a single tear for her before suddenly becoming overwhelmed by remorse and rushing to save her. Vash, who had been refusing food, then finally starts to eat as Rem tells him he's got a blank ticket to the future and not to throw his life away because there are good people out there. Only after Rem and Vash have come to this truce / understanding does Knives wake up.

He has realised that Rem not only knew about Tesla, not only kept her a secret, but was also involved in her abuse. He goes from having a heart absolutely bursting with love and hope, to learning that even the person he loved was capable of unspeakable violence against his kind. His childhood, his dreams, his support is all taken from him, and when Vash seems to forgive and forget, he's also cut off from the one person who could fully understand him. He either genuinely forgets or (what I think is more likely) pretends to have no memory of the discovery. This is where Knives is separated from both Vash and humans, and this is the point where he starts on his path of no return.

KNIVES was the one who loved humans, who was deeply deeply upset at the thought of not being accepted by them. When he finds Tesla, he realises he and Vash can never be fully accepted or fully safe, and his actions are driven from this (justified) fear of what people will do to him if they find him. But he knows he is stronger and smarter than humans, he knows that he has the power and ability to protect himself, Vash and future Independents from suffering Tesla's fate. Knives was and is right about humans posing an existential threat to Plants, both dependent and independent, and his decision to crash the ships was not done out of malice but terror. Knives NEVER took the first shot. If Tesla hadn't been murdered, I really, really doubt he would have turned out the way he did.

#Also I think it's worth pointing out that after their final battle #Knives takes on the blame for everything that happened #(especially for separating himself and Vash) and asks Vash to kill him because there's nothing left for him and no way to undo his actions #he was deeply deeply traumatised and still at the end is able to realise that that still doesnt justify the pain hes caused (esp Vash)#trimax knives makes me lose my goddamn mind and i hate what they did to him in tristamp if im honest #millions knives #trigun #trigun maximum #trigun knives #vash the stampede #trigun maximum spoilers #trimax spoilers #this is the last chapter of vol 6 and the first few of vol 7 if you're interested!

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sepublic · 11 months

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I feel like Philip is fundamentally someone who dislikes people and then looks for some deeper moral justification, rather than the other way around. Because as the Titan says, Philip isn’t genuine; He’s someone who only believes in his delusion to be the hero.

Some stranger named Evelyn shows up? Philip hates her and when he finds out she’s a witch, he latches onto THAT explanation to justify why he wanted her dead; It’s because Evelyn was an evil witch! Not because she took time with his brother Caleb, whom Philip felt entitled towards, away from him.

Philip HAS to be right, he HAS to have the moral high ground whenever he dislikes a person; He can’t accept that he’s in the wrong, or even that neither party is wrong, they just don’t gel with each other! Because he has to be the hero. The vindication that Evelyn was secretly an evil witch, because everyone who disagrees with him is secretly evil, was something Philip latched onto for the rest of his life.

Oh, Lilith broke his nose? It’s because she’s an evil, selfish witch! Not because Philip lied to and endangered Lilith and her niece Luz or anything! This world doesn’t bend over backwards for him? It’s because they’re evil. It’s a convenient excuse that makes Philip feel good, rather than something as mundane as “I just don’t like them.” Or “They just don’t like me.” Or even “I have to put in the work to convince them to like me, and even then I can’t actually force it.” Because that isn’t noble and grand enough for Mr. Hero Complex.

It feels like a Chicken or the Egg situation, with how people discuss whether Philip was informed first by his belief in Puritan scripture, which then informed his hatred, or the other way around. Me, I see it as the other way around, and I think it makes the most sense with what we see in canon, and who Philip is an allegory for (or rather, straight-up example of). He’s every Right-Wing Christian who selectively interprets the Bible to justify his hatred of queer people, while ignoring basically everything else about it; Because he isn’t being informed by the actual Bible, Philip isn’t making neutral observations and drawing together a conclusion!

He’s already decided upon a conclusion from the start; That witches are evil. And he selectively looks for stuff that will support this, because he isn’t really a man of science, applying the scientific method. Philip is not a rational person. His own memory photos depict a skewed perception of Caleb as a happy older brother who was misled; Yet we see in S3 how gaunt and miserable Caleb actually was.

But Philip doesn’t want to admit that Caleb was unhappy and made a decision for his own wellbeing; He’s stripping Caleb of any agency as the ideal older brother who was perfectly content with Gravesfield, basically a simple-minded sheep led astray by a false shepherd! Philip is the one removing nuance from Caleb and his story, suggesting Caleb was merely dazzled by a party trick, and not that he had legitimate problems with Gravesfield that would push him away from it.

Philip can’t comprehend why Caleb wouldn’t choose him, why Caleb would choose anyone or anything else over his brother, it bugs him to no end; Or rather, Philip could easily understand, because he’s excellent at getting into people’s heads and figuring them out to manipulate them.

He just doesn’t WANT to understand why Caleb did that, and so he’ll make copies of him, time and time again, until Philip settles upon a Caleb who provides the answer he wants to hear; That Caleb not only agrees, but will always choose Philip, even over himself. But Philip will never get what he wants, because he doesn’t want Caleb but an idea of him that never actually existed. He doesn’t want a person, just a mindless automaton, basically an Abomination.

He is quite literally haunted by the awareness, deep down, that HE is the one who did something wrong; Hence the ghosts, because Caleb’s opinion mattered the most (even if not much at all), so it’s the one he’s most obsessed with disproving/convincing. This man needs to be told he’s right, either by the brother who supported and raised him, or by fellow human Luz. That’s why he shows Luz and Hunter the truth in his memories, because Philip needs someone to see what he did and agree with him, but they never can because of the very nature of it. He’s so insecure he wants approval from people even as he kills them.

Philip secretly knows he’s the bad guy, so it’s not a matter of realizing it, it’s admitting and changing his actions in response to that, which he’ll never do. He feels judged by Caleb and the Grimwalkers, like a child that’s messed up and is hiding the evidence of his wrongdoing, because he secretly fears some sort of punishment. Because while I don’t consider Philip a true believer, it’s inevitable that he internalized some Puritan ideas about the world.

He’s still a kid whose understanding of morality is informed purely by the Carrot and the Stick, whether he’ll benefit, or whether he’ll be punished; Rather than any deeper attempt to engage with people out of legitimate compassion or understand them, because it all circles around to what happens to Philip at the end of the day. This wouldn’t be so inherently wrong if observed in a child, but the problem is that Philip is a grown man well past his natural lifespan, who never bothered to learn beyond this.

I remember seeing some people point to Philip’s long hair as proof he was an outcast who didn’t fit in, a tragic weirdo indoctrinated by society. But I wonder if it’s more along the lines of… Philip is a hypocrite, who doesn’t actually believe in his society’s norms; He’ll just cherry pick what they say to support his own beliefs. But he makes an exception for himself, like Republicans who push for homophobic legislation, yet are revealed to be homosexual themselves.

Philip isn’t motivated by real principles, just whatever is convenient to him at the moment, because it’s all about him and other people basically don’t really exist; They’re more dolls or NPCs than actual, breathing people with their own perspectives and dreams, just like Philip. As a result, he is every child who sees themselves as the center of the universe, and can’t comprehend why other people wouldn’t prioritize this obvious purpose. He is Luz, King, or the Collector, if they never learned to care about other people or understand their point of view; Instead, they only care about what people can do for them, rather than the people themselves.

#the owl house #emperor belos #philip wittebane #caleb wittebane #character analysis

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becausesomething · 8 days

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The Straw Hats' reaction

I'm back with what you asked, the crew and zoro reaction 🥺 (took a long time, but I don't forget about your requests, thank you for the support!)

You can read the 1st part here: The farewell letter

I run to the deck completely in a trance, and holding her scarf in her hand like my life depended on it. It was daytime, but I didn't see anyone. I hear voices coming from the kitchen and I burst in.

-Be careful, you idiot! - Nami shouts after slamming the door into the wall

-Y/N? Where is Y/N?

Everyone looked at me confused, except Luffy who continued to eat without worry.

Desperation turned to anger, she couldn't think, this couldn't be happening... Not when she managed to climb the walls she had built. When she showed me what it was like to love someone. When I got used to her presence and looked for her every night to calm my demons.

I go to Luffy and grab him by the vest with my free hand - How could you let her go? She is our companion, she belongs with us. Not risking her life alone and without protection.

Sanji and Usopp get up and try to separate me from Luffy, but I push them away and try to make Luffy face me - Why didn't you stop her? Why did she left without saying goodbye... just a letter that explains nothing. Answer Luffy! - my heart ached, this could only be a nightmare - What captain allows one of his companions to leave without an explanation or a goodbye?!

I no longer feel Sanji and Ussop trying to control me. Finally, everyone in that kitchen realizes what's happennig.

-Luffy?! - Nami's voice is weak but sincere like the day he gave her the hat to save her

-Y/N just went for one of her walks, right? - asks Chopper who was now pulling Luffy's shorts to get attention and answers

-The captain must have had his reasons, because they don't give him space to explain himself...-Robin says trying to calm down everyone

He pushes me away and puts the hat on his head.

-Y/N made her choice... I don't know when she will return, but she will never stop being a Straw Hat.

Those words couldn't be true. She was really gone. I felt like she had lost her ground.

Everyone looks at the captain with surprise, and without knowing how to react or what to say. Tears begin to stream down Nami and Chopper's faces, and Ussop quickly joins in. Robin, Franky exchanged glances with each other. Sanji lit a cigarette and looked at Luffy.

-Yohohohoho, our captain and his jokes. I'm sure this was just another one of Y/N's jokes

-Luffy, where is she? - Sanji asks calmly, smoking his cigarette - Let's change the route and bring her back.

-She made me promise not to go after her. She's not going back, not until she makes that decision.

All that pain filling every part of me, it wasn't easy to control myself. I was angry and feeling her scarf in my hand reminded me of her voice, her smile, her smell. Her presence that was gone...

-I won't accept this! - lead by the anger of having no concrete answers, I punch Luffy who doesn't dodge, hitting the wall and falling to the floor

-Mosshead, he's still our captain! - shouts Sanji who grabs me before attacking Luffy again

-Let go of him, Sanji! - he finally faces his nakamas, gets up and comes towards me. He puts his hand on my shoulder and tears start to run down his face - You swore you would become the best swordsman in the world and I promised I would help you. Y/N's moment is now. What captain would I be if I prevented everyone from realizing their dreams?

-But without saying goodbye... - I fall to my knees on the floor trying to accept reality

-We all share the same pain - Luffy faces each of his crew - We made a toast. She is our nakama. It doesn't matter how long she takes, because she will always have a place to return.

Find more stories here and here xoxo

english is not my first language, even thought I use it more than my native tongue. I try my best to adapt it 🫣

#one piece x reader #one piece #fanficbiiyue #straw hat pirates #zoro x reader

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unorthodoxx-page · 1 year

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So what made you decide where to put each turtle?

So, in the story the placement is meant to be ‘random’, but here are some of my character relationship reasons. LONG ANSWER BELOW!

Leo

His placement was one of the easiest to figure out. I feel like his character is loose enough to fit in with the Gaang on a peer level, but also experienced enough to act as a more adult figure in their group. Katara and Aang definitely look at Sokka as an older figure, but not an adult. Leo sort of fills that missing Adult roll even if they don’t realize it.

Raph

Raph and Toph was also easy. Raph just gives off the vibe of Earth. Stocky. Strong. Settled. He doesn’t question his decisions as much after the invasion. He’s also the perfect older figure for Toph. Everyone older in Toph’s life is overprotective and controlling. Raph gives Toph the space to be a kid (a dangerous kid) without smothering her. I also felt like they would play off each other well. Leo would’ve been a terrible influence on her if he landed there (I can already here “We’re not going to take it!” music playing as they take over the manor lmao). As it stands, Leo’s just (slightly) peeved that Raph’s acting so brotherly with her lol

(”I already have a sister,” Leo mumbles, “I don’t need another one. Especially not a know-it-all younger one.” “That’s you,” Raph sighs, “You literally just described yourself.” 😂🤣 )

Mikey & Donnie.....and Azula and Zuko lol

So Mikey and Donnie weren’t that difficult either. I believe Donnie and Azula was the first ‘pairing’ I decided in my drafts. Leo doesn’t have the compassion (or maybe patience is a better word) to deal with either Zuko or Azula. Raph might’ve gotten through to Zuko, but Zuko doesn’t need another supportive older person in his life (if that makes sense).

As for Azula, she wouldn’t respect Raph, because he can be easily manipulated through his emotions and gentle nature. I also think she would find an antagonist in Leo. Like, I just picture them fighting like cats and dogs. She would see his laidback demeanor as a cover to hide his intellect. She could never fully allow herself to trust or open up to him. Sort of the same for Leo. Azula’s nature would rub him the wrong way.

I also see Leo getting frustrated with Zuko’s stubbornness about his Nations participation in this war. He might feel some sympathy for both the siblings, but it wouldn’t be enough for him to stay.

Mikey though, has a big enough heart to try with Zuko. He doesn’t push the boy, but he’s also not needlessly vague (sorry Iroh) like Iroh is. He’ll push when he can, but the most important thing for me was the support. He gives it so easily to Zuko and I think it’s something Zuko needs outside of family. Mikey’s character also manages to find the fun in any situation, which is something Zuko is lacking as well (even though he fights it).

Azula, however, needs someone who can potentially see her as a monster, and still love her. I personally feel like a lot of people want to change who she is, and I don’t think that’s what she needs. She already believes herself to be a monster, so you’re only confirming that for her if she needs to change to be accepted. Donnie however, takes people as they are. He wouldn’t see a need to change her. He would just try to understand her and get what he needs from the Fire Nation, which is something Azula can respect.

But this simple acceptance of her nature allows her to open up in small ways. Sharing a book she hates, constant mentions of Zuko, allowing herself to be taught chess, requesting information on his behalf, etc.

I mean, he argues with her. No one in the show does it willingly. It’s why she’s so bad at it lol. It makes for fun character interactions though.

It’s just, out of all the brothers I thought would look at Azula and simply say “ok” was Donnie.

Hoped that answered some questions!

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dearshelby · 8 months

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In the next world | T.S x OC

Summary: Tommy lets Hazel, his childhood best friend, know about his tuberculoma diagnosis.

A/N: I introduced Hazel a long time ago and only wrote something for her now 😅 For some reason, just like I did with Eleanor, I started by her final act, or at least by the last time she saw Tommy, but I regret nothing lol

Hazel sat on the edge of bed watching Tommy putting his tie. Charlie and her son Louis played together downstairs, the Shelby boys had slept the previous night in her house so they could go together to the lunch Tommy organized with his family. The last one he'd be present, but no one knew that yet.

Being Charlie's godmother, she knew how upset the boy was with his father, he was reluctant to leave Lizzie alone in her hotel room to join the lunch and only agreed to because Hazel would be there. It was like he had three mothers, Grace, her and Lizzie, but no father.

"Tommy," she called, "don't you think it's time to let me know what's going on?"

"For someone who disappeared for two years without explanation you ask too much," he muttered with a cigarette between his lips.

"And when I came back you had joined the fascist party," she added, "you're never going to forgive me for that, are you?"

"Everything is forgiven,"

"I'm serious, Tommy," she insisted, "after the vendetta I needed space, my husband died, you were going to marry Lizzie and I- I needed to be away from this for a while!"

Slowly nodding, he peeked at her through the mirror. Every now and then he wondered how life could have been if she had accepted his wedding proposal at the time. Instead she ran away with her child and only came back when the stock market broke.

"But you know, I-" she hesitantly continued, "while I was away I thought about you every single day, about how you and Charlie were doing, but how could I call you after running away like that? Then I called Arthur and he said you were on holiday,"

"Holiday, that's right," he ironically answered.

"Anyway, that was eight years ago, now you're the one who's running away, you've been acting strange for weeks!"

Tommy sighed, putting his overcoat on and turning to her, "Do you really wanna know?"

"'Course I do,"

"I'm sick, Hazel," he admitted, "Tuberculoma. Inoperable. Only Arthur knows."

"...what?" she whispered.

"That's right, and when we're done eating I'll take a vargo, I'll go away and I'll finally rest,"

"Rest? No, Tommy," she walked to him, gripping into his arms, "going away like this is a death sentence! We can- we can search for another doctor or an alternative treatment, you can't just give up like this!"

"There's no treatment, you were a nurse, you should know that,"

"Yes, but things have changed since then, alright?! Medicine changed! They might've found a cure, they-"

"Not for that," in a frustrated tentative of soothing her, Tommy caressed her arms, "not for that and it's alright, I've made my decision,"

"No," she cupped his face, "you can't go away like this, you're sick! What about when you need help?! You'll be all alone!"

"Exactly! And by being all alone I won't burden anyone else," he took her hands on his.

"You were never a burden to me! You can't go away, you can live with me! I'll take care of you and we'll find a way, I promise!"

"Hazel, stop,"

"You have a son, Tommy," she harshly stated, "two now, you can still rebound with Charlie, Duke will need your help with the new life you gave him, Arthur is living with Linda again, he'll need support to stay clean, and I-"

"Hm?" he gulped.

"...I need you, Tommy," Hazel confessed, "you're the only permanent thing in my life since we were children, I won't stand thinking you're traveling around sick and defenseless,"

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Tommy, please, I-" she teared up, "I love you,"

Regardless of the blank face, he felt his insides freeze at the declaration. He wouldn't ask if she meant platonically or romantically, even if his heart hurt with the thousands of lost possibilities, they no longer had time for that.

"Good, because what I'm going to ask only something who loves me would do," taking a razor blade out of his pocket, he added, "this is the last razor I had on a cap, I want Duke to have it,"

"But Tom-"

"Get him a birth certificate, he won't get an army register so he'll need one, and I want you to look after Charles too, legal or not Lizzie won't like to be involved in any business, alright?"

Looking down, she sniffed and stepped away from him. She refused to shed any tears for a man who was unreducible, even if the man was her dearest friend, "Okay, fine,"

"Alright, let's go then,"

Silently, she put her coat on, Tommy watched her shoulders tense up the same way of when they were children and she stopped herself from crying after Arthur stole her colored pencils or Polly scolded her. He was always the one to comfort her in those situations, how could it be any different now?

"Hazel, look at me," he called, the second their eyes met a wave of regret washed over him, they were always so close and yet so far, "...not in this world, perhaps in the next, alright?"

Slightly nodding, she complied, "Perhaps in the next."

#tommy shelby x oc #peaky blinder imagine #peaky blinder fanfic #OC Hazel Evans

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farahtissaiamyloves · 1 year

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Hello! I love your writing sm. Could I request a Lady Lesso × F!Reader oneshot? It doesnt matter if it's fluff, smut, lemon etc!

Hey !!!! Thank you so much for your kind words 🙏 ❤️. They mean a lot to me !!

I had started writing this one before receiving this request and I think that this is different than the usual one-shots in which Lady Lesso is the dean of evil and the woman in power.

So, I hope you enjoy this !

I'm not a child anymore

Part 2

You titled your head to the side at the sight of the new reader.

A lonely, little girl with red hair approaching you.

You raised an eyebrow when she stopped in front of you. " Excuse me, but what's this place ? Why am I here ? Are we in Europe or- "

You hit your cane on the floor to make her stop. " This is the great, best of its kind, school for evil. And I. "

You paused. You took a step back moving your cane in a circular motion for emphasis. " I am its dean. You may call me Lady L/N. "

The girl frowned. " I haven't heard of this school, what- "

" Nah, nah, nah. " You cut her off with a fake pout.

" You were given a marvelous chance to be selected, among so many people, to attend this hallow institution, Leonora. " You told her.

Leonora's eyes widened at the sound of her name.

" Of Gavaldon. " You added with a smirk. " That's your name, is it not, reader ? That's what we call the people from the outside world, because they only read our fairytales, never had a chance to participate in them, unlike you. "

The reader swallowed hard. She was confused beyond-.

" Now, now. If you excuse me, but I have fresh villainy to attend to. " You said and before giving a chance to the girl to stop you, you turned on your heels and vanished through the corridors.

꧁☾︎❥︎☽︎꧂

You watched her in your lessons; afraid and lonely at first but too stubborn to give up.

She grew and so did her confidence and strength.

At the end of her third year you spotted a change on her behavior, though.

She was showering you with dreaming gazes, her mind being everywhere but in the classroom.

You were confused but didn't elaborate on the phenomenon because her grades were excellent as always.

The glances continued.

However, you found yourself enjoying them.

Enjoying someone's full attention.

Last time you had it... well, you preferred not to remember that period...

But then again, you couldn't deny the girl's natural beauty.

After a certain incident with Rafal; it was dealt with success, Celeste, the dean of the school for good wanted to have her expelled.

You dismissed the thought immediately, you were Leonora's dean after all, not Celeste.

The headmaster agreed with you and supported your decision.

Two weeks before Leonora's graduation; you called her in your office.

" You asked for me, Lady L/N. " The girl- no, woman stated.

" I did, indeed. " You nodded and stood up to walk around your desk.

Leonora's eyes followed every and each of your moves. The slight sway of your hips as you approached her, the forming smirk on your lips.

You stopped in front of her remembering that you used to be taller than her.

" Have you received any job offers, yet ? " You asked her with interest.

She took a deep breath starting to understand why you were questioning this.

" No, my dean. Not yet. " She replied timidly.

Your smirk widened. " Well, that's why I'm here, is it not ? "

Leonora raised an eyebrow. " May you clarify the reason of me being here ? "

" Of course. " You leaned against your desk.

" The excellence of your grades came to my attention. If you are interested, there's an opening. You have all the time until your graduation to decide. " You informed her with a smile.

You knew the answer she was to give, though.

The way Leonora's face shone, the way her lips parted, the little spark in her eyes, the way her hands nervously smoothed her black attire.

" There's... There's no need, Lady L/N. I accept. " She answered smiling.

" Thank you. " She added quickly.

You smiled back. " The pleasure is all mine. "

꧁☾︎❥︎☽︎꧂

She graduated. With the best marks in both of the schools.

Good's best student, Clarissa Dovey was a close second, but.

" Close doesn't cut it. " She had told you once.

Leonora became a professor.

The perfect example of a young villain.

Ambitious yet deadly, vengeful and most importantly.

Violent.

She was making you crazy.

Even if you were just... friends..., you were giving her whatever she wished for.

An office with a window.

Done in less than a day.

Bigger quarters.

Done in less than a day as well; she needed a little while to move in though.

Generally saying, you provided.

You provided her anything she wanted with her not even asking twice.

Leonora was trying to spend as much time as possible with you.

There was no way the girl would confess her feelings for you without making sure that you reciprocated them.

You were standing in front of the lake looking at the blue shimmering waters.

The moon was standing proudly, like you but darkness prevailed hiding everything under its vicious vail.

You were so lost in thought that you missed the sound of a person approaching you.

" So, here you are ! I searched the whole school and yet failed to find you. " A voice said next to you.

You turned to look at her. Unlike any other person at both schools, you weren't only able to see through the dark but also become one with the shadows.

Your gift was allowing you to watch over everything and everyone without anybody's knowledge.

Nobody could tell whether a shadow was just a shadow or if it contained you too.

" Oh. I can't imagine how long this must have taken. " You responded.

You raised an eyebrow when Leonora's grip on her cane tightened. " It did, indeed, take long. But I never surrender. "

You smirked knowing that she couldn't see it. " Of course, you don't. "

Leonora raised her head proudly, eyes at your direction. " Stop mocking me. I'm not a child anymore. "

Your smirk fell as fast as it came in first place. Your pupils dilated while you examined her face.

Determination, confidence, pride, agitation.

You could see these feelings and so many more.

But there was also one hiding behind them all.

Hurt.

Leonora was desperately trying to prove herself and win you over; how can she win you over though, if you keep treating her like a little, naive teenager ?

Noticing that you were too speechless to speak, Leonora turned on her heels to leave.

She had wasted so much time in you.

And all you could think was that she was still some kind of stupid little child.

You looked at her understanding that if you let her leave, there would be no coming back.

Lesso started walking away and it was that moment when you knew.

You either told her the truth or there would be no chance anymore.

It was now or never.

" I just didn't want to abuse my power, alright !? " You shouted after her.

Lesso, the name she chose to adopt when she became a professor, stopped dead at her tracks.

She had heard you, obviously.

Shocked, the woman slowly turned her body to face you.

" You were still my student, Leonora. And afterwards, my protégé... Have you any idea what people would say about you if we were together !? " You continued shouting because neither of you walked closer to the other one.

" They would call you slut and so much more ! I couldn't do this to you ! " You screamed at her.

Leonora was on the verge of crying; she finally understood why you never talked her off for her little glances or never encouraged them.

You were acting normal until the right time.

She wasn't the only one who waited and waited for something more to come.

You walked closer to her noticing that she wouldn't move.

You stopped right in front of her locking eye contact with her.

" I'm sorry if I made you feel unwanted or unappealing. The truth is that you are the exact opposite. " You admitted.

Leonora's cheeks changed color, turning a deep shade of crimson.

You opened your mouth to continue your confession but she stopped you with a finger on your lips.

" It's alright; you don't have to apologize for doing the right thing. I was just a child, I needed time to grow and think. You didn't know if it was a silly crush or something more serious. I understand. " Leonora assured you taking your free hand in hers.

You were both carrying your canes so you both had only one free hand.

" You do ? " You inquired. For some weird reason you thought that she wouldn't.

Leonora smiled at you and gave you the best answer she could muster.

She pressed her lips to yours.

#lady lesso x reader #leonora lesso #lady lesso #lady leonora lesso #lady leonora lesso x reader #the school of good and evil #school for good and evil movie #lgbtq #charlize theron #charlizeafrica

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bcbdrums · 3 days

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Mad Angry, Mad Crazy

9: Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

LOL @legendary-guest is that you?? You usually ask off anon though, haha.

(Ask is from this lovely list.)

Okay, so... Only one person knows about this I think but there was in fact...a darker version of this fic. (Some spoilers ahead if you've not read that fic yet, so maybe stop here if you don't want any. It's a dark fic, FYI.)

The majority of changes began in the chapter where Drakken finds Shego on the beach. Originally she's much more paranoid, much more frightened, and far weaker, physically. The fainting situation is more dire... And the hospital visit is FAR more dire. Drakken isn't present as much for the exam/questioning, and Shego is far more dissociated from reality... Unable to process and answer some of the questions due to her own paranoid and fearful thoughts demanding her full attention. It was much more strongly implied that the examining doctor suspected Drakken of various abuses against her. Drakken's part in the exam was different as a result, the questions being more blunt and the doctor more angry, when he was later present. It seemed pretty clear by the end of that scene that Shego was mentally unfit to make decisions for herself. That chapter was going to end with her practically being coerced into admitting herself to a psych ward. Which then would have set off another dozen chapters that were only partially planned in my head, but never written. Oh, and the water rescue scene before the time-skip was darker as well, with Drakken being less obviously there to help her and Shego being far more afraid of him/his actions, to the point of almost not accepting rescue; I kept his motivations and his thoughts far more obscure in that scene.

Why did I soften the entire thing and not go the darker route? A friend/beta advised me that it was too dark, and that the entire story felt anti-shippy. And in fact it was this very fic that caused that person to stop reading fics other than their own, except for rare exceptions.

Heh, and the published fic as it is today apparently is still so dark it caused people to form a chat "support group" to deal with how severely the fic impacted them, and nearly every person in that group couldn't even finish reading it, it was that bad. I'm glad the story has a couple of strong fans to reassure me of its worth.

No, the darker version doesn't exist anymore. Rather than save it as a separate file I just deleted and rewrote to severely soften the whole thing from the water rescue onward. And I do mean severely...

I have regrets... I wish I'd saved the darker version. It was the best version of psychosis I've ever written and I wish I had it to study now, for other projects. I don't regret how the story ended; it would have always ended there, even if it had gone through another dozen chapters of anguish on both characters' parts... The journey to get to the end just would have been a lot different and more arduous. And I do regret that this story caused someone to stop reading fanfic.

But I'll never regret what I published. I love writing angst, I love writing suspense. I love writing for that episode because it's what got me thinking about shipping Drakken and Shego in the first place, and I love the finished product.

Thank you truly, anon, for this ask.

#drakgo #kim possible #drakken #shego #dr. drakken #drew lipsky #mad angry mad crazy #kim possible fanfiction #drakken x shego

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queenbananly · 2 months

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Nina Fire Emblem Essay

It's long and I'm putting it under the cut. It's projection time baby. My credentials are I have one of the largest collections of Nina merch (mostly fan made, but I do have all official merch as well) and have been collecting it for at least the last six years.

Fire Emblem’s success in its iconic characters is in large part due to the artistry in not finishing a majority of the characters. By giving each character one or two ‘tropes’ or traditional story lines, and then adding in two to five smaller characteristic decisions or facts, it is a skeleton on which fans can theorize missing backstory pieces, the threads that connect different parts of the character together, what a fully developed version of the character may look like, and most importantly: give plenty of room for head canons or projection.

We start here because it is important to be up front in this character essay that while I will be citing quotes and scripts of the game, a lot of the connecting threads are my personal projections and interpretations on Nina from Fire Emblem: Fates. I aim to focus on what exists in canon to fully capture everything I see in her, but a Fire Emblem character becomes very little without a personal interpretation.

The two tropes that cover Nina’s character are very different, but fit together in some unfortunate ways. The first is a strong moral compass that has her chasing after the ideals of a Robinhood. Ideals that lead to learning how to steal, spy, and memorize information. Which when connected with her second characteristic, creates a lot of uncomfortable feelings in fans. Nina is a teenager who has fujoshi tendencies, that the game tends to focus on to keep a light hearted and comedic air about itself. If those jokes sour the taste of a player, and some of them are pretty bland or tasteless, it’s easy to miss the other snippets of personality present.

Loneliness reaches around Nina’s character deeply, in a way that can only really be discussed by pointing out a lot of support conversations and threading them together with generally accepted human reactions, projections, and assumptions. She clings to others relationships and stories but often ruins her own or becomes afraid of connecting deeply with others. Her childhood in the Deeprealms made her resent her father, and though she mostly talks about hating him, anyone who’s been a teen or knows teens can see those comments as a surface level veil to hide pain. In that way Nina is someone who talks about the pain of the Deeprealms the most, while also talking about her own personal feelings on the matter the least.

In her paralogue, when she calls her father a villain and tells him to ‘do what he must’, she’s playing a part. Honestly, despite her insistence on assuming her father’s stance, a majority of her paralogue is spent with her head in idealistic clouds, like she’s inside of a story or play. It could be argued that this is because it’s her first big heist, considering she tells Niles:

Nina: I've dreamed about this, Father. Draining the coffers of the wealthy! Vindicating the poor! We're getting what we need, and then getting out.

That said, it wasn’t all delusion and play when she assumes her father will punish her severely. She says multiple times he’s only visited her a few times, that she feels she doesn't know him. When he asks why she would throw her life away, why she acts like he has never cared for her, she shouts back:

Nina: Because I wasn't worth your time!

A thought that is very clearly felt by a lot of the second generation kids in Fates- but Nina is one of the few to say it loudly and directly into her parents face especially repeatedly. He argues that his world is unsafe and he wouldn’t survive if something had happened to her. So as punishment, she must now join the war effort. The game pushes to convince us that this is the answer- because how else will she become playable? If Niles can keep an eye on his daughter, plus the second parent the player chose for her, and all the other characters in this game, well… that’s safer than her wandering the countryside as a thief. Which she really is! Her paralogue takes place in a part of Nohr we do not visit at any other point in the game. The closest map point to it is the Dragon’s Gate (aka the portal to your DLC). So it seems reasonable to say that in her efforts to steal she knew what she was doing- she’d been avoiding the war effort. If this game took her efforts more seriously it’d be worth digging into the fact that the paralogue’s plot revolves around the Lord she’s stealing from calling in a favor and this army main force coming in to help, despite being so out of their way. (Link to Serenes Forest’s map of Fates in my citations for easy viewing).

Once she’s joined the army it’s time for her to largely be a gag character, talking mostly about men and their potential relationships. However, it’s still hard to break away from the fact that at her core, Nina is a very basic teenage girl. She has a short fuse and thinks she understands the world but struggles to actually say what she means often. Instead of facing that struggle she’d rather focus on daydreaming about relationships- rarely her own though, because that would be too personal and uncomfortable. From my personal interpretation and reaching, that loneliness is part of the reason her Robin Hood beliefs don’t come up very often post-recruitment.

Being open about something you believe in so strongly is hard, especially when it’s with people you feel you don’t belong with. Nina actively struggles especially in her friendships with men, and in large part that’s due to her hobby of ‘people watching’, or shipping people who surround her. Her supports with Percy and Ignatius are the clearest examples of her struggles to communicate, where in one she fumbles to apologize after lashing out defensively and in the other she gets caught in her fantasies and is constantly scrambling to cover herself. In the Ignatius A Support he even calls her out on exactly that, leading to this exchange:

Ignatius: I think I understand you better now. I was wondering why you were always so rude to me. But it's starting to make sense. You're just really, really bad at talking to people, aren't you?

Nina: Er, ah, well, maaaybe with SOME people... Like...men people, mostly.

If her struggles stem from her hobbies, which evidence suggests they do since that’s when she gets the most upset and lashes out, then it makes sense men are especially a problem for her. When you spend all day sexualizing a body type with the gusto of puberty, anyone with said body type will immediately be harder to deal with. In her Mother support she will even link these two together herself:

Nina: Well, I suppose things can't get any worse... I...I have a hard time talking to guys. But I think about them all the time! I feel like such a freak. Like they know that I'm thinking about them... And I just clam up and turn red. It's so awful!

Considering that, it does make sense she’s never comfortable with Shiro, Siegbert, or anyone like them when it comes to discussing her morals and values and how they relate to thievery. In her Siegbert support she spends most of her time playing a very passive role, humoring Siegbert and letting him stumble his way through misunderstanding her intentions because she feels unable to intervene or get a word in quickly enough. It’s a support where she is on all accounts fully successful at hiding her hobby from the other person. Meanwhile with Shiro, her hobby comes out into the open from the start due to his stubbornness at being left out of a good time (seeing a play in the town plaza). By catching her fully in her element he sees her at what she considers her worst, and because of that their support remains very far away from their roles as a prince and a thief. She even calls him “Mr. Loud-Snorting- Hooting-Guffaw-Man” before turning tail and running at the first sign of him taking her interests seriously. She struggles to believe there’s anything of value in her perspective of the story, but the support ends with one of those friendships that you as a player can actually believe lasts beyond the support line. Honestly the difference between these two crown prince supports stems from the biggest issue Shiro has- he just found out he was a prince upon recruitment and thus doesn’t expect anyone else to treat him like one or really want that.

That’s enough about men who are not Nina though. To turn to her two supports that most heavily talk about her morals instead, we find two very different characters. Her father, Niles, and tiny baby bean Kana. The first part of her Niles support unlocks with her recruitment, meaning it is what most players will read first and it can be assumed that this support is meant to be the stepping stones into what to expect from her characterization. They fight almost the entire support line, starting with Nina pointing out again to him his hypocrisy in telling her not to steal when his class is also a Thief and matches his backstory, and how it feels like he only cares about what she does now that it's convenient for him. How she hates that now that she’s close he bothers to tease her with “I love you’s” and innuendo’s, and comment on her stealing. Though not said aloud, there’s an implied question in her accusation that asks if this is all so important to you, if I’m important to you, why couldn’t you visit more? Why did I have to suffer in my loneliness? To which ends the B support, suggesting Niles needs at least the timespan of two support conversations to wrap his head around his next words to her. When he finally approaches, serious this time, he opens up about his actual backstory. Yes his class is thief, and he’s good at what he does, but wants better for her. As he puts it:

Niles: You say you only steal for the greater good—that you're doing the right thing. But whatever your reasons, I don't want you doing the things I had to. Rather than the dark road I was set down... I want your path to be clear and bright. That's all any parent wants for their child.

Nina struggles with this and takes it in, biting down her tongue on fighting about the why’s. Really, she gets what she needs from this support- her father apologizing to her, recognizing how poorly he messed up, and agreeing to treat her like an adult from henceforth. In subtext they’ve agreed to leave the moral debates to the side and try to act a bit more like a father and daughter.

Which is great! For a girl who’s loneliness can be seen a mile away, she needs this. It’s sad in the realm of exploring her stealing though. Niles is a retainer for a Prince, so he probably has better articulated arguments against what she’s doing than the game allows due to story and mood constraints. However she does get another support to talk about it with a bit more of a level head, less on the defensive overall. In her support with a non-sibling Kana, he asks about her stealing and she encourages him to not copy her behavior when he asks why she steals if his parents say it’s bad to do. Some of the thoughts she presents are a bit too big for the small boy, but give the player insight to what she might be thinking on a more day-to-day clear headed basis:

Nina: No, no, it's OK. You're right—stealing is wrong. But the world's a complex place. Some things are less wrong than others. Sometimes just doing things that look right will make the world worse. You know?

She emphasizes this again and again in this support- the idea that doing nothing is sometimes the wrong answer. Even then she’s always encouraging Kana to stick up for what he believes in and to listen to his parents. The support eventually shifts away to talking about her and her dads relationship- but not without first hitting on a beat of her loneliness oh so briefly. Kana asks her about the pile of letters she’s holding, and this is one of the only times we ever learn that she gets letters with updates from people she’s personally helped. While earlier I suggested her paralogue was her first big heist, it’s plainly clear that she’s been following this path for awhile. The connections she’s made from helping people and the care she shows in wanting to make sure they’re still well speaks of her character and her ability to be kind and thoughtful. Which makes sense- because her morals align with thinking of others. While she’s thinking of others, she’s also looking at this small child that is Kana and telling him to never copy what she does. It is kind, but it builds a lonely path for her alone.

That loneliness is exactly what enables Kana to so bluntly call her out in the A support- because while I can argue that Nina struggles intensely with loneliness, Kana’s whole character is built on loneliness. The only difference between them is Nina is older and has already built up systems she feels protects her, while he’s younger and just an incredibly anxious child. This is when we move more into talking about Nina and her dad. Having come up previously, Kana confronts her and says he’s sad she doesn’t have a good relationship with him. They seem to have a lot in common even if they don’t see eye to eye. He even suggests to her his hypothesis- that she wasn’t born a thief, she became one to be more like her dad. That she respects him and wants his approval, and that’s the core of her arguments with him. After being presented with this all Nina can do is sigh and call him perceptive.

Kana is the only one who can see this. Not even Niles can. That’s because Kana himself feels the need to be perceptive. Anxious about being left alone, he needs to know how others might be feeling. Not only for his own needs, but because Kana truly does not want any of his friends to feel alone either. Though I’ve largely been skimming S-Supports for convenience- because only one can exist in each universe and some feel more of a stretch than others- it’s important for me to point out in the S-Support with Kana, Nina finally let’s herself share some of her anxieties with him. She admits to thinking about him growing up, and wonders out loud if they’ll be friends forever or if he’ll change. With that, Kana makes a very serious Kana-promise that even if he does change their friendship will remain.

The feeling of loneliness continues to permeate looking into her other conversations and looking at how badly she reacts when her guy friends are forced to witness what she considers the worst part of herself. With this I turn our direction to her support with Forrest, where it’s easy to argue she shows her worst self. Part of this I will blame on the writing staff- because a lot of people are their worst selves to him specifically. However, instead of always blaming the writing staff for it, it’s also more productive to do character analysis to see what can be pulled from the support. Finding herself far more comfortable talking to Forrest than the average guy, she doesn’t hold herself to any of her usual barriers and lets herself over fantasize in front of him. She’s so deep in her dreams that she ignores that the C Support ends with him gently calling her out, and saying she’s being creepy. Instead she continues on her march, singing about him aloud and when confronted, giving a half shrug of an explanation. Normally she’d be hyper defensive, but here her excuse is so uncreative Forrest finds himself saying “Really. Really?” at her nonsense.

In the A Support we reach the height of her fantasies, and she directly asks him about his taste in men. She struggles to say things bluntly when it comes to asking if he’s gay but has no problem she sees him more as a ‘girl friend’ than a guy friend. When Forrest apologizes that he’s not and doesn’t seem to be who Nina wants him to be, she immediately breaks. Realizing she’s been not present for most of this support line, dancing in her own head of fantasies, her reaction is to start sobbing. To be honest the support itself is emotional whiplash, to which I give credit again to the writers as an A Support is supposed to end on a good note to prepare for the S Support so despite sobbing and having this breaking moment they end up better friends within the span of 10 dialogue lines. Anywhere else this might’ve been more drawn out or a longer conversation. Her sobbing speaks to many aspects of her- her kindness, her loneliness, and her anxiety. She truly cares for Forrest and considers him a friend, but she’s also incredibly scared of her interests and hobbies being the reason someone wouldn’t want to be her friend. Realizing that she’s had the situation wrong this entire time, she shatters at the horror that she’s let herself go this far. Even when Forrest forgives her she starts to fantasize again immediately- but this time she’s more present and aware, and snaps herself out of it.

Nina’s character tropes might be a robin hood and a fujoshi, but the deeprealms colors the rest of her in with the loneliness and trauma. As a character she is filled with passion that she doesn’t know what to do with, and kindness that extends past each robbery she commits. However, outside the game it should be noted that the WAY she engages with the fujoshi trope is uncomfortable to many, and that it is especially uncomfortable as a character born only when one of the two canon bisexual characters in the game marries a woman. This essay can express my love but it cannot undo real harm gay men have gone through in being sexualized by people in their life. Nor should it ever undo harm. If you leave this essay seeing the other aspects of Nina’s character, yet unable to disconnect yourself from the discomfort of how she acts around men in her actual life and the way she seems obsessed with them, that’s completely understandable.

If one might lend me their ear one last time. I’d argue that when I look at all of these characteristics of her and pull them together, she’s not just a cisgender straight girl looking at men who she’d secretly rather have interested in her than each other. Earlier, I mentioned that by focusing on the relationship between two men she can deflect from herself and her own relationships and feelings because she is not a man herself. However, I’d push that line further and say she has no sexual or romantic interest in men herself. Even if she does not realize it, even if she fights with Soleil about if women are attractive, what I see in her is someone who wants so badly to be normal in at least one aspect of her life. Being straight is seen as normal, and oversexualizing a man’s body to a comedic aspect (at least to an outsider's perspective) often be a coping habit to someone who has yet to realize they don’t actually like men. The overperformance often comes only from observations and not reality. By which I mean, if advertisements and books and casual chatter suggest to you a man is most handsome when his muscles are bulking and sweaty you may just take that notion and run with it. Force yourself to like it in an attempt to be normal. By doing this, but at the same time turning away from heterosexual relationships in her fantasies, she’s able to do multiple things subconsciously. Force herself into liking these aspects of a man, and play out scenarios of gay love constantly. The way she hunts for clandestine romances speaks to me personally of a subconscious anxiety that lays next to her anxiety stemming from loneliness. If she were to be gay, does she see it as something that must be kept secret for her to still be accepted? This part is one that may change depending on my readers' views on Nohr and Hoshido. While the game gives us a bisexual option from each country, it’s not heavily talked about anywhere if it’s readily accepted. In fact it’s easy to take Forrest’s paralogue, where Leo gets a Bad Dad award, as a sign that maybe the answer is no.

Nina could feel incredibly lonely in a world where maybe it would not be accepted for her to be gay. Alternatively she may feel like she doesn’t deserve that kind of love and happiness. As much as I’m adding my own perspective by bringing both points up it’s hard to ignore that when writing the game they seemed to heavily side step the issue that gay marriage is still a very political issue and just did not speak on it. I personally lean towards her residing in a homophobic culture, or at least one where she can’t imagine herself being accepted for being gay.

I end the essay here on the part where I push my own life onto Nina because while I could pick apart each support, this is already 6 pages of Google Docs. Perhaps in the future I can come back and write more- like her support with Caeldori or Asugi- but to leave people with what I’ve come with today is enough for me. Whether her being a lesbian (although seemingly in denial) is something you the reader can see or whether you think it’s over projection, I hope you can recognize the merit in the rest as a means to pick at her character beyond the surface level gag.

This Isn’t How Citations Work But This Is A Fire Emblem Essay Fuck You

Note: All supports can be found at https://wiki.serenesforest.net/index.php/Fates_Supports/Nina and the script for her paralogue can be found at https://fireemblem.fandom.com/wiki/Abrupt_Clash/Script

Map of Fates shown here. Nina’s Paralogue is the location listed as “Fancy Estate”: https://serenesforest.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/fates-map-revelation.jpg

#fe14 #nina fire emblem #eli essay #adding that so i can find this fucker in the future as needed

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carogudino-blog · 8 months

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So, lots of people don’t get over the White Stag « criston was there » BUT… do we actually have a moment where we see Criston believe Rhaenyra is the true heir? No.

Yes, he is really devoted to her as her sworn protector, and knows he owes her everything he has, yet when she asks him « will the realm ever accept me as their queen? » he gives a very bague answer, but he clearly doesn’t seem to be thinking « of course my Queen, why wouldn’t they » or « Absolutely ». Even Fabien said in an interview that scene was interesting bc Criston cannot say what he actually thinks … but his expression is not one of someone who is convinced she is the heir with no question. Later, he asks her to run away, in his mind this is fine and a solution, he is not bringing the realm down by taking away their heir to the throne, or anything like that and they can live happy, and he can restore his honor (not a solution but in his mind seems to be) I believe he may thought… the realm has another heir so she can give it up without much consequence and we can go and live our lives with some twisted belief of love and honor.

Years later, when he crowns Aegon he says « true heir to the Iron Throne » and he seems to actually believe this. Yes, now he is devoted to Alicent and is some sort of father figure to Aegon and his siblings (pretty sure he loves them all) but you do see him be more firm in backing up Aegon than what he ever did to backup Rhaenyra. And no, i don’t believe this is just « oh, he hates Nyra so he supports Aegon » bc if he hated Rhaenyra and that was it, he would have not gone along with Alicent’s petition to get Aegon for her so she can spare Rhaenyra, or even would have volunteer to go to Dragonstone and kill her as Otto wanted Westerling to do so… and is really bad character development to simplify his decisions and loyalty by: he ´s heartbroken (but this is a completely other post)

Criston Cole is a knight that believes in the system that they live in, where a first born son come bfore anyone else, so even seeing the White Stag wouldn’t make him become fully convinced Nyra is the one who should be Queen. Criston is about religion, duty and classic chivalry … (some say he is mysoginistic BUT he just lives in that society and to be fair, he actually is the only man with a healthy and respect- balanced relationship with a woman: Alicent. Not saying he’s a feminist but he is just as the rest of the bloody men in this story) So, yes, probably he would known the meaning of the White Stag but also probably saw it as a coincidence…or idk, but I can’t think of a moment in HOTD where we can say « yes, Criston believes and supports Rhaenyra’s claim » bc protecting or even loving her doesn’t mean he stands by her as the true heir. And he never does it in the way he does for Aegon.

((All this came to mind thanks to the leak of Rook’s Rest speech, Criston saying « the true king, Aegon » or something like that))

#hotd leaks #alicole #criston cole #hotd #rhaenyra x criston #princess rhaenyra

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elisysd · 8 months

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5. They say it's bad karma being such a heartbreaker

Masterlist - Previously - Next

Chapter soundtrack: Bad karma - Miley Cyrus

It took a few days for Ethan to think everything through. He finally came to term with the idea that Julia would be the perfect match. The only problem he got was that he knew she would never accept it. There was no universe in which she could be okay with fake dating him. He needed a leverage, a way to get her to accept. He thought about it a lot until the answer struck him when he was under the shower. Julia had always had one dream in her life, one thing she would never shut up about. He remembered very clearly how she always wanted to work for Ferrari and how she would be ready to do anything to have the opportunity to work alongside her dad.

Ferrari showed signs of struggle since the beginning of the season with both cars barely managing to be in the points. Martin only managed to be on the podium last time after some incidents during the race. It had more to do with luck anda talented driver than with the car. And Ethan knew Lamborghini was far, far ahead of everyone. They once again, managed to make a car faster than the competition. Maybe, just maybe, if he could find a way to catch some information on how they achieved that he could inform Julia? Maybe that could be it. But as much as Ethan was appreciated and was somehow part of Lamborghini, he didn’t have access to the garage like actual members of the team had.

That’s how, one afternoon, he gathered his best friends to expose them his plan.

“That’s a disaster waiting to happen.” said Kyle.

“I think it’s actually pure genius.” stated Ludwig.

“Not only it’s cheating, but we are the current Constructor World Champion and I won last year. Imagine what a scandal it would be if someone happened to learn that we snitched and gave info to our biggest rival? That we might help them to make a car that could fight with us and imagine if because of that we lose the titles. We would lose everything. Our seats, our reputation, our heads because there would be no way in hell that we would get out of Christian’s office alive.” tried to explain Kyle.

“Well, that would force Lamborghini to work on efficient upgrades. I didn’t think that you would be afraid of a little competition, Kyle.” told them calmly Ethan.

“Man, we can’t let Ethan down… We promised each other to always be there for one another, that it would be us against the world, that we would all be in F1 or not at all. He needs us. We can’t give up on him.”

“There must be another way. One that doesn’t involve cheating.” argued Kyle.

“Maybe, but I’m running out of time.”

“Kyle, you wouldn’t be in F1 if it was not for Ethan’s dad. He helped you when you needed help the most. He supported your career because he believed in you and because you were friend with his son. You can’t do that to Ethan, you can’t let him down when now he needs you too.”

Ethan could see the wheels in Kyle’s head turning full speed. Finally they agreed and Ethan let out a relieved sigh.

They had to act fast. As soon as they landed in Jeddah, the last race before a one week break, Kyle and Ludwig managed to pretend that they were very interested in their cars development, and that they would love to be in the paddock earlier than everyone to talk to the mechanics and engineers that were already there . It took a few more or less morally questionable decisions, including Kyle flirting with one of the engineers while Ludwig managed to snap pictures of her notes, but they had done it. Ethan had now a all the information, securely saved on a USB drive. He just needed to get Julia alone before the race.

The young Leclerc was busy since her arrival in the paddock with back and forth meetings and discussions with mechanics. She was working with the team based in Warsaw on the first big upgrade for the Skoda. Hopefully it would help with the aerodynamics that was for now the main focus. It was not her decision, she thought that making sure that the engine was reliable was their biggest issue but apparently she was the only one to think that, senior engineer had looked at her with disdain in their eyes when she had dared raise her voice to suggest it to the team. She was frustrated and didn’t notice Ludwig hanging around her, too busy with her notes.

It was late in the evening, as the sun was setting and her last meeting of the day was finally over, when the biggest scare of her life happened. She was texting Romy, asking her friend if she was up for a movie night when she felt a hand covering her mouth and an arm snaking around her waist to pull her into a corner. She tried kicking her kidnapper and biting his hand but he was way stronger than her. When finally he dragged her far enough from the main pathway he released her and turned her around. As soon as Julia recognised Ethan, the slap went out by itself and echoed through the night.

“Fuck Julia! That hurts!”

“You creep! What is wrong with you? You scared the shit out of me!”

“Please calm down, I don’t want anyone to hear us.” he tried to shush her.

“Couldn’t you be normal and just asked me if you could see me?” she angrily whispered.

“Would you have followed me if I had asked you nicely?”

“Of course not!” she replied.

“Then you understand why I had to go out of my way.”

She snorted.

“I need your help.” he blurted out.

“My help? Why?”

Ethan proceeded to quickly tell her about what the team was asking from him after the scandal blew up and how a PR relationship was their idea. He told her that he didn’t want a total stranger to be involved in the shit show that it would turn into and why he thought she would be perfect for it. She took a little time before laughing. She laughed until tears could be seen in her eyes. When she finally calmed down she looked at him.

“No.”

“What do you mean, no?”

She shook her head and started to make her way back on the main pathway before Ethan grabbed her arm and forced her to stay a little while longer with him.

“Why would I agree? We hate each other.” she stated.

“Exactly! Think about it! It’s pure genius! I know there is no way in hell that you would fall in love with me.”

“And what is in there for me, hum? Because I can see how that benefits you, but me? I don’t see the point.”

“Well you would get some bits of the attention I’m getting. Think of your followers, Leclerc! You would get all the benefits of being a wag without being one.”

“Oh god, you really don’t know me, even a little bit, if you think that it’s something that interests me.” she rolled her eyes and attempted to leave once again.

“Okay. Fine. So maybe you’ll be more interested by that: Ferrari is struggling this season with their car. And you know who isn’t? Lambo.

He pulled out of her pocket the USB drive and shook it in front of her eyes.

“See that? There are all Lamborghini's manufacturing plans, inside. Well… some part of them, as well as pictures of the car. From the sides, the back and most importantly, the car floor. Valuable information, Julia. You know that better than me. You agree? They are yours. Surely, you would know what to do with them. You could manage to help Ferrari and looked like their saviour. Your dad would be proud. No doubt you would get a position in the team. That’s what you want, right? What you’ve always dreamed of?”

“That’s called cheating.” she said.

“Do I care? I’m ready to do anything to keep my seat. Anything Julia.” he was deadly serious.

“You would betray your dream team?”

“It will not be my dream team anymore if I loose my seat.”

She looked at the drive, still hanging in front of her. It was a tempting offer.

“If I have to work with my dad one day, it will be because I deserve it, not because it is based on a lie.” she finally told him before she made her way to leave.

“If someone can understand how much being in F1 means for me, it’s you Julia.”

She turned towards him.

“I’m sorry Ethan, for what is happening to you. Really. Maybe you don’t deserve it, but maybe it’s also your karma for all the times you’ve been an ass to people.”

“I won’t stop asking until you said yes. Just so you know. I’m persistent.”

She shrugged, not believing him in the slightest. It was okay, for Ethan, maybe today was not successful, but he loved a good challenge and not once had he ever backed down from it.

And indeed, Ethan spent all of his free time between Tuesday and Wednesday, cornering Julia every chances he got. And he had a lot of free time. To her big displeasure he even managed, thanks to Ludwig, to get her phone number. She tried to block him, of course when his texts and calls were being too much but she underestimated him. If he couldn’t annoy her through his phone, he would borrow someone else’s phone.

In the afternoon, she even surprised him lurking near her garage, looking for her and that was the last straw.

“Ethan Verstappen, I swear that if you don’t leave me alone I will get a restraining order against you!”

“You, Leclercs, have a real thing with restraining orders. That’s concerning.”

“Go away!”

“Say yes!”

“No! I would rather die!” she argued.

“Well, that wouldn’t help my case.”

“I don’t care. Let me work and get out of my way!”

“I will when you’ll say yes.”

“No!”

“Joolsie, come on!”

On Wednesday night, she really needed to unwind. She needed to forget about her work and how stupid sometimes people made her feel. She needed to forget how she missed her mom and Louis and how she wished that she could just crawl into her mother’s arms and let her play with her hair like when she was a little girl. But most of all, she needed to forget about Ethan and his stupid plan. So that’s how she found herself dancing under bright neon lights, a cocktail in her hand and laughing with Romy who had invited Kyle to join them. They seemed close, and Julia started to wonder if there was something other than just friendship between them. Not that she would ask her friend, she always had been closed off about her relationships.

That was something they both had in common. Both her and Julia were never ones for long-term and committed relationships. They were both focused on their careers and didn’t have the time, nor did they have the will to invest the little time off they had in someone. Julia much preferred one-night stands and casual flings to serious relationships. It was easier this way. No need to question if the guy was there because of who her dad was or if he was there for her. Less risks to end up with a broken heart.

She could feel herself spiralling. One cocktail turned into two, then three, then four and soon it was not her thoughts anymore that were spiralling, the whole room was too. Romy was seeing her friend drinking her body weight in alcohol and it worried her. It was not Julia. She looked at Kyle who shrugged, not knowing what to do.

“Maybe we should call her dad?” he said, unsure.

“Absolutely not! It would create a big drama and Julia doesn’t need that.”

“Okay… I might have an idea that you won’t like but what about Ethan. You and I don’t have access to the hotel, Ethan is the only one that we know has it and we can trust with her.”

“She is going to kill us.”

“Do you have a better idea?”

“If she asks me, I’m going to deny everything and say it was your idea.”

With a lot of convincing and after ignoring most of her whinings, Romy and Kyle managed to get her to a corner of the night club, isolated from the rest of the crowd. She was completely drunk and as soon as Kyle went away to call Ethan for help she started to complain.

“Why do you hang out with him?” she groaned.

“With Kyle? We are friends.”

“He is Ethan’s friend. You are my friend. You can’t hang out with my enemy’s friend.”

“Ethan is not you enemy, Julia. Stop being dramatic.”

Julia rolled her eyes and crossed her arms against her chest.

“He is a fucking asshole, Romy. Like, you don’t even know how many times I imagined ripping that smug smile off of his face. It’s like every time I see him a new murdering idea comes to me. I hate everything about him, his punchable face, the way he acts around people as if he though he was better than them, how he treats women as if they were just pawns for him to use, how stupid he makes me feel. And then he dares to come to me and ask for my help? Like, excuse me. And he acts surprised when I said, no. Who does he think he is?

She was so caught in bad mouthing Ethan that she didn’t notice Romy’s gaze locked on Kyle and a certain someone that were coming towards them.

“Jul’ you might want to take a look behind you…” she quickly told her friend who ignored her.

“Hi Julia. I think it’s time for you to go home.” said Ethan, a playful smile on his lips.

Julia slowly turned in his direction and eyes him up and down with disdain.

“You’re not my dad. I can do whatever the hell I want? Just fuck off Ethan.”

“Speaking of daddy, yours would literally kill me if I was letting you go home on your own like that. No offense, Schumy but you’re not better. ”

“I’m not as drunk.”

“You are drunk but at least you have Kyle to take care of you.”

“I’m not going home with you.” stated Julia.

“Julia don’t make it harder than it needs to be. Don’t force me to carry you.”

“I’m not forcing you to do anything! I can take care of myself, I’m a strong and independent woman who doesn’t need anyone! Especially not a little prick like you.”

She could barely stand on her own. Ethan looked at her with a half smile and watched her trying to make her way to the exit of the club. She was in not state to achieve that on her own. In a few steps he was beside her and without letting her the time to react he just scooped her of her feet and carried her like she was a vulgar sack of potatoes.

“Ethan!! Let me down!” She said while trying to kick him.

“Stay still. You don’t want anyone to have a glimpse at your ass. That would make a great headline though but daddy wouldn’t be too happy about it.”

As he was saying that, he tried to pull down the far too little and far too tight black dress, in order to avoid Julia public shame. He could feel her trying to get out of his grip. That’s when he felt a sting on his right shoulder.

“Julia? Did you just bite me? Again? I’m really going to start to think that you are into that kind of stuff.”

With a lot patience and difficulty, Ethan finally managed to put Julia in his car, almost unscathed. He was sure he would have the bite mark on his shoulder next morning and would not be surprised to see appearing scratches on his back. It would not be the first time that something like that would happen to him, though it would in these conditions. He would just have to avoid showing his bare back in a near future. He took place behind the wheel of his Maserati and looked to the girl next to him. Her brown hair were falling like a curtain, hiding her face from him.

“This is not you, Joolsie.” he ended up breaking the silence.

“You don’t know me.”

“That’s not true. We grew up together, I think I’m probably one of the person that knows you best. And I know that going out in a club, drinking yourself to oblivion, that’s not you.”

“That’s your fault. Why did you have to show me that USB drive? Why did you have to tempt me like that and why did you have to act like a fucking stalker these past few days?” she angrily said.

Ethan ignored her and proceeded to drivr her back to the hotel. He had never seen her so vulnerable before. He knew what he was about to do, he knew that he shouldn’t and just leave her alone, that it was wrong, but if he could manage to get her to agree to his plan, if there was a slightest chance, he wouldn’t miss out on the opportunity.

“Why were you so tempted?” he asked.

“It would be so easy to show my dad that I have what it takes to work with him… I know it’s cheating and I know that I could actually prove him in the long run, but getting to work on upgrades knowing Lamborghini’s manufacturing secrets… It would go faster. I would prove him that I’m good faster.”

“So it’s really important for you to work with Charles, then.”

“I want to make him proud. I want to hear him say my name in interviews and say that it’s thanks to me that Ferrari has a winning car. I want him to say to other people ‘hey look that’s my daughter.’.”

“He is already proud of you. You are his princess. You’ve always been.”

“Well he shouldn’t.”

“What do you mean?”

He saw her gulped and looked at her hands, playing with a red bracelet that she was never getting rid of.

“If he knew some stuff, he would love me a lot less.”

The atmosphere shifted in the car and Ethan knew that whatever she was about to say was something not a lot of people knew about. Carefully he slipped his phone out of his jacket and started a recording. It could always come in handy.

“There was a point in my life when I really hated him. I couldn’t stand being associated to him. I was always Julia Leclerc or Charles Leclerc’s daughter or the F1 world champion’s daughter. Never Julia. Never me. People didn’t care about me. People still don’t care about me. It was always my dad first, and me after. From everyone, classmates to teachers to so called friends and even classmates’ parents. I didn’t know who I was beside being his daughter. And I hated him for that. I never told him. I preferred to pretend that everything was fine when it really wasn’t. So when I started college, I decided to change my last name to take my mom’s. Michel is very common and no one would recognise me. My mom helped me with all the administrative stuff. We went behind my dad’s back, we never told him antyhing and he never suspected anything as well. I still feel so bad about that, so I guess, working with him being near him… It would feel like redeeming myself. Trying to make peace with that part of my life.”

And when she stopped, Ethan knew he had a bomb on his phone and one he wished he would never have.

The ride back to the hotel was completely silent after Julia’s revelations. He did his best helping her in the corridors and to make sure she would get back to her room in one piece. As he watched her fumble with her bag, he knew what was about to happen before she opened her mouth.

“Shit… I lost my keys.” she sighed.

“If you wanted to sleep in my bed so bad you only had to ask, Joolsie. No need to pretend that you lost them.”

“I’m going to call Romy.”

“You and I both know she didn’t get home alone. Bad idea to call.”

“I can’t sleep in the corridor…” she sighed softly banging her head against the wall.

Ethan tried to weigh his options before giving up.

“Come on, let’s go to mine.”

To his surprise, she didn’t argue. In the comfort of his room, she let herself plop on the sofa and cuddle a cushion. Ethan sat next to her, bringing her an extra blanket.

“You will at least give me your bed, right?”

“No. I need my back in one piece tomorrow. Don’t worry the sofa seems nice.”

“You are an asshole.” she grumbled.

“Yeah, we established that before.”

Still, he tried to put the blanket on her so she would be warm. He could see her drifting in and off to sleep. It was now or never.

“So… you know, about what you said to me in the car? I can help with all of that, you just have to say yes. And I promise, I’ll try to be a nice boyfriend so your dad will brag about me and how I make his daughter so happy.”

“Well, that’s something he would like, to see me doing normal 23 years old stuff…”

“Say yes Julia and you have all the keys to your dad’s happiness right in the palm of your hand.”

She hesitated, biting her lips.

“I’m going to regret it in the morning but, fine. Okay. I’ll do it.”

“Pinky promise? You can’t back down on one.”

“Pinky promise.” she repeated.

She woke up next morning with a big headache and her back hurting. She was hungover. It took some time for her to remember what happened last night. She remembered the clubbing part and Ethan being there but didn’t know where she was. It was looking like her hotel room but it was not. And that’s when Ethan got out of the bathroom, his blond hair stil damp from his shower.

“Well, good morning fake girlfriend!”

“It’s a no. I already told you so.”

“Well you accepted yesterday and you even pinky promised. So you are trapped with me!”

“I don’t believe you!”

“Well good thing I thought about recording you!”

He replayed her their conversation and the more Julia was hearing it, the more she wanted to hide. Shame turned soon into anger.

“I was drunk! You can’t hold drunken confessions against me!”

“You said yes!”

“I wasn’t in the right state of mind! I wasn’t in any way, shape or form able to give my consent in a clear way!”

“You also said a lot of interesting things about your dad, things that would make him really sad to know…”

“Are you threatening me?”

“I don’t want to have to use them, Julia. I really don’t want that.”

He could see the doubt in her mind and he decided to let her listen to the conversation in his his car. He could see her face turned pale and he almost regreted it.

“Delete that.” she said seriously. “I’ve never begged you Ethan but I’m doing it now, don’t do that. It will break his heart. I’ll pretend to date you but please delete that.”

He nodded and give her his phone so she could do that by herself.

“So we will do it? For real?” he asked.

“Well, I guess… You won’t leave me alone anyway.”

“In that case, a promise is a promise.”

He went to his night table and pulled out the enveloppe with the USB drive in it before giving her to Julia. She took the drive out and looked at it.

“Let’s do it, Verstappen.”

Author's note: I was so excited to release this chapter! Everything is now set for the story to really begin. I can't wait to hear your feedback on this chapter!

Don't hesitate to leave a comment or an ask, as well as reblogging and leaving a like. It helps a lot for the story to find its audience. I also have a taglist for this story, so if you want to be added so you never miss a chapter, let me know.

Taglist:

@herondalism @aundercover @musingsbyshreya @karmabyfernando @reengard @mycenterfold @smoooothoperator

#writing #fiction #charles leclerc #max verstappen #charles leclerc fanfic #max verstappen fanfic #f1 story #f1 fic #f1 x reader #f1 imagine #f1 fanfic #f1 x female reader #f1 x you #f1 x oc

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