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guqin-and-flute · 3 years

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nieyao or 3zun + prompt 64 with cat!baxia

64. “I think your cat wants to kill me.” [This got way away from me WHOOPS]

“So. This date is going fantastically. Do I make top 10?”

Meng Yao huffed a short, polite laugh through his nose at Mingjue’s rueful question. “Being nursed back to health by a handsome man is certainly adding back points lost in the cat attack,” he replied, and some of the frustrated dread bled from the ball in Mingjue’s chest. “I really could do this myself, you know,” he added.

Mingjue sighed. “Yeah, well, since it was my cat attack, I feel like I need to make reparations. I’ve also taken First Aid more times than I can count and cat scratches can get really nasty.”

If this were a one of the sappy romcoms Huaisang loved so much, standing at the sink together as he tended to the 2 gashes scoring down Meng Yao’s forearm with several antiseptic soaked cotton balls had the potential to be romantic. Except Mingjue had never liked those movies and he just felt like a fucking asshole who owned an unruly animal.

He had met Meng Yao at the grocery store. Mingjue had looked up from his phone at the sound of a sharp voice--a middle aged business man was snapping at a young man in front of him in line; "Fucking Christ, you're going to hold up everyone."

"You can go ahead of me if you'd like--"

"There's a whole line of people here! We all have places to go!"

The man being yelled at--(the very attractive man with round, dark eyes, he noted)--had grimaced placatingly, as the cashier was saying, "We can hold his groceries while he goes out, sir, you won't have to wait."

A the business man threw his hands into the air in disgust, Mingjue had slid his phone into his back pocket and interrupted in his 'is this guy bothering you' voice; "What's the problem?"

3 pairs of eyes had darted to him immediately and gone wide. The very good looking man had tensed completely, eyes darting to the door in a way that looked involuntary--and well, Mingjue had been struck by the completely overwhelming urge to tuck him back behind him and make this asshole between them shit his pants in fear. And anyone else that made him look that scared, for that matter. "I'm sorry," the scared, attractive, adorable, fragile-looking, harassed young man had said a tight smile, "I forgot my wallet in my car, we can just--"

"Here," Mingjue slid out his credit card handed it--pointedly--over Mr. Business-Asshole's head to the cashier. "I'll cover it. You know what," he had added, fixing the quickly wilting dickhead with his best 'I-can-bench-press-you-and-then-feed-you-your-own-esophagus-no-problem' stare, "Why don't you get the nice lady behind me, too. Once this guy is done running for the biggest jackass award. I'll wait."

And, you know, weirdly enough, Mr. Asshole had actually left the line, red faced and without his shitty little protein shakes. As the cashier bit back a grin and rung up the card, the harassed young man--who was even prettier up close, holy hell, it made his lower back sweat--had tried to insist that it wasn't necessary, that really, he had the money, he could just go get it, he appreciated it but didn't need Mingjue to put himself out. Mingjue had just shrugged and held out his hand. "It's the principle of the thing. Nie Mingjue."

The man had opened his mouth, looked down at his hand; then, he had smiled and holy goddamn fucking shitballs he had dimples. Shaking it firmly in a hand that was soft and cool and slim, he had said, "Then...thank you. Meng Yao. I'll have to pay you back. Do you have a cash app?"

"Don't bother."

"I insist."

"You can buy me dinner sometime, then," Mingjue's mouth had decided to say without permission, but luckily he agreed with the idea and so had been quite pleased to see Meng Yao's ears go pink.

"...That sounds fair," he replied, finally, those lovely dimples returning.

The cashier had cleared their throat, brightly. "Do you by chance have our loyalty card?"

They agreed on a first date in a public restaurant where they could verify that the other wasn’t some sort of serial killer. It had even been a nice one that Meng Yao had insisted on where they had also shared a bottle of wine and interesting conversation. Meng Yao was exceedingly smart and easy to talk to--the perfect conversational partner with a knack for solving many of the problems that Mingjue hadn't even realized he complained about. In return, he had made his attraction quite clear and Meng Yao had ducked his head.

"I'll have you know that I don't go home with anyone on the first date," he had said carefully, eyes on his fingertip as he ran it around the rim of his wineglass. "It's a personal rule of mine. I wouldn't want you to get the wrong impression."

"That's fine with me," Mingjue shrugged. "If you're up for it, I'll wait for as many dates outlasts your rule, 'cause I grill a mean steak."

Those dimples came back and he had sat back in his chair, voice light as he asked, "Oh? Won't you get bored?"

Mingjue had snorted and finished off his glass. "Just because I'd like to sleep with you doesn't mean I don't also want to get to know you, you know."

Mingjue was just getting to know the guy, so he couldn't be sure, but that answer seemed to please him.

The night of the cat disaster was the 4th on their run of dates--Mingjue had shooed Huaisang over to Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng’s house for the night and invited Meng Yao over via text for dinner and a movie and also the option of sex, if he wanted.

Apparently, the bluntness had made Meng Yao laugh. Mingjue had texted back that he preferred honesty in all things and could handle a ‘no, thanks’ with plenty maturity. Meng Yao had replied, ‘I’m sure you can,’ which, he had very keenly noticed, was not a ‘no, thanks.’

Dinner had gone great--homemade meals always seemed to impress--and they had been preparing to split a chocolate lava cake in front of a shitty action movie they had both agreed on with the understanding that neither of them minded missing anything if they decided fooling around was more interesting.

But now, there was blood everywhere--on the dishes in the sink, on the towel they had hastily staunched it with, on the countertop and the mood was ruined because his giant, grumpy ass cat had decided to savage his date as they were cleaning up the table. Baxia had sniffed his leg suspiciously when he first came in, flinching away as he knelt down to offer his fingers. Then, she had fixed him with a glare, hissed, and turned around and stalked away, fluffy gray tail held high--which, for her, was practically a warm welcome. She had her boys--Huaisang and Mingjue--and hated pretty much everyone else (except for Wei Wuxian's older sister Jiang Yanli when she had dropped him off to hang out with Huaisang when his license got suspended. Which had happened a few times, now).

Everything had been fine with her while they ate--she had even spent it under the table, rubbing up against Mingjue's legs, staring up at Meng Yao without making so much as a peep. It was when they had risen that disaster struck. She had hopped up onto Meng Yao's chair and decided to take personal offense to his existence with absolutely no warning at all when he passed by with his hands full of silverware.

Now, Meng Yao’s long fingers curled into a fist as the cotton passed over a particularly deep part of the slice, though his face remained calm, so Mingjue winced for him. "Sorry. I swear, she's never done this before, I don't know what the hell her problem is."

Meng Yao shook his head, smile pressed and polite as he said, "Really, it's fine." He shifted on his feet to lean his hip against the cupboards and, immediately, Mingjue seized his elbows.

“Are you dizzy?”

The other man had stiffened at the sudden movement, staring up at him. Then, he blinked and smiled, shaking his head. “No, I'm alright.”

Mingjue eyed him suspiciously. “You’re sure?”

He laughed. “I’m not going into shock, if that’s what you’re worried about. I’ve had much worse, trust me. I’m not going to pass out.”

Mingjue remained unconvinced. Instead of arguing further, he simply lifted him by the waist to sit on the island across from the sink for lack of a chair. Meng Yao let out the beginning of a squeak, hands automatically flashing up to bunch in the front of his shirt for balance. He blinked down at Mingjue, then the ground, then back at him, eyes wide and nostrils flared. Mingjue couldn't tell if it was annoyance, horniness, or a combination of both--and that was all well and good except that he was still bleeding and he knew from experience what a bitch blood was to get out of clothing. So he just pulled Meng Yao's arm out again and went back to work, asking, "So what was the 'much worse'?"

"Pardon?"

"You said you knew you're not going to pass out because you've had 'much worse'. What's the story there?"

"Ah. No story. I broke my arm. Compound fracture. I stayed awake the whole time, so a cat scratch is fairly minor, in comparison."

Mingjue hissed in through his teeth reflexively in sympathy and scanned him. Either he healed fantastically or the scar was higher up on his arms, under the soft cream sweater sleeves that were rolled up to his elbows--luckily, they had been rolled up before the attack and had escaped blood thus far. "Fuck. How'd that happen?"

"Fell down some stairs."

Mingjue raised an eyebrow at the stark explanation. "Well, maybe you shouldn't fall down stairs. Ever thought of that?"

Meng Yao smiled thinly down at him, dark eyes glinting in the fluorescent lights. "Mm. I'll have to keep that in mind." The dimples he searched for avidly were there, faintly, and Mingjue found himself wanting to nibble on them.

They hadn't done much else besides a kiss goodnight in the shadows near the entrance to the parking garages of their dates, because Mingjue was being good and keeping his hands above the belt. And he should probably figure out whether or not this date was going to have the eject button pressed, first. There was blood everywhere, still.

"Why all the First Aid classes?" Meng Yao asked suddenly, keeping his arm extended out even as Mingjue released him to rummage for the antibacterial spray. "Was it because your demon cat kept attacking people?"

Mingjue barked out a laugh and sprayed down his arm--Meng Yao didn't flinch. "At first, it was for lifeguarding, every summer since I was 16 until I graduated college. Now, I take refresher courses because I run a martial arts studio and shit can get real real fast, especially with newbies who try to fuck around." Tearing open the packet of sterilized gauze with his teeth so he could still hold his arm, he situated it and held it with a gentle thumb. "Tape or gauze wrap?"

Meng Yao shrugged. "I have no preference. Surprise me."

Gauze wrap it was. It would hurt less than pulling tape off his arm later. Meng Yao watched him finish up quietly, ankles linked, posture straight and proper even sitting on a kitchen counter. On impulse, Mingjue lifted his now bandaged arm and kissed the skin of his wrist, just below where the gauze stopped and got a slight shiver for his trouble. He looked up at him, then, an angle he was not used to but was definitely enjoying. "This has been a piss poor date. I really am sorry."

"The dinner was lovely before it ended in bloodshed, I promise," Meng Yao assured him, smiling. Then, it grew a little sly and he leaned in, slowly, stretching his arms out over Mingjue's shoulders to link behind his neck. "Although, you could always kiss it better."

Well, there was no possible way to misinterpret that particular invitation and he heartily took it, snugging Meng Yao up against him with hands on his hips and devouring him just as indulgently as he would the forgotten lava cake cooling on the stove top. He hummed in appreciation as Meng Yao's arms wrapped tighter, his thighs squeezing around his hips as he kissed back with just as much enthusiasm. He tasted like the dry wine they had finished the meal with.

All at once, though, Meng Yao froze, hands stilling in his hair. Before Mingjue had time to be confused, he whispered against his mouth, "I think your cat wants to kill me," eyes fixed on something over Mingjue's shoulder.

Mingjue craned his neck around to find Baxia perched on the counter next to the sink, tail swishing, gaze locked with Meng Yao, ears flicked out to the sides. She let out a low, quiet growl.

"Oh, for fucks sake," Mingjue growled back. "That's it. You're going in Huaisang's room for the night."

#little-smartass #SO LIKE WRITING THINGS CHRONOLOGICALLY IS APPARENTLY DIFFICULT FOR ME #But this was fun!! Nice low stakes! Cat attack!#Nieyao #modern au #ask #prompt #my fic #my stuff #this became much longer than I anticipated

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kinktae · 4 years

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bitchin’ || pt. 10 (FINAL)

The 80s were a time of choices. Which perm was right for you? What color neon would you wear next? None of these choices, however, were more questionable than a certain deal you made with Jeon Jungkook.

pairing: fratboy!jungkook x reader

word count: 5.1k

genre: 1980s au, eventual smut, e2l

warnings: angst

A/N: This fic was inspired by To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. Thank you to @junqkook for letting me use her likeness! Thank you all for sticking with this story and these characters <3

01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10

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PART TEN (FINAL)

Jungkook wasn't looking for you when he finally found you that day on campus. He had just come from the student services building, leaving the meeting with his counselor feeling somewhat content. He had officially changed his major to digital communications and multimedia. He never would have done it if it weren’t for you making him feel like he could, of course.

It had a full week since break had ended, and he felt like he was in hell, knowing you were somewhere nearby on campus, but not knowing whether or not you’d want to see him yet. If ever.

He had just finished buying his lunch and was heading to find a table to sit outside when he finally saw you.

You looked just as lovely as he remembered you, your hair braided prettily with your torso bundled up tight in your oversized jacket. You always hated the cold weather, he remembered.

You weren’t by yourself, though, Yara and Taehyung sat with you, laughing amongst themselves. The three of you together looked so normal that before he could stop himself; he found himself walking over to your table, his heart in his throat.

“Hey, guys.”

All conversation came to a halt, the three students turning to face the cautious frat boy, looking familiar yet different all the same.

Jungkook’s words sung awkwardly in the air for a moment as Yara and Taehyung exchanged a quick look. You didn’t need to see Jungkook to know the words had come from him. You recognized the soft timbre of his voice immediately, your eyes locking down on the denim material of your jeans.

Fuck.

For a moment, Jungkook worried that his greeting might go by ignored altogether. The idea made him feel sick, that he had lost the three most important people to him within three weeks.

Taehyung broke away from Yara’s stare, thankfully flashing a genuine smile at him, “Sup, JK. Long time no see. How was your break?”

You let yourself steal a glance at Jungkook as Taehyung sat up and offered him a hug, which he returned gratefully.

You were surprised. His hair was no longer shaggy and long like you remembered it. Instead, it had been freshly cut, looking healthy and neatly styled for the first time since you met Jungkook.

But despite his clean look, there was something off about him. Something that made you feel guilty.

“It was fine.” Jungkook responded halfheartedly, eyes flickering over to you experimentally. You were the whole reason he had come over after all. His stomach sank as he found your eyes jerking away from him, directing your attention to anywhere but him.

“Take a seat, man.” Taehyung invited, ignored the deadly glare being drilled into the side of his face by your best friend.

Jungkook contemplated for a moment, but nodded, joining the table hesitantly.

“Hey, Yara.” He began politely, blatantly aware of the way the girl in question was looking at him as if he were the gum on her shoe that she had stepped in.

“Jockstrap.” The petite girl acknowledged him dryly.

You could feel his attention shift over to you.

God, please don’t.

“Y/N.” His voice was soft and apologetic, and you wanted to scream. You’d be lying if you hadn’t been toying with the idea of possibly meeting up with him once back in school, but as he sat across from you; looking at you as if you were the only person in this room, you felt yourself begin to panic.

Yara could feel the way you had tensed beside her, every alarm in her protective best friend system going off. She turned to you immediately.

“So, Y/N, you never finished your story. How was Erik?” She began casually as if the two of you had been discussing this topic before Jungkook arrived.

“Um...” You blinked, confused at the sudden change of conversation by your scheming best friend.

“Was it weird to catch up with him after all this time?” She continued, words loud and clear as her lips wrapping around the straw of her drink.

“Oh, um...” you caught on, mind racing as you caught Jungkook’s eyes widening at Yara’s words from the corner of your eye.

You knew exactly what your best friend was trying to do. She knew how Jungkook felt about your ex and was using that against him. Two weeks ago, you would’ve gladly rubbed Erik in Jungkook’s face, but after weeks of contemplation, you just felt crummy.

“Erik as in… you ex-fiancé Erik?” You heard Jungkook speak up finally, not even bothering to hide the disbelief in his tone.

And then, you made the mistake of meeting his eyes. All the nerve you could have possibly called upon at that moment dissipating the moment you saw the disquiet confusion in his eyes.

“I, um…”

He didn’t have to say a word. You knew exactly how he felt, his face said it all.

“...have to go.” You finished weakly, chair dragging against the tile floor as you stood up abruptly.

Jungkook was the next up on his feet, “Y/N.”

Any effort he had planned on going after you was halted by an angry-looking Yara, who was throwing her bag over her shoulder as she hurried after you.

“Back off, shit head.” She scowled as she jogged off, leaving Jungkook feeling terrible, sinking back into his seat with a defeated breath.

Taehyung couldn’t help but stare at his best friend with pity. And as much as he wanted to offer some words of comfort, he had none, caught in between friends.

“Fries?” He finally spoke up, a sheepish smile on his handsome face.

Jungkook turned to face his brother slowly, eyes falling on the tray of the potato treat on the table before reaching for one, offering Taehyung a grateful smile that didn’t seem to reach his eyes.

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Jungkook had no idea what he was doing. In fact, standing in front of the dorm door of two girls who he knew most definitely hated him had him feeling like a real tool.

Of course, Jungkook wanted everything to go back to the way it was, with you and him still spending every second together and with Yara as your abrasive, but supportive cheerleader. But he had given up on the idea after the first 15 unanswered phone calls. He had given up on you ever returning his feelings, and that wasn’t why he was here.

As he rapped his knuckles against the door, he knew that he had come to apologize. You were owed at least that much. If you listened, he would tell you how sorry he was and just how much he would take it all back if he could. How he didn’t want to keep bothering you, but couldn’t leave you alone until you got the apology you deserved.

All courage seeped out of him, however, the second he was met with a tiny stature and auburn hair, the scarier of the dorm’s residents answering the door. Meaning he had seconds to get his point across before Yara shut the door in his face.

“I know you don’t want to talk to me right now—”

To his surprise, however, the scary girl walked out into the hall to face him, shutting the dorm door behind her.

Jungkook took a step back as a precaution, knowing better than to piss off an already angry Yara.

“Oh no, I’ve got loads to say to you, actually." Yara said once she was sure the door was closed, her voice low and hard. "Like how you’re a jerk. A tool. A coward. Not to mention a total scumbag–”

Jungkook nodded, interrupting her without thinking, "I know, and I–"

"Oh, I'm not done!” She huffed, and the meathead fell quiet. “A fool. A buffoon. A pathetic excuse for a man. A lecherous ape. A salacious, prurient degenerate!"

Jungkook flinched at Yara’s words. And what colorful words they were too. She was making good use of that English degree, he supposed.

A few silent, tense moments ticked by, neither of them saying a word.

"Anything else?" Jungkook offered, rubbing at the back of his neck nervously. Yara glared at him, arms crossed over her chest defensively.

"...Bedswerver."

He blinked, "Is that even a word?"

"I dunno, I read it in Shakespeare's Winter's Tale the other day. Just felt right, not gonna lie." She shrugged passively.

"Well... I guess I deserved that."

"You think?" She scoffed, clearly still heated. “You’ve been fooling around with Y/N all this time like it’s nothing, and at the first chance, you fuck your ex… only to sleep with Y/N again immediately after! Do you realize what a fucking douche move that is? To both Y/N and Kiri?”

Jungkook could feel his cheeks turning red, very much feeling like a child getting reprimanded by their parent. A child who was undoubtedly in the wrong.

“You're right. I fucked up. Majorly. And I know we can't ever go back to the way we were, that's not why I’m here. I hurt her. She deserves so much – far more than I could ever give her – but at least this... at least I can give her the apology she deserves."

Yara pressed her lips together, letting out a huff if agreement, “I'm surprised your itty bitty, underdeveloped, primitive ant-brain could figure that much out."

Jungkook frowned. She really was laying on the insults thick, wasn’t she?

“Ok, fine, sorry, I'm done now.” She sighed, arms coming back to her sides.

Of course, she was pissed. This entire situation was so entirely frustrating. From the moment those two had shook hands, it was evident that their relationship was heading down a path that neither of them was ready for.

Staring down the dark-haired boy, Yara wondered if this all could have been avoided if these two boneheads were just honest with one another from the beginning. But no, instead, feelings went left unsaid, and her best friend got dirty dicked in the process.

Relationships – even fake ones – were way too much drama for Yara.

Jungkook had remained quiet for now, allowing the door keeper to stare him down, trying to decipher his sincerity in his intentions. She let out a hum.

“You have 15 minutes.”

Jungkook felt his shoulders relax.

“She’s in the living room. I’ll be standing out here the entire time, and if I hear you as so much as raise your voice even a single decibel, I will rip off your dick.”

Of course Yara was going to let Jungkook in; she knew there was a lot still needed to be said between the two of them, and Y/N deserved a chance to speak her mind as well. Besides, Y/N had been rambling all week about reaching out to Jungkook herself. It was the closure both of them needed, and she wasn’t bitter enough to deny him that opportunity. She was just currently enjoying the way he squirmed under her stare.

“Thank you, Yara.”

“I'm serious. You will be penis-less. You'll go crying to the doctors to try and reattach it, but it'll be all in vain as I'll have ripped it to shreds by the time you reach them, way past the point of reconstruction. Do you understand?" She deadpanned.

Jungkook swallowed, head nodding rapidly, "I understand.”

Letting out a sigh, Yara stepped aside, clearing the path to the door.

“Don't fuck this up, jockstrap." She warned, an unexpected softness in her tone.

Holding her stare for a moment, he sent her one final grateful nod, reaching out and pushing the door open.

Entering the dorm, there was a weird sense of melancholy to the space. What once was a place where he spent most of his time, now just felt like an unfamiliar dorm– one in which he wasn’t particularly welcomed.

"Y/N?”

You weren’t propped up on the couch like he had expected you to be. In fact, as Jungkook scanned the space, he realized you weren’t in the common area at all.

Were you in your room? He wasn’t exactly sure how comfortable he felt walking into your room without your permission, given the current circumstances.

Whatever inner debate he was having, however, stopped off quickly as he took note of the light coming from within the shot door of the bathroom. And most notably, the shadow of two feet from underneath the door.

You had panicked.

Naturally, at the sound of Jungkook’s voice, you scurried over to press your ear to the door, hung on his and Yara’s every word. When you heard that he was coming in, you were sent scrambling for a place to hide. The bathroom was merely the best you could do with such a short time frame.

You cursed internally as his footsteps neared your way, stopping once he had reached the locked door.

"I know you're in there."

You tutted, “So? Am I not allowed to use the bathroom in my own dorm?"

"You aren't using the bathroom." His voice called out from the other side of the door.

"Yes, I am."

"No, you're not. You’re pee shy and there is no way you'd be using the restroom with me in the room."

You grimaced. In all the time you had spent with Jungkook, you had timed all your bathroom activities skillfully so that there was no chance he could hear you. This bathroom habit wasn’t only with him. Even Yara had to be tucked away in her room for you to pee comfortably. It was an odd, insignificant quirk of yours and frankly, a stupid thing for him to remember.

“Please… can we talk?”

“Just leave me alone, Jungkook.” You leaned your back into the door, voice void of emotion.

“I can't. Not with how we left things.” He placed a hand against the door, wishing it was your face he was holding instead. “You’re my best friend, Y/N.”

Bitterly, you thought back when Jungkook had called Kiri his best friend the night the two of you first slept together. One way or another, it always seemed to come back to her.

God, did it piss you off.

Angry now, you pushed yourself off the door, turning to face it as you imagining it was Jungkook's stupid face your eyes were burrowing into.

“You said Kiri came over asking for you back, yet you still came over and slept with me the next day. Even though the two of you had sex the night before. Do you understand how that makes me feel?”

“I’m—”

“Like garbage!" You emphasized, the white paint of the door somehow irritating you further. "I felt like I was something you threw away and picked back up whenever you felt like getting your dick wet.”

Your chest was rising and falling rapidly, and you tried your hardest to not let your emotions get the best of you.

“Not to mention to everyone else, it looks like you cheated on me. Which makes me look like a fucking idiot." You scoffed.

Jungkook said nothing in reply, which somehow made it easier to say all you should have said that day in your room.

“It just sucks to realize that someone you once cared about sees you as nothing more than a toy. It fucking sucks.”

Your words were small now, clearly hurt, and it made Jungkook’s heart sink.

“Fuck, Y/N, you’re right, you’re totally right. It was fucked upand gross and disrespectful, and I'm so fucking sorry I did that to you. I’m so sorry I hurt you like that. Y/N, you’re not just a toy to me. You’re more. You are so much fucking more.”

“...Why did you sleep with her?” You muttered pathetically, selfishly wanting to know.

Jungkook pressed his lips together. He had been asking himself that very question every day since he did it.

"I just... I thought it was what I wanted. It was what I was supposed to want.” His eyebrows furrowed. "The entire time, I kept telling myself... This is it. I got what I wanted. Y/N was right. We're both gonna be happy now. But that’s not what happened. And that scared me."

God, how he wished he could see you right now.

"I didn't come over the next day to sleep with you. I just saw you... that was not... my head went blank and– ah, fuck, I practiced what I was gonna say on the way here. What am I even saying right now?" Jungkook groaned out to himself suddenly, hands entangling themselves in his hair.

How was he supposed to tell you that the second you opened that door that morning, all logical thinking stopped, and all he could think about was the fact how much he had missed you last night and how badly he needed to feel your lips again to forget hers. How he lost himself in the way you felt and tasted wasn't strong enough to stop himself.

In fact, he had nearly forgotten all about his terrible mistake when you suddenly brought up spending Christmas together, realization sinking over him. Of course, he wanted to spend it together, but there was no way he could lie to you for any longer. No way he could meet your parents after what he had done.

There was no sugarcoating it. He really was pathetic. And there is no easy way to tell you that.

"Why are you here? Honestly, Jungkook, what do you want from me?" Your words rang out suddenly, taking Jungkook by surprise.

What did he want from you?

What didn't he want from you? He wanted all of you. He wanted to tell you that you were the only thing he thought about all winter break. How you could take his heart and do whatever you deemed fit with it. That you had him wrapped around your finger, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

But none of that mattered now.

"I know we can never go back to how we were before. What we had is ruined and that's because of me. I just wanted to apologize for ever making you feel like all I ever wanted was sex from you. I'm so fucking sorry."

You had your hands buried in your palms, wishing this wasn’t all so hard. That you had just broken the contract off the second you realized you had real feelings for him.

"The night at the roller rink, you told me that if I love something and it inspires me then I should go after it, right?”

Lifting your head from your hands, you frowned at Jungkook’s words.

Your roller skating date? God, that felt like ages ago...

“Yeah. So?”

“S-So, um–" Jungkook stuttered, ears turning red as he contemplated his next words, "so, for me... you're that something. And I couldn't just let you go with at least letting you know how sorry I was. Fuck, that was so lame, sorry, I probably sound like such a wastoid right now."

You wanted to cry, not because you weren’t happy but because you were so tired of hating Jungkook and pretending like you didn't just want to run back to him. You had spent the last three weeks rejecting his calls yet wondering all the same what he was doing. Your heart and mind were in constant paradox, torn between wanting him back and wanting him to know just how much he had hurt you.

Your mind ultimately won the battle, of course, but as Jungkook stood just a few inches of drywood apart pouring his heart out, it was hard to say which major organ was responsible for your next words.

The creak of the door being pushed open sent Jungkook's eyes wide, revealing your hesitant form. You had your arms crossed over your chest as if to guard the contents inside of it.

You looked like an angel underneath the bathroom's blue fluorescent lights, beautiful and lovely, a stark contrast from your next crushing sentence.

“I slept with Erik.”

You weren’t expecting the news to go over well with him, but what you weren’t expecting was the way Jungkook’s face fell entirely slack as if he had just witnessed his world fall in front of him.

You weren’t exactly proud of what you had done. You and Erik had gone out for dinner, admittedly enjoying each other’s company and catching up on all the years you spent apart. You didn’t have plans on sleeping with Erik when you first called him up. Honestly, it was Jungkook’s name being continuously brought up during the car ride home that spurred on the impulsive decision to kiss Erik, just to get him to shut up really. But more than that, you knew precisely where kissing him would lead.

As always, Erik was predictable, and he fed into your request without question, and you felt terrible about it. It was a mistake at worst and a distraction at best.

Hardly even a distraction, as Jungkook was inescapable. He was in the back of your mind the entire time, looking at you with sad doe eyes that you were trying your hardest to ignore.

Even as you slipped back on your shirt when the deed was done, code brown starting to set in as the reality of what you had done hit you, you couldn’t escape him, as Erik wished you well and that he hoped things between the frat boy and you worked out.

Needless to say, you spent the rest of you break absolutely miserable — hating yourself using Erik in the same way Jungkook had used you.

The sound of Jungkook swallowing dryly brought you back from your thoughts. “Did you… I mean, are you two back together?”

He placed a hand into the front of his jean’s pocket as you contemplated your next words.

He continued on, “If… if he makes you happy..."

A gross feeling washed over you, watching as the boy you loved tried to hide the way his breath was trembling. You bit down on your bottom lip.

“When Erik and I…” you paused as you watched Jungkook’s expression fall further, “I was expecting it to be all intense and emotional. Because I once loved him.”

You frowned, the memory still somewhat fresh, “But I wasn’t. It felt foreign and detached and—”

“Wrong.” Jungkook finished for you, a melancholic shine in his eyes. You nodded.

“I didn’t understand at first. I have been having casual sex with you for all this time, but it felt nothing like that.”

“I know exactly what you mean.” He breathed.

You turned away from him a moment, trying to grab hold of your wit before you could once again flee from the scene, leaving your meathead ex fake boyfriend in your dust.

"I'm not saying what you did was justifiable, because it's not, but... I guess I'm not exactly in any position to not forgive you. Because I used Erik to forget about you. And it felt horrible."

"What are you saying?" Jungkook didn’t know what to make of what your cautious words.

Turning back towards him, you held his stare with certainty.

"I'm saying that... I forgive you."

A sharp breath came tumbling out of the boy’s mouth, eyes growing wide as he tried to make sense of how he had ever earned your forgiveness after what he had done to you.

He took a step towards you instinctively, only to be stopped as you held out a hand to halt him.

“I need you to understand something.” Your arms tightened around yourself, growing shaky. “I don’t need you. I had a life before you, and I know I'll have one after you.”

Jungkook nodded at you, despite how much it hurt him. He understood. You had given him forgiveness; he wasn’t owed anything more.

All you had to do was say the word, and he’d be out of your hair forever. He’d do anything you’d ask him to, despite the way every part of him was screaming for you.

“I don’t need you… but I don’t think I want a life without you.” You finished shyly.

Your eyes were locked with his when suddenly a small noise escaped him, eyes pulling away from yours as his head moved to attempt to hide the way his eyes had grown wet.

At the sight of a tear rolling down the side of his face, you were by his side, hands gripping his jacket worriedly.

"Wha– Why are you crying?!" You panicked, never having dealt with a crying meathead before. This was uncharted territory.

"Fuck, I'm sorry. I just..." your heart lurched at his broken tone, watching as he wiped at his cheeks with the back of his hands. "Didn't think I'd ever see you again after this. I missed you so much. I'm so fucking sorry for hurting you."

“I missed you, too.” You cooed softly, tugging at his jacket so that he’d face you again.

And suddenly, the sound of paper hitting the floor rang out, the two of you pulling back to look at what had come tumbling out of Jungkook’s pocket.

“What’s that?” You asked innocently, not seeing the way his cheeks had gone pink.

“N-Nothing.” He was quick to reach for it, cursing lowly as you beat him to it, taking the crumpled up paper in your hands.

He watched miserably as you pried it back open, scanning through the paper in confusion.

“Jungkook… What is this?” You muttered.

Jungkook’s face was positively burning, time moving slowly as he realized what was about to happen.

“I, um, wrote it one night when I couldn’t sleep... I forgot I put it in this jacket. I meant to throw it away.”

Your face held an expression of uncertainty, as if unsure how to proceed. It was undoubtedly addressed to you, an affectionate “Nerd” up on the top.

So you opened the paper further, flatting it out with your hands as you began to read.

“Do you mean what you wrote?” You finally spoke, voice wavering.

Jungkook wished he could disappear into the floor right now. Never in this wildest dreams did he imagine a scenario where you would find out about his feelings for you through a sappy love note he had written when he was moping around late one night.

“Yeah, I do.” He told you honestly, your heart skipping several beats.

In that case, it was time you were honest as well.

“You're right when you say things can't go back to the way things were.” You began, cheeks warm. “Not because you ruined it but because I'm not putting myself through that again. I'm sick of half-assing shit and tired of lying to you and to myself. I know what I want, and it's you… not because I have something to prove, not because I want to make Kiri jealous but because of the sole reason that you make me happy." Your strong facade began to crumble as insecurity began to suddenly sink in. “But if you don’t want that, if you don’t want something real... then nevermind, I guess.”

And all at once, Jungkook realized that all this time it hadn’t been just him.

Two arms made their way around you, and suddenly, you were engulfed in warmth, Jungkook’s close proximity pulling a wave of emotions out of you.

“I love you, nerd. I don't why it took me so long to realize that, but I know without a doubt that you are it for me. Nothing could change the way I feel about you.”

And finally, you let out a cry, breaking down all the walls you had built up to keep Jungkook from perceiving you as weak. Because maybe you were. Maybe you were weak for this boy, but as you buried your wet face into his chest, you no longer cared, the weight of everything you had felt these past three weeks crushing down on you.

“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” Jungkook cooed softly, chin coming up to rest upon your head.

"I love you, too." Was your weepy reply.

Jungkook’s eyes fluttered shut, tears rolling down his cheeks as he pressed a kiss into your head, wanting nothing more than to stay like this with you forever.

"Are you two dorks done crying?" Yara’s voice rang out suddenly, causing both of you to jump apart.

"Yara, you creep! Privacy, dude! Ever try knocking?" You sniffed, wiping at your face hurriedly.

How long had she been standing there?

"What? Like you were peeing with Jungkook in the bathroom? Please." She waved you off, walking back into the living room to give you two some privacy. She did say Jungkook had 15 minutes before she’d have to come back in after all. "Anyway, Tae will be over in 10 minutes for the Saved By The Bell marathon that’s on so you guys are more than welcomed to join." She called out from her newly seated position on the couch.

"Sure, whatever..." You huffed back, flashing Jungkook an exasperated look. So much for that special moment.

Jungkook didn’t seem too bothered though, the fullest, most boyish grin on his lips, taking in the puffy-eyed girl in front of him that he could now with full confidence call his.

And that girl couldn’t help but smile back at him just as stupidly because for once, there was nothing fake about your boyfriend.

"How is it that a piece of paper is the start of both our real and fake relationship?" He mused suddenly, hands reaching to take yours. You hummed, taking in the way your fingers intertwined.

“Funnily enough, we broke, like, every rule of our contract." You quirked up a brow.

“You know…” Jungkook began, flashing you a mischievous look, “it states very clearly on the bottom that the contract will be terminated upon completion. We can’t terminate the contract if we never completed it.”

“What are you saying? We keep the contract going?” You laughed.

“I’m saying that you are contractually stuck with me.”

“That contract is in desperate need of some amendments.” You rolled your eyes.

“Yeah? And what did you have in mind?” His hands found your waist, pulling you into him.

“Rule number one has gotta go. The one kiss policy just won’t slide with me.”

Jungkook let out a laugh, his palm finding your cheek, eyes locked on your lips. You were preening for his kiss, mouth parting slightly as you anticipated it.

“Partners?”

The question took you by surprise, eyes widening at your not so pretend lover.

Idiot.

“Partners.” You smiled softly, eyes shiny and brimming with tears as he kissed you for what must have been the millionth time, but still somehow felt like the first.

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

And just like that, bitchin’ is over :’( thank u all for ur support, seriously I was not expecting this kind of response (consistent too!) to this story and I'm so beyond grateful and I hope you all know I never take your engagement for granted. thank you for letting me share my stories <3

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thepartyresponsible · 3 years

Text

this fill is for @jhscdood, @windcalling, and the anon who asked for jason todd and clint barton to #69 on my wrapped 2020 spotify playlist, which is “the rush” by jj wilde.

so here’s a fic about clint barton, shield agent, accidentally hooking up with red hood the night before the big shield & bats meeting in gotham.

---

Clint’s right in the middle of advanced negotiations with his hookup’s coffeemaker when a very aggressive Mr. Universe contestant crashes through the door, smashing it to kindling with one improbably muscled shoulder.

“Aw, shit,” Clint says, and throws the coffeepot.

It shatters apart against the man’s mask, and the man swivels slowly to stare at Clint.

He’s huge, and he’s angry, and he looks like he’s here to settle business.

“Oh, c’mon,” Clint says, half-begging, half-protesting. “I don’t even have pants on. It’s six in the morning. Raincheck this, for the love of God.”

The man straightens to his full height, and Clint sighs. He’s a menace, is what he is. Some actual, no-shit, Gotham-level nonsense. He’s a monster. 6’8” at least. He probably has a minimum of a hundred pounds on Clint.

He’s fully dressed.

It’s six in the morning.

“Ugh, fine,” Clint says. “Just be quiet about it, okay? He’s still asleep.”

Still asleep, still unbelievably good looking. Clint had been hoping for another round before he left to meet up with Coulson and Nat for their meeting with the various Bats, and now he’s going to ruin the poor bastard’s whole apartment, instead.

“I am not,” the belligerent bodybuilder says, “here for you.”

Clint blinks. “You—what?”

“You owe me for that door,” Jason says. He’s standing in his bedroom doorway, with a SIG in either hand and a very aggrieved slant to his eyebrows. “And for fucking up my morning.”

The human wall of muscle shifts to face Jason, leaving him open, but Clint is honestly too flabbergasted by this turn of events to take advantage of that. “Talia is looking for you,” the man says. “She wants you to come back.”

“And who can blame her?” Clint asks.

“That’s sweet,” Jason says. He grins at Clint, a flash of white teeth that reminds Clint of the line of bruises he can still feel along his collarbone. “You always this sweet in the morning?”

“Oh, feel free to find out,” Clint says.

“I’m here to return you to her,” the man announces. He’s beginning to sound genuinely irritated by all the interruptions. Clint can empathize.

Jason sighs. “You ever get tired of being her errand boy?”

“No,” the man says. “I consider it an honor.”

“I am just, wow.” Clint shakes his head, looks back and forth between them. “Really confused by the dynamics of this situation.”

“Welcome to Gotham,” Jason says.

“You said that last night,” Clint reminds him. “You said you were the welcome party.”

“Yeah,” Jason says and then he points one of those SIGs right at the breaking and entering suspect, “and he’s the welcome hangover.”

“I like you better,” Clint says.

Jason smirks over at him. “Well, I earned it.”

“Sure as hell did,” Clint says.

The massive menace takes this as his opportunity to charge Jason. Clint grabs the skillet off the stovetop and hurls it, sending it whirling end-over-end and slamming directly into the back of the man’s head. There’s a sick, meaty thunk and then a roar, and Clint loses sight of Jason and the behemoth as they go crashing back into Jason’s bedroom.

Clint grabs a couple of knives from the block and goes after them.

Hell, he doesn’t have to meet up with Coulson and Nat for another two hours. How else is he going to fill his morning?

---

They wreck Jason’s entire apartment, the fire escape, a Wells Fargo, and two bodegas, and they steal an ice cream truck, but they make it back to Clint’s hotel room in time to fool around a bit in the still-made bed and then shower together after.

“I’ve gotta,” Clint says, gesturing over his shoulder. He is clean and dressed and running impossibly, hilariously late.

“Oh, me too,” Jason says. He has stubble burn on his chin and throat. Clint never did find the time to shave. Whatever. It pairs nicely with the hickey Clint left on the side of his neck.

Usually, he tries to be polite about leaving marks on hookups, but the noises Jason made set Clint’s good intentions on fire and threw the ashes out the window.

Clint hesitates, his hand on the door. When he looks back, Jason’s hovering close to the window, catching a quick glance down toward the street. “Not that I want—look, this has the best morning after of my life.”

Jason’s mouth quirks up at one corner. “I bet you say that to all the guys who drag you into a street brawl with Bane.”

Clint’s mouth falls open. “That was Bane?”

“Who the hell did you think it was?” Jason shakes his head, looks mystified and a little charmed.

“I dunno, just.” Clint waves his hands. “Your ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend, maybe? Who had a weird thing for-- look, I never got any coffee.”

Jason grins, still shaking his head, and crosses the hotel room to grab Clint’s shirt one-handed, dead over his heart. “Next time you’re in town,” he says, “I’ll make you coffee.”

Clint thinks about coffee and looks at Jason’s mouth, and he groans, a little helpless, downright disoriented trying to decide which he wants more right now. “Jesus,” he says. “You promise?”

“Yeah,” he says. And then he tugs Clint in, kisses him quick and intent and showy, like he thinks he still needs to work to be memorable. “Call me,” he says, and he disappears out the door before Clint’s caught his breath.

Clint sprints out the rooftop access door and skids to a stop beside Nat exactly thirty seconds before the designated meeting time. The look Phil Coulson sends his way is long-suffering and remarkably unsurprised.

“Barton,” he says. “Next time we come to Gotham, I’m going to handcuff you to me for safekeeping.”

“That’s, uh.” Clint clears his throat, blushes an incendiary shade of red. “That’s gonna get real awkward for you, sir.”

Coulson stares at him for one heavy, terrible moment and then he sighs with worn-in exasperation and directs his eyes skyward.

“Wow, Clint,” Nat says, squinting at him. “What happened to your neck?”

“No, shut up,” Clint says. “Shush. I was in Madrid, remember? I’m not taking any shit from you about this. You showed up in lingerie. Lingerie that wasn’t even yours.”

“Well, it’s mine now,” Natasha says, looking far too smug to be even a touch repentant. “Did you have a good time?”

“Jesus, did I ever,” Clint says, with maybe a bit too much honest appreciation in his voice.

“Could we,” Coulson says, “please just attempt a modicum of professionalism?”

“Sure,” Clint says. “Yeah. Super professional, Coulson. As soon as they get here, I promise.”

“We’re here,” Batman announces, manifesting out of the shadows, taking about five years off Clint’s life.

“Fuck’s sake,” Clint says.

“Very professional,” Red Hood says. He moves up next to Batman, and he looks steady, broad-shouldered. Serious. But there’s something weird about his tone. Something amused, a little strangled.

Clint stares at him.

“We appreciate this meeting,” Coulson says, voice level and controlled.

“You said SHIELD had business in Gotham,” Batman says. Beside him, Red Robin is silent and focused. Red Hood crosses his arms over his chest, seems almost bored. “We need to set the parameters of that business.”

Red Hood, Clint notices, has two SIGs in holsters at his sides.

“Of course,” Coulson says. “There’s no reason for us to have any problems.”

“It’s Gotham,” Red Hood says. “There are always problems.”

There’s a hickey, Clint notices. A bruise, maybe. There’s something on Red Hood’s neck, barely visible in the gap between the collar of his jacket and the metal of his helmet.

“Are you the Gotham welcoming party?” Clint asks. He hears it come out of his own mouth, and he has nobody to blame other than himself and his critical caffeine deficiency.

Red Hood turns to stare at him. They all turn to stare at him, but Red Hood’s the only one he’s looking at.

He didn’t. He didn’t. He didn’t come to Gotham the night before a meeting with the Bats and pick up Red Hood in a dive bar.

He didn’t spend the morning after fighting Bane with Red Hood and then sneaking him into his SHIELD-approved hotel room. He did not.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Red Hood says, head tipped. “I’ve been told I’m more of Gotham’s hangover.”

Clint nods slowly.

He has no idea – no idea – how the hell he’s going to make any of this seem reasonable in the post-mission report. He has no idea how much of this will even make it in the report.

But he has Red Hood’s phone number scrawled on a bar napkin in his pocket, and he knows, whatever else happens in this ludicrous, lunatic town, he’s sure as hell not losing that.

#writing #soundtrack fills

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queerdraws · 3 years

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Cleaning Out the Rooms - a Harry Du Bois playlist Alcoholism, getting better?, memory loss, being a superstar, The Final Dream, forming political opinions, bad breakups, past transgressions, being a strange and inconsistent being, and persisting despite it all 26 songs (r-slur warning for Turnin’ on the Screw - QotSA)

including: David Bazan, They Might be Giants, The Mountain Goats, British Sea Power (of course), Queens of the Stone Age, and more. Full track listing and lyric excerpts under the cut

---- Turnin' on the Screw - Queens of the Stone Age (This is the opening track on Era Vulgaris, seemed like an appropriate opening song / introduction to Harry's general essence) ----

... They say those who can't just instruct others And act like victims or jilted lovers You can't lose it if you never had it Disappear, man, do some magic

Want a reason? How's about because You ain't a has been if you never was

I sound like this

Scared to say what is your passion So slag it all, bitter's in fashion Fear of failure's all you've started The jury is in, verdict: r******d

I'm so tired, and I'm wired too I'm a mess; I guess I'm turning on the screw

---- Bless this Mess - David Bazan (Harry being a drunk and a general mess, things going in cycles) ----

God bless the man who stumbles God bless the man who falls God bless the man who yields to temptation God bless the woman who suffers God bless the woman who weeps God bless the children trying her patience Trouble getting over it Is what you're in for So pour yourself another 'Cause it'll take a steady pair of hands Holy or unholy ghost Well now I can't tell, but either way you cut it You should get some distance if you plan to take a stand God bless the house divided God bless the weeds in the wheat God bless the lamp hid under a bushel I discovered hell to be the poison in the well So I tried to warn the others of the curse But then my body turned on me I dreamt that for eternity My family would burn Then I awoke with a wicked thirst

---- Don’t Sit Down Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair - Arctic Monkeys (general Harry vibe. off-kilter) ----

Break a mirror, roll the dice

...

Find a well-known hard man and start a fight Wear your shell suit on bonfire night Fill in a circular hole with a peg that's square

But just don't sit down 'cause I've moved your chair

...

Bite the lightning and tell me how it tastes Kung fu fighting on your roller skates Do the Macarena in the devil's lair

But just don't sit down 'cause I've moved your chair

---- I've Been Seeing Things - They Might be Giants (feels very Harry's detecting style, surreal happenstance) ----

I've been seeing things I've been seeing things Don't have answers but I've got lots of questions

Carpool's up, someone gets out Hand someone else a violin case I'm trying not to let them see me looking at them But I'm pretty sure there was a dollar sign

Keep your eyes peeled and you'll see stuff Which at first seems like unimportant irrelevant things

Can't just ask some perfect stranger "What are you hiding in your violin case?" Shadow them at a distance instead Try to get inside their head

Where'd they go now (Where'd they go now) I got distracted (I got distracted) Begging me to stay (Begging me to stay) Wearing a disguise (Wearing a disguise) That lady (That lady) Must have ditched the kid (Must have ditched the kid) Hidge the down (Hidge the down) [???] What's she up to now? (What's she up to now?) Trembling cold by the airport road Watching them stack containers in rows Seagulls, helicopter, windblown trash Something doesn't add up

I've been seeing things I've been seeing things No one asks but I'm packing all kinds of attention

Later I'm watching a news report Camera pans across a crime scene Unremarked upon detail Empty violin case Okay maybe not the same case Different material, different color Still you have to wonder Am I the only one who knows

I've been seeing things

---- Music is the Victim - Scissor Sisters (breakup Harry. drug-addled disco Harry) ----

I left my heart in San Fransisco It's at some motherfucking disco The people there where dancin' on it And that's including Ms. Matronic

Hell if music is the victim then so am I Of lovin' and a cheatin' the snake gon' bite I beg and I scream and I cuss and I cry If music is the victim then so am I

Of your bad fun Money's all gone but you need some Lover's on the phone but they got none Daddy ain't home from the dog run And you're riding through the city with a shotgun

I left my bag in Pasadena Where all them girls was doin' Tina Them bitches sure were crunked up on it I said I'd rather smoke some chronic

Hell if music is the victim then so am I Of lovin' and a cheatin' the snake gon' bite I beg and I scream and I cuss and I cry If music is the victim then so am I

---- Down to Your Soul - Right Away, Great Captain! (about the Final Dream and pre-game Harry) ----

And I see things I actually don't see. I knew it wasn't actually you a few feet from my reach. I looked into your eyes and I began to lose my teeth, And I felt you were dreaming the same thing.

And I know you don't know what I'm capable of But if you give me just one more minute I'm sure That you would be shaking right down to your soul And I'd hope that the fear of the lord brings me home. I'm a man in a body of water so tall Could swallow you whole and forget where he's going But I carved a map in the back of my arm Don't worry I'm coming home I said don't worry cause I'm coming home

---- No Surprises - Radiohead (suicidal harry, pre-game. Maybe immediately before the game. A little Big Communism Builder) ----

A heart that's full up like a landfill A job that slowly kills you Bruises that won't heal You look so tired, unhappy Bring down the government They don't, they don't speak for us I'll take a quiet life A handshake of carbon monoxide

And no alarms and no surprises

…

This is my final fit My final bellyache

…

No alarms and no surprises, please (get me out of here)

---- Cleaning Out the Rooms - British Sea Power (The instrumental part seems to have been used / referenced for a background music track. And also the name of that one thought project. as expected, it fits beautifully. Wake up in a new life, down by the seaside. Cleaning out the rooms. She’ll be coming soon.) ----

Where life is good in a way Swept away upon our hearts, in cold coal ceremonial On a rainy day, hang it up Get the vacuum and suck it in Cleaning out the rooms, I'll clean it up Dark cloud, drifting out of view I'll never know, she'll be coming soon, that is all I'll wake up in a new life, ship shape and shoe shine Cleaning out the rooms, I'll clean it up She'll be coming soon Drifting into view, way in the west, white cloud If everybody knew, I never knew, she'll be coming soon I'll wake up in a new life, down by the seaside In a new life, down by the seaside Cleaning out the room, I'll clean it up Dark clouds, she'll be coming soon Down the chimney, out the window, that is all

---- In the Morning of the Magicians - The Flaming Lips (waking up with no memory, but bad vibes) ----

In the morning I awake

And I couldn't remember What is love and what is hate

The calculations error

Oh, what is love and what is hate? And why does it matter? Is to love just a waste? And how can it matter?

Oh...

As the dawn began to break I had to surrender The universe will have its way Too powerful to master

---- Once in a Lifetime - Talking Heads (Huh?? What's happening?? same as it ever was, same as it ever was) ----

And you may ask yourself, "How do I work this?" And you may ask yourself, "Where is that large automobile?" And you may tell yourself, "This is not my beautiful house" And you may tell yourself, "This is not my beautiful wife"

...

Same as it ever was, same as it ever was Same as it ever was, same as it ever was

...

And you may ask yourself, "What is that beautiful house?" And you may ask yourself, "Where does that highway go to?" And you may ask yourself, "Am I right? Am I wrong?" And you may say to yourself, "My God! What have I done?"

---- Don't Change - David Bazan (alcoholism, cycles of wanting to get better, depression, slipping in to old coping mechanisms, plus a little bit in here about dreams. This is a song for if Harry continues partying after the memory wipe, I suppose) ----

He seems nice You met him once or twice But you wonder what he's like When he's sober

Then again You hear he has no friends Just people that he spins To do him favors

When he wakes up in the morning he tells himself Today I'll make a change But falling into his bed at night he thinks Man it was a beautiful day to stay the same

I'm so deep That only in my sleep Do the secrets that I keep Float to the surface

So I hold them down Till they don't make a sound Like they accidentally drowned Except on purpose

And when I wake up in the morning I tell myself Today I'll make a change But falling into my bed at night I think Man it was a beautiful day to stay the same

---- Airbag - Radiohead (born again, back to save the universe) ----

In the next world war In a jackknifed juggernaut I am born again In the neon sign scrolling up and down I am born again

In an interstellar burst I am back to save the universe

In a deep, deep sleep of the innocent I am born again In a fast German car I'm amazed that I survived An airbag saved my life

In an interstellar burst I am back to save the universe

---- A Comet Appears - The Shins (puppeting a man-body around pretending to be a living thing. drinking, depression) ----

One hand on this wily comet Take a drink just to give me some weight Some uber-man I'd make I'm barely a vapor

They shone a chlorine light on A host of individual sins Let's carve my aging face off Fetch us a knife Start with my eyes Down so the lines Form a grimacing smile

Close your eyes to corral a virtue Is this fooling anyone else? Never worked so long and hard To cement a failure

---- The Communists Have the Music - They Might be Giants (Big Communism Builder, but especially Harry's shallow understanding of Communism. Party-boy communist) ----

I got handed an Ayn Rand sandwich Straight from the can, it tasted so bland I asked a lass to pass me a glass Of Engels' Conditions of the Working Class

Right away they dragged me to the committee To explain my un-American activity They're gonna see they made a mistake If they'd only let me play my mixtape

I'm not partial to the martial Or the plutocrats, in their beaver hats And the fascists have the outfits But I don't care for the outfits What I care about is music And the communists have the music

---- Harlem Roulette - The Mountain Goats (Harry thinking about Guillame le Million? Generally: that vibe of secret, maybe supranatural machinations happening just outside your field of view. A kinda lonely, pensive vibe, sprinkled with past drug use, driving...memory) ----

Unknown engines underneath the city Steam pushing up in billows through the grates Frankie Lymon's tracking "Seabreeze" in a studio in Harlem Its 1968. Just a pair of tunes to hammer out. Everybody's off the clock by 10:00. The loneliest people in the whole wide world are the ones you're never going to see again. Feels so free when I hit the avenue. Nothing like a New York summer night. Every dream's a good dream, Even awful dreams are good dreams, If you're doing it right. Remember soaring higher than a cloud. Get pretty sentimental now and then. The loneliest people in the whole wide world are the ones you're never going to see again. And four hours north of Portland, a radio flips on. And some no one from the future remembers that you're gone. Armies massing in the dusky distance. Ghosted in the ribbon microphone. Leave a little mark on something, maybe, Take the secret circuit home. Nothing in the shadows but the shadow hands. Reaching out to sad, young, frightened men. The loneliest people in the whole wide world are the ones you're never going to see again.

---- Suture up Your Future - Queens of the Stone Age (Harry's gonna fix his mess) ----

I'm gon' suture up my future I ain't jaded, I just hate it See, I been down too long It's kinda hard to explain Burned and buried, all I carried

...

Tried explaining unexplained Got caught in the plan All this talking at once I've been giving my love away To the things that tear it apart I'm gonna suture up my future

---- Lampshades on Fire - Modest Mouse (Harry trashing his body / having already trashed his body, just kinda a Harry-vibe song) ----

...

Well, the lampshade's on fire when the lights go out This is what I really call a party now Well, fear makes us really, really run around A-this one's done so where to now? Our eyes light up, we have no shame at all Well, you all know what I'm talking about The room lights up, but we're still dancing around We're having fun, having some fun now

Pack up again, head to the next place Where we'll make the same mistakes Open one up and let it fall to the ground Pile out the door when it all runs out

...

As our feelings are getting hurt Oh, we want you to do the work Our ass looks great inside these jeans Well, we want just our water clean

Well, this is how it's always been And this is how it's going to be So you just move on

---- Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes (Harry "can-opener" du Bois. Talking to the skills, solving things, detecting, generally being a terrifying force of nature / the pale) ----

I'm gonna fight 'em all A seven nation army couldn't hold me back They're gonna rip it off Taking their time right behind my back

And I'm talking to myself at night Because I can't forget Back and forth through my mind Behind a cigarette

And the message coming from my eyes Says, "Leave it alone"

Don't wanna hear about it Every single one's got a story to tell Everyone knows about it From the Queen of England to the Hounds of Hell

And if I catch it coming back my way I'm gonna serve it to you And that ain't what you want to hear But that's what I'll do

And the feeling coming from my bones Says, "Find a home"

---- Body of Years - Mother Mother (Harry's past that follows him, Harry's half-decomposed body that marks the years of abuse it's been through) ----

All the remains of a cadaver of days I keep hidden away, keep them there just in case I wanna visit that place Blow the dust from the bones Off a body of years that I leave all alone Just a body of years

See the skin disappears And the blood turns to stone In a body of years now a pile of bones Like a sheet of veneer Each a piece of my soul It's a body of years that I leave all alone

It's Just a body of years, now a pile of bones You know Old soul who falls down Can't stop trippin' on these Old roads I go down Get back up and get my foot in the door And my face on the page Make my mark in the world With a bat and a blade It's a body of work that you can't ever change Like a body of years that you take to your grave It's just a body of years that I leave all alone It's just a body of years, now a pile of bones Like a sheet of veneer Each a piece of my soul

---- The Cap-m - They Might be Giants (just a Harry vibe song) ----

When I talk you keep looking away from me 'Cause you probably think that I'm high on pot But I'm not, I'm not

Look me over, I'm the Cap'm You say it's such a joke But I don't see you laughing

People seem to think you can't be called the Cap'm Unless you drive a boat Well, I don't I don't

Look me over, I'm the Cap'm Go ahead and mess with me You'll find out what will happ'm

...

Did you say what I think you just said My hat looks good on me? I agree, I agree

Look me over, I'm the Cap'm You act like it's a joke But I don't see you laughing

---- Broke - Modest Mouse (oops! all mistakes. Broke it all. Want to forget it but can't) ----

Broke account, so I broke a sweat I've bought some things that I sort of regret about now Broke my pace and ran out of time Sometimes I'm so full of shit that it should be a crime

Broke a promise 'cause my car broke down Such a classic excuse it should be bronze by now Broke your glasses, but it broke the ice You said that I was an asshole and I paid the price

Broken hearts want broken necks I've done some things that I'd love to forget, but I can't

Broke up, and I'm relieved somehow It's the end of the discussions that just go 'round and 'round And 'round, and 'round, and 'round ... It was like everything was evidence of broken time

You're living on fancy wine You'll drink that turpentine You're starting conversations You don't even know the topic

---- Spent Gladiator 2 - The Mountain Goats (Defiantly alive) ----

Like a spent gladiator, Crawling in the coliseum dust. Who can count on his remaining limbs, All the people he can trust. Like the one who stands behind him, Cheering him on. Ecstatic when he stands defiant, Wild with abandon when he's gone. Just stay alive. Keep your eyes on the pay line. Like a village on the step, About to get collectivized. When the men emerge with rifles from the haystack, Everybody looks surprised. Like the mice in the forgotten grain, Way up on the top shelf. Like someone who's found a small town to escape to, Keeps one eye on his abandoned, former self. Stay in the game. Just try to play through the pain. Like a fighter who's been told its finally time for him to quit. Show up in shining colors, And then stand there and get hit. Like the clock that ticks in Dresden, When the whole town's been destroyed. Like the nagging flash of insight, You're always desperate to avoid. Like the bloody-knuckled gunman, Still stationed at the breach. Like that board game with the sliders, And the children on the beach. Stay alive. Maybe spit some blood at the camera. Just stay alive. Stay forever alive.

---- You Only Live Once - The Strokes (just general Harry, talking about the skills, choices you can make, what kind of cop you can be) ----

Twenty-nine different attributes Only seven that you like, oh-oh Twenty ways to see the world, oh And twenty ways to start a fight, oh

...

And countless odd religions too It doesn't matter which you choose, oh, no One stubborn way to turn your back, oh This I've tried and now refuse, oh

Oh don't, don't, don't get up I can't see the sunshine Oh, I'll be waiting for you, baby 'Cause I'm through Sit me down Shut me up I'll calm down And I'll get along with you

---- Pork and Beans - Weezer (Superstar Cop) ----

They say I need some rogaine to put in my hair Work it out at the gym to fit my underwear Oakley makes the shades to transform a tool You'd hate for the kids to think that you've lost your cool

I'ma do the things that I wanna do I ain't got a thing to prove to you I'll eat my candy with the pork and beans Excuse my manners if I make a scene I ain't gonna wear the clothes that you like I'm fine and dandy with the me inside One look in the mirror and I'm tickled pink I don't give a hoot about what you think

Everyone likes to dance to a happy song With a catchy chorus and beat so they can sing along Timbaland knows the way to reach the top of the charts Maybe if I work with him I can perfect the art

No, I don't care I don't care

---- Freaks - Surf Curse (head filled with skills, The Final Dream) ----

Don't kill me just help me run away From everyone I need a place to stay Where I can cover up my face Don't cry, I am just a freak

I am just a freak(x3)

My head is filled with parasites Black holes cover up my eyes I dream of you almost every night Hopefully I won't wake up this time

I won't wake up this time(x3)

---- The Smallest Church in Sussex - British Sea Power (oh yeah this is mandatory) ----

#disco elysium #harry du bois #harrier du bois #hdb #disco elysium playlist #generally wanted to keep this playlist fun to listen to despite the subject matter to there are still a lot of songs w good beats #communists have the music gets stuck in my head all the time #also sorry to repost this #i forgot to tag anything and if you edit something to add tags it doesn't seem to show up in search

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a-small-batch-of-dragons · 3 years

Text

End of His Rope

Prompts: Don't know if you're in the mood to write some Merthur but if you are, being the hurt/comfort royalty that you are, may I humbly request a little "shatter my soul" misunderstanding? If not that's fine too. - alittletoo-obsessed

So, I've been rereading some of your Merlin fics, and I was wondering if you could maybe write something where Merlin's experienced some sort of trauma before he came to Camelot, and so he's always avoiding things or reacting strangely, but Arthur assumes that's just his personality, but then something seemingly innocuous happens and he just breaks down completely in front of Arthur, & Arthur can't understand why. Cue Arthur trying to help him and Merlin eventually having to explain everything. - anon

Our BOYS i did miss them

Read on Ao3

Warnings: childhood trauma, flashbacks, drowning

Pairings: merthur, platonic or romantic don't care

Word Count: 3682

It’s always the water in his dreams.

Dark. Lapping at the stone walls. Bottomless.

The chain clanks heavily against the sides.

It’s so deep.

The rope is never long enough.

—————

Arthur has no idea why he had to get assigned the weirdest servant in Camelot.

Sure, it’s not like he asked for Merlin to be his servant—and he’ll kill you if you tell him this, but he’s not changing Merlin for the world—but come on, he could’ve at least gotten someone normal.

But no, he has to get this clumsy fool of a bumpkin that insists on tripping over his own feet, stumbling into walls, spending days at a time who knows where—he’s good friends with the tavern owner so he knows Merlin’s not there—and occasionally spouting great wisdom seemingly off the top of his head. And to top it all off, he’s endearing enough that Arthur panics whenever Merlin’s not right next to him.

It’s terribly annoying.

But that—well, most of that—he can forgive. Merlin’s a clumsy fool but he’s a good distraction. He’s a forgetful sod but he’s witty enough to make up for whatever time he’s lost with some sort of solution. He’s a disrespectful clot pole but it’s a welcome relief from all this ‘yes, sire,’ ‘no, sire,’ ‘would you prefer pork or poultry, sire?’ It gets a bit grating every now and then.

And alright, maybe Merlin’s not entirely to blame for how endearing Arthur finds him. Maybe.

But the whole thing about water Arthur will never understand.

The first time he asked Merlin to draw him a bath he thought the man was about to fall over. Merlin had gone pale and stammered out that yes, he would do that, how does he do that? He’d assumed it was because Merlin was shirking from his duties or whatnot but he hadn’t asked any of the other servants to help him, instead drawing the water for Arthur all by himself. Bemused, Arthur had told him he’s allowed to get help, only for Merlin to go on one of those impressive rants about how servants were people too, and interrupting their jobs seemed rude. Which, alright fair enough but it didn’t erase the pale and shaken expression from his face.

The first time he walked in on Merlin trying to clean the floor, he stopped and stared at the bucket sitting in the farthest corner of the room.

“You know it’s more efficient to keep the bucket with you, right?”

Merlin shrugs. “You have an issue with how I clean the floor, you are more than welcome to do it yourself.”

Arthur had scoffed and turned to leave but the tension in Merlin’s shoulders had stayed.

The first time he met Merlin in the courtyard and tries to walk past the well was the first time Merlin had strayed from his side.

“And of course, you’ll need to make sure all of my armor is…” Arthur trails off, looking around for Merlin, only to notice him a few paces away. “What the hell are you doing over there?”

“Walking.”

“Get back here,” Arthur barks, “I’m not done.”

“I can hear you perfectly fine over here.”

“Merlin—hey!”

“Sorry, sire!” A carriage blows right by them, Merlin reaching out to yank Arthur closer by his sleeve as it goes by. “Didn’t see you there!”

Arthur mutters a curse and brushes himself off.

“That’s why,” Merlin says, helping him dust himself off, “don’t want you to get run over by a wagon, now.”

Arthur cuffs him half-heartedly over the head and keeps walking.

He tries again a few times but Merlin studiously avoids the well with a grace that he scarcely applies to anything else.

It hits him when they’re out hunting once that Merlin might just hate getting wet.

So he pushes him into a pond.

Merlin splutters and curses at him and purposefully dumps all the arrows into the pond with him so they’re useless for hunting but he knows how to swim and if the way he slings his sodden neckerchief at Arthur is any indication, he’s not entirely opposed to the water.

And yes, the day was hot and maybe a water fight was the best way to cool off.

It only ever happens when they’re in Camelot. Sometimes Merlin will accidentally kick one of the buckets and it looks like he’s about to jump out of his skin. Arthur chuckles at him and calls him a delicate pansy but it’s only ever that loud noise. Not when the bells are going off—they really need to get better security for the dungeons—not when Merlin drops another tray, only the bucket.

And he still won’t go near the well.

Merlin must just not like it. That’s fine.

Doesn’t mean he’s going to get out of his chores, though.

He watches Merlin go about his day, watches him change the sheets, do up the rest of the room, get the laundry, but he never goes into the courtyard. He frowns when Merlin does ask someone else—Lilian, he thinks her name is—to go get a bucket of water for him, but there’s nothing quite like the way that Merlin lingers at the very edge of the courtyard, his gaze on a constant swivel, trying to see something that isn’t there.

It’s unnerving.

But it’s Merlin, and Merlin is strange, so Arthur just shrugs and moves on.

—————

Merlin wakes up in a cold sweat.

He wraps his arms around himself and scrambles to the floor. Dust cakes itself over his shins and forearms and he heaves a sob.

The hand on his shoulder that branded him so many years ago hums with the feeling of Arthur’s glove.

—————

“Leave it,” Arthur says, patting Merlin’s shoulder as he walks by, “we’ll get the next one.”

He steers Merlin away from the well toward the castle door, the dropped bucket rolling across the stones. Behind them, Lilian lowers another bucket into the well, the soft splash-thunk of the water and the creak of the handle. Arthur shakes his head.

“Why does it have to be so bloody hot?”

“It’s summer,” Merlin mumbles, clearly feeling the heat too by the sweat beaded on his brow, “it’s supposed to be hot.”

“Not this hot.” Arthur shakes his head, dismayed when his hair sticks to his forehead. “We should be inside.”

“You’re the one that dragged us out here, sire.”

“Enough. Come on. I’m sure there’s somewhere cooler we could be sitting.”

They make their way back into the castle, Merlin immediately going to draw the curtains to block out the hideous light of the sun as Arthur flops down onto his bed and scrubs his hands over his face.

“You’ll get your sheets all sweaty.”

“Everything in this castle is already sweaty,” Arthur mumbles, “what’s a few sheets?”

“Well, when you have to sleep on them tonight, that will be your problem.”

“Please. I’ve slept in worse.”

“Mm.” Merlin swats him with a pillow. “You’ve also complained about your room being too hot more times than I can count. Move.”

“You move,” he manages as he peels himself off the bed and onto the floor. “Why is it so hot, Merlin?”

“I told you, it’s summer.”

Arthur squints. “You’re wearing so many clothes.”

“It is polite to wear clothes, Arthur.”

“But you’re wearing a jacket and long sleeves and a scarf and long trousers! How are you not hot?”

Merlin shrugs. “I run cold.”

“C’mere then.” Arthur holds out his hand. “I’m too hot. Cool me off.”

Merlin rolls his eyes. “You’d have better luck sticking your head in a casket of mead.”

“Merlin.”

“You would,” Merlin sings, “but then you’d be even stickier than you are now.”

“Fine.” His head falls back against the bed with a thud. “Maybe I’ll just jump in water next time.”

He’s too hot to notice the way that Merlin stiffens.

—————

Merlin pants and heaves and scrabbles at the floor. It’s real, he’s really dry, it’s safe, there’s nowhere to go down.

He shivers on the cold floor and reaches for a blanket, wrapping himself in it tightly and clutching the fabric to his face. It scratches horribly and he rubs his cheek into it.

Rough is safe. Dust is safe. Warm is safe.

There’s nowhere to go.

High above Camelot, dark clouds begin to swirl in the sky, carrying with them the promise of rain.

—————

Arthur sighs as he slumps under the edge of the stable. Really, a rainstorm? Right now? The air had a weight to it, hanging over the courtyard like a dirty rag, right up until the heavens burst open and decided to pour over the city. They’d barely made it to the safety of the stable in time before it looked like the storm was doing its best to wash the courtyard clean.

“Well, there goes the plan for the rest of the day.”

Merlin huddles against the stable, shying away from the gutter. “Are we going to try and make it back inside?”

“Unless you fancy a mad dash through the storm, I’d say we’re better off waiting it out.”

Merlin glares at the water like it’s personally insulted Gaius in front of him. Arthur follows his gaze to watch one of the horses finally drag its cart under an overhanging section of roof.

“Seems everyone wants to get out of this rain.”

“Wouldn’t you?”

Arthur sighs before something hits him in the forehead. He glances up.

A raindrop hits him square in the eye.

Biting back a curse, he glances around and spies a bucket.

“Aha!”

“What’re you—Arthur?”

“This should show you,” he mutters, shoving the bucket under the leak, “there. Now try it.”

He looks up to reassure Merlin that he’s fine, he just got hit in the eye with a raindrop, only to see Merlin’s face.

“…Merlin?”

Merlin’s face is ash. His mouth hangs open, his lips dry despite the rain and his lower lip starts to wobble.

“Merlin!”

And Merlin is gone, tearing through the rain like a bat out of hell. Arthur mutters another curse and races after him, barely flinching at the deluge as he tries to keep his eyes on Merlin, Merlin, Merlin, as they dart into the castle and up the stairs.

“Merlin, where are you—slow down, you’re going to—Merlin!”

Merlin trips. He falls.

Arthur reaches out and wraps an arm around Merlin’s waist, just saving him from careening down a staircase.

“Merlin, shh,” he tries, only to have to grunt and struggle to keep a hold of the man as he claws at the air in front of him, “come on—Merlin!”

His room. They need to get to his room.

“Sorry, Merlin,” he mumbles, before swinging the man up—why is he so light?—and making a break for his chambers.

The door slams shut behind him and he lets Merlin go, his chest aching as he watches him fall to the floor, scrabbling madly at the stone until his fingers start to bleed.

“Merlin,” he cries again, dropping to his knees and taking Merlin’s hands in his, “Merlin, look at me!”

His…his eyes…

Arthur has never seen Merlin look like this. He’s never seen him in so much pain.

“Merlin,” he tries, softer this time, “Merlin, it’s alright. You’re safe, I’m right here.”

Finally, finally, Merlin stills. Though still is almost worse, he looks frozen. He swallows.

“…’rthur?”

“Yes, Merlin, it’s me, I’m right here, it’s alright.” He gives Merlin’s hands a gentle squeeze. “What’s—oh!”

Merlin throws himself at him, all but knocking him over as he wraps his arms tightly around his waist. Arthur catches him with a huff, letting him bury his soaking wet face in his jerkin.

“Easy, Merlin, it’s alright,” he laughs nervously, “you’re—well, alright, you idiot, if you…if you need to…”

He says as if he’s not cuddling Merlin already.

Arthur sighs, the dampness of their clothes making it more than a little uncomfortable but not caring in the slightest when Merlin starts to sob into his shoulder.

“Hey, hey, Merlin, it’s alright, I’m right here. You’ve got me, I’ve got you, we’re not going anywhere.” He rubs Merlin’s back firmly and presses his cheek to his wet hair. “I’ve got you.”

Poor Merlin is still shaking like a leaf. Arthur frowns, glaring at the storm with the intent to stare it down until it tells him why the hell it thinks it can hurt his Merlin like this.

“The rain can’t hurt you anymore,” he growls, “we’re inside. You’re safe. Everything’s alright.”

Merlin hiccups. “We’re—it’s—over?”

“The storm isn’t quite through yet, but we’re out of the rain, yes, Merlin, you’re safe.”

“Don’t—want—fall—“

“You can’t fall here, I’ve got you, we’re on the floor.”

“Rope—too short—won’t reach all the way—hurts—“

The roaring protectiveness in his gut starts to give way to confusion, what rope? Where is Merlin trying to go?

“Calm down, Merlin,” he says instead, rubbing his back, “it’s alright, there’s no rope—“

Merlin lets out a howl.

“No, no, no! That’s not—there is a rope,” Arthur tries desperately, “and it’s long enough, we can reach, it’s alright, everyone’s safe, you’re safe, shh, shh…”

The howl buries itself in some soft part of Arthur’s chest. His hands are itching for his sword, something, anything to fight what’s causing Merlin this much pain but he can’t, there’s nothing, so he wraps his arms tighter around Merlin and glares at the storm.

After a long, long time, when their tunics have done their best to meld with their skin, Merlin stills. There’s one more soft hiccup before a cold nose presses itself to Arthur’s neck.

“…Merlin?”

“‘Rthur? Arthur?”

“It’s me, Merlin, I’m right here.”

“Arthur…” Merlin tenses and before Arthur can protest, pulls away. “Sorry.”

“Don’t,” Arthur says sharply, only for Merlin to flinch. He softens his voice and reaches for him. “Don’t pull away, don’t apologize. Are you hurt?”

Merlin lets him wrap an arm around him, thank god. “No. Not hurt.”

Arthur opens his mouth to protest but thinks better of it. “Come on, let’s get you out of these wet clothes. Get dry. Yeah?”

The word ‘dry’ seems to unlock something, Merlin’s limbs flowing looser around his body. “Yeah…”

“Dry it is then,” Arthur says quietly, “come on, there are towels for us to dry off, we can get dry, we’ve got dry clothes here.”

Concern chases its tail around Arthur’s chest as he carefully tousles Merlin’s hair dry as Merlin peels himself out of his soaked clothes. They end up in a sodden heap in the corner, ready to be taken to the laundress’s as Arthur offers Merlin one of his nightshirts.

Merlin looks like a drowned puppy, blinking warily at the proffered shirt.

“Just put it on, Merlin,” Arthur says softly, “it’s dry and warm.”

There’s the magic word again. Merlin tugs on the shirt and wraps his arms around himself. Arthur glances behind him at the bed and prods Merlin’s shoulder.

“Under the covers now,” he murmurs, smiling a little at Merlin’s confusion, “come on, I want to be warm too. And if you still run cold you’re going to need more than that to warm you up.”

Merlin lets him tug them both up to the other end of the bed, under the covers, pulling the sheets up to their chins. Arthur reaches out to take Merlin’s hands and examine them.

“You’re hurt,” he murmurs, “but it shouldn’t last very long. We can go to Gaius if you really need it.”

He glances up to see Merlin’s exhausted little face.

“Hey,” he murmurs, tugging Merlin a little closer, “are you alright?”

“Tired, now,” Merlin mumbles, “and embarrassed.”

“It’s okay.” Arthur pulls him closer. “C’mere.”

“What’re you doing?”

“Warming you up.” And hugging you because you’re still looking like a drowned puppy.

“Oh.” Merlin is all elbows and knees and wet hair, scrunched up under Arthur’s chin, but he relaxes a little. “Thanks.”

“Mm.” Arthur runs a hand over his back. “Want to talk about it?”

Merlin hums. “Not really.”

Arthur bites back a curse and takes his lip between his teeth. “Can I ask what it was that set it off? So it…doesn’t happen again?”

Something warm flares against his neck. “It’s stupid.”

“You just had a breakdown in my arms, Merlin, it’s not stupid.”

“They can both be stupid.”

“Well, they aren’t.”

“You don’t even know what it is yet.”

“It makes you upset,” Arthur says firmly, “it’s not stupid.”

Merlin is quiet for a few moments. Then: “you can ask.”

Good. “Was it the storm?”

“Not really.”

“Was it the rain?”

“Not really.”

Arthur frowns. Then what could it have been? Merlin had been glaring at the storm like he wanted it to go away.

But he was the one to suggest they make a run for it.

As a matter of fact, he’d been fine up until…

Up until Arthur had moved the bucket.

“…Merlin?”

“Yeah?”

“Was it the bucket?”

Merlin stiffens. Then he lets out a long sigh and tucks his face deeper into Arthur’s chest. “Yes.”

“…can I ask why?”

“Do you have to?”

Yes. “No, I don’t, I just…” Arthur takes a deep breath. “I don’t like seeing you like this, Merlin, it…you’re upset and I can’t help and I can’t do anything. It hurts.”

He holds Merlin a little tighter.

“I don’t like seeing you hurt,” he confesses in a whisper, “I want to help.”

Merlin shudders in his arms. “Well that’s not fair,” he says hoarsely, “but…thanks.”

And the story comes spilling out of him.

There is a well on the outskirts of Ealdor. It is old, built before Merlin’s mother can remember, and it has one metal bucket on the end of a long, fraying rope. When there is a drought, the bucket has to be lowered further in order to reach the water.

One year, there was a very bad drought. The well was running dry. So the people of the village decided to build a new well closer to the river with a much longer rope. The old well was not used.

Merlin’s job used to be to fetch the water for the animals at the end of the day. So he would walk to the well. One night, he forgot that the old well wasn’t being used.

He found a pack of the village boys around the old well.

They were laughing and pointing at something inside.

Merlin wandered closer to figure out what was going on.

The bucket sat useless outside the well.

There was a boy inside the well.

Merlin couldn’t see him, it was too dark.

The splashing sounds were getting weaker.

The cries were getting quieter.

The other boys laughed at him when he threw his own bucket down and raced for the other one.

One of them grabbed his arm.

“Don’t, or we’ll throw you in too.”

Merlin had to watch.

The boys left when they couldn’t hear the cries anymore.

Merlin threw down the bucket.

The rope wasn’t long enough.

His mother found him the next morning, the metal bucket by his side long forgotten, his hands all but frozen to the old crank, still peering down into the water.

Arthur’s mouth runs dry as Merlin keeps talking. Unbidden, his arms tighten around the man mumbling into his chest.

He couldn’t have known.

How cruel those boys must have been, how awful it must be for Merlin to keep seeing that, over and over and over…

“I’m sorry,” he says in a strangled whisper when Merlin’s finished. “I’m so sorry.”

Merlin is quiet.

“It wasn’t your fault,” he continues, “it wasn’t, Merlin, it’s—it’s not your fault.”

“The rope wasn’t long enough,” comes the mumble, “I couldn’t save him.”

“Shh, shh, it wasn’t your fault. Don’t blame yourself for the cruelty of others.” Arthur holds him tighter. “I’m sorry, Merlin, you don’t have to go near the well ever again, I promise, we can get someone else to do it.”

Merlin just curls further into his chest.

“You’re safe, you’re dry, everything’s alright, you’ll be fine—“ Arthur can’t stop blabbering on, trying to reassure the poor man in his arms— “I’ve got you, you’re safe.”

Merlin wraps his arms around Arthur too and holds tight. “Don’t have to go near the well?”

“No, no, Merlin, never.”

“Don’t have to use the buckets?”

“No. Only wooden buckets and only when you need to.”

“Don’t have to be wet?”

“You’re dry, I’ll keep you dry.”

“Is there still rope?”

“The ropes are long enough, they’re always long enough.”

“Good,” Merlin mumbles, the exhaustion finally bleeding into his voice, “good…good…”

When they wake up, they’ll have to talk about what else Merlin needs, how to deal with this. Arthur will have to grit his teeth and resist the urge to storm back to Ealdor and teach those boys a lesson. Merlin will curl his fingers into Arthur’s jacket every time they walk past the well.

But for now, Merlin will drift off to sleep in Arthur’s arms, Arthur will hold him, and they’ll stay safe and dry out of the rain where they don’t need a bucket to stop any leaks.

#merthur fic #merthur #merlin bbc #merlin #bbc merlin #arthur pendragon #dragonbabbles #fic

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violetsoju · 3 years

Text

snapshot

miya atsumu · fluff · 1.9k

muse: highlight - not the end

a/n: my ultimate boys are finally back after three and a half years, and my inner fangirl that has been asleep for way too long has been unleashed for the past few days. hence, this impulsive piece. do let me know if you enjoyed it ❤️

It’s time.

After a year or so, there’s finally light at the end of the tunnel. Cherry blossoms are in full bloom again, gracing the pathways with shades of light pink and white.

It’s the beginning of a new year, of new beginnings, of new hopes and dreams. A time of renewal and rebirth. When cherry blossoms are in full bloom, the future is bursting with possibilities.

What better way to start off the new year with something that makes your heart blossom with love and joy?

You’ve been deep in slumber for the past year, so it’s about time to be awaken and open the curtains for the sunlight shine in.

Your planner is inked with colourful notes and doodles, laptop reformatted with an empty recycle bin, camera equipment cleaned and dusted, phone storage deep-cleaned.

It’s hard to not notice the bright smile tugging your lips even without the mandatory cup of morning coffee, greeting everyone in the office like a ray of sunshine. Even your supervisor notices it and is surprised with the increased efficiency of work from your end. Perhaps he’s more surprised with your razor sharp accuracy in clocking out every day, disappearing in a flash once the clock strikes 6.

Your colleagues can’t seem put a finger to the recent change in your behaviour. What’s an afterwork get-together without you and ridiculous tipsy antics? Not even your favourite yakult soju or the summoning of your supervisor could drag your feet to the dinner place.

“Do you have a boyfriend? That’s why you’re so busy recently?” They would ask. Or they would try and wiggle their way by asking “Is there someone waiting at home for you?”

No matter how tactfully they twist and turn their words, they were all futile attempts. Because all they would get was a sickly sweet innocent smile that never met your crescent-shaped eyes, and an automatic response. “Thank you for the invite, but I’m afraid I’ll have to pass tonight. Have fun!”

They had their bets that you were wrapped up with your secret little love life, spending nights over at your lover’s place, whispering sweet nothings into the night. “Ah, young love.” They would sigh. “Remember to stay protected!”

Your tight lipped smile fuelled them further instead. Why don’t you say anything, they wonder.

To you, why waste your energy explaining something that is incomprehensible to them and risk having yourself being the centre of gossip? Not that you are already the recent centre of gossip.

Because they won’t understand the surge of excitement flowing through your veins at the ping of notifications popping up on your phone screen during work. They won’t understand the of anticipation for the timer on a video screen to turn zero, whether on the way home or while having dinner. They won’t understand the happiness of late night chats with likeminded people online, sleep washed away while gushing and typing in full caps with each other. They won’t understand the buzz of giddiness with just one post, one picture or one sentence. They won’t understand the little squeal behind a picture or a minute-long video unexpectedly appearing on screen. They won’t understand having the same song or same album on loop for days, weeks, or months. They don’t understand the dilemma of choosing a wallpaper or lockscreen for your phone. They don't understand how by remembering a person or something they have said before drives unimaginable motivation and makes the toughest circumstances bearable and possible to overcome. They won't understand how a person who doesn't know your existence personally can be a source of comfort and happiness.

They won’t understand the real reason why you’re smiling like a fool at your phone.

Maybe if they peered carefully at your phone screen, they would know why.

And it’s not what they had in bet.

Well, they were partly right if you were to be completely honest.

But if you were to place your bets, you’re sure most of them would still be scratching their heads in confusion at the black, gold and white logo.

It may be foreign to them, but you swear that you can see those colours even if you’re blind.

MSBY. The 8 member boy group. Worldwide superstars. The whole damn package. Boys made for the dazzling stage. Boys that deserve the whole world. Boys whose talent knows no limits. Boys that you hold dear to your heart.

Ever since Hinata Shouyou, the youngest of the group had injured his lower back and knee during choreography practice (in which was revealed with a slip of a tongue in a livestream that Bokuto and him were so engrossed with a certain acrobatic move which involved a backflip from a higher ground, they begged their choreographer to add it into their new choreography. Instead of showing a clip of the move, they decided to give it a shot and perform it live spontaneously for everyone, where too much adrenaline and a small slip had him lying in the hospital bed for weeks), the group had collectively come to a conclusion to halt their activities until he was fully recovered and ready to roll. There were no solo activities, solo promotions or unit activities despite the attractive proposals or invitations. Such a waste of talent and time, many said. What is their company thinking? Letting their cash cow go to waste like that. But they tuned out all the crap, and firmly held to their resolve of being together as a group; all for one, and one for all.

“We’ll be back. And we know you all have our backs.” Meian Shuugo, the leader of the pack assured, eyes filled with resolute and confidence.

So after a draught of 456 days to be exact, an oasis finally appeared in the burning desert sands. When the notification titled ‘MSBY is back’ appeared on phone and laptop screens alike, it took a few seconds for everyone to blink and make sure it wasn’t a mirage. But the small tick was unmistakable. Then the whole fandom lost their shit.

This isn’t a drill. MSBY is back. In full swing.

The black jackals are ready to hunt. Their hunger has been supressed long enough. They’ve been starved for too long. They’re out for blood. They’re ready to pounce at any moment. They’re back in the game.

(If you were to be real honest, everyone should have saw this coming after that particular livestream where Bokuto, the renowned king of spoilers, animatedly announced that “We’ll be seeing you guys soon. Like real soon!” with his wide toothy smile, to which Inunaki Shion ferociously slapped him in the back with a cramped broad smile plastered on his face. “In the next livestream, of course! Can’t wait to see you guys soon!” The mom of the group added through gritted teeth. Adriah Tomas choked on his water and sheepishly grinned, while Sakusa Kiyoomi stared ahead unfazed, like this was a daily occurrence.)

Which means it’s time for you to get back to work. Which is also no surprise why you’ve been so occupied these days, having two schedules to work with: your personal schedule and MSBY’s comeback schedule. Which also means, your weekends are MSBY’s weekends.

Fangirling is a job to be taken very, seriously.

Change of word choice for the better. Supporting your idols is a job to be taken very, seriously.

So on a pleasantly warm Saturday afternoon with cherry blossoms petals dancing in the wind, as you try your best to stable yourself on the ground with the huge ass DSLR in your hands, you scan for a specific person among the sea of people ahead. A specific blond, to be exact. But lucky you, because even if you don’t scan for him, he finds his way to your camera lens. Which is why your pictures are one of the most sought after and anticipated of the idol Miya Atsumu, lead dancer of MSBY.

It’s like he has antennas on the top of his head. Despite the flurry of cameras flashing at him, confessions and screams drowning out his surroundings, rapid camera shutters going off like woodpeckers drumming relentlessly on a tree, he somehow, always manages to locate you, to look right into your camera lens, giving you his million dollar smile or infamous grin with small fangs peeking from the sides. The cherry on top? His top-notch fanservice. He never, never fails to give a reaction to you. Be it a small wave, a heart shape with his arms bent over his head, or a flirtatious wink that would combust hearts right on the spot.

You’re beyond grateful for his attentiveness and recognition towards you. It’s not like you’re on his heels. Hitting the shutter button is just a pastime of yours when your schedule allows. In better words, you’re just a random potato popping up occasionally with a camera. Plus, it’s no easy feat to pick a specific person out among a sea of people, especially with tens or hundreds of faces flashing before his eyes in one go.

Truth to be told, you’re thankful for the special attention too, because you get to share the fun and playful side of him with everyone, to light up everyone’s day with pictures of their favourite golden boy. Sharing is caring, and in this big close-knitted family, everyone deserves to be well fed.

However, the good things in life are never free.

Jealousy is a bitch, and bitches need to get well soon. Rumours are born out of wicked tongues, and wicked tongues are born out of the evil fire of envy.

Baseless ridiculous tales circulate among the community. How you’re the daughter of some big-shot of the company or political figure, using, or abusing your privilege connections to gain his favour. How you’re an obsessive fan who has intruded your way into his life, holding his career by the reins out of corrupted love by stalking and threatening him to pose for the camera, your camera specifically if he wants to keep himself and his group safe. How it’s a business relationship between the both of you: you as his private photographer, him paying you to get perfect shots of him to boost his popularity, to outshine his members, to feed his monstrous ego.

But do you care? Of course you don’t.

Because between this jam-packed schedule, this is the only time you get to see your boyfriend in real life, and you want to keep a record of his amazing journey through your lenses. It’s a diary of his growth, the beautiful moments in his life. A diary for him, you and his fans. To also show him that you’re here with him, here for him, no matter what.

And does Miya Atsumu care? Of course he doesn’t.

Because what more can he ask by having the opportunity to see you in flesh, even if it’s just a few seconds amidst his hectic back-to-back schedules. You’re his serotonin, the one that he misses holding in his arms after a long tiring day, the one that keeps him going, the one that he can count on for being there.

Knowing that you’re there at every step of the way makes him take each step with more confidence and pride.

So as Miya Atsumu exits the broadcasting building, he searches for a familiar camera lens among the sea of similar looking cameras shoved in his face. He sweeps his gaze from left to right, and grins when he spots the one he’s looking for.

A face sculpted by the gods with a boyish grin that could lit up the world graces the cameras of many, but only one captures his eyes gleaming with delight head on.

There was a really cute fanart of idol! Atsumu but the artist has closed her twitter account so I can't link it here T_T but if you do have any idol! Atsumu fanarts do send them in hehe

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fantastic-bby · 3 years

Text

ATEEZ vs. Christmas confessions

Pairing: Gender neutral Reader x Member

Genre: Pure fluff

Word count: 2.5k

Summary: When you spend Christmas at the ATEEZ dorm, they confess to you

Warnings: -

A/n: Merry Christmas!! It’s already Christmas over where I’m at, but it might be weird because I know half of the world is still only in the 24th, but I hope everyone has an amazing Christmas and Happy New Years!

Masterlist

Hongjoong

Would help you decorate a few weeks beforehand

I feel like he’s probably more excited than he would show

He just really likes christmas

He even made a v short song about it because he likes it that much

Wants to see what you think about it

Bcs your opinion matter a lot to him ｡◕‿◕｡

Still won’t admit that he likes you even tho it’s pretty obvious

Spends the night trying to stay close to you

Would probably get bullied by the other members because they all know

If anyone else got you for secret santa, he would pretty much beg them to let him have you

“Please???”

“Hyung, it’s just your luck”

“PLEASE????”

He just keeps saying please until Wooyoung gives him your name because he starts feeling bad

Would buy you cute multiple gifts but they’re all small gifts

Mingi or Yunho would purposefully hold mistletoe above the two of you

Bcs they just want him to tell you already

He’s nervous

You’re nervous

You’re both just staring at each other like ●﹏●

Until someone else Yeosang just yells at you to kiss already

You peck his cheek softly

Joong’s face is completely red

He wants to kiss you more

Pulls you away from everyone else to finally confess to you

When you say you like him back he politely asks for another kiss like the good boy he is

Seonghwa

Got you for secret santa when everyone drew names

He’s excited bcs he knows exactly what to get you

He likes you a lot and tries to make it obvious but not too obvious

Apparently it's not obvious to you bcs you brush it off a lot as friendly flirting

Puts him down a lot bcs he’s worried you don’t like him back

You do

You’re just oblivious to it

San teases him about it a lot

Wooyoung teases you about it a lot

“Whaaat?? There’s no way Hwa likes me haha Woo you’re being weird”

Hwa helps you set up the tree because everyone else planned something to finally get you two together

They’re all hiding from both of you

When you and Hwa are alone you’re just setting up the tree while listening to music

He loves the way you find the ornaments so pretty even when half of them are crumpled

Bcs Mingi bullied Jongho so he hit him with the bag of ornaments

Mingi’s lucky they weren’t glass ornaments

Anygays

When you notice that Hwa’s staring at you

(ﾟωﾟ;)

You blush ofc bcs hhhhh why’s he staring at you like that???

“I like you”

He blurts it out bcs he can’t hold it in anymore

When he realises that he said it, he blushes like crazy

You’re blushing too

You’re also freaking out on the inside

If you know that tiktok audio filled with high pitched squeaking and screaming yea that’s what’s going on inside your brain

“(Y/n)...?”

“yeAH! ◎ܫ◎”

You’re flustered

But you finally tell him you like him back too

The both of you spend the rest of the night pretty much stuck together while the other members bully you both for taking too long to get together

Yunho

AAAA I love this man

If he likes you he would be so precious and flustered about it

Gets nervous around you vvvvvv easily

Completely forgets how to act like a human around you

“Yunho?”

He screams

And it scares everyone in the room because what???

You’re staring at him like “wtf”

He’s staring at you like O_O

Can’t believe he embarrassed himself like that

Gets teased by Seonghwa

The other members knew ofc bcs he’s so bad at hiding it

You also had a feeling but you never really said anything about it

Helps you go christmas shopping for secret santa

He runs around the store like an excited puppy

Is so amazed by all the cute decorations

“(Y/n)!!! Can we get these?”

Points to random decorations and holds them out in front of your face

You let him because you think it’s cute

When you actually get to decorating their dorm he stumbles around a lot

Makes you really worried

You see him hanging the lights

The ladder starts shaking

“YUNHO???”

He fell but he’s fine because Hongjoong broke his fall he almost crushed the poor man

Confesses to you on accident

He’s talking to Mingi about it in their room and you accidentally overhear bcs the door is slightly open

“I like (Y/n) a lot”

“Yea it’s so obvious”

“That’s not helping”

Wants to confess at the right time

But since you overhear you push open their door to the bedroom and they’re both staring at you like (◯Δ◯∥)

You’re staring at Yunho

He’s staring at you

Mingi ran away

“Yun, I like you too you know”

He goes all huh

You tell him that you like him too you just never said anything about it

His face goes from O-O to :D real quick

Cuddles you for the rest of the night

Won’t let you leave his side

Yeosang

No one knows about his crush on you

He’s very secretive about it

Thought about talking to Wooyoung but he knows that man might just spill to you on accident

It’s happened before and Yeo calls him a bumbling fool because of it

Can compose himself around you

But sometimes his mind just goes into overdrive

Finds everything about you adorable

You got San for secret santa

You’re torn between buying him condoms as a joke or actually getting him a proper gift

Yeosang thinks it’s cute that you even considered buying him peppermint flavoured condoms bcs even he thinks it’s funny

“Yeosang, seriously, should I get him condoms or the plushie???”

Laughs at you bcs he finds you extremely adorable

Even tho he’s not your boyfriend, he protects you whenever the members tease you about something

You tripped over Yunho’s long ass legs while he was sprawled out in the living room, letting San and Wooyoung try and turn him into the grinch

You get covered in the weird green fur that they were using

When Yeosang hears them laughing at you

He comes up behind them all (-`д´-)

He makes them leave you alone

“Don’t laugh at them!!”

Helps clean you up too

It takes a lot of time because you’re covered in glue

“Why are they using elmer’s glue???”

“I don’t know,,,”

You two spend quite some time in the bathroom just trying to clean your previously cute sweater

Yeosang decides he’ll just throw it into the wash in the morning

Lets you wear that really big grey hoodie of his bcs he thinks you look so (♥ω♥*)

The way it pretty much engulfs you completely

He tells you before you leave his room

“I like you a lot, (Y/n)”

You’re honestly surprised

Didn’t expect him to like you back because he’s just that good at hiding it

You tell him you like him too

He pats your head while feeling all c:

Spends the rest of the night helping WooSan turn Yunho into the grinch

San

He tried to make it really obvious that he likes you

You just never seemed to notice

Flirts with you a lot

Compliments you a lot

Calls you cute a lot

But you just blush and brush it off

He’s all pouty because he thinks you don’t like him back

He forces Jongho to give him your name for secret santa

“Please”

“But hyuuuung”

“GIVE ME THE DAMN NAME”

Jongho’s lowkey sad bcs he knew what he wants to get you but doesn’t know what to get for Hongjoong

San goes all out

Buys you a HUGE gift

Like it’s actually HUGE

The box is almost the size of Yunho

You’re kinda scared of the large package when you see it

But when you open it you’re all UWU because it’s a giant teddy bear

There’s a cute note hanging off of the tag saying it’s from San

Draws a cute c: on the note

He tells the others he has a plan to confess to you

He asks Yeosang to hold mistletoe above the two of you

Yeosang thinks it’s dumb

So he asks Seonghwa instead

He also thinks it’s dumb

(｀Д´)

San asks all of them to help

Hongjoong offers because he wants to be nice (also bcs he knows that if San asks Wooyoung, he might throw the mistletoe at the two of you and accidentally hurt someone in the process)

Hongjoong gets Mingi to help bcs he’s tall

Mingi hangs the mistletoe from the ceiling

Almost gives Joong a heart attack in the process bcs he almost slipped off the ladder

San’s excited

Mingi accidentally slips anyway and almost brings down the whole ceiling with him

Everyone’s terrified

Mingi gets up and reassures everyone he’s fine despite almost destroying the whole dorm

San’s frustrated bcs now he has no excuse to just kiss you

Instead, Yeosang shoves you two into the closet and locks the door

Forces San to confess or else he’ll tell you himself

He finally tells you

You go “ohhhhh” bcs now you realise his flirting was actually flirting and not just San being playful

You apologise for being so oblivious

San finds you so adorable he just kisses your nose

You love it

Spends the rest of the night trailing you like a puppy and makes hot coco with you

Mingi

Mingi’s like Yunho

Becomes an absolute mess around you

Doesn’t know how to handle his feelings

Finds every inch of you insanely adorable

He pretty much does everything for you

“Mingi, can you help me with—”

“Okay :D”

“I didn’t even say what it was…”

It was just baking cookies

He helps you decorate the cookies

He messes up a lot

The snowmen cookies don’t look anything like snowmen but you find them so cute

Mingi makes you laugh a lot bcs he likes hearing you laugh

Purposefully messes up the cookies to show them to you

“(Y/n)! Look!”

He managed to turn the santa hat into traffic cone

You find it so cute

Mingi’s just an absolute bundle of sunshine around you

When you’re all decorating the christmas tree

Jongho hands you the star to place at the top

But you can’t reach it because the tree’s so tall

Yunho offers to help but Mingi shoves him aside asks him to let him do it

He stands behind you

“I’ll carry you”

“Wait—no—”

You don’t have any time to process that he’s lifted you onto his shoulders

You’re surprised at how easily he carries you

Almost bumps your head onto the ceiling because he’s so tall

“Mingi!! Careful!!”

He has to squat slightly so that you don’t get hurt

When he brings you back down he has the biggest smile on his face

“I like you”

Your face changes from :D to (꒪⌓꒪) real quick

Mingi thinks you don’t like him back

Gets sad for a moment

It’s not that you don’t

You just didn’t think he liked you back and now you’re so flustered your brain pretty much short circuits

“Nononono”

He visibly deflates

You explain that you like him back

His group members cheer for him bcs goddamn you both took so damn long to confess

He spends the rest of the night clinging onto you

“Mingi, I have to pee”

“Bring me with you”

Wooyoung

He doesn’t want to make it as obvious that he likes you but he can’t help it

When you’re around he gets so excited his volume goes all the way up

You find it adorable

You know he likes you and you like him too

You just wanna see how far he goes before he finally confesses to you

He helps you cook dinner

You accidentally burn yourself while cooking and he’s all “!!!”

Maybe he went a bit overboard

Tries to wrap your entire hand in bandages

“Woo, I promise I’m fine. It’s just a burn”

Still offers to run out and buy something to soothe the burn

It’s not even that serious, your hand just grazed the frying pan lightly

Wooyoung only calms down when you reassure him for the hundredth time

Keeps an eye on you while you continue cooking but loosens up after a while

He feeds you the food to taste (＾▽＾)

Chases you around with a wooden spoon because you pranked him

When he catches you

He can’t bring himself to hit you really hard

So he just

Taps your arm with it

When it’s time to unwrap presents

You realise that Wooyoung was your secret santa

He got a picture of the two of you framed

It’s a picture you both really like

Wooyoung LOVES the picture

Every time he sees it he just gets all (♥ω♥ )

It was the first time you went to their concerts after you became friends

Jongho helped take the picture at the time

Wooyoung also had a cute lil sticky note on it that was basically his confession

You find it so endearing

When you turn to him he’s smiling really widely but he’s obviously really nervous

You tell him you like him back and his smile somehow manages to widen

He pretty much grabs you and pulls you into a bone crushing hug

He’s honestly a child at heart and he’s so cute

You spend the rest of the night teasing the other members with him and pranking them

The other members found it cute at first

Now they hate it

Bcs somehow you just managed to make his pranking more intense

Jongho

Doesn’t know how to deal with his emotions

Gets really quiet around you because he doesn’t want to say something that could embarrass him

You feel like he doesn’t like you as a person in general from how quiet he is

Either way, you needed his help to carry some stuff from your car into the dorm

“Jong, could you help me carry some stuff?”

His heart flutters at the thought of you asking him first

So he helps you

It’s still silent because he really doesn’t want to make a fool out of himself

You’re kinda scared because you knew he was really strong and you didn’t want torture the others with carrying the bags filled with various christmas decorations

All of you decorate the living room together

Jongho’s kinda sad that you don’t stick by his side

He wonders whether you don’t like him either and starts feeling discouraged because he was supposed to play you a song he wrote

He had Hongjoong help him

Hongjoong finds Jongho really cute and he couldn’t say no

He has to reassure Jongho that you do like him because you’ve told Hongjoong before

“I don’t think they hate you”

“They don’t talk to me much T-T”

“Just try it”

Jongho still doesn’t know how to feel

Brings out his guitar and starts feeling real nervous

You watch him intently

When he’s done, you’re both blushing like crazy

Pulls you away from the others to talk to you about it

“You were so quiet I thought you didn’t like me,,,”

Now he feels bad for being so quiet

He explains that he just felt really nervous around you

You find that adorable

He cuddles you for the rest of the night

He’s so strong he legit doesn’t let you go and you can’t escape

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tiny-maus-boots · 3 years

Text

Queen of Hearts pt 13

A/N: Always and first thank you to my bestie @chloes-yellow-cup for always doing the thing. and to @kimmania who always gives each chapter a thoughtful review.

13.

“Oh, my dear it’s so lovely of you to come to brunch. I was starting to feel a little put off you know. All those invitations you so politely refused. I was beginning to think you were avoiding me.”

Stacie smiled and sipped her cool iced tea to give herself a moment. It was true, she had ignored all of Edith’s requests to have lunch. And yes, she had been avoiding the older woman. It was a matter of self-preservation really. Keeping up the appearance of normality around someone as observant as Edith Roussard-Ford was never easy. She had a keen eye and open ear to everything that happened to the biggest families in society.

“Well…I suppose I can be frank with you. Now…that things are…resolved.”

The old woman across from her nodded encouragement and leaned forward eager for any tidbit she could glean from Stacie. It was necessary even she’d rather not talk about life with Weston. When dealing with Edith you had to give some to get some.

“Of course, my dear. Dreadful business…”

“It was hard to get away…often times my only haven was my work. Weston was…�� Stacie trailed off and cleared her throat. It wasn’t acting, the rush of anxiety she experienced just thinking about that time robbed her of speech. “Weston Whitman was a very controlling man. Controlling and more often than not…violent.”

It never got any easier admitting the truth of things but she raised her chin defiantly. Edith’s eyes widened slightly but her surprise was more about Stacie admitting it than the confirmation itself. She waited a beat for the other woman to ask what she knew was coming.

“Oh, dreadful. Just dreadful. And still…you never knew? There wasn’t a hint of suspicion about his true character?”

“Of his character, yes. Of his actual coming and goings and affairs…no. I had no knowledge of those terrible things. I shudder to think of him, under my roof, sleeping next to me self-satisfied with the blood of innocent women on his hands. What a joke I must have been to him with my work at the shelter, helping him keep up the façade unknowingly.”

“To think nothing of the scandal about the money.”

Of course, the money was far more important a topic than her public humiliation and shame. Stacie let her gaze drop demurely. Money was everything in this world, who had it, who needed it, and who stole it…

“I’ll admit Edith, I had some concerns about Weston’s business. He seemed edgy and evasive and he asked me to empty my personal safe…spending cash. Some jewelry. It was nothing that would ever pay back his investors.”

“I heard the federal agents seized everything. It’s a wonder you have a roof over your head, my dear.”

Stacie’s smile was brief and coy. “Much like oil and water, money and love simply do not mix. When you’re a Conrad you learn that at quite a young age.”

Edith leaned back to watch her carefully. Weighing all that she had learned and the earnestness in which Stacie had conveyed it. She could see the respect dawn in Edith’s gaze and when the woman leaned forward again it was with eager confidence.

“You may be a Conrad in name but you are Helene’s daughter in more than appearance. Your father barely had a nickel to his name when she ran off with him. Now there’s a scandal for you!”

It was surprising and Edith laughed gleefully when it showed on her face. She’d been raised her whole life on the presumption that her mother hand done what she had been expected to do. Money marries into money.

“Didn’t know that did you? She might have run off with August but she was no fool. Van der Berg family lawyers ensured he couldn’t take a dime of it.” Interesting. Stacie made a soft thoughtful sound and Edith continued unprompted. “You have to hand it to August. He made a name for himself. All that money is his by right…I suppose.”

Stacie’s brows came up and she tipped her head to the side. “You sound doubtful of that Edith.”

“I wouldn’t dream of speaking ill of your father, dear. I know you’re not close but there are some bonds that can’t be broken. Family bonds. You understand. I wouldn’t want you to have different opinions of your father. He’s done well by your mother.”

It was there, below the surface, begging to brought into the open. Stacie could feel it between them, brewing like a great storm. One little flicker of interest and it would come out. And then things would change forever between Stacie and August Conrad. And with that she was sure the tentative and fragile bridge she and her mother were building.

But if she were really like her mother, Helene would understand why she was doing this. At least that is what she hoped if this all ever came to light. Stacie let out a soft sigh and leaned back. She couldn’t out right ask about it, it had to be done delicately. Edith watched her work through the knowledge that there was something going on that she hadn’t been aware of. It was a careful dance baiting the woman to reveal more than what Stacie herself had given.

“Well, whatever my father is or is not doing, it’s nothing I know about. He and Weston shared that in common.”

“Ah yes. Thick as thieves those two…”

There it was. The hook Edith thought she was dropping in the water. Stacie batted her eyes in mild confusion, ignoring the slightly predatory smile on the old woman’s face. Her lip pouted out just enough to give the impression that she wasn’t making the leap entirely. Stacie smiled inwardly as Edith swallowed her own lure.

“Mind you, I’m not saying August is a thief, he’s merely an opportunist you see. He’s very good at knowing who to know. It’s how he made his fortune through the years. Nothing illegal in it exactly. Most would say it’s a shrewd bit of business.”

“But I don’t see how that could help him benefit from Weston’s…activities. Of course, he knows everyone, he’s a politician.”

“Hm indeed, indeed. Of course, he wouldn’t be involved in any such thing. Strike it from your thoughts, my dear.” The woman brushed a hand over her knuckles, and not for the first time during the conversation. Aubrey probably would have called the tell earlier but Stacie was proud of herself for picking it up now. “In any case I am quite sure Senator Grant and Warren Randall would lean very heavily on your father if they felt he was in any way responsible for Weston stealing their money.”

Stacie’s heart beat double time but she rolled her shoulders casually in a shrug. Jackson Grant and Warren Randall were her father’s closest confidants, present at every family function since as far back as she could remember. Uncle Jack had even gifted her the first horse she had ever owned. They were, in a fashion, family.

“I haven’t seen Uncle Jack in a few years. Not since his son Kodie and I went to Senior Prom together.”

It hadn’t been her choice of date, and the argument that had raged in the Conrad home had lasted three intolerable days, she and her mother butting heads on everything from the color of her dress to the way she wore her hair. Kodie wasn’t a bad guy and truthfully, he hadn’t wanted to go the dance with her any more than she had with them. But it had been arranged years before the event was even due to take place. In the end they both dutifully took their places next to each other for pictures in the foyer before escaping to the limo to get happily drunk on the well-stocked wet bar.

“I had almost forgotten about the blush of young love. I was worried about that boy for a while. You heard they caught him awhile back in a house full of street whores and enough cocaine to give that Tony Montana character a seizure.”

Her brows came up at that. It seemed unlike the boy she had known but people changed and it took more strength to keep from breaking under the family pressure than perhaps Kodie had. She let her curiosity at the topic glimmer to the surface.

“A house full of…he was the perfect gentleman at prom. I can hardly imagine that scene.”

“Who can say what’s gotten into that young man. If Jackson hadn’t gotten him a job at the Port of Los Angeles, he’d probably be in an out of rehab facilities I imagine.”

She could tell by the way Edith waved a hand dismissively that Kodie wasn’t worth the energy to think on. Stacie lifted a shoulder casually giving it the appropriate gesture of disinterest that was expected. There wasn’t much more to gain from digging further. Eventually Edith would wonder why she was so eager to gossip about the families. It was better to go on to something everyone knew.

“Speaking of rehab, did you know Tristaan has a new line coming out now that he’s clean and sober? He plans to call it Clarity. I saw a sneak peek of some of the pieces and they are just gorgeous. You’d just adore the mother of pearl pin collection…”

The conversation shifted easily and she spent another hour enjoying the afternoon with Edith. She kept the tone of their topics light but her mind was turning over the information she’d gleaned. Stacie was willing to bet even money that Uncle Jack and Warren Randall were in on whatever Weston was into. Whatever business they had together scared Weston, enough to demand she empty her safe, liquidate assets…it was big. Big enough to ignore Weston’s predilection to torturing and murdering women. Stacie knew there was a bigger play on the table, she could feel it even if she couldn’t see it yet. They needed more information and she knew just which card to play. She waved one last time to Edith as she slid into the backseat of the SUV.

“Home?”

She gave Happy a distracted nod that the blonde smiled at before turning to put the car in gear. “Who do we know in drugs?”

Happy’s bright eyes cut to her quickly in the rearview mirror with curiosity. She was weighing the request to see if Stacie was joking or not. After a second she gave a delicate grunt and focused on the road.

“Depends on how much of what you’re looking for.”

“Enough cocaine to make Tony Montana have a seizure.”

This time the eyes panned up in a slow disbelieving arc. Stacie smiled widely and gestured to the street to remind the other woman to keep her focus where it needed to be.

“We might know a guy…”

“Good. Aubrey’s going to want to talk to him.”

“I’ll make it happen, boss.”

#pp au #queen of hearts #staubrey #stacie conrad

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gingersnapwolves · 3 years

Text

The Untamed, a brief summary [Part 4/6]

Part One: Sword Wizard School

Part Two: The Search for the Yin Iron and the World’s Worst Summer Camp

Part Three: The Fall of Lotus Pier and the Sunshot Campaign

Part Four: The Downward Spiral

Ext, Nightless City [Qishan]

The war is over. Everything should be great now, right? Wrong.

Wei Wuxian has slept for three days. Jiang Yanli tells him that Lan Wangji was playing music to cleanse him of all the evil energy for most of those three days and that’s the only reason he’s awake so soon. Lan Wangji comes in to play more for him, even though Wei Wuxian is in the ancient Chinese version of his underoos. It’s cute.

Everyone else is having a serious meeting. Meng Yao has been legitimized by his father after killing Wen Ruohan, and this is a Very Big Deal. His name is now Jin Guangyao.

ENTER BAD TOUCH MAN

This is Jin Guangshan. He’s Jin Zixuan and Meng Yao/Jin Guangyao’s father. He sucks, big time. Everything about this guy is terrible. He’s a misogynist, a bully, and a patronizing piece of shit.

Jin Guangshan is having all the remaining Wens hunted down and killed, including the civilians. Nie Mingjue is cool with this. Lan Xichen says ‘hey, maybe murder isn’t the answer?’ but everyone tells him that murder absolutely is the answer and he shouldn’t worry about it.

ENTER THE HUMAN VERSION OF A CAR ALARM THAT HAS BEEN GOING OFF FOR AN HOUR IN YOUR WORK PARKING LOT

This is Jin Zixun, not to be confused with Jin Zixuan. Jin Zixuan is the former fiancée of Jiang Yanli and a spoiled brat but earning some brownie points as the story goes on. Jin Zixun is his cousin, and he has zero redeeming qualities.

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji have gone out for a romantic stroll. They find a batch of Wen civilians who are in chains, being hunted down and shot for sport by Jin Zixun. Somehow Wei Wuxian manages not to murder him, but it’s close. They play a requiem for the dead people to help their spirits find rest. ~just couple things~

Lan Xichen, Nie Mingjue, and Jin Guangyao swear brotherhood to each other in a cool ceremony that was definitely Lan Xichen’s idea.

Int, Nightless City [Qishan]

Jin Guangshan is throwing a big party since they won a war. Wei Wuxian doesn’t really want to go and spends most of it getting drunk outside. Relatable to be honest.

Jin Guangshan says to Jiang Cheng ‘hey remember when your sister was engaged to my son? That was cool, let’s put that back on’. Jiang Cheng looks like he’s been staked out on an anthill. Wei Wuxian comes in and is borderline rude to Jin Guangshan, saying he should ask Jiang Yanli herself. Jiang Yanli, with a retail smile that rivals Jin Guangyao’s, politely says that hey, her parents just died, her home is in ruins, why don’t they leave her alone for a decade and then she’ll think about it. Wei Wuxian bounces because he’s not a party person.

Jin Guangyao announces that in six months, they’re going to be holding a group hunt in Lanling and everyone’s invited.

After the banquet, Jin Guangshan asks Jin Guangyao how much he knows about Wei Wuxian, especially that cool amulet he used during the battle. Jin Guangyao says he’ll find out and then find a way to get it. I cry about the fact that I liked him a lot more before he started sucking up to his shitty dad, even though I understand why he’s doing it.

Ext, Lotus Pier [Yunmeng]

Our trio goes home and starts to clean things up. Wei Wuxian is drinking a lot, not setting a good example for the new disciples, and still won’t carry his sword. Jiang Cheng – remember, he doesn’t know that Wei Wuxian gave him his golden core, and thinks he can still cultivate – tells him to get his shit together. Jiang Yanli, as always, mediates.

Int, Cloud Recesses [Gusu]

Lan Wangji is also home. He’s studying manuscripts to find music that will help heal Wei Wuxian from the resentful energy. What he has isn’t good enough and he wants to go to the restricted section of the library. Lan Qiren refuses to allow him in, confines him to Cloud Recesses, and basically says ‘forget about Wei Wuxian, he’s evil now’. For obvious reasons, Lan Wangji does not like this advice.

Ext, some city [Yunmeng]

Lan Xichen arrives for a visit, finds Wei Wuxian, and gently reminds him that people are worried about him and he should remember his actions impact other people. Wei Wuxian interprets this as ‘you’re evil and it’s hurting people, specifically my brother’ instead of ‘we want to help you’, and shuts him out. It hurts. He came so close. *sobs*

Ext, Lotus Pier [Yunmeng]

Jin Zixuan turns up to formally invite the Yunmeng sibs to the crowd hunt. He acts like an awkward turtle. It seems like he might have realized he was being a dick this whole time. You know what that is? Growth. However he still says that it’s his mother who wants Jiang Yanli to come, because he sucks at this.

Ext, Phoenix Mountain [Lanling]

It’s the crowd hunt! Everyone’s there. They’re having an archery tournament to determine who will get to go in first.

Wei Wuxian flirts with Lan Wangji and taunts Jin Zixun, who asked for it. But then a bunch of Wen civilians are paraded out in chains to serve as ‘obstacles’ to make things more ‘interesting’. Somehow this does not end with Wei Wuxian murdering all the Jin sect members present. He definitely wants to, but then he looks at Jiang Cheng and remembers that their sect is still weak after the war and they probably shouldn’t piss off the strongest sect remaining.

Jin Zixuan does a fancy shot, so Wei Wuxian blindfolds himself and shoots five arrows at once, partly to show off, but partly because he knows nobody can top that so nobody will be able to shoot at the Wen sect prisoners. Jin Guangyao, who apparently arranged this (presumably because his father likes a little bloodshed as an appetizer), pouts unattractively. I wonder why I ever liked him.

Up on the mountain, Wei Wuxian does a bunch of demonic cultivation with his flute to drive the demons into Jiang sect nets so they can win. Then he decides to chill out for a bit.

Lan Wangji shows up. He tells Wei Wuxian that he has learned new music that should help with the whole ‘full of evil energy’ thing. Wei Wuxian asks who Lan Wangji is to tell him what to do. Lan Wangji responds by asking ‘what do you see me as’, Wei Wuxian replies ‘I used to think of you as my soulmate in this life’, Lan Wangji says, ‘I still am’ and the sound you just heard is my heart exploding.

Unfortunately before they can kiss, they hear other people on the path. It’s Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli. Jin Zixuan makes a pitiful attempt to impress her while she is clearly very uncomfortable.

Even though Jin Zixuan isn’t doing anything worse than inserting his own foot into his mouth, Wei Wuxian jumps in to tell him to fuck off. They argue. Jin Zixuan’s mother turns up and hilariously roasts him for always upsetting Jiang Yanli. You start to like her until she says that Wei Wuxian and Jiang Yanli shouldn’t spend time together because then people will think they’re having an affair. Jiang Yanli reminds her that Wei Wuxian is her younger brother, but Madam Jin sticks to her obnoxious guns. Jin Zixuan tries to say something nice and actually runs away which is the first time he’s felt relatable in the whole show.

Jin Zixun turns up, hauling his enormous bad attitude with him, and gets pissy with Wei Wuxian for using demonic cultivation to lure the demons into their nets. He’s super rude about it. Jiang Yanli politely eviscerates Jin Zixun in response and it’s super satisfying.

Int, Koi Tower [Lanling]

They’re having a big party after the hunt. The Yunmeng Jiang did well and Jiang Cheng is happy for two seconds before he overhears some people saying that it’s only because of Wei Wuxian’s demonic cultivation and they don’t like that. Wei Wuxian has decided not to go to the banquet because these people suck.

Jin Guangyao, even though he’s now an errand boy for his power-hungry dick of a father, still has a big crush on Lan Xichen, and they have a few tender moments. Other people, like Madam Jin and Jin Zixun, are being absolute assholes to Jin Guangyao, and he’s wearing his best retail smile. I remember why I liked him. But uh oh! Jin Guangyao has made friends with and invited Su She, who you might remember from him betraying all the Gusu Lan who were hiding in the cave. Jin Guangyao doesn’t seem to know these two have history. Lan Xichen tells him not to worry about it but it’s awkward.

Ext, the city [Lanling]

Wei Wuxian is wandering around. He bumps into Wen Qing, who is there looking for Wen Ning.

Int, Koi Tower [Lanling]

Jin Zixun has decided he hasn’t been a big enough of a dick for the day, so he asks Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji to have a drink with him. Lan Xichen tells him that they aren’t allowed to drink alcohol because of their sect rules. Jin Zixun takes this as a personal insult, or at least pretends to because it gives him an excuse to act like a jerk.

Jin Guangyao asks what’s going on and who upset his cousin, then looks at Lan Xichen like they’re a biracial couple at a barbecue and he’s trying to apologize telepathically for what his racist uncle just said.

After a few moments of ‘no really, I just don’t drink alcohol’ Lan Xichen decides this fool ain’t worth it and takes a drink. Jin Guangyao looks like he wants to crawl into a hole and die. ‘U ok babe?’ his eyes say. ‘No I want to go home, this barbecue sucks’ Lan Xichen’s eyes reply. Jin Zixun then offers a cup to Lan Wangji, who stares into the middle distance and forcefully projects the information that he will literally die before accepting a drink from this asshole.

Wei Wuxian interrupts, snatches the cup, and says ‘I’ll drink for him. That’s okay, right?’ even though there’s absolutely no reason it would be since they’re not actually married. He drinks anyway. Then he asks Jin Zixun where Wen Ning is. Turns out Jin Zixun and his lackeys kidnapped Wen Ning and his whole village.

Jin Zixun pretends he doesn’t remember. Wei Wuxian threatens him a lot. It’s super hot if terribly inadvisable. Jiang Cheng is clearly upset that he’s out of line. Lan Wangji is clearly worried that he’s losing his marbles. Jin Guangshan tries to bully Wei Wuxian and fails on every level. After a few minutes, Jin Zixun caves and tells him that Wen Ning and the others are at Qiongqi Way. Wei Wuxian says ‘why couldn’t you just tell me that?’ and leaves. Jin Guangshan flips over the table. It’s awesome.

Everyone begins talking shit about Wei Wuxian. Jiang Cheng is more upset. Lan Wangji says ‘I mean, he wasn’t wrong’ and Jin Guangyao replies with the ‘he’s right but you shouldn’t say it’ meme. Lan Xichen reflects on the fact that Wei Wuxian’s ‘temperament has changed a lot’ as if this is something mystical and strange instead of the inevitable result of severe, untreated PTSD and the fact that he’s discovered massive systemic injustice.

Lan Wangji asks Lan Xichen if it’s okay if he kidnaps Wei Wuxian and brings him back to Cloud Recesses. Lan Xichen tells him to go for it.

Ext, Qiongqi Way [Lanling]

All the Wen civilians have been forced into a labor camp. It’s really awful.

Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing arrive to find out they’re too late. Wen Ning has been killed. (Technically they say later he had ‘one breath left’ but that’s only because Chinese censorship doesn’t allow necromancy to be portrayed on TV. This explanation doesn’t actually make sense, and by and large fandom ignores it. In the book, he’s all dead, and that’s much simpler.)

Wei Wuxian has a complete breakdown and brings Wen Ning back as a fierce corpse (which is similar to a zombie but not exactly the same for xianxia reasons). Wen Ning murders all the guards at the prison (with a little help from Wei Wuxian) and then collapses. Wei Wuxian realizes they are Totally Fucked Now, lets everyone out of prison, and gets out of dodge.

Except Lan Wangji has followed him and is standing in the rain in his way. They have a really haunting exchange where Wei Wuxian asks Lan Wangji to confront the aforementioned systemic injustice, and Lan Wangji tells him if he continues on this path, it’ll be considered a rebellion and he’ll be hunted down and killed. Wei Wuxian says, basically, ‘If I’m so wrong, then you kill me. If it’s you, I’ll accept it.’ Lan Wangji stands aside to let them go. I cry for seventeen hours.

Ext, the Burial Mounds [Yiling]

Wei Wuxian has brought the refugees here. They ask if it’s really possible to live in such a place. He says he lived there for three months.

Int, Koi Tower [Lanling]

You know, I don’t even remember if we see this, but I assume everyone there is super upset about everything.

ETA: Thanks to the people who reminded me! Everyone’s trashing Wei Wuxian. Mianmian (you may remember her from Turtle Cave, where Wei Wuxian saved her from being burned by Jiaojiao) sticks up for him, saying he doesn’t kill indiscriminately. Everyone pats her on the head and mansplains things to her, so she gives them all a big middle finger and leaves the Jin sect over it. Good for her.

Int, the Burial Mounds [Yiling]

Jiang Cheng shows up to ask Wei Wuxian what the fuck he thinks he’s doing. Wei Wuxian, who is living in a cave and spent their entire refugee budget on candles, has Wen Ning’s unconscious body covered in talismans. He says he’s trying to restore Wen Ning’s consciousness. Jiang Cheng is pretty horrified and basically accuses Wei Wuxian of desecrating a corpse, and threatens to kill Wen Ning (more/again). Wei Wuxian brushes him off. Jiang Cheng says, heartwrenchingly, ‘If you keep protecting them, I can’t protect you’. Wei Wuxian replies, more heartwrenchingly, ‘Then abandon me.’ I cry for another seventeen hours.

ENTER A RAY OF SUNSHINE

There’s a little boy here about two or three years old named Wen Yuan. He’s adorable and likes to cling to people’s legs.

Jiang Cheng doesn’t like any of this so he bounces. Wen Qing walks him to the end of the trail and then gives him back the comb he gave her (she did pick it up!) earlier. He looks like she kicked him in the balls but doesn’t change his mind.

Ext, somewhere [Yiling]

Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian stage a massive public fight. There’s some light stabbing. Jiang Cheng publicly disavows Wei Wuxian and says he’s no longer part of the Yunmeng Jiang. (You don’t actually know it’s staged at the time this happens but you find out pretty soon so whatever.)

Ext, Koi Tower [Lanling]

Jin Zixuan has now realized that Jiang Yanli is bae. He builds her a lotus pond and looks super awkward about it. It’s sweet. He’s doing much better now that he realizes he just shouldn’t talk.

Ext, the Burial Mounds [Yiling]

Wei Wuxian is a massive ball of PTSD and angst. It sucks. Wen Qing tries to persuade him to leave them there and go home, but he refuses.

Ext, some city [Yiling]

Lan Wangji is in Yiling because he was in the neighborhood on completely unrelated business. No he’s not there to see Wei Wuxian. Stop asking him questions. Suddenly a small child is clinging to his leg and crying. He is discomfited.

Meanwhile Wei Wuxian is buying refugee supplies and realizes Wen Yuan has wandered off. He finds him clinging to Lan Wangji’s leg and insists on buying him lunch. Wen Yuan asks Wei Wuxian to buy him a toy and when Wei Wuxian won’t, Lan Wangji buys him like 15 toys. It’s super adorable.

They have lunch together. Wen Yuan sits in Lan Wangji’s lap. The reason Lan Wangji definitely was not in the area was to tell Wei Wuxian that his sister is getting married to Jin Zixuan. Lunch is interrupted when Wei Wuxian’s talisman signals that Wen Ning is causing trouble back at the Burial Mounds. Lan Wangji has to pay for lunch.

Ext, the Burial Mounds [Yiling]

Wen Ning is on a rampage. This happens with fierce corpses. Wei Wuxian starts trying to use his magic to calm him down. With Lan Wangji’s help, he’s able to restore his consciousness. Everyone’s really happy.

Wei Wuxian asks Lan Wangji to stay for dinner but he says he has to go. They exchange the world’s most longing look. I resist the urge to climb into my screen, physically manifest in ancient China, and tie Lan Wangji to a tree so he can’t leave.

Wen Yuan asks if he’ll ever come back. Wei Wuxian says probably not. I rehydrate so I can cry more.

Back at the Burial Mounds, the villagers have come together to throw Wei Wuxian a thank you party. It’s super sweet.

Ext, the city [Yiling]

Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli come to show Wei Wuxian her wedding outfit. She’s brought him soup. Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian roast each other a little bit, just like old times. However Jiang Cheng is also a bit of a dick to Wen Ning, because he’s still skeeved out by what Wei Wuxian did, and won’t let him sit with them. Jiang Yanli gives him a bowl of soup anyway. He can’t eat it, so he carries it back to the Burial Mounds and gives it to Wen Yuan.

Ext, the Burial Mounds [Yiling]

Wei Wuxian has planted lotus seeds. He’s still having mood swings and other PTSD symptoms but overall is improving somewhat. He finds out at some point that Jiang Yanli is pregnant and gets really excited about it.

Int, Koi Tower [Lanling]

Jiang Yanli has given birth to a boy they have named Jin Ling. They’re planning his one-month ceremony. She wants to invite Wei Wuxian. The Jin sect is skeptical. Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji back her up, saying that Wei Wuxian hasn’t caused any trouble since going into exile, and this is a good opportunity to try to re-introduce him into polite society. Jin Guangshan agrees. He’s also a dick to Jin Guangyao, who asks to hold the baby, and Jin Guangshan won’t let him. Jin Zixuan points out to his father that Jin Guangyao has been loyal and helpful since joining the sect, and maybe his father shouldn’t be such a jerk. Jin Guangshan reminds him that Jin Guangyao is the son of a whore and says someone with his background can never be in a position of power in their sect.

Ext, the Burial Mounds [Yiling]

Wei Wuxian receives a letter from Lan Wangji stating he’s invited to the one-month ceremony and is really excited.

Int, my apartment [America]

I’m gonna be real honest with you guys. I skimmed through the next couple episodes while sobbing on my phone and unlike most of the show, have only watched them once. It’s very possible that I’m going to get stuff slightly incorrect or in the wrong order. I’ll do my best but holy crap, I absolutely never want to watch these episodes again. This accounts for any mistakes I’ve made in fic, too, LOL.

Ext, Qiongqi Way [Lanling]

Wei Wuxian is on his way to Koi Tower with Wen Ning. Jin Zixun shows up and accuses Wei Wuxian of having cursed him with a curse called Hundred Holes. Wei Wuxian hilariously says ‘I don’t even know who you are’ because his memory is terrible and also Jin Zixun sucks. Jin Zixun has brought like a hundred guys with them and they start shooting arrows. Wen Ning starts to kick their asses.

Jin Zixuan shows up and tries to de-escalate the situation. He promised Jiang Yanli that Wei Wuxian would be able to visit Jin Ling.

Out of fucking nowhere, Wen Ning murders the shit out of Jin Zixuan. I screamed. Wei Wuxian clearly has no idea what the fuck just happened. Then Wen Ning murders Jin Zixun which is less of a problem. Once all the Jin guys are dead, Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning run the hell away and head back to Yiling.

Int, Koi Tower [Lanling]

Everyone wants to know what the fuck just happened. They conclude that Wei Wuxian lost control of Wen Ning and his violent nature (now that he’s a fierce corpse) caused him to murder a bunch of people. They demand that Wen Ning and Wen Qing surrender themselves to Koi Tower.

Int, the Burial Mounds [Yiling]

Wei Wuxian has an absolute meltdown, for which we can’t blame him. He, too, has come to the conclusion that he lost control of Wen Ning and that’s why a ton of people are dead.

Wen Qing sticks a bunch of needles in him and tells him that they’re going to surrender themselves to Koi Tower. He hates everything about this but can’t stop them because of the needles. She says they’ll release him in three days, tells him ‘I’m sorry, and thank you’. I can’t see the screen through my tears.

Ext, Koi Tower [Lanling]

The Wen remnants surrender themselves. Jiang Cheng tells Jin Guangshan ‘whoever Wei Wuxian broke, I’ll pay for it, okay?’ but we’re a little beyond that now.

Int, the Burial Mounds [Yiling]

Wei Wuxian breaks out of his needle-induced coma and hurries to Koi Tower. I clutch my stuffed animal and think, naively, that he’ll make it in time.

Ext, Koi Tower [Lanling]

The bodies of the Wen remnants are on display. Wei Wuxian has another meltdown. He tries to find Jiang Yanli, sees her in widow’s white, and runs away.

Ext, Nightless City [Qishan]

For some reason everyone’s decided to go to Qishan to toss Wen Qing and Wen Ning’s ashes in a volcano, I guess. Mostly they’re just throwing a party for themselves because they killed a bunch of farmers. I hate them.

Wei Wuxian shows up and tells them they all suck. Some rando shoots Wei Wuxian with an arrow. He laughs at the dude, pulls it out, and throws it back, killing him. It’s hot. Lan Wangji tries to talk him down but can’t. They get in a fight. Wei Wuxian raises an absolute fuckton of resentful energy and angry spirits and starts trying to kill everyone there, which honestly seems fair to me at this point. For only the second time, he takes out the amulet made of yin iron that he used during the battle with Wen Ruohan.

Except something weird is going on. There’s a second flute playing and it’s unclear who’s playing it. I’m screaming at my monitor.

Jiang Yanli, who is there because this show doesn’t know what to do with women besides fridge them, gets attacked by a fierce corpse. Wei Wuxian tries to control it but can’t. He starts freaking out again. He and Jiang Cheng manage to save Jiang Yanli from the fierce corpse but Wei Wuxian doesn’t know what’s going on and he’s clearly about to break down completely. Jiang Yanli is still really sweet and gentle with him, even though (she thinks) he kind of killed her husband. Then some other rando tries to kill Wei Wuxian and ends up stabbing Jiang Yanli instead. She dies.

Wei Wuxian – I hate to overuse the term ‘freaks the fuck out’ but when the shoe fits – freaks the fuck out. He breaks the amulet into fragments and then throws himself off a cliff.

Lan Wangji catches him before he can fall, even though he’s been wounded in the battle. Wei Wuxian stares at him for a moment before he tells Lan Wangji to let him go. Lan Wangji doesn’t let him go. Jiang Cheng comes over and for a brief second Wei Wuxian sort of looks hopeful, but then Jiang Cheng tells him to go to hell and stabs downward with his sword. It’s not going to hit him – Jiang Cheng’s eyes aren’t even open – but it hits the rock and causes part of it to crumble. Wei Wuxian shakes Lan Wangji’s hand off and falls, smiling with relief, because this show absolutely wants to fucking kill me.

Yes, our protagonist is dead. Don’t worry, he gets better.

~end of part 4~

#liveblog #the untamed

67 notes · View notes

babbushka · 3 years

Note

For the latest promts: 7. "I'm gonna be so late but the thought of not tasting you right this very second just might kill me." and/or 45. "I can't stop thinking about your mouth, and it's driving me nuts." for bond villain kylo, pretty please?

Happy Thanksgiving weekend!! Would you please consider this for Bond Villain Kylo? Please and thank you very much for doing a sinday! 19. "I'm sorry I keep staring, but you're really the hottest thing I've ever seen in my entire life and I don't know what to do about it."

Hello dearest! Wanted to stop by since requests are open and politely ask for a prompt of any of the boys (though i think mob/bondvillan kylo and pale work best) meeting the reader in a lil’ burlesque place, yknow havin a little jessica rabbit moment! Or just something along those lines! Thank you! ✨❤️

2k, minor angst, NSFW (pussy eatin’ & fingering)

He’s got to be here somewhere, you’re sure of it. Kylo Ren, what an enigma of a man, you think as you walk with purpose through the lounge. This was one of those places where criminals of his ilk came to unwind, dark and out of the way from prying eyes. Women and men in risqué costumes performing strictly choreographed numbers for the enjoyment of the wealthiest people in the world, unlimited drinks on a tab that half these criminals never even looked at, and thick steak dinners galore.

You’re watching the end of one of the performances now, politely clapping when the women take a gracious bow. You’re here on an intel mission for someone completely and totally unrelated to your Mr. Ren.

But just because you weren’t here for him, didn’t mean you wouldn’t find him.

Or rather, that he wouldn’t find you.

“What’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?” Speak of the devil, there’s Kylo now, sidling up right next to you in the cozy circle booth you’ve nestled yourself into.

You try not to look at him, because you’re still angry about Paris. Well, maybe angry is the wrong word, but you don’t want to think about the emotional implications of the right word – hurt. Being hurt meant you cared, and you can’t think about how treasonous it is, that you care for him.

“Enjoying the view, what else?” You say instead, sipping your drink to give you something to do. Or at least, pretending to sip your drink. A man at the bar had purchased it for you and you didn’t trust it one bit, but it wouldn’t do to anger a known criminal, so, you’re pretending.

Kylo smirks at your subtle gesture, waves the waiter over. He orders you a proper drink, slips the waiter a hundred, and within two minutes you have a fresh martini passed straight from the bartender to your palm.

Looking around to make sure no one is paying attention to you, you lean in and press a chaste kiss to Kylo’s lips, a silent thank you for always looking out for you. Even if you were still angry.

“I knew you were here the second you walked through the door.” Kylo breaks the silence, lights up a cigarette. The lounge is smoky already, what was one more puff?

“Oh you did, did you.” You muse, running the tip of your finger around the rim of the glass.

“Mhm,” Kylo leans in, his lips tickling your earlobe, his nose brushing against your cheekbone as he murmurs, “I could smell your perfume. You’re wearing the one I left you in Paris.”

“Yes, remember how you left me in Paris?” You bite back, bitterness stinging the back of your throat at the reminder.

The reminder of how he had taken you on a whirlwind vacation for what was supposed to be a week, but four whole days in with no warning, snuck out in the middle of the night off to do his dastardly deeds. You had woken up confused and upset that he would just disappear without a trace so early, and you’re still confused. Still upset.

Kylo’s eyes are soft, the lights up on the stage twinkling and blinking gently as the new number starts, a slow song sung by one of the performers.

“Don’t be sour, I’m here now aren’t I?” He reaches for your hand, and against your better judgement, you let him take it.

The woman sings in a smooth beautiful Italian that has the audience captivated. Your brain very passively translates, but you’re not paying that much attention. She’s gorgeous, the type of pretty that makes your stomach hurt, you think. You wonder if Kylo’s thinking it too.

When you spare a glance his way, you find that he’s got all eyes on you.

“Knock it off.” You bite back a grin, pleased to see that he’s so enthralled. He blushes, ducks his head bashfully.

"I'm sorry I keep staring, but you're really the hottest thing I've ever seen in my entire life and I don't know what to do about it." Kylo whispers, and it’s like the pain in your chest from Paris has vanished, replaced with the longing you have for him…the desire you have for him.

“I think you know exactly what you’re going to do about it.” You whisper back, licking your lips slowly, purposefully.

Kylo looks up then to check the coast being clear, and then presses a kiss to your cheek.

“Count to ten, then meet me in one of the red rooms.” He says, and then he’s away from your side, disappearing into the dark.

They’re the longest ten seconds of your life, but you wait for them to pass, before you too are leaving your table and the drink behind. You weave through the lounge a different way than he had, just so it wouldn’t be too obvious. Down the back hallway and to the private rooms your feet carry you – and when a strong hand grasps at your arm when you pass one of the red doors, you know you don’t have to be afraid.

Kylo is kissing you, walking you backwards the moment he catches you, and you let him. Your arms wind around his strong shoulders, your feet step out of their heels, your eyes slipping closed. It feels so right to have him like this, to have him right here in your arms where he belongs. It’s a dangerous thought, but it floods through you anyway, the relief of holding him this close.

“I can’t stop thinking about your mouth, it’s driving me insane.” Kylo chuckles against your lips, and you grin, your ego stoked. Knowing you’re on his mind is intoxicating, and it’s good payback for all the space he occupies in your brain.

“Have your fill of me.” You encourage him, the back of your knees bumping against the nicely made bed. You sit right there on the edge, tugging him down down down with you, your tongues sliding together, mouths parting, lips panting and gasping against each other.

“Lay down?” Kylo murmurs, already loosening his bowtie.

“We can’t have sex here.” You shake your head regrettably, but he waves the thought off. He wouldn’t fuck you in a place like this.

“No, no I know -- just let me eat your pussy for a little while, please?” His eyes are so big and pleading, brown in the low light of the red room. He throws a look to the clock on the wall and sighs, “I have a meeting and I'm going to be so late but the thought of not tasting you right this very second just might kill me.”

You roll your eyes and bite your lip with fond exasperation, before falling backwards the rest of the way onto the mattress and letting him kneel in front of you.

He pushes the skirt of your cocktail gown up, his strong arms slipping around your thighs as he nuzzles his cheek against your skin. He kisses and sucks a little trail to your folds, tugging aside your panties just enough that he can swipe his tongue through you, licking up your slick and juices.

“Fuck, that’s good.” You moan with a happy sigh as he plunges his tongue into your cunt, thrusting shallowly as his nose rubs and teases at your clit, “Oh god Kylo – your tongue.”

You can feel him smiling against you, a smile that turns into a great big grin when you tighten a fist in his hair, your back and hips arching up into his mouth. He sucks and licks at your pussy, one of his hands holding your lips open, making out with you and sending jolting shivers of pleasure up your spine. Your head is fuzzy in the best way, and you let out a gentle gasp when he pulls away enough just to fit two fingers into your cunt, tongue lapping up around them.

“You’re so sweet,” Kylo murmurs, kisses your inner thigh, the pad of his thumb pressing down on your clit and stimulating it while his fingers crook inside of you, stretching you wider to take more of his tongue. It’s long, and he has every intention of making you come on it. “Angel, baby girl, this pussy’s so sweet. Like wine, summer wine.”

“More, I want more.” You card your fingers through his hair while your chest heaves, nipples stiff inside your bra, the friction only making your pussy wetter for him. You whimper and whine, lipstick smudging from how often you lick your lips.

“Shh, shh angel, relax for me.” Kylo soothes you, speeding his fingers up some more, spreading them in little scissoring motions, thrusting them in and out of you.

It isn’t long before he replaces those fingers with his tongue again, the hot wet muscle spelling out his name against your walls, making you sweat, making your toes curl. You hold him in place, refusing to lessen your grip, wanting him to drown in your cunt. He chuckles, the sound deep and vibrating up into your very being, ricocheting through your bones, as your pleasure mounts and mounts and mounts -- until you’re coming into his mouth with a moan.

Kylo drinks you down, until he’s sure that you’re finished, your body shuddering and jolting gently on top of the covers. He cleans you up with his mouth, sucking your oversensitive skin until that slippery slide of slick is gone.

“Do you really have a meeting?” You breathe, chest aching.

That’s how this went, wasn’t it? You meet up, you fool around, and then someone leaves. More often than not, it’s him, that’s how it goes. That was the very nature of the relationship and it worked…didn’t it?

A small voice in the back of your head was starting to pipe up and quietly say, no, it wasn’t. But what you want, you can’t have, not yet anyway.

“Yes.” Kylo sounds regretful, and you wonder if he’s got the same thoughts in his head, the same voice egging him on, telling him to leave everything behind and run off with you, the way yours does every day now. He doesn’t say it, if there is. Instead he caresses your cheek with a sweaty palm and reassures you with, “Don’t worry, I’ll find you after.”

“I might not stick around.” You challenge, stretching the stiffness out of your legs, easing them back down into a more relaxed pose.

“There isn’t anywhere that you could go, where I wouldn’t follow.” Kylo says seriously, the kind of seriousness that he doesn’t often show you, let alone in moments like these.

“That’s creepy.” You reply, just to lighten the mood.

It works, he chuffs out a laugh and rolls his eyes.

“No, it’s romantic.” He counters, only to be met with a raise of your brow. He puts his hands up in surrender, amending, “For us, anyway.”

“Go to your meeting.” You nudge him with your foot, not wanting him to go at all.

He can tell, you know he can, with the way he hesitates. You shoo him playfully, and eventually, he steps into the bathroom to wipe off his chin, wash his hands. You listen to the water run, and think about how domestic of a sound that is, how domestic it could be.

But neither of you were domestic, an agent and her criminal, and so when Kylo steps back into the red room and lingers in the doorframe, when he smiles at you with his bowtie all crooked, you’re not too sour. You get up off the bed on shaky legs and make your way to him, undoing and retying the bowtie so it’s perfectly presentable, and he kisses you sweetly.

It’s just like he said, he’ll always find you, and you’re certain that you’ll be visited by him again real real soon.

#kylo ren x reader #kylo ren/reader #kylo ren x you #kylo ren/you #kylo ren smut #kylo ren imagine #adam driver character #adam driver fanfiction #james bond au #bond villain!kylo #007!reader

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deobienthusiast · 3 years

Text

greatest blessings

• pairing: lee jangjun (golden child) x female reader

• word count: 8,902 words

• genre: mafia!au, gang member!au, angst, fluff

• rating: PG-13

• warnings: mentions of kidnapping, mentions of murder, gun violence, curse words, mentions of blood ⚠️IF ANY OF THIS MAY BOTHER YOU PLEASE DO NOT ENGAGE!!⚠️

• notes: (yall the this the longest fic i’ve ever written) also the is going to say joochan, but i remember you messaging to change it to jangjun🖤

• requested: yes | no by anon

For as long as you could remember, you were thrown into the world of danger. Your father, a notorious mafia leader, was the most respected, feared, and wanted man in South Korea. There was never a moment where you and your mother weren’t a target of some type of hostile fallout between your father and some other mafia members. Because of this, you never saw much of your father during your childhood. He kept his distance to keep you and your mother safe. In his place, he left his right hand guard, Dongwoo.

Dongwoo kept close watch of your mother and you, while training a young protégé. A boy named Jangjun. His father was a mafia guard and wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. Of course, Jangjun ended up having a huge falling out with his father, as he turned to Dongwoo as his father figure. You grew to like Jangjun. He was a lively boy with a giant personality. He lived to make people smile or laugh. Jangjun was always joking or yelling at the top of his lungs. When he needed to be serious, however, his temperament switched. Jangjun followed orders. He never shied away from a job.

As he got older, he grew into a devilishly handsome and incredibly talented man. And you took notice, big time. Jangjun truly blossomed, and in his eyes, so did you. You weren’t the quiet little girl that constantly ran to mommy with every tiny taunt made towards your giant thick-rimmed glasses. Instead, you grew into yourself. Thickened your skin, and became your father’s daughter. Every taunt Jangjun made now was met with a snarky remark that made his lips turn up into a smile. He thought you were beautiful.

You two were well aware of your feelings, but too stubborn to admit it. Jangjun because he didn’t want to believe in fate, and you because your father didn’t want you to be with someone that was a part of the mafia, a part of this life. A life full of danger and uncertainty. Unfortunately for him, your heart had other plans. You and Jangjun came clean with your feelings, and fell in love. As cheesy as it sounds, Jangjun was your other half. His personality never changed, and his love for you grew. Jangjun, himself, grew into a very powerful man. He became part of a mafia gang of his own which further fueled your father’s anger at your relationship.

Much to his dismay, you both got married. A small ceremony just on the outskirts of town. The only people present were your mother, Dongwoo, and Jangjun’s members. Your father being too bitter and self absorbed to show up. Not that you minded. Nothing, not even your father would ruin that day for you and Jangjun. You never bothered to get in touch with him after the wedding. Only opting to find out how he was through your mother. That’s how your father found out the news of the birth of your daughter, Mina.

If people thought Jangjun was head over heels for you, you would always tell them to watch how he acted with your daughter. Jangjun took being a dad to a whole other level. His senses heightened, and he took every precaution necessary to keep you and Mina safe. His whole world became about that little girl. A spitting image of her father, she had his bright smile, boisterous personality, and dark brown eyes. She was a crowd favorite, especially to Jangjun’s members like Bomin and Donghyun. When the members were around, they were the first two she ran too. Jangjun would always joke and say his daughter loved them more than she loved him. No one could be fooled though. No one would take her father’s place.

“Daddy!” You heard Mina yell as you folded up clean laundry in your bedroom.

Your husband’s laugh filled the large house you lived in as he made his way into your shared bedroom, your daughter perched in his arms. Identical facial expressions of crescent moon eyes and wide smiles made their way towards you as you gave both of them an amused look.

“Guess who I found hiding under daddy’s desk in his office?” Jangjun asked with a smile.

Your eyes went to the little girl who now had an innocent smile on her face, one she definitely learned from her father. “Office? Mina, you know daddy’s office is off limits.”

The little girl pouted, resembling her father through and through as she spoke in her little voice. “I was playing hide and seek with Joochan-ie.”

You and Jangjun laughed as he muttered. “Of course it was Joochan. Who else would let her get away with anything.”

Giving him a pointed look, you spoke. “Perhaps her father?”

Jangjun smiled at you before tickling the little girl’s stomach making her laugh. He set Mina down before kissing her forehead.

“Now, go play. With Bomin this time, since he’s the only one that listens.” Jangjun told her as her little legs carried her out of the room.

Just as she got past the threshold, you sighed. “You have to remind them not to let her into your office.”

Jangjun pulled you into his arms as he hummed, kissing your forehead. “I will.”

Kissing you softly, he pulled you even closer as you laid your hands on his chest. “I’m serious, Jun.”

Your husband pecked your lips once more. “I know you are. I’ll tell them. I promise.”

You nodded, feeling a little better at the situation. It wasn’t the area itself you were worried about, but rather the objects occupying the area. Jangjun kept all his weaponry in a locked closet in his office, but one pistol stayed perched under his desk in case of emergency. Your daughter’s knack of exploring (which she also got from Jangjun) worried you sometimes. You didn’t want her to ever find that weapon. She was too young to know any of the business her father was in, and you two planned to keep it that way for as long as possible.

Jangjun laid another soft peck, this time to your forehead before getting a notification on his phone, letting him know someone was here.

“Daeyeol?” You questioned, making your husband nod as his grip around your waist loosened.

He sighed before giving you a small smile and heading downstairs. You finished up with the laundry, putting things away where they were supposed to, stopping in Mina’s room to put her things away, before making your way downstairs. Passing by Jangjun’s closed office door, you stopped momentarily, wanting to sneak a listen, but remembered the talk your father had given you when he first caught you doing it when you were five. It scared the living daylights out of you, and since then you hadn’t done it. You never let your curiosity get the best of you.

You walked through the living room before landing in the kitchen, you looked over to the dining room and smiled. Your daughter sat on Bomin’s lap, coloring in a coloring book the boy must have pulled out as he watched. Upon hearing your footsteps, he looked up, giving you a smile. You returned it as you entered the kitchen, still watching the two. Bomin was on the newer side of this whole mafia thing. Being only 20 years old, he was raised in a mafia family, but much like your daughter, he was shielded away from it all. Bomin was tall, slim, and just looked like a baby. Sporting a very youthful look, it surprised people to hear his voice as it didn’t match his look at all. Bomin was on the quieter side, he opened up to the others, but to you he remained quiet. Very respectful and only speaking when spoken too. Mina loved the boy and managed to pull a more playful side out of him. This prompted Jangjun’s leader, Daeyeol, and Jangjun himself to have Bomin be in charge of the little girl.

“Hungry, Bomin?” You asked softly, making the boy lift his head from the very secretive conversation he was having with your daughter.

With a shake of his head, he spoke. “No thank you, noona. I appreciate the offer, though.”

You watched him bring his attention back to the little girl on his lap. One arm was wrapped protectively around her little body, holding her close to him as she continued to color and point out the different colors. Despite the boy politely turning down your offer, you still made him something to eat, along with the others. Once finished with all the meals, you moved towards the table. Neither your daughter nor Bomin stirred at the movement as you sat down, getting a closer look.

“Look at my picture mommy! Bomin-ie helped me.” Mina exclaimed, holding up the picture decorated in various colors like purple, black, brown, pink, and orange.

You smiled as you gently took it from her. “This is beautiful Mina! Truly a work of art. It’s good to know that you at least got something from me.”

Bomin chuckled at your underlying dig towards your husband as you stood to hang it on the fridge with her other colorful pictures. Just as you finished, you heard a door slam from upstairs as your husband came down the stairs, looking rather frustrated. Taking one last quick peak at Bomin and Mina, you walked towards him.

“Hey, is everything okay?” You asked, laying a hand on his cheek.

Jangjun physically relaxed as he leaned into your touch. “Daeyeol wants me to leave town for two days with him and Tag.”

“Leave? You haven’t left town since Mina was born.” You said, your hand dropping back to your side.

“I know. I told Daeyeol that I’m not comfortable leaving you two alone, but he insisted that there isn’t any other way for this job to work unless I leave with him.” Jangjun softly spoke, looking over your shoulder to eye Bomin and Mina.

“Jangjun, we weren’t finished talking.” You heard Daeyeol’s soft, yet stern voice resonate through the house as he made his way down the stairs.

With him came seven other guys as they watched the encounter. Jangjun’s frustration bubbled over again as he grunted, heading for the kitchen.

“Jangjun, you have to come with us.” Tag spoke softly.

Your husband shook his head. “I’m not leaving them.”

His hand raised as he gestured towards you and Mina.

“And I’m not giving you a choice. You’re our best gunman, you’re needed for this job. Besides the guys will be here to watch over the house and the girls.” Daeyeol told him, hoping to ease his nerves more.

This time, Jangjun’s emotions got the better of him as he slammed his fist down on the marble countertop. The loud noise caused you to jump and Mina to quiet as her head snapped towards the kitchen. Bomin quietly watched as well. You looked at Donghyun as he nodded at you.

“Bomin, take Mina upstairs.” Donghyun said as the boy stood up.

Mina wrapped her arms around the boy’s neck, hugging tightly to him as he headed for the staircase.

“Go with them.” You whispered to Donghyun as he obeyed almost immediately.

You waited for the three to disappear before speaking. “Jangjun, if you’re really needed for this then you have to go.”

His head shot towards you. “No I don’t. I’m not leaving you and Mina here alone.”

“We won’t be alone, and you know that.” You told him softly.

He let out a sigh of frustration as you and Daeyeol proceeded to try and ease him into the job. After a few minutes of consolation, Jangjun finally gave up his fight and headed upstairs to pack.

Daeyeol watched him before looking at you. “You know I wouldn’t pull him away from you if I didn’t have to.”

“I know. That’s why I helped you convince him. He’ll probably still complain, but it won’t be as bad.” You said making Daeyeol chuckle.

Jangjun came back downstairs, this time with your daughter in his arms as he walked over to you. Tag and Daeyeol took his bags.

“We’ll be in the car.” Tag said as he headed out the door.

Mina watched the two guys before noticing the bags in their hands.

“Are you leaving daddy?” She asked softly.

Jangjun set her down as he kneeled in front of her. “Yeah, I am baby. I won’t be gone long though, okay.”

She didn’t bother giving him an answer, rather she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, giving him a hug. They pulled apart as she gave him a kiss on the nose, making your husband smile.

“I love you, daddy.” Mina said as Bomin picked her up.

Jangjun poked her little nose as he whispered back to her. “I love you more, mini me.”

Bomin took Mina back upstairs as Jangjun turned to you. “And you, how am I going to be able to leave my adoring wife?”

Rolling your eyes, you laid your hands on his chest. “I’m sure you’ll manage.”

Jangjun kissed you as you whispered so only he would hear you. “Be careful and please come back to us.”

He nodded his head, pecking your lips once more before speaking. “I promise. I love you.”

You uttered those words back to him as he headed for the door. He gave you one last smile before speaking to Y who stood by the door.

“Take good care of them.” He more than ordered as the older male nodded.

Y closed the door, locking it behind him as you let out a sigh and prepared for the next two days.

Though it felt like years, hours had passed since Jangjun had left and you were feeling the full effects. Jangjun hadn’t left town in three years, vowing to never leave you or Mina by yourselves. You knew, however, that if duty called, Daeyeol would look to him first.

You started to prepare dinner, knowing that eventually you’d get complaints about seven men plus a three year old toddler being hungry. As you cooked, you heard someone enter the kitchen.

“Kimchi fried rice,” You heard Y say. “Why am I not surprised?”

You looked over your shoulder. “As if Mina will eat anything else.”

He smiled. “Like father, like daughter.”

You nodded to yourself as you heard the metal legs of the barstools scrape across the tile floor.

“I’ve gotta give you credit.” Y started. “Jangjun is much more grounded with you around.”

You grinned. “Is that a good thing?”

He nodded without hesitation. “Absolutely. Some people think that mafia members can’t handle family and work, but Jangjun is a prime example that both can work together.”

You thought about what Y had said as he continued to talk. Jangjun always made sure to make time for you and your daughter. He was an exceptional father. He never missed a birthday or anniversary. Any special occasion, Jangjun was there. Jangjun literally did everything to keep you and Mina safe.

“He’s definitely a hard worker. He’s also the best father. Mina adores her dad.” You quietly replied.

Y smiled to himself as you spoke again. “Do you ever want to have kids someday?”

He looked at you for a moment before bringing his gaze down to the marble countertop, tracing his fingers over the pattern. “I want to. It’s hard though. Finding someone that accepts my lifestyle.”

“That’s what you’re doing wrong. You don’t find someone that accepts your lifestyle. You find someone that accepts you.” You told him.

“Is that what you did with Jangjun?” Y asked.

Just hearing his name made you smile. “You could say that.”

“Hyung,” Someone said from behind Y as you both turned to the voice.

“Seungmin, what is it?” Y asked him.

“It’s Mina.” He said barely above a whisper as you dropped the spoon you were holding.

Racing up the stairs, you pushed past the two boys with your daughter as you dropped to your knees in front of her. She held a tight grip to the doll she was playing with as you checked her.

“You’re okay? You’re not hurt?” You asked quickly.

“Of course I am, Mommy.” Mina said with a giggle.

“But Seungmin said,” You started turning towards the boy as he interrupted you.

“She’s fine. It’s-it’s what she said.” Seungmin counter softly.

Y looked at the boy. “What do you mean? What’d she say?”

“I mentioned reading her a story so she could go to sleep. She kept saying she was tired, but she said that when her daddy reads her a story, her friend is with her too. Her friend in the backyard.” Bomin spoke up.

You turned to your daughter as she smiled. “In the backyard? Baby, our backyard is gated, there’s no one in the backyard.”

Mina’s little head nodded quickly. “Yes there is mommy. A man. He’s the same size as Bomin-ie. He comes every time daddy reads me a story. He visited me last night.”

Your eyes doubled in size as you looked towards Donghyun and Bomin. “What is she talking about? Is she talking about Daeyeol?”

Donghyun shrugged. “She said the man always wore a mask and a black hat.”

“He says he knows daddy, and that he knows me too. He even knows my name. He knows you too.” Mina said excitedly.

You pulled Mina into your arms as Y and Donghyun made their way towards her window. The large window made for a view of the entire backyard. Picking Mina up from the floor, you held her tightly in her arms as the two men kept looking out the window. They talked amongst themselves as you felt your daughter shift in your arms.

“Mommy, am I in trouble?” Mina asked quietly, almost too afraid to speak.

“You’re not in trouble, Mina.” Bomin spoke up before you could as Mina’s dark brown eyes trailed from your face to his.

“You promise?” She asked again.

Bomin nodded with a small smile. “I promise.”

“Mina should sleep with you tonight. We’ll put Joochan and Y outside your bedroom door. The rest of us will keep watch at every corner of the house that we can. If this guy comes back, we’ll be waiting.” Donghyun told you as you nodded.

Heading for your bedroom, you grabbed Mina’s favorite teddy bear and a pair of pajamas. You kept a close eye on her as you fed and then bathed her. As she fell asleep, there was a knock on the door. You opened it as Donghyun gave you a small smile.

“Is Mina asleep?” He asked softly.

You nodded. “She fell asleep about ten minutes ago.”

As if sensing the uncertainty in your tone, Donghyun spoke. “Hey, don’t worry. We aren’t going to let anything happen to Mina, or you. Jangjun would have our heads if we did.”

You laughed slightly as you nodded, agreeing with him.

“Just get some sleep.” He reassured as you thanked him.

As you closed the door, you took precautions and locked it behind you as you sighed, crawling into bed. You laid a kiss to your little girl’s head before laying your head on your pillow and drifting off to sleep.

You awoke to a sound just outside your door as you rubbed the sleep from your eyes. Looking at the digital clock on the nightstand, you let out a sigh, getting up to go to the bathroom. When you opened the door, Y and Joochan had moved to the bottom of the stairs surveying the perimeter of the house. You took the opportunity to use the bathroom, bumping into Bomin on the way. He gave you a soft smile as you spoke.

“Will you watch over Mina really quick? I still don’t want to leave her alone.” You asked softly.

Bomin nodded as he headed for your bedroom. You quietly slipped into the bathroom as you looked over your reflection in the mirror. Running a hand through your hair, you turned on the faucet, running your hand under the cold water. Splashing some water on your face, you turned the water off and wiped off your face. You let out a sigh before opening the door. As you headed back for your bedroom, you quietly opened the door and jumped at the tall figure in the corner.

“Oh, Bomin you scared me.” You whispered out as the figure just stood.

“Bomin,” You whisper out again as the figure spoke.

“Not Bomin, my dear. Your friend is right there, by the door.” The voice spoke, prompting you to look at the ground.

Sure enough, Bomin’s body lay limp against the wall as you dropped next to him.

“Bomin, Bomin, hey can you hear me?” You leaned your head next to his chest, checking for a heart beat.

“Your friend is fine. I didn’t kill him. Not yet at least.” The man spoke.

You shook your head. “Don’t hurt him. He’s just a child.”

The man nodded. “I won’t hurt him, so long as you give me what I want.”

You looked at the open bedroom door before hearing the man tsk.

“Nuh uh. Close the door quietly. Don’t let anyone know I’m here.” He started.

You reached up for the doorknob, closing the door slowly as the figure made its way towards your bed, carefully sitting on the edge. You breath hitched in your throat as the body leaned over your daughter.

“Boss was right. She looks just like her father.” The man said.

“You’re the man my daughter’s been seeing. You’ve been watching her.” You told him with a fearful tone.

“Well of course. The boss wanted to make sure you didn’t leave town with Jangjun.” He told you.

You shivered at the way your husband’s name sounded on his tongue. “What do you want from me?”

Even in the darkness, you could make out the grim smile that was now perched on his face. “You, my dear are going to take your daughter and come with me. You two are very valuable, and it will help us get what we want from your husband. We’ll take your friend, too. Just for extra insurance.”

You felt a tear roll down your face as you watched another man crawl through your window. “We set up a diversion in the backyard. We’re all clear.”

Busting open the door, you scream. “Help! They’re in here!”

A pair of arms wrapped around your core as they pulled you back into the room, sticking a cloth over your mouth and nose. You struggled before falling limp, as everything went black.

When you came to, you were in a room blocked entirely in cement. The floor was cold underneath your body as you let your eyes adjust to the one single hanging light. It was bright enough to illuminate almost all of the room as you sat up. A pounding feeling took over your head as you groaned.

You looked around before spotting a chair in front of you with a boy tied up. You squinted to get a better look and gasped as you scrambled to your feet.

“Bomin! Bomin, hey, I’m right here. Look at me.” You lifted his hanging head, taking in the swollen eyes and busted lip.

The rope surrounding his hands and ankles were chafing the skin, rubbing it completely raw as the rope was starting to turn an orangish-red color. Bomin’s unconscious body stayed pinned to the chair as you continued to check him before stopping as you heard a lock rattle. A large door opened behind you as you kept your hands on Bomin’s legs, not bothering to turn around.

“I see you’ve noticed the work we did on your friend. He put up a good fight, but not good enough. Perhaps this life isn’t cut out for him.” A man said as you turned around.

The man looked familiar. Almost as if you had seen him before, but you couldn’t remember. His onyx colored eyes made you shiver as he spoke again.

“I’m surprised you don’t recognize me. I’ve only known you your entire life. I’m a former acquaintance of your father’s.” He told you.

You shook your head. “I haven’t spoken to my father in years. I don’t even know if he’s still alive.”

The man chuckled. “He is. Oh he is. And he owes me something. You see, your father and I made a deal 20 or so years ago. A deal that required me getting a larger amount of money. As you know, your father is a very powerful man. The most notorious mafia leader. He’s worth a lot, and he has a lot. In exchange for what I gave him, he gave me two billion dollars. Just a mere quarter of what he has in total.”

You looked back at Bomin, feeling him stir slightly as you spoke. “What did you give him.”

The man leaned forward, his face being hit with the light as your eyes widened. “My son.”

You let out a gasp as it all hit you. Jangjun had never had the best relationship with his father. He never truly wanted to be in this life, so he never forgave his father for just leaving him with some strange family. Though he always said he’d have to thank him some day for it allowed him to meet you. You had a feeling that thank you was never going to come now.

“I haven’t talked to my son in almost two decades.” The man said.

“Jangjun cutting ties with you had nothing to do with me.” You told the taller male.

“Yes, but you were a big influence. You don’t talk to your own father. No wonder he decided not to talk to me. Had he decided to, this whole thing would’ve been taken care of. I wouldn’t have had to kidnap you, Jangjun and I would still have a good relationship.” He started.

You scoffed. “You still never told me why I was kidnapped. And where’s my daughter?”

“Mina is fine. She’s asleep in the main house with my wife. I wouldn’t dare hurt my granddaughter.” He told you.

“No, just your daughter-in-law. Right?” You countered.

He shrugged. “You don’t seem to understand. You are worth a lot of money. In fact you and your daughter are worth the exact amount I’m owed by your father. So if he won’t give me my money, then I’ll use you two to get it myself.”

“Killing us won’t get you your money.” You whispered.

“But selling you will. Shipping girls off to other countries for, we’ll say “work”, pays a lot. And people know who you are and who your father is. I’ve had people lined up to pay me even more than your father offered just to have you two. However, I choose not to be too greedy.” He told you with a smile.

The resemblance between Jangjun and his father was uncanny. Each time the man smiled it reminded you of your husband. The dark eyes and slightly raspy voice were also similar to Jangjun.

Bomin jerked slightly under your touch as you turned back to him. “Bomin, hey. You’re okay.”

“I’ll leave you to think about what I said. I’d get comfortable though. It might be awhile.” The man said as he headed for the door.

He opened it before peeking back in and throwing two rags and chemical cleaner towards you. “You can untie your friend. He shows no danger. You can also clean up the mess his blood made on my floor. I don’t want a stain.”

The door slammed shut behind him as you heard Bomin groan before mumbling out. “I’m sorry.”

“What?” You asked quietly, not quite hearing him.

“I’m sorry. This is my fault.” He repeated louder this time.

You immediately shook your head, grabbing one of the rags to wipe at the blood on his face. “No. Bomin, no. This isn’t your fault. None of this is your fault.”

“They took Mina.” He whisper-cried with a sniffle.

“Mina’s fine. He told me she’s fine.” You whispered back.

He shook his head, drool and sweat mixed with blood fell from his face and mouth. “They’re gonna kill her.”

You froze at his words. “W-what?”

“I said, they’re going to kill her.” Bomin repeated, huffing out a groan at the way the muscles in his stomach contracted.

“How do you know?” You asked softly.

He attempted to lift his head, getting a look at your eyes as you gently held onto his face, keeping his head up. Your eyes pleading for him to continue.

“I came to in the van while they were driving us here. They were talking about you and your inheritance. You, you're worth a lot of money, but Mina isn’t. She’s not because,” You interrupted him.

“Jangjun is her father.” You whispered.

Your eyes had cast down to the suit pants he was wearing that were now battered in dried blood and dirt stains. You felt him nod in your hands.

“Mina is worth nothing to them. When your father dies, you get his estate, all his money. He left everything to you. Mina nor your mother are mentioned. Once they had sold you overseas, they were going to kill her.” Bomin breathed out.

Your hands started to shake as you lifted your head to meet his tired eyes. He coughed before speaking.

“You have to find a way to get out of here and get Mina.” He told you, making you shake your head.

“I’m not going to leave you. If we survive this, Mina would kill me.” You joked, making the boy crack a small smile. “We’re gonna get out here.”

Jangjun’s head hung low as he sat at the dark wood dinner table that sat in the middle of your dining room. In front of him was a picture taken on your wedding day. The look in your eyes that you were giving him made him feel at home and so so loved. He knew of course from the moment you agreed to go on a date with him that he was completed smitten over you. Jangjun didn’t want anybody else. He vowed to do anything to keep you safe. He did the same when Mina was born. Now, here he sat. Alone in his big house, after finding out the terrible news.

“How did this happen?” Jangjun asked calmly, scaring the others to no end.

Joochan gulped as he watched Jangjun’s fingers trace the cool black exterior of the picture frame holding your wedding picture. The guys noticed the way he ran his finger over your stomach in the picture. You were pregnant during the time you got married.

“I told you to watch over them.” Jangjun said.

All the guys nodded, but only one knew it was meant for him.

“I was. I-I did. We just,” Y started.

“You just what?” Jangjun countered, looking at him.

His face was stone cold. Eyes darker than usual. It made Y shiver.

“I, there was a small scrap in the backyard. They must have created a diversion. We headed to help Jibeom and Seungmin. It was all a set up though. When we checked upstairs, they had already left with Bomin and the girls.” Y said softly.

Jangjun stood up, making Y take a step back before Daeyeol came through the door.

“There’s someone at the gate.” Daeyeol said, walking through the front door. “They really want to speak with you. They said it’s urgent.”

“Who is it?” Jangjun asked, not taking his eyes of Y.

“Your father-in-law.” Daeyeol spoke, making Jangjun turn to him.

Jangjun nodded as Daeyeol opened the front door allowing Tag to enter with a man Jangjun had seen briefly in his lifetime, but still recognized.

“Mr. Choi, funny seeing you here.” Jangjun said.

Your father held a few inches on Jangjun as he looked around the large house taking in the other men with him. His eyes landed on your husband as his booming voice spoke.

“Lee Jangjun, nice to see you. I see you're doing well for yourself.” Mr. Choi said.

Jangjun scoffed. “I know you’re not here for small talk. What do you want?”

“More like what I have. I know my daughter and granddaughter were kidnapped under your guards supervision. I also know that you are unsure of who took them and where they are. Well I know.” He finished, catching Jangjun’s attention.

“You do? Where are they?” Jangjun asked, dark eyes wide with anticipation.

“Son, I’d sit down for this. Because it’s a lot.” Mr. Choi told him.

Jangjun listened, sitting in the chair he was previously preoccupying. His hand landed on the wedding photo, holding it down protectively.

“Where are they?” Jangjun asked again.

Your father shook his head. “When you were brought to me to be trained when you were younger, your relationship was already strained. You didn’t want this life, and you were forced into it. That being said, you grew into it. Your hatred led you to become the man you are today.”

Jangjun shook his head. “Your daughter did. Can we just get to the point please.”

“They were kidnapped by your father.” Mr. Choi said.

“W-what? No! There’s no way my father is even still alive. He had too many enemies!” Jangjun reasoned.

“No. It was your father. He is still alive. You see, you ended up in my care, being trained by Dongwoo and I because your father wanted you to become a mafia leader of your own. In exchange for giving you to me, I was going to give your father a lot of money. I saw a lot of potential in you, and promised your father you would be a huge success,” Your father stopped to look around the house again. “I was clearly right. However, a dangerous enemy had made his way into Seoul, and I had to leave the country. I never got the chance to pay your father his money. Now he’s taking the girls.”

Jangjun looked at him confused. “What will that solve?”

“Because they’re worth something.” Jibeom spoke up.

Mr. Choi nodded. “Technically, my daughter is. Mina isn’t. At least not yet. My will leaves everything to my daughter. That’s the money I owe your father plus more. I’ve had overseas enemies that have been dying to get their hands on her. With her in your father’s custody, they are probably swarming the phones in negotiations.”

“What about Mina?” Jangjun asked.

You father let out a sigh. “If she’s no value to them, then your father will kill her.”

Jangjun felt his heart stop at the mere thought of someone hurting his daughter or you. He wouldn’t be able to live without the two of you.

“Okay. So we go get them.” Jangjun quickly said as the members nodded, getting ready to prepare themselves.

Mr. Choi spoke up. “Hold on. You don’t need to be going to get her.”

Jangjun looked at him with fire in his eyes. “And why the hell not?”

“Because you’re the reason she got kidnapped.” Your father said.

Jangjun was fuming at his words as he yelled, venom dripping from every word. “No. You’re the reason they got kidnapped. Not me. I didn’t make a deal with my father, you did. I didn’t promise him money then fall back on my word, you did. You’re to blame for all of this. So if you think I’m going to entrust my wife and daughter into your hands, you are surely fucking mistaken.”

No one had ever talked to your father in the manner Jangjun just did. He was too feared, too respected for people to disrespect him. He wasn’t used to someone not falling to their knees begging for his mercy. Jangjun gave him one last look before him and Daeyeol started throwing out orders. All the guys prepared, Jangjun yelling out things to grab and ordered people around on a plan before everyone stopped and looked at Mr. Choi.

“Where are they?” Jangjun asked again.

Your father cowered slightly at Jangjun’s tone before speaking. “At least let me go with you. So I know that they are okay.”

Jangjun looked at Daeyeol who sent a shrug his way as he sighed. “Fine. But stay out of the way.”

The man nodded as they all headed for the door. They got into separate cars, Jangjun opting for the one your father got into as they drove off the property. Jangjun’s head perched against the window watching the buildings fly by as he messed with the cool, black metal on his left ring finger. He brought his ring-clad hand up to his mouth, kissing the metal gently as he whispered to himself.

“I’m coming for you baby.”

You felt around the walls of the room you were in, hoping to find some type of fault in its build as Bomin watched you. The swelling in his eyes had gone down only slightly, but was still very prominent. The feeling was starting to get back to his hands and arms as he would lift them every so often to rub at his legs. He would grunt each time his hands ran across his torso or the cuts and bruises on his face.

“Bomin, just stay still. Moving isn’t going to help.” You chastised.

The younger boy nodded as he spoke. “Did you figure out a way out of here?”

Shaking your head, you spoke. “The door opens from the outside. It’s like it molds into the walls because I can’t even find a pattern where the door would be.”

Bomin lifted his head, looking around the room before his eyes landed on the light fixture hanging from the ceiling. “The light.”

You turned to look at him. “What about it?”

“How much of the room is it lighting up? Do we have another light source?” Bomin asked.

There were no windows, and with no signs of a door, you wouldn’t be able to know if there was an exit. “As far as I know it is.”

“You need to pull it from the ceiling.” Bomin said.

Tilting your head, you gave him a confused look. “I don’t understand.”

“The light fixture. The surrounding area around the part hooked to the ceiling, that could be your way out.” Bomin breathed out.

You walked towards the light, looking up at it before reaching up for it. The low hanging light was just out of your reach.

“I can’t reach it.” You said before jumping.

Your hand wrapped around the cord, pulling at the light fixture slightly.

“Harder,” Bomin prompted.

You yanked at the cord, hearing a tear from above you as your feet could finally fully lay flat on the ground. Bomin’s head lifted to look at the fixture before nodding to himself.

“Again.” He instructed.

You pulled on the cord a third time, this time harder than the rest as it dropped almost three feet down, pulling the wiring from the ceiling with it. Pieces of cracked cement lay by your shoes as you looked at the boy.

“Unscrew the bulb.” Bomin said. “Then break off the leg of that chair. Make sure to break it at an angle, you want a sharp end.”

Nodding, you unscrewed the fluorescent bulb, cursing silently at the temp of it as you carefully set it down in Bomin’s lap before reaching for the old chair. You looked back at Bomin as he mustered up enough energy to move his legs.

“You gotta break the chair.” He repeated.

“Bomin, I can’t,” He stopped you.

“Throw the damn chair at the wall. Hard! Then grab the sharpest piece from the rubble and hand it to me.” Bomin spoke again.

You nodded as you got a good grip on the chair. Lifting it up, you took some steps back before getting a running start. You threw the chair with everything you had at the wall. It landed with a crash, falling to the floor in pieces as you scrambled to find one. A piece from the top of the chair stuck out as it had snapped in half, providing a point at the tip. You quickly grabbed it, handing it to Bomin as you heard something unlatch.

Bomin tossed you the lightbulb as he whispered. “It’s going to hurt, but at the first chance run up to the guy and bust it in his face.”

You nodded preparing yourself as the door was pushed open. You went to read your arm back before recognizing the person who opened the door.

“Daeyeol,” You called out, making Bomin’s head snap towards the opened door.

Daeyeol’s face began to soften in relief before he noticed Bomin. “You guys are okay. Thank god you guys are okay. Jangjun, I found them!”

Daeyeol quickly checked over you before you pushed him away. “Check Bomin. Check him first, I’m fine I promise.”

Daeyeol didn’t hesitate to listen, dropping to his knees to check on the youngest member. It was no surprise to you as Daeyeol had always been more protective over Bomin. You headed for the door before stopping, immediately. Your eyes met those of your father’s making you take a step back before hearing a familiar voice.

“Daeyeol, where are you,” Jangjun stopped, making you let out a sigh of relief.

Feeling your feet take off before you could process it, you ran right into his arms. Your weight hit Jangjun like a truck making him grunt, but he didn’t lose his footing as he lifted you off the ground. Pulling you closer into him, he let his head fall into the crook of your neck as you wrapped your fingers into his dark locks, tugging at them slightly.

“Oh thank god! I thought I was going to lose you. I’m so glad to have you back in my arms.” Jangjun brought your feet back to the ground as he pulled you in for a deep kiss.

You kissed back before pulling away. “They still have Mina.”

“They got through all the guards in the house. Your father barricaded himself in a room with Mina. He’s not coming out.” Tag said as he jogged over to the two of you.

You looked past him at your father’s lingering stance before speaking.

“Daeyeol is probably going to need help with Bomin. He needs medical attention.” You told Y.

He nodded, heading back inside the bunker-type building as Jangjun grabbed your hand.

“Come on.” He started to pull you away from the building as he stopped in front of your father.

Your grip on Jangjun’s hand tightened as you looked at the man.

“I’m so glad you’re safe.” He told you.

You didn’t look at him as you spoke. “I want to find my baby.”

Your father nodded as he turned towards the main house. He led you and Jangjun into the house as you were met with Seungmin.

“He locked himself in the master bedroom on the second floor. Mina’s in there with him. We aren’t firing any shots.” Seungmin said.

Seungmin led the way upstairs before stopping. Joochan and Donghyun were waiting by the double doors as your husband spoke.

Jangjun nodded. “We gotta break the door down.”

Joochan and Donghyun nodded as they took a step back. They both lifted a leg before kicking open the double doors to the master bedroom. When they fell open, you were met with your daughter and Jangjun’s father. He held Mina in his arms as everyone stopped.

“Jangjun. My, my, look at you. My only son. Look at the man you’ve grown into.” Jangjun’s father said.

Jangjun spoke lowly. “Give me my daughter. Now.”

You watched his grip on Mina tighten as she reached out towards you and Jangjun.

“Daddy.” She whined slightly, wriggling in his father’s grip.

Your father stepped past the both of you, making you look at him.

“Please, let her go. I’m the one that owes you something. Not them. This little girl, my daughter. They are innocent in this.” Your father pleaded.

Jangjun’s father chuckled. “You think I want anything to do with this child. She’s worthless. Take her.”

He set Mina down as she took off through the broken doors, immediately running to Jangjun. He picked her up, holding her close as she wrapped her little arms around his neck.

He kissed her forehead before handing her off to Donghyun. “Both of you, go to the car. Stay with her.”

They nodded as Jangjun waited until the two guys got downstairs before turning to your father.

He nodded as he spoke. “I’m here to give you the money I owe you, Lee.”

Jangjun’s father shook his head. “I don’t want your damn money. I want her.”

A slim, boney finger raised up to point at you as Jangjun’s wrapped a protective arm around your waist.

“She is worth more than anything. I gave you your child back, so you give me her.” Jangjun’s father continued.

Your father spoke up. “That wasn’t our deal.”

“You broke our agreement years ago. Time for new negotiations. Don’t you think?” Jangjun’s father said before Jangjun looked at you.

He gave you a tender smile before whispering. “Don’t look.”

You nodded, wrapping an arm around his torso and hiding your face in the crook of his neck. You felt him move slightly before hearing the click of a gun. Shutting your eyes, you jumped as two shots were fired off. Lifting your head, Jangjun looked at you as he pecked your forehead. You heard groaning behind you as you turned. Jangjun’s father lay on the floor clutching his leg as he let out another painful groan.

“Let this be a lesson to you.” Your father told him.

Jangjun kept his hand around your waist as he led you to the staircase before stopping. He turned back around, heading towards his father with his gun in hand before stopping in front of him, pointing the barrel right at his head.

“Don’t you ever come near me, my wife, or daughter ever again, or next time, I’ll put a bullet through your fucking head.” Jangjun told him, earning a look of fear from his father as he tucked the gun back into the waistband of his pants.

He walked back over to you, as you headed down the stairs and outside of the house. Jangjun kept his grip on you as you, him, and your father got into a car.

“Daeyeol took Bomin to the hospital. I told him we’d meet him there.” Jangjun spoke softly, as to not spook you.

“Where’s Mina?” You asked.

He turned to point at the car through the back windshield as he countered. “She’s with Joochan and Donghyun. They’re going to follow us.”

You nodded, leaning into Jangjun as he pecked the top of your forehead. Your father sat up front as Y drove, watching the two of you through the rear view mirror. He sighed to himself as he collected his thoughts throughout the drive.

As the car pulled into the drive of the hospital, you and Jangjun were the first two to jump out and head into the hospital. Daeyeol spotted the two of you as he walked up to you. The rest of the crew had joined inside the emergency room as he spoke.

“They took him back and admitted him.” Daeyeol said softly.

Jangjun nodded. “How bad is he?”

Daeyeol sighed. “Three broken ribs, a fractured orbital bone, a cracked nose, lacerations around his wrists and ankles. Surprisingly, he had no internal bleeding or head trauma. They said he’ll be fine.”

Donghyun was the last to enter the hospital, Mina perched on his hip as he walked up to you. You smiled, thanking him quietly as you took her from his arms. You held her close, laying a hand on the side of her head as you kissed her temple. Jangjun pulled you into him, gently pulling Mina down to kiss her forehead as he whispered to you.

“I’m so glad you both are okay. I would’ve been lost without you.” Jangjun said quietly.

You smiled, pecking his lips lightly before hearing a door open. A nice looking lady came out, wrapped in a long white coat as she spoke.

“Are you Choi Bomin’s party?” She asked, making all of you nod. “Great. Well as I told Mr. Lee before, Bomin is going to be just fine. He just needs a lot of rest and time for healing. He’s very lucky. Though his injuries were serious, they weren’t severe.”

“Can we see him?” You asked softly.

The doctor smiled. “Of course. Try not to overwhelm him though, okay?”

You all nodded as Daeyeol looked at everyone. “Jangjun, you can go first if you’d like?”

Jangjun inhaled slightly before nodding as he looked at you and Mina. “Do you want to come with me?”

You nodded as the three of you headed for the room. Jangjun opened the door gently before ushering the both of you in behind him. He closed it behind him as you walked over to the side of Bomin’s bed. Mina’s head lifted slightly, taking in who was laying on the small bed as she spoke.

“Bomin-ie.” She called out faintly.

It was loud enough for the boy to hear as he opened his eyes slightly turning to look at you. Bomin smiled as his brown eyes looked at Mina. She kicked slightly in your hold, letting you know she wanted to be put down. You sat her on the side of Bomin’s hospital bed as you whispered.

“This is where you have to sit right now, okay?” You asked her.

Her little head nodded as she spoke. “Are you sick Bomin-ie?”

The three of you laughed slightly as Bomin nodded gingerly. “I’m okay, mini me. Just a little down and out. I’ll be here for a little while.”

Mina pouted slightly. “But what about our tea party?”

Jangjun gasped slightly. “Oh no, not the tea party.”

You rolled your eyes at your husband as Bomin smiled. “Have Donghyun fill in for me, okay? I’ll be back soon though. I promise.”

He lifted his hand to hold out his pinky as Mina linked her tiny finger around his.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Bomin.” Jangjun said, looking at the younger boy.

Bomin smiled as Jangjun spoke again. “Thank you for keeping them safe. You risked your life for them.”

“When you put me in charge of Mina after her first birthday, I promised you I’d take a bullet for this little girl. I’d never go back on my word. You know that.” Bomin told him.

Jangjun nodded with a smile. “Thank you.”

Bomin grinned before speaking. “Just make sure I’m not in here for months. I hate hospitals.”

The three of you laughed before someone spoke. “You’ll be out of here in no time. I made sure that you got the absolute best care and best doctors and nurses working on you.”

Bomin’s eyes took in the man at the foot of his bed as he spoke in a confused tone. “Thank you.”

“Bomin, this is my father.” You said without looking at the man.

Bomin nodded as he relaxed slightly.

“Thank you for doing your absolute best to protect my daughter and granddaughter.” He told Bomin.

Your father turned to Jangjun as you rounded the bed. to stand next to him. Jangjun wrapped his arm around your waist, squeezing slightly in a sign of affection.

“Jangjun, I underestimated you. I never gave you a chance when my ex-wife told me that you and my daughter were getting married. Then she told me about Mina, and I knew I needed to get past my own reservations. You make my daughter very happy. You've both created a beautiful little girl who I must say looks, just like her father. Family is a person's greatest blessing. I know you have your own little family, but if it’s not too much to ask, I’d like to be a part of it.” Your father said, making you and Jangjun look at each other.

Jangjun gave you a look that meant he was letting you decide as you smiled at him. You turned to your father as you spoke.

“It’s going to take some time, for us to move past everything and this, of course. But, I know Mina would enjoy getting to know her grandfather.” You told your father, watching a smile grow on his face.

He thanked you as Jangjun exhaled. “Well, I think it’s time to go home. What do you think?”

You giggled slightly, sparking a small smile from your husband as you nodded. “Just as long as you’ll be there.”

“Oh, absolutely. I’m never letting you out of my sight again. That was the worst day of my life. Now, time for us to go home and for me to never let go of you and Mina. Like, ever.” Jangjun told you, making you laugh.

He picked up Mina, who instantly cuddled into him as he pecked your forehead.

“My greatest blessings, that’s what you two are.” Jangjun whispered as he led the two of you back to your home, where he cuddled and held you close the entire night.

#kwritersworldnet #kdiarynet #lsn.works #kpopscape #kpopficsnetwork #golden child #golden child jangjun #lee jangjun #golcha #golcha jangjun #golden child imagines #golden child scenarios

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mimi-cee-hq · 4 years

Text

His Sweater - Koganegawa x Reader

Pairing: Koganegawa x f!reader

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: none

Summary: Y/n tends to be attracted to quiet, calm, and caring guys. But she ends up falling for Koganegawa and it involves a soda, a mop and a sweater - and maybe a few laps around the track.

Words: 2,139

Additional Characters: Futakuchi, Aone, Moniwa, Sakunami, Obara, Kamasaki, Nametsu, Akaashi (mentioned) (how did he get there? lol. jk)

Author's notes: This is a matchup story for an anon. I hope you like it. The matchup description is at the end of the story. This is also for the HQC monthly prompt event, using the Sweater Weather prompt.

*****

"Wait for me, senpai!!!!" a tall boy with blond hair yelled out, dashing into the convenience store. Y/n felt a breeze as she heard the bell jingle from the entrance door.

Y/n shivered, having recently left the store. The sky was already getting dark when basketball practice finished but now it casted an orange hue over the neighbourhood. As she put on her green blazer for the first time in a while, she recalled a moment back when she lived in Tokyo.

“Do you want my sweater?” Akaashi asked her classmate in junior high. That was when Y/n learned how calm and caring he was - and unknowingly started to have a crush on him. But then she moved to Miyagi so her crush was short-lived. She didn’t mind though. She was hopeful there would be other guys like him.

“Y/N!!!” the same tall boy chased after her, leaving the convenience store. Y/n flinched at his loud voice and almost had an urge to run away. She felt that would be too mean. But it was a little scary to have a 6’3” male teenager running at full speed towards her. She didn’t know him, but his uniform indicated they went to the same school. “Do you play League of Legends?”

Y/n blinked a couple of times before she gave a slow nod. Was he from another class?

Koganegawa, she later learned his name, beamed with excitement as he waved down the other members of the volleyball team. “Sakunami! You’re right! She does play!”

Y/n froze as the crowd came towards her, carrying various drinks. She was able to make out a slushy and a carton of milk but wasn't sure about the rest. She tried her best to give a polite smile, hoping they didn’t notice how awkward she was acting. She didn't mix well with large crowds.

“Are you really good?” Koganegawa continued.

“I’m not that good,” she replied, playing with her fingers, “but I know my way around the game.”

“Guys!” he waved at his team, “Y/n’s really good!” Y/n giggled at how he decided to interpret her words. “When we play together, we keep losing,” Koganegawa said with a frown, “so could you carry us?!”

She stared at Koganegawa’s large frame, then at his teammates of equivalent stature. Although she knew he didn’t mean to literally carry them, she couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of trying to do so. It didn’t help that Koganegawa was so earnest in his request and was currently flustered as to why she was laughing so much.

“I can try my best to lead the team,” she replied. “Although, I don’t know if I’m good enough compared to the rest of you.”

Koganegawa got excited by her response - a little too excited. To the point where he forgot he was holding his drink when his arms shot up.

So his soda ended up on her blazer.

“ACKK!!!” Koganegawa panicked. “I’m so sorry!” He rummaged through his bag, but because he was too flustered, nothing useful came out. (His towel just happened to be with their manager for a wash.)

“It’s okay,” Y/n smiled. “Don’t worry about it. It was an accident.”

Koganegawa couldn’t believe how easily she forgave him. If it was someone like Futakuchi or Moniwa, he would have been scolded for sure. The two of them did end up nagging him anyway, witnessing the whole thing.

Y/n removed her wet blazer. It wouldn’t take long for her to get home to wash it. But she felt a shiver run up her back, forgetting how late it was getting.

“Do you want my sweater?” Koganegawa asked after receiving a bonk on the head from Moniwa.

Y/n stared at the sweater he held out to her. She smirked, not expecting that her memory of Akaashi would be replaced by a comedic introduction from Koganegawa.

*****

After a few months, because of various reasons like school, sports and conflicting schedules, Y/n was finally able to play League with Koganegawa and his friends. He still greeted her during those months whenever they saw each other in the hallway. It was a little jarring to hear him shout her name loud enough for the whole school to hear, but she eventually got used to it

It turned out that Koganegawa didn’t really know what “carry” meant. He just heard the term being used a lot to refer to someone who was experienced with the game.

“So there’s AP carry and there’s AD carry,” Y/n explained. Koganegawa eagerly nodded, showing he was paying attention. So Y/n started to continue but was interrupted by Futakuchi.

“Don’t let him fool you,” Futakuchi mentioned, his arm leaning on the door frame of the classroom. “Just because he’s listening, it doesn’t mean he actually understood.”

Y/n smiled. “I don’t mind teaching him. He’s eager to learn so why not?”

Aone, from behind Futakuchi, indicated they needed to head for practice. “You’d better hurry up,” Futakuchi told Koganegawa. “Otherwise you’ll be late.”

“Yes sir!” Koganegawa replied. “If I'm late, I'll run 100 laps around the track!”

“Uh… no,” Futakuchi sweatdropped. “You don’t have to do that.” But looking at Koganegawa’s face, he sighed. “Ugh, but if you do, at least limit it to twenty, okay?” Aone nodded in agreement.

“Yes sir!” Koganegawa dashed between the desks while pushing his mop.

Y/n and Koganegawa were assigned on clean up duty that day. He was happy to be paired up with someone he knew, not that he would have minded meeting a new person. He liked making friends, which was something Y/n admired about him.

Y/n wiped the chalkboard and looked around trying to recall what else needed to be done. She didn’t want Koganegawa to be late either. She liked volleyball as well as basketball so she understood his eagerness to play.

But as she went to pick up some papers that fell from the teacher’s desk, Koganegawa unintentionally swung the mop towards her and whacked her head. Slightly shaken from the hit, she covered her forehead with her hands, trying to hold back a groan.

“Y/n!!! I’m so sorry!!” Koganegawa yelled out his apology. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m alright,” she told him. Touching her forehead, the growing bump was a little tender but nothing too concerning for her. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be ok-” Suddenly, her eye level shifted. “What are you doing?” Y/n shrieked. Koganegawa picked her up and ran out of the classroom.

He didn't respond to her question but continued to mumble about the nurse's office as if it would help him get there faster.

"Nurse Joy!" he yelled, sliding the door open. It was empty.

"I'm okay," Y/n told him again. She didn't feel any dizziness from the mop but she might have from the run. She didn't want to worry him with that information though.

The two of them decided to wait for the nurse. They were hopeful she would come back soon. But she instead returned an hour later, which made Koganegawa miss his practice. He was a little sad, but prepared himself to run his laps around the track.

“Didn’t Futakuchi say you didn’t have to do it?” Y/n asked. "Besides, it was the nurse's fault that you were late. And you didn't have to wait with me."

"No," he was adamant. "I'm going to run! I need to be a man of my word!"

Y/n, a little stunned, didn't expect Koganegawa to be firm about something like that. From her previous impressions of him, she thought he was naive and clumsy. But to think under all of that, he was a guy of integrity, even for something as small as this. "If you can't be loyal with the little things, you can't be trusted with the big things," she repeated the thought in her head.

Y/n's hands moved to cover her cheeks as if they would help cool them down. She knew this feeling and smiled. She didn't mind if it was someone like Koganegawa, realizing how caring he was.

After leaving the nurse's office, he ran the track. She watched.

He didn't ask her to watch. He probably didn't even notice she was there, expecting her to have gone home by now. He lent her his sweater, saying he wouldn't need it anyway with all the running. But she stuck with him. She wanted to be there to support him when he got tired and to encourage him to keep going when he wanted to give up.

After twenty laps around the track, he panted with arms hanging. Y/n, wearing his sweater, handed a water bottle to him.

"Kogane," she said his nickname, cheeks heating up. "You did well."

*****

“Here, senpai! You can use my sweater!” Koganegawa told Nametsu.

Y/n started visiting their practice matches a few weeks ago. Koganegawa was always happy whenever someone came to watch. But she wondered if she held any significance to him. It seemed like it didn't matter whom he was with. He was always eager to be around anyone because he was a sweet and outgoing guy. So looking at the sweater Nametsu wore, she shouldn’t have been surprised by his gesture. But the knot in her stomach wasn’t there when Akaashi lent his sweater to her classmate. Why was this different? She sighed, knowing why.

It didn’t help that Koganegawa got shy around her recently. He was probably avoiding her but she tried to be optimistic by thinking he was just shy. But there was no reason for him to be shy. “Koganegawa” and “shy” didn’t go together. Shy was a word meant for her.

At first she tried to be very gentle and patient with him, but he would freeze up. It also didn’t help when she covered his hand with hers, trying to show she cared about him. That resulted in him avoiding her for the following 24 hours.

Who was she kidding? He was avoiding her and she didn’t know how to fix it. All she was stuck doing was to watch Koganegawa show kindness to his manager and having unpleasant feelings about it.

“Don’t tell me you’re jealous,” Futakuchi asked Y/n from behind.

Obara closed his water bottle and said, “If you wanted to cheer her up, you should have just told her Koganegawa likes her.”

Aone grunted to show his agreement.

‘Why are you on his side?” Futakuchi asked Aone.

Moniwa placed his hand on Y/n shoulder. “Don’t worry,” he told her, “He definitely likes you.”

“Yeah, could he be more obvious?” laughed Kamasaki.

Y/n turned her head, her eyes finding Koganegawa’s. He quickly looked away, then stole a glance at Y/n before fixing his eyes on the ground. Y/n watched as the redness from his neck rose up to his cheeks.

“Why did you think he’s been so shy around you lately,” Sakunami added. So that was why. He really was just shy. Y/n felt silly for being so blind to it.

Koganegawa’s blush finally reached the top of his head. And then he ran. “Why did you tell her???” he cried out as he exited the gym.

Out of instinct, Y/n ran after him. She wanted to make sure he was okay after his teammates spilled out his feelings for her. She saw him at a distance down the hallway. Koganegawa came to a halt, causing Y/n to flinch and stop as well. Then he started rushing back towards her.

“I don’t hate you Y/n!” he cried out, once he was in front of her.

“What?”

“I didn’t want you to think I ran away because I hate you.”

“I knew that already,” Y/n laughed.

Koganegawa gave a sigh of relief. “Okay. Because I definitely don’t hate you. I-,” he started getting red again, “I actually like you.”

Even though Y/n heard it from his teammates, it was different hearing it from his own mouth. This just made it all the more real. She nodded, showing that she liked him too.

“C- can I kiss you?”

Y/n’s eyes shot open at his sudden request. His confession was already a lot to take in. But with hope filled in his eyes, she didn’t have the heart to say no.

It was wet and sloppy, which she found kind of funny, but she didn’t care because it was from him.

He looked at her expectantly, wondering if he did a good job. She didn't know how to react. So all she was able to say was, “I don’t know what to do with you,” burying her face in her hands.

“I’m sorry! I’ll do better next time!”

*****

I hope you liked it. I actually cringed at this fic but didn't want to change it. LOL. If you liked this one, you'll probably like my Shibayama x reader one-shot because it has a similar feel to this one. :) Or maybe my Kyoutani x reader one-shot, which is my latest one before this fic.

Taglist: @dorkyama @the-black-birb @hqprotectionsquad @nagichi-kenma @moonaaluna @muffins-puffins & @kingkags (for this fic) (let me know if you want to be added or removed)

*****

Matchup description from Anonymous:

hello! may i request a matchup? i’m a 5’7 & heterosexual female who is very introverted and bashful. i have dark skin with black eyes and long, black hair that i normally wear in a ponytail. i also wear glasses. i have an infj-t personality type. i tend to avoid large crowds a lot since i can be quite awkward when talking to people sometimes. but, i’m a pretty happy & kind person that cares about others & tries to cheer people up if they’re feeling sad. (part 1) 🦑🦑

i’m also a pretty smart & hardworking person that is optimistic about the future. my zodiac sign is pisces & my hogwarts house is hufflepuff, which is accurate for a friendly & forgiving person like me. i enjoy playing video games & rhythm games, writing, reading, watching anime & memes, sleeping, & eating food in my free time. i also enjoy playing basketball and volleyball in my free time too. however, i mainly play video games like splatoon & league of legends since games are fun. (pt 2) 🦑🦑

i tend to be attracted to people who are quiet, calm, caring, & aren’t afraid to stand up for what they believe in. i’m also attracted to people who are taller than me and have similar interests as me. but, i’m fine with being with anyone since opposites can attract! in a relationship, i would be very loyal to my lover and would never leave them for someone else. i would be very gentle and patient with giving affection just in case my lover is just as shy as me. thank you! (pt 3) 🦑🦑

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kurowrites · 4 years

Text

The Live-In Boyfriend - Chapter 9: Be A Good Boy Now

AO3

Wei Ying waited until the door of the apartment had closed behind them, and then he turned is face up towards Lan Zhan, silently asking for a kiss.

He still felt the tiniest bit jittery after the meeting with Lan Zhan’s family, but he also had an excellent fake boyfriend who liked kissing him a lot, so he might as well make use of that as much as he could to get rid of the jitters.

Luckily for him, Lan Zhan easily obeyed, leaning down and pressing Wei Ying against the wall of the entrance area almost as if he had only been waiting for Wei Ying’s go sign.

Lan Zhan was just such a good kisser, Wei Ying thought to himself as Lan Zhan thoroughly debauched him. So good he never could resist asking for more. And by now, they could hardly ever pass the entrance area of the apartment without it devolving into a few smooches, at least.

This time, however, Wei Ying had something on his mind, and he couldn’t afford to get too distracted by kisses before he could use the promise of more kisses for leverage.

So when Lan Zhan released Wei Ying to let him catch his breath, Wei Ying let his face curl up into a teasing smile as he gently tugged on a loose strand of Lan Zhan’s hair.

“So, Mister Lan,” he said playfully. “Care to explain what all this talk about you knowing me from before was about?”

Lan Zhan seemed to hesitate for a moment, his gaze still on Wei Ying’s very tempting (he hoped, at least) lips.

Wei Ying moved further into Lan Zhan’s embrace and turned on his best doe eyes, blinking up at Lan Zhan with a little pout.

“Lan Zhan,” he whined. “Tell your Wei Ying what you meant by that.”

A small sigh escaped Lan Zhan’s lips, his arms automatically moving to embrace Wei Ying tightly. (Satisfying, and very promising at that.)

“You were always with Nie Huaisang at university,” he said. “Of course I noticed you. It was easy to recognise you again when you contacted me.”

“Hmmm,” Wei Ying mused. “It’s strange we never met. I would remember meeting someone like you at university.”

“Wei Ying was… sociable,” Lan Zhan said, apparently done with the conversation – and with kisses – as he released Wei Ying and bowed down to remove Wei Ying’s expensive leather shoes from his feet. “We moved in different circles.”

“Aww,” Wei Ying couldn’t help but sigh as he obediently lifted his feet for Lan Zhan to remove his shoes. “I’m sure I would have enjoyed knowing Lan Zhan at university.”

Lan Zhan said nothing, but instead busied himself with removing his own shoes.

“Well,” Wei Ying said lightly once Lan Zhan straightened up and led Wei Ying towards the living room. “I know you know. That’s a good thing too, I’d say. Better than not knowing Lan Zhan at all.”

It felt a little too honest, his admission, but Wei Ying also felt that it was true. He was happy that he had met Lan Zhan. He felt everything in his life had made a turn for the better ever since he had met Lan Zhan, and it wasn’t just the money and the sex that he was referring to. Meeting Lan Zhan had been a good thing even entirely unconnected from the good his ‘job’ had brought him.

Lan Zhan sent him an inscrutable look, but he sat down on the couch and directed Wei Ying to sit down on his lap, or rather straddle him so that they would be able to kiss some more.

Wei Ying eagerly responded to Lan Zhan’s searching lips because he would be a fool to refuse sweet Lan Zhan kisses.

He wasn’t quite sure if he should be proud of it, but apparently Lan Zhan had known who he was before the two had officially met for the first time here in this very living room, and he couldn’t help but feel a little… flattered, maybe. Lan Zhan had seen him as a student, probably misbehaving together with Nie Huaisang, and he still had wanted to hire Wei Ying. That was a good sign, right? And not only that, he had also managed to convince Lan Zhan’s family that he was a good acceptable choice for Lan Zhan. That he was a decent boyfriend. They should celebrate that.

Actually, the fact that they were both still in their suits gave him an idea.

With a slight struggle (Lan Zhan’s lips were really addictive and hard to resist when they were determinedly trying to rid you of all sense and rationality), he separated from Lan Zhan’s mouth and removed himself from Lan Zhan’s lap, turning away to prance towards the kitchen.

“Wait, Lan Zhan,” he sang over his shoulder. “I have an idea. I’m going to make tea.”

He could almost hear Lan Zhan’s confused silence at Wei Ying’s sudden removal and disappearance, but he obediently stayed on the sofa and waited for Wei Ying to prepare some tea, apparently willing to wait out Wei Ying to reveal his plan.

Once Wei Ying had prepared the tea, he straightened up properly, and carried the little tray with the tea back to the living room.

“Director Lan,” he said politely and a little subserviently when he entered. “I’ve brought you your tea. You were wanting to speak with me?”

He kneeled next to the little coffee table in front of the sofa and poured the tea carefully before he handed Lan Zhan the small cup of tea.

(Lan Zhan had, by now, taught him how to properly pour a decent green tea, so he was confident that it would be good.)

“What did you want to talk about, Director Lan?”

Lan Zhan obediently took a sip of the tea, but then looked at Wei Ying with an air of evident confusion.

Wei Ying leaned in and said conspiratorially, “This is the part where you scold me for my bad work performance, Lan Zhan. And then I will offer to perform certain tasks to make up for it.”

He wiggled his eyebrows for emphasis.

There was a short flash of understanding in Lan Zhan’s face, but his expression smoothed out again almost immediately.

Wei Ying’s heart thumped once.

Lan Zhan was so smart! He understood immediately!

“Mr. Wei,” Lan Zhan spoke up after a short break of silence. “Please take a seat.”

Wei Ying obediently settled into the armchair Lan Zhan pointed towards, making sure he looked appropriately nervous.

“Sir?” he asked, letting his eyes go big and round. “Did I… did I do something?”

Lan Zhan considered him silently for one moment, and Wei Ying suddenly wondered if he did that to his employees too. If he did, it would be terrible, because Wei Ying already felt himself getting excited over Lan Zhan’s intense look.

“Your work performance,” Lan Zhan finally said after a silence that made Wei Ying actually fidget, “has been… lacking somewhat recently. What do you have to say for yourself?”

“I’m trying my best, Director Lan!” Wei Ying cried. “I know I should pay better attention, but…”

“No excuses,” Lan Zhan interjected. “You made mistakes, and you are aware of it. Are you going to fix them?”

Wow, Lan Zhan was really good at playing the strict boss! Wei Ying felt the desperate urge to please Lan Zhan for real. Well, he always felt the urge to please Lan Zhan, always hoped for that little half smile that showed Wei Ying that he was pleased with whatever Wei Ying had said or done, but this was something else.

“Director Zhan, I didn’t do it on purpose. I promise I will do better next time!”

“I am not sure if I should give you another chance,” Lan Zhan slowly replied, sipping on his tea as if he didn’t care about Wei Ying’s anxiety at all. “Ever since you started working here, you have been lacking in effort. You have been lacking perseverance. Why should I believe you will change now?”

“Please, Director Lan,” Wei Ying begged. “Please, let me prove it to you! I don’t want to lose this job.”

Lan Zhan looked at Wei Ying for a long time, eyes fixed on him like a predator with his eyes fixed on his prey.

“How are you planning to prove it to me?”

“Anything,” Wei Ying breathed. He was definitely getting excited now. Shit, getting put on the spot by Lan Zhan was arousing. “Anything you want me to do.”

“Stand up,” Lan Zhan commanded, and Wei Ying immediately obeyed.

“Come here. Kneel down. Yes, like this.”

Lan Wangji opened his knees to allow access to Wei Ying and pulled him down when Wei Ying didn’t move quick enough. Once he had settled between Lan Zhan’s legs, Lan Zhan leaned forward to catch Wei Ying’s eye.

“You know what you are supposed to do, no?” he asked.

“Directo-”

“No,” Lan Zhan interrupted him. “You said ‘anything.’ Use your mouth for something other than excuses and complaints and show me that you mean it.”

Lan Zhan’s commanding tone sent a shiver down Wei Ying’s back, and heat gathered in this abdomen.

God, he wanted to put his mouth on Lan Zhan’s dick so badly. But he had started this whole roleplay, so he had to see it through.

With a nervous face and hesitant hands, Wei Ying reached out, slowly starting to open buttons and zippers, divesting Lan Zhan of his layers clothing.

Once he was done, Lan Zhan reached out and gently took hold of Wei Ying’s head.

“Be a good boy now,” he said, “and show me how determined you really are to keep your job.”

And then he made Wei Ying give Lan Zhan the most excruciatingly slow blow job in his entire life.

By the time Lan Zhan finally held him down and found his release, Wei Ying’s knees felt bruised and his mouth felt tired and used, and he could do nothing but sit there as Lan Zhan finally withdrew from his mouth, whisking out a handkerchief and wiping him clean.

“Good boy,” Lan Zhan praised him. “Indeed, you do have some perseverance. But look at you, getting all excited and wet. This was supposed to be a punishment, not a reward.”

Holy shit. Wei Ying had never heard Lan Zhan talk like that, and wow, it definitely did things to him.

Lan Zhan leaned down and fixed Wei Ying with the same intense gaze as before.

“I see,” Lan Zhan murmured. “You are not just bad at your job, you are also a slut.”

“No,” Wei Ying whined, only half acting, because he was really wanted Lan Zhan to put his hands on him in the next thirty seconds. “Director, please. Please. I’ll do everything, just, please.”

“Shameless,” Lan Zhan said, but there was a tiny tick of satisfaction in the corner of his mouth. With seemingly no effort at all, he lifted Wei Ying up from the floor, and directed him towards Lan Zhan’s bedroom.

“Luckily, I think we have some things to remedy that.”

---

Later, once Wei Ying’s state had been remedied very thoroughly indeed, Wei Ying lay in bed, basking in the delicious afterglow of two very excellent orgasms. Lan Zhan had dozed off at some point, still wrapped around him tightly and his nose buried in Wei Ying’s skin. Wei Ying lay there for a while, enjoying his current state of satisfied exhaustion, and congratulated himself once more on his good luck to find a sugar daddy that provided him with literally every single thing that he could ever wish for.

Lan Zhan had even gone along with his ridiculous little roleplay, even though he wasn’t the type to make up things. But he had been a natural at it, especially once they had removed to the bedroom, when he had teased Wei Ying and simultaneously commanded him to ‘work harder’ for his boss.

A very strict boss indeed!

But after, once they had both recovered from the first round of Wei Ying being ‘punished,’ Lan Zhan had reeled Wei Ying in once again, and fucked him into the mattress with a gentle and leisurely pace that had actually brought tears to Wei Ying’s eyes. It hadn’t helped that Lan Zhan had kept whispering his name and showered him in praise about how good he was for Lan Zhan.

Goddamn, when Lan Zhan had finally pushed into him roughly, losing control over his heretofore careful and precise movements, and Wei Ying had come at the same time, it had been so good Wei Ying though he may have blacked out a little while.

Lan Zhan really knew how to expertly play Wei Ying’s body, and Wei Ying wondered for the n-th time if it shouldn’t be him who was supposed to be paying money for what they were doing here. Because really, the level of service he was receiving here was off the charts.

And then Lan Zhan would also wrap Wei Ying into his wonderful arms, and hold him tightly as he nodded off, and it was just good from the start to the very end.

But still, there was one tiny thing that was still bothering him.

Careful not to wake Lan Zhan up, he stretched out and reached for his smartphone.

Turning down the brightness of the screen in order not to accidentally disturb Lan Zhan, he quickly typed out a message.

[Wei Ying, 04:07 pm] You’re such an unreliable friend. 😡😡😡 Why did you never tell me that you know Lan Zhan?

[Nie Huaisang, 04:08 pm] I thought you knew??? Wasn’t that why you moved in with him? Also, you told me it was Lan Zhan only after you’d already moved in!!

[Nie Huaisang, 04:08 pm] Please don’t hurt me, I meant no harm. 🙇‍♂️🙇‍♂️🙇‍♂️

Wei Ying considered that statement for one moment. It was true that Wei Ying hadn’t given Nie Huaisang Lan Zhan’s name back when he went to meet Lan Zhan for the first time, only the address and the apartment number. And then, once Nie Huaisang had realised that he was rooming with Lan Zhan, he had probably assumed that the two had met at university or something. To Nie Huaisang, it had probably seemed logical that the two would know each other.

[Wei Ying, 04:09 pm] Don’t think you’re forgiven that easily. 😡

[Nie Huaisang, 04:10 pm] Aaaah, Ying-xiong, have mercy on me please! 🙇‍♂️🙇‍♂️🙇‍♂️

[Wei Ying, 04:10 pm] well

[Wei Ying, 04:10 pm] I think I might be willing to share a secret with you

[Wei Ying, 04:10 pm] actually

[Wei Ying, 04:10 pm] Lan Zhan is my boyfriend 😊❤️

[Nie Huaisang, 04:11 pm] WHAT???

[Nie Huaisang, 04:11 pm] EXCUSE ME???

[Nie Huaisang, 04:11 pm] HOW

[Nie Huaisang, 04:11 pm] Wow, did Lan Zhan actually make a move???

[Nie Huaisang, 04:11 pm] WOW

[Nie Huaisang, 04:12 pm] Good for him. Good for you too? I wish you all the happiness! 🥳🥳🥳

[Nie Huaisang, 04:12 pm] How did he manage to ask you out??

[Wei Ying, 04:12 pm] Wow, Huaisang, do you have any respect for people’s privacy at all? 🙄🙄🙄 Next you’ll be asking what we do in bed.

[Nie Huaisang, 04:13 pm] Wait what??? Elaborate please????

[Wei Ying, 04:12 pm] 🙄🙄🙄

With a satisfied grin, Wei Ying laid his smartphone down onto the nightstand and snuggled back into Lan Zhan’s embrace. Lan Zhan snuffled a little, burrowing his face deeper into Wei Ying’s back. Wei Ying giggled, not just because it tickled, but also because it was Lan Zhan, and Lan Zhan was just so unbearably cute.

God, he thought to himself as he was nodding off as well, he loved Lan Zhan so much.

#kuro writes #the untamed #wei wuxian #lan wangji #wangxian #mdzs #live in boyfriend AU

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