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frostmarris · 4 years

Text

Day 7: Knights, Dragons, and Druids

Pairing: Shikamaru Nara/Sakura Haruno/Kimimaro Kaguya

Rating: Teen & Up

Content Warning: some peril I guess but thats about it

Additional Tags: Medieval Fantasy, Plant Magic, other magical creatures, sakura is stubborn

Summary: Sakura makes a discovery that probably should have been left a secret.

Notes: ok i lied, one last entry for the @naruto-fantasy-week

I've had about 1k of this written for months and months and it just so happened to fit the last prompt almost perfectly. Sakuras not a druid but theres def some plant based magic going on

This is TECHNICALLY the first chapter to a multichapter fic, but im just gonna leave it as a oneshot for now and maybe come back to it one day

Enjoy!

Violet Lines

The morning sun barely reaches over the top edges of the stone wall surrounding the castle gardens, daybreak just beyond and peeking into view. Birds chatter and sing as they welcome the sun and, if she listens closely, she can almost hear the sounds of the morning market far, far behind her on the other side of the palace.

The castle is already awake and bustling, but there's no one else out in the gardens just yet - at least no one who might stop her.

Sakura spares a moment to watch the first few rays of daylight make their arrival before she continues onward, glancing over her shoulder only a handful of times as she passes between rose hedges and meticulously maintained trees, winding her way through the garden on a path she'd long-since memorized. The skirt of her gown drags over the grass and the toe of her riding boots occasionally peek out from under the fabric as she walks, her steps light and leaving the earth as undisturbed as possible.

She spies one of the groundskeepers pruning a bush of peonies and ducks behind a tree despite knowing he's unlikely to try to deter her.

(It's even less likely that he knows where she's going.)

Waiting until his head is turned, Sakura hurries forward and passes more flower hedges, smiling to herself at the scent of the blooms and the way a breeze makes them dance and bow to her. She's almost to her destination, close to the wall and the more open expanse of the garden behind her. Ducking under a low hanging branch, her fingers trail over the bark of the tree until her hands meet a ripe peach, gently plucking it free with a pleased hum before she carefully slips it into her satchel - a treat for later.

As the vegetation grows more dense and the sounds of the castle seem to become more muted, Sakura finally arrives at the cluster of cherry trees, low branches almost braided together with how closely they're entwined, creating a twisted wall of tree and leaves. Undeterred, she reaches out to gently brush her fingers over one of the branches, politely stepping back as the trees seem to shudder.

There's a low groan and a rustling of leaves as the trunks twist and turn outwards towards her, the branches untangling and bowing away to reveal the curtain of ivy covering a sturdy oak door, set into the stone wall. The vines and leaves raise on their own, pulling away from the door to allow her access and bunching up out of the way. Smiling, Sakura reaches for the smooth, golden handle, the finish unfaded despite how many times she'd traced her fingers over the curve and delicate filigree over the years.

The door opens easily and silently, a cool breeze gently blowing her hair back as it travels through the passage to meet her. Hitching up her skirts, Sakura assuredly steps inside, the ivy and cherry tree branches returning to their prior positions as she pulls the door shut behind her.

The cobblestone path is covered with patches of thick moss that creep up the sides of the walls, the passage just wide enough for her to reach her hands out on either side of her body and her fingers just barely graze the stone. More vines and branches arch overhead, lining the domed ceiling of the passageway and nearly fooling her into thinking she's merely walking under a canopy.

But no daylight permeates through the foliage and her hidden path would be bathed in darkness were it not for the fluorescent mushrooms that dotted the ground and walls here and there, bathing her way in a soft blue light.

The space does not match what should be on the outside, her path straight for much longer than the width of the stone wall, but she's long since stopped trying to make sense of it.

As she walks, Sakura begins to gather the skirt of her gown in front of her then awkwardly tuck it between her legs, miraculously managing to not trip all the while before she reaches behind her to grab the two halves. Bringing the fabric back around to her front, she ties it off and successfully girds her loins, revealing the brown leggings she wears underneath. By the time she starts folding her long sleeves up to her elbows as well, the path begins to slope downwards slightly, just barely at first before the cobblestone path becomes steps as the decline increases.

It's silent save for the sound of her breaths and her footsteps, her boots occasionally meeting stone rather than moss. The path levels out after a minute or so and Sakura pulls a ribbon out of her satchel, beginning to tie her long, loose hair up and out of the way. The braided plaits at her temples help keep her hair back, but it's the golden circlet that stops her bangs from falling into her eyes.

By the time she's satisfied, her ascent begins, more cobblestone steps appearing in front of her as the passage takes her upwards once more. The path levels out again after a couple of minutes, the steps ending just feet away from another oak door. Several clusters of those glowing mushrooms grow around the doorframe and Sakura simply reaches for the handle, easily pushing it open. Daylight greets her as she exits the secret path, entering a small clearing in the forest.

A thick ring of trees and underbrush surround the large cherry blossom tree in the center of the meadow and a branch lowers towards her, offering Sakura a handhold as she steps through and out of the door embedded in its trunk. She knows she's fairly deep in the woods, far deeper than anyone in the castle or the town dare enter, but she greets the forest with a smile, closing the door behind her. Moonflower vines move to cover the door once more, having pulled away as they sensed her approach, and the large leaves spiral around the trunk of the cherry tree so thickly, the bark is almost invisible.

The tree stands alone, no wall or path behind it, and leaves no suggestion of the passageway it hides. It's a mystery she's simply chalked up to magic, no longer concerned with its origin or purpose after years of using the hidden doors to visit the woods. She knows it's her own secret treasure - why else would her namesake hide the doors?

Listening to the rustling of leaves in the wind and the singing birds above, Sakura continues onward through the clearing and into the forest, fairly certain of her destination. The tall bushes and shrubs that create a makeshift wall between the ring of trees shake and pull away as she approaches, creating a clear path for her.

"You're worrying your lady in waiting sick, you know."

She'd only made it about five steps out of the clearing and into the trees when the familiar voice greets her and Sakura can't hold back her surprised gasp, turning sharply to the right. She spots him almost instantly, the sunlight that's broken through the canopy glinting off of his armor as he leans against a nearby tree with crossed arms.

He's not wearing his full set, just the breastplate and pauldrons, so his tired expression is on clear display as he eyes her with an almost disapproving look.

"And you, Sir, shouldn't be sneaking up on a lady on her lonesome in the woods." She cuts back, turning on her heel to continue onwards. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

Shikamaru sighs, running his gloved hand over his hair, pulled back high in his usual style, as he pushes off from the tree and follows after her.

"You shouldn't even be out here, Sakura." He calls after her, delving slightly into that rather inappropriate air of familiarity - as he always did when they were alone. "Especially not on your own."

She doesn't reply, but does slow her pace slightly to allow him to catch up to her, listening to the sound of his footfalls on the forest floor - heavy and loud compared to her own.

Sakura doesn't question how he managed to get here before her. The walk through the hidden passage always takes much longer than it feels, but she's surprised he's finally managed to find the exit after all this time. She used to be able to make it to the woods and back without seeing hide nor hair of the captain of her personal guard, but he'd been getting better and better at finding her over the years.

"What are you even doing out here?" Shikamaru asks, at her side but just a pace behind her. He's eyeing what she’d done to her dress, obviously disapproving but not making any comments in regards to it.

"Running errands," She replies, his arm held out for her to hold as she climbs over a raised tree root.

"What errands could a princess possibly have in the middle of a forest?"

"I just need to grab a few morels," Sakura states matter-of-factly, smiling as she spots a pair of nightingales flit down to lower branch closer to them. "There's supposed to be a really good patch of them out this way."

"Mushrooms? " Shikamaru asks incredulously, rubbing a hand over his face. "That's what all this trouble is for? Mushrooms that I'm sure the kitchens already have on hand?"

She doesn't answer and simply picks up her pace, very pointedly not looking at the knight.

Groaning in frustration, he follows after her and easily catches up, his frown deepened after a moment.

"Wait a moment ," Shikamaru says suddenly as it seems to click. "This is for that witch isn't it?"

"She's been sick the past week and mentioned them the last time I visited, so I thought I'd surprise her," Sakura avoids addressing the part where he said 'witch', acting as if she was just out getting a gift for a friend - which she was.

"Sakura."

"Just because she lives outside of the town and she frequents the forest and she makes the occasional potion and everyone avoids her, doesn't mean she's dangerous!"

Shikamaru is in front of her in a few large strides, reaching out to rest his hands on her shoulders.

"But it does make her a witch." He says, his expression both concerned and disapproving.

But she simply gives an annoyed huff and pushes past him, obviously done with the conversation.

"Are you going to accompany me on my troublesome errand for my wretched, evil friend, or not?" Sakura calls back, ducking under a particularly low-hanging tree limb.

Sighing with all the weight of the world, Shikamaru takes off after her - uncomfortable with how deep into the forest they were heading, but not about to leave her anytime soon.

The further into the woods they went, the more it seemed to come alive. The canopy shakes and dances in a breeze that blows over the treetops, high above, and the creatures of the forest call and chatter, their voices and footfalls echoing through the trees.

Sakura's expression lights up as the first small, glowing creature appears and approaches her, leisurely flying in her direction and stopping just in front of her. It's body is almost indecipherable through the bright yellow glow, lost in the light like a firefly in the evening. But the pixie's wings are much easier to spot, long and thin like a dragonfly.

It circles her head a few times as she walks, chattering on in a voice that sounds like tiny bells, and a quick glance behind her confirms that Shikamaru is still following her in blissful unawareness.

Unable to either see or hear the pixie, he sends Sakura's back a confused look when she whispers something to herself and is completely lost to the fact that she’s asking a tiny flying creature for directions.

Sakura, however, can easily understand the tinkling bells of the pixiespeak and smiles brighter as it leads her further into the woods, more colorful, glowing pixies appearing through the trees to join them. They fly around Sakura with a chorus of happy, ringing bells, some moving in to land and rest on her head or shoulders while others curiously inspect her guard.

A few occasionally pinch or prod at any exposed skin or tug on the hair at the nape of his neck, their laughter ringing louder whenever he reaches to swat at what he thinks are bugs.

Shikamaru glances around in confusion more than once, trying to find the pesky mosquitoes that seem to be more interested in him than the princess. But he can't spot any pests swarming around him and doesn’t even hear buzzing near his ear when something stings his earlobe, his grimace growing with every moment.

Fortunately for him, they soon arrive at a large, moss-covered boulder, a huge cluster of morel mushrooms circling around the base of the stone.

Grinning and whispering a quick thank you to her pixie guide, Sakur moves to crouch down next to the mushrooms and opens her satchel, pulling out a small knife and a large handkerchief. She begins cutting and collecting several of the edible mushrooms, placing them carefully on the handkerchief and vaguely hearing Shikamaru move to lean against a nearby tree.

"Did you steal that from the kitchen?" He asks with a sigh when he notices the knife, sounding more tired than chastising.

"I'm only borrowing it," She answers, rolling her eyes but still smiling. A few of the pixies leisurely fly around the large stone while others move to land and sit on some of the mushrooms, pointing out the best ones for Sakura to harvest. Before long, she has a plentiful collection and carefully ties up the ends of the cloth, packaging away the fungi and slipping it all back into her satchel.

Before she puts the knife away, she grabs the peach from earlier and cuts it in half, digging out the pit and tossing it off into some nearby shrubbery before cutting a few small slices off of one of the peach halves. She sets those on a flat patch of moss on the boulder before carefully slipping the knife back into the satchel pocket.

Straightening up, she tosses the full half to Shikamaru and starts eating the remainder, a chorus of happy bells behind her as most of the pixies move in to enjoy their treat.

He catches the peach half easily and sends her a raised eyebrow before taking a bite, not noticing the slices she'd left behind.

"All finished, princess?"

Sakura nods and they move to head back the way they'd come. She takes the lead and he doesn't question how she seems to know the way back - even despite the yellow pixie quickly returning to her. They make it all of five paces before something in the brush catches Sakura's eye and she makes a detour to her left, her expression turning curious as she finds what looks to be an old cobblestone path.

It's mostly covered in moss and grass as the forest floor has reclaimed it, but, as she parts the bushes and plants, she can easily long path leading further into the forest. Sakura smiles, ignores Shikamaru's questioning calls, and begins to follow it as her curiosity overwhelms her.

She only pauses when the pixie grabs and tugs a lock of her hair, trying to pull her back towards the way home.

Reaching back, she holds out a hand for the pixie to land on and smiles down at it, Shikamaru coming into view moments later.

"It'll be fine," Sakura says, to both of them, "Just a quick look to see where this leads."

The pixie's bells sound rather reluctant but it stays perched on her hand, a few of the others coming to follow her. Shikamaru, however, has no qualms with voicing his disapproval.

"This isn't safe," He says, reaching for her elbow and glancing around the darkening forest with worry. The trees are growing larger here, with thicker canopies that only let in just barely enough light. If it were the evening rather than the morning, it would be pitch dark.

"No one ever goes this deep, Sakura. We need to head back."

"I've been coming to the woods since I was a child," She says assuredly, following the barely-visible path. "No harm will come to me."

She wasn't completely wrong. Anyone who spent a decent amount of time around Sakura has seen the way plantlife gravitates towards her and how the earth seems to look after her. No one could quite explain it, as she didn't seem to possess any inherent magical abilities, but it was mostly chalked up to the peculiarity behind her birth.

'A gift from the fairies,' the Queen had said when her daughter was born with hair the color of flower petals and eyes as green as the forest. The royal family had tried for years and years to have a child, always ending in failure and heartbreak, until, miraculously, Sakura was born.

People who have seen how fond plants are of Sakura claim that the earth itself had rejoiced in the princess' birth and must have vowed to protect her.

Shikamaru grimaces, tempted to pick her up and just carry her back to the castle. But he knows it'll be better to just let her fill her curiosity now with him there, rather than risk her coming back here alone .

The path continues on for several minutes before the overgrowth becomes thick enough to make it fade away entirely, giving no inclination of which way to head. Sakura frowns in disappointment and is about to reluctantly head back when she realizes she can see light ahead, only viewed from the corner of her eye rather than directly.

A new lead to follow, she heads through a tall wall of brambles that parts for her, a sight that makes her smile and Shikamaru wary.

On the other side is a large, abandoned courtyard.

Huge stone pillars surround the clearing, covered in moss and vines and all mostly collapsed or crumbling, and the brick floor of the courtyard is almost invisible through the grass and weeds. A few trees have managed to sprout and rise, dislodging brick and stone - their large size a testament of how long they've been there.

On the other side of the courtyard is a tall, grassy hill - a huge, lumpy mound of earth covered in waist-high plants and flowers and shrubs. It's too large to see over or even how far back it extends and Sakura and Shikamaru exchange curious looks, the latter letting out a frustrated groan when the former immediately heads toward the hill.

"Sakura," He calls, quickly following after her as she explores, "We need to head back."

"Just a few more minutes!" Sakura replies with a grin, the pixie on her shoulder and others meandering around the courtyard and into the sparse trees. "We're probably the first people here in decades!"

She starts to climb the hill but pauses at how hard the earth is underfoot and, after debating for a moment, she reaches down to clear away the grass in a small spot. She's met with carved stone under the layers of earth and she frowns in confusion.

"Or perhaps centuries..." Sakura mutters under her breath, her curiosity only growing as she continues her climb.

When she finally makes it to the top of the hill, she looks out over the expanse of the ruins before her, shocked at the sight.

"It's a castle!" Shikamaru hears her call from above, inciting him to quickly climb up to join her.

Indeed, despite the forest's attempts to take the land back, the decrepit ruins of what was once a large castle lay before the pair. The only visible stone is the upper parts of fallen towers, the building almost entirely collapsed, where the plants are still attempting to fully encase. Only one and a half walls remain, covered in ivy and vines and almost indecipherable had it not been for their shape, and what's left of a grand stone staircase is mostly obscured by a huge tree, the roots bursting through the rock and climbing up from what was likely the main foyer.

Sakura begins to climb down into the ruins before Shikamaru can stop her and he quickly follows suit, catching her arm when they reach the bottom of the hill.

"I don't like this," He says, quietly but sternly as he looks around the ruins with clear distrust. "We should leave."

She slips out of his grip and wanders towards the staircase and its tree, carefully making her ascent.

"I've never heard any sort of story about a fallen castle in the woods - how long do you think this has been here?" Sakura calls, running her fingers over the bark of the tree as she reaches the top of the remaining stairs and looks out over the ruins.

"It's a grand discovery, yes, but it could be dangerous," Shikamaru is obviously keen to leave and even the pixie's bells sounding slightly worried.

Sakura turns in a circle to take in her surroundings, marveling at how such a thing could go undiscovered for so long. Eventually, however, she sighs and finally nods, turning back around.

"Fine, fine. We'll go. But you'd better agree to come back here with me another time to explore."

Shikamaru groans and rubs the back of his neck but nods as well, unaware of the pair of pixies sitting on his head. His answer and the sight makes Sakura smile and giggle, but her expression is soon turning to one of shock as she feels the stone give way under her feet.

She gasps in surprise as a piece of the staircase crumbles and she feels herself fall backwards and even the tree's attempt to catch her with a branch isn't enough to keep her from falling several feet down the other side of the staircase.

It's a sheer drop and she hears Shikamaru shout her name when he disappears from sight. The bed of moss she lands on isn't quite cushion enough and she groans as she sits up, rubbing the back of her head.

Shikamaru comes running around the corner of the staircase and his relief is immediate when he sees her sitting there, a little bruised but fine.

"See?" He says, moving towards her. "This place is falling apart."

Sakura reluctantly nods and he's just feet away when she feels the ground shift again - and this time she screams as the earth collapses under her and she falls and falls down into darkness.

Her fall is broken by water and the impact winds her as she's fully submerged. Panicking, she instinctively kicks and swims for the surface, gasping for breath when she breaches and manages to grab onto a floating something for support.

It begins to glow fluorescent green at her touch and both the huge lily pad and the hole in the ceiling above give off enough light for her to look around in confusion once she's caught her breath. She's landed in a large underground pond, apparently, the small waves stemming from her body disturbing the surrounding lily pads and making them glow from the movement.

They're huge - large enough for her to comfortably lay with her arms and legs fully outstretched - and the one she's clinging to feels incredibly sturdy under her arms, barely even dipping down into the water from her weight. Considering the thought for just a moment, she carefully manages to climb up onto the pad and out of the water, its surface glowing brighter wherever she touches.

She hears Shikamaru's voice come from above and she looks skyward, shocked to realize just how far she'd fallen.

The light from the hole she'd made casts down onto the pond in a singular beam, a couple feet away from her current position on the lily pad. Her entry point is high above her, at least 50 feet of a sheer drop, and she sees Shikamaru's head come into view as he kneels down and carefully nears the edge as quickly he can, the yellow glow of the pixie guide perched on his shoulder.

"Sakura! Are you alright?!"

"I'm okay!" She calls, kneeling on the lily pad. "I landed in water!"

She can hear the relief in his sigh even if she can't make out his face from the way he's back-lit.

"Just stay right there!" Shikamaru calls, starting to pull away from the hole. "I'll look for a way down!"

Nodding to herself, she looks away from the light to let her eyes adjust to the darkness and fully take in her surroundings. She's in some sort of cavern, though the walls look carved and built by hand rather than natural, and she turns slowly on the pad, the movement sending more small ripples in the water to make the other lily pads glow again. Her gaze follows along the distant walls, the edge of the pond about 40 paces out in every direction, until she spots a set of stairs carved from the stone, leading up and through a passage in the wall.

"I think I see an exit!" Sakura calls, Shikamaru's head popping back into view a moment later.

"Sakura!" He shouts again, voice worried and frustrated. "Don't. Move."

But she ignores him and moves to carefully stand, taking a moment to find her balance on top of the floating plant. Once she feels secure, she looks to the closest lily pad and, readying herself and muttering encouragements under her voice, hops across the small gap of water.

She nearly falls when she lands but the pad stays mostly in place and she continues onto the next one, soon getting the hang of it and smiling at the way the lily pads light up under her feet. The glow lasts a few moments after she's lept onto the next and the one after that, leaving a small trail of fluorescent green footprints.

When she makes it to the shore, she lets out a tired laugh and looks back out over the pond, taking a moment to wring the water out of her hair and gown. The staircase passage she'd spotted is just behind her and she looks up at the hole in the stone ceiling.

She'd gotten all turned around when she fell into the pond but, if the sun had been behind them when they'd arrived at the castle ruins and if she takes the angle of the light beam from the hole into account…

"Head right from the tree, Shikamaru!" Sakura yells, as loudly as she can. "The passage leads out that way!"

"SAKURA."

He sounds furious but she doesn't want to stay stuck in one place while she waits for him. The lily pads had been helpful but, if they were able to survive in a pitch black cave with no access to light, there was no telling what else was in the pond.

She turns and heads into the passage, the stairs tall and sturdy under her boots. The stone arches over her head, just a few feet taller and wide enough for two of her.

Besides a few patches of moss and mushrooms, the stonework is clean and uncovered, not yet reclaimed by the forest. The air is damp and cold and she shivers as she climbs the steps, her soaked clothing doing nothing to keep out the chill. Eventually the stairs end and lead into a long, large hallway of stone - a straight path but with no end in sight.

Sakura knows she hasn't made enough ground to be more than a third of the way towards the surface but, since this had been the only way out of the pond's cavern, it would ultimately lead to Shikamaru anyways. Wrapping her arms around herself, she continues down the stone hall, searching for but failing to find any doors or other passages. The walls are bare besides mounted torches that had long-since gone out and the occasional patch of lichen or mushroom - no tapestries or art or any sign of life.

It's completely dark without the lily pads but her eyes have adjusted enough for her to see well enough.

Still, she almost doesn't catch herself in time when the hallway suddenly ends and drops off into a huge chasm of darkness.

Gasping, Sakura stumbles backwards and grips the strap of her satchel in tight fists. It takes her a few moments, but she can eventually make out the edge of the drop, the stone floor jagged and broken. She still can't quite see how far the drop is in the darkness and she takes another step back, her expression growing unsure and worried.

She may be stubborn, but she wasn't stupid enough to take a leap a faith over a hole that might be 3 feet long or 300.

Groaning in frustration, Sakura turns to head back to the pond when, out of the corner of her eye, she spots a vague light emanating from the other side of the darkness. It's harder to see when she looks right at it, as all things are in the dark, but it's straight ahead and seems to be at the same level of her position.

However, she's unsure if it's just small or very far away.

Shifting her weight from leg to leg as she bites her lip unsurely, Sakura eventually turns around to head down the hall slightly, managing to remove one of the old torches from its hold after a few moments of struggling. Kneeling down on the stone, she opens her satchel and searches for her tinderbox, hoping the water hadn't gotten in her bag and ruined the contents.

She fumbles with it in the dark for a couple minutes before, eventually, she's made a light and, using the handkerchief that had managed to stay dry and what's left in the metal cage of the torch, stands with the flame aloft. Sakura makes her way cautiously to the edge again and peers out over the chasm, grimacing at its size.

It has to be at least a hundred feet - some sort of collapsed chamber with a domed ceiling that rises high above her, intact despite the scene below. There's large pieces of broken stone scattered around the edges and down into the center but, the more Sakura stares at it, the more she thinks she can see a path down and back up the other side.

Grinning at the chance of a way out, she carefully begins to climb down onto the pit, the stone pieces slanted and lying awkwardly, but spaced enough for her to use them as stairs. Her foot slips only twice as she descends, but she catches herself each time and lets out a relieved sigh when she makes it to the bottom, the torch still burning as she holds it high.

It'll take a bit more effort to make her way over and around the rock scattered about her, but she is determined to reach that light and find Shikamaru. Making sure her sleeves are still rolled up, she starts forward and begins to climb up over a particularly large chunk of stone, finding her balance once she's made it to the top.

When she raises her torch just a little higher, the firelight glints off something metallic far to her right and she pauses in surprise, turning to look curiously.

She moves the torch and catches the reflected light again and, with a quick glance back up towards her exit, she decided a small detour wouldn't hurt.

Sakura carefully walks across the several feet of stone before climbing down, making her way through jagged rock towards the direction of what had caught her eye. As she climbs over the last small precipice, she finds a small patch of cleared ground, a figure nestled into the rubble.

The sight startles her and she nearly drops the torch but, after a moment of carefully inching forward, she realizes it's just an odd... statue?

Her head tilts curiously and she cautiously makes her way down towards it, more detail coming into view.

It's the figure of a man, carved from stone that might be marble, though she can't quite make out the color under the layers of dust and cobwebs. The statue is sitting in a reclined position on the ground, one leg stretched out and the other bent and raised slightly while it leans back against one of the huge stone chunks, as if it had collapsed there. One arm lays limp at its side while the other hand rests in its lap, fingers curled slightly. The head is angled down, chin to chest, and carved hair draped over its shoulders, a deep-seated tiredness permeating through the stone.

A mask covers the head, long and carved like the skull of a beast and obscuring the face, but the most peculiar part of the statue is the very much not stone dagger sticking out of its chest.

It's obviously what had caught the firelight and Sakura inspects the jewel encrusted dagger curiously, her fingers tracing around where metal meets stone. It wasn't part of the original statue, she realizes - it had actually been stabbed into the rock with enough strength to crack it.

Sakura frowns sadly to herself, wondering why someone would intentionally harm such an admittedly strange but interesting piece of art.

Her gaze drifts back up to the hidden face and her hand moves to trace her thumb along the jaw, strong and sharp, that peeks under the mask. She leans forward in interest when the action wipes away the layers of dirt and dust to reveal a stark white stone underneath, an otherwise perfectly unmarred marble.

Sakura pauses for a moment before unrolling one of her sleeves and using it to wipe away the cobwebs and dust on the statue's face, fingers tracing the curves and lines of the skull mask and revealing the astounding detail in the maker's craftmanship. When it's decidedly more clean than when she found it, she looks back down at the dagger and decides it has no place in the crafter's original vision.

She grips the handle tightly and pulls, the grating sound of metal scraping against stone sending a shiver down her spine but the knife coming out relatively easily enough. Sakura smiles and shuffles back in her crouched position, only to stumble back onto her rear when the ground shakes.

It surely must be an earthquake with how the cavern rumbles and tremors and she sends a panicked look upward, frightened of the ceiling collapsing. The shaking lasts a few moments before it suddenly stills and Sakura is met with the sound of sand cascading over stone.

She looks to the statue in alarm and gasps in surprise at the sight of the twin, pale green, glowing lights emanating from the sockets of the skull.

She's still in her seated position, knees up and arms behind her to support herself, as the white marble of the statue begins to recede, slowly disappearing to reveal very much not-stone skin and clothing.

It starts from the legs and makes its way upwards, the crack where the dagger had been slowly knitting itself back together until a very human man is sitting across from her.

Sakura stares for another few moments and shrieks when he moves.

The sound makes his head lift, sluggish and tired, and she scrambles backwards - only to find her back pressed against a chunk of rock. The green glow from the eye sockets disappears and, with the light of the torch she still gripped tightly in her free hand, Sakura can see eyes of a similar color open, shaded by the mask but very obviously looking at her.

The man sits up, the hand in his lap clenching and unleashing for a moment, as he continues to stare back at her until his gaze drops to the dagger in her other hand.

She follows his gaze down to the knife with a quick glance but, when she looks up again he's crouched in front of her, the skull mask inches from her own face.

"You..." He pauses, his voice raspy and deep. Those pale green eyes close for a moment and Sakura’s gaze darts fearfully over what she can see of his face before dropping down to his shoulder to note that, besides the skull, his hair is the only thing that had remained white.

She's startled from her thoughts when she feels something warm on her cheek and she realizes it's his hand, his thumb tracing over her cheek in a similar fashion to when she'd touched his jaw.

Sakura finds herself blushing despite the bizarre - and worrying - moment.

"You..." He starts again, his hand still caressing her cheek. "You freed me."

"I..." She takes a nervous breath, shrinking back slightly when he pulls away just slightlu and reaches a hand up towards the mask. "W-well, yes, I suppose, but-"

He removes the skull with slow movements, revealing a handsome face with sharp features. There are red markings edged around the lower corners of his eyes and above his eyebrows and his free hand moves to grip her own, his much larger grip circling around the fist clutching the dagger.

"I owe you a debt of immeasurable gratitude," He says, voice still hoarse but softer now. Sakura stares at him with wide eyes before jumping slightly as he leans forward, her cheeks burning when he rests his forehead against her own.

"My life is yours, as yours is mine." He says, his eyes closing for a moment and his skin feeling like fire against her own.

"I-I-" Her voice is barely more than a whisper and his eyes open again, holding her gaze with an intensity she's never experienced before.

"What is your name?" He asks gently, releasing her fist to reach up and carefully run his fingers through a lock of her hair.

"I-"

"SAKURA!"

They both look up at the distant shout, far off but echoing down the hall Sakura had come through. Her face lights up with relief at the sound of the knights voice and the man kneeling in front of her shifts, his lax posture stiffening.

"SH-SHIKAMARU!" She calls, hoping he can hear her. "I'm here!"

When she looks to the white-haired man again, she freezes in shock. Though his gaze is pinned in the direction of Shikamaru's voice, she can easily see how his pupils have narrowed to slits and that pale green glow has returned, his expression stoney and grim - a stark contrast to the tender look he'd held moments ago.

They hear Shikamaru's voice again and she moves to stand, the man backing away just enough to give her room before he helps her to her feet. The echoing thuds of running footsteps greets them moments before Shikamaru comes into view overhead, absolutely soaked in water and skidding to a halt as he arrives at the edge of the chasm.

He looks around frantically for a moment before his eyes fight the light of Sakura's torch and she lets out a relieved sound, waving up at him. Her call is cut off, however, and Shikamaru's expression turns furious as she feels the white-haired man gently wrap an arm around her waist and pull her back against him.

She glances back at him in surprise, startled to realize how much taller he is than her, and finds him staring up at the knight, his glowing gaze harsh and dangerous.

"Release her," Shikamaru orders, unsheathing his sword in one fluid moment. "Now."

The ground rumbles and shakes again and Sakura gasps, leaning back against him in support before she stiffens at the feeling of a second rumble growing in his chest. An inhuman growl rips through him and he starts to change, growing larger behind her as smoke begins to curl out of his mouth through bared teeth.

The cloud of fog grows larger and thicker until it obscures him from view and Sakura feels the huge, clawed hand gently move off of her waist. She's moved and tucked away in a stone alcove, lifted body off of the ground before carefully placed back down again, the fog beginning to dissipate moments later.

The man is gone but, in his wake, is an enormous bone-white beast, crouched over the scattered stones of the chasm and tall enough to look Shikamaru in the eye as they stare each other down. Its tail, lined with a row of sharp protrusions that look like rib bones, waves slowly through the air, and sharp claws dig into rock, a pair of huge white wings stretching out for a few moments before tucking against its scale-plated body.

Its head looks familiar and Sakura realizes with a start that it wears a skull mask identical to the one the man had been wearing, though this one is sectioned into pieces and a part of its body, those green eyes filling the sockets with a bright glow.

"You are a fool," The dragon says in a voice deep enough to make the cavern tremble, "If you think you can fight me."

Shikamaru looks slightly pale, but his expression is determined as he brandished his sword, his lips curled in an obvious challenge.

There's little warning before the beast strikes but Shikamaru manages to jump down and into the pit moments before impact as the dragon's maw snaps at where he'd been standing.

Stone shatters between its teeth and Sakura is already scrambling out of the alcove and up the side of the chasm to where she'd seen the light before, watching with frightened eyes as Shikamaru lands with a grunt on a large rock chunk several feet down. He leaps forward moments later and onto the dragon's shoulder, but his sword shatters against its scales when he tries to stab it in as an anchor.

Cursing, he keeps ahold of the hilt and what's left of the blade as he manages to scramble upwards, running down the dragon's back and towards Sakura. He's nearly flung off as the beast turns fast enough to give him whiplash and he loses sight of the princess, reaching out to grip one of the bony spines along its back for support. Once he's sure of his footing, he runs again, the sound of the dragon's jaws snapping at the air behind him a terrifying experience.

The massive creature curls and twists as it tries to snatch the knight off of its back and gives a ferocious roar that makes dust rain down from the domed ceiling above. Sakura, who has managed to avoid being smashed by the lashing tail, reaches the top edge of the chasm and presses against the wall of the opposite hall. She watches with wide, terrified eyes as Shikamaru dodges the dragon's jaws, his mouth set in a grim line as he searches for her.

When he spots Sakura, he takes off in a sprint, skidding and sliding down the dragon's back when it rears up on its hind legs suddenly before he leaps off with as much strength as he can muster. It's tail whips at the last moment and ruins his trajectory slightly and Shikamaru lands with a hard grunt against the edge.

His arms and shoulders are over the top of the jagged stones and the armor of his breastplate scrapes against the side as his boots search for purchase. Sakura is quickly at his side and helps heft him up over the edge, just as the dragon turns to spot the pair.

Her lips part but, before she can say anything, Shikamaru grabs her hand and takes off down the hallway, the two running as fast as they can.

"He's just going to follow us!" Sakura manages to shout, keeping up with his pace.

"The passage is too narrow," Shikamaru replies, winded from slamming against the side of the chasm.

They both glance back at the sound of scales scraping against stone and a furious roar to see the dragon's head entering the hallway, its neck long enough to almost reach them before it stops short.

"For its body, at least." The knight grunts, not slowing in his pace as they race towards the light at the end of the passage.

Its moments later when the ground trembles and shakes again and Sakura stumbles, hissing at the sudden pain in her ankle and squeaking when Shikamaru suddenly scoops her up, abandoning his useless sword. He continues running even as they hear a great commotion come from behind them, the sound of the cavern collapsing and the dragon roaring as it tries to force open the passage.

Like dominoes, stone hall begins to cave in behind them and Shikamaru grits his teeth, his eyes widening as the sight of the exit finally comes into view.

They can see daylight, but it's blocked by old wooden boards and a curtain of vines and moss, extending into the passage some feet. As they near, the plants actively retreat, pulling away from the planks and out into the open air or higher on the walls. The action casts more light into the darkness and, hearing the collapsing stone nearing behind them, Shikamaru makes the decision to keep running.

He turns slightly to shield and brace Sakura as he barrels into the barrier, his shoulder splintering the centuries old wood and breaking through to let them escape. Shikamaru stumbles and falls, but keeps Sakura from harm as he rolls and clutches her to his chest, landing in soft grass and forest leaves. They barely have a moment to rest and collect themselves, however, and the ground shakes violently and they hear an enormous crash and rumble.

Though they can't see it, they can clearly hear the dragon's roar as it echoes in the open air.

The pair look back at the way they'd come, taking in the sight of a hidden doorway set into the side of a grassy hill. Sakura's eyes grow wide and she sits up, quickly trying to rise to her feet but stumbling as pain flares in her ankle. Shikamaru scoops her up into his arms again and he looks around frantically for a moment, that clever mind of his searching for an escape path.

As Sakura looks skyward, she sees a cluster of familiar glowing colors heading towards them through the trees and she hurriedly points in the same direction.

"That way!" She insists, hearing a frantic chorus of bells calling to her. "Keep running."

"We're lost!" Shikamaru hisses even as he starts off in the direction she indicated, the sound of the dragon's roar and rampage growing louder. "We need to hide."

"Just trust me, Shikamaru!"

He growls but relents, racing into the woods that seems to part a path for them, not a single branch touching or scraping the pair as they escape. The yellow pixie is at the lead of the group as they meet them, swarming around the princess and her captain with alarmed bells and Sakura grips his arm tightly, pointing forward as the yellow ball of light begins to hurriedly guide them out.

"That way! Keep going!"

"Sakura," He says, panic in his voice, "We're lost!"

"Just follow the damn pixies, Shikamaru!"

"The what?!"

If they weren't running for their lives, she's sure he would have been giving her a look as if she'd grown a second head. Gripping her hair with a frustrated sound, she shouts into the air, pleading and desperate.

"Let him see!"

Shikamaru is about to question her, growing concerned, when he nearly trips as a dazzling display of swarming light suddenly surrounds them, the pixies having accepted her request.

They never show themselves to humans but their fondness for the princess and the desperation of her situation won over their distaste for being seen and they show themselves to the knight, the chiming bells of their voices making his ears ring.

He can't understand them but he can most certainly see him and Shikamaru doesn't realize he's stopped moving until Sakura reaches up to grab his chin, physically pull his wide-eyed gaze away from the pixies, and point to the singular yellow glow ahead of them.

"Follow that one."

Shikamaru, bewildered and rather disturbed, nods and breaks out in a sprint again, dutifully following the pixie guide.

The sound of the earth shaking and trees being uprooted grows louder and closer behind them and some of the pixies surrounding Shikamaru scatter and fly off into the woods. A tremor nearly sends him to the ground again and they can hear the roars and growls much too close back the way they'd come.

Sakura thinks she sees a flash white through the trees and she grips Shikamaru even tighter, her expression lightening slightly when she sees a familiar wall of shrubbery ahead. The yellow pixie gives a frantic chime and circles once in the air before following the rest of the swarm back into the forest. When Shikamaru makes to follow, she quickly reaches for his shoulder and points towards the hedges.

"No, no! Keep going straight!" She says, and, despite the worried look he sends her, the knight races ahead, letting out startled grunt when the bushes part for them to reveal the meadow and the singular cherry tree in the center.

"The tree!" Sakura hisses when he looks around like they'd been led to disaster, "Head for the tree!"

They're halfway there when they both glance back at the sound of a large crash and see treetops fall and crumble, the dragon's furious face bursting through the foliage. Its jaws part to reveal bared teeth when it spots them and Shikamaru runs as fast as he can, his expression determined as the beast chases after them.

The moonflower vines and leaves pull away to reveal the door as they approach and Sakura reaches out for the doorknob before Shikamaru can touch it, flinging it open. The moment they're through, she shoves her way out of his arms, lands on her good foot, and slams the door shut behind them, cutting off the view of the dragon's jaws snapping closed just inches away.

Shikamaru quickly grabs her and shields her with his body as he braces for impact, expecting the tree to be torn down around them. But, when there isn't even the barest shake or thud, he cautiously looks up and gently releases her a reluctant moment later, finally looking around their new surroundings.

While he gazes over the moss covered passage in confusion and wonder, Sakura lets out a relieved sigh and collapses back against the wall, her hand over her racing heart. She slides down to sit on the ground, careful of her twisted ankle, and leans against Shikamaru's shoulder when he joins her.

He's quiet for a full minute before he looks down at her, his expression so tired.

"What the hell happened."

#shikasaku #kimisaku #shikasakukimi #sakura haruno #naruto fantasy week #thirrinwrites #thirrinfic

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calpalirwin · 4 years

Text

Kill My Time

Summary: Some people are just more fun to kill time with than others.

A/N: So, @teenwolfss24 sent me this idea like frickin forever ago and I totally forgot about it. But alas! Here we are! Don’t hate me too much, alright?

Content: Mentions of drinking and smut like activities.

Word Count: 1k

And away, and away we go!

Luna clicked her phone shut for what felt like the millionth time since the series of pings had sent her dashing out of her apartment and into the night. “Can’t keep doing what, Cal?” she muttered darkly as she took a swallow of her drink. She squinted slightly as she looked out across the darkened bar room. “Where the fuck are you, Ho-”

Her words got caught off as she felt a familiar body press up against her. “Didn’t think you’d show.”

She downed the rest of her drink, the alcohol warming her stomach all the way up to her cheeks. It clinked as she set it aside on the bar top. “Well, I’m here. So what is it?”

“Defensive, are we?” Calum’s voice held a note of amusement as he smirked down at her.

“Well if my boyfriend, or whatever you are, is about to dump me, I’d prefer if you did it fast so I can get on with my night.”

A dark eyebrow arched upwards in confusion. “Dump you? You’d think I’d ruin our place by dumping you here?”

“Well, what are you doing then?” she asked, flashing her phone. “Or can’t do?”

Calum let out a sigh as he scratched at his chin. “Come dance with me,” he said after a beat of silence, jerking his head in the direction of the small dance floor.

She rolled her eyes, but let him lead her away from the bar anyway, figuring however this night ended, she might as well fill it with as many good moments as she could.

With her arms wrapped around his neck, and his gently wrapped around her waist. Her fingertips grazed along the nape of his neck, while his burned a path along her hips. They danced until their feet ached and their small buzzes wore off. Finally, with a clear head and a heavy heart, she peered up at him. “Are you gonna leave me, Cal?” Her voice cracked around the words.

“You’re the one always sayin’ goodbye, Luna.”

“What if I don’t want to this time?”

“C’mon,” he said, gripping her hands in his and beginning to step backwards.

“Where are we going, Cal?”

“I’m not having this conversation with you in here. C’mon,” he continued to gently coax as they made their way outside.

The air was cold as it hit her skin, goosebumps covering her arms immediately. His jacket draped over her shoulders before she had a chance to shiver, his warmth and scent feeling like home. “I can’t keep loving only half of you, Luna. It hurts too much.”

“You think this doesn’t hurt me? Cal, this is killing me.”

“I’m not trying to put you on the spot. But I- I need to get this out. I feel like I’m living in the shadows, like some shameful secret. And I’m done drowning in it. I’ve spent so much time trying to find someone that makes me feel even a fraction of how alive I feel when I’m with you. And I’ve finally realized why that was. It’s cause you’re the only one that matters. You’re the only one who makes me feel like this. And damn it! I’m sick of sharing you! Okay?! And I don’t even care how fuckin’ selfish that sounds. I want you. All of you. To myself. You’re the first real thing I’ve had and I- I don’t wanna give that up. I wanna kill my time with you, or with no one.”

“Cal-”

“No.” He held up his hand, cutting her off. “I don’t need an answer. I just needed you to know where I’m at. And I might only be fooling myself, but I’m willing to bet it’s only a matter of time before you realize it, too.”

~~~

Luna paced the floors of her apartment, her stomach tying itself in knots. She tried not to look at her phone and how badly she wanted it to go off with a message from him. Any message.

It had been the longest week of her life, Calum’s jacket still draped over a kitchen chair so his scent didn’t get stuck in her bed along with all her memories. Memories of sleepless nights while restless fingers roamed her body. Much like Calum, all she ever was looking for was something that made her feel alive. And it had taken his ultimatum that hadn’t been an ultimatum to make her realize that her heart was at home in his arms. She could only hope her realization hadn’t come too late in the game.

Luna thought about sending him another text that she had his jacket. Egg him into coming over and getting it, just so she could see his face again. But she figured he had left her with his jacket for a reason, and that if he really wanted it back he wouldn’t have walked off with it still around her shoulders.

There was a sharp knock at her door that made the woman jump out of her skin. Luna ran her hands through her hair to smooth it as she reached up to unlatch the dead bolt. She pulled the door open to find Calum standing there, his fist raised to knock again. “C- You d-” she sputtered.

He cut her off by ducking his head down, connecting his lips to hers. Strong arms snaked around Luna, and she jumped slightly to wrap her legs around his hips. He adjusted to hold her weight and her lips got reacquainted with his jaw and throat. He took two steps inside, kicking the door shut behind him. One of their shirts got discarded, quickly followed by the other as he carried her deeper into the apartment. She fell on the bed with an anticipated sigh, stretching her arms upwards above her head. He took his own turn getting reacquainted to the soft flesh he had missed so much, pressing kisses all down her torso as her arms came down so her fingers could free them of their jeans. “Always been you,” Calum breathed in Luna’s ear when he had trailed his way back up, sucking deeply on her neck. “Wanna kill all my time with you.”

Tag List

@frontmanash @goeatsomelife @flameraine @creator-appreciator (@here-for-the-uproars???) @cxddlyash @1-irwin-94 @sparkling-calm @tea4sykes @youngblood199456 @5-seconds-of-obsession @gosh-im-short @aquarius-hood1996 @talkfastromance4 @itjustkindahappenedreally @philthepegacorn @boomerash @teenwolfss24

#kill my time #calum hood #calum hood fic #5sos #galcal irwin

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harringtown · 4 years

Text

cause you talk to me and it comes off the wall

this was my first time writing anything like this, so i apologize for taking so long, i always want to make sure im representing things as accurately as possible and all that, but i hope you enjoy!!

requested by anonymous

Pairing: Steve Harrington x trans masc reader

Summary: Steve comforts the reader after some kids at school make comments (pure fluff)

Word Count: 1k

Warnings: mentions of bullying

The back courtyard is nearly always abandoned, the small area behind the school barely big enough for a bench and overgrown with gnarled weeds and short trees that leave the space in perpetual, chilly shade. It’s peaceful, always quiet, and its vacancy is what drew you to it in the first place.

No one comes looking back here, and it’s always waiting, beckoning when the school halls and cafeterias and bathrooms become too much. Here, you can be alone.

You’ve never mentioned the place to Steve, but you’re not surprised when he ducks through the brush, shaking leaves out of his hair, his lips quirking up in a smile at the sight of you. He crosses the cracked concrete and drops down onto the bench beside you, spreading his arms across the metal backing, one hand curling to rest against your arm.

“Found your hiding place,” Steve says, flashing a lopsided grin. He scans the small courtyard, lifting his gaze to the trees before meeting your gaze again. “I dig it.”

“Not a hiding place,” you say, an automatic lie. Steve cocks a brow, and you sigh. “Maybe it is. Sometimes.”

His brows pull together, lips pursed, and he straightens, shifting to face you.

“Did something happen?” He asks. His eyes narrow, and he shakes his head. “I swear to god, if Tommy or Jake said anything to you-”

“It’s not a big deal,” you say. He scoffs.

“It is a big deal.”

“I can take it,” you amend. Steve shakes his head, shifting further toward you.

“You shouldn’t have to,” he says. His expression softens and he reaches out to flick the stray hairs off your forehead, a sad smile playing on his lips. “You’re, like, the coolest guy I’ve ever known, and you’re ten times smarter than any of these asshats, and it pisses me off that all they see is…who you used to be. Cuz I see it.”

Your chest aches, twisting at the kindness in his words. How on earth you and Steve Harrington ended up together, somehow finding each other despite completely separate social circles, still evades you.

“One more year,” You say, voice low. Steve’s brows furrow, and he nods.

“Once we graduate, I’m getting you out of this town,” he says. “We’ll…see the world, and shit.”

“Yeah? And where are we getting the money for that?”

He snorts, and says, “The country, then. My car can make it. I hear there’s a pretty sick canyon out West. A grand one.”

His ability to pluck the sadness and frustration out of you with only a touch or a few words never ceases to amaze you. The worst days, the worst hours, the worst nights, are all easily amended by the boy sitting beside you. And when nightmares drag him under or memories hold him in place, it’s you that coaxes him out of it.

“You’re ridiculous,” you say. He grins, and ducks to press a kiss to your temple.

“I’m serious. We’re gonna leave all these…shitty people behind, and we’ll go somewhere no one knows us. Or, if they do know us, they don’t care who we are. No Tommy’s or Jake’s or Carol’s.”

“You’d really go away with me?” You ask.

“You serious?” Steve asks. “Of course.” He brings a hand up to settle against your cheek, and he smiles. “It’s you and me.”

You met Steve before coming out, before any kind of transitioning, and the sentiment he gives is one from before. You expected him to disappear, to run, to join the throngs of kids at school who didn’t understand or didn’t want to.

But he didn’t. The night you told him - with a simple “I’m not a girl” - you’d expected him to split, but he didn’t. He just said, “It’s still you and me.” And since then, he’s stuck through the ridicule and the judgment, the name calling and the harsh kids.

“I hear California’s nice,” you say. Steve grins.

“Beach? Sun? You on a lawn chair? Sounds good to me.”

“What about your canyon?”

He shrugs, leaning in, bumping your nose with his. He tilts his chin up, brushing his lips across yours, a careful kiss.

“Long as it’s with you,” he says, breath warm on your lips. “Let’s see it all.”

You laugh, hands coming up to his chest, and say, “It’s a deal.”

He pulls away, gaze tracing across your face, and a sincere, almost shy smile tugs up on his lips.

“You know I love you, right?” He asks. “I don’t give a fuck what anyone says. I know who you are, and I love you.”

Your chest fills with warmth, and you smile, nodding lightly. You cock your brows.

“I hope so,” you say, “if not, that’s gonna be an awkward drive.”

Steve snorts, looping an arm around you and tugging you close, his laughter tickling the back of your neck. He ducks a chin, nose tracing a line up the side of your neck, up your jaw, across your cheek.

“How did I get so damn lucky?” He murmurs, flashing you a wicked grin, but his eyes are sincere. You grin, leaning back slightly to meet his gaze.

“You accidentally tripped a freshman girl in the hall,” you say.

“And now,” he says, “I’ve got the hottest boyfriend in Hawkins. Scratch that: the world.”

“Sorry, but that title’s already taken.”

“Oh?” Steve asks, brows arching, smile widening. “By who?”

“This guy from this tiny ass town. Hawkins, or something. His name is Steve Harrington, or something like that.”

“He sounds hot,” Steve says. “Bet his boyfriend is hot, too.”

You roll your eyes, but don’t protest when he bends in to kiss you again, murmuring, “Sap,” against his lips before leaning further into him.

Hawkins High is still waiting inside, and for a little while longer, you’ll have to navigate its halls. But if you can make it to the end - and you know you can - you’ve got an entire life ahead of you with Steve by your side. And that’s worth a lot more than some shitty high school teenager’s opinions of you.

Steve Taglist: @allfandomxreader @kalie-bee @sourapplebaby @iiqtpiee @queenofthehairharrington @drcwse @whitecard62 @captainelsaeverdeen @hairrington @lemonypink @ludicstilinski @harrington-ofhawkins @dezzylou24 @mightstudysoon @ultrunning @xthe-dreamerx @bralessandflawless @pvnsie @anerroroccurrrrred @bookfrog242 @yayrainyday @snarky–starky @with-a-little-bit-of-light @mochminnie @redbullchick @izzylizzybizzy @sassisaluxuy @80strashbag @m-blasterrr @estrela-rogers @comedy-witch @sammyyyygp @alwaysthefangirl @jxnehxpper @perksofbeingawf @anxiouskore @bombardia @willowrose99 @honeybloomtea @mustbluvs @ilovebucketbarnes @kylosleftbuttcheek @steve–harrington–gal @ssanjuniperoo

#brooke writes fic #steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington au #steve harrington fic #stranger things

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love-allthingsmarvel · 7 years

Text

Way Down We Go

Requested: Yes! “Back then, I lied when I told you I didn’t love you. You needed to move on from me– I needed to protect you from me.” with Peter please!! - Anon

Warnings: Angst, Swearing, Alcohol.

Word Count: 1K

A/N: Sorry this took so long! But i got some inspo and I have a lot of ideas for this. I think the ending gives you a little hint of where im gonna take this. Also, this is when Reader and Peter are older–like 21. Also I couldn’t find a gif to match this story, sorry!

You always had love in your heart.

Maybe that made you weak, but you honestly didn’t care. You were always told to love no matter how hard it may seem, and no matter how hard the world tried to beat you–you promised you would always love.

Maybe you knew high school would change you, maybe you had the strange feeling that high school was going to rip you to shreds and make you wonder why you ever moved to New York.

But high school didn’t ruin you because of bullies, or rumors, or teachers. High school ruined you because you met the love of your life.

Peter Parker.

You had met him in chemistry class of your Freshman year, just two freshmen trying to find someone to hang around for the next four years, but you never thought that it would be for love.

He had a sweet charm to him–when you first met him he was dorky and clumsy–but god he was so cute.

And all you could think in your mind was love.

Love. Love. Love.

You were always taught to love. And maybe you did love him, but not that way.

Not that way yet.

5 years fast forward, and here he stood in front of you–no longer yours to hold or love. He was the worlds.

You were on top of your apartment complex when you had received the ‘I need to talk you, now.’ text, making your heart jump. You had told yourself you would never talk to him, but here you were. Ready to hear what he had to say.

He stood in front of you, his mask off and eyes glaring at you.

The wind nipped at your skin, all you had on was one of your pajama dresses and a grey cardigan protecting you from the winter of New York–your feet grew cold on the pavement of the roof, immediately thinking how badly you did not wanna be up here right now, facing him–but you were.

“Y/N.”

You bit your lip and looked down at your feet, trying to hold the tears back. You closed your eyes and breathed in heavily, you thought you were over this, over him–but you weren’t. Not even a little.

God to this day it still hurt.

“Pete, I–I really don’t have the time–”

“I know–I–I know you don't, but I had to just talk to you. You deserve to know the truth about everything. About us.”

Your head shot up, as you continued to hold your tears back, your knuckles began to grow white.

“What else is there to know Peter!? It’s been almost a year and a half! S–So now, now you decide you wanna fix it?!”

“T–That’s not–”

“Of course it’s not Peter.”

He huffed, as you watched the air leave from his lips. Wanting nothing more than to reach out and hug him. He continued to look at you, finally examining your outfit.

“I–I'm sorry, You must be so cold–Go back inside.”

Your mouth hung open as you grew angrier.

“How dare you.”

Peter gulped, his hand nervously going through his messy brown hair.

“Y/N–”

“Peter Parker, for fucks sake–tell me what you wanted to say and leave, just like you did–”

Your voice gave away, proving to Peter you were about to crack. That everything you were holding in for so long was about to come out, and my god there was nothing you could do to stop it.

“You left me–” you finally said the words out loud as your voice broke.

“I just wanted you to be safe Y/N–”

You began to walk closer to him–close enough to touch, as you began to say everything you wanted.

“I wanted nothing else but you! I didn’t care about Spider-man, I didn’t care about anything but you! And–And then you told me–You didn’t love me, the night before graduation!? What–What kinda sense does that make Peter?!”

Your tears spurred out of your eyes, as your voice echoed through your his ears.

“I–I wasn’t even able to enjoy graduation night. I–”

You began to shake your head trying your best to continue, “You don’t deserve me, Parker.”

“You’re right.” He said firmly, almost breaking your heart more than it already was.

“Now. Why the fuck, did you call me up here.”

Peter bit his lip, then looked down at the pavement below him.

“I lied to you.”

You backed away from him, blinking–not sure what he meant.

“About w–”

“Back then, I–I lied when I told you I didn’t love you. You needed to move on from me– I needed to protect you from me.”

Peter’s words made you step back more, “You pushed me away Peter. All you did–was hurt me”

He felt the lump in his throat form, as he tried his best to keep himself from falling apart. His main goal, even to this day was to make sure you were never hurt or ever experience pain.

“I just wanted to protect you Y/N”

He spoke so low he wasn't even sure if you heard it.

“Then you should've never let me go Peter.”

There was a silence in the air.

“Peter, once you left me–”

There were a million things going through your mind, and here the only man you ever loved was in front of you, for god knows why. To apologize? To tell you he loved you? To work it out? You didn't know, and honestly, At this point, you didn't care.

“I was no longer yours to protect.”

And with that, you turned your back on him and to the door, not saying another word leaving him there to think.

Alone.

After you slammed the roof door on Peter, he stood there for a second. Letting the words linger in his head.

You were right, and you had every reason in the world to be mad at him–but there was a piece of him that was hoping you would forgive, maybe even start over with him.

What happened to the two of you, he blamed it all on himself. There was so much more going on then just villians–it was himself as well.

When he and the team fought Thanos–he felt a piece of him go missing. He wasn’t the same person after it all, but honestly who would be. The things he saw, the things he had to do and what he tried to overcome, it was just too much for him.

He broke up with you the night before graduation for you and your family’s safety, and in the moment he didn't tell you why. All he said to you was ‘He couldn't do this anymore’ and as you protested, he said ‘I don’t love you anymore’.

That was one of the biggest lies he’s ever told, but he didn’t want you to fight his decision, because he knew you would–and even after he told you a lie. You were too shocked to actually understand what he said.

The day of graduation was torture for him, while you plastered on that beautiful smile–doing your best to hide the pain.

Peter huffed wiping his face with his hands trying to wash the memory from his mind. Feeling the lump crawl its way back into his throat.

You silently opened and closed your front door–you holding in any noise your body was trying to make.

You wanted to wale, kick and scream, but all you did was let the tears fall down your face. You quickly ran into the kitchen opening up a cabinet to grab your safe haven.

Alcohol.

You open up the bottle with shaky hands and took a long swig, gagging a little after the alcohol went completely down. You breathed in deep again–and took another. Letting the tears stream down your face.

You soon found yourself on the kitchen floor with a half empty bottle, cursing Peter’s name under your breath.

You found yourself lost in memories and good times. Everything that seemed real before that night of graduation. All the promises had seemed lost like they never existed–and all the love in your life seemed to have vanished. You missed his skin on yours, and what it all used to be like before you worked at a shitty office, with shitty people–before you decided your best escape was alcohol, or sitting at a bar with men 10x older than you–sleeping with them to erase the pain.

You felt your body shake as your stomach flopped–knowing the alcohol was finding its way back up.You spent the rest of the night at the kitchen sink–getting rid of anything that was once in your system.

____

When you woke up you were tucked in your bed, a trash can at the edge–just in case you got sick. You rubbed your eyes looking at your phone that was plugged into the charger, reading the time ‘2:16pm’. You slowly got out of your bed, groaning as you did so. You slowly found your way to the refrigerator and chugged on a bottle of water. You rubbed the back of your neck–confused on how you got into your bed until you saw the note.

‘Drink lots of water, and eat some bread, or something. I heard screaming so I came in to check if you were okay, and you were so drunk you didn’t even realize it was me. I’m sorry for everything. I’ll check on you later.

Peter’

You re-read the note at least three times, then ran to your room to get your phone. Calling him. It rang–and then quickly stopped.

“You’re awake.”

“Stop trying to take care of me, or protect me, Peter. I am not yours. Stop coming into my life, stop acting like we weren’t once in love and then you broke it off like we-we were nothing. I’m done with this. I'm done with you. Im done needing someone to protect me. I'm done. I do not need your help. Leave me alone.”

There was silence.

“Y/N.”

“Peter! Good–Bye. For good. Forever.”

And with that you hung up, throwing your phone to the floor.

Maybe you were being hard headed, but all you knew was you didn’t care. You were done being the damsel in stress.

You quickly grabbed your laptop, sitting at your desk–typing in ‘boxing classes.’

You no longer had love in your heart.

The love in your heart was gone.

And so was anything good.

so i actually think im gonna make a lil series out of this! hope yall liked!

#Peter Parker imagine #Spiderman Imagine #Tom Holland Imagine #Spiderman Homecoming imagine #Angst Imagine #Peter Parker Angst imagine #Marvel #Marvel Imagine

137 notes · View notes

hayjeon · 7 years

Text

Girls Like You (ft. Jeongguk)

→ badboy!jk, jock!au, prequel (part 2) to You Who [M] (part 1 here) → 8k words, (lots of fluff, slight smut, tiny bit angst)

A/N: Yay! Thank you everyone for enjoying the badboy!jk couple! You Who was my first fic to get to 1k notes, and after uploading the prequel pt. 1, I reached 1k! Thank you everyone again, I’ll be following up with a post soon! :)

In the meantime, go check out my other tae fic, Give and Take, that I uploaded as another surprise :) It’s a similar au that I wrote before this prequel, so I think you guys’ll like it!

You woke up with raging headache and you squinted your eyes at the sun shining through your blinds as you sit up. Grabbing your phone, you see the time 10:42 am along with other texts from Jihyo and Jungyeon. Groaning, you thank the stars that its Saturday morning and you have no other obligations today. You walk over to the kitchen and grab yourself a cup of water and chug it and rub your eyes.

Your roommate walks out and laughs at your state. “Rough night?”

You squint at her. “Oh god, I don’t even remember how I got home.”

Nayeon frowns at you, “You don’t? I was next door, and I heard you talking with Jeongguk. Seems like he put you to bed then.”

You scrunch your eyebrows. You distinctly remember going to get drinks after Jeongguk told you about the divorce, but everything after the moment you left the food truck was blurry. You gag, and clutch your mouth as you run to the restroom and empty your stomach into the toilet bowl. Nayeon just follows you silently and pats your back as you cough. “Damn, haven’t seen you get drunk in a really long time.”

You groan, flushing and grabbing your toothbrush. “Ugh, I remember why I hate drinking, I’m a fucking lightweight and hangovers suck.”

You finish brushing your teeth and grab your phone to send Jeongguk a quick text as you eat your cereal.

[To: JK, 11:01 AM] Hey, thanks for bringing me home last night. Ugh, I have a horrible headache :(

Usually Jeongguk is quick to respond, but even after finishing your cereal and getting out of a long hot shower, your phone is silent. You assume he’s busy with practice and reply to Jihyo and Jungyeon.

[To: group message, 11:32 AM] Hi, im awake

[From: Jihyo, 11:33 AM] good morning sleeping beauty, it’s been a while since u woke up so late

[To: gm, 11:33 AM] Sorry i got shit drunk last night :( and i passed out until now

[From Jungyeon, 11:33 AM] uh WTF with who? tfti

[To: gm, 11:34 AM] jeongguk

[From: Jungyeon, 11:35 AM] ugh I told you to be careful of him! what if he like convinced u into sex or something?!

[To: gm, 11:35 AM] ugh shut up he even put me in bed, relax

[From: Jihyo, 11:37 AM] just be thankful it wasn’t his bed

[To: gm, 11:37 AM] omg its not a big deal stop

[From: Jihyo, 11:37 AM] its so obvi u like him, we’re just trying to protect you.

[From: Jungyeon 11:38 AM] ya...heard from lisa today that the rumor is true. he humped and dumped jennie the other night

[From: Jihyo, 11:38 AM] omg... srsly, why do you even like him?

You set down your phone with a groan, curling up in your sheets, feeling a bit sick again at the reminder of the fact that Jeongguk did not see you as anything other than a friend. Which explains why he was okay with tucking you in with no problem and fucking a gorgeous girl like Jennie. You sighed as you closed your eyes.

Jeongguk growls as he benches another five pounds on his personal best. Gritting his teeth he lifts the bar once, twice, before clanging it back on the original position, his phone lying discarded next to him. What a fucking joke.

It was just his luck that you were too drunk to remember what exactly had happened. Just his luck that he ended up falling for the one girl that was exactly the kind of girl who deserved more than guys like him. You understood him, you were independent, kind, real, smart, sassy, funny, and everything he’d wanted in a girl. But he was the kind of guy who did one-night stands, who ended up unknowingly winning the bet on who got to fuck Jennie first, played football and was forced to attend huge parties where he got piss drunk again and ended up waking up with a ranging headache and an unknown body naked next to him. Rinse, and repeat.

He never intended for it to become like this. What started as just getting accustomed to the team and its dynamics ended up in him developing an ego much too big for him to control, and a sex drive that he indulged too much. And now, it was too late. For once, he’d found something he wanted to prove himself to, pouring into his studies to impress you and convince you that he wouldn’t fuck you over like other athletes, and going lengths to salvage a friendship with you instead of scaring you off with the rumors of him being a fuckboy. The actions he did were genuine, he loved being able to walk you home to spend just a few more minutes with you, and tried his hardest to never miss your food truck nights. Whenever he saw you struggling with the huge textbooks, he found it natural to just sling his football bag over his shoulder and grab it from you, the thankful gleam in your eye when you smiled at him a much more than generous prize for his actions.

You were different. You were honest, yet kind. You were funny, but still he found it so easy to just spill all his thoughts and concerns to you. You were so, so smart and diligent, and he really thought it was your most attractive feature, how driven you were on accomplishing something. And most important to him, was the fact that you knew him. He’d scrolled through your other texts that night, seeing how you defended him against your friends’ quite valid accusations about him. And his heart sank when he realized you harbored feelings for him since a while ago, feeling that he returned but was too much of an asshole to own up to.

Because you truly deserved better.

He was pumping again when Shownu walked up to him, offering to spot him. Jeongguk nodded and continued pumping the bar. The older boy commented, “Hey, so, you know that girl you’ve been hanging out with recently? Y/N?”

Jeongguk pauses, “What about her?”

Shownu grins, “Well Wonho and I have a bet going on to see which one of us can a nerd’s virginity first. And since you know this girl, wanna hook me up?”

It all happens way too fast. Jeongguk slams the bar down in its place and gets up from the bench and lunges at Shownu, landing a hard punch straight on the linebacker’s jaw and kneels on top of him with his hands at the collar of his shirt. “Don’t you fucking dare to try that shit with her! I’ll fucking kill you!” He yells out, shaking the guy.

The other guys training in the gym run over, grabbing the quarterback and yanking him away from Shownu, who’s bleeding from a busted lip. Smirking he taunts Jeongguk. “Why, you like her or something? Ha! Should’ve known your style was a cutesy little quiet nerd like her.”

Jeongguk lunges again, but Jimin is there to pull his arms back. “Yo, bro, quit it. If coach sees, you’ll be off the team.” He mutters, and Jeongguk calms down, breathing heavily. He yanks his arms away from the boys and stomps towards the locker room.

Jimin looks at Shownu who smirks at Jeongguk’s retreating figure. He’s never seen the younger one so angry before. “Not cool man.” He glares at the linebacker before jogging after Jeongguk.

He finds the younger player sitting on the locker benches, his head in his hands.

“Hey, bro, you ok?” He sits besides Jeongguk and waits for him to respond.

“I’m fine.” He grits out and Jimin frowns. “Uh, well, you’re clearly not, so I’m not gonna leave until you tell me what’s been up your ass this whole time.”

When Jeongguk doesn’t respond, Jimin carefully tests the waters. “Is it... is it Y/N?”

Jeongguk stands up, grabbing his towel and heading towards the showers. “I don’t want to talk about it hyung.”

Jimin watches him leave and glances at his phone on the bench. In the lock screen is another unopened message that Jeongguk probably hasn’t seen yet.

[From: Y/N, 12:43 PM] Hey, are you ok? Can we talk?

So he gets an idea and swipes the message open, using the quick reply option to text back a response before tucking it into the pocket of Jeongguk’s duffel bag.

[To: Y/N, 12:44 PM] Yeah, meet me at the game tonight. We can talk after. Wear my jersey.

You’re a bit giddy at the thought of finally going to one of Jeongguk’s games. Apparently, according to Nayeon, getting invited to a football player’s game wa a pretty big deal. In addition, wearing his jersey was also a pretty clear sign of interest. A glimmer of hope was in your chest, because Nayeon also mentioned that no girl had been invited to Jeongguk’s games, and better yet, he’d never invited any girl to wear his jersey before.

Not even Jennie. So you smile as you check your hair, curled to perfection, once last time and smooth the jersey over your jean shorts. You’d paired some regular black converse with the look and a white t-shirt underneath the jersey to make the emerald green and yellow colors pop. Turning around, you smile at the large 58 with “JEON” stitched over it. Someone had dropped off the jersey at your door, and you suspected it was the one who lived three floors up.

You check your phone and text Jihyo and Jungyeon that you’re on your way as you hitch a ride with them to the game. They, despite being quite studious, were still into the football games and went often. So you decide to sit with them. The bleachers are already packed when the three of you arrive, and Jihyo breaks off to go buy your snacks, and you and Jungyeon go to find some good seats. Thankfully, theres a small space for the three of you pretty close to the middle front, and you plop down before someone else can get it.

Jihyo returns and you three chew on your nachos and hot dogs happily as you watch the game. You avoid their prying questions about your jersey and watch as Jeongguk literally owns the team. The stands erupt in cheers as he scores another touchdown, and he doesn’t even give them a glance as he runs back to center. You scream along with them, pumping your fists into the air and yelling his name.

But he doesn’t even look your way, though, you note with a disappointed purse of your lips.

Maybe its because he’s so into the game, you think, and you stand up to go to the restroom when halftime is called.

You’re standing in line for a refill of your drink per sans Jihyo’s request, when someone taps you on your shoulder. You whirl around to see someone in a jersey with a helmet on so you smile widely.

“Jeongguk?”

The figure whips his helmet off and only then, you recover from your excitement and realize that this guy is shorter than Jeongguk and has a different number on his jersey. A handsome guy, with red lips and sweaty black hair smiles down at you. “Hey, Y/N right?”

You nod hesitantly, gripping the cups in your hand. Since when did football boys know your name? “Uh, yeah. And you are?”

He tucks his helmet under his arm. “Wonho. Nice to meet you. What brings you here? Jeongguk?”

You nod, biting your lip as you take his outstretched hand. He holds on a little too long for your liking. “Um, yeah.”

He smirks down at you, licking his lips. Other people in the line are glancing at the receiver chatting up the girl who had Jeongguk’s jersey on. “You guys dating or something?”

You frown, “Uh, no, but it’s none of your business.”

He holds up two defensive hands. “Woah, my bad. It’s just because I wanna get to know you a little better. How about you come to the afterparty?”

“What afterparty?”

He cocks his head as he hears a whistle, signaling for him to make his way back. “Basically, this team here is good, but we beat them every single year. We have parties whenever we win, and Jeongguk will be there too! You should come! Just hitch a ride with anyone and they’ll be going to Seokjin’s house. That’s where the party’ll be!”

When you hesitate, he just throws another smirk at you as he jogs backwards. “See ya there!” He turns and runs towards the pit. And you step up to your spot in line, confused, but a little excited.

As expected, your college’s team wins with an easy victory, and the crowd erupts in cheers. Jimin yells into the mic about the party, and the football team disappears into the pit. You try to follow, to try and get a conversation with Jeongguk and congratulate him, but you’re swept away by the rush of people getting out of the stands and into the carpools to Seokjin’s party. Sighing, you give up and hitch a ride with some girls from your math class to the house.

It’s a huge mansion, the frat house, and is already booming with music and drunken people are dancing lewdly when you enter. It’s your third time at a party like this, and you recall why you haven’t forced yourself to come again to something like after the second. Parties like this weren’t your thing, and you hated how hot and claustrophobic it felt and how loud these things were.

But you tack on a smile as you see the football boys getting out from their trucks in the parking lot a few minutes later, freshly showered and greeting the guests with handshakes and loud cheers. Before you can spot Jeongguk though, Wonho, from earlier jogs up to you with a wide smile.

You can’t help but feel a tiny bit cautious around him, something about him was so off-putting. But he greets you politely, and smiles as he maneuvers you away from the entrance of the house and towards the kitchen. You look back to try and catch a glimpse of Jeongguk, but he’s quite insistent, so you let him guide you away. Leaning against the bar, he asks, “So how are you liking the party.”

You bite your lip as you eye the dance floor and the overflowing drinks. “Um, I just got here so...” He notices your hesitation and smiles, “Well, then you gotta drink!” Ignoring your protests, he walks away from the counter, claiming to grab you a drink. You watch him leave with a pout, wanting to just go find Jeongguk.

You sit down on a stool, observing your surroudings. The large living room has been converted into a dance floor, the DJ on the second floor bouncing along with the crowd to a loud beat that’s ringing in your skull. You can see couples giggling and jogging up the steps to hide away in one of the countless rooms, or making out furiously in the corners. In the dining room, there are boys who are chanting, “Drink drink drink!” at the new frat boy recruits, holding the poor kids above their heads as they stick a tube into his mouth and force him to chug the bag of beer. On the dining table, some people are doing body shots. You cringe as in the den you can see some guys whipping off their shirts and girls giggling as they remove theirs too in a game of strip poker.

Was this the kind of world that Jeongguk enjoyed when he wasn’t hanging out with you? You frown as people elbow you and bump into you as they drunkenly stagger towards the dance floor, regret rising in you as you strain your neck to see where Jeongguk is. But he’s nowhere to be found.

Actually, he’s sitting in the living room, in a corner where a few couches are clustered, sipping on his drink as he boredly ignores the chatter of the annoying girl next to him. He shakes off her arm when she gets too close, and rolls his eyes when she leaves with a huff. Jimin notices and plops down next to him. “Bro, you feeling better after the game?”

Jeongguk finishes off his cup with a glare. “What are you talking about?”

Jimin is drunk, clapping Jeongguk on the shoulder. “Well, you won, and Y/N was there to see it and all!”

Jeongguk whips his head to him. “What did you say?”

Jimin laughs again, too drunk to see his mistake. “I invited her to the game since you were too much of a little dramatic pussy to actually invite her yourself. She wore your jersey and everything!”

Jeongguk stood up, knocking Jimin off his balance. “Where is she?” But Jimin was too drunk to respond, and passed out against the couch.

“What the fuck?!” He grits out, grabbing his hair in frustration. There was a reason why he didn’t invite you to these things. It was because he didn’t want you to see how dirty these things were, and definitely after hearing what Shownu said the other day, didn’t want you fifty fucking feet near another football player.

Yugyeom, one of the nicer boys from the team pipes up from the corner. “I think she’s here, Jeongguk.” He says lowly, and Jeongguk gapes. “How the fuck did she get here?”

Yugyeom shrugs. “Not sure, but I saw her in the kitchen with Wonho hyung.”

“Fuck!” Jeongguk surges up and out of the living room with a start, and storms into the kitchen. He sees Wonho leaning into you with a smirk and offering you a cup and he runs up and knocks the red thing out of your hand before you can lift it up to your lips.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” He seethes at you, and he hates how his gut clenches at your face that splits into a bright smile like a fucking thousand christmas lights. “Jeongguk!” You exclaim, as he surprises you. “Uh, Wonho here invited me.”

He turns to the smirking older male. Stepping up to him, he snarls, “You do anything to her, I’ll fucking kill you.” Wonho eyes the drink on the floor with a smirk and Jeongguk realizes with anger that the bastard had probably spiked the drink in order to win the bet. Glaring up at the male, he grabs his collar and growls, “I swear to god, you and Shownu better call off that fucking bet right now or I’ll make sure you won’t be able to say anything with that dirty little mouth of yours.”

You jump up and grab onto Jeongguk’s arm, trying to pry him off of Wonho. “Jeongguk! Jeongguk, stop, it’s not a big deal! He was just being nice!”

Wonho just sleazily smiles and yanks Jeongguk’s hands off of him. “Hear that? I was just showing her around. No need to get your panties in a twist man.” Patting his collar off, he assures the collecting crowd that everything was okay before winking at you and walking towards the cheerleaders. Jeongguk tenses up and pulls you behind him when he winks, and when Wonho disappears out of sight, turns to you with a glare. He sees you wearing his jersey, and wonders how the fuck that fell into your hands and how fate had messed up and dragged you straight into the trap that he was dreading on you witnessing.

He grabs your wrist, ignoring the way you look up at him in slight fear, and drags you outside, where it’s decently quiet, away from prying eyes.

“Ow, Jeongguk, let go!” You hiss as he finally lets go of your hand. You cradle it to you, the skin there red from his tight grip. He’s angry, and you’re not exactly sure why.

“What’s your problem? You’re the one who invited me here and you’re acting like a little ass right now!” You yell, tears pricking your eyes.

He visibly softens at the sight and steps up to try and comfort you. “Y/N, I’m sorry, that wasn’t me. One of the hyungs sent the text to you as a joke and dropped off my jersey to fool around with me.”

Your heart sank at the words. He was angry because he didn’t want you here, didn’t want people like you mixing in with his friends. He watches as your expression falls and realizes how you misunderstood his words.

“W-wait, Y/N, I didn’t mean it like that, wait,” He reaches out for your hand again, but the angry tears are already falling and you wipe them away with your hand before glaring up at him. You whip off the jersey, leaving you in only your white t-shirt and tearily croak out, “No, Jeongguk, I get what you mean.” and turn away and run down the sidewalk towards the bus stop. He catches the jersey and groans as he turns to run after you, but suddenly the music gets louder and his teammates rush him.

They lift him up on their shoulders and throw him around, “Cheers to the quarterback! Drink! drink, drink!” They shove a shot into his hands and cheer as Jeongguk downs it, but by the time he comes back out and looks for your figure, you’re gone, the bus stop empty.

What he doesn’t know is that while you were waiting at the bus stop, you were waiting for him too. One word, one action, and you were ready to apologize. But then you’re hugging yourself as the weather gets a little too cold, and someone walks up to you.

“Well, isn’t it Y/N? The bitch that’s been dragging our Jeongguk-ie around on a leash.” You look up to see Jennie and her posse of girls glaring at you in their cheerleading outfits.

You stand up, frowning. “Excuse me?”

Jennie rolls her eyes. “Don’t play dumb with me, bitch. You call him your best friend and always try to get him to go on your little food truck dates. The entire school knows by now. What a joke.” Her friends titter as she smirks and continues, crossing her arms.

“Let me warn you. Stay the fuck away from him. You know he’s been missing out on some of the parties because of you? And because of that he’s also been missing out on getting to know the team and the cheer squad. And it’s all because of your stupid little dates and you dragging him to the library. Give him some space, and stop making his life into a little charity event.” With that, she turns on her heel and walks away. The bus pulls up with a screech, and you clamber on, numb and still reeling in shock.

You plop down on the seat, exhausted, and curl up in the corner and try to press yourself into as small of a ball as you can manage. Because the tears were coming, and this time, there was no one to hug you and make them go away.

Jeongguk wakes up again, recognizing the guest bedroom of the frat house, groaning as he rubs his eyes. It was 4 AM, and next to him a girl was passed out. With a glance at her face, he recognizes her as Rose, one of the girls from Jennie’s friend group and groans, realizing that this was going to cause ten times more drama than he wanted. Rolling out of bed, he grabs his clothes, a can of beer, and his phone and runs out, stepping over sleeping bodies and puddles of beer to get out of the house.

Last night was a mess. After you left, he threw himself into the alcohol, unable to man up enough to give you a call or even get in a taxi and try to find his way home, where he knows you’ll be. Because despite wanting to reach out and hug you close and reassure you that he’ll never hurt you again, is the nagging reality that literally, good girls like you deserved so much more than bad boys like him.

So he digs his hands in his pockets against the cold breeze and begins briskly walking towards home. By the time he reaches the area, the sun has begun rising and he swigs back the drink and stumbles up the stairs towards your apartment.

He collapses against it, forehead against the cool metal of your door, and bangs on it, yelling your name.

After his drunken antics, two girls open the door, that he recognizes through his haze as Jihyo, your close friend, and Nayeon, your roommate. They glare at him with squinted eyes, clearly having been woken up by his fuss.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Jihyo hisses. She makes a move to shut the door, but Jeongguk grabs the handle and yanks it back. “Please,” he mutters, “I need to see her.”

Nayeon shakes her head. “She hasn’t been able to sleep all night because of you. Don’t you think it’s right to give her a little space?” When he doesn’t respond, she tries to close the door again but he slumps against the frame, croaking, “Please, please.” When they don’t budge and just glare down at him, he begins yelling drunkenly into the hall behind them. “Y/N?! Y/N! Please, please, let me explain myself!”

Jihyo and Nayeon try to wrestle the door from him, and you emerge, your eyes red and puffy from crying. He stops and freezes when he sees you, and you walk up to him, and your friends disappear into the bedrooms to give you some spac.

“What do you want, Jeongguk?” You whisper, and his heart sinks at the way your voice quivers.

“I’m sorry. I never wanted to let you see me like that there,” he mumbles, still reeling from the drink. “I never invited you cause I didn’t want them to make bets on you,” he slurs, and you frown.

“Jeongguk, what are you even saying?”

He groans, slumping against the doorway. “’m just really scared of loosing you, that’s all...I really, you’re really m’ best friend ‘nd I like--” he slumps completely, and you scramble forward to catch him. Groaning under his weight, you steady yourself and call out to Jungyeon, and together, you both manage to shove him into the elevator and walk him to his apartment before letting him collapse onto the couch. He groans and mumbles your name and turns over, and you straighten up, glaring down at him with nothing to say.

Jungyeon groans, “I swear I’m gonna fucking neuter him if he even comes across my sight again. You don’t deserve to be hurt like this, Y/N.” At the last thought, the water works begin and large tears roll down your cheeks. She coos, “Aww, Y/N,” and holds you to her as you sob again, unsure of how to feel. She guides you out the door and tucks you into your own bed, watching as you cry yourself to sleep for the second time that night. Looking at the time, it was already way too early in the morning to go back to sleep, so she shakes Jihyo up and storms out of the house with a glare of determination.

“Okay, spit it out Park Jimin,” she snaps, crossing her arms at the frightened boy. “Or else I’ll literally grab the scissors over there in the cashier’s cup and jam it down your crotch.” Jimin glances nervously at the said cup and shakingly crosses his legs, cupping his family jewels.

“W-what’s going on?”

Jihyo rolls her eyes. “Oh, you know what’s going on. Why did you prank Y/N like that? We know you sent her the text with Jeongguk’s phone.”

He recalls the incident and winces. “Oh shit, my bad. It wasn’t supposed to happen that way.”

Jihyo glares, leaning forward with a glare. “My bad? My bad is what you say when you come and go to sleep before I even get a chance to take my pants off. My bad is what assholes like you say when you make a tiny mistake, not screw someone’s entire reputation and life over!”

He holds his hands up in defense. “Okay, okay! Jeez, you’ll never let me live down that moment ever, won’t you?” Sighing, he leans forward. “I only sent that text to her because Jeongguk was being a little pussy. He clearly likes Y/N.”

Jungyeon stops, “Huh?”

Jimin nods, “He got really mad when Shownu and Wonho made a bet on who can get into a nerd’s pants first. So when Shownu asked Jeongguk to set him up with Y/N, he flipped.”

Jungyeon curls her lip in a sneer. “You guys are literally, so disgusting.”

Jimin nods sheepishly. “Well, I wasn’t part of it, so...yeah. But anyways, Jeongguk really likes her but he mentioned that he can’t make a move because he doesn’t want her to get a bad reputation from him. Did you guys say something to him that made him think like that?”

Jihyo frowns, “Uh...well like we do tell her that she deserves better than him, like, practically everyday.”

Jimin groans. “Of course you do. And you literally convinced him to back off from Y/N, when all of us know that they really like eachother.”

Jungyeon and Jihyo exchange guilty looks. “Well,” Jungyeon pipes up, “Jeongguk isn’t really doing a great job of convincing us he can treat Y/N better otherwise, so, there’s that!”

Jimin shakes his head. “Trust me, he’s a really good kid. It’s just that when he’s with the team, the older guys sort of pressure him to drink and go get girls and it just sort of happens.” He shrugs, “That’s the entire environment of the team. But trust me, Jeongguk is one of the more conservative ones and has started sleeping around less with anyone since he started hanging out so much with Y/N. The whole Jennie thing was a mistake. He does it often when he gets stressed out or mad.”

Jihyo sighs, “You can’t expect us to think a guy like that is okay for our friend, do you?”

Jimin shakes his head. “You know, I can’t convince you that he’s good enough for Y/N. Cause to be honest, from what I’ve seen, she’s a great girl and practically no one I know is good enough for her.” Your friends nod in agreement. “But what you have to do is trust her, that she likes Jeongguk for a reason and keeps him around for a good reason.”

They exchange looks as they nod slowly, uncrossing their arms.

“Hey, Y/N,” someone calls out, and you break out of your thoughts while sitting alone at the library. It felt too empty and cold there to get any work done anyway. When you catch sight of Jimin coming your way you sigh and turn back to your work.

“Woah, hey, hey. Please just give me a listen. Let me explain myself.”

You turn to him with a tired expression. “Explain what?”

He sits down, facing you with a solemn expression. “I-I just wanted to apologize.”

You lift your eyebrow and he continues. “I didn’t mean to make it seem like a prank. Jeongguk had just been moping around all day and not confronting his feelings for you and so I just wanted to help him out a little. I had no idea he wouldn’t notice you were at the game, and no idea you would come to the party.”

You run a hand through your hair. “I don’t really care about the text thing Jimin. I’m angry because of how Jeongguk acted at the party and how he’s just treating me like I don’t belong.”

He sighs, leaning back in his chair. “Don’t you understand? You don’t belong.” He raises a hand to stop you from cutting in as he continues, “You’re so much better and kinder and smarter than all of us, and people like us don’t deserve to hang out with girls like you. That’s why, Y/N, that’s why he didn’t want you to come to the party, because guys like Wonho were betting on who could get you into bed the fastest.”

“Th-they did what? A bet?!” You stutter, your breath coming out in short gasps.

He nods, “Yeah. They’re the seniors on our team so no one really says anything about it but they’re really douchebags.”

You think to how oddly nice Wonho was to you and scoff. They were really trashy human beings.

He leaves with a final statement. “Trust me, Jeongguk cares for you. But sometimes, people like you deserve better, so people like us try to stay away.”

Jeongguk stares down at the jersey in his hands, it still smelling slightly of your natural scent, and he fists the material as he grits his teeth. He missed you like crazy. Jimin had woken him up this morning and told him what chaos he made at 4 AM in the morning at your house and Jeongguk was so fucking pissed because even if he tried to, he couldn’t stay away from you.

“C’mon team, let’s go!” The coach yells and whistles and Jeongguk shrugs on his original game jersey on with a grimace, pulling on his helmet and mouthguard. He jogs out with his team, the stands erupting in cheers as the team runs out.

The team huddles and the coach reads out instructions for their plan of attack. Jeongguk was on the offense again this time as the quarterback. He zones out a bit as they yell coordinates, and Jimin pats him on the back.

“Hey, Jeongguk, you okay?”

He shakes his head, and Jimin pats his helmet. “Hey, do your best okay? She’s here.” He jogs away as Jeongguk whips off his helmet and mouthguard, and he turns around and scans the bleachers filled with people.

But there are too many people in the stands, and he can’t find you and his coach yells his name before he can jog over to see where you are.

You watch him from the sidelines, a hat stuffed over your eyes as you watch him hesitate as his eyes scan the bleachers. You duck your head even further until he runs off and joins his team and look back at him, the blaring 58 zipping across the field to take center position. Jimin had told you that Jeongguk was avoiding you because he felt like he wasn’t good enough, and if he was telling the truth, you were here to give Jeongguk one last chance.

All you wanted was some honesty. Because he probably had no idea how much you loved him, and how much you were willing to forgive everything he had done as long as he was willing to work with you.

Your mind wanders as the game progresses, drowning out the cheers and screams from the stands. You pick at the holes on your jeans as you watch the game progress, and get up to grab a drink. You step down the metals steps and slowly make your way to the concession stand, making sure to keep your cap low over your eyes.

Suddenly, a hand grabs you and whirls you around. You gasp in surprise as you spin around to see Wonho smirking down at you.

“Going somewhere?” He sleazily grins down at you, scanning your body shamelessly.

You yank your wrist out of his hand and face him with as fierce of a glare as you can muster. “Get the fuck away from me Wonho,” you hiss.

“Ooh, feisty,” he mewls, an arm slipping around your waist.

But you grab it and crack his fingers towards his wrist, and he yelps with a growl, and tries to get out of your grip, when you kick him right in the crotch. Jeongguk had once taught you to aim there in self defense. He groans and falls to his knees, clutching at his balls. “What the actual fuck,” he groans and glares up at you. You glare at him, and grab your drink and walk away with a smirk. “If I ever catch you doing shit like those stupid ass bets again on other women, I’ll quick you so hard you’ll never be able to fuck again.”

You walk out to the bleachers, expecting to see the game proceeding as usual, but no players are out running and are huddled at the corner of the field. You tap a girl who’s whispering with her friends. “Hey, I’m sorry, what happened?”

“Jeon Jeongguk got hurt!” She exclaims, pointing at the huddle. “The other quarterback ran into him really hard and he’s not getting up.

You drop your drink as you sprint towards the middle, but the fence prevents you from from running onto the field. You watch desperately as players and medics scurry around Jeongguk.

“Is it a concussion, coach?” One of the players asks.

The medic shakes his head. “I don’t think so. But I have no idea why he’s suddenly so weak.”

Jimin scrambles down and pats Jeongguk’s cheek. “Hey! Get up! Y/N is here! You can’t give up right now!” Jeongguk opens his eyes and pants heavily. Jimin helps him sit up, “There you go, she’s right there!” He points towards you and you watch as they yell something at Jeongguk before helping him up and point at you. You’re confused because you can’t hear anything, but Jeongguk nods at whatever Jimin yelled and gets up slowly, grabs a drink, and then faces you.

Everything stops, when he finally sets his sight on you, and he can see the worry on your face from halfway across the field. You’re gripping onto the fence and straining to see him. He musters up his courage, ignoring the way he was winded when the other quarterback slammed a bit too hard. But he was okay, and seeing you made everything even better. He smiles, and waves at you, and you burst into tears at the sight, relieved that he’s okay.

With that, he turns and grabs his helmet, his members encouraging him as he joins once again on the field.

He leans down, hands coming down to grip the grass. He remembers how you looked at him, desperate to see if he was okay. Jimin grunts out something, “Go get her, Jeongguk!” And begins yelling out instructions for the team. “Alright, 62, hike!”

“Right right right!” “Lets...go!” “Hold your block, hold it!” “Go!”

The whistle blows and the players rush at each other as the timer begins. Jeongguk grunts as he runs with the ball straight towards the goal post, and players jump and fall behind him, trying to grab his tail. His linebackers slam into the other boys, their shoulders slamming against shoulder pads and grunts echoing across the field.

He yells as he strains his legs to run as fast as he can, the time ticking as the game draws to a close in a few seconds. Grunts and yells echo behind him, but he can’t think of anything else as he runs and runs towards the two yellow bars in front of him. He tumbles as he runs past the white line on the grass, and the bleachers erupt in cheers as he makes it past the yard line the moment the clock buzzes 0.

But he drops the ball and doesn’t stop running, making a U-turn from the end of the field to come running straight to the bleachers. His teammates yell out for him, jogging after him towards the bleachers, but he doesn’t stop, because he has his sights on you.

He whips off his helmet, and finds you behind the fence, which he hops without a blink, and waits until he’s in front of you. You’re looking up at him with trembling lips and teary eyes, and he smiles down at you, you’re seriously the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen.

He runs the last few steps and grabs you by the waist, lifting you clear off the stands and pressing you to his body. You begin crying, blubbering as he spins you and sets you down on the dirt of the field and leans down to hug you, a strong arm wrapped around your waist to keep you from collapsing and another pressed on the middle of your back, pressing your chest to his.

And he sets you down, ignoring the whoops and hollers behind him. He cradles your cheek in his hand, leaning down to smile at you. You blubber, “Are you okay? You’re feeling okay? Jeon Jeongguk, I swear you had me worried sick I thought-”

He smiles and whips off your cap, swoops down, interrupting your crying, and presses his lips hard against yours. You gasp into the kiss as he swipes past your lips, moving his lips against yours with desperation and joy and happiness. He grits against your lips, his smile so wide he can’t kiss you properly. “I like you, Y/N. No, I think I love you. And I’ve been so stupid because I don’t deserve you. But I also don’t ever want to see you walk away from me again. I’m gonna fight for you.”

You smile up at him, tears still streaming down. “A-are you sure?”

He smiles, leaning down to capture your lips in another breathtaking kiss.

“I’m so sure.”

It’s the night of your one-year anniversary with Jeongguk, the first week of senior year, and you’re currently at his house to work on a group project together.

Correction: you’re currently making out with your boyfriend on his couch, the assignment forgotten on the kitchen table.

He groans as you perch on his lap and peck his lips teasingly, his hands coming up to grab your waist as a warning. You giggle and hold his cheeks as you lean down to press your lips hard against his, dipping your tongue against his lower lip and then nipping at it, earning another warning. “Y/N...”

You smile as you wrap your arms around him, and situate yourself a little more comfortably on his lap, while, is currently trying his hardest not to spring up a boner at the feeling of you wiggling your ass into his lap. His hands are on your waist though, and his body betrays him because he subconsciously digs his fingers into the small of your waist and presses you closer against his chest. He practically melts at how soft you are and how warm you feel against him, and tries to hold himself back. Even though it’d been a year since you’d made it official, and a blissful year at that, he’d been careful on how far you two went. He knew you had boundaries that you were careful about, and never wanted you to feel pressured into taking your relationship a bit further.

But with the way you kissed him and pressed your breasts to his chest and wiggled your hips against his crotch, his dick was saying otherwise.

“Fuck, Y/N, if you keep this up, I’m not gonna be able to stop,” he groans as he distracts himself by kissing down your jaw, licking hesitantly at the crook near your ear, making you sigh above him.

You hesitate, thinking about how hard you thought about regarding taking your relationship with Jeongguk further. You were still a little scared, because you’d initially wanted to take it to the next step a while ago, but you also wanted to go slow. And on this night, when the moon was high up in the air and some stupid episode of some TV show was blaring in the background of his house, you were way, way too much in love with this man underneath you to think about anything else. It was the perfect moment.

You lean down, kissing him desperately. He groans again, and you detach from him, smiling down at him and thumbing his swollen lips and giggling at his blushing cheeks and overblown pupils.

“I-I think I’m ready.”

“W-What?” If possible, his eyes get even wider and his cheeks blush scarlet red as he gapes up at you.

“I love you, Jeon Jeongguk.” His hand comes up to swipe your hair away from your face, and he smiles. “I love you too. Are you sure?”

You lean down and wrap your arms around him, smiling as he lifts you up and carries you towards his bedroom.

In this moment, when his arms are around you and you’re in just your pajamas and he in his, everything feels so right.

“I’m so sure.”

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