#this is the whole “diner lecture that stays with her for the rest of her life”

[masschase]

I am once again staring at unfinished sketches *sigh*

#this is the whole “diner lecture that stays with her for the rest of her life” #i have so many too-many-panel things #i make the ideas too big and then can't complete them so i just end up posting nothing #dex jackson #sr boss: casey clark #sketch #wip #saints row 1

[dumdumsun]

Forever and Never

A/N: I did it again, @moatsnow! I’m vvv sorry hun 🥺❤️

Warnings: ⚠️rape⚠️, mentions of alcohol and marijuana

Word Count: 5014

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Four: Good For Me

“So, Richard seemed to have been this… distraction. Because being around Stanley made you feel less than, but Richard admired you. You had no faults when you were with him. So, what made you end it? Did something else happen?”

“Yeah… The next day was his birthday.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He’d been texting me all morning. From the moment I opened my eyes, all throughout breakfast, as I took a shower and got dressed. Wasn’t it his birthday? Didn’t he have preparations to go through for his party that night? Of course, I wished him a happy birthday and assured him that I would attend his party. I figured I might as well buy him a present, since most people would only show up to eat food and get drunk. He probably wouldn’t have been receiving many gifts.

As I descended the stairs, I heard Pam and David rushing around the house. “We’re gonna be late, David!”

“I’m aware!”

“Where are the keys?!”

“In your hand!”

I chuckled and leaned against the railing. “What’s going on?”

David turned towards me and sighed. “It’s Jacob’s presentation today, remember? He’s doing that sort of TED Talk thing at school?”

“Oh, yeah… Well, I’m not gonna be able to go, I’d be late to Ricky’s party by the time we got back.”

“Shit, that’s right… I completely forgot about errands as well. It’s our only free day.” He ran his hands through his hair. I perked up and walked the rest of the way down.

“I can do it. I’ll already be out, buying a present for Ricky.”

“Are you sure, sweetheart?” Pam joined the conversation as she and David approached the front door. I nodded with a smile.

“Yeah, it’ll… give me something to do today.”

Pam gave me that same bittersweet smile she usually did before enveloping me in a hug. “You’re so perfect, (Y/N)...”

“Uh… thanks.” My brows furrowed as she pulled away. I looked to my uncle for any clue as to why she suddenly became so sentimental, but he avoided my gaze, muttering something about wanting me to be safe before walking out of the house. “Are you guys okay?”

“Yeah, baby, we’re fine. You be safe today. Don’t get so drunk that you can’t walk straight. And stay the night at Dina’s, if you can!” She called out as she left out the door. I only nodded my head in response, slowly closing the door after her. My phone vibrated in my pocket, so I fished it out to see yet another text.

Ricky: Do you wanna come over and spend the day with me?

I cringed and rolled my eyes. Wasn’t me coming to his party enough? Shaking my head, I replied to him.

Me: I’m actually booked until the party. Lots of errands to run for my aunt and uncle

To be truthfully honest, I just needed to go grocery shopping and stop by the bookstore to pick up Pam’s order. It would only have taken me about an hour at most to complete my tasks. Did Ricky need to know this? Not at all. Tucking my phone back into my pocket, I snatched the grocery list from the fridge and began my quest for the day.

It hadn’t actually registered in my mind that I would need a car for the day. Our list was pretty long, which left me with armfulls of paper grocery bags, my aunt’s book tucked into my jacket pocket located on the inside. I could hardly see over the tops of the bags, but navigated myself all the way towards the diner before I heard a car pull up beside me. I turned my head to see Stan, giving me a goofy grin, eyes shielded by his sunglasses. He reached over to open the passenger door from the inside. “Hey, there, lovely.”

“Good morning there, beautiful.” I chuckled, opening his back door to store my bags in his seats before climbing into the passenger seat beside him. “Thanks so much.”

“It’s my pleasure,” He tilted his head as if he just winked, but it wasn’t like I could’ve seen it. “So, you’re shopping for Aunt Pam?”

“Uh, yeah. Jake had a presentation at his school today and I… had things to do already. So, why not? Might as well do something for them,” I explained as he began driving again. Down the road, I spotted two familiar figures exiting the diner. “Oh, is that Sydney? And her brother?”

“Indeed, it is.” Stan grinned as he turned the corner. His car pulled over towards them, Sydney’s brother excitedly pointing us out. She turned to the car with pursed lips. I turned down the music as Stan reached over to roll down the window, the glass creaking at its usual agonizingly slow pace. I visibly cringed as Sydney gave a painful smile. Once it was down just enough, Stan nodded towards her. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Her smile turned a bit more genuine. Her brother, who introduced himself as Liam, greeted both Stan and I before we all shifted into an awkward silence. Thankfully, Stan broke it after a couple of beats.

“So, it’s good to see you again.”

“Yeah,” Sydney giggled, and I detected a hint of anxiety. “Yeah, you, too.”

“So, do you wanna,” Stan pushed his sunglasses to sit in his curls. “Do you wanna, like, do somethin’ later tonight or somethin’?”

Sydney opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again, all while Stan held his glowing smile. What the hell was going on? “You know, I would, but Dina and I are going to Ricky Berry’s party.”

“No shit? I’ll be there, too.” Stan excitedly sat up.

“Oh, you will?”

“Yeah.”

“Ah. Okay, right,” She chuckled. Anyone around could tell that Sydney was clearly uncomfortable, except for Stan. He was on top of the world, it seemed. “So, I guess I’ll see you there. And we gotta go. Right now.” She quickly ushered her brother down the road. I leaned towards my window and giggled into my hand. Stan slowly slipped his sunglasses back on, muttering a ‘cool’, which only caused me to laugh harder.

“Okay, what the hell is going on between you two?”

Stan gave me a look, or what I assumed was a look, as he continued towards our houses. “What? What are you talking about?”

“What’s going on with you and Syd? And don’t say nothing. You’re literally glowing right now.”

“Okay, okay,” He cleared his throat. “So, last night… we, um… Well, we may or may not have had sex.”

I hoped he hadn’t noticed me hesitate. My brain short circuited and my throat constricted. “O-Oh, really? Like, last night-last night?”

“Yeah, last night-last night.”

“Gross.” I lightly joked and Stan rolled his head towards me with a sly smirk. Chuckling, he looked back towards the road.

“Anyway, I assume you’re going to the party, too? Since you’re Ricky’s little homecoming date now.”

My eyes widened. “You saw it, too?!”

“Everyone saw it, Nugget. ‘The Power Couple’ or whatever they said.” He shook his head.

“Ugh, we are not a couple and I do not want to go to homecoming with him!”

“Then why’d you say yes?!”

“Because everyone was there! They planned the whole thing and my brain just thought to say yes!” I buried my head in my hands. I heard Stan coo from beside me with a small tut.

“My poor little Nugget. I should’ve asked you out before Ricky could.”

I peeked up at him with a warm smile. “Nah, it’s okay. It’s just homecoming, I’m not marrying him. Besides you should ask out Sydney, anyway.”

“Oh, that is the plan.” He grinned.

When we arrived at my house, I got out to carry in the bags, but I heard Stan turn off the car and exit as well. He joined me in retrieving the bags from the seats and waited patiently for me to unlock the front door. Once we were inside, we headed straight for the kitchen and set the bags on the table.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve been inside here,” He commented, looking around the house with a soft smile. I hummed in agreement before our gazes met. “Does your bedroom still look the same?”

The feeling that swept through my soul as I watched Stan excitedly explore my bedroom was a feeling I’d never felt before, but never wanted to leave. He marveled at all of the little trinkets displayed on my shelves, my organized bookshelf, the board above my desk filled with every pin I’ve ever collected. But what had him giddy and pumping his fist in the air was the Bloodwitch poster on my door. “Ah, I knew it! You knew all of the words to Hey Little Girl! You used to hate that song!”

“I don’t have to like the song to know all the words, all you play is Bloodwitch!” I laughed. He pointed towards me as if to say ‘don’t deny it’. I deflated. “Okay, yeah, I finally got into Bloodwitch. I guess it was… just something to remind me of you.”

I nervously stuffed my hands into the pockets of my jeans as Stan slowly lowered his arm, his expression softening. His stance stuttered, like he had stopped himself from doing or saying something instinctive, before scoffing.

“Yeah, well, the school’s horrible plays are what reminded me of you.” He rolled his eyes, receiving a light slap to the arm from me. Once Stan left for his own home, I returned to the kitchen to put the food away in their respective places. I made sure to put David’s cookies in his ‘secret’ compartment within the pantry. I knew he’d appreciate it since Jacob always found them if they weren’t stored correctly. I quietly giggled to myself, thinking back to a time when Jacob swore up and down that he hadn’t eaten the cookies. In fact, I remember correctly that we both had eaten them and he was just trying to cover for the both of us. We were caught the next day and forced to sit through a fifteen minute lecture on respecting our elders and the importance of privacy.

I nearly forgot about Pam’s book, but I remembered as I passed her bedroom door. Slipping it out of my pocket, I entered her room. There were shoes scattered across the floor and the bed was unmade, no doubt from her rushing around earlier. Knowing that she’d check her dresser, I set her book just there. However, I noticed a small, rectangular beige box already sitting there. I would have left it alone until I saw my name written on it. My hand reached out to pick up the box, but I stopped. It’s probably a present, I thought. I shouldn’t open it until it’s given to me. So, with a small hum of uncertainty, I left the bedroom.

Contrary to popular belief, I actually have a pretty simplistic fashion sense. It was nowhere near as bold as Stan’s, and I suppose that’s why we were seen as an odd pair, but I had just a bit more flare than my fellow peers. Everyone was just a copy-and-paste version of each other. They wore the same skinny jeans, the same fitted shirts, the same sneakers. While I never wore bright yellows and greens, I still hadn’t conformed to the everyday go-to fashion line that was their “hot” or “cute”. Besides, Brownsville was so boring, everything and everyone there was so one-dimensional. It only made sense that their choice in clothing was the same. What I’m trying to say is that people thought I had a bold fashion sense because I simply dressed differently, but it was simply how we dressed in my hometown in Kansas. I think Stan would have fit in at home.

I was a back-and-forth routine from my dresser to my bed, texting Dina as I readied myself for Ricky’s party that night. Apparently, she had Sydney over at her house, the two getting ready together. I didn’t have a problem with it, as long as Dina was still picking me up. She informed me that she had just gotten Syd into a cute top that would show more skin than she usually did. Despite not really being her friend, knowing that Sydney was leaving her comfort zone, as small of a step as it was, had me smiling at my phone, However, that smile dropped at the next text Dina sent.

Dina: Omg you HAVE to look cute for Ricky tonight

I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt.

Me: I don’t get dressed up for boys anymore. I do it for myself

And it was true. When Ricky and I dated, I felt as though I had to look the part of the trophy he presented to everyone. I wore clothes I normally didn’t, I wore more makeup, smiled more. Even if they were faked. I didn’t like it. I didn’t like pretending, but Ricky didn’t seem to mind. He’d simply point out that he “liked the new look”. Well, I’ve changed. My half year solitude in Kansas taught me self-awareness, and I became aware that I am fucking hot. So, I did look cute that night, but not for Ricky. I did it for my own pleasure. And I hoped they all liked the new look.

Of course, my go-to bottoms were black high-waisted jeans that stopped just above my navel, paired with a red long-sleeved crop top. To match, I added in little black and red clips in my hair and dusted black eyeshadow on my lids. Afterwards, I stepped in front of my mirror to admire my work. I remember my mom telling me when I was young that looking in the mirror will tell you everything you hope to see in yourself, and I agree with that to some extent. But looking at myself in that moment told me that, despite how shitty I felt on a daily basis, I was more than deserving of reveling in my new adaptation. I wasn’t at my happiest, and lord knows I’m still screwed up, but at least I knew who I was. I wasn’t some angry, emotional ball of anxiety, deprived of parental love. Yes, I was turned away from my father more than ever at that point, but I had realized where all the love for me resided. I was someone’s daughter, someone’s sister, someone’s best friend.

Someone’s girlfriend.

Or whatever the hell we were supposed to be.

Hearing my phone ping, I picked it up and read the text from Dina.

Dina: We’re here

Tucking my phone into my pocket, I slipped on some white sneakers and grabbed Ricky’s present off my vanity before dashing downstairs. I opened the door to find Dina and Sydney standing together on my doorstep. Upon seeing me, their jaws dropped. “Whoa, you look… hot.” Syd raised her brows, and I couldn’t help but smile at her approval. Dina chuckled and nodded.

“Yeah, (Y/N), you always seem to surprise us…”

“I try my best.” I stepped out of the house and locked the front door before facing the two. “Let’s party, shall we?”

-------------------------------------------------

Music thumped from the inside of the house as we approached the driveway, some party goers trickling inside. Sydney, Dina and I all stopped in the middle of the driveway, staring up at Ricky’s house. The two seemed excitedly anxious, but I felt as if I was going to hurl my guts up. The last time I had been in that house wasn’t the most pleasurable experience.

He can’t and won’t do that to you again, (Y/N).

What I would give to go back in time to warn her.

“Shit…” Sydney breathed.

“Okay, I’m scared, but fun scared,” Dina nodded, glancing between me and Syd. “Like we’re about to skydive for the first time or something.”

“Well, I’m not fun scared.” Syd turned her gaze back to the house.

“Me neither…” My voice was just above a whisper.

“Feels like we’re about to be eaten by wolves, like… really drunk, judgemental wolves.”

A moment of silence for all confidence lost.

“We’re gonna be fine,” Dina decided. “I just wish I could inject vodka directly into my veins first.”

“I do have this.” Syd smiled and pulled out a flask. Dina and I grinned before the former took it from her best friend. She took a hearty gulp from the flask before handing it over to me. Not wanting to get too drunk just yet, I took a few sips and handed the flask back to its owner. Once we were fueled up, we headed inside. I’d spent so many hours in Ricky’s house, but so few of those hours were spent partying. The most people I’d seen in his home were about six, including me. That was when he brought me over for dinner the first time and both his older brothers attended. What a waste that dinner was. I led the two up the stairs, kindly waving at my peers who called out to me. Most of them complimented my outfit, to which I quietly thanked. As we entered the main room, the volume of the music and the voices increased so that I was swimming in my surroundings.

“Dina!” I heard Ricky call out. The three of us turned to the birthday boy as he approached us. “Welcome to the madness!”

“Hey.” Dina smiled. His eyes then slid over to me, his own smile brightening.

“And Zip… God, you look great. Really great.”

“Thanks, Ricky. Happy birthday.” I nodded before letting him pull me into his side. I placed a hand on his chest to steady myself as his head turned to Sydney, as if she’d just walked in and didn’t appear with us.

“Hey. Hey. Oh, gosh, don’t tell me. I know it. I know this one.” He acted as if he were trying so hard to remember his own classmate’s name. I rolled my eyes and removed my hand from his chest. Sydney slowly nodded her head, giving him just a bit more time to “think” before answering.

“Sydney.”

“Right! I thought it started with an S, yeah. Well, you guys go enjoy, alright? Zip, why don’t you come and party with me?”

“Oh, well, um…,” My gaze shifted from Ricky’s smile to Dina’s slight frown. Sighing, I gestured for the two to go. “I’ll find you guys later. Have fun.”

“You, too.” They replied simultaneously before Ricky pulled me away to a group of friends. As we walked, I handed the little box over to him.

“Got you something.”

“Awe, babe, you shouldn’t have.” He lightly laughed and took the box into his hands. His eyes widened when he opened it to reveal a gold watch he’d been talking about for awhile. He claimed his father wouldn’t let him buy it because Ricky needed to stop spending so much money on himself. It wasn’t very expensive, so I thought it’d be as good a present as any. With child-like giddiness, he slapped the watch onto his wrist before kissing my cheek. “(Y/N), you are the most thoughtful girl in this world.”

Why did my heart skip a beat? “It was nothing, Ricky… You always go all-out for me, so…” There was no part of me that actually liked Ricky. Remember that. I think the liquor from earlier had just gotten to me. With a soft sigh, he hugged me from behind and walked me to a nearby table where boxes of pizza were displayed.

“You hungry?”

“I am, actually…”

My time spent at Ricky’s party felt as if I were on a mission. Mission Ignore Ricky. He was attached to me the whole time, arm around the bare of my waist, around my shoulders. It was like he needed to be certain that I was still there. That he could still look at me. Everytime I tried to go and find Syd and Dina, he pulled me right back into his side. My only solution was to drink heavily. Whenever someone offered to refill my cup, I accepted. If someone handed over a can of beer, I took it. A shot? Hell yes, count me in! Anything to drown out the sound of his voice in my ears. I’m not a lightweight, so it takes awhile for my haze to kick in. When it did, I was a smiling mess, nodding along to everything everyone said. In my underwater state, I could faintly make out Ricky referring to me as his girlfriend in conversations with his friends. With a grunt, I lazily slapped his shoulder, eliciting laughter amongst them. Within ten minutes, a Rick Springfield song that everyone collectively liked started up in the speakers. We all cheered and began dancing. I happily laughed as Ricky rested his hands on my hips, the two of us grooving to the music. He shook his head as he marveled at my drunken state.

“I’ve missed this…”

“Getting drunk?”

“No. Your smile. Your laugh,” He leaned forward. “I’ve missed you.”

“That’s so… poetic.” I whispered, causing a quiet laugh to escape his throat. My eyes slid to the right to find Stan. My breathing quickened at the sight of him in a baby blue suit, sitting alone on a couch with Dina and Syd dancing together in front of him. How I wished to be over there… Especially when he looked up and locked eyes with mine. All of the air in my lungs was kicked out at the relieved smile he gave me, and I breathed out in the same emotion. He’s here…

Ricky suddenly looked up over my head, an even wider smile stretching across his face. “Bra-a-ad! You made it!” He exclaimed and walked the both of us over to his best friend. The two high-fived as I blinked rapidly, as if I’d sober up from it.

“Dude, I had to come,” Brad smiled before his attention moved to me. “Zip, hey!”

“Hey.”

“Did you come here with Dina?”

“Yeah, yeah, she’s… um, dancing or something.” I giggled. Brad nodded with a raised brow.

“Someone’s been havin’ fun, huh?” He chuckled before I felt Ricky turn away.

“Hey, everyone! Bradley Lewis in the house!” He announced, cheers erupting from the party participants. They all cheered for a speech, which I found unnecessary, but leaned my head on Ricky’s shoulder as I listened to Brad quiet everyone.

“Eighteen years and nine months ago today, George Reginald Berry and his sweet wife Carol-”

“That’s not their names.” Ricky shook his head in amusement, everyone quietly laughing with him.

“They were drinkin’ a little bit of pinot grig’, and they were blastin’ some Neil Diamond. And then nine months later, Richard “Dickwad” Berry was born. And thank god for that because the Berrys’ birthday parties are the fucking best! To Ricky, everybody!”

With the cheers that followed, I found it to be my perfect time for escape. I slipped away from Ricky and squeezed through countless bodies to reach the back door. Stumbling outside, I caught myself on the railing towards the stairs that led off the deck. With difficulty, my wobbly legs took me down to the side of the house, where my hero was leaning against, readying a joint. There was no doubt my ceaseless giggling was what attracted his attention. He chuckled and watched as I stumbled towards him, falling into his side. Stan wrapped an arm around me as I laughed.

“Hey, there, lovely.”

“Hi, beautiful.” I grinned up at him, eyes half lidded. His brows drew down for a moment before he remembered his occupied hand. Removing his arm from around me, he took out his lighter, setting a flame to the end of his joint. I watched in fascination as he inhaled the smoke with closed eyes. His curls sat on his forehead, his lips pursed around the joint, his other arm made its way around my shoulders again. I rested my chin on his shoulder before he passed the smoke to me. I happily took a hit and let the peaceful silence fall between us for the five seconds that it lasted.

“So, you and Ricky… How’s that going?”

“How’s what going?” I mumbled.

“You know, you guys dating. It’s what he’s telling everyone.”

“Oh, my god, I knew he was telling everyone!” I groaned and ran a hand over my face. “I’m so sick of that. He can’t just... f-fucking, um… fucking lie to everyone like that! We are not dating, we’ve never even talked about it! What the hell, dude… I don’t even get why he’s so in love with me, Stan…”

He didn’t reply at first, but when I looked up, I realized it was because he was smoking. When he pulled the joint from his lips, he stared forward. “I mean, he’s got someone amazing, if you guys were actually dating. Believe it or not, (Y/N), you’re the coolest person I’ve ever met. And you’re fun and humorous and so driven. You’ve got these huge dreams and you’ll follow every single one of them… I’d be pretty proud if you were my girlfriend,” The second he looked down at me, I giggled loudly. He blushed and moved his eyes to the side. “I-I’m- I’m serious!”

Elevating myself with my toes, I closed the gap between us in a sloppy kiss. I could taste the alcohol on his lips and I was sure he could taste the same on mine. My hands reached up and placed themselves on his cheeks. I felt him lean more into the kiss for a second before he quickly ripped himself away, as if he were just burned. He blinked over and over as I tried to settle my blurry vision on him. Shaking his head, he sighed.

“(Y/N), you’re drunk.”

“I’m drunk.”

“Yeah, we can’t do this.” He seemed to be telling himself more than to me. I pouted and loosely wrapped my arms around him.

“I love you, Stan…”

“I love you, too, but I think you should get inside and find Dina.” He ushered me to the stairs and watched as I carefully planted my foot on the first step.

“Okay… I’m sorry, Stan.”

“You’re fine, I promise.”

“Okay. I’m gonna go inside, okay? You’re gonna be okay out here by yourself, okay? Okay?” I widened my eyes when he didn’t immediately answer. He let out a short laugh and turned me around again.

“Alright, go inside and find Dina.”

“‘Kay. I love you, Stan.”

“I love you, too. I’m gonna stand here and watch you go.”

“Have fun.” I sang and ungracefully made my way up the stairs and back inside the house.

Apologizing to the many people I bumped into, I found myself in the hallway, in between the bedrooms. My head felt like it weighed tons, my eyes wanted to close so badly. I felt a hand on my shoulder and leaned into the body behind me.

“There you are. I’ve been looking for you.”

My head whirled around to find Ricky behind me. I felt myself deflate in disappointment. “Hey, Ricky…”

“Where’ve you been, babe?”

“Oh, I was talking to my friend outside.” I grinned at the thought of Stan. Ricky raised a brow in amusement and I quickly covered my mouth as to not let the moment between Stan and I slip out. His dark brown orbs flickered between me and the door behind me before he gently took hold of my arm.

“Let’s go somewhere private, okay?”

“Okay.” I whispered, allowing him to guide me wherever. Before I knew it, we were in a room. I heard the click of a lock from behind before Ricky was suddenly in front of me. My head swam as I surveyed my surroundings, quickly realizing we were in his bedroom. “Oh, what are we doing?”

“Shh, shh, don’t worry about it.” He whispered. I hummed a little tune as I felt his hands move to my exposed skin, tracing little shapes. He littered my jaw in small kisses as he discarded my top. I shivered and wrapped my arms around my torso for warmth.

“Ricky, what are we doing?” I repeated as he popped the button of my jeans loose. Gasping, I moved his hands away. “No, no… I don’t want to…” I weakly protested.

“No, it’s okay, babe, it’s okay.” He shushed me. I felt myself fall back into his cool bed sheets. I blinked slowly. Once, his ceiling. Twice, his ceiling. Thrice, him. He was on top of me, my pants were gone, and his hands were travelling places I never wanted them to be. I let out a whine of protest, but he clearly took it as pleasure.

“Ricky…” I sighed out as his finger hooked under my bra strap. “Don’t… Stop…” I squirmed under him, both my stupor and high clouding my consciousness.

I don’t remember it. I don’t remember how it felt. I just didn’t like it. I didn’t like Ricky.

Sunlight pierced my eyelids as I felt warm lips on my forehead. I opened my eyes to find Ricky, fully dressed in different clothing than I last saw him in. He was holding out a glass of water and a couple pills. “For your head.”

“My head?” I whined, but hissed right when a splitting headache spread across my skull. I sat up, holding my head. My body was suddenly freezing cold and when I went to wrap my arms around myself, I saw that I was bare. Gasping, I clutched Ricky’s covers over me. “Oh, my god…”

“Yeah,” Ricky chuckled and set the medicine down. “We were so drunk last night… Anyway, I wanna take you out for brunch, so you should start getting ready. You can wear my clothes, babe.” He spoke as he headed out of the room, closing the door behind him. My eyes travelled to my undergarments on the floor not too far from the bed.

Fuck.

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Taglist: @melinda-hargreeves @sapphicsyn @stqnley @lonely-kermit @juliet-does-not-give-a-fuck @moatsnow

#i am not okay with this #ianowt #ianowt x reader #stanley barber #stanley barber x reader #wyatt oleff #wyatt oleff x reader #i am not okay with this x reader #ianowt fanfic #ianowt stanley barber #forever and never

[butgilinsky]

blueberry pancakes // rc

part four | series masterlist 

warning; language, angst, fluff

summary; y/n goes to the wreck to meet sarah and kie, before her day takes a drastic turn with one simple question

word count; 3.1k

after continuous days of kie and sarah begging her, y/n finally agreed to meet them at the wreck. she had been slightly avoiding the boys for the past few days, knowing that her attendance at a kook party was now public knowledge to them and they surely disapproved. 

she didn’t want to go through the lecture every time she hung out with the pogues. they were her best friends, but they weren’t hearing her out. she’d been left in the dark for the past few months anyways. with kie and jj, and john b and sarah, while pope focused heavily on his scholarship stuff and still got time with john b and jj alone at times. 

but she went to the wreck anyways, walking into the restaurant with a light smile on her face despite the hesitation coursing through her. she saw sarah and kie sitting in the far corner of the restaurant, and laughed when kie started waving her arms in the air. 

she walked over to them and gave both of them hugs before siding in beside kie and across from sarah. they caught up quickly, listening to sarah talk about the progression in her relationship along with how things at home were slightly rocky. y/n talked about babysitting and how both of the girls were doing, while kie rattled off different songs she’d been playing around with lately. 

y/n almost thought she’d make it out alive until the boys sauntered into the wreck, bright smiles on their faces. y/n rolled her eyes at kie’s insistent promises that she didn’t invite them, but told her it was fine. she couldn’t hide forever, despite the fact that she was still mad about sarah’s spying just a week prior. 

the boys slid in beside them, and y/n found herself focusing on the setting sun in order to relieve herself of some of the anxiety pumping through her. 

she hummed when her name was called, looking across the table towards jj who had a smirk plastered on his face. 

“how’s kook life?” y/n rolled her eyes at the question, trying to fight off the familiar feeling in her chest. 

“i don’t know, jj, ask a kook.” he scoffed in return, leaning back in his seat as he rolled his eyes. 

“i thought i did.” y/n let out a slightly bitter laugh before john b tried to cut the conversation short. 

“knock it off, jj.” the blond boy rolled his eyes again, letting out a heavy sigh at his friend’s attitude. 

“what, jb? we’ve all noticed her shift in behavior. she’s gone full kook now, and can’t even spend time with us anymore. she goes to kook parties, and hangs out with the three stooges every chance she gets! she might as well wear vineyard vines and start drinking mimosas at brunch.” y/n was staring at the table, trying to fight off the mix of emotions she was feeling. 

“y/n, why are you hanging out with them so much?” her eyes snapped up to meet sarah’s, narrowing ever so slightly before she started talking. 

“i don’t spend time with you guys as much because this is always what it turns into. you can’t handle the idea that any of us have friends outside of this group. i love you guys but whether you notice it or not, things aren’t the same as they used to be.” they all stared at her with confused expressions, but she just laughed. 

“see, you don’t even notice because you’re all in your own little bubble, but i’m always the one on the outskirts of it all. i’m the one that doesn’t quite fit into the mix anymore and-”

“so you go full kook on us?” jj spat bitterly, eyes narrowed as he tried to put the pieces together. there was no question that jj had the biggest vendetta against the kooks. his hatred ran the furthest, and y/n was one of his best friends, so it was inevitable that he’s be mad about it all. 

it didn’t feel worth it to y/n to tell jj why she started hanging out with rafe. it was the truth, that she’d felt disconnected from her friends for a while at this point, but it didn’t feel worth it to offer up the rest of her explanation. 

jj didn’t need to know that y/n had feelings for him. feelings that were now less than a thought in her mind, due to a certain kook. she didn’t need to tell the blond boy with a underlying kleptomaniac tendencies that he’d completely stole her heart, only to throw it in the ocean and give his own away to someone else. 

she didn’t want to tell jj about her feelings, even if she had forgotten about them lately, because she knew it wouldn’t end in a happy understanding amongst the friends sat around the table. she’d only have to explain herself five times over, and she didn’t want to do that right now, while a bright red flame burned inside of her. 

“hanging out with kooks doesn’t mean i went full kook, jj. i hang out with them because they make me feel like i’m important, not just another body on a boat or another person to share beer with.” jj was the only one still mad at this point, the other four trying to recount how different she had been, and for a while. 

“y/n, i’m sorry, we didn’t-”

“you didn’t notice? i know. you guys only ever notice each other.” she muttered softly before standing up, her chair scraping across the floor of the restaurant. “i knew i shouldn’t have come here. not a day goes by where one of you doesn’t make me feel like shit for enjoying myself.”

“y/n, please-”

“forget it, okay? if me hanging out with other people pisses you off so bad then stop calling me. i’ve hung out with all of you for years, and i’ve felt more myself in the past week than i have in months.” she grabbed her phone and keys off of the table, trying to round the table but kie grabbed her wrist. 

“y/n.” the girl looked down at her, eyes full of tears as she waited for kie to say something else, but it never came. 

so she ripped her wrist out of kie’s hand and took a few steps towards the door before spinning around one more time, chewing on her bottom lip as she looked at her friends that stared at her with solemn expressions. 

“and the next time i tell you where i’m going, don’t send someone to spy on me. it’s not hard for me to guess why sarah’s conveniently at a kook party the same night as me.” she turned once more and walked out of the restaurant, shoving the door harshly on her way out. the table stayed silent for a minute, before jj scoffed again. 

“what’s her problem?” john b sent him a harsh glare, fighting back the urge to punch the table or his best friend. 

“you! you’re her problem, jj! she only started hanging out with rafe because she fell for your sorry ass and you were too dumb to notice.” jj’s eyes blew wide at the confession, his heart dropping into his stomach at the information. 

“she what?” everyone at the table was staring at john b now, confused about how he knew something that none of them knew about. 

“yeah, idiot. she had feelings for you but all you ever did was talk about kiara all the fucking time, so she got sick of it. she reached her breaking point and i guess rafe gave her the opportunity to forget about it. so that’s why she hangs out with kooks, jj. she was trying to forget about you and started enjoying herself instead. so let her have fun for once.” 

the table fell silent again, kie drinking in the information as much as jj was. pope had been silent the whole time, not knowing which side he was on in this situation. he hated the kooks almost as much as jj, but he did notice y/n had been off for a while now, and if she found a way to be happy, why should they stop her?

“sarah, the other night...” kie tried to ask about y/n’s night at kelce’s house, but she was still shock ridden by john b’s confession.

“she looked the happiest i’ve probably ever seen her. rafe too, if i’m honest. rafe hasn’t smiled like that in years.” the table had mixed reactions to this, john b smiling softly since he knew y/n had been happy, but he couldn’t help the distaste he had for rafe. 

y/n had been driving for some time now, driving long enough for the sun to fall and the moon to shine. she wasn’t sure where to go until the sun set and it seemed so obvious to her. 

so she found herself at the diner, phone forgot in the car and hands gripping a cup of hot coffee. her hair was up, though multiple strands had fallen in the time she’d been there. she had been consumed in her thoughts for hours at this point, eyes bloodshot from tears and throat hoarse from yelling and sobbing. 

she had let everything sink in in the time she’d spent alone. she realized how long it had actually been since she’d been happy around all of the pogues. it’d seemed like forever since jj had been pining after kie, and sarah had joined the group, making john b’s head consistently reside up in the clouds. 

she couldn’t remember how long it’d been since she had to find comfort in pope, despite the two of them never being the closest. she loved pope, but she had been so used to having jj or john b to lean on, that both of them being swooped up into relationships left her at a loss. 

she didn’t know who she had anymore, and that was the hardest pill to swallow. she knew things would change when high school ended, most of them moving away to different colleges, but she didn’t expect it to happen while they were still in high school. 

she had been so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t notice the truck pull up to the diner, nor the boy jumping out and walking towards the door. he would’ve sighed out in relief, but he wasn’t surprised to find her here. in fact, it was the first place he looked after he got the phone call. 

he slid into the seat across from her before she even noticed he was here. her head snapped up, the momentary fear leaving at the sight of him. though, he had a different reaction when she looked at him. 

his face fell, his heart slightly cracking. he could tell she had been crying, anybody with a set of eyes would’ve been able to tell. her lips were slightly chapped, and her fingers were slightly shaking, undoubtedly cold from the chill in the diner. 

her eyes were so red he had half a thought that she was high. they were glassy, yet dull and emotionless. his shoulders slumped at the sight, and he reached for her hand but flinched when he felt how cold they were. 

“jesus, y/n.” he mumbled softly before sliding out of the booth. “stay here.” he walked out of the diner, her eyes following him as he ran back to the truck, reaching into the backseat and pulling out a hoodie he had thrown back there months ago. 

he jogged back inside and slid back into his seat before holding the jacket out to her, silently telling her to take it. she did, and slid it on shortly after. it was a comfortable size, warmth engulfing her on impact. 

“thanks.” she said softly and rafe sent her a small smile. “how’d you even know i was here?” 

“sarah called me, asked if i’d seen you because you weren’t answering your phone and i guess they stopped by your house. i tried to call, just to see if you were ignoring them or everyone, and then i came here.” he shrugged, not thinking it was that big of a deal. 

but to her it was. the fact that he cared enough to look, on top of the fact that he knew exactly where she’d be, warmed her heart. it skipped a beat as she watched him smile at her, finding her intoxicating even in a time like this. 

“what happened?” she shrugged softly, eyes falling back to her coffee as she pulled the sleeves of the hoodie over her hands. 

“just the usual kook lecture. ‘why them’, ‘how’s kook life’, ‘you don’t hang out with us anymore’. you know, the usual stuff.” she shrugged again, but rafe was able to pick up on how much she actually did care and how much it bothered her that her friends were acting like this. 

she hated fighting with the pogues. it didn’t happen that often, but they couldn’t stop themselves when they felt like they were losing their best friend to the people they hated most. 

but they didn’t realize that she had felt that way for months at this point. she felt like they were all falling into new routines that didn’t include her, and while that would’ve been fine if she had school to focus on, or any other friends to distract herself with, the only thing she had were the two girls she babysat. it wasn’t easy to distract herself. 

until she started hanging out with rafe. 

spending time with rafe made her feel important. it made her feel like someone was actually thinking of her, wondering how she truly was doing or if she was having a good time in any given situation. 

rafe made her feel like someone took the time out of their day to check in on her, even if it was just a simple text, or a few hours at some old diner. rafe cameron made her feel important to someone, and that meant everything to her. 

“well, what if your favorite kook buys you a stack of blueberry pancakes and we go sing way too loud to songs we don’t know the words to? i’ll even let you eat the pancakes in the car.” she laughed gently as rafe leaned over the table, hands folded together and eyebrows in the air to further his suggestion. 

she leaned over the table to meet him halfway and pressed her lips to his softly, hearing him hum out in satisfaction. she started to pull away but was stopped when a hand wrapped around the back of her head and held her in place. 

rafe finally let them separate after another minute and smiled widely at her before waving over a waiter and asking for those pancakes. 

and they did sing along to songs way too loud in his car. she took bites of her pancakes every so often, feeding bites to rafe in between her own. she would laugh when he sang with his mouth full, doing just about anything he could to make sure that any tears slipping out of her eyes were from laughing too hard. 

he let her roll the windows down, hanging her head and arms out of the side until they turned around corners lined by cliffs. he’d laugh and put a hand on the waistband of her shorts, tugging her gently back inside of the car to assure she didn’t hit anything while hanging halfway out of his car. 

she’d lean over the center console, kissing his cheek and whispering things into his ear ever so often. she’d lean her head on his shoulder and sing softly to songs that hit a little deeper, pouring her heart into words that she felt like she had ghost written. 

there was a moment where her back pressed against the door, her seat belt stripped off despite rafe’s protests. her legs stretched out and feet planted in his lap. he had on hand on her ankle, gripping it softly and rubbing his thumb over the soft skin. 

he glanced at her, watching her smile wildly at him. she took a mental snapshot of the moment, rafe cameron smiling at her like she hung the moon. it seemed so intimate and almost domestic, the way they stole glances and shared affirmations. if there was a moment in her life that she would pause everything else and live in it forever, it was this moment right here. 

y/n’s face and stomach hurt by the end of the night, but she couldn’t think of a better way to spend her time. it still shocked her every once in a while that rafe cameron brought such a bright smile to her face, but she was starting to look forward to those smiles and the car rides that caused them. 

it was late, but neither of them had intentions of going home anytime soon. there was nothing for them there, and both of them swore that they would’ve stayed in that car for the rest of their lives if it was an acceptable way of living.

“i really like you, y/n. and it kind of freaks me out, but i can’t help it.” rafe glanced over to her periodically, keeping most of his attention on the dark roads ahead of him. 

“i really like you too.” she said softly, looking over at the boy that was now smiling widely. “despite you being a kook.” she scrunched her nose up and watched rafe laugh gently. 

“a pogue and a kook falling for each other. who would’ve thought?” y/n scoffed at the question, thinking of more than one instance where that’s been the case. 

“you mean a who would’ve thought rafe cameron would fall for a pogue?” rafe laughed again, which brought an inevitable smile to the girl’s face. 

“i’d fall for you in ten different lifetimes, even if you were a pogue in every single one of them.” her smile grew wider, and she let out a sigh. 

“i’d kiss the shit out of you if you weren’t driving right now.” rafe quickly pulled off to the side of the road at that, making y/n laugh as he pulled her into his lap. 

“well, would you look at that.” rafes words made her lightly roll her eyes, a bright smile spreading across her lips. she clicked her tongue softly but gripped either side of his face and sighed happily as she drank in the sight of him, baseball hat sitting backwards on his head while a bright smile graced his lips. 

“just kiss me, cameron.” and that’s exactly what he did. 

--

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#rafe cameron #rafe x reader #obx #the obx #the outer banks #outer banks #outer banks netflix #drew starkey #rafe #cameron #blueberry pancakes #series

[puckmeupfam]

Sap | Jeff Skinner

Word Count: 2287

Note: My autumnal aesthetic piece that I started in July. Title is based on the fact that this is entirely fluff without plot, and because it takes place in the Northeast with references to maple syrup, cider donuts, and leaf-peeping. 

Zipping your newly packed suitcase and pulling it off the bed, you heard the front door open signaling that Jeff arrived home from practice. It was a rare time when he had the weekend off. No games, no practices after the one he just finished, just free time which he chose to devote to spending with you. The two of you loved going on short trips whenever possible to escape the monotony of work and grocery shopping and Buffalo. Honestly, you could spend the weekend in Lackawanna and be happy as long as you were with Jeff. This particular weekend was special because it was now solidly fall. The temperatures were dropping. The leaves were changing. Swimsuits were being swapped out for sweaters. And golf was being replaced by hockey.

You had spent most of the summer in Markham. Coming from a smaller family, you were always enamored by Jeff’s. At this point, you honestly considered them to be your family, too. You loved talking to Jillian about her time in law school or asking Ben about his hockey career in Germany. It was also hilarious to watch the five siblings tease Jeff about his competitiveness or on-ice gaffs, but he was always a good sport about it and just laughed with bright red cheeks. You knew how much it meant to Jeff when he got to spend time with his family and experience that warmth and joy. The both of you were incredibly lucky that Buffalo isn’t too far away, but with his schedule, the uninterrupted summer was extra special.

As you were lost in your thoughts, you missed Jeff coming up the stairs and into your shared bedroom. His arms wrapped around your waist and his face found its way into the crook of your neck. The action brought an unconscious smile to your face as you leaned back into him.

“Whatcha thinking about?” he asked you, voice muffled against your skin as he lightly swayed. You shrugged in response, “We should probably get Andrea a birthday gift while we’re gone, something nice you know? Show we were thinking about her.” Jeff hummed in response. He rocked the two of you a bit before speaking, “Are you ready to leave?” You took a deep breath, inhaling his cologne. Turning your body to look him in the eye you smiled softly, “Almost,” you whispered, “we should probably get going before they decide they need you to individually kiss each fan.” This elicited a booming laugh from Jeff that you felt throughout your body, “The only person I’m kissing is you.”

After another minute of contentment, you shuffled him away from you to grab some chargers and last-minute necessities. He chuckled as he started pulling your suitcase down to the car, he knew how much you were looking forward to this trip. You had spent the last week researching and talking about all the spots you wanted to visit while you were away. Grabbing your purse and hoisting it over your shoulder you did a last-minute sweep of the house to make sure that everything was unplugged and you weren’t leaving candles lit or stovetops on. After your anxieties were quelled you went outside and joined Jeff in the car. He had already put your B&B into the GPS and he flashed you a large grin which you eagerly matched as he pulled out of the driveway.

This trip the two of you were going to Western Massachusetts. It was about a five and a half hour drive, probably longer since you knew you would be stopping for lunch and every state park that came your way. You synched your phone and started playing music, knowing that you had a playlist with the perfect ambiance. Jeff always teased you for making playlists for every mood, weather pattern, task, or aesthetic that came in your head. But when the soft chords came through the speakers and his fingers started a gentle tap against the steering wheel to the beat, you knew that it was appreciated.

In Buffalo, the weather was just cool enough that the seat warmers got turned on but not yet so cold that you were shivering. You were cruising down the highway, close to crossing city lines. When you glanced over at Jeff he had a small smile, like he wasn’t even thinking about it. Just watching the road with an underlying well of happiness. You took a minute to look at him, to take him in. His smile turned out to be infectious and you knew your face was probably spread with a dopey grin.

“You’re staring,” Jeff said, breaking the silence.

“You didn’t even look over. How would you know?” you complained.

“I could feel your stare,” he responded, looking over at you with a grin that took over his whole face. His statement made you burst out laughing. While the whole thing was funny and, you were sure that he really did get that weird feeling you get when someone’s looking at you, it made you think about how you were always so aware of each other. The two of you could be in a crowd of people at some Sabres bruncheon and someway somehow you could always glance up and see him already looking at you. Or when you would go to some team party, you always had a tendency to reach for each other’s hands at the same time.

“You would stare at you too,” was your response after you had realized that you went a few beats too long just staring into space.

It was Jeff’s turn to laugh, “what does that even mean?”

“It means,” you started, drawing out the word, “that you’re cute and potentially the embodiment of sunshine and everyone would stare at you if they could and I will simply not defend myself further.”

Jeff rolled his eyes at your dramatic tone and faux-seriousness. He swung his arm out over to you, holding it in the air until you grabbed his hand in both of yours. You pulled his hand into your lap and leaned further back into the passenger seat. Turning your head to the side to watch the city escape, your eyes unfocused and your brain turned to elevator music as your temple rested against the window. After a few minutes of contented silence, Jeff’s hand made its way to your thigh and squeezed, drawing your attention.

“Look at the leaves, babe,” he told you. The passing trees were dotted with warm-colored leaves of crimson, tangerine, marigold, and honey. It was absolutely gorgeous and seemed like a sign that your trip was only going to get better. You stared in awe for about a mile before you looked back at Jeff. His eyes flickered from the road to your face and the look he gave you, full of love and peace, made you feel so warm.

“They’re so pretty,” you said softly. You moved your hand to twine your fingers together and you watched his dimples come out in full force as he forced his eyes to stay on the road. After a few moments of contentment, you spoke again, “do you want me to tell you about the plant pigments that make these colors possible?”

Jeff chuckled, but you knew that your joke didn’t ruin the moment or anything else that you might think if you were talking to someone else. Because Jeff knew you, he loved you. He loved your bad jokes, your stories that you’ve already told him multiple times but just like telling again and again, the way you go into lectures to explain things that he had never thought twice about, your urge to talk during movies to comment on the scene or the actor’s personal life. He loved the best parts of you and he loved the worst parts of you. And this moment? Where you feel the light beaming out of your heart. It isn’t the moment. It’s just a moment in a string of hundreds of thousands of moments that you’ll experience with your favorite person.

--

After about two hours in the car, you were close to Syracuse and decided to stop for lunch. The two of you decided on a cute, local diner. Jeff parked the car and as you stepped out, you stretched your legs to rid yourself of the wobbly feeling from being in a car too long. The sidewalks were made of a red brick and there was a quiet hustle with people walking their dogs and couples going in and out of shops. The two of you walked side-by-side, but right when you were about to reach the door Jeff stepped ahead to hold it open for you. Stepping through you smiled at him and he followed you in. There seemed to be a typical lunch rush, but the restaurant wasn’t crowded. A waitress pointed you towards a booth and you slumped into it as Jeff sat across from you.

You both ordered coffees before cracking the menu open to see what they had. The pages were lined with different sandwiches, egg dishes, pancakes, and all the typical diner food that you loved. You settled on your order fairly quickly but Jeff scanned the pages until the coffees were brought out and the waitress was asking for your order. Handing her your menu, you explained what you wanted before both of you turned your attention towards your boyfriend.

“Could I have the brownie french toast?”

At that you raised your eyebrows at him incredulously. As the waitress walked away, scribbling your orders down as she went, Jeff looked back at you and laughed at your expression. “Cheat weekend,” was his explanation. He shrugged with an expression on his face like he was being forced to order what was likely the sugariest option on the menu. You threw your hands up to say you weren’t judging. Jeff quickly launched into a story about something Jack did at practice and that filled your wait until the food was brought to your table. Your boyfriend’s eyes widened comically when his food came out. It looked like there had been a blizzard of powdered sugar. It was topped with a whopping pile of whipped cream and a generous amount of rainbow sprinkles, just in case the brownie batter wasn't sweet enough.

Neither of you wasted any time in diving into your food and when you glanced up at Jeff after a few minutes you giggled when you saw that some of that whipped cream had ended up on his nose. You stealthily pulled out your phone to snap a picture of him. Once he heard the click of your camera he looked up at you which reignited your laughter.

“What?” he asked, chuckling lightly with you even without knowing the reason.

Without explaining yourself, you just reached out and swiped the sweet substance off his face before licking it off your finger. His response was just a sharp laugh with rolled eyes, head thrown back a bit at your antics. He knew full well that you were going to tease him for a long time for his choice of ridiculously confectionary lunch. You returned to your food with a shake of your head, but when you turned to take a sip of your coffee you noticed that Jeff had absolutely demolished his plate of french toast and was now trying to collect the remnant of whipped cream with his fork.

“It’s not going to be my fault when you crash from all that sugar,” you told him. He watched you dig your teeth into your lip to try and conceal the smile that was threatening to break through.

“Honestly, (Y/N), I’ve never felt better in my life. The sprinkles fuel me. I think I’ll make this my pre-game meal,” Jeff said with an air of seriousness. Sadly for him, but luckily for you, he had a genetic inability to suppress his smiles. You leaned back in the booth until your head hit the pleather upholstery and kicked your feet up to rest in his lap underneath the table.

“Don’t overwhelm yourself, I’m taking you to the Sugar Shack tomorrow and we’re getting the cider donuts.”

Jeff pulled a shocked and aghast face in response, “How dare you insinuate that I would ever be anything other than thrilled at the very prospect of cider donuts? You know, just because you said that I’m going to get two orders and we’ll see what you say when I eat those and yours too.”

You rolled your eyes so dramatically that you knew, if your mom were there, she would be telling you that they’d get stuck like that. Under the table, you kicked your legs up to rest in Jeff’s lap as he waved his arm to flag down the waitress for the bill. You sat quietly, just watching as he went through the monotony of thanking the waitress and putting his card in the sleeve of the bill. When he looked back at you, he smiled knowing that he caught you staring for the second time that day.

“You ready?” He asked you. A simple question, given that you were on a roadtrip with a predetermined destination. But with the opportunity to just appreciate him and your relationship, without the stress of your schedules or outside influences, it just felt meaningful. There was no one you would rather be with, during the happiest moments of your life or the worst. You felt a little misty with the joy of having him by your side.

“With you? Always.”

Pulling yourself out of the booth, you extended your hand for him to grasp and continued onwards.

#Jeff skinner #Jeff skinner imagine #nhl imagine #nhl imagines #hockey imagine #hockey fanfiction #nhl fic #buffalo sabres imagine #j.skinner #based in the fall started in the summer posting in the winter #not proofread #tw food

[shadow-assassin-blix]

Parent Trap AU

PART 3

Marcus Moreno X Reader

Alright some angst in this. But lots of fluff. Dress described is the 16th one here

The Artist

The night passed by without anymore issues, despite the lecture that Artemis received about emergency phone calls.

The next morning came swiftly, and as she heard Artemis getting ready, she stared into her closet, trying to figure out what she was going to wear. She bit her lip as she stared into her closet.

She wanted to wear something light; she spied the lightweight blue dress and its small matching belt hanging there. She quietly put it on and slipped on a pair of black pumps.

She quietly fixed up her hair and put on some makeup.

Artemis popped her head into the door, and said, “Hey Ma, you almost ready? They should be here soon.”

Shade smiled at her through the mirror, finishing up.

“What do ya think?” Shade asked her, giving a small twirl.

“You look really pretty mommy,” Artemis complimented.

She thanked her, giving her a small kiss on her head, as they walked downstairs. Artemis grabbed her stuff for the day and Shade her purse, as they heard a honk outside.

They stepped outside, Shade smiling as she watched Marcus get out of his car to open up the passenger side door, both front and back.

As the two of them walked over he greeted them, “Hello ladies, your chariot awaits.”

Artemis giggled and said hi as she hopped in. Shade kissed Marcus on the cheek in greeting as she stepped inside, smiling at the flustered look he gave her at the action.

In no time, they dropped the kids at his Mom’s, and she gave Shade a curious look as they left them there.

They arrived at the diner 20 minutes later and they got a booth seat.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been here,” Marcus commented looking around. “Seems nothing has changed.”

“No. It hasn’t. Your mom…. She remembers me, doesn’t she?” She asked with a wince thinking back to the look.

“Yep. She uhh. She has been quiet about the whole thing. I’m sure she has her opinions, but she has strangely not expressed them,” Marcus shrugged not worried.

“I remember having a hard time impressing her when we first started dating,” Shade mentioned as she stared at the menu.

Marcus chuckled quietly, nodding his head, “Yeah. I remember that too.”

They ordered their food and drinks, making small talk. It wasn’t awkward, or uncomfortable. It was light and easy; they spoke like no time had passed at all.

They were halfway through their meal when Marcus’ phone rang; it was his mother.

“Hey mom, what’s-”

He stopped speaking as she spoke; a moment later he hung up.

“We need to go. Something’s wrong with the girls?” Marcus informed her with a confused look.

They paid for their meal and made their way back to his mother’s house.

As they pulled up, his mother met them at the car.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your date you two. But the girls are acting strange,” She began, her face pulled into a frown. “The girls were in the living room, talking and having fun. All of sudden, it got really quiet, and Missy ran outside. Both of them refuse to tell me what happen.”

Marcus leaned against his car, pondering, running his hand over his chin.

Shade stared at the house and tried to think about what could have happened. She thought back to the last time she was inside this house.

“Wait… you said they were in the living room?” Shade thought on, realizing something.

At his mother’s nod, she continued, “On your mantle… you wouldn’t happen to have any photos… of her mother?”

His mother gasped in realization and Marcus sucked in a breath as he answered, “Yes. There is.”

“Divide and conquer? I take yours, you take mine?” Shade proposed with a small smile.

Marcus nodded, kissing her cheek as he walked inside. Mrs. Moreno walked led her to Missy’s favorite spot in the garden. Shade thanked her, as she strolled over to her.

“Hey sweetie, may I join you?” Shade greeted as she stood near her.

Missy slid over quietly, not making eye contact. She kept facing a different direction, not wanting Shade to see her tears.

“Ya know… I often wonder… What it would’ve been like… if your father and I had stayed together. Would we still have you and Artemis? Would our child be a combination of the two you? Or nothing like the two of you at all?” Shade started, staring at the blooming flowers all around.

“Then I realize… that you are the way that you are… because of your mother. And I wouldn’t want you any other way,” She revealed looking at Missy.

“I never told your dad. But I met your mom once. And technically you,” She divulged with a small sigh.

Missy looked at her, and said tearily, “Really?”

“Mmhmm. I bumped into her at the park. I had just had to deal with my ex who made me feel like crap. Crying. Artemis was sleeping. She came and sat with me. We talked… for hours. She knew who I was and assured me that… your dad was happy,” She further explained.

“That was when I knew… she was good for him. That I didn’t have to worry about him. It broke my heart when I heard of her passing,” She said with a sad smile.

Missy was quiet as she listened, sniffling softly every now and again.

“Me and Artie were talking… and I saw my mom’s photo… and I… I don’t know.. I was just really sad all of a sudden. I started to cry, and I didn’t know what to tell Artie, so I ran outside,” Missy tried to explain.

Shade nodded in understanding, “That’s the sucky thing about grief. It never really goes away. That’s not a bad thing though. It happens to everyone. I’m sure even your dad gets really sad too.”

“You think so?” Missy whispered staring up at her, unshed tears in her eyes.

“Yeah. I do,” Shade assured her. “I want you to know… I would never try to replace her in your heart. But… I do hope, maybe one day… you’ll make room in that big heart of yours for me and Artemis?”

Missy bit her lip and gave a small nod, “I’d like that one day.”

“May I hug you sweetie?” Shade asked opening her arms.

Missy nodded her head harder, throwing her arms around her waist, burying her head into her chest. Shade wrapped her arms around her tightly. She could feel her shoulders shake, as she cried. Shade shushed her quietly, rubbing her back.

The Hero

He stepped into the living room and sighed softly as he took in Artemis’s form. She was curled into a ball, hugging her knees to her chest.

He sat down on the couch, with a sigh. His gaze fixated on the mantle and noticed that one of the photos on it was a family photo from when Missy was 6.

He quietly turned toward Artemis; his right leg resting on the couch, as his left hung off the side.

“She’s not upset with you, I hope you know that honey,” Marcus began with a sad face.

“I know. I’m sad for her,” Artemis said quietly.

“That’s very kind of you. She tries very hard to not show that she misses her. Tries to be strong for me. I guess we never really quite asked you two, if you were okay with us dating. It’s… a big change,” Marcus empathized.

“Yeah. It doesn’t bother me cause… Mom… My dad doesn’t come around. When he does, he just makes us sad. This is the first time she’s ever really smiled a lot. She even sang in the shower last night and she never does that. You make her happy,” Artemis confided to him.

“Is that so? I’m sorry your dad is like that. Some people… are just not meant to be parents. It doesn’t have anything to do with you or her. That’s all on him,” Marcus told her.

“… He remarried and has 2 kids. He only comes around to pretend like he cares. He… and my mom fight a lot when he comes around. I don’t like it when he comes over,” She whispered with trembling lip.

Marcus felt his chest tighten with slight anger at the thought of this guy upsetting the two of them.

“I want you to know something. Just because I have Missy already, doesn’t mean you are any less important to me. Your mother makes me really happy too, and I see how happy you make Missy. She doesn’t wear her “Don’t talk to me” outfit nearly as much,” Marcus replied.

Artemis giggled as she thought about the outfit in question.

“Listen. I know, there’s going to be some adjustments within both of our families. There will probably be some tears shed… by everyone. Can you promise me to try and talk to us if anything upsets you? Especially when it comes to your dad, if he tries to show his face again, to cause problems? I want BOTH of you in my life,” Marcus asserted softly.

Artemis nodded, before quietly requesting, “May I hug you?”

Marcus chuckled and stated, “Yes. C’mere.”

He waved her forward and she launched herself into his arms. He hugged her with a laugh.

He heard her mutter something he wasn’t sure he was supposed to hear.

“I wish you and my mom stay together, so you can be my dad instead.”

He felt his heart swell with emotion, and he simply hugged her tighter.

When they pulled apart, he noticed that Shade was walking in with Missy.

“Hey, you two,” He greeted softly.

Missy ran forward and hugged Artemis fiercely, telling her she was sorry. Artemis hugged back and they began to whisper to one another. Shade came over to stand next to Marcus, her arm coming to rest along his shoulders.

The two of them watched their girls promise something to each, via pinky swears. The girls then turned to them and hugged their respective parent, both apologizing for ruining their date.

“Girls. You didn’t ruin anything. In fact, from the smell of it… it appears Mrs. Moreno is cooking up a storm in the kitchen. Why don’t you two go see if she needs help?” Shade offered, pointing toward the kitchen.

The two of them rush off toward the kitchen with smiles. Shade collapsed next to Marcus with a small groan.

“We are raising two very sweet girls,” Shade noted closing her eyes.

“Indeed. But they will turn out kind and wonderful,” Marcus said sweetly as he sat back with her.

She smiled at the thought.

“So. What do you think we should do?” Shade wondered.

“Take it one day at a time. Baby steps. The two of them see us together and want us to be happy. But it’s also a big change for the both of them. So… we do what feels right,” Marcus answered softly.

Shade stared at him in amazement.

“What?” He questioned softly.

“Why are you amazing? How… even after all this time.. How do you just know what to say? How are you still so perfect?” She asked looking at him tenderly.

“’m not perfect,” He mumbled shyly, rubbing the back of his head.

Shade softly reached for him, and he looked at her as she slowly leaned forward. He straightened up, moving to meet her halfway. He pressed his lips softly to hers, pulling back a second later. They both chuckled a moment, before he kissed her again more firmly. This kiss lasted longer and stole his breath.

He wanted to deepen it when suddenly something hit their faces. They broke away, both of them yelling, “Ow.”

Marcus looked down to see a flipflop lying in their laps.

“None of that you two. There are young eyes here. Now, get up and come help in the kitchen,” Came his mother’s voice, followed by two little giggles.

“Oh boy. My fear of flying shoes has returned. Never thought this would happen again,” Shade squeaked as she rubbed her face.

Marcus laughed at that before standing up, pulling her with him.

The two of them ambled into the kitchen and began to help make a late lunch. Stories were told from all of the adults, about various things. Marcus regaled them about the Heroics Missions, and his mom and Shade spoke about childhood memories and such.

The girls were far happier and chatted lively with everyone. Marcus noticed that they hardly left each other’s side while they cooked and eventually ate.

The girls decided on a movie to watch and made a picnic of sorts on the floor full of blankets and snacks. His mother tended to chores, but gave him and Shade a stern look, as they cuddled on the couch. Shade shook her head as she made herself comfortable.

“Your mother still scares me,” She whispered jokingly.

“Me too,” He joked back.

When Mrs. Moreno came back to the living room an hour later, she noted Coco was still playing but everyone was passed out. The girls had made their way to the couch and were snuggled into Marcus’s sides and Shade’s head was resting softly against his shoulder.

Mrs. Moreno took a moment to take a photo of the sweet moment, before gently pulling the girls away to sleep in the guest bedroom, one at a time. She softly ‘awwed’ when the two of them sleepily held each other.

She returned to the living room to see that Shade had woken up and was looking around confused.

“The girls are in the bedroom,” Mrs. Moreno softly told her once she spotted her.

Shade nodded, before quietly stretching.

“I hope you know… I can see he’s falling for you fast again. Do not break his heart, or Missy’s,” She pleaded.

Marcus who had woken up as soon as he felt his mother taking the girls, continued to fake sleeping, wanting to hear Shade’s response.

“I know. I’m falling back in love with him faster than I thought I would. Missy is quickly stealing my heart too. I don’t plan on hurting either of them. I want both of them in my life. I hope… I hope you know, that.. I didn’t want to hurt him when we called it off. It just… it wasn’t the right time then. We were both not ready,” Shade responded, squeezing his hand softly.

“I know. I’m glad to hear you say that. I’m sure Marcus is too, right?” His mother addressed, not being fooled by his fake sleeping.

Marcus opened his eyes, blinking rapidly.

His mother shook her head at him and walked away.

“I meant it you know. I am falling back in love with you so fast… It kinda scares me,” Shade admitted worriedly.

“Same. It’s… it’s like no time has passed almost. Like it was just yesterday you were fretting over that modern art piece you had to create for that professor who docked points if you missed a comma on papers,” Marcus responded, thinking back to their junior year.

Shade shuddered, “Don’t remind me. I still have nightmares about that class. It’s… it’s weird to think it’s been over 15 years.”

“Yeah. But. We found each other again. The circumstances… might not be the best… but. We’re here. We’re together again. Let’s make the most of it,” Marcus beamed taking her hands into his.

She smiled and rested her head against his softly, “Sounds like a plan.”

Their date did not go as planned, but something better came out of it. The girls made them realized that the two of them have been hurt far more than they realized. Healing was going to be necessary for all of them. But they were going to do it together, as their own makeshift family.

#marcus moreno x reader #parent trap au #marcus moreno

[doingthingsthewriteway]

I’ll Be Home for Christmas iii

Summary: It’s date night. 

A/N: cross posted from ao3

Taglist: @charmed-asylum​

Friday rolled along at a snail's pace. Y/N worried Lee would boast about their evening and news would spread like wildfire. However, much to her surprise, he kept his mouth shut (or everyone was too afraid to cross him and kept their knowledge private). The privacy helped her nerves, though she knew what would happen once the first person saw them together. She wondered what her friends would think or say when she wasn't around.

She wore a simple dress which concealed her figure in an effort to establish boundaries, though something told her he wouldn't abide by any. Her hair was down in loose curls and her lips were painted red. Y/N forgot to put on her pearls as her mother lectured her on the expected behavior of the evening.

Bodecker arrived at the end of his shift. Y/N thought, or rather hadn't considered the possibility of anything else, that he would arrive in uniform. Yet, he stood in their living room without any sign of his sheriff regalia.

"You look beautiful darlin'." ("That sheriff is a no good liar, Y/N. You listen to me!")

"Thank ya kindly, Sheriff."

"I'm off the clock." He took her by the hand, pulling him closer to his side. "I'll have her some safe when we're done."

"No later than-" her mother was cut off by Lee's sharp eyes. Her father waved them off, perhaps knowing that any trouble she might get into with the sheriff would be better than the trouble at home.

Lee opened the door to her side, leaning over and buckling her seatbelt for her. His hands brushing over breast. The scent of peppermint catching her by surprise. "Now," he settled into the drivers seat, "we're gonna go catch a movie, grab something to eat, and then have a nice long talk in private."

Y/N couldn't focus on the film. She knew from friends what boys would do during movies; consequentially, she sat on edge the entire time. Lee anticipated this, if anything it would work in his favor. He was all about surprise.

Dinner was a different affair. The diner was hopping with families dining together and teenagers trying their absolute best to make something happen. Gossip was sure to follow. Y/N and Lee couldn't be seen to distinctly in the dark of the movie house, the diner was different.

"Wanna share a milkshake?"

Y/N was tempted to shrug but remembered the stern look in his eyes when she did that before. She didn't like his bad side and definitely did not want to tempt it. "Up to you."

His tongue clicked, hands grasping hers. "C'mon darlin', I want you to make some decisions in this."

"This?"

"You had a nice education, surely you've caught on." Lee took one of her hands, bringing it up to his grizzly cheek. "I'm sweet on ya, hell I might be addicted."

"Sheriff, that's awfully kind of you but-" he squeezed her hand tightly as the waitress arrived at the table. Y/N half hoped his eyes would slowly graze over the waitress instead staring at her instead.

"What can I get y'all?" Shit, they were a y'all now.

"I'll take a burger and fries, a coke, and whatever the lady wants."

"A Diet Coke and some chili cheese fries and a strawberry milkshake."

"Two straws?" The waitress smacked her bubble gum as she spoke.

"Two straws."

It was hot, too hot in the diner or at least sitting across from Lee. His stupid smirk showing his amusement at the whole damn thing. She wondered what damage a fork to his hand would cause but that wasn't going to end well.

"Strawberry,huh?"

"The chocolate tastes chalky."

He laughed, another one of his stupid belly shaking laughs. "You're awfully cute."

"Lee, I really don't know think I want to do this."

He nodded, a pensive look on his face. His hand absentmindedly rubbing his tummy as he held her gaze. "Your ma tell you that? Your pa just let her fill your head like that?"

"Stop. This isn't about that."

"You like staying in that house? Like getting yelled at? Don't you want a place of your own?" She couldn't answer, not with the waitress returning with their order. "Now, be a good little girl and eat your dinner."

She hated how blindly she followed that order. How was a response like that going to help her case any? Nevertheless, she ate her dinner and sipped the milkshake ignoring how her stomach tightened at the way his eyes looked as the bored into her chest.

Lee paid and ushered her back to his cruiser. He licked his lips, his tongue thick and his lips red. "I reckon your ma's done told you about my reputation."

"Said you were into whorin' and I'm no better than any of your other girls."

Y/N dared at glimpse at him from the corner of her eye as she picked at the seatbelt. His knuckles were tightened in anger, jaw tense, tongue pushed into his cheek. "Your ma really don't hold back does she?"

Before Y/N couldn't answer, not that she really wanted to, he started the engine. A hand stretched over the seat to rest on her thigh. "Here's the deal, little lady." His fingers rubbed the fabric of her skirt between his fingers. "I can be a patient man. I'll treat you like a goddamn queen. People in this town like me, I'm up for reelection next year and a pretty life wife by my side would sure help me out."

"Wife?" Y/N smacked his hand away, whipping over to glare at him. "No, Lee Bodecker, I'm not some pathetic little thing you can seduce into being your wife after just one day. My house might not be great but I will never-" She was cut off by the sudden sensation of his hand on her jaw squeezing tightly.

"You don't want to test me. I'm going to take you home, we'll tell your folks we had a great time, and the next time I see you we're doing something about that attitude."

It took two days before Lee showed up. Two days of paranoia from what an attitude adjustment at his hands would mean. Two days of fending off her ma's questions and ignoring the way her pa couldn't seem to be able to talk to her like he used to. Home alone, she wasn't surprised this was when he would strike.

Y/N answered the knock at the door, only opening it enough for her to see him. "Morning."

He pushed his way inside, hands on his hips as he surveyed the house. "Why don't you fetch me a cup of coffee, maybe something sweet, and we'll chat."

Scurrying to fulfill his wishes, she found herself seated beside him on the couch, legs titled towards him. "What, um, what was it you wanted to talk about Lee?"

"You need to let me love ya like I want to. I ain't forced myself on have I? Hit ya? Screamed at ya?" No. No. And no. "I know I've let myself go a bit, ain't all lean like those boys you must've gone to school with but I can give ya a lot. So why won't you take it?"

The sincerity in his blue eyes was alarming. He was genuine in his affections, in his feelings. To him, marriage must have been a logical next step. How many of her friends were already hitched? Hell, Sue got married on Prom Night and Rosemary married a guy after a month. Knockemstiff didn't understand the world was changing as it never would.

"I've been thinking about running for mayor after next election cycle. Money won't be a problem. We'll get a big ol house and you can decorate it however you want. I'll buy ya the prettiest dresses and shiniest things you've ever seen." Lee held his tongue about the babies, he didn't want to push her too far yet.

"So unless you think you can stop me" he made it a point to brush over his gun, "I'm going upstairs to check your ring size. Anything you'd like me to take to my place, you're welcome to let me know."

He vanished upstairs, leaving Y/N to realize this was it. She wondered how far she could get if she ran but the image of the cold hard steel of his gun was enough to squash any rebellion that rolled inside her.

#lee bodecker x reader #lee bodecker imagine #lee bodecker imagines

[soyforramen]

Blame @sullypants for this one since weird dreams are a common theme lately:

“Hey, Jug.”

Shaken by some unknown force, Jughead groaned and nestled further into his arms.  

“C’mon, wake up,” Archie said, his voice coming from a universe away.  

Sleep was a dense fog that settled in behind Jughead’s eyelids and he couldn’t muster the energy to push it away.  He’d fallen asleep in school again, that much he could discern from the hard table beneath him.  But at least the desk was a lot more comfortable than the janitor’s closet had been.

“Dude, let’s go,” Reggie said.  

With a hard tug, Jughead was snapped awake.  With a wide yawn he stretched out, his back giving a satisfyingly loud crack.

“What’s up?”

“School’s over, Rip Van Jones,” Reggie said.  With a roll of his eyes, he ran a hand through his already slicked back hair.  “The girls are waiting for us at Pop’s.  Apparently we have to have a set list for Sunday and they wanted to go over it after school.  Or at least we were supposed to before this knucklehead got us detention from Grundy again.”

Jughead blinked, convinced he’d heard Reggie wrong.  Grundy was dead, murdered by the Black Hood.  Even if she had come back to life, what was she doing around high schoolers?

“How was I supposed to know she meant a rhyme scheme from Donna Sweet and not Saweetie,” Archie muttered.  “Besides, if we leave right now we still might make it before they ditch us.”

Wait, sweater vest.  Why was Archie wearing a sweater vest?  And was was Reggie acting so cordial?  

Certain that this was another weird dream, Jughead reached for his Serpent’s jacket and found that the back of his chair was empty.  Serpent’s jacket?  

“I still think that we should ditch Jingle Jangle,” Reggie said as he headed out the door.

“What?  It’s my best work,” Archie said as he followed him out.  

With another yawn, Jughead picked up his books and followed them out into the cool autumn air.  With a start, he realized that it was just a dream, a really weird dream to be exact.  There was no biker gang that gave out jackets to kids like candy.  He and Archie and Reggie had always been a strange sort of friends; and Grundy was never anything more than a septuagenarian determined to drive herself into an early grade by teaching high brow literature to idiot high schoolers.

On the way to Pop’s, Jughead ignored Archie and Reggie’s argument over some girl the next town over and worked to piece together the dream.  It had all been so real that it wasn’t a wonder he’d been confused.  Everything in Riverdale had been the same as it was now, except it was all off just enough to cast a dark shadow across their sleepy little town.  

Hiram Lodge, a well known philanthropist and entrepreneur who tolerated his daughter’s friends was not a corrupt Wall-Street con-man looking to rule the world.  The Coopers, an All American family, was not rife with dark secrets that would eventually tear them apart.  The Blossom’s, while certainly devious and conniving in their own ways, were not ripped from the pages of a gothic horror novel.

And the Jones…

Jughead shuddered at the thought.  Sure, they weren’t the perfect family.  But they loved each other, took care of each other, and were as normal as they could be.  That image of his family brought up a wave of guilt about how his subconscious had portrayed his parents.

(He couldn’t help but grin, however, at the idea that baby Jellybean could not only hold her own, but was a fan of Led Zeppelin.  It was a nice touch.  Maybe he’d roundup his mother’s old records tonight and he’d teach her to appreciate the finer things in life.)

But it wasn’t until they’d walked into Pop’s to find the girls seated at their regular booth that the realization that this Betty - sweet, caring, lovely Betty - wasn’t his that he felt a pang of longing for his dream world.  Despite how horrific that dream had been, Betty was the golden lining in that dark world, a comfort meant only for him.

The feeling passed quickly when Betty’s eyes locked on Archie.  Jughead couldn’t help but wonder, though, what if things had been different?

For the rest of the afternoon, the members of The Archie’s debated and argued over the set list, while Jughead did what he did best.  While Archie was arguing for the merits of Sugar, Sugar, Jughead polished off three baskets of fries and a milkshake.  When Veronica demanded to sing Bang-Shang-A-Lang solo, Jughead ate two and a half cheeseburgers and drank half a pot of coffee.  As Reggie was arguing for… well, whatever it was he wanted, Jughead nursed a chocolate milkshake and a basket of fries (extra chili cheese, heavy on the onions and cheese, add bacon).

Occasionally he inserted his own opinion - no he would not let Reggie ruin another drum set just so he could show off to Ginger Lopez, nor was it feasible for Veronica to burst out, and ruin, his kick drum at the start of the show.  But even as he played at normalcy, his mind kept coming back to that dream.  Detention with Grundy could never be long enough to contain an entirely parallel universe, and yet it was the most realistic dream he’d ever had.

“Earth to Juggie,” Betty said as she waved her hand in front of his face.  He blinked, his gaze centering on her, and she giggled.   “Anything you’d like to share with the class?”

He glanced around and found that despite his attempts to stay present, he and Betty were the only two left.

“Veronica roped Archie into installing shelves for her,” Betty explained with an over exaggerated pout.  She then pointed over to where Reggie was chatting a short, dark haired teen.  “And Midge came in without Moose, so you know Reggie’s not going to miss that opportunity.”

Midge.

The world around Jughead spun and he felt lightheaded when he stood.  He walked over to where the pair stood at the counter, and when Midge turned to him Jughead wrapped her in a tight hug, tears threatening to pour from his eyes.

“You alright there, needle nose?” Reggie asked, his eyes filled with concern.  

Apparently Jughead hadn’t been able to play as normal as he’d thought.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” he said, loosening his hold.  He stared at Midge, still trying to comprehend why he felt so relieved that it was all just a dream. “I’m just… happy to see you is all.”

“I’m always happy to see you, Jughead,” Midge said.  She placed the back of her hand across his forehead, the corners of her lips pinched.  “But maybe you should let Betty take you home?”

Jughead nodded as the surreal threatened to overwhelm him.  When he turned, he found Betty behind him, her arms full of their schoolbooks.  She set a hand on his arm and gave an encouraging, if worried, smile.  It was easy enough to let her lead him out of the diner.  That way he could remind himself that the world where Midge had been slaughtered wasn’t real.

“Penny for your thoughts?  Or maybe I should offer a nickel?” Betty asked.  When he didn’t respond, she bumped her hip into his.

The contact, friendly, playing, concerned, burned his side.  It brought up just how touchy they were in his dream world, along with false memories of things he’d never paid any attention to before (especially not about her).  He shivered and quickened his step.  Betty, ever the Teflon personality, matched his stride and slipped her arm through his.  

“Just a strange dream,” he muttered, far too distracted by how much heat she gave out to come up with a good lie.

“Sounds like a pretty intense dream if you’re still thinking about it this much.”

And with that simple statement, the entire thing tumbled out of him.  Nothing was left out, though Jughead did edit some of the more intimate moments they’d spent together in his dream.  He was so wrapped up in making sure to include all the details - the corruption, the ever-burning ember of hope, the rocket - that he almost missed the fact that Betty had guided them through the town square three times as he divulged the dirty laundry about the underground boxing rings and Maple Club.

By the time they’d reached his house it was twilight and he was telling her about the prep school murders and fake FBI stings.  His mother (his real mother, thankfully, and not the drug running mom that had run out on him) brought them out dinner just as he got to his own faked death.  

And for the first time in his life, Jughead’s entire focus wasn’t on getting seconds (and thirds).

When he was finally done with his tale, Betty let out a long whistle.  She pushed around the remaining bits of pie on her plate, lost in thought.  Now that his head was empty of that bizarre dream, Jughead’s appetite came back with a vengeance. He leaned over and snatched the rest of her pie crust and popped it into his mouth.

“Well?” he prompted, curious to get her take on his dream.  

“Do you think the fish Ms. Beezley served today was off?”

He rolled his eyes and grinned at her ability to lighten the mood.   Jughead leaned back and set his elbows against the porch step behind him to look up at the sky.  Betty set her plate down and sat down next to him, primly smoothing out her skirt before she spoke.

“Do you really think we …” she paused.  “My mother?  And your dad?”

Jughead groaned and ran a hand down his face.  “I’d hate to think what Freud would say.”

“Well, he’d definitely agree it wasn’t a pipe,” she snickered.  “Maybe your subconscious is trying to tell you something?”

“Convince Archie that Jingle-Jangle is a terrible song to play to middle schoolers?”

She shrugged.  “Maybe.  Maybe not.”

As the world turned around them, they sat in companionable silence.  As curious as Jughead was to know what Betty really thought, it was these quiet moments with her that he felt truly at peace.  Perhaps that’s what the dream had signified.  With all the clamor and turmoil over senior year and applying for colleges, maybe his brain was trying to tell him to slow down and enjoy these little moments more.

Or maybe it was just a sign he shouldn’t shotgun a whole liter of soda before Grundy’s lecture on Dashiell Hammet.

“Walk me home?” Betty asked suddenly.

Without waiting for an answer, she hopped up and pulled Jughead to his feet, the same as they’d done a million times before.  Only this time Betty tugged a little too hard and Jughead stumbled into her.  He was about to apologize when he noticed the twinkle of mischief in her eyes.  To hide his smile, he bent over and tucked his shoulder into her stomach.  Betty shrieked as he lifted her up over her shoulder, precariously balancing the two of them as he picked up her books.

“Put me down Jones,” she said through her laughter, “or I’m telling Ethyl that you’d love to play D&D with her.”

“Dirty pool, Cooper,” he shot back as he casually sauntered down the block to her house.  He ignored the faint whisper of the peaches and cream lotion she used on her skin and the breathless lilt of her voice.  Because no matter how right it felt in the dream, they were only friends here. “And it’s G&G, remember?”

Once back on solid ground, Betty slipped her arm through his and they strolled along under the streetlights.  Just another night in the neighborhood without a care in the world.

“Maybe it wouldn’t be all that bad,” she said almost absentmindedly.  When she didn’t elaborate, Jughead’s heart gave a heavy, painful thump.  “I could always use more help with the B&G.”

He snorted and reached up to scratch his forehead to ignore the sudden disappointment.  “Toni does have some strong opinions about the gym’s new paint job.”

Betty stuck her tongue out at him, her face scrunched.  Jughead almost tripped trying not to kiss the tip of her nose.

His mood darkened when they reached her house.  Archie was on the front porch, napping, and the small seed of possibility withered into dust.  But instead of running towards Archie, Betty paused next to him.  Her teeth worked across her lip and she stared, unfocused at him.  Her hand on Jughead’s arm tightened and she shifted almost imperceptibly towards him.

With a small nod, Betty stood up on her toes and kissed Jughead on the cheek.  He flushed as the sun exploded in his chest.  

“Meet me at Pop’s tomorrow after school.  There’s a new French movie at the Bijou, and I’d hate it if Veronica saw it before me.”

He knew the smile on his face was just as goofy as the one’s he made fun of Archie for, but Jughead couldn’t help but wonder at this strange new turn.  For once, he was excited to spend time alone with a girl.  (He was always excited to spend time with Betty Cooper, but this time she wasn’t just Betty.)

His smile lasted all the way home and continued until he settled into bed.  Just as he was falling asleep, his phone rang with a text from Betty.

‘Some of your dream sounded nice enough to try out in real life, don’t you think?’

To say that Jughead had trouble falling asleep for the first time was an understatement.

#bughead fanfiction #bughead appreciation week #thank you sully for letting me know we're all having weird dreams lately #and boom #this #trope 1: it was all just a dream #also i'm without anything but the most basic internet so i'll be a ghost in the machine again #but also i didn't want to do my art homework (which has nothing to do with art but ya know) #so #also thank you anon ;.; got me crying over here #i will answer you just when i have functioning internet

[inlovewiththefictionalcharacters]

COERCION AND HAVEN

CHAPTER - 5 : NOT AN IDEAL PLACE

Pairing: (dark) Steve Rogers x Reader

Warning(s):  MCU spoilers, slowburn,  Stalking, Obsession, Non - con, Dubious content, Kidnapping, Sexual themes, Strictly 18+.

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To say that the team was shocked when he told them that he will be moving out soon will be an understatement of the century. They all immediately shot question after question at him.

“Why?”

“Did we do something that made you angry at us?”

“Did we hurt you?”

“Are you crazy?!”

“Have you gone nuts, punk?”

“Are you mad at us?”

“From where did this come from?”

“Why did you decide that, out of nowhere?”

All the while, Tony was the only one who remained quite while the rest of the team kept asking, talking, rambling and that went on and on.

But the most hilarious question asked was “How are you going to survive out there, all on your own?”

Steve sighed in exasperation. He wasn’t a five year old. Not appearance wise and definitely not chronologically. The team wasn’t giving him a chance to speak, let alone reply to any of their questions. At this point, Tony popped into the conversation.

“He’s a grown ass man. He’ll be doing just fine” he told them making all of them look at him.

“Plus, it’s not like he’s quitting the team. He’s just moving out and getting a life” Tony added.

“Are you saying that we don’t have a life?” Wanda asked.

“No, we do. He doesn’t. All he’s done till now is fight. Let him do something else now” Tony replied and walked out of the room, patting Steve’s shoulder as he left.

The team looked like they’re processing what Tony said and Steve followed Tony to his lab.

“Thank you, Tony” Steve said, entering the lab and billionaire just waved it off.

“Well, just so you know, I’m gonna add some upgrades to your new home before you move. Just some safety precautions. We all have enemies, cap. It’ll be better if we take some safety measures” Tony said while moving towards a table with what looked like a metal arm on it and Steve nodded.

“By the way, who’s she?” Tony asked while tapping on the screen beside the, setting some configurations. 

Steve stilled hearing that.

“You know?” he asked after a moment.

“Of course, I do. You keep on going out in the evenings, come back at midnights, suddenly have loads of sweets with you, I connected the dots” Tony replied.

“Oh, by the way, Morgan may or may not have seen the wallpaper of your phone and asked me who that pretty woman was. I thought it might have been Peggy Carter, but Morgan said that the woman on your phone was not Peggy Carter and gave a three minutes 12 seconds lecture saying that she knows who Peggy Carter is” Tony added and Steve sighed.

*****

“You’re planning on doing what?!” Tony asked, as if he’s not sure if he heard it right.

Steve sighed “You heard me.”

“Yeah, I did. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I want you to get a life, but an abduction, cap? Do you know how much of a PR nightmare it’ll be if this gets out?” Tony asked with wide eyes.

“I’m aware of it, Tony. Look, I don’t have any other choice” he said.

“You do have another choice. Ask her out like any other sane person does instead of going out all caveman on her” Tony told him.

“Don’t you think I’ve already tried that?! She’d rather stay closed off from the whole world than go out on one single date! I’ve seen men trying to woo her, hell, I know I’ve tried to do that over the weeks and everytime I do that, she just closes off!” Steve exclaimed.

Tony dropped into the seat by his desk and sighed. He rubbed his face with his hand and asked “When are you going to do it?”

“As early as possible. I’m thinking about as soon as we come back from Hangar” Steve said.

“Wait, I thought we’re not gonna bother about Hangar for a few months” Tony said, siting up.

“Me too, but Fury sent an intel a few hours ago and trust me. Hangar needs immediate attention. The abandoned Hydra facility is showing a lot of secret activities, I’m afraid. Hill confirmed it with a few photographs sent by another Agent that was nearby the location” Steve said.

“When are we gonna strike? Do we even have the intel we need? And who all are going?” Tony asked.

“Yeah, we have the intel we need. We don’t need the whole team. Just Nat, Bucky and I. Sam will be staying as backup” Steve said and added “We’re going to strike on that base tomorrow.”

*****

This time, Steve approached her while she was locking the back door of the bakery after closing up. She turned around and a shriek left her when she spotted Steve standing right behind her. 

She placed a hand on her chest and sighed out in relief.

“Captain America... Rogers... Steve... You gave me quite the scare” she told him and Steve had the decency to look embarrassed.

“Sorry about that doll” Steve chuckled.

Y/N just smiled and frowned.

“You didn’t come in today” she said.

“Yeah... Work happened” Steve said.

“A-are you going home?” Steve asked her.

Of course she’s going home. He knows that. The girl has nowhere else to go. And nobody else to go home to. Just her, all alone with that little plant that she placed by the window.

After days of following her to her home at nights, Steve started tracking her entire day schedule. Apart from the bakery, Y/N also works as a waitress at a diner and during her free hours, she goes back to her tiny apartment and spends her day, doing some chores at home and reading a book if time permits. The she gets refreshed and comes to the “Sugar Shack” to start her shift their and mostly, she’s the one who’s closing it. Steve also became brave enough to stalk her inside her apartment by hiding on the terrace of the apartment complex beside the one she lives in and gazes into her apartment. If he wanted to observe with a little more detail, he used the binoculars that he brought with him. He even took it upon himself to install some security cameras and keep them hidden inside her apartment, just for her safety. The place was not 100% safe and he didn’t want to risk it.

“Yeah, I’m heading home” she told him, looking down at her shoes and moving and curling her toes inside them.

“I was hoping that I could walk you home, doll” Steve told her.

That surprised her.

“What? Why?” she asked, not really liking where this was going.

“I have to talk to you about something. It’s already late now and I don’t want to delay you this late” he told her.

“But I don’t really live close” she told him, giving an excuse to just stop him from accompanying her.

“I don’t mind, doll” he told her.

Y/N thought about it. Really thought about it and came to a conclusion with a sigh. He’s Captain America. He’s pretty harmless. What could he do to me? Literally nothing was what she thought.

With that, she gave him a nod and Steve smiled at her. They both made their way to her place.

*****

Steve and Y/N reached Y/N’s place and stood right outside the apartment complex. Steve set his best acting face and looked around the area as if he’s seeing it for the first time, pretending that he has not been there a trillion times before. Hell, he has even sneaked into her apartment while she was not present or awake just get a little closer look at things. On their way back, they made some talk here and there, but nothing seemed important for him to come with her just to talk.

“So... This is me” Y/N said, turning around to look at him.

“Not an ideal place to live for a woman like you” Steve told her what he thought that first time he saw the place.

Y/N on the other hand didn’t know whether to get offended or not. Is he insulting the place or her? She didn’t have the answer to that. At the end, she decided to play it cool.

“Well, New York is not exactly and easy city to live in” she told him.

Steve smiled hearing that “Agreed.”

She too smiled at it and they both looked at each other.

A moment later Steve smiled and said “I won’t be coming to the bakery, doll.”

That surprised her.

“What?” she asked in surprise.

“I’ll be out of town for a couple of days. Don’t exactly know when I’ll return” he told her.

She frowned hearing it.

“Are you moving or something?” she asked him.

Steve laughed hearing that “No, doll. I have to go out of town on a mission.”

“Oh!” her voice held relief and Steve reveled in that.

“Yeah...” Steve tucked a stray lock of her her behind her ear.

“In the mean time,” he cupped her cheek and added “I want you to be careful around here and take care of yourself” while her eyes widened at this.

It was a strangely intimate act for two strangers who barely knew each other. But Steve literally knew everything about her. It was her who doesn’t know Steve.

“Do you hear me?” he asked her, make his voice more deeper, like he’s giving a command.

Her eyes widened a bit and she nodded quickly. She was not comfortable with this and didn’t know what to do. Steve on the other hand, read her like an open book. He just wanted to push things a bit more and dropped his hand to her elbow and caught it and moved closer to her, kissing her forehead. Her eyes widened and her skin flushed up her neck.

Both of them looked at each other’s eyes until she broke the eye contact, awkwardly clearing her throat. He loved how she reacted to him.

“Right umm... You too take care of yourself Capt- uh... Steve” she told him and Steve smiled.

“Will do, doll” he said and decided to put a stop to her temporary misery.

“Good night” he told her and she nodded “Good night. Take care” she said and quickly walked inside the complex, but not before casting a look back at him one more time before making her way to her apartment.

Steve waited till he saw the shadow of her silhouette by the window and started walking away from there with a smirk on his face, loving how she reacted to him.

*****

Next Chapter ->

*****

Taglist:

@mandiiblanche​

@literalmcuhoe​

@saiyanprincessswanie

@elegantcroissantplaidpony​

@jevans2

@red--aren

@brownsugur  

@justanotherintrovert​

#Chris Evans #chris evans x reader #chris evans x oc #Steve Rogers #steve rogers x oc #steve rogers x reader #dark steve rogers #dark steve rogers x reader #dark steve rogers x oc #dark! steve rogers #dark! steve rogers x reader #dark! steve rogers x oc #dark!steve rogers #dark!steve rogers x reader #dark!steve rogers x oc #coercion and haven #chapter 5 #avengers #The Avengers #age of ultron #infinity war #endgame #peggy carter #morgan stark #captain america #captain america x oc #captain america x reader #the first avenger #the winter soldier #civil war

[princessamericachavez]

I wanna write a long multi chapter fic about Jack and Shitty becoming friends but also I don’t have the mental bandwidth right now so instead I’m just gonna blurt out a long bulletpoint fic so bare with me

Okay so Shitty B. Knight arrives to Samwell hungry for life and friends and finally some fucking air to breathe and be himself away from his conservative family

And it is fucking great, okay? From the get go he finds that his loud left wing talk is welcomed here, he gets to joke around and be as weird as he wants and no one cares

He hits it off pretty quickly with nearly everyone in the team. Sure, Johnson is a little weird and keeps talking about this merely being the “prologue of someone else’s story” but what he’s really curious about is the quiet Canadian guy that barely talks to anyone

Now, Shitty knows about Jack Zimmermann. Obviously. You have to grow up under a rock to not know about Bad Bob and his kid.

He also knows what happened. It must be a sore subject.

Is that why he’s so quiet?

It’s not that Shitty makes Jack a project. Not really. It’s that Shitty has been in a place where he felt lonely and out of place before and it sucked ass. He wants to help.

So he tries. Constantly.

Because Shitty sees the spark hiding behind the ice cold facade. He sees the way Jack’s face lights up in the rink, how loud and youthfully he celebrates cellys, how protective of others he is in the ice.

That’s a guy he WANTS to be friends with.

Except he can’t. After every training, Jack shuts back up

“Hey, Jaques, wanna go grab a bite?” “Thanks but I should sleep. We got an early day tomorrow.”

“My man, Zimmermann, lets go to that fucking party across campus!” “I’d rather not.”

“Hey, let’s celebrate this fucking win!” “I was actually gonna watch the game tonight. There was a play there that keeps bothering me.”

Anything that isn’t hockey is an instant No from Jack but Shitty is too stubborn to give up.

“Hey, Jack, I was going to train a bit extra on Sunday. Care to join me? You could teach me some of those sick moves.” “Sure.”

VICTORY. Sort of. Working out extra with Jack is exhausting, physically and mentally because Shitty keeps trying to come up with jokes and keeping up 90% of the conversation.

It takes nearly a month until Jack agrees to grab a bite after their Sunday skate and Shitty is so fucking beat that he nearly falls asleep on his burger.

“Hey, Shits, nice ketchup mustache,” Jack chirps him suddenly. And it’s the smallest, dumbest possible thing but Shitty laughs a little too loud and Jacks shoulders seem to lose a bit of that perpetual tension he’s always carrying.

It gets better after that. Slowly, painstakingly, but Shitty finds himself enjoying Jack’s company more and more.

He’s a genuinely good bro. He listens, even when he’s just grunting along time Shitty’s monologues, and he asks questions that shows that he actually cares, every now and then. It’s odd, being taken seriously.

By the end of their first semester, Jack and Shitty are spending a lot of time together. Which is why he asks him to come to the art kids party where Larissa is going to be.

Who? “Brah, Larissa Duan? Just the coolest fucking chick ever! I told you about her the other day, man. She said we should come over to this thing and I would go, but I know shit about art and I would rather not go along and bring my best fucking bro with me.”

After the word vomit he worries that maybe he pushed too far, judging by the way Jack freezes and stares at him like a deer on headlights. But then Jack sighs and says “fine, I’ll go,” and Shitty whoops with excitement

The party goes better than Shitty could’ve ever dreamed. Larissa’s super chill energy seems to have an effect on Jack, who half an hour in is talking about photography with some other art kids and he even agrees to come grab a beer with him and Larissa afterwards.

Until, of-fucking-course, Jack goes into hockey-mode and asks Larissa if she would like to be their team manager. They need one and she seems good at organizing stuff.

“Brah!” “I think it would be cool” “wait, what” “I’ve been looking to do more stuff and you guys are dope. Would I get my own nickname?”

And Jack looks her with that seriousness that means he’s thinking about hockey and firmly says “Lardo” and she says “sweet” and Shitty corrects “swasome” and things are good.

Thing don’t stay good, because as chill as Shitty tries to be, life rarely stays chill.

After winter break, in the smothering tightness of his folks’ home, Shitty finds himself craving that weird and easy friendship with Jack.

Why he finds is a Hockey Robot. All Jack seems to do and talk about is how to get the team to the play-offs. He trains longer than anyone (more than Shitty can keep up with), and when he isn’t on the ice, he is thinking about hockey or talking about plays or or about eating more protein.

Shitty is angry. Not that he would tell anyone (except Lardo) because it’s really not his place (he knows about shorty family dynamics, no pun intended) but he’s mad because Jack’s folks seem to have done quite a fucking number on him over the break and it kills him to even think about it.

And then family weekend comes and Bad Bob himself shows up to Samwell with his beautiful wife and Shitty has to swallow down his anger because Jack wants them to go have diner together and it’s the first human interaction he’s had with Jack in a month so sure he’ll go.

Shitty is good at being nice and polite around people he dislikes. He hates doing it, but it’s like muscle he had to work on growing up.

Except, Bob and Alicia are nice. Like, fucking nice. Even for Canadian standards. They are sweet and funny and normal and keep reassuring Jack about their love and support every third sentence.

And still, Jack has that grim “thinking about the next game” look on his face the whole time.

Shitty is confused as fuck.

The game goes well and Jack is the happiest Shitty has ever seen him as he celebrates his goal in the ice. He even hugs Shitty and thanks him for his assist.

Three games later they are out of the playoffs and Jack shuts down everything and everyone around him.

Shitty tries. He knocks on his door at least twice a day to see if he wants to go over to the Haus to hang out with the team. He offers going out for burgers or a beer or both. He even enlists Lardo, hoping the team manager will be able to snap him out of it.

Jack leaves early for a Hockey Summer camp and doesn’t say goodbye but Shitty hears from Johnson that he also got dibs on a room at the Haus.

Jack actually texts Shitty during the summer. It shocks him so much that he has to double check his phone before replying.

The texts are just to comment on the NHL playoffs and finals, sporadic and robotic at times, but Shitty does his best to drag the conversations for as long as possible. Once the season is over, so are the texts.

Shitty assumes Jack must be pretty happy though since his old bro won the cup.

When fall comes, Shitty stumbles again into Jack’s hockey-robot mode. His intensity is nearly terrifying. He barely speaks out of practice, only leaves his room to go to lecture or the rink. Looks like he hasn’t been sleeping at all.

Shitty is worried. He’s hurt, too, because he misses the friendly Jack that had slowly started coming out of his shell, and he wonders if it’s going to be like this, back to square-one after every break, but most of all he’s worried about Jack.

Lardo tells him to give him space. She says she sometimes gets “on the zone” for an art project and can forget about the rest of the world. Shitty likes thinking of Jack as an artist, but he hates seeing him this unhappy. None of the old tricks work to cheer him up.

Then comes the first Kegster of the year. Two frogs, Hostler and Ransom, take over planing duties and the party is the biggest the Haus has ever seen.

It’s freaking dope.

And then, fucking Kent Parson fucking shows up asking about Jack.

Lardo and Shitty nearly have to drag him out of his room to greet his old best friend.

Jack is cold towards Pars, in a way Shitty has never seen before. He’s downright rude and mean in every comment, no matter how much Kent tries to joke around, and five minutes later Jack turns around and leaves him talking to himself.

He’s jealous, Shitty realizes, and he’s being petty and awful and he doesn’t know this Jack Zimmermann at all.

Shitty runs after Jack upstairs, maybe a little emboldened by the alcohol.

“Hey, brah, what the fuck was that?”

“Stay out of it, Shits.”

“Nah, man, that was weird as fuck.”

“Seriously, you don’t know what you’re talking about”

“Then tell me, man, I’m your fucking friend! Just talk to me!”

Jack slams his bedroom door on his face and Shitty deflates. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe they are not friends after all.

The rest of the semester is tense. Shitty tries to focus on his classes, on the ice, on how fucking cool and pretty and funny Lardo is, on the parties and the rest of the team.

It just bothers him. He misses Jack. He’s still there but he’s been absent any time they aren’t in the rink. He’s still great and focused and nearly friendly in the ice, but anything else is like the fucking twilight zone.

It’s before a game that he finds Jack sitting outside Faber, curled into a ball and physically shaking.

Shitty thinks of the headlines about Jack OD’ing, thinks of his tension around his loving parents and his reaction to Kent Parson showing up. Anxiety. The word takes form in his head, clear and obvious and the relief of having an answer hits him so hard he wants to laugh.

Instead, he sits next to Jack, who stirs when he feels him by his side but actually seems to relax when he realizes it’s Shitty who found him like this. Jack lets out a breathy “I’m fine” and Shitty says “sure, brah, but I’m fucking nervous about tonight, mind if I sit here for a while?” And Jack shakes his head. So they sit, in uncharacteristic silence, until Jack’s breathing normalizes.

“Thanks, Shits. Could you not-“ “Don’t worry man, I ain’t saying fucking shit to anyone.” And Jack smiles for the first time in months.

By the end of the semester comes the Epikegster to end all the kegsters. Which means, of course, Shitty gets shitfaced.

Which is why he ends up stumbling drunkenly to his room in the middle of the night to grab another pair of sunglasses because who knows where the fuck his other two pairs went

And it’s why he doesn’t know how to react when he finds two linebackers throwing up on his bedroom floor

“Brah, what the fuck, get outta here!” He yells, trying to grab one of the guys and pull him out to the hallway.

Except, the guy is huge. And he is angry.

Shitty doesn’t know what hit him when someone throws him to the floor.

His brain thinks he’s been checked for a second but then he remembers he’s not in the ice.

The other guys, however, apparently don’t remember they aren’t on the field because the second dude tries to tackle Shitty just as he’s getting up and he barely has time to dodge before one gigant ducking foot goes through the bedroom wall

“Hey, man, what the fucking fuck?!”

Shitty tries to steady himself, increasingly accepting that he’s about to get into a fight he didn’t ask for. He has time to think it’s ironic that his first real fight in Samwell will be off-the-ice.

And then the bedroom door opens and in comes Jack Laurent Zimmermann in all of his gorgeous badass glory.

“Let’s all calm down, eh?”

Here’s the thing: it’s easy to forget how strong Jack is. Shitty is used to hanging out with Hockey Bros and it’s easy to forget that not everyone’s bro’s are big muscley athletes defying toxic masculinity standards one day at a time. But Jack, even when he doesn’t look that big, is one of the strongest people he’s met.

He remembers all this when Zimmermann grabs the two by their shirts and drags them out of the room and all the way downstairs.

Shitty stumbles after them, as Jack pulls them like they aren’t both huge masses of muscle and throws them out to the street.

By the time Shitty reaches the porch, a bunch of big as fuck guys are standing there, looking drunk and angry and ready for a fight.

So Shitty does the one thing that makes sense to him: he squares up next to Jack, ready to fight back to back with him.

Before they can get run over by fists, however, Jack reaches for the only emergency measure in the house: an old as balls fire extinguisher.

Two minutes later, the football bro’s are running away and Shitty is laughing so hard he collapses on the floor next to Jack.

Jack kneels next to him, with his serious hockey face on, puts a hand on Shitty’s shoulder and asks “you alright, Shits?”

Shitty nods, still laughing, and to his surprise Jack laughs too, sitting by his side on the floor. They sit there, chuckling, until the sound dies down and they both sigh at nearly the same time.

Whatever tension there was between them seems to have desipated with that clouth of dust of the fire extinguisher.

“Thanks for having my back, bro”

“Hey, you always have mine,” Jack shrugs. “What are best friends for?”

Shitty cries. Jack freaks out that he might have said the wrong thing. Shitty just hugs him and shouts about being the best bros.

That winter break Jack invites Shitty over to his house and Shitty accepts eagerly.

Bob and Alicia are sweet and happy to have him and keep saying how much Jack talks about Shitty and how thankful they are that Jack’s found so many good friends in Samwell and they’ve heard about Lardo and Hostler and Ransom and Johnson and Shitty most of all.

This time he manages not to cry.

At the end of the break, Jack and him are hanging out and Jack says “Hey, Shits, I’m not good at this but I wanted to say thanks, for not giving up on me when I was acting kinda weird.”

And Shitty just laughs and says “it’s alright man, I figured you have like hockey robot mode and then human mode.”

Jack makes a face. Shitty shrugs.

“I’ll take them both, brah.”

Jack doesn’t cry, because he’s Jack and even his human mode struggles with emotions, but he smiles and throws a snowball at Shitty’s face and that’s all he wanted really.

#omgcp #omgcheckplease #shitty b knight #jack zimmermann #their friendship is important to me ok? #this got SO LONG lmfao idewk how many words it has #sofia's nonsense

[jisungsmochi]

the froyo girl - zcl

chenle x frozen yogurt shop worker!reader <333 / lots of fluff and pining hehe / wingman!jisung (had to do it to ‘em) 

this should be fun!! read more for this series here

word count: 3.3k

summary: working at the frozen yogurt shop at the local mall was fun for the most part. except for when this particular group of boys enter the store almost every evening, and make a ruckus. for the most part, they don’t completely drive you crazy but the one boy with the loud laughter and the jet black hair with hints of dark blue, had you swooning.

//

“yeah so i told renjun that i didn’t want to study together on friday and he was kind of upset so- y/n? are you listening?” your friend, jiwon snapped her fingers in your face. you shook your head to rid of your dozed off state, looking at the girl in front of you. you were currently standing behind the counter at the frozen yogurt shop you worked at. it was a fairly small establishment, only a few tables set up inside and outside and usually two employees working a shift at a time. unfortunately, you were the only one called in for work, as your coworker was currently on vacation. you didn’t mind though, the shop never got too out of hand, after all, it was mainly a self-serve type of business.

you were speaking to jiwon who had started dating her coworker, renjun, from the diner. you knew all the gritty details of their mini rivalry, in which you always lectured her to be nicer to him.

“sorry, i just feel really drowsy today” you sigh, looking down at the variety of treats in front of you.

“are you feeling sick or something? you shouldn’t have forced yourself to work!” jiwon began to worry, ready to hop over the counter to take you home.

“no no, it’s not like that. i didn’t get much sleep last night because of those group of guys who always come in later in the evenings” you yawn, confirming the fact you were completely exhausted. you had allowed the group to stay in store after hours. you knew that you should have flashed some sort of authority onto them, but everytime you saw him, you got nervous.

“y/n! you can’t let them push you around like that, you have to stand your ground” jiwon tried to hype you up, only earning a small nod in return.

“i know i know, it’s just everytime i see h-“ you immediately stop yourself, knowing how she was going to react. jiwon smirked at you, wiggling her eyebrows. you held your face in your hands and groaned.

“you have a crush on that dude that laughs really loud! the one that sounds like a dolphin” she chuckles, causing you to blush in response. you had heard his friends chant his name a few times, chenle. you always found your eyes drifting towards him. how he dramatically swung his head back while laughing at something his friends said, how he always managed to overflow his cup with oreo crumbs, and especially how he always gave you a smile before he left. you knew it didn’t mean much, but you couldn’t help but feel warm inside everytime he did so.

chenle and his group started hanging at the shop around two months ago. you vividly remember the first time you interacted with him.

he walked in with his best friend, who you knew was jisung, the boy who worked at your local convenience store. you weren’t paying attention to them at first, your main task being fixing the oreo froyo machine. it had suddenly stopped working a few minutes before, and your coworker was currently on the phone with the manager about the situation. chenle stood behind you, instantly frowning at situation. you felt some figures near you, eyes widening at the boys who returned the look. you gave them a small smile,

“sorry guys, the machine is broken, we’ll have it back up and running soon. but you can try the red velvet flavour, it’s new and a personal favourite” you kindly explained, wiping your hands on your apron.

“oh okay, thankyou! goodluck with fixing the machine though” chenle smiles softly, moving to grab the red velvet flavour. you couldn’t help but overhear the conversation,

“but dude, oreo is your favourite flavour” jisung mutters,

“it can change” he shrugged, instantly making you feel giddy. it was simple things like that, which made you infatuated with the boy. what could you say? you were a sucker for him from day one.

chenle and his friends were once again, hanging inside the shop. your coworker bid you a farewell before reminding you to lock up. you nodded at her, wishing her a good night before wiping down the rest of the counter top. you could hear chenle’s laughter echo throughout the whole shop, it never failed to make you giggle to yourself. you didn’t notice, like every other time chenle was staring at you. he watched as you blew bits of your hair from your face. he watched as you huffed after finished wiping the counter top, and threw the wet towel into the bucket. he watched as you cheered to yourself for landing the shot, which made him smile even more. jisung noticed, nudging his friend’s shoulder,

“stop staring and go talk to her” he tried to encourage the dark haired boy.

“you know i can’t, s-she looks busy” chenle tried to excuse, now both boys’ eyes were directed at you. you were leaning against the counter, eyes fixed on your phone, waiting for the boys to finish up.

“she sure looks busy” jisung smirked, deciding it was time for him to meddle a bit. chenle watched as the younger boy waltzed up to you. his other friends were equally as shocked, but brushed it off, going back to their conversations. chenle tried to make out the words being exchanged between you and jisung,

“hey there” you look up, eyes meeting those of the tall boy.

“oh hi, may i help you?” you shove your phone in your pocket, giving your attention to him.

“are you busy after your shift ends?” he suddenly asks as your eyes widen. you weren’t sure what his intentions were, your eyes subconsciously flicking to chenle who was glaring at jisung.

“i-i’m sorry, are you asking me out?” you furrowed your eyebrows, trying to read the situation.

“only if you want me to” jisung chuckled. you stayed silent, eyes still flicking over to chenle. the dark haired boy was listening the entire time, hoping you’d reject his friend.

“i’m flattered but i-i uh like someone at the moment. it would be kinda weird to go out with someone else, right?” you nervously answered, not wanting to let down the boy in front of you.

“ahh i see, no hard feelings there, have a nice night, y/n” jisung smiles softly, walking back to his friends. you stood in place for a solid minute, what the hell just happened? why on earth did you confess to jisung that you liked someone? god, what if chenle heard it all?

when jisung sat back down, chenle slapped his arm harshly,

“what the hell was that?” chenle confronted his friend,

“relax, i just wanted to see if she had feelings for someone. it could be you, you know” jisung shrugs as he shoved another spoonful of froyo into his mouth.

“but what if it’s not me? and it’s like some cooler dude from her school” chenle sighs in defeat, accepting that he didn’t have a chance with you.

“god you really don’t see it, do you? she kept looking at you when i was talking to her. it must mean something. now grow some balls and talk to the girl, she’s not gonna bite!” jisung exclaims, waving his arms dramatically. chenle chuckles at his actions, jisung’s words floating at the back of his head.

maybe he needed that extra push.

it was your day off, yet you still found yourself at the mall, third-wheeling with jiwon and renjun. you trailed behind them, sipping on an overpriced smoothie. jiwon turned back at you, ushering you to stand in between her and renjun. you and renjun had gotten closer since he started dating jiwon, so it was common for both of them to give you advice on random things. they looked their arms with yours, as the three of you walked in unison.

“so y/n, jiwon told me you have a crush o-“ you cut off renjun with a cold glare, making him freeze.

“jiwon! why did you tell him?” you whines to your friend as she gave you pleading eyes.

“i’m sorry! i tell him everything, it just slipped up, i swear” jiwon sighed. you ended up shaking your head, accepting the whole situation.

“it’s okay, and yeah i do have a crush. his name is chenle. he and his friends come to the shop a lot. and weirdly enough, one of his friends kinda asked me out?” you explained to the couple as they listened intensively.

“what?! you got asked out on a date?!” jiwon’s jaw dropped as the three of you ended up in the food court, now seated at a table.

“not really, i could tell he wasn’t being serious. jisung is a joker kind of guy” you shrugged, thoughts leading back to that moment.

“what did you say to him?” renjun questioned as you snapped back to reality.

“uh well i just told him i liked someone else” you shyly let out, causing the couple to smile at eachother before landing their eyes on you.

“i see what’s going on here, it’s a classic wingman move” renjun begins, capturing your attention. “jisung must have asked you out, as a way to figure out if you were taken or single. and since you don’t believe he was interested in you, who’s to say he wasn’t asking on behalf of someone else?” renjun smirks at you, causing you to reanalyse everything that went down that night.

“i mean, that kind of makes sense? boys will always be confusing” jiwon chimes in, rolling her eyes at renjun.

“so you think that, maybe he asked on behalf of chenle?” you whispered his name, too shy to say it aloud. renjun nodded, giving you a pat on the back.

“well what should i do then?” you question, eager for more advice.

“i think it’s best you wait it out. he may think that the person you like, isn’t him. in that case, you should probably try and make conversation with him, it’s a good start” renjun continues to encourage you, jiwon now giving him heart eyes. you smiled softly at how infatuated they were with eachother. you were surprised at how clever renjun was with his advice, so you all ended up planning how you would inevitably talk to chenle.

it was a thursday night, the one day of the week where the mall was open until the late hours of the night. jiwon and renjun visited you, going over your initial plan to speak with chenle.

“what time do they usually come in?” renjun asks, taking a scoop of frozen yogurt into his mouth.

“around 9? they end up staying until closing time anyway” you confirm, wiping down the edges of the counter.

“so what’s the plan?” jiwon asks you, making sure you memorised everything.

“when he comes to pay for his frozen yogurt, i will start a conversation with him, and then eventually get his number” you nod along with your words, not noticing how the couple was looking at you with concern.

“okay but can you actually talk to him?” renjun teased, causing you to snap your head to face him.

“yes i can! i’m very good at talking to people, it’s part of my job duh” you roll your eyes playfully at the boy.

“i’m just making sure okay! we should start heading home though, we have a movie date planned” renjun pulled jiwon to his side, running his hand softly against her arm. you smiled at how adorable they were,

“have fun you two, but not too much fun” you gave them a stern glare as they walked out of the store, hand in hand.

the clock struck 9, and as if on cue, the group of boys entered the store. you noticed that there was someone missing, only counting four heads instead of the usual five. your eyes met jisung’s as he gave you a small wave, in which you returned. you frowned when you didn’t see his other half standing with him. chenle didn’t come with them today. your heart sunk, your plans all going to waste. you sighed to yourself before serving the rest of the boys. jisung approached you slowly, noticing that you looked rather down today.

“hey, are you okay?” the tall boy asked, full of concern. you nodded softly, unsure of how to respond,

“y-yeah i’m good, your total is $4.80” you tried to crack a smile. jisung couldn’t help but give you a solemn look. before you took his money, you decided to question him,

“i hope this doesn’t sound weird but where is your friend? the one with the loud laugh” you smiled at the last part, taking the money from jisung.

you didn’t see it at first, but jisung’s face lit up at the mention of his best friend.

“oh you mean chenle? he’s studying for this huge exam tomorrow, and decided to ditch us” jisung smirked at you, slowly connecting the dots.

“a-ah okay, that’s too bad then” you shrugged, handing him his change.

“yeah it is too bad” jisung walked away from the counter, immediately grabbing his phone,

big head 1: CHENLE, GET UR ASS TO THE MALL RIGHT NOW

big head 2: JISUNG, SHUT UP IM TRYING TO STUDY

big head 1: Y/N ASKED ME WHERE YOU WERE, DUDE SHES INTO YOU

big head 2: don’t prank me bro, i’m not in the mood

big head 1: i’m not lying, i promise! she really did ask for you, she seemed kinda down actually

big head 2: wait what?! dude chemistry can wait! i’m on my way

chenle dropped everything on his desk. he grabbed a random denim jacket from the end of his bed and rushed out of his house. he hopped into his car, speeding off to the mall. you observed the group of boys while waiting for your shift to end. your eyes were glued to the seat that was reserved for chenle. you sighed to yourself, knowing that it wasn’t going to work out anyway. you had pretty much lost all confidence in talking to chenle, accepting the fact that maybe you just had your hopes set too high. you wanted to text jiwon about everything but you also didn’t want to interrupt her date with renjun. so you started cleaning the machines, prepping them for the next day. you heard the chatter of the boys slowly die down, knowing they were ready to leave soon. you heard the shuffling of chairs, followed by a chorus of ‘thank you’s as you turned and gave the boys a small wave, your eyes once again landing on jisung who had a smug look on his face as he left. you shook your head at the thought, before starting to pack up the chairs. you were just about ready to switch off the lights and close up when a puffed out chenle startled you. he pushed open the door of the shop, causing you to jump back in surprise. you let out a small yelp, followed by nervous laughter.

“u-uh may i help you?” you managed to let out, watching as chenle caught his breath. you pulled out a chair for him to sit on, furrowing your eyebrows at the sight in front of you.

“d-do you have any water?” he managed to huff out, as you rushed to the small freezer of beverages, handing him a water bottle.

chenle chugged down a solid half of the water before looking over at you. you were now seated across from him, your hands in your lap, waiting for him to start a conversation.

“i uh, i’m sorry for barging in, especially when you’re about to close” he starts, you shake your head before saying

“it’s alright, i don’t mind” chenle smiles at your words, heart beating faster than normal.

“i just wanted to uh, see if you wanted to-“ he stops himself, trying to gain more courage to finish,

“what is it, chenle?” you gave him a reassuring smile as he copied your expression.

“you know my name?” he gasped in awe as you let out a small giggle.

“of course i do, with the amount of times you have paid with your card, it’s hard not to glance at your name” you smile as he buries his head in his hands, too shy to face you.

“and also, your group of friends aren’t the quietest bunch, so i took notice of you” you widened your eyes at your words, shocked that you would blurt something out like that. chenle found it adorable, softly blushing at how you admitted you noticed him.

“i’m sorry about that” he sighs before continuing, “i think you’re really pretty and i wanted to ask you to hang out, just the two of us” he avoided your eyes, keeping them fixed on your hands placed in your lap. you were stunned by his words. the boy you had been silently admiring for weeks had just asked you out on a date. you didn’t know how to respond, causing chenle to look up at your shocked expression. he cracked a small smile, which calmed your nerves,

“i would really like that” you nodded eagerly as chenle took your hands in his.

“i was hoping you’d say that” he mumbled, as the two of you talked for the next hour. as it was getting late, you locked up the shop and accepted chenle’s offer to drop you off at home. it was so easy to talk to chenle, you facepalmed yourself for not doing it sooner. he was so witty and charming, he always had something interesting to say, you never got bored.

“don’t you have an exam to study for?” you questioned the dark haired boy as he pulled up to your house.

“eh it’s no big deal, i had more important things to tend to” you blushed at his words, instantly feeling yourself fall for him.

“i’ll see you soon, chenle” you smiled widely at him before getting out of the car. he waited for you to enter your house before leaving your driveway. as soon as he got home, he called jisung to update him on everything.

“you actually got the girl” jisung gasped,

“i guess i did” chenle spoke, still in shock. jisung chuckled from the other end,

“not without my help though” chenle rolled his eyes at his best friend,

“thank you man, i owe you one”

“like owe me a meal? or like a new phone?” jisung teased,

“neither now go to bed” chenle hung up, tapping through his contacts, eventually reaching yours. he smiled softly, typing a quick message,

“goodnight y/n! have sweet dreams, let’s talk soon!”

you completely gushed when you received the message, rolling over in your bed in glee. it was an indescribable feeling. you were overwhelmed with happiness. after weeks of pining over chenle, it was unknown to you that he felt the exact same. you had renjun and jiwon to thank, as well as jisung. the fact of the matter is, you lucked out on one of the sweetest most fun loving guys in the world, and you couldn’t be happier.

#zhong chenle #nct imagines #nct dream imagines #nct fluff #chenle imagine #nct writing #nct fic #nct serie #nct chenle imagine #nct dream #jisungsmochiimagines #jisungsmochi masterlist

[theravencawsatmidnight]

Curious Cat Pt 8 Ending.

Summary. Shigaraki, feared villain had been turned into a cat abd picked up by reader who takes care of him for a short time . He changes back , has a quickie and goes home feeling full of regret. Till you come to visit him

Shigaraki made an effort to come visit you after that day at least 2 or 3 times a week, sometimes 4 if Kurogiri wanted him out of the hideout for a bit. You kept all the little cat toys and basket though and he always commented on it when he came over. You happily told him it put your mind at ease seeing it everyday after work. Usually he would just click his teeth in annoyance and tell you to take your clothes off but tonight was different…

“So what's so bad about this damn job.” He asked you sitting on the couch, arms folded and staring at the basket. You joined him hugging his arm snuggling up next to him sighing.

“Well. It's just a Diner but it's tiring .. and customers can be..”

“Can be what?” He looked down at you .

“..mean. Sometimes”

“Excuse me?”

You told Shigaraki all about the rude customers, how it's not your fault orders get messed up and how sometimes they try to touch you. He had asked you what they looked like and you told him thinking nothing of it. His arm shook you off and he put his hand in your hair, pinkie up. Being mean to Human.... “don't worry about that.” You tried to say something but he dropped the subject on you.

If Shigaraki came over on a day off he came over early to spend the day with you. It really did not bother you that he was a villain. Even though when you asked him how his day was he would usually say : “im closer to killing All Might,” or “ i blew up a building” . It didn't bother you. Because you knew somewhere inside him was a fussy cat who hated being alone. It made you laugh and Shigaraki would click his teeth and threaten to leave but he never did. Like a teenager running away to the stop sign down the street. He never made it off the porch.

Every friday he came over and you had to beg him for a cuddle night instead of fucking. He would only agree if you would put your hand in his pants and of course you did if it meant you would get cuddle time. You always picked the movie and oh my god the first night you pulled out a hero movie and Shigaraki almost dusted your damn house. So it was animated animal movies every friday. He hated it, but he secretly loved the smile on your face when you got to watch them. He always got a kiss on the lips when it was time for him to leave and a little bag of snacks for him and the League.

“I'm not a damn child, Human.”

“ then why do you take the bag Tomu?” You would giggle and kiss him again , sending him on his way.

••

Shigaraki walked down the street , hands in his hoodie clutching the little bag with cats on it, hood up. Usually Kurogiri warped him home but tonight he wanted to walk. He was approaching the diner when he saw the customers you described, he leaned on the building waiting till they came out. He followed them for maybe a mile till they were all alone, he grabbed each one on the arm turning them to dust and continued his walk home, smirking and eating a cookie.

Shigaraki put the bag on the bar and Toga jumped on them like always . Dabi snagged one and had to get one for Spinner and Kurogiri asked how his Leaders day was like he always did. No one teased him about being a cat anymore instead they asked when you were coming by now.

“ why would i do that.” He asked , annoyed.

“Cuz!!!!” Toga yelled stuffing her face.

“To bake cookies .” Dabi said, eating another.

Shigaraki rolled his eyes turning away thinking about it. Why would I share Human?, Human is mine. He folded his arms turning back to the League seeing how happy everyone was. Fuck.”fine. Ill have Giran pick her up “

“Yay!!!” Toga yelled, making Shigaraki wince.

“So whos gonna clean this dump?” Dabi asked, tipping the bag into his mouth for the crumbs.

“Uhm. Maybe we all could?” Spinner chimed in.

After an hour-long lecture from Kurogiri everyone was motivated to clean up the hideout.

••

You were so excited to bake for everyone you couldn't help but to buy cake and brownie mix too. Giran picked you up from your home and even opened the car door for you. You told him all about Shigaraki when he was a cat , all the times he fussed, tipped over his milk, and jumped in your shirt. It was all precious information for Giran.

He dropped you off and you saw a little sign on the door that said Welcome with a balloon tied to it. Blushing you opened the door going down the hallway to knock on the second door. Spinner opened the door shyly peaking over it and you waved at him, making him blush hard and run off to the bar . Toga pulled you in and you introduced yourself properly this time to her along with the rest of the League

. Everyone was happy to meet you and couldn't help but gush over you and the snacks you brought them. Spinner and Dabi took the bag and Toga asked if she could help you bake and when you agreed she ran to the kitchen as fast as she could.

Before you could join her you went to Shigaraki who was playing his Switch on the couch . You kissed his head saying hello and he just mumbled under his breath a ‘hi’. You and Kurigiri shared a giggle and you joined Toga to bake.

••

You made brownies, a cake and cookies . The whole hideout smelled of heaven . Toga begged you to stay and Shigaraki shut it down and Toga argued with him.

“She's. perfect.”

“It's dangerous.”

“So are we?!?!?”

Shigaraki clicked his teeth and you pet Toga on the head. “Ill visit whenever Tomu lets me.”

Dabi tipped his head back on the couch . “At Least once a week. “

“Please ,” Spinner added.

“Fine.” He grabbed you taking you to the door and you waved to everyone, thanking them.

Shigaraki walked down the sidewalk, hands in his pockets ahead of you. Swiftly you caught up wrapping your arms around his smiling up at him. “Thank you, for letting me come over. I asked Kurogiri to warp your switch to my place by the way , so you can play it.”

“Uh huh. Thanks.”

You nuzzled into his arm enjoying the walk home, a smile on your face.

“Human.”

“Yes?”

“There's no telling when a lousy Hero will raid us . I can't have you there if it happens. “

You were quiet for a while, just squeezing his arm while you walked alongside him. “You're Not a bad person..”

He stopped. And looked down at you.

“ excuse me?”

“I sa-“

“I killed those customers that were giving you problems at your lousy job”

“You..?”

“ see? Bad person.”

You pulled his hood down and kissed him wrapping your arms around his neck making him walk backwards into an alleyway till he hit a building. He pulled away gasping for air and gave you an irritated look.

“Tomu!!” You smiled wiping your eyes. “Thank you!!!”

“..excuse me?”

“Now work will be better!! I won't be sad!!” You flashed him a smile and Shigaraki rolled his eyes pulling you close. “You're welcome. I guess i can figure out the day you ca-“ “rrr..”

“Tomu was that you?”

“What ?!? NO.”

“Rrr..”

“Tomu if your hungry i have-“

“Its NOT me!”

“RRRR!!!!”

You both looked down to see a box moving . You crouched down opening it and you squealed, turning to show Shigaraki. It was a white blueish kitten with messy hair on its head with red eyes. You hugged the kitten and Shigaraki kneeled down not knowing what to say. Well, shit.

“What are you going to call it?”

You cried tears of joy .

“Tenko!!!”

••

@bat-eclecticwolfbouquet-love @Unknownweeabo @babayaga67 @mauvette268

@solzubasu @elementalabyss @sehowlawoods @knifeewifee

••

#curious shiggy #shigaraki x reader #tomura shigaraki #shimura tenko

[lacheri]

i don’t know if your event is still open since it is already past time from your deadline but the event in ypur navigation says otherwise so i am betting my luck ≡^ˇ^≡

i am INFJ-T, and i am a pisces ☉ scorpio ☽. i use she/her. i love to have mutual pinning trope with reiner braun. i’m someone who is studious and sometimes i based my worth to my grades LMFAO i like earth tones. i love cooking and singing, too! my love languages are words of affirmation and acts of service!

thank you for creating this such beautiful event 🤍

hi mono! I hope you like it angel! <3 (also this is so funny I literally started this the day you submitted and before I navigated through your (now old) theme, at least it's ON BRAND)

The Moon: everything looks prettier under the moon's glow. this is the card for the subconscious, for the dreamer, for hidden thoughts and feelings. this card has many different meanings, anxiety and fear lace the moon as well, but I like to interrupt this as a positive sign when it appears in a reading. it provides a dreamy cast on all things that fall under its light. this card just makes so much sense to me with you being an infj, someone who's filled with imagination and insightfulness.

ivy - frank ocean. "If I could see through your walls, I could see you're faking. If you could see my thoughts, you would see our faces."

If there were words to describe him, they escaped every corner of your mind. His blonde hair curled outwards in flicks against the nape of his neck, begging for your fingers to reach out and entangle themselves in the strands. You knew he’d be going to get it cut within the week, he always did when it grew out to be this long. Still, you could admire him, even if you were staring directly into the back of his head, daydreaming away of your could be love.

“Pass the quizzes back!” Professor Hange called out from the front of the room, handing out large stacks to the front rows of students.

You sat back in the fifth row, directly behind Reiner Braun, the theoretical love of your life. Had you even spoken more than two sentences to the man? Absolutely not. Did you know his favorite flavor of gum was spearmint, and he never could keep a pencil on his person? Of course, he asked you every single day.

It wasn’t like Reiner had a well known reputation or anything, in fact he floated like a social butterfly between so many different groups of people, it was hard to dislike the guy. He always had a charming smile on his face and a kind word to say. It didn’t take much to develop your small crush on the man sitting in front of you, and although he was mostly silent while in class, his eyes would swirl with concentration whenever you’d catch his line of view.

The sight of his sharp jawline came into your field of vision as he turned, resting one arm on the back of his chair as he met your eyes, palm extended with your paper, “Here ya’ go.”

“Thank you,” you managed to smile, tucking a strand of loose hair behind your ear before reaching forward, passing back the rest of the stack to the student behind you.

“I’m sure you did great,” he offered a small smile when you turned back around, the genuine kind that had your heart fluttering in your chest. “You always do.”

“I’m sure you did too,” you responded shyly, diverting your gaze to the paper now in front you, smiling as your eyes scanned the contents. A perfect score, just as you had hoped.

Reiner hadn’t completely turned around yet, darting his eyes between you and his own quiz, “Hey, can I ask you something?”

Record officially broken, “Sure, what’s up?”

“Do you think you could help me out with this class?” his eyes were shifting all over the room, his usual confident façade in tatters. “I don’t understand a single thing about biology.”

“Um,” your eyes widened dramatically, a cold sweat breaking out under your clothing. No way, there was literally no way this was actually happening.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to,” you saw the twinge of pink rise on the apples of his cheeks as his fingers lifted to scratch the back of his neck. “I can pay you too.”

“No, no,” you shook your head furiously, forcing words passed your teeth. “You don’t have to pay me. When did you, uh, want to do this?”

“I guess after class if you’re not busy,” his eyes flickered to the clock above the whiteboard on the wall. Please say yes, he chanted in his mind.

“No, not really. That works for me,” You'd be calling out of work right now if you had a job, cancelling any and all plans to take full advantage of this golden moment. One that had played in your head the entire semester, living in your daydreams while you ogled the blonde with a fluttering heart.

“Cool,” Reiner bit down on his bottom lip as he smiled, readjusting himself to face forward as Professor Hange began to lecture the class about their pitiful grades.

“Cool,” you breathed out, feeling a sense of relief now his eyes weren’t directly on you. If you only knew how Reiner’s heart thumped in his ears, how that smile never left his lips. He’d been working up the courage to ask you that all semester.

The library was nearly empty after the sunset, the perfect scene for your tutoring session with the ever handsome Reiner. It took all of your willpower to stay focused on the textbooks sprawled on the table in front of you, and not the warmth radiating from his body as he sat next to you, his knee brushing against yours.

“Okay, so what’s the difference between mitosis and meiosis again?” you whispered, feeling the gnawing tingle of sleepiness behind your eyelids.

Reiner broke the contact from the page in front of him, you could feel his breath hit your cheeks bones as he muttered, “Mitosis has four stages while meiosis has eight. The chromosome numbers are the same in each one though.”

“No, just mitosis stays the same,” you turned your head to the old book in front of you, pointer finger trailing the sentence as you corrected him. “The daughter cell is halved in chromosomes in meiosis. Both produce new cells and start with a single parent cell.”

“This makes no sense,” Reiner groaned, placing his head in his hands.

This plan seemed a lot better in his head, allowing the perfect opportunity to get close to you, to hold a conversation. He’d turn around almost every day of class and ask to borrow a pencil, just to talk to you. He felt bad when he’d begin to turn in his chair just to see you already extending one out for him. So, Reiner moved on to offering you gum every day. This also became the expected, and you began placing a foiled covered stick on his desk as you’d walk into class every day.

You were just so smart and so pretty, there was absolutely no way he stood a chance. He lacked the brains, lacked the courage, not to mention he didn’t have any outstanding features. Sure if he was incredibly handsome he could at least try to dumbly pull you, ignorantly stumbling over half assed compliments and actions. But he was too self aware, feeling small next to your figure. He was out of ideas, and found that he was using his last ditch efforts to finally make his move.

“Here, I’ll make you some flash cards,” you offered, taking a sharpie and some loose index cards from your school bag.

“Do you think we could do this more often?” Reiner mumbled out suddenly, a fierce blush threatening the tips of his ears. “The, uh, study sessions? I’m really lost.” He just wanted to spend more time with you.

“Yeah, of course,” you pulled your bottom lip between your teeth, avoiding his gaze at all costs.

“Cool,” he breathed out, a weight lifted off of his chest. “I’m usually free after class most days, maybe we could like, get food tomorrow?”

Reiner was sweating awaiting your answer. He’d been building up the courage for weeks now to ask to be in your presence, and he felt as if he might’ve been pushing his luck. Of course, you didn’t feel this way at all, almost in a stupor that your crush had even asked to spend more time with you.

“Okay,” you smiled so softly, Reiner could feel the red heat reach the apples of his cheeks. “There’s this really cool diner in town, I’ve been dying to go.”

“The retro one? I’ve been there a few times, it’s pretty cool, and the food is really good,” C’mon Reiner find another reason to keep her attention, “Are you busy tonight, we can go now?”

You glanced down to your outfit, and deemed it cute enough to go out in public, “You sure? I don’t want to hold you up if you have plans.”

Reiner couldn’t pack his bookbag faster, fingers clumsily fumbling all the notes he had taken during your study session, “I’ll call an Uber right now.”

It was like you had known Reiner all of your life. If someone were to pass by the diner’s windows that night and saw the two of you, shoveling food into your mouths and sipping on milkshakes, they could’ve sworn that you were dating, deeply in love. The way you both leaned in across the table, toes centimeters away from touching under the booth, fingertips so close on the table, it was almost a sure sign. Reiner of course wouldn’t have worked up the courage to officially ask you out until your sixth study session, almost at the end of the semester. And of course you said yes, brain malfunctioning at the admittance of his feelings.

When you met Reiner’s closest friends, Bertholdt and Annie, he introduced you as “the smartest, prettiest girl in the whole world”, and had gotten a little too enthusiastic when asked how the two of you met.

“We had a class together and I drooled over her every single day, and finally got the courage to ask her out,” not exactly the truth, you’d think as he’d recite the story. He was leaving out how badly you had pined over him as well. Almost in denial, Reiner genuinely couldn’t believe he had somehow managed to capture your heart from the very beginning.

It seemed as if your feelings for Reiner only deepened and blossomed under the weight of your new relationship. You had only begun to scratch the surface, and you fell so deeply in love with the blonde as time moved forward. Maybe it was the universe calling to you when you had first met him in your biology class, or maybe you were just meant to be soulmates. You’d say exactly that too when your friends would ask you how the two of you got together.

There wasn’t a better matched couple, the friends would think. Strangers would agree too, catching the sight of your conjoined hands together and loving gazes and you’d sit in that diner, night after night, study sessions in the library. It had to be fate, you decided in the end. Reiner was everything you ever wanted and more, even better than the daydreams you had conjured while you stared at the back of his head. Reiner felt exactly the same, and he told you every single day how you were the best thing to ever happen to him.

LACHERI © 2021: all writing content belongs to LACHERI. I do not allow reposts or translations. this is my only account.

#lacheri's 200 follower event #WOOOOO THIS TOOK A MINUTE TO WRITE #i hope u like it mono <3

[stevesnailbat]

the fine line | steve harrington x hopper!oc

part four : only way of knowing you

SERIES MASTERLIST

summary: Steve and Jess are finally mending their relationship, and there’s one thing left to do to bring things back to normal.

warnings: kinda angsty with some sweet, sweet smut

word count: 2.1K

a/n: this is the final part of this series!! thank you to everyone who supported it despite the amount of times i delayed writing it, enjoy! the gif is not mine, it’s from this gifset:)

There was always an ominous feeling stuck in the pit of Jess’ gut. She couldn’t escape it, no matter how hard she tried. The words to describe how she felt sat on the tip of her tongue at all times, but she wasn’t ever able to articulate them, no matter who it was to.

Improvements in her relationship with Steve were made in increments. Sometimes they moved forward, sometimes there were a few steps back. It seemed like things were coming to a standstill, though. They hadn’t made much progress and they were stuck. They were stuck in the awkward phase that every new couple has, but this time was different. It was their second time in this phase, this time was excruciatingly long.

Steve did everything he could to make her feel loved, to make her feel like she made the right decision, to make her feel happy. It didn’t seem like enough most of the time, though. He knew it wasn’t her fault, her walls were still built high and he had to break them slowly.

He tried anything and everything to close the gap between them, physically and emotionally. There were countless nights where Steve lost hours of sleep over how he’d make his next move, how he’d make her smile just once more. It was exhausting in every way possible, but he knew it would be worth it in the end. So, he pushed through the discomfort.

Despite Hop’s apprehension about letting Steve back into Jess’ life, he let her do her own thing. He told her to make her own mistakes and that he hoped she’d prove him wrong eventually. Jess usually opted for other places besides the cabin for spending time with Steve, mainly because of her dad. He was like a hawk at all times when they were there, so it was best to go elsewhere.

Jess was eventually persuaded to go to Steve’s house after running out of date ideas in the small town. She wanted to spend time with him, she really did. She was just afraid of what would happen if they were alone; she was afraid they’d lose their progress to some stupid fight again.

This time felt different than any other date they had been on in the last few weeks. It was simple, no pressure at all. Of course, it really wasn’t a date; they were only staying the night at Steve’s house, just like they used to. It was the first time she’d stayed with him since everything happened, but she wanted to.

Jess was laying in the middle of the bed and Steve was fumbling through some movies while the mixtape she had made him after their first date played from the radio in the corner. Foreigner’s I Want to Know What Love Is filled the silence of the room and made Jess’ heart flutter.

It made her feel the same way she felt on that night when she came home from their first date to Benny’s. There was an instant connection in that old diner that night. They’d stayed out a little later—probably a lot later—than she had told Hop, just sitting in their booth for hours, talking about God only knows what. The last thing she expected was for her dad to show up to Benny’s—uniform and all—and flash his police lights to get their attention.

Of course, he lectured both of them about coming home on time, but Jess couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. She was as happy as she could be when Hop made her come home with him; she was even content without getting that first goodnight kiss she’d been looking forward to for so long. I Want to Know What Love Is was the first song that played on the radio of Hop’s Chevy Blazer and it sent butterflies through Jess’ stomach. That’s when she knew Steve was the one.

“Jess? Did you hear me?” Steve asked, breaking her from her thoughts as he waived two movies in front of her face. “The Shining or E.T.?”

“I—Uh—The Shining is fine.” she said, shooting him a forced smile. “Sorry, I was lost in thought for a second.”

“Are you alright?” he questioned while dropping the movies to sit next to her, narrowing his eyes as she nodded quickly. “What were you thinking about?”

“This song.” she laughed, shaking her head.

“What about it?” Steve implored, quirking an eyebrow at her short answer.

“I heard this song right after our first date. When my dad stole me away from Benny’s, remember?” she said, letting out a small giggle as he smiled at her. “I heard it and I—I immediately thought about you. About how—how I already liked you so much.”

“Yeah? That night was pretty amazing.” Steve chuckled, looking down at her to see the struggle beneath the smile she was giving him. “I knew that I was in so deep that night, you had me head over heels for you.”

“Yeah, I think I could say the same about you.” she said nervously as Steve rested his hand atop hers in a soothing way. “That was the night I realized how I had already fallen in love with you.”

“Really?” he asked hopefully, his heart skipping a beat as she said love.

“Yeah, it really was.” she sighed.

The room was dead silent for a moment that felt like an eternity. The words for how she felt were on the tip of her tongue, and she finally felt like she could say them out loud. A small smile appeared on her face as she locked eyes with Steve again.

“It really was the night I knew that I knew I loved you, and that I wouldn’t ever stop loving you.” she said softly, inching closer to him as she spoke.

Steve could feel his heart beating in his ears as she got closer, he could feel her breath against his skin. He felt paralyzed for a moment as he took it all in, he’d honestly never expected to hear her say that to him again.

“I love you, Jess.” he said, his voice barely above a whisper, as if saying it too loud would make it all go away.

She couldn’t handle it anymore, she couldn’t stop herself from holding back her feelings anymore. At first, she’d told herself that he needed to earn her love, but he’d done more than earn it at this point. Jess could tell how many sleepless nights he’d had, how many painstaking hours he’d put into getting everything right just so she could be happy again. And she loved him for it. Her lips pressed against his in a kiss that was deeper than any they had shared since everything happened, so much tension had built up for this moment.

Steve’s breath caught in his throat as he leaned into the kiss, caught by surprise at how passionate it was. He accepted the kiss easily and wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her closer. The kiss had everything about Steve that she loved wizzing through her mind. His smile, his need to make her happy all the time, his horribly funny jokes, his ridiculously well-kept his everything, really. Relief filled Jess’ chest as she deepened the kiss once more.

“Are you okay?” Steve asked, pulling away after feeling a tear from her cheek slip onto his.

“Yes, Steve. I’m just—just really happy that I gave you this second chance.” she said, pulling him in for another kiss before he could get a word in.

Steve was still hesitant with his kisses, though. He didn’t want to push her, he didn’t know exactly what she wanted. His hesitancy was proven wrong when her kisses grew hungrier and she pulled herself into Steve’s lap. It was the last thing he was expecting in the moment, but he wasn’t going to stop her. Jess’ arms clung to Steve’s neck while straddling him, as if she’d fall if she let go. Her hips began to grind against his and a throaty moan escaped Steve’s lips, but he stopped her for a moment. He gently rolled her onto her back, taking his place between her legs as he continued the heated kiss.

“Let me do the work, baby.” he murmured, trailing kisses along the crook of her neck. “I wanna show you how much you mean to me.”

“Fuck, Stevie.” she whimpered after feeling his length pressed against her core.

Steve took his time in stripping Jess down, making sure to take in every inch of her as he did, like he’d never see her like this again. Every few seconds he’d mumble about how beautiful she looked while kissing down her body, making sure to do so gently. He wanted to savor the moment, to make sure she’d never forget this day.

Jess was left in only her underwear as Steve tugged his own pants and t-shirt off, his eyes locked on her the whole time. She reached around to unclasp her bra, throwing it to the floor after pulling it off. Steve’s lips were on her chest as soon as he finished taking his clothes off, leaving small hickeys and nips along her breasts while toying with her nipples. His teasing was always painstaking, he’d drag out their foreplay as long as he could to make her orgasms better than she’d experienced with anyone else.

His lips trailed down her stomach and stopped at the hem of her panties. He gazed up at her for a moment as if to ask for permission, but the look of lust in her eyes was all he needed to continue what he was doing. Steve hooked his thumbs under the waistband of her panties and tugged then off, leaving her completely naked below him.

A moan of surprise escaped her lips when Steve touched her, his finger rubbing agonizingly slow circles along her clit. His tongue striped along her entrance, another gasp coming from her lips. She was feeling impatient, though. She wanted all of Steve in the moment, she didn’t care about foreplay.

“Steve.” she called to him, his eyes snapping to hers as he stopped his motions. “I don’t care about the foreplay right now. I want you, please.”

Steve took a deep breath at her forward words, but nodded rapidly. He wasted no time and hastily grabbed a condom from his nightstand, ripping it open with his teeth as she pulled his boxers down. Steve rolled the condom up his length as his heart raced, any nerves that he had felt disappearing in the moment. He leaned down to kiss her gingerly while lining himself up with her entrance.

“I love you, Steve.” she said softly, running her hand through his hair as she looked up at him with a genuine love-filled expression.

“I love you, Jess.” he said before pressing his lips to hers once again, sliding into her slowly.

He groaned as he bottomed out within her, a feeling of bliss taking over his body. It was unlike any other time they’d had sex really, it felt special. It was like she was fully there again, like she’d finally opened up to him again. Steve intertwined his fingers with hers, locking eyes with her as he began his slow and steady strokes.

The feeling was damn near overwhelming for both of them, honestly. It had been so long since they’d gotten a release and the desire was heightened by the immense love between them again. Steve broke one of his hands away from hers and slid it between them, circling her clit once more. Jess buried her face in Steve’s neck and let out a sinful moan, wrapping her legs around Steve’s waist as she felt herself near her climax already. Steve could tell she was close, and that was enough to put him close to the edge as well.

“C’mon baby, cum with me.” Steve coaxed, continuing his thrusts. “Fuck, you feel so good.”

Steve’s word were the only convincing she needed to reach that point, and he wasn’t far behind. Soon enough, the two of them were a panting mess as they came down from their highs. Steve rolled off of her to throw the condom away, then pulled her back into his embrace. He stared down at her lovingly, a smile gracing his face as she cuddled into him. She looked like she was thinking a little too hard, but it seemed to be something happy considering the small smile on her lips.

“What’re you thinking about?” Steve asked, brushing some hair from in front of her eyes.

“Us.” she sighed peacefully. “We’ll be alright, Steve.”

“Yeah, we’ll be alright.” he repeated, as if to ease his own nerves.

The couple laid there in silence for a long while, soaking in the love that filled the room. He had finally earned her trust and Jess was happy once again. They had been through hell and back together now, but they were content. Their time walking that extremely fine line was far from over, but they would do so expertly now.

tags: @sourapplebaby @harringtown @queenofthehairharrington @charmed-asylum @jxnehxpper @lemonypink @hystericalmedicine @a-magey @daddystevee @sledgy14 @m-blasterrr @madiebrock @pocsimcc @karasong @heart-eye-harrington @igotmadskills

#the fine line #steve harrington #stranger things #stranger things 1 #stranger things 2 #stranger things 3 #steve harrington angst #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things imagine #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington smut #steve harrington x hopper!oc #steve harrington x original character #steve harrington x oc #stranger things x hopper!oc #stranger things x original character #steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington fanfic #stranger things fluff #stranger things smut #stranger things angst #stranger things fanfic

[aesop1]

the office documentary [2]

jungkook x reader

a/n: okay before anyone questions me: yes, i get all of my romantic scenes from the sims because ive never experienced love. everything you read is because i fall in love so easily in the sims.

word count: 9.2k

warnings: none

_________

jungkook was, to put it simply, flabbergasted. yes, that's right, flabbergasted. shook, frazzled, flustered, whatever the word may be. his eyebrow had shot up, his eyes had narrowed into slits, his lips pursed into a thin line. he had to have sat there for a good minute or two, just staring at his two higher ups as if he misheard something. oh, he must've misheard something. they couldn't have said what he thought they just said. 

"pardon?" he cleared his throat, his voice having raised a pitch higher than usual. 

"it's unorthodox, I know," Nick held out his hands, as if about to begin a lecture. "but just listen." jungkook's head twitched to the side with an unintentional hint of attitude, awaiting for some plausible explanation to the bedlam just spoken. "you should've seen the faces on those people."

"truly, you two captured their attention more than any other footage we showed them." Thomas chimed in, hands planted on his desk with an obnoxiously bright grin trying to coax jungkook onto their side. "I still remember an elderly woman clutched her husband's hand the minute you dropped your camera and ran to (y/n)."

"a couple ladies awed after you bandaged her hands."

"and should I even read you some of the reviews they wrote down?" Thomas pulled out a few sheets from a Manila folder, scanning through them before jungkook sputtered out of his trance. 

"no, no, really, I'm okay," he quickly spat out. he took a moment to gather himself, eyes closed whilst containing his panic. "really, I'm okay. I don't need to hear the reviews." something about the opinion of others seemed unnerving to jungkook, as if their words could sway his already conflicted mind. 

"oh, okay," Thomas chuckled out, stacking the sheets again and tucking them into their folder. Nick took the opportunity to continue his speech. 

"jungkook, you have the option to refuse this offer, but keep in mind the consequences. you will be the one at fault for any loss of reviews we may have. this is (y/n)'s opportunity, this could be her break." jungkook frowned his brows, his mind already betraying him with the inevitable tale of woe that will occur if jungkook refused. "if she doesn't get enough views, we're going to have to either transfer her, or fire her."

there it was. the words that would determine jungkook's answer. his heart thudded painfully against his chest, making his fears ever apparent to his conscious. not that it mattered, since his mind was going just as haywire. to make things worst, her smile seemed to have imprinted itself into his vision, reminding him of what he'd be tarnishing. what he'd be ruining.

god, that smile. what it did to him, how it affected him. he couldn't imagine ever making her frown, the thought was far more daunting than anything he could ever conjure in his mind. what he could imagine, however, was that gorgeous grin that'll occupy her face when she learns what he was willing to sacrifice to keep her happy. that damned smile directed at him, those captivating eyes glistening with adoration to him and him only. 

"jungkook?" Nick's voice broke jungkook from his daydreaming, now realizing he was in fact staring off into nothingness with a dumbstruck grin adorning his face. "so is that a yes?"

jungkook blinked, trying to rationalize everything before answering, but his mind was too preoccupied with his chivalric hero arc that could preside over his life soon. what really hit the cherry on top for his decision, the piece de resistance that left his mind in a state of delusion, was the over exaggerated scene of (y/n) clinging to his arm, hands lying atop his biceps whilst she stared up longingly into him, whispering, "my hero," and peppering kisses on his shoulder, the scene itself reminding him of some paperback romance novel middle aged women would read and fawn over. 

"yes."

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*  *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

"you can't be serious." jimin wheezed, one hand clamped over his mouth and the other wrapped around his convulsing stomach. hoseok bit down on his lip, coughing to disguise his own laughter. namjoon and taehyung remained emotionless, taehyung more so displaying slight intrigue compared to namjoon's shock. "you have to actually date the ice queen herself."

"don't call her that, idiot," namjoon grumbled, turning to face jungkook from across the table. "did they tell you anything else? like what you're to do when she denies you?"

just like that, jungkook's mind hit a dead end, a figurative record scratch signalling the end of his train of thought. after hours of envisioning what dating (y/n) would be like, he's finally hit a potential bump in the road: she may not like him. 

you don't like her either, doofus, stay focused.

"well, it's not like she can reject an offer like that, she needs her job too much to deny jungkook." taehyung took a long sip from his coke, shrugging and leaning back into the booth seat afterwards. "it would just be a dumb move on her part if she actually does opt to transfer."

jungkook sat quietly, eyes averting to the other patrons of the diner. 

"right, jungkook?" taehyung continued, but was met with silence. taehyung stared at jungkook blankly, fitting together the pieces of jungkook's broken story rather quickly. "jungkook."

the children consuming straight syrup from across the room seemed much more interesting than the conversation taking place as his eyes refused to stray from the scene. to ensure his distance from the topic, he stuffed a handful of fries into his mouth. sure he was already regretting the extra dosage of sodium in his system, just as long as he didn't have to face the disapproving looks of his associates. he could already feel taehyung's cold stare chipping away at his resolve, his own leg beginning to bounce anxiously once he caught a sliver of namjoon's realization in his peripheral vision. 

 "oh my god." namjoon groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance once he realized the issue at hand.

"you're not allowed to tell her." taehyung clarified aloud, in case there was any confusion that could be present at the table. hoseok whipped his head around to jungkook in disbelief, never expecting his friend to stoop this low for some god forsaken job. 

"they said the footage would be too... artificial. to just leave it to me, instead."

jungkook wasn't stupid. he realized how deceitful the whole situation seemed. he realized that although he's preserving her job, he's also playing her like a ventriloquist, tugging at strings to work in his favor; coercing her into a false state of security. he could see she was only just beginning to grow comfortable around him, and he knew if she found out about this, she'd close herself off again for good. 

wait.

if.

"if." jungkook finally met taehyung's hard gaze with his own wide eyed one. "if she finds out."

"you're not actually doing this," hoseok whispered out. the situation was becoming more and more real, and although he didn't know (y/n) very well, he knew she wasn't being respected in this way and didn't deserve this. "jungkook, you're insane if you actually do this."

"I don't know, guys," jimin wiped a stray tear from his eyes, shoulders still bouncing with silent laughter. "I think this is good for her."

even jungkook doubted jimin's words, his only follower so far. 

"elaborate please?" namjoon asked, face still buried in his hands. 

"she's probably so uptight because she's never had a relationship." jimin leaned over and snatched taehyung's soda, drinking a bit and then continuing his spiel. "never experienced that warmth from holding someone's hand." namjoon began peeling away his hands, now turning to look at jimin. "never experienced the excitement of a text message from someone." hoseok was gradually leaning further into the table, eyebrows curved in despair at (y/n)'s potential sad life. "never experienced love in general." hoseok awed to himself, hand resting atop his heart with his jaw agape at jimin's narrative. 

"so you want jungkook to go in there, probably shatter her fragile little heart, and call it a day?" taehyung asked, leaning on to the table to look over namjoon at jimin. he digested taehyung's accusation, aerating like he's been given the finest wine of Italy. 

"yes," he answered in a simple statement. before he took another swig of soda, he pointed at taehyung one last time. "for development."

"well, who's to say I will break her heart?" jungkook countered, eyebrows creased in worry at the aspect of him hurting her. "what if the break up is amicable?"

"well then she'll develop in maturity," jimin continued. "once again, for development."

jungkook could see taehyung's brow twitch, almost as if considering jimin's words. soon, the aerating travelled around the table, everyone taking a sip of jimin's figurative wine and reaching a conclusion. 

"for development." namjoon sighed out, the first one to give in to jimin's ideology. a devilish grin creeped up onto jimin, a side glance to namjoon showing just how sure he was he'd get people on his side. 

"for development," hoseok joined in, more sure of his answer than namjoon. he lifted his soda and leaned over, clinking the paper cup with jimin and tossing back whatever he had left in the cup. 

"for development," taehyung rested his head on his hand, a glum expression taking place as if he was still doubting the validity of this predicament. 

that being said, jungkook was once again at the decision point. all eyes on him. basically saying, he had to decide whether to tell (y/n) and screw up his bosses ploy for views, or he keeps this hidden and just offers (y/n) a first hand experience of relationships. 

you don't like her, idiot. this will only benefit her, you don't have to feel guilty.

one brief pause for last minute decision changes... nothing. 

"for development."

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*  *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

jungkook was leaning outside of accounting, his camera in hand pointing at his shoes. inside his head, he claimed to be checking the diagnostics of the camera, but really he was just delaying his reunion with (y/n). he didn't want to face her now knowing something she didn't. he felt like he was scheming against her, but he knew what he was doing was for the greater good... of her. he kept repeating in his head how this was all going to benefit her and only her in the end, but he still felt the tugs of guilt on his heart. she didn't deserve this mistreatment. she deserved all the good the earth had to offer.

you don't like her. focus.

swiveling around, he finally cracked open the door, peeking in briefly just to warm him up. his eyes naturally gravitated to her desk where she sat adjacent to namjoon. her eyes were rolled back and facing the ceiling, lips twitching as if mumbling an incoherent incantation. after a few seconds, she quickly went back to her computer and began typing. 

jungkook grinned, his nerves melting away at the familiar quirk of her doing her mental math, and he slipped into the room with as little noise as possible. the other accountants paid no mind to him already used to his presence at this point. namjoon, however, stiffened when he heard the click of the door shutting and saw (y/n) glance up. 

namjoon also saw the way the girl's eyes lit up upon spotting jungkook, something he's only ever seen when acquainted with someone, causing him to sit up and stare because she doesn't even look at him like that and he's her closest friend in the office.

"hi namjoon," jungkook greeted his friend before turning to (y/n). his stomach churned into knots as he racked his brain for anything he could say to her. somehow, everything felt different even though he hasn't even started on his task. "hi (y/n)."

"hi jungkook." she answered back softly, turning back to her computer to keep working. 

well that was simple enough. maybe he could delay his task for one more day, instead work on his friendship with her for now. jungkook leaned against his usual filing cabinet, camera lifted and aimed at her. it took five minutes of their usual routine for namjoon to realize that jungkook wasn't going to say anything above a greeting. namjoon glared at his friend who assumed being friendly would win (y/n)'s heart; a rare feat no living person has ever accomplished. and here stands jungkook, all two braincells frolicking away in his head with his camera in place as if documenting her arithmetic was going to do anything for him and his mission.

"so, (y/n)," namjoon spoke cautiously, eyes trained on jungkook's ignorant self. "have you ever tried bubble tea?"

"bubble tea?" she asked, head tilted but eyes still focused on her work. 

"yeah, it's really good." namjoon cleared his throat as if signalling for jungkook's attention. "the boys and I are planning on getting some after work, if you're interested."

"oh, that's so polite," she finally broke away from her computer to face her friend. offering a hand over her heart, she pouted her lips as if she just witnessed the cutest display of affections ever. then, with a cold and apathetic glare, she turned back to her computer. "no."

namjoon turned again to jungkook who looked back at him. namjoon raised his brow, as if challenging jungkook, and jungkook never backs down from a challenge. 

"I didn't know we were getting bubble tea," jungkook fibbed, silently cursing himself for his horrible acting. this is one reason as to why he was behind the camera and not in front of it. 

"yes, taehyung and I were going to tell you later." if jungkook was a bad actor, namjoon was the worst possible actor to ever walk the surface of the earth. 

(y/n) side eyed the two of them, amused by their obvious attempts to get her out of the house. it was always a trial for namjoon to get her to do anything, but for some reason, she felt reasonably soft for her colleague today.

"alright namjoon," she sighed, lifting her coffee mug up to her lips. "what in God's good name is bubble tea?" 

she snickered at his bewildered expression, sipping her warm beverage without even acknowledging jungkook's equally as shocked face. 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*  *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

"you have to do something big to get her attention," jimin explained in a low whisper so only the boys could hear him. it wasn't as if anyone else could, considering they were huddled conspicuously in the corner of the cafe away from any wandering ears. any sane person would believe they were conspiring against the establishment; instead, they were giving love advice to their youngest. "Will Smith said that is the first step to winning a girl's attention, and I don't think your whole  act of valour was enough for her. she's kinda dense, not going to lie."

"alright first of all, she completed calculus 2 before she even got out of highschool, which is how she was able to get into her position so quickly." namjoon interjected, followed by an aggressive shush from taehyung. "meanwhile," he continued, voice hushed into a whisper-scream hybrid. "you can't even fucking measure two teaspoons of honey properly."

"wait, why Will Smith?" hoseok suddenly asked, just now processing jimin's guiding words. 

"wow you're still on this shit, joon?" jimin stood straight, voice crescendoed into a regular speaking voice causing hoseok to grab the back of his head and yank him back down. "I'll have you know, an event about my measuring abilities, which happened a whole year ago, thank you very much, has nothing to do with my intellect."

"he's referencing the movie Hitch, hobi," taehyung answered the question from before. hoseok gave a low "ah" in acknowledgement, reminiscing on the movie night the boys had a few weeks back. 

"I think the whole bandaging thing was kinda cute," hoseok added, trying to direct the conversation back to jungkook's predicament. "I mean, if I were a girl, I would remember that."

"thank you, that's where I was heading." namjoon nodded to hoseok in gratitude. "secondly, I saw how she looked at you today." at that, jungkook felt his heart flutter. perhaps just from having a girl like him, like a highschool secret admirer, but nothing more. he doesn't like her, as he's reminded himself many times already. this was purely to benefit her. he kept reminding himself of this, whenever he felt his emotions spiraling into something remotely deeper than camaraderie. namjoon's slight scoff drew jungkook back to reality. "I've never seen that girl admire something more than you, not even her friends receive that same glint."

and there he goes. jungkook's heart stuttered as he took a sharp inhale, unheard by the boys who drowned out his shock with a chorus of "ooh." 

"admiration isn't love," taehyung warned. jungkook blinked away his ardor, a whole new sense of confusion taking place at taehyung's newfound pessimism. "admiration is watching your favorite movie after a long day, or nursing a flower into adulthood; it's temporary, and not very big." just as quickly as he had bloomed with joy, he deflated with taehyung's words. his friend was always one for looking at the brighter side of things, ever the sanguine soul, yet here he was showing rationale? this taehyung was completely foreign to jungkook, the usual glimmer in his friend's eye now dissipated in favor of a more stern look.

"wow," namjoon sighed, jutting his jaw out to the side in thought. "you're kind of right."

it seemed jungkook's rollercoaster of emotions plummeted as he mulled over the discussion. maybe taehyung's rarity was needed to ground himself back to reality; to remind him that this was an awful idea. for development? yeah, she'll be getting experience in relationships, but was he willing to be the one to break her? to be her first heartbreak? he couldn't even tell her what was going on. this was all far too cunning on his part. never would he have imagined he would be dating for his job... as a cameraman. maybe back in his highschool days when he was just one failed quiz away from dropping out and pursuing the career of a stripper, but not now when everything was just falling into place for him. 

"that's close enough," jimin broke the silence, a thumbs up from him appearing in the center of their circle. "you're in there, dude, you just have to dig in deeper."

"guys, I'm not so sure about this anymore–"

at that moment, the door to the tea shop opened, a faint ringing carrying through the establishment as the boys all turned to see who had entered. as expected, it was (y/n) finally arriving, scanning the area for her promised associates. jungkook always thought it intriguing how apparent she became once one got to know her. to an outsider's perspective, she may have appeared to be a confident patron here for tea, a sense of dominion with every step she took. past that stone facade of hers, however, lied a nervous girl who was constantly unsure of where she was, questioning whether she should've come at all. this, however, was not what had jungkook frozen in his place.

he could not tear his gaze from the ever hypnotizing being before him. from her cold glare which called for the attention of everyone around her to the way her usual pinned hair now lied loose over her shoulders, she had him completely under her spell– unintentional at that. like an arrow to his heart, she just had to grin their way and shuffle over to the group; a juxtaposing shy act exuding from her nearly suffocating aura of preeminence. 

a familiar jarring sensation in his gut sunk him even deeper in his train of thoughts, taking him back to the overwhelming comfort he felt from her casual attire in her apartment. here she stands in a sweater and loose jeans, stealing away jungkook's breath without even acknowledging the power she holds over him. it absolutely didn't help that the short length of the sweater revealed a sliver of stomach, and that small area of skin completely threw jungkook off as he was so accustomed to most of her skin being hidden away for work. 

"I'm sorry for being late," she bowed her head in embarrassment, face already showing hints of a rosy hue. "had I known you would all be here by now, I would've arrived earlier."

"no need to apologize," jimin answered, waving her off with a smile. "we just showed up unreasonably early."

jungkook couldn't process anything that was happening as his eyes were trained solely on her. his feet carried him off with the group as they all entered the line to order, all the while his mind worked double time to memorize every small detail about her. 

jungkook was completely at a loss. never before has he ever wanted to memorize something for himself. he always depended on his beloved /physical/ memory storage, but the moment at hand seemed inappropriate for documenting as she was always before a camera. if he were to take a picture of her lovely profile or record the pushing back of hair behind her ear, it would have to be on his phone, which seemed drastically unworthy of filming such a surreal deity like herself. 

his fingers itched by his side, begging to capture at least one blurry picture of her, but his conscious held him back. she deserved a moment of peace without cameras directed at her. 

"what are you getting?" his jaw fell open as the apple of his eye spun around, question directed to him of all people. 

"I'm not sure yet," he chuckled out, voice having turned slightly scratchy from his mouth devoid of saliva. "perhaps just some... bubble milk tea." what was he talking about, he only ever drank the fruity bubble tea. right now, his mind was on auto pilot, and apparently coasting a rather bumpy ride.

"I was thinking peach." she turned back to the board displaying all of the options, head tilting in thought. "I love peaches." the tilt of her head was unbearably close to his shoulder and he was forced to resist the many soft thoughts coursing through his head. God, he just wanted to pull her head into his chest and let her rest her worries away. 

"peach is good," he sighed out, biting down on his cheek to resist the urge of resting his chin on her crown. "you'll like it." she will like it, he was sure of that. again, having recorded her for many weeks now, he's grown to know quite a bit about her, such as her active sweet tooth which left her secretly slipping out fruity sticks of gum from her bag to ease away the urges of treats. she glanced over to him again, an oblivious smile forming.

"how do you think so?" she inquired, and as if blessed by the mighty archangel himself, the cashier called for (y/n) to order before he was obligated to answer her inquiry. jungkook faintly heard the words 'peach boba' leave her mouth, but he was too far gone thinking about her.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*  *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

the initial get together went off without a hitch, everyone having bonded over their bubble tea and getting to know the newcomer. as predicted, jungkook was seated beside (y/n), silent encouragement passed over to him throughout the encounter without her noticing. although he was grateful for the motivation, he never wanted to murder a group of people more than his friends when (y/n) offered a sip of her tea to him, having noticed him gag at his drink. he knew he wouldn't hear the end of it from his friends, at least until the next sickeningly sweet moment shared between the two. 

currently, the group made their way down the main street of their town, storefronts and light posts illuminating their path as they walked without any care in the world. jungkook and (y/n) stuck to the back of the gang, whether intentional or not, beside each other. his thoughts were far too fogged to process whatever the boys were saying ahead and also to strike up a conversation with the obscenely silent woman beside him. 

I mean, I don't think I have to try to make conversation right now. I think the boba incident was enough for one night, right?

his thoughts were halted by the arrival of two girls intercepting their travels.

"hello," one of them shyly muttered out. "w-we're big fans of the office, and we were just wondering if we could get a picture with you guys?"

jungkook almost forgot that the office was an actual documentary seen by actual people and not just a figment of his own cameraman fantasy. this was quite possibly the first time he's ever witnessed a fan and he was, to put it simply, startled. more so when he saw one of the girls blush at namjoon holding her shoulder and lifting her camera up. actual girls like this loser of an accountant. 

speaking of accountants.

he finally took note of (y/n)'s retreating figure, taking refuge behind him and clinging to his sleeve softly. oh, how his heart ached at that simple gesture. two occurrences in one night, he was definitely on a roll. though his mind refused to celebrate his accomplishment, opting instead for sympathizing with the apparently invisible girl. she was only just beginning to make her presence known this season, so it was understandable that these girls wouldn't want pictures of her. 

"excuse me?" a voice broke jungkook from his thoughts and he instead focused on one of the girls from before who was now standing in front of him. "I'm sorry to intrude, but are you (y/n) (l/n)?"

silence. (y/n) was tongue tied, not expecting such a development when she had agreed to come out for tea this night. someone is actually asking her for her identification. someone she's never met before. this girl knows her, and she has no idea who this person is. the concept was unnerving, but nonetheless... slightly flattering. 

"she is," jungkook responded, free hand slipping over one of her own, still gripping his sleeve.

"may I have a picture with you?" 

and just like that, (y/n) was borderline about to faint. someone wants her picture. they could've very well gone ahead and neglected her, but thought she was important enough to waste some time on. with that encouraging thought in her head, she nodded and scuffled over to the fan. 

"wait for me!" the other girl groaned in annoyance, leaping over to her friend who's phone was already raised and shimmying into the frame. (y/n)'s heart swelled with validation, grinning impossibly wide for the two expectant girls.

meanwhile, jungkook admired the scene before him. these two girls wanting to forever remember the day they met (y/n), a simple accountant from some documentary turned comedy. he felt the urge to laugh in his manager's face, show him how she racked in a fan base from doing nothing. oh, how he could only imagine what the result of this third season would be, now having more attention directed to her; to be validated as she deserves. 

just like clockwork, jungkook's breathe faltered at her smile, eyes falling to his for just a brief moment as the girls pulled the others in for a group photo. reminding him of his first day meeting her, how she called for the attention of everyone in the room by just walking in,  he was once again reminded of how breathtaking her natural beauty is. how could he have been so ignorant all these years, so absorbed in his camera that he couldn't realize that there are just some things a camera can't capture to it's full extent– she's one of them. 

"excuse me?" jungkook looked down to find one of the girls holding her phone out to him with a courteous smile. "could you take a picture of us for me?" 

"yeah, of course," jungkook took the phone and held it up, waiting for the group to gather together as the girls instructed. as jimin chastised the girls, supposedly about how they wanted him in the front because of his height, taehyung waltzed over to jungkook, a cocky grin on his face. 

"so how's it going?" he asked, his voice laced with a teasing tone.

"what do you mean?" jungkook asked, eyes trained on the screen rather than his friend. 

"you know what I mean." taehyung chuckled, although namjoon's laughter from a meter away was far louder than the one next to his ear. "I see how you look at her." jungkook gulped, hands squeezing tighter around the phone as the group counted down for him. with one last statement from taehyung, jungkook took the photo, eyes now focused on one subject of the photo. "you actually like her, don't you?"

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*  *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

it had been a week since the group went on their bubble tea outing, and it had been a week since jungkook's last move on (y/n). following the event of taehyung's acknowledgement, jungkook found himself completely flustered upon any encounter with said girl. it didn't help his case that he was also always around her for his profession.

he kept his eyes focused on the screen at all times, never daring to peek at her real form, knowing he'd become a blushing mess upon the resurfacing of his conflicted emotions. he knew he shouldn't like her, he knew that liking her would only cause heartache for not only him, but also for her. he knew he had to keep things distant, and to let her off easy, but he feared his nearing "relationship" with her, and the inevitable fallout. while her meer presence filled him with dread and anxiety, there were also the softest ebbs of warmth and comfort whenever he captured her smiling or fiddling around with the items on her desk.

it was as if the polar opposite applied for (y/n), however, as she found herself growing more comfortable around the cameraman constantly filming her. she's grown more adjusted to being filmed these past few weeks than she ever had these past few years, and she likes to believe it was because of jungkook. her heart always seemed to ease into a state of serenity whenever she gazed upon him. his curly locks which fell over his eyes like a curtain always calmed her during her most fretful of times, his soft, boyish charms awakening something within her which she believed to be dead at times. yet with all of these emotions stirring within, there was always a small voice whispering to her far in the recesses of her mind; a constant reminder to her that this bond she wished to be real was strictly taboo, and knowing jungkook, he would never risk his job for the likings of her. 

and to namjoon, he experienced immense pain everyday as he had to watch the exchanges between the two. at this point, he didn't know who liked who, if not both of them liking the other. he knew ever since the knife incident, something altered between the pair, but he couldn't pinpoint what exactly it was. 

all he was sure about was that he was growing tired of the subtle, nervous glances and the soft sighs that were passed by the others in the room but him. he just had to put an end to this somehow, knowing the both of them are far too shy and oblivious for their own good.

devising a plan was much harder than namjoon could've ever imagined, as he wanted to keep everything natural and allow for a smooth execution. however, he already had one in mind before noon even hit, deciding it be best to initiate his scheme during their lunch hour. 

namjoon and (y/n) usually decided to eat at their desks as it served as an easier (and lazier) route to get back to work. so as they ate and conversed, jungkook sat and filmed, barely paying attention to their words as his eyes zeroed in on (y/n)'s awkward grin at namjoon's cheesy joke, her cheeks rounded by the food in her mouth. 

"alright, alright, enough," namjoon chuckled out, taking a sip of his water to wash down his food, deciding it best to change the topic at hand to better steer his ploy in the right direction. "I am not looking forward to this weekend."

"why not?" she asked, turning back to her lunch. 

"my mom is deciding to visit, so I have to go grocery shopping to cook for her since she always expects a meal from me. I'm not even a chef, as you can clearly see." he raised his half eaten sandwich in the air, taking another bite and dropping it back onto it's respective napkin. 

"speak for yourself." (y/n) raised her salad to him, before shaking her head and shoveling more lettuce into her mouth, mumbling out her next sentence. "I didn't even make this, my roommate made it for me."

"I wish I had a roommate to make me lunch," namjoon grumbled, side eyeing jungkook and taking note of his dazed expression. "but yeah, busy weekend. you?"

"I never really do anything on the weekends." she explained, tilting her head in thought. "I would like to go window shopping, just for fun, but I probably won't go."

"why not?" namjoon pressed, his interest now piqued at the smooth progression of his plan. "why not take your roommate?"

"I don't know, Macy usually spends her days with either her boyfriend or her other friends. Cindi is usually the exact same." (y/n) casted her gaze down to the gray surface of her desk, mood dropping at the reminder of how alone she was. meanwhile, namjoon had to bite back the smile threatening to break his temperament.

"well, you've got the guys to take you." namjoon turned over again to jungkook who hadn't processed one word of the exchange. rolling his eyes to himself, namjoon coughed obnoxiously loud in jungkook's direction, clearing his throat and sipping more water to keep the illusion of having choked. meanwhile, jungkook blinked away his disorient and looked to namjoon in concern. "pardon my... dysfunctional esophagus which can't swallow food apparently." the breathy laugh coming from (y/n) truly grounded jungkook as he was now very aware of his surroundings. "I'm sure one of them would be more than happy to take you out."

"it feels..." she paused for a moment, eyes upturned in thought as she considered her words, filing through her emotions for a valid explanation. "unfulfilling... to take one of the boys with me."

"well, just consider the offer," namjoon didn't have to turn to jungkook this time around, knowing that he had caught on and was ever grateful to his elder for the opportunity.

it was a few minutes past five now, everyone packing up for the day and ready to head out. jungkook had been buzzing in his seat all day, waiting for the perfect moment to ask her. technically, he was asking her out on their first date, or at least hoping this rendezvous would escalate into a date. if this didn't work out, he wouldn't know what else to do. he was stubborn, though, and willing to keep pushing for however long before she completely cut him off. 

with that one last determined thought in his mind, he puffed out a heavy sigh and made his way over to accounting. 

by now, the route to the department was second nature to jungkook, as if his feet would carry him directly to there even if he hadn't been thinking it. so it was natural for jungkook to have floundered rather obviously as he now stood before her desk, his thoughts too consumed with how to ask her out that he didn't even realize he had reached his destination. 

"hello, jungkook," she greeted, eyes trained on her computer as she logged out for the day. "I thought you were heading home."

"I was," he hesitated, cursing how out of breathe he sounded. just focus on the task at hand, idiot. you have to ask her out eventually, might as well do it now. "I just... remembered something."

"and what would that be?" she stared at the blue screen of her desktop, eyeing his reflection secretly. she could tell he wasn't his usual self, head down casted to his twiddling thumbs as he racked his brain for the simplest of words to begin his ploy.

"I..." his voice was barely audible, barely a breathe, and yet she could pinpoint the nerves that must be going haywire within him, and so she finally turned around to give him the benefit of the doubt. when jungkook met her stare, he froze for a moment. she was just as beautiful as the day he first saw her, except maybe even more so today, for he has grown rather acquainted with her and her eyes which spoke to him so clearly and thoughtfully like the most expressive of sonnets. those hypnotizing eyes which shone with such intrigue and kindness that he couldn't believe he ever thought she were stuck up. with these thoughts, he took in a huff of breathe and clenched his jaw, persevering through his anxieties and announcing his inquiry. "I was wondering if you would be interested in maybe going out with me. maybe this weekend if you're not busy."

jungkook stood silently as she blinked up at him, eyebrows risen up a fraction in surprise. to anyone else, it may have looked like jungkook was but moments away from rejection; jungkook knew otherwise as his mouth began twitching into a smile. he blessed those dazzling eyes of hers for being windows into her soul which he found himself becoming rather fluent in. he could just see the mirth kindling in her, growing rapidly as she fully processed his words.

what started as slow nods morphed into rapid ones, a smile blossoming across her face. jungkook laughed at her glee, arms gravitating to her midsection in a loose grasp. she held his shoulders just as softly, giggles bubbling within her once her giddiness reached an all time high. for the briefest of moments, jungkook allowed himself to soak in her happiness before he was reminded of his scheme. he was only doing his job. 

clearing his throat, he pulled away hesitantly, still smiling as he bowed his head. 

"I'll pick you up this Saturday?" he asked, biting the inside of his lip to straighten out his face. 

"yeah, that sounds like a plan."

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*  *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

"focus," jungkook muttered to himself as he stepped foot into the elevator. "you're doing your job." he rolled his shoulders, the action doing nothing to ease his tense muscles. he jerked his head to the side, successfully cracking his neck and alleviating some stiffness, albeit not a lot. as the elevator reached her floor, he steadied his breathing, striding out and smoothing out his yellow button up. "it's a professional date, nothing more." he silently counted the door numbers up to hers, sighing out before knocking gently. "nothing less."

in the few moments that jungkook waited outside the door, he rehearsed everything he learned in his training course with jimin, eye twitching at how jimin's main source of knowledge still came from Hitch with Will Smith. memories of jimin forcing him to sit in his living room for a second time, pausing every few minutes as they watched Hitch to discuss something said or done. jungkook was now seeing why he should never get advice from his friends. 

his thoughts were disrupted by the swinging open door in front of him, revealing a girl he had yet to meet.

"you must be jungkook!" jungkook internally cringed at her overly cheery tone this early in the morning. without another word, she grabbed his forearm and dragged him into the apartment. "I'm Macy, I'm (y/n)'s roommate!" jungkook nodded, his shy nature appearing as he hadn't any clue to what to say next, although it seemed like he needn't worry as Macy continued to speak. "(y/n) will be out any minute! I've been helping her get ready for today. you know, you're the first date I've seen (y/n) go out with since I've been her roommate for the past few years."

jungkook furrowed his brows as he listened to her. he knew (y/n) wasn't one for dating or social interactions at all, but hearing that this was the first time in probably ages that she's gone on a date or an outing was a surprise to him; someone with her looks must be sought out by many, surely.

"oh, I should probably stop talking." Macy laughed, covering her mouth and turning back to the hall of (y/n)'s room. "I'm sorry, I'm just so excited for her. I love seeing her happy."

"me too," jungkook sighed out, clamping his mouth shut after realizing his subconscious words. before Macy could respond, a door opening ended the conversation and the both of them stood at attention, peering at the figure emerging. jungkook's breath caught at his throat, nearly causing him to choke if he didn't clear his throat in time. if he thought she looked beautiful before, at this very moment, she was very nearly ethereal– angelic, even. 

rather than sporting her usual mute and neutral tones of grays and tans, she wore a mini white dress which seemed to be the epitome of summer in heaven. the slight puff to her sleeves reminded him that of a princess of sorts, and he suddenly felt the urge to recite poetry to her, professing his undying love for the noblewoman before him. he had to remind himself that he is indeed a man of the 21st century and not a simple peasant living off his lute's tunes whilst battling a plague. a simple gold necklace adorned her neck, resting beneath her collarbones and adding to her overall aura of elegance. she looked untouchable, as if he would be scolded if he were to even breathe next to her, like the most treasured of diamonds stood before him in human form. beautiful, pure, glowing–

"look at you!" Macy squealed loudly, rushing over to her friend and engulfing her in a hug. "my beautiful friend! aren't you just perfect!"

"thank you," (y/n) whispered out, her face turning redder by the minute, but her smile growing tenfold. she was released by Macy and pushed towards jungkook, the former girl still giggling away in the background. "hi." (y/n) still spoke in a low volume, her inner panic increasing even more so as she took in jungkook's appearance. it was as simple as ever, something she'd find him wearing at work often when he ran out of shirts and sweaters, but it was much more endearing when he hadn't a camera placed atop his shoulder. 

"hello," he replied, grinning as he saw how nervous she was. from this proximity, he could see the light makeup highlighting her features, culprit most likely the female behind her. it was soft and natural with natural glimmers here and there, just adding to her already breathtaking appearance. jungkook didn't know if he could survive after today, knowing he'd have to eventually stop looking at her for good when... when?

when would he have to break up with her?

"alright you two," Macy clapped loudly, snapping jungkook out of his thoughts with a fright. "be home by 10– it's still girl's night, remember?" she pointed at (y/n) in an accusatory manner as if knowing she'd forget. "and you." she shifted her finger to jungkook. "take care of her please. I really don't want to file any police reports of sorts if you wind up being a serial killer." jungkook snickered and turned back to (y/n), his prior worries fading away into the white noise of the recesses of his mind. 

"come on, pretty girl." he tilted his head towards the door, allowing her to step forward first and for him to trail behind, a hesitant hand hovering near hers, but opting to remain by his side. 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*  *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

"I like this one," (y/n) whined, stretching her arm over to jungkook as he parked in front of her apartment complex. he reached up to turn the interior lights on, squinting down at her hand which held one of the many photo booth strips they had obtained. upon analysis of the photo, however, jungkook began shaking his head.

"no, that one's mine." he began to unbuckle his seatbelt, signalling his decision was cemented and he was not going to fight her on the matter. she stomped her foot in dismay, pressing her lips together and whining some more. 

"I like your smile here, though," she pointed to one of the pictures, which just so happened to also be one of his favorites consisting of her pouting with an angry expression and him laughing at her as she tried to convince him to join her before the timer ran out. "you look cute, I like your nose when it's all scrunched up like that." jungkook fought back a smile, taking a moment to admire her once more. even in the dim lighting of his car, she still held the beauty that of Aphrodite. just like the picture being discussed, she pouted cutely. oh, if only she knew how much she had affected him this day. 

from the moment he took her out to breakfast, where she had let him take pictures of her and her breakfast, he was already struggling to keep his composure. he had tried to keep to mundane activities like window shopping downtown, but failed as he saw a fair in town and insisted they go. his set line of professionalism was blurring rapidly with every second he spent with her. he didn't even regret winning her that stuffed penguin she had fawned over at the baseball toss booth, just glad he didn't fumble and make a fool of himself that night like he usually does. it seems to him that his competitiveness has finally come to use as he is now practiced in every fair game possible. 

"no," he stated again, blinking away his delirium and shifting his gaze back to the picture. he lifted his hand to settle beneath hers, thumb tapping against her face on the film. "I don't have a pouty you yet. it's mine." he plucked it out of her hands and slipped it into the center console of his car. 

"if you're so insistent on collecting pictures of me like pokemon cards, I can just pout for you right now." he raised a brow, glancing over to her as she grumbled to herself. 

"okay." he pulled out his phone, never one to back out of a potential photo op. as he held up his phone, focused on her sudden pouty face, he reddened at the realization of the many pictures he took of her today. he couldn't resist, especially with such a subject as her at his will. with a slide of his thumb, he pressed record, still holding up his phone like he was taking a picture of her still pouty face. "but I'm not giving you the picture." and with that, her jaw dropped and her eyes narrowed, causing him to start laughing away at his new video. 

"you know what, I don't need this. I don't need this, I'm leaving." she jokingly grabbed all of her stuff and opened the door, marching over to her apartment complex with her chin held high. 

"(y/n)!" he continued to laugh as he turned off his car, rushing over to her ever persistent form. "(y/n), baby." he held her bicep, sighing out his last snicker as she finally halted, turning around to face him. "thank you for the picture." 

"I can promise you, I'm getting that picture. it's going to be mine." she turned around again, entering the elevator with him right behind her, his hand sliding down her arm to her own. the hand holding became a quick habit, thankfully, as she kept lagging behind in the crowds of downtown, inevitably leading to jungkook having to maneuver her through and finding it easiest to guide her by holding her. 

"I'll be sure to hide it then, thank you very much." 

the elevator ride was short, but it gave him enough time to think everything over. how perfect his day was, how perfect /she/ was. he couldn't deny the giddiness he felt with the slightest touch shared, and he knew he was falling dangerously close to liking her, but he couldn't find it within himself to restrain his affections. he was becoming addicted to holding her, any part of her he could. his heart was betraying him, as if it were never a part of whatever plan him and his friends had come up with and only wanted (y/n). wherever she went, it seemed to follow.

he didn't even realize when the elevator had stopped and she had begun to lead him over to her apartment. he only acknowledged his settings when she released him, his hand falling slowly back to it's original position at his hip as she turned over to face him.

he gazed down upon her, eyes glazed over with such intense admiration towards the subject of his attention; a ferocity akin to a victim of cupid. the desire to hold her against him was ever apparent as he felt his arms twitching by his sides, aching to just be near her. his heart throbbed almost painfully as she shyly dropped her head to face the floor. nevertheless, jungkook could see a bashful grin stretching across her face. she twiddled her fingers, keys jingling in her loose grip – just as hitch had warned him. 

"I had one of the most... amazing days of my life today, jungkook," she spoke quietly, barely above a whisper as if afraid of shattering the tranquil bubble formed between the two. her words brought an even wider smile to jungkook, and he was thankful that her gaze wasn't on his embarrassingly joyful expression at the validation given to him. "I don't know how to thank you."

"hey," struck by a sudden pang of confidence, he tamed the joker like smile he once had, opting for a smirk, yet his happiness was still transparent through it. his finger rose to rest under chin, tilting her head up to meet his stare. naturally, his finger slid up her jawline, soon becoming his whole hand now against her cheek as she leaned more so into his touch. how endearing. "why would you ever need to thank me when you gave me an equally, if not more, lovely day."

she blushed, lips tightening into a line to hold back her own wide smile. her hand now lied upon his, pushing her face more so into his touch. jungkook didn't think it was possible, but his heart melted at the gesture, and he could feel the warmth from his ever weak vascular organ dripping into his fluttering stomach, coating his innards with a sweet warmth like freshly baked bread.

truly, this was what love was. it had to be, as he could not imagine a greater feeling than this very moment. with will smith's words ringing in his ears, encouraging him to go forward, he bumped his forehead gently against hers, giving her plenty of time to pull away, but she never did. instead, she slowly rose to her toes and pressed her lips against his.

and just like that, jungkook was gone. all of his muscles loosened, practically sagging as he fell victim to the sickeningly sweet sensation which came with kissing (y/n). he was actually kissing her, something he now cursed himself for not imagining more so before, but also thanking as this was better than anything he could've wasted his time imagining.

the taste of her cherry lipgloss and strawberry icecream hit him like a tsunami, pushing him further and further into this state of blissful unconsciousness he found himself spiraling into, much like his feelings falling more and more in love with the woman in his arms. pulling her flush against chest, he deepened the kiss, head tilting naturally as she buried a hand into his hair. 

love. pure, unadulterated, head-over-heels, over-the-moon love. that's what he was feeling. nothing else could describe that addicting, adrenaline like feeling plaguing his thudding heart, even after they pulled away from their kiss. her hand loosened from his hair, about to drop when he shot his own hand up to keep hers there, pushing his head into her touch like she had done to him.

this was paradise. standing here, outside her apartment in the hallway of her building, faded beige walls as the only witness to the nearly Disney movie sort of kiss just shared. all he could do was stand there, holding her hand so delicately, like the most fragile of porcelain. 

"I should go," she giggled, scratching her nails gently against his scalp. with one last dreamy sigh, jungkook dragged her hand down his cheek to his lips, pressing the gentlest of kisses against her palm. he held her there against his lips for just a brief moment, trying to memorize the silk like skin which sparked flames beneath his own. pulling away, he brushed his nose against her knuckles, eyes sealing shut in his intense emotions. 

"I adore you." it was barely a whisper, coming straight from his aching heart as he tried to regain his sense of reason, but it was just loud enough for her to hear. loud enough for her to completely crumble any last walls that blocked off her heart before, and she was already diving headfirst into her love for jungkook.

she pulled him closer to her, pressing another, doting kiss to his lips before quickly turning to unlock her door. the sooner she was away from him, the sooner her palpitating heart could ease away its excitement. as she slipped in, she spared one last glance to jungkook who stood mesmerized in the middle of the hallway, a dopey grin slapped across his handsome features. 

"I adore you," she whispered back to him, closing the door before his starstruck expression could hit her. she pressed her back against the wood, biting her lip for probably the hundredth time that day, trying to calm herself down. she loved him. she loved jungkook. 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*  *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

#jungkook fanfic #Jungkook Fanfiction #jungkook x reader #bts fanfic #bts fanfiction #bts x reader

[bldreamer]

Sweetness  To Your Love | MorkSun

Dark Blue Kiss : MorkSun

Summary: Mork is stressed over final exams and Sun tries to cheer him up with a little sugary goodness. Based on THIS  prompt from @anon. Genre: Stressed!Mork. Sweet!Sun.  Warnings: None? 

A/N: More thanks to @kdramama for turning my spelling error into an idea x

Mork has a sweet tooth. Not many people are privy to the fact. Most would take one look at him and assume he takes his coffee black and his ramen heavy on the salt.

Sun is privileged enough to know that couldn’t be further from the truth, and he learns to take advantage of his insider knowledge as often as possible. Particularly when Mork seems especially stressed.

Final exams at the university are fast approaching and while Rain seems rather blasé about the whole thing, Mork is on edge.

It’s so subtle Sun misses it at first. Mork in an introvert at the best of times, let alone when something is troubling him. It’s only when Sun smells the unusual excess of cigarette stench on him in the middle of his shift that he realizes something is up. Mork knows better than to smoke while he’s working.

Sun bites his tongue when he feels himself itching to lecture him on his bad habits and keeps an eye on him for the rest of the day. Noting the delicate nuances in Mork’s behavior. How quiet he is while he’s working, how distracted he seems when he serves customers, how little he argues back when Sun has constructive criticism to give.

Sun’s usual approach would be to push and shove and nag relentlessly until Mork shoves back. He knows the young man well enough to know that won’t work in this case. If anything, he’ll clam up all the more.

Instead, he waits for a new day to dawn and settles on an alternative tactic which he puts into motion at five AM on a Tuesday morning before the sun has even approached the horizon.

“Mork, wait.” Sun catches Mork’s wrist as he heads to the door for school. Red faculty shirt bunched in his hand, backpack slung over his shoulder. “Here, try these for me after lunch.” Sun hands him a to-go cake box, two glazed cinnamon doughnuts tucked inside.

Mork frowns. Eyes on the box in his hand. “What is it?”

“New recipe. I’m thinking of adding them to the menu,” Sun smiles, “Let me know what you think.”

“Me?” Mork points to himself.

“Mh, you’re my new taste tester.”

“Since when?”

“Since now?” Sun shrugs. “I could always ask Rain if you’re not interested,” he says, faking offense.  

Mork shakes his head. “Whatever, I’ll try it.” He checks his watch and huffs. “I’ll see you later.”

“Have a good day,” Sun says.

Mork throws him a confused look over his shoulder before he leaves.

Four hours later Sun receives three new LINE messages.

Doughnuts were good, old man.

Put them on the menu.

Fridays only. I hate going to the gym.

Sun smiles, it’s not much but it’s earned him more words than Mork has said to him in person all week.  

Thanks for the feedback.

Don’t call me old man.

Two days later, a rainy Thursday, Sun sends Mork to school with a box of caramel oat cookies. They’re not as good as the doughnuts but still worthy according to his official dessert taster. Not that Sun has any actual plans to add either to the cafe menu. The cookies are far too expensive to make and the doughnuts are way too precarious to fry in batches.

Sun keeps those tidbits to himself.

Friday, he tries his hand at a chocolate ganache sponge cake before dawn. The mess in his kitchen, chocolate glaze smeared on almost every surface and himself, is completely worth it when he sees Mork smile for the first time in over a week.

“Chocolate, my favorite.”

Sun gives both his brother and his boyfriend the weekend off to study. Rain sits in his bedroom with Manow -Sun hopes they’re busy with schoolwork, otherwise, he’ll be having words- and Mork sits alone in the quiet spaces of the cafe surrounded by papers and textbooks. Sun keeps him topped up with the sweetest drinks on the menu and the odd chocolate chip muffin left over from the week.

Mork doesn’t say much but the cups are always empty when Sun comes to collect them half an hour later and the muffins are picked at throughout the day. Sun worries for his teeth but at least the sugar will give him an energy boost.

On Monday, Mork doesn’t ask what’s in his to-go box. He’s running late and Sun has to rush after him because he forgets the box on the end of the counter. Blueberry pancakes, because he remembers Mork saying he visited an aunt in California when he was a kid and he’s had a thing for American diner food ever since.

Tuesday, Sun makes Mork sit down for breakfast when he doesn’t have to be at the university until ten. He places a generous slice of lemon cheesecake in front of him and a glass of chocolate milk.

“It’s lemons so it’s healthy,” Sun argues when Mork gives him the eyebrow.

When Mork comes home after school complaining of a headache, Sun decides it’s probably best to rein in the sugary treats for the time being. He doesn’t even think his plan is working anyway. Mork smells less of cigarette smoke but looks just as gloomy when he thinks people aren’t watching.

Sun doesn’t see him for almost three days after that because Mork goes back to his dorm and Sun doesn’t have the heart to argue with him and persuade him to stay.

Friday he returns for his shift and Sun can see the dark circles under his eyes from the other side of the cafe.

A few hours later he finds him curled up on the bench outside, shirt tucked under his head, hands in between his knees, chest rising and falling softly.

Sun stands over him and smiles, pushing his fallen hair back from Mork’s face from the cool breeze. The young man usually so alert doesn’t move an inch. He must be exhausted. Sun pulls off his overshirt out from under his apron and carefully lays it over Mork’s shoulders.

Sun checks on him every half hour or so, happy he remains undisturbed and relatively in the same position until closing.  

It’s dark outside, the cafe is eerily quiet, Sun is wiping down the tables when he hears the groggy voice over his shoulder.

“P’Sun?” Mork says, rubbing his eyes.

Sun turns around, cloth in hand. He smiles at the sight, Mork’s t-shirt crumbled, face puffy and eyes bleary but less dark than they were earlier.

“How long was I asleep?”

Sun checks his watch, “A couple of hours,” he lies. It’s been closer to five but it’s no matter. “I’ll let it slide this once on account that I took some really cute pictures on my phone.”

Mork glares, it’s less intimidating when he yawns afterward. Sun smiles fondly.

“Next time I’m docking your pay,” he warns jokingly. “Do you feel better, at least?”

Mork nods. “Mh.” He throws something in Sun’s direction, and he catches it easily. His shirt. “Put that back on, no one wants to see a half-naked barista. It makes you look desperate.”

Sun looks down at his attire, he’d forgotten he’d only been wearing a tank top this whole time. He meant to grab another shirt from upstairs but he hasn’t had the time.

“Are you jealous you missed out?”  

Mork shrugs. “I can see you without clothes whenever I want, why would I be jealous?”

“Huh?”

Mork tilts his chin upwards, cock expression taking over his sleepy one. “You’re not the only one with a camera phone, P’.”

Sun smirks, feeling the heat on the tips of his ears. “Nong Mork, are you flirting?”

“Take it how you want,” he shrugs, walking towards the stairs. “You coming to bed or what?”

Sun throws the cloth on the table and yanks off his apron. He checked the door not five minutes ago so he knows it’s locked. He runs after Mork who has made it half-way up the steps and grabs him by the waist. Mork wriggles away and grumbles about safety being the top priority. Sun laughs and chases after up to the bedroom.

Mork scores third highest in his class when they graduate and Sun couldn’t be prouder. He looks damn handsome in his robes too, despite his constant grumbling. When he comes down from the podium Sun grabs Mork by the sides of his face and kisses him firmly on the lips, much to Mork’s chagrin.  

Sun makes him a three-tiered chocolate cake topped with a mini Mork made out of icing he spent the entire week perfecting, right down to his rings and his hip chain.

“I don’t look like that,” Mork tuts, bright eyes shining in the sunlight. “He looks angry.”

“Yep,” Sun nods, laughing when Mork pushes him hard enough he trips. “Watch the cake you brute,” he whines with a grin.

“Where’s my cake?” Rain grumbles. He could have done better if he had put his mind to it, but he did well and that’s all that matters so Sun keeps his opinions to himself for a change. “I’m your brother.”

“And he’s my boyfriend.”

Mork rolls his eyes from the side. He’s still shy about the title and Sun kind of loves it.

“Didn’t your girlfriend make you one?” Sun asks feigning innocence.

Rain narrows his eyes.  

Mork snorts, and Sun tucks himself into his side, the large cake box safely under his arm.

“Speaking of my girlfriend, is it okay if Manow stays over tonight? Her parents are out of town.”

“Do her parents know?”

Rain nods. “I’ll even call them if you don’t believe me. Pleeeease P’Sun? Your boyfriend practically lives with us. How is it any different?”

Mork kicks a leg out and Rain skillfully doges it.

“Fine. But I want her parent's number. And no funny business, we share a wall.”

Rain is about to complain about hypocrisy -it’s true, but Sun is the older brother and he pays the rent so tough- when Mork interrupts.

“We won’t be here.”

“Huh?”

Mork puts his arm around Sun’s shoulders. “I booked us a room out of town for the night.”

Sun is speechless. “You booked us a hotel room?” he asks. “With what money?”

“He sold those cakes and cookies and things you kept making him,” Rain chirps and Mork pulls his arm from around Sun’s shoulders and chases after him until he runs away laughing.

When Mork returns, messy hair and breathless, he looks guilty.

“You sold the things I made?” Sun pouts.

“Not all of them. Come on, P’.” Mork tugs on his arm. “You gave me a box of twelve cookies, how was I supposed to eat them all myself?”

“You could have said.”

“I appreciate them. I really did. I just didn’t want them to go to waste. And I saved most of the money myself,” Mork says, cupping Sun’s empty hand. “Don’t be mad.”

Sun shrugs. “‘m not mad.”

“I booked us the hotel to say thank you,” Mork explains. “I know you’ve barely been sleeping between the extra work at the cafe and making me desserts in the middle of the night.”

Sun sulks, looking away and playing dumb.

Mork smirks, putting a finger under his chin so their eyes meet. “You think I didn’t notice none of those things went on the menu?”

Sun shrugs. “I’m still perfecting the recipes.”

“P’Sun,” Mork cups his cheek. “I told you I’m not good with words. And I can’t bake for shit.”

“Mh.”

“So let me show you how much I appreciate you instead.” Mork pulls Sun’s hand to lay on his chest. “I already packed for you, Rain is watching the cafe tomorrow with Manow so we can spend the whole day doing whatever. Please?”

Sun huffs. Giving up his pout with little fight. “You really booked a hotel for us?”

Mork nods. “Four stars, all-inclusive, giant pool,” he explains.

“I’m not worth five stars?”

Mork snorts. “I didn’t sell enough cookies for five stars.”

Sun tries to fight the grin but it’s a losing battle. He bites his bottom lip and chuckles. “Nong Mork, the boy who hated me. Now whisking me away for a romantic overnight getaway.” He shakes his head, chuckling. “Where is this hotel?”

“Not telling. But you might want to hold onto that tight,” Mork gestures to the cake. “We’re taking my bike.”

“You have got to be kidding me?”

“Nope.” Mork nods behind him and when Sun looks over his shoulder, Rain is in the distance wheeling Mork’s bike towards them with a bike helmet on each handlebar.

“Then I’ve changed my mind,” Sun whines. “I am mad and I’m not getting on that deathtrap.”

“You rode a bike when you dragged me across the countryside for your stupid coffee beans.”

That’s true.

“That’s different,” Sun grumbles instead.

“How?”

“I was driving,” he tuts.

“You’re not driving my bike.”

“Why not?”

“I said no.”

“Mork.”

“Shut up, and put your helmet on.”

“Moooork.”

~Fin

#sunmork #morksun #dark blue kiss #darkbluekiss #my writing #sun #mork #fluke gawin #podd suphakorn #poddfluke

[missizzy]

Fic: All the Extras, Part 8 (Harry Potter)

(Read entire work on AO3)

The next week was punctuated by a lot of boredom and anxiety, reminding all three of them too much of the months they'd spent wandering around in the wilderness and experiencing the same feelings. Despite Harry's first thoughts about not wanting to hide, they tried to avoid any contact with the wizarding world, because it felt like too much to deal with. They took to wandering around the rest of Brisbane. They saw two more movies, a museum full of modern art, a cathedral, another thing Harry was fascinated to see for the first time, and the city's Chinatown.

The biggest improvement from their last experience of this, Harry thought, was that Ron and Hermione's relationship was now completely different from what it had been. If they hadn't stopped arguing completely, there was still none of the hostility between them that had previously filled the air both before Ron's departure and after his return. Instead, the state of things between them made both their moods a lot lighter than they would've been otherwise. If it also meant that, at times, they retreated to their hotel room together, and made clear he didn't want to come with them, Harry could live with that.

Harry didn't have another incident like he'd had, and by the end of the week, he was feeling calmer in general, especially since he was sleeping a little better. Except that sometimes when they were out, he'd suddenly become convinced there were people on the street, or elsewhere in the room, if they were indoors, staring at him or talking about him. He suspected much of it was his imagination, but it kept feeling real.

They'd had a good morning. After sleeping in, and Harry truly had slept, they'd had a hearty breakfast much like the ones they'd enjoyed at the Burrow at a diner they'd found near the hotel two days ago. They then had gone to look at an old house ironically named Newstead House, and then gone for a little walk in the adjoining park. Hermione had heard a story about a legendary wizarding duel that had happened in the park, but she was sure to say it probably wasn't a true one. Lunch had been at a seafood place where the chowder had been delicious.

It was early afternoon when they returned to the hotel. Their plans hadn't been too specific for the afternoon, but they were all three of them a little tired. The general thought in Harry's head involved them just relaxing in Ron and Hermione's hotel room, maybe with Harry and Ron playing chess, and Hermione getting a little reading done. She'd purchased a large book called The Wizarding Antipodes: A History, and was about a quarter of the way through it.

That was what was pretty much in the schedule even when they walked through the hotel entrance. And then, when they were about halfway through the lobby, they found themselves being advanced upon by a cross-looking Molly Weasley, with a concerned-looking Ginny following along in her wake. Harry opened his mouth, then looked at Ron. Ron shook his head, and Harry closed it again.

As she reached them, Hermione started, "Mrs. Weasley, did you have a-"

"What did your parents say to you, Hermione?" she cut her off. "Are they truly going to disown you for saving their lives and stay here on the other side of the world?"

"I don't think it's going that far," Hermione said hastily. "They are going to stay here in Brisbane, yes."

"Are they?" Mrs. Weasley did not sound placated. "Sounds like abandoning you to me. If they'd just moved to France or Ireland, that would be one thing, but when they're in a place so hard for you to get to and fro from, especially by Muggle means, and not talking to you much while you're here..."

"I'm hoping for that to get better next time I come here. It's unfortunate now, of course, but..."

Harry saw Ginny's dismayed reaction even before her mother yelled, "UNFORTUNATE?!" He tried not to jump, even as she continued on, "You can't let your parents do this to you, Hermione. Give me their address."

"No," Hermione shook her head, and Harry thought she drew herself up a little. He admired her bravery. "They've been through a very great shock, they're probably still adjusting to having all their memories back, and honestly, if you go over there and lecture them the way you're talking right now, you'll probably just make them more angry and everything worse!"

Mrs. Weasley looked stunned. So did her two children. Harry felt it himself. He doubted any of her children had talked to her that way until they'd been much older than Hermione, if even then. Nor had the two of them, the children she had taken in as somewhat her own.

But Hermione, unintimidated by any kind of authority when she thought them wrong, said, "I know you mean well, Mrs. Weasley, but I have to handle this myself."

"No, that you certainly don't need to do!" That seemed to get her even angrier. "That's what you've already been doing almost this whole past year, doing things you never should've had to do..."

"It was by prophecy, Mrs. Weasley," Harry interrupted. "I had to be the one to...to..." He didn't want to say the rest.

"I don't care!" she yelled, before he could. "I don't care what excuse you three had for running off on your own. Whatever you had to do, that was wrong of you. You should have told us what you needed to do, and we would have figured out a more sensible way to do it."

"But then you all would've been in more danger," Harry protested.

It was Ginny who responded to that. "Oh, so for our own safety, we didn't even get to know what was going on? Do you know how angry I got at all three of you over that? Who were you, to make that decision for all of us? And I thought you three at least understood how much I hated that everyone felt they got to make that decision for me." She probably either didn't notice or simply didn't care about the look on her mother's face, even as she continued, "You know, I think mum's right. If you'd told us what you three were trying to do? Who knows, we might have even gotten it done faster, and maybe even saved lives in the process. Maybe...maybe even Fred's!"

High as the likelihood was there would've just been more dead Weasleys that way, this was a possibility that couldn't be denied. "I'm sorry," Harry sighed. "I just..."

"Didn't think," said Ginny. "Sometimes I think that's the problem with all three of you. Mighty heroes, always thinking about saving the world, and how can we complain when you've gone and done so? But you've had your minds so focused on the big, important things, all the while presuming you know best about what to do about them, that you've never given a thought to just how many consequences the actions you take have."

"Hey!" Harry protested. "I haven't always thought I know best, I know I've made mistakes sometimes..."

"No," Ginny raised her voice as she cut him off. "This is not the moment when you interrupt the young witch, Harry."

Then, to his surprise, she whirled on Hermione, and said, "I think that's even what we're stuck in this situation in the first place. Did you think of any other alternatives for keeping your parents safe, Hermione? Do you really believe that no wizarding family anywhere would've taken them in? We kept Harry's less than nice relatives safe. And you know, it's not the first time I've wondered about some of the things you've done, sometimes years after the fact, and I'm not going to get into all of that right now, but..."

That was also surprising, Harry thought. Ginny rarely pulled her punches like that. It made him think maybe this was something where she feared their current company would side with Hermione.

Especially when she instead finished by turning back to Harry, and saying, "I've just spent twenty hours on an aeroplane trying to figure out where the two of us go next. And for too much of it, I had to wonder, will you even ask me anyway? I used to wonder why my brother argues so much with Hermione here, you know."

"Ginny..." Ron now started. A look from her, and he didn't go further than that.

"Used to blame it all on him. But you two, you glorious heroes...well, actually, I think you've rubbed off on Ron a bit there, anyway, but still, anyone who gets involved with either of you? Needs to be able to tell you what's what. And I just hope the two of you eventually prove able to listen every once in a while. Because if you don't, Harry, well." And she turned and stalked away.

The feeling was not unlike that of being knocked off his broom. Harry thought all four of them were feeling that way, the way Hermione was looking after her, appearing greatly concerned, Ron was not looking at anyone, and Mrs. Weasley was just staring awkwardly at him. This, Harry suspected, was probably not the best way for a boy and his girlfriend's mother to first deal with the fact that he was dating her.

The quarrelling being taken out of her hands for that last minute or so seemed to have softened her temper slightly, but while she spoke more calmly, she still insisted, "At the very least, Hermione, it won't do to just wander around Brisbane all day until your parents come to your senses, and you certainly can't leave the country without forming some sort of plan."

"We're going to see them again when we come back for the World Cup," Ron offered. "She and me'll even let them look at our teeth, the way Muggle dentists do."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" She actually looked slightly alarmed. "Letting Muggles have free range on your teeth?" Then she presumably realized how that sounded, and added, "Of course I'm sure they're very good at taking care of teeth in general, but, well...wizarding teeth are probably different."

"They looked at mine," Harry said. "They've been fine. Even got a small cavity filled the Muggle way, and it worked."

He even tried to pull his lips open to show her, but she shook her head with a, "Don't do that in the lobby of a place, Harry; I know you have some manners. We've caused quite a scene down her as it is, haven't we?"

"Do you want to come upstairs?" Harry asked. "Or maybe you could get your own room, if you want, and, er, if you're planning to stay very long." He still wasn't sure Mrs. Weasley wouldn't grab all three of them by their shirt collars and drag them straight back home at any moment.

She still looked like might be considering it. But meanwhile, Ron had been looking in the direction his sister had gone, and now said, "Um, Ginny's leaving. She, uh, was standing there sulking, but now she's going out the door."

"Oh no!" Mrs. Weasley hurried after her.

Harry was torn between following himself, and staying away from the mother-daughter fight he was pretty sure was about to happen. Ron made the decision for all three of them by calling after her, "We'll wait here."

The emotional toll of the last few minutes caught up with all three of them as they collapsed into three armchairs surrounding a table on the far side of the hotel lobby. Hermione especially looked exhausted, even leaning forward to prop herself up on the table by her elbows. Ron reached forward and put a hand on her arm.

Harry was left to ponder Ginny's words to him. They'd already established, of course, that maybe he'd been a little overprotective of her during this last war. But that had been during dire circumstances that ought to now be in their past. Now she had just made clear that if he wanted to stay with her, he might have to change more than that, and he wasn't even sure if he could get himself to do that.

But she'd spoken of wanting a say in their future. That was fair enough; he would have absolutely given her that anyway, whatever she thought. Did she have any specific plans or hopes right now? He hoped she was willing to talk enough to tell him about those sometime soon, if she did.

Though it might be a bit early for her anyway to be making plans if she wanted to start her entire post-O.W.L. education over. He thought she would, but he hadn't gotten the chance to ask anyone below seventh-year over it before he'd left Hogwarts.

He was still dwelling on how he was going to ask the question exactly, and what he would say depending on her answer, when she and her mother finally returned together, and despite the latter's smile, neither of them looking very happy. Harry wished he and Ginny were alone simply so he could ask her what had happened.

Mrs. Weasley spoke instead, "We've taken your advice, Harry, and gotten ourselves a room. On the second floor. I believe it would be best if we all took some time to rest, and then met for dinner, perhaps around five?"

"That does sound like a good idea," said Hermione. "The three of us can spend it together." Ron immediately nodded.

So they ended up doing what they would've done anyway that afternoon, except the entire time, Harry was thinking about Ginny, sitting around with her mother, and who knew what might be on her mind.

That Evening

Hermione wasn't the only one who had studied Brisbane and found places they could go to, at least to eat. That evening Ginny led them to a Japanese place, saying she wanted to try out sushi. They all of them ended up doing so (except Hermione had already tried it once; she said it was good), even though Harry felt he was ordering kind of blind doing so.

Figuring out just what to have distracted them until they'd finished ordering. As soon as the waiter had left, Mrs. Weasley said, "Having thought about it a little more, Hermione, I still think someone besides the three of you should talk to your parents, try to explain to them why doing what you did likely saved their lives. I think there's a good chance that an adult, talking carefully enough to them, could get them to understand."

After a moment of looking thoughtful, Hermione said, "You might be right. But I want to be the one to decide who and when and what they say. I know my parents. They're my parents."

"Well, you might have to let mum do it," said Ginny. "And before we leave. That really was a long flight, Hermione, and I don't think anyone's going to go to the kind of trouble setting up such a long-distance Portkey just for a task like this, or trying to figure out how to communicate Muggle-style from the other side of the world."

“I think Muggles are developing new ways to communicate wizards aren't keeping track of, but that is good point. Still, I just don't know if you'll be here long enough for them to cool down."

"We can take time," said Mrs. Weasley. "Even with the Quidditch World Cup not started yet, there's probably still plenty to see and do, and after coming all this way, I think the two of us would like that."

"Have you been anywhere interesting this week?" Ginny asked. "I mean, anywhere all three of you found interesting?"

Harry thought about it, as Ron and Hermione appeared to do the same. "I think the cathedral was interesting."

"Cathedral?" Mrs. Weasley asked, confused. "I thought they only built those in Europe."

"Oh, no, they're building one in Brisbane right now," said Hermione. "They've been working on it for nearly a hundred years," and she explained how they'd built it in three phases, and were currently in the middle of the third.

"A pity Arthur isn't here," commented Mrs. Weasley when Hermione was done. "He would love to see such a thing. We should get a camera and take some pictures for him. I don't even think it would have to be a magical one, especially since I don't suppose we'll be taking photos of anything that's supposed to move. Although I'm not sure how..."

"Don't worry," said Ginny. "I'm sure between the five of us, we can figure it out."

"Though if we're taking pictures now," said Ron, "I kind of want to go back to the park we went to this morning. I liked that place."

"That, too, then," said Hermione. Harry got the feeling then that they'd be revisiting most of the places they'd been to already. It would, after all, delay Mrs. Weasley's planned visit.

Briefly he entertained the notion that Ginny might try to stay behind with him on one of those excursions. But that, he told himself, should be up to her, and besides, there was a good chance her mother wouldn't allow it.

"We could probably go there first as well," Harry noted. "If we go before the cathedral opens."

They were still making plans when the sushi arrived. Harry wasn't sure, afterwards, whether he liked sushi or not. He liked most of the things it was made of, but the combining of them in that way was definitely new. Ginny seemed to really enjoy it, though, which left him thinking that maybe he could get used to it. Ron's and Mrs. Weasley's reactions were harder to tell.

When they'd exhausted the topic of Brisbane and all they'd seen in it, Hermione rather determinedly went right into the topic of Japan, which she wanted to visit some day, and everything she knew about its magical and Muggle societies both. Probably she was trying to ignore the very thoughtful way Mrs. Weasley was looking at her. Nobody pushed it, though. The only argument that happened over that meal was who got to pay the bill, with Mrs. Weasley ultimately winning.

It wasn't until they were nearly back at the hotel that Mrs. Weasley said, "I think I would also like to call Arthur and talk to him about this. If you could help me with that, Hermione?"

For a moment, Hermione looked like she wanted to protest. Then Ginny said, "If your parents ever decide to come home, it would be good for them to know some of dad's friends, Hermione."

"I suppose," said Hermione, but she didn’t look all that happy. Harry wasn't sure why. Mr. Weasley wasn't like his wife; he wouldn't go barging in on her parents because he thought he was right and they were wrong, not even if he somehow ended up in Australia here with them.

"Anyway," she continued, "calling someone on the other side of the world can get a little complicated sometimes. I'm pretty sure we'll be able to do it at the hotel, but we might not be able to do it from our rooms. We should go up to the desk and ask about it."

"Harry," said Ginny as they entered the lobby. "Could you come with me for just a minute or so?"

Ron cast them a suspicious look as Harry agreed, but didn't say anything. Silently the two of them walked past the table he had sat at with Ron and Hermione earlier that day, to the far end of the room. It did give Harry time to think about his words to her, which started with, "Let me just say one thing really quickly, Gin. Maybe I haven't been the best at this the past year, but from now on..."

"I get to say where we're going, at least once we're both done with school," said Ginny. "You can make suggestions, if you want, but I bet I've thought about it a lot more than you have. In fact, if you still want to be an Auror, I've got some ideas for how we can make everything work, though a lot of that probably won't be in our control anyway."

"That's fine," Harry told her, because it really was. After the past year of constantly having to figure out what to do next, feeling like the fate of the wizarding world might hang on his decisions, and not knowing what he was doing too much of the time, the thought of handing over all that to someone he could trust, at least for a little while, was very much a relief.

"Good." She smiled. "Also, I noticed you didn't talk about being in the wizarding section of this city much, and mum may not have asked why, but I want to know."

This was going to be very hard to tell her. It felt too much like an excuse when he said, "That explanation would take a lot longer than a couple of minutes."

She did not look pleased. "In that case," she said, "You're giving it to me tomorrow. We can meet right here at 6:30."

Harry knew better than to argue. "All right, then. I'll try to explain it as best I can." That was as much as easily came to him then. "Let's go back."

Ron didn't say anything when they returned. Harry was very grateful for that. They were all of them maybe a little too tired to talk anyway. Instead they just stood there until Hermione and Mrs. Weasley returned, looking a bit peaked up, but a bit more pleased. "Arthur and I have a few ideas," she said. "We'll talk further about it in the morning."

After that, they all went up to their own rooms pretty quickly. Harry had no idea if Mrs. Weasley had any knowledge of Ron and Hermione sharing a room without he himself in it, but he sure wasn't going to tell her if she didn't. He tried to sleep immediately, he really did. Once he'd gazed at the map enough, he finally managed it.

6:30 A.M.

The lobby wasn't as deserted as Harry would've liked. Besides them and the woman at the desk, there was only one group of people, but that consisted of eight men in very nice suits who were talking way too loudly for this early in the morning. He sat in the chair furthest away from them to wait for Ginny, and he was pretty sure he wasn't imagining the confused looks a couple of them were throwing him. He was in his clothes for the day, but he was pretty sure the jumper was one of Dudley's he'd ended keeping until he'd actually grown into it, and it did show it, and his hair was probably even messier than usual.

He'd figured that Ginny, at least, wouldn't show up in a state to complain about his. Sure enough, she was a t-shirt he knew she'd had since she was at least fourteen and a long skirt with a visible patch in it, hair brushed but loose. He had never seen her like this much, even when they'd first dated. But he kind of liked it.

She was a little stiff, though, as she sat down in the chair nearest to him, which was still a few feet away, and right now that felt like a lot further. Biting back a reaction to that, he asked, "How are you?"

For a moment she didn't respond, and he even wondered if she'd heard him; those blokes in the suits were still yammering away. Then she said, "I think you're the one who needs to answer that question honestly. Or at least give me that explanation we didn't have time for last night for why you've been keeping to Muggle Brisbane."

"All right. We only went into wizarding Brisbane early in our stay here, because of..." Harry looked anxiously at the men, reminding himself they probably weren't paying attention to them. "Well," he started. "First I ended up having Hermione's parents look at my teeth..." Going through the whole story seemed to confuse her at first, but Harry found it cleared his mind a little, to have to order and string all the events together enough to explain them. And by the time he was done, Ginny was nodding.

"I remember," she said, "when the whole thing with the diary happened...well, at first I pretty much felt okay. Mostly just relieved, because I'd been so scared, you know. Sometimes when I woke up in the morning, I had serious trouble reminding myself the whole thing was over, but it never lasted too long after I got up.

Except then I went home, and I don't know what it even was. Maybe it was that I had less to do, or maybe it was that that was where the whole thing started, or maybe it was even that home didn't seem as secure as Hogwarts-but I wasn't safe from it at Hogwarts either, so I don't know. The feeling of being scared when I woke up came back. I almost didn't get my homework done that summer, because there were weeks when I couldn't bring myself to touch a book. What I got to writing down, I took to rechecking after a few days, just to make sure it hadn't changed.

And then, there was this morning where Fred and George sneaked up on me...I don't even remember exactly what they did anymore. But mum and dad had to pull me off them. I gave Fred a black eye." Her voice cracked a little then, probably out of grief.

"It wasn't okay, of course, what I did, and what you did wasn't okay either. But..." She sighed. "I think it happens sometimes. And it did get better for me, eventually. Well, mostly."

"Wait a minute," said Harry, as one memory came vividly back to him. "That time you really didn't want to go to the library, even though we both had essays due the next morning..."

She nodded. "It was one of those days. They're very rare, now, but they do still happen. But I never attacked anyone again, after that morning with Fred and George. There were a few times where I actually managed to stop myself, but I think that did go away eventually."

Harry did now remember how, from the start, Ginny had always been aggressive during DA practices. He hadn't thought anything of it back then.

"You think I'm always going to be a little like this?" he asked her, suddenly feeling timid. Maybe she wouldn't want him again after all.

"Maybe," she said. "But maybe if we can keep ourselves from hurting anyone else, and we can be happy a lot of the time-because I have been, Harry, I can say that-then it's...well, not *not* all right."

Harry tried to stop himself, but it came out anyway: "So you mean, the two of us, together?"

Ginny nodded, very solemn. "I'd been thinking this already, but after hearing about this, I want the two of us to be there for each other. For this, and for everything else, too. I want to be there when you're feeling bad, and then I want to still be there when you're feeling better. I want to be there when you become an Auror-for real, not just honourary-and I'd like it if you were there when I hopefully make my professional debut as Chaser."

"Oh, I absolutely want to be there for that," said Harry, and he couldn't stop the smile. "And if you have more of those bad days, I want to be there to help with that, and when you can smile again I want to see that, and I hope I can make you more happy than sad."

"Agreed, then," said Ginny, and she reached out and took his hand. Neither moved to kiss the other, but they didn't really have to.

#Harry Potter #harry x ginny #Ron Weasley #Hermione Granger #molly weasley