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crazycreatorw · 2 years

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Difficult childhood AU - Hortensia and Quackmore

And so I'm going to tell you about my Au. Namely about Quackmore and Hortense. Hortense is a faithful, intelligent, purposeful woman who has tried all her life to become richer than Scrooge. She abandoned her family and married Quackmore, thus joining the Duck clan. It all started in childhood.

As a child, Hortense loved her siblings and they played together constantly. But when Scrooge turned ten, his father had more hopes for his son as the breadwinner of the family (and since at that time the girls could not yet receive the correct education of the only educated child) Fergus saved on food for a whole month and bought it for his son shoe shine kit. It was an expensive gift for all the children and Scrooge loved to show off that he could already work. At the same time, he constantly bought sweets for his sisters for pennies, in secret from his parents. Then he got his first dime and you know the story. I don't know if a ten-year-old child survived in America, but that doesn't matter. And so, Scrooge left and they were left alone. But he wrote constantly, at least once a week (while he was just a child and he had money problems once a month). The letters from Scrooge were a holiday in the family, the parents were proud of him and Hortense and Matilda too.

But at the same time, Fergus and Downey ceased to notice the achievements of their daughters.All their small successes overshadowed Scrooge's successful attempts to get rich. It was around this time that Hortense wanted to start learning to do more than just family and children in her life. She made an agreement with the neighboring boys that they would give her their school books and tell her what they learn, for the fact that she would do their homework. This scheme worked well and Hortense was able to achieve success in her studies.

But back to Scrooge's letters.The family was constantly waiting for Scrooge's letters, and yes, it was fun at first. At least once a week (As a child, when he hasthere were still problems with money, once a month) they received a long letter with amazing adventures, wonderful stories, wishes of good luck and confessions of endless love for the family. It was a family ritual, sitting in front of the fireplace, reading Scrooge's letter and all together writing a reply. But over time, the letters became smaller and smaller, came less and less, and were no longer filled with the spirit of magic and hope. In the end, they were reduced to short messages, usually consisting of a couple of words, not even connecting sentences, in order to save money.

But the parents were still waiting for these soulless scraps of paper and read them with bated breath. Matilda was upset and did not intend to communicate more with her brother, but Hortense was evil. The famous McDuck temper raged within her. Her brother broke the heart of her family and she hated him for it. At some point, she had a terrible fight with her parents because she called him idiots and they rushed to protect him. Then she realized that everyone does not care about Scrooge's humiliation, do not care about his statements about the uselessness of the family. She left home and never returned planning to revive the McDuck clan herself. She became a truly famous woman and a big supporter of femenism.

Somewhere at that moment she met Quackmore, and since the McDuck clan was already being renovated by her brother (building a castle), she decided to join the equally famous American clan Duck. Quackmore was also as single-minded as she was, but he did not have any drinking character. He also did not communicate with his family, but not because of a misunderstanding, but just like that, not wanting to waste time on them. These people began to run their company and overtake Scrooge, they did charity work and fought for the rights of women, so that the public was offered more to them than to the recluse and curmudgeon Scrooge. Hortense also wanted to be a lady from high society, she had many acquaintances and friends from there, and she was often invited to balls and parties.

It was in such a situation that Della and Donald appeared, who were originally planned as Donald, the heir to their wilicness. But in one egg there were two chicks and Donald, turned out to be weaker than Della, so now she had to become their heir. And so the Duck twins from the age of two were at various balls, wore the most expensive costumes, learned to play the violin, ballet, various dances, gymnastics, playing the piano and a million other things. at Della and Donald appeared, who were originally planned as Donald, the heir to their wilicness. But in one egg there were two chicks and Donald, turned out to be weaker than Della, so now she had to become their heir. And so the Duck twins from the age of two were at various balls, wore the most expensive costumes, learned to play the violin, ballet, various dances, gymnastics, playing the piano and a million other things.

It was also forbidden for Della to communicate with boys, play "boyish" games, and dream of becoming a pilot. Since even as a fighter for women's rights, Hortense managed to believe that the lady from high society, which Della should become, could not have such a "masculine" profession, and also behave so "masculine". Donald, according to Hortense's thoughts, was supposed to become an outcast of society, but with her help he turned into an unfortunate but intelligent disabled person. Its feature turned into the consequences of a fire, and became highly discussed. Many felt sorry for Hortense and Quackmore and also Donald. He had to communicate in sign language, sometimes showing his voice, but only with the permission of his parents. They were warned that if the boy did not practice his speech, he would soon become dumb and that was an idyllic fit for Hortense.

Quackmore blindly followed her with no interest in raising children. He was responsible for the punishment. In their house, beating was considered the norm, and Della and Donald knew (or rather thought) that this was happening to everyone. They also knew not to show their bruises because they are "broken" twins who are often punished. The other children were normal and had no bruises. Della and Donald were fine with this explanations and they went crazy trying to stop being "broken" but it all came down to the mother's words: you were born that way. In the end, they just took it for granted and carefully concealed their wounds so that the other kids wouldn't laugh at them.

Della also could not cry, since a strong lady does not show her feelings to anyone. You cannot force someone to see you weak, otherwise they will hate you. He only needs you strong and perfect, otherwise you will be left alone. Della remembered these mother words by heart, it was her childhood motto and it is still very difficult for her to show her true feelings to someone. Since childhood, she learned to cry inside, while smiling from the outside. If she shed tears in front of someone, she would be punished especially by the side. But it was impossible to cry even in the presence of the mother, otherwise she would have faced verbal punishment, consisting in humiliation.

Donald could cry because he was considered weak and crippled, but he kept the same rules as Della in support of his sister. This continued until their tenth birthday, until Scrooge rescued them. But I'll tell you about this later.

Now a little theory. In fact, even in the animated series, Hortense looks like a domineering woman with a strong character. Take a look at her Photo.

She definitely doesn't look friendly. While Quackmore looks like he doesn't give a damn about anything.

And if you say that this is just a photo, and in the photo everyone does not look very fun, then look at the photo of Downey and Fergus.

Downey, even in the photo, does not look stern and spiteful. She still gives the impression of a sweet woman. But Hortense looks very smug, and Quackmore clearly doesn't care.

Again maybe Webby only found these photos, but Scrooge's dresser has exactly the same.

So Hortense and Quackmore weren't even the best people on the show. After all, who leaves their children alone for Christmas?

This is evidenced by the bag in Donald's room and the fact that there are only four socks on the fireplace, and Frank admitted that it was Duckworth's sock.

So it's obvious that Hortense and Quackmore didn't celebrate this Christmas with the kids. Perhaps they were already dead. But for my AU they were just busy, after all, by this time it was Hortense's company that was the second richest.

Now you have some material from Hortense and Quackmore in my Au. You can also ask me any question about them or the twins. To whom the next post about this AU will be dedicated is up to you!

Bye!

#della duck #donald duck #quackmore duck #hortense mcduck #ducktales 2017 #Difficult childhood AU #DuckTales Difficult childhood AU

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rune-writes · 3 years

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A New Beginning

Fandom: Studio Ghibli | Mononoke Hime

Word count: 1988

Rating: G

Summary: It's been months since the Deer God's demise and the woods are thriving again. One evening, after a day's work of rebuilding a new village, Ashitaka visits San in the forest as per his promise, bringing with him a meal the villagers made for her.

Note: this is a piece I wrote for @ghiblicookbook. I got to write about Princess Mononoke with dinner as the main theme.

Read on AO3.

~*~*~*~*~

The forest was quiet that evening. Nothing but the sound of the hooting owl, the rustles of leaves against the breeze, and the rhythmic thudding of Yakul’s hooves against the ground. The kodamas were watching with their smiles on their white illuminated bodies, the soft clicking of their shaking heads filling his senses. It had been several months since the men tried to take the Deer God’s head, and now the woods were thriving again.

Ashitaka was on his way to San’s home, riding on his elk as it made its way over uneven ground and upturned roots. Their path lit only by the moonlight filtered in through the gaps in the dark foliage. It had been a while since he was last there. Rebuilding a new village in the mountains hadn’t been an easy task.

However, that evening, just a little after sunset, Ashitaka’s work had finished unexpectedly early, and he wanted to see how San was doing. He was leading Yakul out of the stable by the reins when Eboshi called for him.

“Are you going to see the Wolf Girl?” Eboshi asked.

“San,” Ashitaka corrected. At Eboshi’s raised brow, he repeated himself. “Her name is San.”

Eboshi cleared her throat. “Yes, San, then. Are you going to see San?”

“Yes.”

Eboshi didn’t say anything. She only turned her head and nodded over her shoulder. Toki stepped forward from behind her, carrying a box wrapped in a modest red cloth.

“Dinner,” Toki explained. “From us. To her.” A genuine smile. “You haven’t had any, right? It’s enough for two.”

“Thank you,” Ashitaka said. He took the box from her. It was heavy.

“A peace offering,” Eboshi elaborated. Ashitaka looked at her and was surprised to see the prideful lady grimacing. “I doubt she would accept it readily, but this is a start.”

I see.

Ashitaka tightened his grip on the box, feeling it weighed down with the responsibility it carried. “I will relay your message,” he promised.

Eboshi smiled. “Thank you, Ashitaka. I’m sorry for making your leisure trip into one of an envoy.”

Ashitaka laughed at that. In all honesty, he had long since felt that he was an envoy between the Ironworks people and the Forest Gods.

The line of trees fell away and the path Ashitaka treaded with Yakul opened into a hill and rocky outcrop. Up a series of boulders stacked high against each other, his elk trotted upwards to the grassy patch near the top. An opening between the rocks led to the cave where San slept at night. It was empty. No signs of fire, flint, or stone. Not even any sign of her white wolves. Only the undisturbed bed of leaves that made up the cave floor.

Ashitaka headed out to the jutting rock overlooking the mountains, wondering if he could spot San among the darkness. But there were only the clear sky and the cool night wind greeting him as he stood by the ledge.

Instead of eating her, I raised her as my own, a voice rose from the distant reaches of his memories. My poor, ugly, beautiful daughter.

Ashitaka looked up, almost expecting to see the great white wolf lounging on the boulder’s flat surface above him, her eyes filled with reproach, asking him a question he couldn’t answer. How could you help her? But the space was empty. Moro was nowhere to be found.

Ashitaka felt the weight of the wrapped box in his hands. He hadn’t been able to answer that question before; he didn’t know if he had the answer now. But he had promised Moro he would save San, and that was what he was going to do.

“Ashitaka?”

The soft call came from behind him. Ashitaka looked over his shoulder and found San emerging from the cave’s mouth. He smiled at her. “You’re back.”

“Yeah,” San replied, joining him by the ledge. “I was surprised to find Yakul outside, but here you are.” A quiet laugh. “What brings you here?”

“I promised we’d come see you whenever we can, right?” he said. “Well, we can now. And look—” Ashitaka lifted the wrapped box, “—I bring gifts.”

“Gifts?”

“The villagers made it,” he went on, making his way inside the cave. He sat down on the hard floor between the leaf bed and the cave mouth before laying down the box in front of him. Untying the knot and opening the lid, Ashitaka found a stacked food container inside, with a couple bowls, spoons, and a ladle.

“What’s that?”

“Dinner. You haven’t had any, right?” He had caught sight of the fruits, berries, and some plants in San’s hand when she came to meet him out on the ledge.

“No, but—”

“Come on, then.” He patted the space next to him with a grin. From the scent wafting up from the container, Ashitaka knew their dinner was going to be delicious. If Eboshi really did mean to offer peace, she might have asked Toki to make this especially good.

He used the wrapping cloth as a mat and set the container over them. A bowl and a spoon would mean some sort of soup or congee, but the strong scent of spice coming from the top lid meant there was grilled meat. Beef? Lamb? Or maybe just chicken?

Ashitaka uncovered the top lid and indeed, what he found were skewered meat set neatly in a stacked row. It looked like they had packed in at least thirty skewers. The second container beneath it held what looked to be congee. The rich smell teased his nostrils, pulling his lips into a small smile.

He grabbed the ladle from the box and stirred the congee. There were eggs too, and he could barely smell the pork stock Toki had used. He ladled the congee into each bowl before setting them down on either side.

He then grabbed one of the skewers and took a bite. Lamb meat, it seemed—so soft and juicy as it melted in his mouth. A hint of saltiness, but the spice tasted more prominent. Ashitaka smiled, looking up to his friend still standing by the cave’s mouth. “Try them,” he said, holding the skewer up.

San stared at it, then at the dishes, and shook her head and took a step back. “I’m not touching that.”

“Wh—” Ashitaka gulped down his lamb, “—why?”

“It smells weird. And it looks weird. And did you say it was from the villagers?” San shook her head again. “I’m not eating that.”

Ashitaka sighed. “San—” he began.

“No, Ashitaka!”

“But they’re delicious.”

“I don’t care.”

“You’re missing a lot.”

San scowled. She made her point by plopping herself down on the ground and took a large bite off whatever edible root she had brought back from her foraging.

Ashitaka pursed his lips. This was not going how he had wanted it to. Yes, he knew San wouldn’t receive it gladly, but he’d thought if he had omitted Eboshi’s name, she would at least sit down and try some of these. But she didn’t even give him the chance to explain, and Ashitaka saw no way he could let her know about the peace offering.

He looked at the lamb skewer in his hand then glanced up at San, still stubbornly chewing her root, refusing to meet his eyes. He sighed, letting his hand drop to his lap.

“I was going to say that Eboshi wishes to offer peace,” he began. He noticed a stiffening in her shoulders, the way her eyes flitted to him for a fraction of a second and the pause in her bite. He smiled a soft self-deprecating smile. “She knew you wouldn’t accept it readily.”

“Then why bother?”

“Because it’s a start.” Toward peace, and a new beginning. San leveled her gaze at him for a few more moments before pointedly looking away.

Ashitaka waited for one heartbeat, then another, and said, “You really won’t try some? It’s really good.” He took another bite off the lamb. It really was delicious. Toki and the women had probably gone above and beyond to make this.

San plopped a purple berry into her mouth with a huff.

Ashitaka stared at her, before quietly saying, “Moro asked me to look after you.”

That did it, as he knew it would. The mention of Moro’s name was like a hammer breaking through her strong façade. The flash in her eyes as she glared at him—at least she kept her gaze locked with his. And then he saw it, the slight crumbling of her resolve, as she muttered, “That’s not fair.” With a shuddering breath, San drew a long sigh, and went over to sit next to him.

Ashitaka couldn’t help the beam on his face. He grabbed her bowl and held it out to her. “Here, try this.”

“What is this?” she asked, scrunching her face. She took a sniff, then immediately pulled back with a frown and a shake of her head. Ashitaka laughed. If that were enough to repulse her, he wondered how she would react to the lamb’s strong flavor and scent.

“It’s called congee, and it really warms you up.”

She met his gaze again, and he nodded at her encouragingly. He showed her how to use the spoon, and she did as she was told, albeit clumsily. She brought the gruel to her mouth, barely touching the spoon to her lips. A moment’s pause, her tongue lapping at her lips, before she gulped the congee down.

Ashitaka waited with bated breath.

“It’s…good.” Her voice soft, she scooped another spoonful of the dish and ate it without question. Her face broke into a small smile. “It’s really good. What is this—egg?” She ate the entire egg in one go.

“Try this next.” He grabbed one skewer from the container and handed it to her.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“Lamb skewers.”

“Lamb?” Her eyes narrowed at it. “It’s burned.”

“It’s grilled, San,” Ashitaka replied with a laugh. “We cook our meat before eating it.”

She gave a noncommittal grunt, but she put her bowl down and grabbed the skewer from him. She eyed it skeptically, took a sniff, and scrunched her nose. “It smells even weirder.” Ashitaka chuckled at that.

San took an experimental bite off the top cube, her jaws moving slowly. She puckered her face, trying get the meat down her throat.

“It’s good, isn’t it?” he asked, watching her closely.

San swiped her tongue against her mouth before eyeing the lamb again and took another bite. She seemed to have an easier time digesting it now, the grimace on her face transforming into an uncertain frown. “It’s all right, I guess. It tastes…good, but the meat’s not juicy.”

The comment left him dumbstruck. He hadn’t expected it at all. When it finally registered in his mind, bone-shaking laughter overcame him, and San had to pause eating and stare at him. Of course, if he thought about it, the meat wouldn’t be juicy enough for someone who had never eaten anything cooked.

“This doesn’t mean I accept her apology, okay?” she said with a frown. “I’m only eating the food youbrought me. I trust you. I don’t trust her.”

“I know, I know,” Ashitaka said, brushing the tears away from his eyes. “She knows that too.”

“Good then.” A short, clipped answer. San went back to her lamb and took her third bite without any difficulty.

It was hard to keep himself from smiling because this was the girl who had been so adamant on hating humans and the human life, and yet now he was watching her eat human foods with such joy on her face.

“Want me to teach you how to make them? It’s not hard.”

San glanced at him, and there was a small smile on her face as she said, “I’ll think about it.”

~ END ~

#studio ghibli #mononoke hime #princess mononoke #fanfiction #ghibli fanfic #ghibli fanzine #zine piece #whisper of the hearth

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kodzusken · 4 years

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miles apart // p.p.

summary: peter decides to surprise you for your one-year anniversary.

pairing: peter parker x reader

warnings: MINIMAL angst, fluff

word count: 1.5k

a/n: this is a repost.

it was your smile that caught his eye first. that dazzling grin that radiated pure happiness and joy. peter wondered what you’d been looking at on your phone that had made you smile so wide. it wasn’t until you looked up in alarm when someone bumped you that he noticed how gorgeous the rest of you was.

his palms tingled as his leg bounced up and down, his heart fluttering fast. he didn’t even know your name, how old you were or where you were from. he just knew he had to get your contact information before you walked off the train.

as peter frantically argued with himself back and forth on how he should go about attempting to talk to you, he nearly missed you as you rose to get off the train. like a bullet, he shot up from his seat and grabbed your wrist.

you shot him an alarmed glance, your expression frozen with fear. peter dropped your wrist immediately, his eyes widening with horror and his face turning beet red. “oh-oh shit, i’m sorry, i didn’t mean to-”

as you watched him stutter his way through an explanation, your fear slowly melted away and a relaxed smile took its place. peter pressed his lips together, hoping he’d get the chance to see it reappear.

“i-i was just-you’re really pretty,” he mumbled unabashedly, then immediately clamping his teeth down into his lower lip. “i was wondering if i could get your number?”

your cheeks flushed red as the train doors slid closed. “you think i’m pretty?”

he nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

peter felt like he was floating as he watched you dig out a pen, take his hand and scribble your number on it. the pen tickled his palm as you wrote, but he was too lost in your failure to hide your smile to notice.

the train lurched forward, sending you sliding forward with a yelp. peter’s strong grip caught you just in time, your eyes meeting in a brief exchange of shock. you immediately bounced up, still feeling peter’s fingers lightly hovering on your back.

“i’m sorry i made you miss your stop,” he apologized quietly, his hand dropping to his side. guilt flooded his body as you reached out and squeezed his shoulder.

“it’s okay,” you reassured, tilting your head to the right. “i can get off at the next one. it’s closest to the airport, anyway.”

and he watched you carefully step off the train once it stopped again, mesmerized as you shot a wave and grin his way. his gaze followed you as you walked away, your hand resting on the top your over-the-shoulder purse. peter glanced down at the ballpoint numbers on his palm. it had already smudged from the nervous sweating. he immediately copied it into his phone.

it wouldn’t be until midnight that he’d finally muster up the courage to properly compose a text that would spark the start of something wonderful.

the first time he’d heard your voice over a phone call, he’d immediately fallen for you all over again. it was nighttime where you lived, and your voice was soft and raspy. you often paused your sentences to yawn, and no matter how many times peter had begged you to sleep, you’d always stay up for ten more minutes just to listen to him talk.

fast forward a year and a million heart-melting texts later, you were floating on cloud nine as your thumb tapped the blue “send” button on your phone. you bit the inside of your cheek as you watched your long paragraph to peter send, showering him with affectionate nicknames and sweet words.

you glanced at the polaroids strung up on your wall, still hardly believing that it had already been a year since the cute boy on the train had prevented you from getting off at the right stop. and boy, were you glad he did.

you kept continuously glancing down at your phone, waiting for it to light up with a new message from peter. when it didn’t, you swallowed the small twinge of hurt. it must’ve been time zones. that was what it was, right?

hours later, you sank down into your bed on top of the covers, rolling over on your side to check your phone one last time before heading off to sleep. still no response. you scrolled up to the last message he’d sent. a week ago.

you swallowed the lump that had risen in your throat, trying to reassure yourself that it was okay as tears dotted your vision.

you wiped your tears away with the heel of your palm, slightly shocked that peter hadn’t bothered to respond to your text on your one-year anniversary. you sniffed, tugging your blankets closer to you. what was he doing all the way in queens, anyway? your tired, sleep-deprived mind immediately assumed the worst. were you breaking up? was he ghosting you because he was tired of you?

a quiet knock on your window made you leap up off your bed, your sleepy body immediately becoming rigid. “who’s there?” you cried, eyes darting around for the nearest object to use as a weapon.

“it’s me,” a familiar voice called. you blinked once, then twice. was your mind playing tricks on you, or was that actually-

“peter?” you asked hesitantly, waiting with bated breath.

“yeah.”

you rushed over to the window and ripped open your curtains to see peter perching on your window ledge, wearing his familiar blue midtown sweater he knew you loved. you gasped as you frantically fumbled with the locks on the window, pulling him inside as soon as you got it open. “peter, oh my god, what were you doing out there?”

peter wrapped his arms around you, hugging you close to his chest. “i needed to see you, especially on a special day like this.”

you hugged his waist, your head dropping on his shoulder. “how-how did you get here? and why were you standing on my win-”

he pressed a brief, hasty kiss to your lips, his thumb brushing across your cheek. both your bodies flushed with heat as you pulled away, the question on your mind already forgotten.

“i thought you were mad at me,” you blurted out as his fingers ran through your messy, untidy hair. “where have you been this whole week?”

“i was getting here,” he shrugged. “to see you.”

your bottom lip quivered as you sighed in relief, your fingers playing with his. “i’m such an idiot. i thought you were breaking up with me.”

“darling, i would never,” peter promised, squeezing your hand in response. “i would never.”

your teeth sank into your bottom lip as you threw your arms around him again, hugging him as tight as possible. you felt every muscle in his body relax at your touch, and you melted into his embrace. you couldn’t help it as your tears dotted his sweater-clad shoulder. it had just been too long since you’d seen him.

“can we cuddle?” he asked, his voice muffled by your neck. tingles shot up and down your spine as his lips moved against your skin.

“of course.” you gestured to the bed, where he immediately jumped on the covers like a five year old and opened his arms. a giggle slipped from your mouth as you crawled into them, letting him pull the blankets up and over your bodies. peter smiled. your laugh was even better when he heard it in person.

his hands wrapped around your shoulders as he tugged you closer. it wasn’t until you saw peter’s face up close that you noticed the deep eyebags that looked like they could carry groceries. you ran a thumb over them, shooting him a concerned glance. “have you been-”

“yes, i’ve been sleeping,” peter finished uncomfortably, waving your hand away. you frowned. liar.

“c’mon, peter, don’t lie to me,” you whispered, ruffling his dark brown hair. “y’know i love you.”

he wriggled around in your arms for a while before finally acquiescing to your worried gaze. “fine,” he grumbled, glancing down at your intertwined hands. “i-i’ve been having trouble sleeping-every time i close my eyes, i think of you in some sort of trouble and i can’t do anything from queens, when we’re miles apart, and-and-”

you wiped away the tears that had gathered in his eyes and were spilling softly down his cheeks, and placed a kiss to his cheek. “i’m here now, okay, baby? please sleep for me?”

peter stroked your hair gently. “i don’t deserve you, darling.”

”shut up,” you poked a finger into his side playfully to lighten the mood. he sniffled and chuckled, making you grin. “i love you.”

his arms closed around your body as he placed a series of loving kisses up and down your jawline. you sighed contentedly as you snuggled up into his neck.

after only a few minutes of cuddling into peter’s soft as fuck hoodie, you drifted off to sleep in his arms. peter blinked down at you, unable to keep a goofy grin off his face. it wasn’t until extremely late at night that he finally fell asleep, not because of nightmares. but because, for once, reality was better than his dreams.

permanent taglist:

@stiles-banshees @littlehealer @kehlanis-parrish @im-salt-but-not-salty friend @averyfosterthoughts @parkerslutz @zabdisamor @alopix861 @astronomical-parker @marshyrebelcloud @screeching-student-unknown @boyfriend-cal @miraclesoflove @zendayacolema @a-hardcore-romantic @cloudy-zoey @hollandsamor @aidiastyles @halfblood-princess-505 @deans-daffodils @kickingn-ames @stuckonspidey @cosmicholland @murdermornings @imanativeofswlondondahling @yaofanblogue @thwippeter @hollandfangirl @musicalkeys @starryjiani

peter parker taglist:

@givelove-always @starlightparker @kitykatnumber @seamusfnngan @im-salt-but-not-salty @averyfosterthoughts @spideygirl2003 @iam-thevillain-of-thisstory @alexxcorona113 @its-the-unknownspideywrites @astronomical-parker @yourlocalbisuperhero @pastelpeter @hobiflowie @trustfundparker @parkerpeter24 @herb_the_dino @kelieah @shadowsndaisies @the-crazy-fanfictionist @k-wedgeworth @starlight-starks @luvgxnya @quaksonhehe @awaywithtime @gayfeministbroadwayyeet @universeoffandoms1 @in-a-lot-of-fandoms-tbh @yoinkyourheart @t-monosapiens-h @throughparisallthroughrome @slytherinambitious @theamazingtomholland @drishtisikarwar @1missglum1 @clara-licht @anapocalypseinmymind

#ari writes #peter parker x reader #peter parker imagine #peter parker imagines #peter parker fluff #peter parker angst #peter parker smut #peter parker marvel #tom holland #tom holland x reader #tom holland imagine #tom holland imagines #tom holland angst #tom holland fluff #tom holland smut #peter parker

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thisnoodlewritesao3 · 3 years

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The Girl Who Radiated The Sun - Part 1 | Sugawara Koushi/Reader

Characters: Sugawara Koushi, Reader (Sunshine), mentioned: Azumane Asahi, Shimizu Kiyoko, Sawamura Daichi. Original Characters: Previous!Reader(Moonlight), Kado, Joji, Etsu

Pairings: Sugawara Koushi/Reader

Warnings: jealousy, drinking (Suga, Reader, and Moonlight are all 22-23), implied/referenced depression

Word Count: 4165

Summary: Working at a café had been your dream come true, so was meeting Sugawara Koushi. Things were so perfect that you didn't notice the tides shifting until it was too late, and the moon had already piqued her way over the horizon.

A/N: This took me far too long to finish, and I am so sorry for that for those of you who have been waiting for this. If you haven't read this series before, then check out the other two parts for Moonlight and the start of her story, as well as Angel too. A big thank you to @pies-writes-and-more and @satan-ruler-of-hells for keeping my head in place while I wrote this. I could not have done this without you my loves.

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People have always intrigued you; their stories and the worlds around them that you’d get to glimpse into if you really paid attention (and you paid attention). There wasn’t anything more exciting to you.

That was why you loved your job at a café, you could observe the people around you with such ease. Some you only got to see for that day, some maybe a few more, but others would come weekly - maybe more. You had a few favourite characters in this little story.

The first was a tall, skinny man with brown hair. He always wore a suit and adored a black coffee every day - to go, obviously. Most of the time he was on the phone, grumbling to some poor human about a task they failed to complete, but the few times he wasn’t were more intriguing. He had a very calm air about him then. Very charming (especially when he tried to flirt with you, to no avail). He always tipped 200 Yen, telling you to treat yourself to something nice - you always wanted to pour his coffee over the expensive suit.

Next was the tired mother and her daughter. Every Friday, 3:35 on the dot, that’s when they showed up. The daughter would squish her cheeks together and gasp at the array of cakes before picking a cheesecake. The mother would smile almost sadly before getting herself whichever tea you’d recommend that day - normally a green tea, but you’d change things up sometimes. They were always a relieving sight. You knew the mother was single, listening as the daughter bragged about what she’d be doing with her dad this weekend. You watched the twinkle in her eye dwindle at the mention of her father, but the mother smiled through it all and smiled so sweetly. Such a brave woman.

And finally, one woman who had held your intrigue for the entire two years she’d been coming. Every single Saturday she’d enter, always ordering a tea and daifuku with anko filling. For the first year, she seemed so hopeful as she nervously rubbed her hands together; the few times you’d actually talked to her, she told you about her boyfriend, how she was waiting for him to call. And for a while, he did. Then slowly, she stopped getting that call.

She only ever missed one week - when you asked her about it the next week, tears pricked in her eyes and she broke down. You took her into the back quickly, ushering away the peering eyes of your co-workers so she could feel secure. You learnt her name, but you’d come to call her Moonlight (something about her just reminded you of the moon), and in turn, she’d call you Sunshine (because something about you reminded her of the sun).

You never talked outside of the café, but she seemed to open up just a little more with each passing week, discovering new things about her that you hadn’t expected. Things that exceeded your expectations. Only once did she show up with three small children in tow (Kado, Joji, and Etsu), and it was absolute hell - but the best day you’d ever worked.

Kado and Joji were truly little demons, just turned 5 and already forces to be reckoned with. Etsu was about to be 3, a beauty already. Despite being their sister, Moonlight acted more like a mother. It was almost sad to see.

Moonlight was somehow so open and yet so closed off at the same time; every inch closer you’d step towards her, she was pushing back. Always at arms reach. You could try and slip past her barriers (if you could figure out which ones actually led to her).

One week, you awaited her arrival with bated breath; something in the air today had you more nervous than usual and you couldn’t quite figure out what it was. You’d just gotten back off of your break when she arrived, smiling so beautifully. “Same as usual?” You chirped, already writing down her typical.

“For me, yes,” she chimed. Something about her was glowing more today - subconsciously, your brows twitched upwards, trying to figure it out what she meant. Your confusion seemed to click with her because she elaborated, “oh, I brought someone with me again. He’s just… I don’t know what he’s doing.”

Almost as if on command, the door to the café opened and in walked a man, a cheeky smile plastered on his lips. Something about him made it impossible for you to not look at him; then his eyes landed on her and you knew you never stood a chance. “What’re you ordering, bitch face?” He asked, snorting as she rolled her eyes.

“Make your own decision, Suga tits.” There’s a chemistry between them that you can’t quite figure out; enough space between them to leave it up to the imagination. Either old friends or lovers, now was the task of figuring out which it was? She glanced down at her phone, brows furrowing - he must have seen in the corner of his eyes because he immediately looked worried.

After he figured out his order, they sat down at a table and kept up their light chatter.

You hadn’t expected her to move on so quickly since whatever heartbreak she’d faced just over a year ago, but you were happy for her. With this boy - Suga, you guessed - she was able to open up and smile so freely. There was nothing forcing it.

You were happy for her, you told yourself.

----

The next week, Moonlight returned by herself, holding her hands in front of her and smiling ever so sweetly. “Hey.” You smiled so brightly, and she returned the gesture (you noted the emptiness in her eyes now that Suga wasn’t here). “Your usual?” You asked, and she nodded. “So, where’s that boy you were with?” You hummed, looking up at her.

“Oh, Suga?” She asked, and you could only nod because you didn’t really know who he was. “He’s got some work to do today; tough life being a university student, I suppose.”

“I wouldn’t know.” You laugh. There’s a questioning look in her eyes, but she slowly manages to piece things together and nods.

“Same. I only know what I know because of Suga and-” there’s a moment of hesitation and her expression falls to a sadness you recognise. You know exactly who she is thinking about in that moment and are quick to distract her.

“So is Suga, like, your boyfriend…?” That works and she looks up at you cackling with laughter, her head tossed back as she clutches her stomach. Her laughter is infectious in the nicest way and you giggle with her.

“God, no!” She calls out, brushing away tears that had formed in the corner of her eyes. A mixture of disgust on her face answers your first question, but it raises so many more in its place. Like a ‘one door closes and twelve more open’ sort of situation. Before you had a chance to ask, she had a chance to explain, “he’s just, I guess, my best friend.”

You nodded slowly and she glanced up at you as you mused, “I see.”

The smirk that tugged at her lips spoke a thousand words. “Why? Do you think he’s cute?” She asked, resting her head on her hand. The warmth that spread to your cheeks was a tell tale sign, but you denied it anyway. She only laughed and brushed you off.

You hoped that that would be the end of that conversation. That you wouldn’t have to face up to these feelings any time soon (because they weren’t really feelings). Of course, Moonlight had other plans.

You were cleaning off the table she’d sat at after she left when you noticed a piece of paper on it. All you could think was oh no.

Carefully, you unfolded the paper, and you were greeted with a little message - obviously from Moonlight. It read:

So, ya like Suga? Perfect, because he told me he thinks you’re cute.

xxx-xxx-xxxx

Go get ‘em :D

You hid the squeal of excitement at the words on the paper, but your co-workers would be sure to question why it was suddenly like you were floating for the rest of the day.

----

Had there ever been someone more perfect than Sugawara Koushi? No!

That was what you thought, of course, because Sugawara Koushi was an angel disguised as a devil. Sure, he liked to play little tricks and tease, and sometimes he could get a little too aggressive with his ways of love. But underneath all that was a soft interior that made your heart melt.

Every interaction with him left you on a high - which meant you were like this on, basically, a daily basis. Who knew that just a few months of dating and a month of officially being together could make your world so full of life of joy.

And the best part? He felt the exact same way.

You’d be sure to thank Moonlight for this opportunity to be with him until the day that you’d die. Without her, you never would have gotten this far; you would have passed up the greatest opportunity for love that you’d known. And for what? You didn’t even know.

“You know, I think you’re pretty cool.” You hummed one afternoon, curled up next to him on his couch, the film you’d been watching not long ago forgotten so you could trace the shapes on his face. Something so soft in his features as he looked at you. God, you just wanted to kiss him, and hold him, so much for so long.

“I think I’m pretty cool, too.” He chuckled, brushing a strand of hair out of your face.

You only laughed and pushed yourself away from him - a small defiance - but he was quick to grab your wrist and pull you back.

“I guess you’re okay, too.” He planted a soft kiss on your forehead and you rolled your eyes.

That was the thing about Sugawara Koushi: his heart was so open and warm to the world around him. To the people who he held near and dear to him. You just happened to be lucky enough to be one of those people.

“I’m more than okay and you know it.” You said, resting your head against his chest and listening to his even heart rate pick up ever so slightly.

You wouldn’t call it love, not yet, not when it’s still so early into it. But you do know that you both care for each other so deeply, more than anyone will ever care about you, and more than anyone will ever care about him.

For a little while, it feels like the whole world only revolves around the two of you.

So much that you can’t see something rising over the horizon.

----

Of course, good things always seemed to get interrupted for you.

Sugawara was your world, but that was the thing about worlds, they’d normally bring along a little something else with them that you might not notice until it’s too late.

For you, that something would be the very thing that brought you together. Moonlight was great - you knew that - and she had no intentions of ever dating Sugawara - or trying to steal him from you. But when they interacted, you couldn’t help but feel inferior. Like you were the third wheel in their world. Like they had a bond that you could never be a part of.

“Are you sure nothing ever happened between you and her?” You’d tease, trying to keep the air lighthearted as he looked at her with a content sigh - his expression switched to that of disgust, and you knew your fears were unwarranted.

Honestly, you don’t really know what you were expecting, you knew they were close when you started dating him. Yet you couldn’t stop the sickening feeling of jealousy twisting your stomach, making your skin crawl. Those feelings only got worse when they’d laugh together about something that happened so many years ago. Moonlight was snorting, clutching her stomach like her life depended on it.

It only made it harder when she depended on him. You knew why - she just simply didn’t have anyone else other than Suga - and you didn’t mind, not at first, not until he’d answer her calls in the middle of your date and leave you wishing you’d never texted him that evening after Moonlight had given you his number. Wishing you’d never met him. Wishing it was just as easy as giving up.

And the more you looked at her, the more you knew you could never compare. Though she looks slightly older for her age, slightly more tired, the beauty she radiates is far more than you have. Her laugh is so contagious; humour perfectly matching his in every way that yours can’t.

You speculated that it was because they’d been together so long - that thought would be correct - but you couldn’t help it. You wanted to be close to him. You wanted what they had. How were you meant to do that?

And so what if you end up reading more into their relationship than you should, a little jealousy is healthy, right? Watching the way they interact and wishing it was you is normal, right? Begging that she’d find someone more captivating and leave him alone for good isn’t a horrible idea, right? That you’d finally get to have some time with him and not feel alone. God, that would be nice.

You resist the urge to cry as she leans into him while they exchange their laughter; Suga glances at you and you offer him a smile. Sure, it was nice they’d invite you on their weekly excursions (you’d pretend that the fact you got a bi-weekly date didn’t affect you), but you were like an awkward piece to the puzzle. You fit, but something was missing.

Or maybe you didn’t fit as much as you thought you did.

----

So maybe you invited her to a night out, just the two of you.

And maybe you started drinking just a little more than you normally would because you were nervous.

And maybe you ended up getting into an argument with her that went something along the lines of you telling her that you hate her because she is always with Suga. And her telling you… something?

Once again, these were all just maybe’s, you couldn’t remember what happened last night at all. Not with the pounding in your head. You felt light and heavy at the same time, and the water Suga kept offering you wasn’t doing you any good.

He ran his hands through your hair and looked down at you sadly as you mumbled into your pillow.

You really wish you could remember what you’d said last night (at least, not exactly). The only thing you can visibly remember was the sickening look of sorrow in her eyes. A look you recognised from some time after she’d ended things with her ex; had your words really hurt her that much? You doubted it, she was probably just putting on some sort of act to try and make you feel bad. You couldn’t feel bad.

Maybe you should have felt bad because Suga kept looking at his phone with worried eyes. Normally, she would have been messaging him so much, checking up on you and making sure that you hadn’t died in the night. Today: nothing.

You wanted to tell him that she’d message soon, but you weren’t sure. “How are you feeling?” He asks, putting his phone to one side and gently cupping your cheek.

“Like shit.” You mumble, nuzzling closer into his warmth, tossing an arm over his body. Suga lets out a soft chuckle as you smile. “How’s Moonlight?” You ask, but it’s half-hearted and you don’t know why.

“I’m sure she’s fine.” He assures you, but there’s hesitation in his voice and it makes your stomach sink. “Did something happen last night?” You can feel his eyes on you, trying to work out why she wasn’t checking up on you. If only you remembered.

“I don’t know.” You admit even though you are aware of something happening. “I can’t really remember anything.” You say. His face shifts, but he looks away before you can fully understand the expression. God, if only there were an easy answer for everything.

That night you manage to distract him from his sadness with snacks and a movie.

If only snacks and a movie could fix everything.

----

It isn’t until he comes home late from work a week later, crying and completely drenched head to toe that you understand something is not right. Something more not right than what you thought.

He tries to avoid your hugs, but gives in and eventually melts into you. He grips the back of your shirt tightly, like he’d fall apart if he let go. Like he’d fall apart if you let him go.

You choose not to care about the fact his tears are soaking through your shirt, or that he’s created a wet spot on the carpet from his drenched clothes, or the light pain as he holds you closer. Right now, he needs you.

It takes some time, but you manage to get it out of him; he’d gone to visit Moonlight after he’d finished work to try and see what was up with her (because she’d stopped calling and messaging him entirely). Apparently, she hadn’t even let him in the door, refused to talk to him about the problem - because you were the problem - and told him to leave her alone.

Even as he tried to get her to open up and talk about it she just refused. Of course, the conversation lasted longer than he thought, but only because Kado and Joji had forced the man inside. Moonlight tried to tell them no, but they weren’t listening to a thing she said (though that wasn’t exactly a new situation).

You tried not to think about how this was most definitely your fault. The fact that his current problems were because of you.

God, you should have just sucked it up, dealt with it. She made him happy - but not as happy as you - she hadn’t done anything wrong. And yet… you were jealous. Why?

Thinking about it made your head hurt, so you focused on rubbing slow circles on his back, humming a soft tune to try and distract both of you from the thoughts that wracked your brain. Maybe it all hurt more because Suga had always been so much stronger than anyone you’d known, and yet, here he was, broken in your arms.

You helped him strip off his clothes, saying, “you wouldn’t want to catch a cold, would you?” And he agreed, letting you whisk him upstairs, running him a bath. His eyes were dull as he looked to the side, barely keeping up any conversation with you.

It hurt. More than you ever thought it would.

----

You really regretted ever thinking that things would be better if Moonlight wasn’t here. If she’d left your life.

The moment she’d left, she seemed to take a part of Suga with her; sure, he was still Suga, he’d tease and and make fun, and you’d end up in laughing fits, but there was something missing in how he works.

You’d watch his eyes light up when his phone buzzed, only to die immediately.

You winced inside with each night that he’d ask you if you’d heard something, anything, because he was worried.

It was like something inside of Suga was programmed to protect Moonlight, but he would never tell you why. Like it was some sort of trade secret between the two of them. Another thing you’d never get a chance to be a part of.

Things became just a little harder after she’d stopped visiting the café. It was abrupt. After almost four years of knowing each other, it was over. She’d taken herself out of your life as well as Suga’s. Did you even have any right to be upset with her?

No.

Every time you watched him jump at the sound of the door, you knew it was your fault, because the disappointment that would follow was more than enough to break your heart a thousand times over. Maybe even more. Definitely more.

You wished you could make this pain go away, you just didn't know how to. If Moonlight was in the picture, then it might end up destroying your relationship with Suga; but if she wasn’t in the picture, then Suga was… well, he was depressed.

He’d smile at you weakly from his end of the couch before he looked away, eyes void of emotion.

You ran your hands through your hair, sighing to yourself as you poured the coffee for a customer, feigning a smile.

----

You wished things weren’t like this.

You wished feelings weren’t messy.

You wished that you knew how to make things better.

Even when Suga told you he’d be okay, you couldn’t help but not believe him.

You bit back the tears in front of him, gave him the sweet kisses that he needed at the moment; when you were alone, it was a different story. You could only feel guilt.

God, you felt stupid. Time didn’t make things better, they made things so much more worse. A few months had passed since your maybe-argument with Moonlight and nothing had changed (though Suga did cling to you considerably more now).

When you were at work one weekend, Suga had found an old box of memories from his high school years. You returned just in time, catching him holding onto an old picture of the third years from his volleyball club.

“What’s that?” You called out from the door frame. He looked up at you, a little surprised, but his face softened and he motioned for you to join him. You did, not even hesitating.

“I found this box,” you glanced around as he explained, humming a little at the small memories that were spread across the floor, “and this is a picture from our last year in high school.” He passed you the picture.

There were two faces you didn’t recognise (another face you knew to be Azumane Asahi. You’d only met him once or twice, but he was very nice - though rather timid).

One belonged to a girl with black hair and glasses, a small smile on her lips, but her eyes were shining with such joy in this moment.

The other face was a boy. He had short brown hair and the most charming smile you’d ever seen. Stood just a little in front of this boy was Moonlight, looking barely younger than she did now, but her eyes were glowing with so much happiness. Next to her was Suga, so relaxed and awash with content that it was almost strange.

“Is that Moonlight?” You asked, checking your facts.

“Yep,” Suga nodded, looking at her with a sigh.

“I didn’t know she was part of the volleyball team…” you hummed, resting your head on his shoulder.

You can’t see his face, but his tone of voice is enough to tell you what you need to know. “She wasn’t.” A question lingers on the tip of your tongue; you don’t need to ask it, he’s already explaining, “she, um…” he pointed to the boy with the short brown hair. “This is Sawamura Daichi, he was… her boyfriend.”

“Oh…” you were smart enough to fill in some gaps, but Moonlight had never told you what had actually happened between them.

“You know,” Suga sniffed, starting to pack away the things back into the box, “I know things get hard sometimes. And that I’m really close to Moonlight, but I hope you know you never had anything to worry about. I knew that girl for almost six years. I’ve seen her at her worst, never at her best though.” You nod, not really sure how to respond. “Before I met you, we were the only people who really understood each other; I’m in love with you, though.”

You feel your heart warm at the sound of that; yet something in his eyes kept you from feeling so elated.

“You’re my everything, but…” he paused. Of all places to pause, he paused there. And why?

You knew why.

Like how every world needed a sun, Suga needed you. You provided him warmth; helped him to thrive; you brought light into his life that he could never describe. But worlds need more than just a sun to thrive. Worlds need moons to hold back the tides; to light up the darkness; to reflect your love further and deeper.

And right now, your world needed his moon.

--------

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jenoptimist · 3 years

Text

request:

✨Can I request something with haechan ✨

✮ Pairing: donghyuck x reader (gender neutral)

✮ Genre: adventure | fantasy | fluff

✮ Word Count: 7.2k

♡ Yakult says: sorry this took so long nonie! i do hope that you enjoy it, even though it’s, uh, probably not what you had in mind rip

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The vial of the yarrow flower essence that you were brewing had reached the perfect temperature, finally allowing you to pour it into the cauldron with the point of your index finger. The remaining ingredient hadn’t been brought to you yet but you knew that Chenle and Jisung, the most recent additions to your ragtag coven, were on their way.

Behind you, the others were speaking to one another in hushed, panicked voices but you didn’t want to think negatively. Yes, you were under pressure. Yes, he had been taken a week prior but Minhyung would be fine; he was voted as the head of your coven for a reason. Jeno was doing a great job as his substitute but you could tell that he was under severe stress–his training wasn’t completed yet after all.

You spun around when the door opened. Chenle and Jisung barged in, both looking a little worse for wear. Chenle dodged the others and made a beeline towards you, opening his satchel to retrieve the golden silk pouch. Jisung collapsed on your coach, releasing a groan that had Jaemin - who was highly proficient in healing magic - jumping to his feet in order to tend to him immediately.

“Hopefully this is enough,” Chenle said as he placed the pouch gently on top of your outstretched palm. With a groan that matched Jisung’s, he clutched his side and added, “there were so many after it.” When you gave him your thanks, he lazily saluted at you before staggering over to the couch, dropping beside Jisung the moment he was a mere centimetres away from it. Renjun was quick to follow him.

Your eyes scanned the room until you locked stares with Jeno, who nodded at you. Quickly spinning around, you sat down in front of your desk and get to work. You took an extreme amount of care while you funneled the fine and shimmery powder-like material. Although it was a slightly difficult feat, considering just how light it really was, you managed to succeed in making sure none of it would be blown away somehow. Stardust was a rare thing; it could only be obtained when a shooting star occurred which, unfortunately, was highly uncommon and have been for centuries. The Universe must have been in you favor because when Chenle used his Vision to see whether or not you would be able to obtain the necessary ingredients the first time around, he gave you a dejected negative. It was only a few hours later when he was granted a Vision that showed him and Jisung managing to collect the stardust. Thinking back to their conditions, you didn’t want to know what measures they had to take to ensure that they were the ones who had gotten it.

With one last stir, the pale colored mixture was complete. Waiting with a bated breath, you stared at the cauldron with impatience. Apparently the mixture was supposed to provide an object that would be both warm and bright that could be used against those who kidnapped Minhyung.

“Well?” Jaemin asked curiously from somewhere behind you, presumably still attending to whatever injuries Jisung had been subjected to.

Your mouth twisted. “Nothing’s happened.” You stretched your hand out, thought of the particular book you wanted and once it was in your grasp, you flipped through the pages to find the potion you used. “We’ve done everything it says here.” You sighed as you dropped your book on the desk. “I don’t know where I went wrong.”

A hand was placed on your shoulder. “It’s alright, y/n,” Jeno said soothingly. He peered over you shoulder so that he could inspect the page that it was opened on. “What does this say?” He asked curiously as he took his hand off your shoulder and pointed at something that was scribbled sloppily towards the end of the page.

“I don’t know, either.” It was in the language that your father spoke. You never learned it since you grew up speaking Common. When you were given the book by your mother, she never told you what it translated to in Common. Probably because she didn’t speak the language, either. “It’s probably nothing important.” Or at least you hoped it wasn’t.

Jeno hummed in consideration. “Since this didn’t work, we’ll meet up tomorrow and come up with something else.”

When they filed out of your small home, saying their goodbyes and touching the runes that they carved on the door frame, you couldn’t help but stare at the liquid in your cauldron with hard eyes. It didn’t make any sense! You had followed it word for word yet it didn’t work! Time was running out and you didn’t know how Minhyung was coping–there was a block in your connection that made you feel like you were missing a limb. You really, really needed this spell to work. From your research, nothing else could help your coven against the vampires that kidnapped him.

What the vampires wanted with Minhyung, or your coven in general, you didn’t know. There hadn’t been a word from them. In fact, the more you thought about it, the more you didn’t want to know. You just wanted him back.

Determined, you waved for numerous books to stack themselves on your desk. Grabbing some parchment and your writing equipment, you sat down and flipped open the book at the top of the stack. You would find something. Anything. You’d make sure of it.

The following morning, you found yourself startling awake with an ache in your neck and a piece of parchment stuck to your right cheek. You groaned as you removed it and placed it on your desk, refusing to look at it–none of the ideas and information you wrote on it would be of any use. You yawned as you stretched, trying to rid yourself of the stiffness you felt in your shoulders.

Frustratingly, you had found nothing that could aid you on your quest to retrieve Minhyung. So many books and they were useless. You sighed heavily. A cup of your favorite herbal tea would do you some good and then you would resume your research. You were just about to make your way to your kitchen when you noticed a strange man on your couch from the corner of your eye. You turned to face him head on, to do what you didn’t know, and—!

Correction, there was a strange naked man. Your jaw almost dropped in shock. What in the world?!

Jeno was so much more skilled at offensive spells than you were and, in that very moment, you wished that you strengthened your skills in that area. It certainly would have helped in situations such as this. Reaching your hand out for your iron skillet, anxiety and adrenaline flooding through your system as it floated towards you, you crept closer to the couch. With a firm grip on the handle - just in case he made any unsavory movements - you shook his shoulder roughly in an attempt to wake him up. There was no reaction, not even a twitch. After a moment, you poked him on his torso with the edge of the skillet yet there was still nothing. With a frown, you slightly lowered your arm. He wasn’t dead–his chest was moving up and down in an even rhythm. If he had come to harm you, for whatever reason, surely he wouldn’t have been knocked out on your couch?

With that thought, you lowered your arm fully and inched closer in order to inspect him closely. Tufts of honey caramel blond hair in waves that curled at the nape of his neck and beautifully bronzed skin, lengthy eyelashes and a cupid’s bow that lead to plush lips. As your graze traveled lower, you caught the defined shape of his collarbones and the strong build of his chest–he wasn’t stocky, in fact he was more lean. You didn’t allow your eyes to travel any lower than his ribs, wanting him to have a semblance of privacy. One thing was certain; you had never come across a person like him. There was something about his aura that was exceptionally warm and bright.

You frowned. Warm and bright. Warm and bright. Warm and bright! Cogs turning in your head, you looked towards the direction of your desk where the cauldron sat and tipped it over with the sway of your fingertips. It was empty. You looked towards the stranger again. Was it possible that he was the one that could help you with the dilemma and not an actual object like you originally thought it was?

Releasing the skillet, willing it to return to its position on the pot rack above the sink, you snapped your fingers for one of your thicker blankets and covered the man. You then called for your familiar - a crow that camouflaged against the night sky - and told her to send a message to the rest of the coven. With a gentle stroke of her feathers, she flew off.

The others were in your home in no time, practically shoving themselves through the door and took on the stances that they used when you all came across danger. They never took their eyes off of the sleeping man while they stepped further inside. You held off a fond smile, choosing to watch your familiar settle into her place near the window.

“It’s alright,” you said after a moment, breaking the silence. “I’m pretty sure he’s exactly what we need.”

“Y/n,” Renjun hissed lowly, like the man would awaken if he spoke any louder, “there’s a massive crater right outside. He could have caused it.”

Your brows furrowed. Massive crater? With a fleeting look at the stranger, you weaved through the boys to get to the door. Once you opened it, you were stunned. Numerous trees had collapsed and there was a very obvious circle shaped impact on the grass, ruining some of the flowers and herbs that you were growing. You shut the door quickly, ensuring to lock it before you resumed your position by the desk.

“Well I don’t think he’s dangerous.” You announced, aiming for confidence in your tone. Not quite managing but you hoped that it was convincing enough. Jeno slid his gaze away from the man to meet your eyes. The corners of his lips curled downwards which earned him a stern look. He lifted his brows and you shrugged, head tilting towards the stranger in return.

“If y/n says that they don’t think he’s dangerous, then we should believe them.” Jeno said decisively. The others immediately began protesting. “But we’ll keep an eye on him, just in case.”

It had been hours of bouncing possible plans off each other and the stranger didn’t even so much as turn while he slept. The boys had agreed to spend the night in your small home, not trusting the man even though you argued that he wouldn’t have been able to pass the doorway had he any ill intentions.

After what seemed like eons, the stranger began to stir. The boys - who’s eyes were all drooping as they sat on the ground, half playing cards while the other half read their books to entertain themselves - sat up, not a drop of tiredness in their forms as they watched him slowly sit up with hawk eyes. At first he seemed confused but as he looked around the room, eyes lingering on each boy, his expression became neutral. After a look at each of them, his gaze zeroed in on you.

“You,” he said, voice rough with disuse. The others slightly shifted forward, Jaemin moving in a way that meant you would be half covered by him. “You’re the one who called for me?” At the jerk of your head, he hummed. He was about to stand although seemed to think better of it, covering his chest with the blanket in a way that seemed self-conscious. “Could I have some clothes please?”

“What’s your name?” Jeno asked after Renjun handed the man some clothes.

“You can call me”–he paused, head tilted as he thought–“Haechan.”

“Is that your real name?” Jisung questioned dubiously.

There was mischief in his eyes as his mouth stretched into a wide grin. “No,” he walked around the room, making you feel slightly self-conscious as he hummed at some of the items you owned. “Do you have any food? I’m hungry.”

Jaemin was the one who piped up this time. “Will you be able to help us?”

“Well, of course I will. After all the trouble you went through to summon me.” The last part was said with a knowing look at Chenle and Jisung.

The plan was discussed over a big dinner. In the end the plan was that one of you would travel with Haechan - Jaemin had reasoned that any more would seem like a threat - to where you suspected that the vampires kept Minhyung–it was well known that vampires were uncreative, so it was likely that they kept him somewhere high up in the cliffs, just off the mountains. Once the two of you were at the location, Haechan would use the alleged powers that he possessed and Minhyung would be reunited with your coven in no time. It seemed simple enough. However, as with all plans, there was one flaw and that was their whereabouts; Chenle wasn’t able to use his Sight to figure it out and because the tie you felt with Minhyung was currently unavailable, it would be a guessing game of which cliffs in particular. Haechan then mentioned in passing that he could locate them without a problem, and with that, the plan was decided. All there was left to do was choose the people to carry it out.

“I’ll go,” Jeno said, squaring his shoulders. “I’m the best at offensive spells.”

“But because you’re the best, you should stay here. Just in case something happens.” Renjun countered.

Haechan watched impassively as the boys volunteered themselves, bringing up their attributes that would assist greatly during the journey. Just as you were about to volunteer your own assistance, he locked eyes with you again. The intensity of it made you shift slightly, fiddling with your napkin on the table.

“They’re going.” He said decisively as he nodded at your direction, effectively silencing the room. In unison, the others immediately snapped their heads his way. “I’m not going if they’re not.” The statement was said in a matter-of-fact tone with a slight smirk.

Renjun looked seconds away from starting an argument. “That’s alright with me.” You agreed quickly, wanting to avoid an increase in tension in the already strained atmosphere. You gave them a reassuring smile, “I’ll be fine.”

After some displeased grumbling, Jeno nodded. “Alright, now that that’s sorted, when do you want to leave?”

“I travel better at night.” Haechan commented. You looked at him in curiosity but he did nothing except wink at you.

“Tonight, then?” You suggested. “The sooner the better, right?”

Surprisingly, there was little resistance at your idea. Soon enough the two of you were on your way, necessary belongings on a bag your back. Your familiar was soaring against the wind above you. The air was growing chillier by the second. You would have brought your cloak for an extra layer of warmth but Jisung had said something about being obvious, that both of you needed to blend in the background in the event that you came across other beings. Although he mentioned that he knew Minhyung’s location, it was still strange to see Haechan be the one who lead your duo. There was confidence in his stride as he lead; a couple of turns here and there, plowing straight ahead when you reached the area before the thickest part of the forest. It was probably only a strange experience because you were used to Minhyung leading.

You had to wonder what sort of powers he possessed for him to be able to locate their whereabouts with little difficulty.

“So,” you began as you stared at the crackling fire. The two of you had decided that you deserved a break after five hours of non-stop walking. Your familiar had gone to search for something to feed on, leaving the two of you to set up camp. Food wouldn’t be a problem for the moment since you packed some with you. “You were the one who created the crater outside my house, right?”

The corner of Haechan’s lifted. “You’re clever.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“Yes, I’m the one who created the crater, y/n.” He confirmed after a chuckle.

“I knew it!” You looked around, gestured him to lean closer to you. From up close, you noticed how there seemed to be sparkles in his pupils. Was he what you thought he was? Probably. The evidence connected seamlessly; from his aura, the empty cauldron and the crater. If you raised your suspicion, would he answer truthfully? You hoped so. “Are you a star?” You finally whispered. Stars were a thing of legend and, until now, you were in two minds about whether you believed that once every couple of hundred years, one would shoot from the sky. There were tales of them posing as a human and adapting to society; some were said to have families and everything, effectively gaining the full human experience.

“Very clever,” Haechan said with a nod of confirmation. With a calculating scan of your face, he asked, “what do you want to know?”

You wanted to know absolutely everything that he could tell you. Like how old the universe really was - and in turn, how old he was - and whether or not the myths about stars were true. There were other questions, too, and Haechan answered them all patiently, thoroughly covering each topic that you brought up, looking amused. By the time your familiar returned, satisfaction evident in the way she immediately perched on a branch, you and Haechan were something like friends, laughing at a mishap you recounted that involved Jisung, a pond and some geese.

In between your laughter and trading of stories, you noticed that Haechan had been closing the gap in the middle of the two of you ever since you asked him to lean in earlier.

“Cozy?” You said with a grin as your eyes swept back and forth between the two of his, still fascinated by the flecks of sparkles you found in them. His eyes were very pretty. They were softly shaped and you guessed that if he were smiling - a real one, not the half smiles he had been shooting at you - they would turn into crescents.

“Extremely!” Haechan replied loudly, wrapping an arm around you and pulling you even closer.

You fought a smile as you shrugged his arm off and went to grab some berries from you bag on the opposite side. You stuck your tongue out at Haechan when he winked at you as you made your way back.

The following day saw the two of you deep in the forest where you were practically dragging a whining Haechan by his wrists. He dug his heels into the soft soil. “I need to sleep! Please! even just a couple of hours. We can travel at night.”

You didn’t want to stop. Minhyung was possibly in grave danger, there was no time for frequent breaks. Although you thought back to two days ago when he said that he traveled better at night and the fact that he was a star. You glanced at the sky, squinting as the sun hit your eyes.

“We can walk a little further, just to find somewhere better to set up camp. Sound good?”

“Thank Cosmos!”

While Haechan was sound asleep, your familiar stood guard at a branch as you were practiced some light offensive spells that could prove to be handy. When you had enough of using your spells on unsuspecting sticks and rocks on the ground, you rummaged through your bag to retrieve a book that you brought along. Not that you read much, unable to keep your eyes away from Haechan’s sleeping form. From the two days that you knew him for, he had been nothing but playful and boisterous. Haechan was easy to get along with and he made the journey just that bit enjoyable–you wouldn’t wish for anyone from the coven to be kidnapped again but you were glad that a positive came from the experience.

When the sky darkened, stars twinkling brightly, Haechan was completely recharged. He chatted the ears off of you, practically skipping ahead of the two of you. Once another handful of hours of trekking had passed, you had grown tired and so you set up camp once more.

“Do you miss it?” It had only been three days but as you stared at the sky, observing how the stares shined, you had to know. “Being a star, I mean. I know it’s only been three days but...” You trailed off, not knowing how to end your sentence.

Haechan hummed, shifting from his position beside you. “Not really? It can get boring, you know, watching all you humans live your lives. I’ve always wanted to experience the things that you all do, like go to the beach or eat cake. It’s why I jumped at the chance when you summoned one of us, they wanted to send someone older.”

“Oh,” you traced a triangle using the stars for each corner with your eyes. “What’s it like being a star?”

“Well one thing is that you’re literally hot all the time and it can get pretty repetitive,” he paused for a while, as if having an inner debate. “Another thing is that it can be lonely”–his voice was low, like he was telling you a secret–“which sounds weird because there are so many of us. We’re surrounded by each other all the time and I love the others, I do, they’re my brothers and sisters but I just feel out of place sometimes, you know?”

“Yeah,” you turned over to your side and startled when you found Haechan already staring at you, his head propped on his elbow. “What does Haechan mean? That can’t be your real name, right?” He did have to think about it after all.

“No it’s not. But do you really want to know?” He gave you another one of his half smiles.

“Absolutely.” Your eagerness showed in how fast you answered.

“Okay then,” he replied after a chuckle. “It means ��full sun’. My real name is Donghyuck, or at least that’s what the others call me.”

“Full sun,” you repeated lowly with a smile. “It suits you. Do you want me to keep calling you that or do you prefer Donghyuck?”

“Call me what you want.”

The rest of the night was spent speaking face to face, keeping your voices low in case of any possible intruders. The longer you talked, swapping a few secrets every now and again, the more it seemed that Donghyuck was glowing and at first you thought it was exhaustion catching up with you, however the somewhat dim glow slowly but surely turned into a bright one as the conversation continued to flow. When you brought it up, curiosity getting the best of you, Donghyuck had swiftly changed the topic, his ears pink. You thought about his adorably shy smile before you shut your eyes to go to sleep.

Another handful of days had passed and eventually it had been a little over a week since this whole operation began. The two of you were nowhere near the end of the forest but you were making great progress, so great that your familiar trusted your companion to keep you safe while she flew back to update the others. Donghyuck was challenging himself to stay up longer during the day so as to not inconvenience you, too, clearing noticing how late night traveling affected you. It was very thoughtful of him and it had something warm and unfamiliar uncurling inside of you. When you said as much, of course leaving out the warmth you felt, a hint of a smile played at his lips as he glowed.

“I’ve been very good about not asking again,” You said when your laughter died down. The two of you had hopped across a river and Donghyuck had slipped a little and fell in the shallow water. “But I can’t take it anymore.” You watched in amusement as Donghyuck rose slowly, his trousers soaked in different areas, as he laughed along with you. ”What does the glowing mean?” He was doing it again.

That had Donghyuck sobering up quickly, his glow dimming. A shy expression took over his place as he averted his eyes from yours. “Um, well, it happens when–”

The sound of rustling came from somewhere behind you. The two of you froze. As you inched closer to Donghyuck, an arrow whizzed through the air, just about missing your left shoulder. A series of spells ran through your mind before you settled on a simple disarming spell. It would be slightly difficult because you couldn’t pinpoint their exact locations but hopefully it would work out fine. There was a vague noise that indicated that they were successfully disarmed. You swayed your hand up into the air, launching the weapons far away without much thought. It was only then that they made themselves known. They were five women, all of different ages. There was confidence in their stances and a hardness in their eyes that spoke of great experiences.

You stood directly in front of Donghyuck without a thought, prepared to protect him at all costs. “When I say go, you’re going to make a run for it okay.” You instructed lowly, hoping that the others wouldn’t hear you. There was a spell you had in mind, rested on the tip of your tongue. Donghyuck had managed to let out a word of protest but you were having none of it. “Now!”

The women launched themselves at you as you began muttering the spell. Unfortunately, you weren’t fast enough and your concentration was broken as they started to physically fight you. You threw some of the light offensive spells that you practiced days prior, managing to throw them off. With a kick to the back of your knees, you were down. There was an arm at your throat in an instant, effectively choking you and making you claw at the owner of the arm as you struggled. Just as your vision began wavering, you vaguely registered Donghyuck’s voice and then you could breathe properly again.

“I told you to go.” You said with a wince once you finished greedily gulping some air.

With another half smile, he said, “I ran away for a second but then I thought, how could I leave you behind?”

You huffed, one part frustrated and two parts pleased. “Idiot.”

From there, the women tied you to one another with a thin silver chain. You would have thought them foolish if you hadn’t recognized the chain from one of your books; it was the kind that wouldn’t break no matter what captive did to it. The women formed a pentagon around the two of you, successfully caging both of you in. Although you wanted to break the silence, to demand where they were leading you, you had enough self-preservation to know not to. You huddled closer to Donghyuck when you noticed the woman closest to you glare from the side of her eye when he stumbled over something.

The seven of you kept moving uphill for hours on end and when you reached the gates leading up to a huge manor, it clicked. These women weren’t just a random group of people who wanted to see if either of you were worth anything valuable. No, these women were part of the group that had taken Minhyung. They lead you past the iron gates and through the tall, intricately designed doors and you barely had time to look at the beautiful decor as they lead you through another set of doors. It was there that you saw two men and women seated at the top of the room, some spectators gathered on the sidelines as the five women guided you to the center of the room. Minhyung was nowhere in sight.

“Ah,” one of the men spoke, “so this is him?”

The woman in front stepped to the side and then you felt yourself being shoved from behind, Donghyuck experiencing the same treatment beside you. They weren’t as menacing as you thought they would look. In fact, they looked a little bit like royalty with the way they sat and how they dressed in well fitted suits and beautiful lace gowns. One of the women stared at Donghyuck, her head tilted slightly. There was a distinct look of hunger that shined in her eyes that you didn’t like. Not one bit.

When you were about to demand for Minhyung’s presence, he stepped out from somewhere behind the four, a man directly behind him. You didn’t like the hand on your friend’s shoulder but Minhyung didn’t appear to be physically harmed in any way, he didn’t even look unkempt. It was confusing to say the least. While you were thankful that he seemed fine, there had to be some sort of catch.

“Are you okay?” You asked hurriedly, your desperation to know his condition overruling whatever self-preservation you had.

Minhyung nodded in affirmative. “We’ve come to an agreement but...” His eyes flickered to Donghyuck as he trailed off. You followed his gaze and found your companion completely composed, shoulders squared as he met Minhyung’s eyes and nodded minutely. What was going on?

“When I said I volunteered to be summoned that was true,” Donghyuck began as Minhyung was allowed to make his way over to you. The women surrounding you released the chains and dispersed, their task evidently completed. “But we’ve always known.” There was a sad smile on his face now and you hated that you saw that before the smile you imagined he would have when he was happy, the one with the pretty crescent shaped eyes.

“Known what?”

“Oh you poor thing,” one of the women at the front spoke, her tone condescending. “He didn’t even tell you?”

Minhyung had finally reached you, squeezing your shoulder as he took the space on your left. In return, you grabbed his hand as you whipped your head to the four at the top of the room, demanding to know what they knew about the whole situation. From your other side, Donghyuck fumbled with his words.

Eventually the other woman cut him off and told you herself. “The blood of a star”–your eyes widened at the blatant exposure of your companion’s true nature, the woman smirking when she noticed–“is very special.” Your stomach dropped, sensing where the conversation was heading. “Stars are made of old magic. Drink even one, tiny drop and the consumer will be overcome with an immense power, regardless of what being they are.”

“But if that’s the case why don’t you just take a drop now so we can go home then?” There was a titter that rippled through the spectators while their leaders looked at you as if you were some stupid, lowly human. Whatever had dropped in your stomach began churning, you began to feel ill when you realized that they were planning to bleed him dry. “No! You’re not going to do that, I won’t let you.”

“Silly witch,” a man from the crowd spat, “it was predestined! Our oracle does not lie.”

Dropping Minhyung’s hand, you turned to face Donghyuck who mirrored your action. “You can’t let them do this! What about the beach and trying cake?” You were well aware of how pathetic you sounded but continued anyway. “We all know that I’m not the best at offensive spells but Minhyung is here and we can defeat them.” There was a rumble from the crowd at your words but you barely acknowledged them, desperately scanning Donghyuck’s face. “You’re my friend. I won’t let this happen to you.”

Regardless of the fact that you only met the man a little over a week ago, your friendship was still very valid. You’d be damned if you were going to let him go without a fight. There were still things that you wanted him to experience, one being properly introducing him to the others. They would be great friends, you just knew it. At your admission, Donghyuck was openly pleased. The glowing was back again, not as bright as you’ve seen it or anything, it just faintly surrounded him. The gears in your mind were turning again.

“Well isn’t this just precious,” the other leading woman spoke, “the star has-”

You didn’t hear what the rest of what she said, the room suddenly becoming silent as if you have been sucked into a vacuum. In your confusion, you stole a quick glance at her to find her lips moving but no sound coming out of her mouth. “This glamour won’t last long,” Donghyuck said, addressing you and Minhyung. “Minhyung when this drops, which should be in a couple of seconds, I need you to shut your eyes okay? I have a plan.” To you, he said nothing, his right hand came up to caress your cheek.

“...shame to do this to you, really.”

The moment her voice came back, the hand on your cheek dropped and you found yourself engulfed in a warm hug. “Trust me?” Donghyuck was glowing brighter as one hand cradled the back of your head while the other was positioned at your lower back. When you said nothing short of, of course I do why would you ask that, the light around him became even brighter. “I’m your friend?” He whispered into your ear, referring to your earlier statement.

“Of course you are, I wouldn’t have said I trust you if you weren’t. If I’m not yours I’ll be thoroughly disappointed and let them eat you.” His chuckle was directly in line with your ear and made you suppress the shiver that wanted to travel down your spine. “If we survive this, I’ll buy you all the cake you want.”

“Yeah?”

“You bet! And I’ll...” You proceeded to make a bunch of promises, shutting your eyes when you could no longer stand the brightness that he was emitting. As you spoke, your eyes squeezed shut while you enjoyed the warmth, you felt Donghyuck rest his cheek on top of your head. When you had nothing else to say, he began humming softly and swaying the two of you.

The screams that the two of you had pointedly ignored throughout your conversation had subdued substantially, withering into nothing but pained groans. Part of you wanted to take a peek but you weren’t sure if it was safe to open your eyes yet. The other, slightly larger part of you wanted to continue swaying with Donghyuck for a little bit longer; you found comfort in his arms.

Unfortunately, all good things had to come to an end and so soon enough Donghyuck stopped swaying the two of you and released you from his hold. Within a second, Minhyung joined your duo and began exclaiming how incredible Donghyuck was. As he continued expressing his awe, you drowned him out as you looked around. The vampires had disintegrated into nothing, the only sign of their existence being the numerous piles of clothes that littered the ground. The sight of it made you wince, feel a little sick to your stomach and so you looked back to your friends.

The journey home allowed Minhyung and Donghyuck to become fast friends which was mostly due to the fact that they had similar humor and were both quick witted. Between the banter that the three of you bounced back to one another, it felt as though you were facing your front door quicker than expected. It was your familiar who spotted you first, alerting the others without hesitation which resulted in them surrounding the three of you as the spoke over each other.

You all but face-planted on your couch when you were near enough to do so. Logically, you were aware that you needed to bathe properly and eat whatever comfort food you had in your cupboards but something about travelling for so long to watch vampires end up as nothing did something to your energy levels. Not even a moment later, there were fingers carding through your hair which paired perfectly with the chatter in the background in relaxing you. They were so gentle, like that time you and Donghyuck were comparing hair textures a few nights ago. Maybe it was Donghyuck who was playing with your hair; it certainly was a nice thought and feeling, one that you wouldn’t mind experiencing for the rest of your life. The thought made you shoot up immediately. Donghyuck’s bewildered expression came into view.

“You’re not leaving, are you?” The question came out louder than expected, embarrassingly high pitched, causing the other to stop talking.

“They’re right,” Renjun piped up from somewhere behind you, “you’ve successfully aided us with our problem so there’s no need for you to stay, is there?”

“No,” Donghyuck’s gaze fell to the ground. “But once a star has fallen”–his fingers clutched onto his trousers–“they can’t return.” The statement had an immediate negative effect in the atmosphere and made you tear your eyes away from Donghyuck in order to look at the others pleadingly.

‘Can he please stay?’ You mouthed at them. After willingly volunteering himself to help, knowing that he would never return to his original state, surely he at least deserved to join the coven. The thought of him not joining felt wrong in a way, like if the Earth were to orbit the Moon instead of vice versa.

The others looked to Minhyung who, with his easy-going nature, smiled brightly at Donghyuck as he walked towards him. With a hand on his shoulder, he said, “you can stay with us.” The way Donghyuck’s eyes widened and snapped up to scan Minhyung’s face, as if to look for a sign that he was joking, pulled at your heartstrings. “Don’t look at me like that,” Minhyung said, squeezing his shoulder reassuringly, “it’s only right.”

Donhyuck’s gaze shifted from Minhyung to the other boys until they finally rested on you. You plastered on an encouraging smile, subtly nodding to him. Donghyuck’s fingers released his grip on their grip on his trousers and his hopeful expression gave way for a small smile. After clearing his throat, he softly said, “thanks.”

Life after Donghyuck joining the coven was stupidly easy. Just as you suspected, the boys had gotten along swimmingly. The more days that passed, the closer they all became and it made you feel warm on the inside; that all your boys - because, yes, of course they were yours, just like you were theirs - were beginning to form a bond like no other. Your relationship with Donghyuck was more or less the same but there was an attraction that you had for him that you didn’t dare acknowledge. It was something that would stay in the back of your mind; no matter how many times you got lost in his eyes or how adorable he was when he got particularly excited about something. You knew you were done for when one warm evening, the boys were lounging in your home after the day at the beach and Chenle was recounting the time Jisung had tried to brew a potion and how it left him with blue skin for weeks. Donhyuck had leaned forward to let out a full bellied laugh and you had to look away before you wouldn’t stop staring. Jaemin caught your eye, though, and the way he subtly winked at you had you scrambling to do something, anything, so that you could ignore how warm your cheeks had gotten.

A couple of weeks after that found you and Dongyuck under a large tree near you home, sitting across from one another on top of a picnic blanket with a pretty, buttercream frosted cake in between the two of you. Donghyuck was staring at it hungrily, fork in his hand. You gestured at the cake when he shot you a quick glance, smiling at him with amusement. The first bite had his eyes growing wide before shoveling more of it into his mouth, both of his cheeks bulging with the amount of it. You could hardly suppress your laughter, not even with a hand pressed to your mouth. At first he gulped it down, smiled bashfully and pushed the cake towards you. Then when you refused, content with watching him enjoy it by himself, his eyes sparkled with mischief and before you could even think to move away, he swiped some frosting across your nose. In retaliation, you returned the favor and so it became a mini food fight of sorts until you two stood up and began chasing each other around the forest, your laughter being carried by the breeze.

“Happiness,” you said breathlessly as you laid on the grass, not caring about grass stains ruining your clothes. Donghyuck mimicked your position, laying close enough so that your arms were touching. While you enjoyed the warmth that he was radiating, you shifted so that you could face him, elbow on the grass as your temple rested on your palm. “It’s happiness.”

“Hm?” Again, he copied your position and you couldn’t help but giggle at how silly he looked even though you probably resembled his current state–minus the glowing.

“The glowing,” you stated, eyes flickering to his lips for a quick second. “It happens when you’re happy, right?”

“You’re clever as always, sunshine.”

You snorted, “of course, Haechan.”

There was an electrifying current that followed as you and Donghyuck stared at one another for the next couple of minutes until you broke it, fearing that you might do something like tell him your feelings or kiss him or, if you were brave enough, both. With the sway of your finger, the picnic blanket was folded up and began floating back to your house. You offered Donghyuck your hand and pulled him up when he took it.

With frosting still covering both of your faces, the two of you began walking back in silence. Your arms were lightly swinging back and forth at your sides until your right pinkie was captured by another. You slyly glanced at Donghyuck from the corner of your eye, who refused to look at your direction. Heart racing, you rearranged your hands so that they were locked together, unable to fight the smile that made its way onto your face. When you reached your front door, still hand in hand with no words spoken to each other, you raised the back of his hand to your lips and pressed a soft kiss. A glance at your companion showed him mirroring your smile with his eyes directed on the ground, the glowing brighter than ever.

Before you could look away, he met your gaze and said, “I’m the happiest when I’m with you.” Then he gave you a peck on the lips, let go of your hand and ran inside. And what could you do except follow him, a goofy smile plastered on your face.

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woodstockbtswriter · 4 years

Text

Noticed

Genre: Fluff

Pairing: Yoongi x Reader (Female)

Word Count: 1.2K

Summary: When you finally pay attention to BTS’s most reserved member, you find you wish you would have noticed him much sooner.

Author’s Note: This is a sequel to Unnoticed, so if you haven’t read that, please do so before you read this. I wrote this months ago, but chose not to include it when I posted the first part. Then I finally decided I might as well put it out there since it was all done and just sitting around. I don’t have any current plans to continue this story, but never say never. I hope you enjoy it!

Noticed

Maybe an hour later, as you stood in the shower just letting the hot water rain down on you, you heard your phone ping with an incoming text. You nearly leapt to crack the shower door and snatch a towel, quickly drying your hand then grabbing your phone from the counter. Tapping the screen awake, you found a message from an unsaved number waiting. You immediately realized you didn’t have Yoongi’s number, never having had a reason to talk to him before tonight. You opened the message and quickly read, hoping it was from him.

Hey, I hope it’s not too late. I just wanted to let you know what’s on my mind. I should have said this in person, but talking is not my strength. I apologize.

An ellipsis symbol was hovering below the message. It was Yoongi, and he had more to say. You waited with bated breath. Finally, after what felt like forever, the next message bubble appeared.

I’m sorry if my actions tonight were confusing. I was just surprised. I didn’t expect any of this.

More messages immediately followed.

But I want to make sure you know, I don’t regret anything that happened tonight.

I hope you don’t regret anything either.

Your pulse was pounding. You could hardly believe what you were reading.

I don’t regret anything either.

You quickly replied.

I think I was just as surprised as you were. To be honest, I never would have imagined any of this until tonight.

But the way you protected me was so attractive... and you looked so good in the back of the limo. I just couldn’t keep my hands off of you.

Was that too forward? You had just totally made out, surely there was some allowance for flirting.

You awaited his response somewhat nervously, still standing half-in, half-out of the shower as the water running down the drain grew cool. It took several minutes, and you idly wondered if he was having to type everything into a translator due to his limited English. Maybe Namjoon was helping? You really hoped not. But no, no. Yoongi was way too private for that.

Another ping from your phone interrupted your musing.

You’re always beautiful, but you looked so good tonight too. You were making me crazy in that skirt.

Your heart leapt into your throat. Always. He said always. That meant he’d noticed you before tonight.

Have you always been attracted to me? Have you thought about kissing me before?

You were intensely curious now.

You couldn’t tell?

I have thought about kissing you once or twice, but I never thought it could happen.

What about you?

“Wow, Yoongi,” You thought, breathless, “You are blowing my mind right now.”

Really? I had no idea! I don’t think you’ve said 2 words to me before tonight.

No, I honestly didn’t think about you very much at all. I’m sorry, but I just didn’t notice you. I wish I had, though.

You hoped that didn’t sound too harsh, but it was the truth. Something told you that Yoongi was someone who appreciated honesty and didn’t want anything sugar-coated.

That’s fair. I know I’m quiet, and I can be shy, too.

But what do you think now?

You bit your lip, remembering the feel of his lips.

Now? I can’t stop thinking about kissing you.

His response was almost immediate.

Me too. It was very hard to leave the limo.

You smiled to yourself, still in disbelief. He was being way more open than you ever expected.

I didn’t want to leave either. I wish we hadn’t.

As soon as you hit send, you shivered. Quickly, you turned the shower nozzle off and stepped out onto the bathmat. You wrapped a towel around yourself, threw your hair up in another towel, and sat down on the edge of the bathtub, your phone in your hand. Yoongi’s reply dinged just as you were settled.

You made it very difficult to resist you. But I didn’t want to rush things.

I like you. I would like to see where this could go.

Do you maybe want that too?

You hugged your towel tighter around your body. Did you want that? Did you want a relationship with Yoongi? To see where things could go? To be patient and conscientious and careful? To maybe fall in love? Or did you just want hot, heavy, reckless, fleeting, no-strings-attached fun? Either way, you knew you didn’t want tonight to be a one-time thing.

I think I do.

You typed, then hesitated, your thumb hovering over the send button. Namjoon came again into your mind.

You’d had a crush on him for months, but he’d never given you any reason to believe he felt the same. Still, if you started dating Yoongi, you would definitely be giving up any chance with Namjoon. Were you okay with that?

Making up your mind, you hit send.

Then quickly added an afterthought.

But would we tell the boys? What about going out in public? I don’t want to cause any problems for you.

Yoongi’s response took a while. You knew he was being careful to choose the right words.

I trust my brothers, but we should probably not be seen together in public for a little while. Just until we are very sure.

That was fair. You could respect that. Besides, exciting as the thought was earlier, you really did not want to be the feature of a tabloid.

But telling the other band members... that was a little different. You were sure Hoseok, Jungkook, Taehyung, Jin, and Jimin would be happy for you, excited even. And they would be sure to tease you, which you could handle. But Namjoon... He would be happy for you too, and that might sting a little.

Okay, I understand and respect that. That’s fine with me.

You texted, and you hoped it would be.

Thank you for your respect. It means a lot to me.

I hope you know I would like to show you off, but my life is different than most guys.

That was an understatement. You were about to respond, “Of course, I understand,” but another message from Yoongi appeared before you finished typing.

I want to see you again. Can I come over tomorrow? I’ll bring breakfast.

Tomorrow? It would be Saturday morning. You didn’t have any plans, and breakfast with Yoongi sounded amazing.

Yes, absolutely.

You responded enthusiastically.

I’ll text you in the morning then, but now I should let you get some sleep. It’s late.

You glanced at the time on your phone screen and saw that it was later than you thought. You didn’t want to say good night, but at least if you went to sleep now, morning would come that much sooner and you would see Yoongi again.

Okay, goodnight, you get some rest too. I can’t wait to see you again!

Yoongi’s response put a smile on your face that you were sure you’d keep all night long.

Goodnight, beautiful. I’ll have a hard time sleeping thinking about you.

You took a moment to save Yoongi’s number in your contacts before locking the screen and hugging your phone to your chest, your smile still bright. You were going to have a hard time sleeping tonight, too.

#bts #bts imagines #bts fanfic #bts scenarios #min yoongi #bts suga #bts fanfiction #bts imagines suga #bts fluff #bts drabble #bts one shot #yoongi x reader

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relenafanel · 4 years

Note

Hi there! On this lovely Fanfic Appreciation Day, please accept this message as all of my appreciation and love for everything you do! You are without a doubt my favorite fanfic author EVER! Whenever I'm sad or overwhelmed or need a smile, I turn to your stories, and they always brighten my day! Tumblr is telling me to keep this short, so look forward to a more detailed message where I can pour out my thoughts and feelings in a cohesive way 💖 For the Ask Meme, I'd love to ask 1, 6, and 12 😄

OH MY GOD sweetie <3<3<3 thank you! That’s really kind of you to tell me - I’m glad that my writing can be there for you to brighten your day when you’re sad or overwhelmed. I also appreciate you popping into my Ask to tell me that - it’s brightened my day exponentially.

For the writing ask meme stuff:

1. What is your favorite fic you have under your belt?

I have the hugest soft spots for Lessons in Normality and THE Steve Rogers PROBLEM (series). I’d have to say it’s TSRP because I fully enjoyed all the extra work of writing an AU of my AU. There was a layered challenge to it, and it was a lot of fun to figure out how to make actor!Steve and FBI!Bucky fall in love in many different ways.

6. What’s the detail you wait on bated breath for readers to notice?

The moment the non-POV character falls in love. Sometimes different readers notice it at different points in the story than when I meant it and it’s always SO INTERESTING to see when that is, but my absolute favourite is when I start getting AHFHLHKSFFH comments for the moment I meant it. Especially in long-fics. That OHHH I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE! moment when the reader HAS to comment and is oftentimes still floating on the high of it so I get a lot of incoherent screaming type comments. I live for that because I probably wrote the fic deliberately leading up to that moment and it’s the payoff for both of us.

And also when something is particularly funny. I love hearing about when I make people laugh and will sometimes sit there waiting for someone to specifically mention my fav funny part.

12. What’s the hardest thing to write for you?

Dirty talk. Banter? Hell yes, I can write some sexy banter. Dirty talk? No. My brain doesn’t really think that way, not IRL either. Sex scenes are also difficult to write, but usually I can get a good flow going of banter and emotions so it doesn’t really matter as much about describing the movements. They have some vanilla sex in my fics and i’m 100% ok with that.

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isitmadness · 4 years

Text

A Handsome Stranger

story summary: Driving 1,300 miles in a truck with a complete stranger. This will be fine. This was what desperation will get you. Desperation and something akin to love-at-first-sight.

chapter summary: Ben and Cody feel lots of things for each other. The sunset and karaoke helps.

relationships: Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi

words: 5.9k

a/n: I liked the idea of these two idiots on a road trip in an AU/modern setting, so I wrote one. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Also, I decided to go back and post chapters 3 & 4, too, I don’t really know why...this is my favorite chapter though.

Read it on ao3

Part 1: A Handsome Stranger at the Airport

Part 2: The Handsome Strangers Talk

Part 3: The Handsome Strangers Take a Detour

Part 4: A Handsome Stranger Does Karaoke

After leaving Muir Woods, Cody and Ben decided to take the 101, drive until they were too tired, and see where they ended up. Ben didn’t realize how uninteresting parts of northern California could be, but at least the company and conversation were interesting and kept Ben’s attention easily. This time they ran the gamut of deeper subjects, but attempted to avoid the elephant in the room. Until they just couldn’t anymore.

“So…” Cody started carefully. “Quin, huh?”

Ben scrubbed a hand over his face. He anticipated that question and yet he still wasn’t ready. “That went nothing at all like I expected, quite honestly.”

“What did you expect after two years?” It was a little more direct than perhaps Cody intended, but well, the question was out there now. Ben sighed. “I didn’t, um...I--”

“No, no, it’s all right, Cody,” Ben interrupted. “Quin and I were friends for so long before, I just...figured...it’d be back to the way it was before. And that was perhaps very naive of me.” Ben was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. “I truly am sorry for dragging you along and just sort of leaving you there.”

Cody gave him a small smile, “Well I got to talk to Depa at least.” He didn’t tell Ben that he learned some new and interesting things about himself. That perhaps he wanted Ben to stick around a bit longer.

“I learned some new things about myself though.” Ben interrupted Cody’s train of thought and once again he found himself worried that Ben could actually read his mind. “And as I said before, I gained some closure. So, I think it was worth it in the end.”

What Ben couldn’t tell Cody was that he already felt something for Cody that he never did with Quinlan - a certain camaraderie and an odd sense that maybe in another life they worked side-by-side in mutual trust. Quinlan would be his friend again, and he still loved him as such, but he and Ben were just too different in important ways. And he very much wanted Cody to stay in his life even when they reached Seattle.

“How’s your booboo, by the way?” Cody decided instead to change the subject.

Ben chuckled and reached up, ghosting two fingers over the bandage, “Well, I think it’s healing despite not receiving a kiss to make it all better.” He squeezed his eyes shut, realizing immediately how awkward he made it. He really had a knack for that.

All Ben got in return was “hmmm.”

“Yeah, I should probably stop talking,” Ben finally said with a nervous laugh.

“You can’t though, I’m nowhere close to tired and we need to make up for some time lost. Remember when you said ‘Seattle isn’t exactly next door to San Diego’?” Ben groaned and threw his head back against the cab wall. That at least made Cody smile.

Ben narrowed his eyes, “How dare you throw my words back in my face. I don’t say things out loud for them to be used against me later when convenient.”

Cody laughed, “Well, I have some news for you, Ben...Seattle really isn’t next door to San Diego. You were right.”

----

Later, Ben found himself driving again as the 101 took them back oceanside around Eureka. He found it to be one of the more picturesque parts of their trip. With the sun slowly making its descent towards the horizon, it was all Ben could do to not pull over and just stop, sit on some beach, and watch.

“So, we’re not going to make it to Oregon tonight, are we?” Ben asked.

“No, I don’t think so. I think it's too far...someone had to waste so much time with an ex-boyfriend." Cody very pointedly did not look at Ben, but Ben could still appreciate the playfulness.

"I told you detouring in San Francisco was a mistake but you wouldn't listen!" Cody turned to look at Ben who merely winked.

Oh no. Ben was flirting again. Cody hated it because it made his inside twist in knots. But he also secretly loved it and hoped Ben would never stop. He finally narrowed his eyes and looked at his companion. “You want to stop again, don’t you?”

Ben acted incredulous for about two seconds under Cody’s withering stare. “I don’t… what-- what gives you that idea?”

Cody chuckled, “I just had a feeling.”

They went around a bend in the road and Ben was suddenly silhouetted against the sunset, the orange evening light making his hair redder than ever. Cody’s mouth was suddenly very dry.

Ben turned and smiled, “Well, I guess you should trust your gut since you were right.” He found Cody staring, but couldn’t quite comprehend the look on his face. “Is there something on my face?”

Cody shook his head a little too vehemently. “No, no, it’s nothing...I was just, uh, watching the sunset on the ocean.”

“Funny you should mention that…” Ben smiled again. “That’s the reason why I wanted to stop.” Cody hesitated. "Another chance to stretch our legs before the final push?"

Cody had to admit that Ben was good. He would have stopped anyway, but at least Ben gave him an actual compelling reason. “Oh, all right,” Cody relented. How could he say no?

----

They found a pull-off with quick access to the ocean at Clam Beach, and lucky for them, it was mostly abandoned. They took off their jackets, sweaters, shoes and socks, left them in the truck, then rolled up their pants legs and walked out on the beach. They walked around, stretched their legs, and searched for seashells. Ben finally walked out into the ocean, running back and forth whenever the tide came in, and Cody watched with affection. He had to keep telling himself that within a day or so, they would reach Bremerton, part, and he would probably never see Ben again.

So he decided to enjoy the moment while it lasted. He took his own touristy photos of the sunset and his companion.

Cody decided to finally sit and Ben joined him a few minutes later, looking flushed and truly the happiest Cody had seen him yet. He plopped down on the sand, smiling. “I know the day isn’t over yet, but this is probably one of the best days I’ve had in a really long time.”

Cody looked at him, “Me, too.”

“Even despite the San Francisco detour?” Ben nudged him with his elbow.

Cody finally smiled, “Yes, Ben, even with the detour.”

In the direct sunlight, Ben noticed that Cody’s lovely brown eyes almost seemed to glow amber. He pulled out his phone and opened the camera, “If you don’t mind, I’d like to commemorate it, but also this will give me proof to send to Anakin...you know, to let him know you haven’t killed me yet.” At this Cody laughed.

“Weren’t you supposed to be the killer in this scenario?”

“Yes, you’re right, but Anakin doesn’t know that.” Cody sucked in a quick breath as Ben leaned in closely. He was so close now he could feel the man’s body heat through his thermal shirt. Ben held his phone out in front of them, and they both managed to smile for a quick series of photos. “Also, apparently Padme wanted to know what you looked like, but I think it was really Anakin.” Ben grinned as he flicked through the photos quickly to make sure they came out okay.

Cody scoffed, “Right, right...blame it on the wife.” He had wondered briefly if Ben hadn’t just wanted the photo for himself, but then decided he was reading too much into it. And when he saw Ben typing out the message to Anakin, it was decided. He cleared his throat, "So, anyway, I'm not really sure what we're going to do about a hotel. I'm not familiar with the area we’re in or where we will be in an hour or two."

“Well, lucky for us my phone still has power, so let's see what I can find."

As they hunched over Ben’s phone, he found he couldn’t have asked for a more perfect ending to the day than sitting shoulder-to-shoulder in the sand with Cody, listening to the crashing of the waves as the sun dipped below the horizon.

They finally settled on another picturesque-looking town only an hour and a half away called Crescent City where they would stop for the night.

----

Cody and Ben stood in front of the truck and took in the property. It sat right on the ocean, and though the sun had vanished beyond the horizon, they could still see the view was incredible. The motel on the other hand....well, the view was still nice.

"At least the sign says 'vacancy,'" Cody pointed out.

"Except because I think Norman Bates runs this thing," Ben mused.

Cody huffed a laugh. "Here's your chance to improve your 'we're both murderers' story." Cody elbowed him in a playful gesture that caught Ben slightly off-guard. He liked it.

"Well there is that. You make a compelling argument."

Cody reached across Ben and pointed at the other building sitting on the property. "AND a bar within walking distance. What more could you want?"

Cody turned back towards Ben and caught him staring, a soft expression on his face that he didn't quite understand, or, rather, one he was afraid of accepting. He was once again close enough to feel the heat coming off of him. How had he gotten so close to Ben without realizing it?

"Nothing at all, it's perfect," Ben finally answered, never taking his eyes off Cody.

"Hmm, yes...well, you may want to retract that statement once we see inside both places," Cody nearly stuttered. His heart was hammering in his chest and he was sure Ben could hear it.

"So what if I get the rooms this time, and you get us a table?" Ben asked as he headed in the direction of the motel office. "Not that I expect there to be a wait...but there might not be much to do around here this time of the night, and well, this might be the life of the town."

Cody grinned, "I can do that."

----

Cody stepped into the bar and looked around. It was a DIVE. And there really was a wait because it was packed. For some reason, it seemed to be the happening place in this small seaside town. And Cody was also horrified to find it had karaoke. He hated karaoke.

He hovered near the entrance while a small dark-haired woman belted out two 80s rock songs, and he longed for ear plugs. Well, at least there would be alcohol.

And Ben.

The man appeared suddenly at his elbow as if summoned. "Hello there.” He glanced around the room. “There's actually a wait?"

"Yeah, can you believe this?"

"It seems to be quite popular! I mean, karaoke? How could anyone resist?" He laughed.

Cody groaned, “I could...quite easily. How about the rooms? Did you get those okay?"

Ben coughed into his hand, "Well, about that…"

Cody stared at him. "Please tell me they had rooms."

"Room,” Ben said, emphasizing the M at the end of the word. He held out a key to Cody who took it. An actual hotel room key. Neither of them had seen one in so long.

"Singular?" Ben nodded.

"It was literally the last room they had. I saw her switch on the 'no vacancy' before I left," Ben added.

What would one night hurt, right? They were adults. They could handle the same room for one night. But now that meant Cody would have to watch his alcohol intake. An ex once called him an 'amorous drunk' and he did not need that happening.

"Well, as long as it's safe and clean, right?" Cody added after some time. Ben nodded. "And how much was it?"

Ben chuckled, "I think you're going to love this…$60 for the night."

Cody looked surprised, he expected at least $80 for the view. "What? How…?"

"Well...she saw the truck outside with your naval stickers on the back. I told her we had just come from San Francisco and you were moving to Kitsap. The next thing I knew, we were newly-married, but we can't take a honeymoon yet because you're in the navy, so this little road trip is all we have." Cody was flustered but honestly impressed at how well Ben spun the story. And it…wasn't even completely false. "So she, uh, gave us a discount."

"I can't believe you used me for a cheap room," Cody said with almost a hint of a smile.

"It's just one night, darling," Ben continued, seemingly unaware he had just dropped the term of endearment. The way it just rolled off his tongue delighted Cody; however, he was already sweating and he hadn’t even begun to drink. "She just wanted to help out a newlywed couple, and well, I didn’t correct her." Now Cody couldn't decide if he wanted to smack the smug grin off Ben's face or kiss it.

"Just two?" The hostess interrupted.

"Yes," they answered in unison. She sat Ben and Cody in a booth in the middle of the side of the bar. Closer to the karaoke than Cody would have liked, but not right next to it, thankfully.

Ben hooked a thumb over his shoulder towards the small stage. "So, do you…?"

"Sing?" Cody finished the sentence for him. "Certainly not in front of a bunch of drunk people."

Ben laughed, "But that's the best place! No one cares how bad you are!"

"Ben, are you going to embarrass me tonight?"

He grinned again, "Do you know any of these people?" Cody shook his head slowly, not quite sure what that had to do with anything. "Ok, so who cares? You're never going to see them again in your life. And also, remember, they're drunk? They probably think they're at a real concert." Ben took off his cardigan, and Cody found himself distracted once again by his collarbone and freckled forearms. He looked down at the menu and tried to become very interested in it instead.

"What can I get you boys?" Their waitress appeared at the end of the table.

"Hello there!" Ben greeted her with enthusiasm. "I'll have whatever ale is darkest and two fingers of whisky."

She looked over at Cody, "I'll just start with a hard cider for now."

"You got it," she said and left.

"I wouldn't have picked hard cider for you," Ben said, leaning forward.

"Yeah, well, I'm trying to go easy I guess.

"Fair enough," Ben replied as he looked around the bar. It was loud and vibrant. He hadn't been out drinking in so long, and certainly not with such a handsome partner. He watched the karaoke stage as the next person came up to pick their song.

"I see you eyeing that stage…" Cody's voice pulled Ben's gaze away from the other side of the bar.

He smiled, "It could be fun! It's only a thought. I'd have to have a little more than one pint and one whisky though."

"Oh yeah, that's just what you need," Cody sighed.

"I can hold my liquor! I think you'd be surprised," Ben said in mock offense.

Cody shook his head, "Please don't think that was a challenge. I can't have you throwing up all night and into the next day. We need to make it to Kitsap tomorrow."

"It'll happen, Cody, don't you worry." Before he realized what he was doing, Ben reached over and squeezed Cody's hand.

The waitress used that most inopportune moment to return with their drinks and gave them a sly smile when they both pulled away quickly. "Ale and whisky for you… and cider for you. You want anything to eat?"

"Wings and fries for me," Cody answered.

"And how about a burger for me, medium," Ben followed up.

She winked at them both, "You bet."

----

Their very late dinner was passing pleasantly enough despite some of the singing. Which was...well, terrible, at times, and made it impossible to hear at others. Because Ben got tired of asking Cody to repeat himself, he got up and came to sit on Cody’s side. They sat shoulder-to-shoulder, nursing their drinks, talking and watching singer after singer try their hand at karaoke.

It may have been the effect of the alcohol, or all the bodies in the bar, but the place had gotten warmer and Cody eventually took off his jacket and outermost flannel layer, too. Ben knew he was staring, and he tried not to, but every time Cody reached for his glass, he couldn't help but notice the flex of muscle in his forearm. And he appreciated the view.

"I think I need to visit the loo really quickly," Ben said, getting up suddenly.

Cody was surprised that Ben jumped up so quickly, but he nodded all the same. "Well, I'll be here."

Ben reached down and gently touched Cody's nose, "Of course you will."

Cody absolutely didn't know what to do with that. He exhaled a breath he didn't even realize he was holding and slumped into the booth. He couldn't get drunk. He was having a hard time being near Ben, and the idiot had to come sit right next to him, too. He slid over on the bench. Maybe if there was no room when he came back, he'd take the hint and sit on his own side.

The thing was...he wanted Ben to sit beside him. He wanted to wrap an arm around his waist and pull him close. Nuzzle his hair and place a kiss to his temple, then cheek, then mouth. He wanted. And that terrified him.

Tomorrow they would be in Kitsap. They would maybe even exchange numbers but they would go their separate ways. Cody would get his promotion, adjust to life on a new base in a new town, and Ben would be reunited with his family and become an uncle. Maybe they would see each other every now and then, but Ben would live across the water in Seattle. They would be friends, linked by several crazy days on the road up the west coast.

Cody was picking at the fries on his plate when the opening refrain of 'Beyond the Sea' started playing. It was an interesting choice considering all the 80s and 90s music they had suffered through all night long. No one had dared touch the older classics. But he froze as soon as the person started singing, his heart pounding in his ears.

Ben was going to embarrass him.

Somewhere, beyond the sea Somewhere, waiting for me My lover stands on golden sands And watches the ships that go sailing

Cody watched in equal parts horror, amusement, and extreme fondness as Ben took the microphone off the stand and made his way around the floor. He knew every single word, and boy, could he sing. Cody was floored.

Ben made his way towards their table with a wide smile on his face.

Somewhere, beyond the sea He's there watching for me If I could fly like birds on high Then straight to his arms I'd go sailing

He winked at Cody and turned around, winding his way through the tables being quite the performer. He was charming the socks off everyone in the bar. Who was this man?

We'll meet beyond the shore We'll kiss just as before Happy we'll be beyond the sea And never again I'll go sailing

The waitress came by again smiling at Cody, "Another cider for you? Or you need something stronger?"

"Whisky, double...bring another for him, too. I'm sure he's going to want it when he's done." She smiled and nodded.

Ben finally finished his song to raucous applause. No one had gotten the reception he had all night. Cody was still slightly embarrassed, but he was also secretly proud that he'd return to his table. Which he did not two minutes later, just in time for the waitress to greet him with another round plus more, "Whisky is from your boyfriend here, but all the other is from the bartender who says thanks for the amusement and well done."

Ben laughed, breathless. "Ah! Thank you most kindly." He picked up the whisky from the table and lifted it to her.

"Really though, we don't generally get that kind of entertainment in here. It was delightful," she smiled and left Ben and Cody alone once more. In his extreme confusion and adoration, Cody had forgotten to slide over, so Ben plopped down beside him once more, bumping arms and shoulders.

"Well?" Ben was still breathing a bit heavier than usual, and he was flushed, which was quite cute. "Did I embarrass you?"

Cody swallowed thickly and picked up his own glass to down the contents. He needed to drink, but he also needed to clear his head, and the drink wasn't going to do that at all. He finally chuckled, "Yes, you really did."

Ben laughed. "Good."

The stupid idiot didn't even know how much he was making Cody fall for him. And Cody was a stupid idiot for falling. "But really though," Cody cleared his throat. "That was impressive, I had no idea you could sing."

"I have to keep some of the mystery, don't I?" Ben leaned into Cody and lowered his voice. "If you knew everything right out of the gate, you wouldn't want to spend any more time with me." Oh the bastard did know what he was doing. This was so much worse.

Cody arched an eyebrow, "Who says I want to spend any time with you? I needed help paying for the truck, remember?" He took a sip of his beer to hide his grin.

Ben huffed in annoyance. "Right, of course, silly me."

They nursed their drinks, ordered dessert and watched the next parade of singers. They decided to make it into a game: guess the genre before the song began then rate the performance. Cody was a lot harsher than Ben, but he seemed to be enjoying himself, and that made Ben glad.

"You know," Ben started. "On the beach earlier, I thought the day was already the best one I had had in awhile, but this, right now, is truly icing on the cake."

Cody looked at him and felt a very peculiar fondness. "I have to say, I agree."

At that, suddenly Ben leaned closer, emboldened by the alcohol and the warm, hazy atmosphere in the bar. He couldn't be positive, but he thought Cody was leaning in, too. He got close enough to feel the heat radiating off the man...just one inch closer--

"Wait." Ben froze and blinked. "You're drunk." It was a simple statement of fact. Cody pulled away.

Ben chuckled nervously, "Aye, maybe a little. I'd say...more...buzzed really."

"It doesn't matter," Cody shook his head and Ben stared, dumbstruck. "If we're not careful, we may--”

Ben swallowed and closed his eyes, “Please don’t say it…”

“...do something we'll regret." Cody shifted in the booth like he wanted to get up. Ben moved and stood up at the end of the table. Cody stood, too and dug his wallet out of his pocket and put several bills on the table. Ben watched as Cody put on his jacket and walked through the bar and out the front door.

Ben remained, dumbfounded. What the hell was that? He had thought Cody was interested in him. But perhaps he was mistaken. Well, obviously he was. He had misread signs before, so this certainly wouldn't have been the first time. He mentally kicked himself for letting it happen again. He slipped his cardigan back on and left his own money on the table, silently cursing under his breath. This was going to make the rest of the night extremely fun and not awkward at all.

When Ben stepped outside, there was no sign of Cody. He growled, "Couldn't even wait for me to walk back to the motel, eh?" He said to absolutely no one. A man who had just closed his car door in the parking lot gave him a strange look, and Ben fought the urge to stick his tongue out at him.

"There is peace, there is peace, there is peace," he repeated like a mantra with every step he took back towards the motel. The crunch of the gravel beneath his boots was a centering comfort.

Once he reached their door, he pulled the key out of his pocket—who still used actual keys?—and fumbled trying to get it into the lock. His hands were shaking, okay, maybe he was more than slightly buzzed, and he found himself getting increasingly frustrated that the key wouldn't turn. He was drunk, yes, but not that drunk. How could Cody have locked him out? Did he have the locks changed? Ben exhaled and laughed, "Ben, you idiot, how would he get the door locks changed?"

As Ben mumbled to himself and tried to enter the neighbor's room, Cody stood in the entrance of their own room, leaning against the door frame. He knew it was impolite to laugh, but he was a little amused, and he didn't really plan to make him suffer long. He straightened up and cleared his throat.

"You going to stand there all night and try to get in the neighbor's room, or what?"

Ben jolted and dropped his key at the sound of Cody’s voice. He looked between Cody and the door he'd been previously trying to enter. It was fairly dark outside, so Cody couldn't be sure, but Ben seemed to be blushing.

"Ah." He bent down and picked up the key and shuffled to their room, keeping his head down the whole way. He might have been annoyed that Cody left him in the bar, but he HAD tried to kiss him. He couldn't make eye contact. He stopped just shy of the door and rubbed a hand across the back of his neck.

Cody waved his hand into the room, a gesture that told Ben to enter. He stopped abruptly when he saw the inside. There was just one bed.

He looked to Cody. "I swear I didn't know, I assumed there would be double beds."

"You didn't think to ask?" Cody sounded mildly annoyed.

"Well, no…" Ben said sheepishly. "Although, I guess I should have known when she thought we were married, but then again, it was the last room. I can, uh...go back out there and stay after we get our bags. I can sleep in the truck." Ben turned to walk back out of the room but Cody grabbed his upper arm. Ben felt his skin burning.

Cody sighed, "You'll do no such thing. It’s late, and we have another long day tomorrow, so we probably should just get ready for bed. We’re adults - this will be fine."

Ben nodded, "Let me go get our things then."

Cody sighed and sat on the end of the bed to wait. He was extra grateful he had decided to not drink so much, but one bed was still going to be a challenge when all he wanted to do was kiss and touch Ben. And Ben very clearly wished to do the same. He felt a heat rising in his chest at the thought. It had been years since he had been with anyone.

Ben returned several minutes later with their bags, looking tired and less jovial than he had inside the bar. Cody was fairly certain he had quashed all of Ben's romantic notions. He stood and went to the door to close and lock up. "You take the bathroom first. I can wait."

"No, no, I insist you take it first," Ben sat on the end of the bed and kicked off his shoes. Despite taking them off in the truck earlier at the beach, he still dumped sand all over the carpet. He chuckled to himself thinking of how much Anakin would have hated it.

"Well, okay, fine," Cody rifled through his overnight bag, found what he needed and disappeared behind the bathroom door.

Ben fell backwards onto the bed. You have two more days at the most… just, don't make it awkward again. He doesn't care about you in that way. He's a kind stranger who gave you a ride, that's it. When you reach the peninsula, you'll part ways, shake hands, and that'll be that. Between the alcohol, the talking to himself, and the sound of the shower running, Ben lulled himself into a light slumber, fully dressed and waiting on his turn in the bathroom.

Cody got out of the shower and toweled off. He started to get dressed and realized he had left his briefs in his bag. He could either forgo the briefs or he could be an adult and walk out there and get them. He was an adult. Ben was an adult.

But Ben had tried to kiss him. He almost let him, too. Gods, he should have.

Cody wrapped a towel around his waist and opened the bathroom door slowly. It was eerily quiet in the room, too quiet. Did Ben go sleep in the truck after all? He stepped out of the bathroom to find Ben sleeping, snoring lightly. He breathed a sigh of relief that he wouldn't have to parade half-naked in front of the man he couldn't stop thinking about. He carefully made his way back to his overnight bag and dug through it until he found what he needed.

"Oh." Came a breathy noise from behind him. He winced, of-kriffing-course.

You're an adult, you're both adults, this is fine, Cody told himself as he turned around. Ben looked like a deer caught in headlights. But Cody almost lost it when Ben reached up and covered his eyes with his hands like a child.

"Forgot something," Cody said as he practically sprinted back to the bathroom, thankful that his towel had the decency to stay in place.

----

Ben took the coldest shower he could stand, trying his best to sober up, trying his best to not think of the expanse of brown skin across a muscular back. He finished dressing and exited the bathroom to find Cody already tucked in bed. He was under the covers but sitting up reading, only looking away from his book momentarily to look at Ben. "I didn't really ask what side of the bed you wanted…"

Ben shook his head as he put away his things, "It doesn't matter at all. I'll sleep wherever you want-- wherever you DON'T WANT…shit." Ben was awfully cute when he got flustered. Cody struggled to keep his face neutral. Ben walked over to his side of the bed and pulled back the covers. He hesitated when he made eye contact with Cody. "I truly don't mind sleeping in the truck. Ocean view!" He laughed nervously.

"Ben, if you mention the truck one more time…" Cody closed his eyes and sighed. He opened them again when he felt the bed dip next to him.

Ben pulled the covers up to his chin and looked over at Cody. Cody almost laughed at the adorable picture Ben made, with his head barely peeking outside the top of the covers.

"I, uh…" Ben hesitated. "It's been a while since I've slept with someone, I mean, in the same bed, you know sleeping, just sleeping...ugh...what I'm trying to say is, I hope I don't kick you in the night or anything. And, feel free to push or nudge me if I do."

Cody raised one eyebrow. Well, at least he looked amused this time, Ben thought. "Noted," Cody finally said. "Do you mind if I read a little longer?"

"Not at all." Ben turned over to face the wall. He could feel Cody’s eyes on his back...or perhaps that was his imagination. He needed to apologize. He couldn’t sleep on the guilt eating him up inside. He turned back over to face Cody who was still reading his book. “Don’t you think this room is rather ugly?”

Cody started, unsure exactly what he had just heard, “Beg pardon?”

Ben hiccuped once unexpectedly which made Cody smile. “The room, it’s ugly. I’m pretty sure this is all original wood paneling on the walls, and perhaps all original decor? Perhaps from when the hotel itself was built...I’d say late 50s?” He looked up at Cody and grinned, and it took every ounce of restraint Cody had to not lean over and kiss him right then. It was just the alcohol, he lied to himself.

Cody stuck a finger in his book to mark his place and closed it. “So you think we should have gotten more of a discount?”

“I’m saying,” Ben started, propping himself up on his elbow. Cody’s attention was caught by the movement of the v-neck on Ben’s shirt, which shifted exposing ginger hair and a freckled chest and clavicle. He quickly looked down at his book and fidgeted. “I’m saying...that yeah, $60 shouldn’t have been the discount price. That should have been like, the starting point - maybe!” Ben jabbed one finger in the air.

Cody laughed at what sort of strange drunk Ben made. He did seem to be holding his liquor well, with a few exceptions, but he was clearly drunk. Which was all the more reason to shut down any advances. He indulged Ben and looked around the room anyway, “You know, I think you might be right. It is rather hideous. At least it’s only one night.”

Ben hummed. He laid back down, staring at the hideous popcorn ceiling. “I just...I wanted to say I’m sorry, Cody.” He swallowed, pointedly not looking in Cody’s direction, which didn’t go unnoticed. He also seemed to be in a little distress, and Cody desperately wanted to reach out and offer him comfort. But he was afraid of where it’d lead. “I’m quite good at making things awkward it seems.”

Cody thought for a moment before saying anything. “It’s fine, Ben.” He finally turned his head so he could make eye contact with him. He put a gentle hand on his shoulder and patted it lightly. “We both had a little too much to drink, and things...happen. We move on.”

Ben slowly nodded. “Move on, yes.” That was good enough of a final confirmation for Ben. “Well then, I’m sure you want to get back to your book, so, goodnight, Cody. Pleasant dreams.”

“Same to you, Ben.”

Before he turned away, Ben took a quick glance at the cover of Cody’s book—it was the one he had recommended to him. He must have bought it at Quinlan’s shop, too. Ben flushed, turned to face the wall again, and willed his heart from hammering out of his chest.

Cody continued to try to read, but really ended up scanning the same paragraph 10 times. He glanced over at Ben, wanting to reach out and run his hands through his still-wet auburn hair. Oh please don't let me make too big of a fool of myself tonight, he thought before giving up and turning off the light.

One more note:

'A Life Less Ordinary' may or may not have been the inspiration for the karaoke scene. lol

#codywan #road trip #au #my writing #silly silly silly #fanfic #a handsome stranger

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ghostking-wenning · 4 years

Text

Radishes, Chapter 3

This chapter took me like a week to write... and the day I finished it, I wrote all of chapter 4 at once! I hope I’ve been doing a decent job portraying a character with a stutter, and I hope that I’ve been more or less tonally consistent... Let me know! Enjoy 💕👻

2200 words, rated G, NingXian, modern au, first date, et cetera

Qionglin glanced at his phone, yet again. The last time they’d met, Wuxian had slipped him a little note with his number on it, signed with a little “x”. For two days, he’d agonized over what to say; usually the only person he texted was Qing. He drafted more than a dozen messages, each time panicking and closing the app. Eloquent as ever, he finally opted for “Hi, it’s Qionglin.” He paced back and forth in his bedroom, waiting anxiously for a response. Did I wait too long? Maybe he thought I didn’t want to talk to him. What if I already blew it? I should’ve said something else... He caught sight of his face in the mirror: his cheeks were flushed and his brows were drawn so tight he was giving himself a headache.

“Relax,” he told his reflection sternly. He took a deep breath and sighed, sinking into his desk chair. “I’m being ridiculous. It’s just a text message. Worst case scenario is he doesn’t answer.” Sometimes it helped to remind himself that things were rarely as dire as they felt. “Most likely, he’ll answer. He wouldn’t have given me his number otherwise, right?” He reasoned to the empty air. “Best case scenario…” He pondered a moment. What was the best thing that could happen? What did he want to happen? Shaking his head, he decided it was best not to hope for too much.

He spun in his chair a few times, trying to fill the waiting. It was too early to make dinner, but too late to do much else. With little else to distract him from staring restlessly at his phone, he flicked on the TV and channel-surfed for a while. Eventually he dozed off, still sitting at his desk. A loud buzz jolted him awake.

“Oh god,” he gasped, clapping a hand over his heart. He snatched up his phone. 1 New Message.

“Oh god,” he said again.

A crimson-colored chat bubble read: “Hey you! :)”

Qionglin’s heart did a somersault. Logically, he knew it was absurd to get so worked up over a text message, but something about Wuxian made him feel pretty absurd. Though they’d only met a few times, Qionglin caught himself idly (and frequently) thinking about the way Wuxian’s hair swayed when he walked, or how his eyes sparkled when he cracked a joke. He’d been avoiding putting a name to this feeling, but it was starting to look like a full-blown, schoolgirl-style crush -- his first ever. He could feel the blush blooming on his cheeks. Who knew it’d be so embarrassing to have a crush?

His phone buzzed again.

“What are you doing on Friday?”

If his heart was somersaulting before, it was doing a full acrobatics show now. Calm down, don’t overthink it… don’t get ahead of yourself… just answer the question.

“Just working. Why?” After a moment, he added a smiley face. That’s how normal people talk, right? He hit send before he could somehow fuck it up.

The three little dots appeared at the bottom of the window as Wuxian typed. Qionglin watched with bated breath as it disappeared and reappeared a couple of times. Maybe Wuxian was as nervous as he was? The thought was vaguely gratifying, however unlikely.

Another red bubble appeared: “Wanna come to my show? I’ll give you the VIP tour ;)”

A wink! Surely that had to be a good sign!

“I’d love to!” Qionglin typed, then erased. Too strong. Be casual. He tried again. “Yeah, that’d be great!”

“Awesome! Doors at 8, I’ll let them know you’re coming. Can’t wait!” Wuxian said, followed by a map link.

Qionglin realized he was grinning like an idiot, and he didn’t care. “I look forward to it! See you Friday!!”

The next couple of days seemed to drag by. It wasn’t that often Qionglin had something so exciting to look forward to. He powered through his chores and farmwork, and all his downtime was spent restlessly thinking about Friday.

Friday afternoon, he wrapped up early. He took a long, refreshing shower and pulled his hair back the way Wuxian seemed to like so much. Arms crossed, he stood in front of the wardrobe, tsk-ing softly at the rows of coarse fabrics in greens, greys, blacks and browns. Almost all of his clothes were work clothes, faded and worn; hardly rock-concert-worthy. He fished out his least-shabby pair of jeans, and a sage-colored button-down. Fashion was definitely not one of his strong suits, but as he checked his reflection, he thought he looked… decent, at least.

He drove into the city, buzzing with excitement the whole way. The radio wasn’t even on, but he was humming a cheerful tune and drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. Before he knew it, he was scouting out a parking spot a few blocks from the venue, an old nightclub called Devil’s Den. If Wuxian’s band was playing there, Qionglin figured it must be the coolest place in town.

Checking his watch, he saw he was more than an hour early. He wasn’t familiar with this part of town, so he strolled around until he found somewhere he could hang around for a while. Halfway up the street was a charming little cafe that boasted “Best Milk Tea In Town!” on the banner over the door. It seemed as good a place as any to kill an hour.

As it turned out, the milk tea was great! Not that Qionglin had much of a reference point. He really only came to the city for the farmer’s market, or to visit Qing. Had he ever come out here just for fun? He’d certainly never been invited out just for fun before now, which probably should have been a distressing realization. In any case, he was here now, and he was determined to have a great night.

8 o’clock drew nearer and he began to feel antsy. According to the map, Devil’s Den wasn’t far, but he didn’t want to be late, so he set out with a few extra minutes to spare. The sun was beginning to set behind him as he arrived, casting long shadows over the door that were quite apropos for a place with such a macabre name. From the outside, it really didn’t look like much. The windows were shuttered and painted black, and over the door was a small, plain sign bearing its name. Qionglin was almost a little disappointed, but maybe the inside would be more fun.

There were a few other people already milling about outside, so Qionglin joined them and tried to look like he belonged there. After a bit, a large, scowling man with a shaved head and a nose ring came out of the club and stood beside the door, propping it open. A black T-shirt printed with the word “SECURITY” stretched taut over his burly shoulders and chest. He held a clipboard in his hand.

“Y’all here for the show? Get in line.” The security guard said curtly. “Doors in five.”

Qionglin and the small crowd of strangers lined up and waited for the guard to wave them in.

“ID?” He said, when Qionglin reached him.

“Huh? Oh! Right…” Qionglin pulled out his wallet and fumbled for his driver’s license. “H-here…”

“Wen Qionglin…” The guard read, scanning his clipboard. “VIP, eh? Don’t look like one, heh. Here ya go, kid. Yer ticket’s been paid.” He handed Qionglin a ticket printed on heavy cardstock, with red lettering. “Go inside and turn left.” He waved Qionglin away.

“Um, thanks,” Qionglin mumbled as he walked in. After his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, he noticed the decor; the floors were dark, polished wood, thick velvet curtains lined the windows, and a few antique Western-style chairs and ottomans stood around the foyer. Band posters and photos in old silver frames covered the walls. A pair of ornate double-doors stood at the end of the short hall, above them the word “Welcome” was written in curly script. To his left, a smaller, simpler door was labelled “Authorized Access Only”. He glanced around a little awkwardly. Was he authorized? Is that what the big red ticket was for?

Suddenly the door squeaked and swung open. Qionglin made a little startled noise and stepped back, already preparing to apologize, though he wasn’t sure what for. In the doorframe, however, stood Wei Wuxian himself, smiling brightly and dressed to kill.

“You’re here!” He said, delighted. He reached out and grabbed Qionglin’s hand, pulling him through the door. “I’m so glad you made it!”

Qionglin was still staring. Wuxian looked amazing. His hair was pulled into a high ponytail, the colored streak peeking through the underside. He wore black jeans, fashionably torn at the knees and up the thighs, revealing fishnet tights underneath. Under his studded leather jacket, his shirt was cherry-red, sleeveless, and cropped, showing off his bare midriff. Qionglin was trying to be subtle, but he could tell he was already blushing. Oh my god.

“Wow,” he said softly.

“What?” Wuxian asked coyly. “Do I look that good? Did I leave you speechless?” The twinkle in his eye was devilish.

Qionglin could only nod, his cheeks blazing even hotter. How does he do that? How can he just say stuff like that without a hint of embarrassment? He wondered.

Wuxian laughed coquettishly. “Why, thank you, you’re the sweetest. You look great too,” he added with a wink.

“I-- what? H-hardly… I, uh, don’t know much about … fashion or whatever,” Qionglin floundered. He stared down at his shoes. “You look incredible, though…”

Wuxian giggled again, the sound refreshing as birdsong. “I do my best,” he said, feigning modesty. “Anyway, lemme give you the tour before I have to go backstage!” He took Qionglin’s hand again and pulled him along. Qionglin tried to focus on the “tour” -- really it was just a short walk through the halls to the greenroom-- but he was distracted by the heat of Wuxian’s hand in his.

“... and these are my bandmates! We’ve been playing together for like, ever.” Letting go of Qionglin’s hand, he gestured to three other people dressed like him, tuning instruments and doing warmups. “Guys, this is my friend, Qionglin.” There was the briefest pause before he said the word “friend”. Qionglin thought he must’ve imagined it.

Qionglin waved shyly. “Nice to meet you…” He was answered with a chorus of “hey”s and “what’s up”s. They didn’t pay him much more mind.

“So that’s the tour!” Wuxian concluded. “We have just a couple minutes before showtime. Let me show you to your seat.” He led Qionglin into the main part of the club, a sprawling room with a long carved bar, dozens of tables and booths, a gleaming dancefloor, and a stage set into the center of the back wall. It was much bigger than Qionglin expected, and more crowded. Wuxian steered him to a table with a direct view of the stage. “Best seat in the house,” he said, pulling the chair out.

“Thank you,” Qionglin said as he sat. “I’m really excited. This is my first concert, you know?”

“Oh right!” Wuxian said. “You might want these, then.” He pulled a pair of spongy ear-plugs from his pocket. “The speakers are pretty intense. Don’t worry, you’ll hear us just fine.”

“Oh, um, got it. Thanks!” Qionglin fiddled with them a little.

“Alright, I have to go now. I’m gonna sing my heart out, just for you, okay? So you better pay attention!” He declared. He spun on his heel, his ponytail swishing as he walked away.

“Just for me…?” Qionglin whispered, watching Wuxian until he disappeared behind a heavy curtain. He swallowed heavily, his mouth suddenly dry. A server spotted him and strolled leisurely over with a carafe of water, like she’d read his mind.

“Can I get you anything else, hun?” She asked affably. The neckline of her shirt was low, showing off tattoos of bursting fireworks across her collarbones. A pendant in the shape of a bullet drew the eye directly to her cleavage; Qionglin resolutely looked her in the eye. Her eyeliner was sharp and her lipstick was dark, but she wore a friendly smile.

“Oh, um, I’m fine, thank you, Miss.” He answered. “Um-- your tattoos are nice.”

She laughed raspily. “Thanks! It’s a reference to an old nickname. This your first time here?” She cocked a well-groomed eyebrow.

“Yes…? H-how could you tell?”

“The clothes, mostly. Most folks in here wear all black, and crosses and skulls or whatever. Kinda nice to see a little color. Anyway, enjoy the show! These punks are a lotta fun.” She waved over her shoulder as she walked away, heels clacking against the floorboards.

Qionglin watched the empty stage for a while. The curtains parted somewhat and a lady in a strappy dress stepped out. She adjusted the microphone, and leaned in.

“Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the Devil’s Den,” she drawled. “Tonight we have a great lineup of local bands, starting with some of our favorite familiar faces. Let’s give it up for…” She paused for dramatic effect. “The Whatevers!”

Qionglin blinked, confused, but he clapped along with the rest of the cheering crowd. The curtains whooshed open, revealing Wuxian and his band. Qionglin clapped harder and waved a little. I thought they’d have a cooler name… He chuckled quietly.

The Whatevers launched right into a song. A driving guitar melody led into Wuxian’s gorgeous singing. Qionglin’s breath caught in his throat. The spotlight shone down on Wuxian, and everything else faded away. Enraptured, Qionglin stared, listening intently. The lyrics were about new beginnings and taking chances, and Qionglin swore Wuxian was looking directly at him the whole time.

#my writing #my art #wen ning #wei wuxian #ningxian #mdzs fanfiction #modern au #keep an eye out for dumb little easter eggs

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katsens-writing · 5 years

Text

Bumpy Night, Part 6

Summary: A mission gone wrong leaves one of the Avengers fighting for their life and the other fighting time to save them.

Content: Loads of angst and whump, injury, illness, inaccurate medical stuff (I am not a professional, people), mention of blood. Please let me know if I need to add anything else.

Word Count: About 1.4k (Does not include recap)

A/N: We’re nearing the end here. You can find a link to the masterlist under the tags. This is part 6 of a story I wrote for a writing challenge. The line I picked was “Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.” (You can find the line in part one.) This was my first time writing anything for a challenge so let me know what you think. This part (*ahem* like the last two....) also ends in a cliffhanger. My asks and messages are open if you want to yell at me!

---

“What is it?” you inquired, your brow creased. Without a word, Bruce stepped back so you could see the screens better. When your eyes focused on them, the color drained from your face. Peter’s heart rate had spiked dangerously and his breathing was sporadic. The percentage on the oxygen monitor clipped to Peter’s finger was frighteningly low and his temperature was increasingly high. You turned and looked at Bruce, your heart racing.

“Have Nat page the tower, tell Cho to have her team ready at the landing pad,” Bruce clenched his jaw. “It’s going to be close.” He turned and headed toward the cockpit. “I’ll tell Tony.”

You nodded. “Tell them not to wait, I’m staying here with Peter.” You ignored the throbbing in your temples and kept your eyes on Peter. “Hold on kid. We’re almost there.” You whispered.

“2 minutes to landing,” came Clint’s voice over the comm.

“Hey,” still hunched over the exam table, you looked up and saw Tony standing on Peter’s other side wearing his suit and looking apprehensive. “Bruce told me what’s going on. What can I do?”

Before you could reply, several loud, solid tones emitted from the various machines simultaneously. Your heart froze in your chest at the sound. Your gaze snapped to the monitors before you turned to Tony with a terrified look in your eyes.

---

“Grab Peter!” You shouted over the roar of the engines that filled the jet as it began to land. You began unhooking Peter from the various machines and monitors, leaving only the critical IVs as Tony scooped him up in his arms. The second you had detached the last wire, Tony turned and bolted for the back of the jet.

“Lower the ramp!” He yelled.

“We’re too high up!” Sam shouted.

“The ramp is down!” Natasha’s voice carried out from the cockpit and through the main cabin. You grabbed the last printout of Peter’s vitals and ran after Tony. The wind whipped through the jet, sending the loose strands of your hair flying up around your face. Tony walked out to the edge of the ramp and stepped off, the suit thrusters automatically engaging. As soon as he was clear of the ramp, you jumped down without even hesitating, landing next to him at the same time he did. As soon as you straightened, Dr. Cho ran up to you and Tony, her team right behind her pushing a gurney.

“What stage?” she shouted. She caught a glimpse of Peter as Tony laid him down on the gurney and she paled, no longer needing an answer. Her fears were confirmed when you handed her the printout.

“He’s crashing!” You shouted over the roar of the jet.

Dr. Cho turned to one of her assistants. “Go get the defibrillator set up!” The assistant nodded before turning and running off. You took the assistant’s place at the gurney’s rail and as soon as Peter was secured, you helped push it toward the entrance, hurrying alongside it with Dr. Cho and the others. Tony was right behind you guys as you burst through the doors, with the team on his heels. Bruce quickly overtook him and caught up with you.

“Stage three?” He asked breathlessly. You nodded without looking away from the hall in front of you guys as you ran through another set of doors. As you rushed through them, the hall widened into an expansive, bright open floor equipped with state-of-the-art equipment. Individual rooms were sectioned off with floor-to-ceiling glass walls and doors.

“Third room on the right,” Dr. Cho indicated. You could see the assistant that she had sent ahead already in the room, standing by and awaiting your arrival. You didn’t hear Tony’s shouts when Rhodey and Steve held him back at the last set of doors as you turned into the room that had been prepared for Peter. The second the door closed behind you, Banner turned and with a few quick taps on the wall next to the door, the glass darkened so no one could see in or out of the room.

“How long has he been like this?” Cho asked hurriedly as Peter was transferred to the table.

You quickly glanced at your watch and your stomach churned. “About eight minutes.”

Dr. Cho’s eyes widened at your response. The second Peter was laid down, one of her assistants put an oxygen mask on him. The first assistant handed her the defibrillator paddles as Bruce began compressions. You stood at the head of the table, keeping an eye on Peter’s heart monitor for any changes.

“27, 28, 29, 30!” Cho’s assistant counted.

“Clear!” You called and everyone stepped back as Cho shocked Peter’s heart with the defibrillator. His body jumped as the electricity ran through it, but the heart monitor remained the same. Bruce immediately resumed compressions as the assistant counted. You held Peter’s face in your hands and murmured to him, pleading. “Come on Peter. Come back to us.” Your heart was pounding in your chest, beating so rapidly as if it was trying to beat for you and Peter.

“26, 27, 28, 29, 30!”

“Clear!” Peter’s body jumped again as the paddles made contact. You didn’t dare glance at the time because you didn’t want anyone to stop. You knew it had been at least ten minutes since Peter’s heart had stopped beating. Ten minutes since it had stopped sending blood flowing through his body, ten minutes since his lungs filled with the oxygen his brain desperately needed...

“28, 29, 30!” The assistant called.

“Clear!” Everyone stepped back again and you let go of Peter. His body arched off the table as the electricity contracted every muscle in it, yet the monitor still remained unchanged. The room fell quiet, the solid tone of Peter’s heart monitor drowning out the other machines. Dr. Cho looked over Peter’s body to Bruce who closed his eyes tight and lowered his head. Your eyes widened and you shook your head, not wanting to hear what they were thinking.

“No. No, no, no,” your eyes filled with tears as you shook your head.

“Y/N--” Bruce’s voice broke as he gently placed a hand on your arm.

“No!” You cried, yanking your arm away. You lowered your head, gritting your teeth as tears streamed down your cheeks, your shoulders trembling in a silent sob. Your blurry gaze came to rest on Peter’s face. Cho glanced at the time, her eyes watering. She opened her mouth to speak when a soft beep broke the silence of the room. Immediately your head shot up to look at the monitor. Your mouth opened slightly as you saw the smallest peak disrupt the straight line. Your heart leapt when you saw the peak repeat itself and your knees began to buckle from the relief.

“We need to intubate,” Cho hurried to the side, not pausing for a second. “We’re going to need to flush his kidneys too.” She turned to Bruce who nodded before moving to get the machine set up. You were turning to help Bruce when you noticed a red slash on Peter’s arm that was growing. Your eyes grew wide as you realized one of the IVs you left in Peter’s arm must have been ripped out when his muscles contracted.

“Hand me some gauze,” you told one of the assistants who obliged without question.

Cho looked at you curiously before she saw the bleeding. “Get thread and sutures too. We can’t risk it,” she added.

Cho kept a close eye on Peter’s blood pressure as you helped Bruce stitch up the wound. You held gauze to it, pressing on it and hoping, praying it would stop. Your eyes flicked to the monitor and you saw his blood pressure had plummeted. You looked back to Peter and paled when you saw how much blood he had lost already from the wound. It wasn’t that big or deep but you knew Peter’s blood was thinner due to the poison, so it was just as deadly as a cut twice as severe. You looked pleadingly at Peter and whispered to him. “Please, don’t give up now. Please.” You wanted to hold his hand but you didn’t dare take the pressure off his wound.

A minute or two passed but it felt like hours. “I got it,” Bruce murmured as he finished the stitches and sutures. He placed a hand on yours gently and pulled them away from Peter’s arm. You all turned to the monitor and waited with bated breath. What felt like your whole life went by before the numbers on the monitor gradually changed as Peter’s blood pressure slowly but steadily began to rise. You let out a trembling sigh, your whole body shaking in a combination of relief and disbelief. You turned to Bruce, stunned and he looked back at you, a glimmer of light finally returning to his eyes.

“We... we did it,” Bruce whispered, sounding astonished, but you didn’t hear.

“He’s stable for now but we still need to take care of his kidneys and I want him intubated just to be safe.” Cho turned to her assistants and directed them. She looked over to you and Bruce and her face softened a little. “We can take it from here if you guys want to update the others.”

“Ok,” Bruce nodded. He glanced at the small assistant trying to maneuver the machine by herself before turning to you. “I’m going to help them get set up then I’ll be right out. You go ahead.”

You didn’t hear him because you had already turned and were halfway to the door. The whole team was gathered outside the room, standing around and waiting. The second you opened the door, you were met with seven worried faces.

“How is--” Tony began, but he stopped mid-sentence, and the color drained from his face the second he saw your clothes. Steve’s eyes widened and Bucky’s lips parted in surprise. You didn’t realize your shirt was completely covered in blood as you took a few faltering steps toward them. Bucky took a hesitant step forward. You saw the worry on his face, and you saw his lips moving, but you didn’t hear anything. You didn’t even notice the pain shooting through your ankle when you took one more step before darkness rushed up and swallowed you as you collapsed to the floor.

---

Tags: (If you want to be added, let me know, its no trouble at all!) @whiskey-cokenfanfic @xmarveled @parkerspicedlatte @sunmoonandbucky @southerngracela @jll72-blog @evanstush @bla-369 @diekatimitdemhutohnehut @supermoonchildbroski

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peggysousfan · 4 years

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Captain America: The First Super Soldiers

Chapter 4 is here!!!! peggysousoversteggy, theres so much anti-st*ggy its hilarious lol Enjoy!!! :)

SSR Bunker 1944:

Days have gone by since the rescue mission of the 107th infantry. Today, Captain Sousa was to receive a medal of valor, but he never showed. He and Rogers were in the bunker in New York mapping out Hydras basses scattered around the globe.

"Its not much, but I only got a quick look." Rogers says as he finishes marking and another agent takes it away.

"Thats makes two of us. Damn bombs came outta no where." Sousa says. Steve quickly glares in his direction; not knowing Peggy was watching. She squints and slyly touches Sousa's arm.

"Well nobody's perfect." she says. Steve looks at her and smiles, thinking shes talking to him, and watches her walk away. Daniel watches, smirks, and shakes his head.

"You're wasting your time, Rogers." Daniel says. He grabs some files and starts to follow Peggy.

"What are you talking about?"

"With Agent Carter. Its not gonna happen, trust me."

"And how would you know that? Just because she might have shot you down doesn't mean she'll do it to me." And he storms off, following her faster and speaks to Philips. The only thing Daniel can do is laugh. 'Guy has no idea what hes talking about' he thinks, and then follows.

"These are the weapon factories we know about. Sergeant Barnes said that Hydra shipped all the parts to another facility that wasn't on the map." As Roger explains this, Daniel shows up behind Peggy and lightly scratches her back. She arches it and gives a low moan, but quickly clears her throat to cover it up. Thankfully no one noticed. She lightly bumps Daniel and he smiles. Steve glances at them, and glares at Sousa as he whispers to Peggy.

"Agent Carter, coordinate with MI6." Colonel Philips says. She and Daniel look at him and follow, so does Steve. "I want every Allie eyeball looking for that main Hydra base."

"What about us?" Carter asks.

"We are going to set a fire under Johann Schmidt's ass." He takes a file from another lady Agent, a blond woman. She looks at Sousa and Rogers and winks. Steve smiles and Daniel looks down and shuffles closer to Peggy; and Peggy glares. "What'd you say, you two. You found the map and wrote it all down. Think you can wipe Hydra off of it?" The two super soldiers glance and each and nod, although Steve is less than enthusiastic. 'It should just be me, not him' He thinks.

"Yes sir, we'll need a team." Rogers says.

"We're already putting together the best men."

"In all due respect, sir, so have we." Steve looks over to Daniel, his brows furrow, then he gets it; the men from the 107th. They nod once more and Daniel walks away to get his things, as he does this Steve looks at Peggy and smiles.

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An SSR Office:

As Daniel Sousa packs away some of his belongings and cleans up some files, Peggy walks in and grabs him from behind.

"Shit!" He turns around and find Peggy laughing hysterically. "Jesus, Peg! You scared the hell outta me." She continues to laugh.

"I"m sorry darling," She rushes up to hug him, but he resists. "Oh is that how you want to play it?" The two continue their playful tiff and grab and tickle the other. He laughs and she squeaks. "Ahh! Daniel!"

"Shhh" he laughs. "Be quiet Peg, someone will hear." Hes flipped her around and picked her up from her back side; and she wasn't expecting it.

"As if I give a damn." She turns around in his arms, snakes her right arm around his neck, and places a kiss on his lips. When they break apart, they laugh once more. "I thought super soldiers had super hearing. Shouldn't you have heard me come in?"

"Yeah...but I wasn't focusing on that. I was busy."

"Well you better work on that," She ruffles his hair and brushes his lips with her thumbs. "You better not die on me, Sousa. I won't allow it." He sits down on a chair, grabs her, and she sits on his lap. They kiss once more and then he speaks.

"I promise, that I will do everything in my power to come back to you. In one piece." She nods her head, and a tear slips out. He wipes it away and says, "I love you, Peggy. That'll never change."

"I love you too." She wraps her arms around him and thats how they stay. Embraced and loved in each others arms, never wanting to let go.

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Later that day:

"Rogers!" Daniel calls out. Steve turns around. "Where are we meeting them?"

"I'm not sure yet. Haven't decided where to-

"Why not at the pub?" Peggy walks up to them.

"Why there?" Daniel asks. She smiles brightly, and so does Steve. Hes captivated by it.

"Because... of you." Daniel looks puzzled. "You were suppose to get your medal, today. But you didn't. As a celebration for bringing those men their freedom and a reward for your hard work, we'll go to a pub. Besides, I think we all deserve a night out after the week we've had,"

"Thats a great idea, Agent Carter."Steve smiles again at her. "A Pub is a-

"Its English for a Bar." Daniel says. Steve looks at him. "What? I've spent over a year and a half interpreting the things shes said." She smiles and lightly shoves him. Steve notices, and gets heated.

"Right, well its still a great idea. Something comfortable that lays low. We could use that. Also its great for covering up the conversation, its loud in bars. People having fun and...dancing" he glances at Peggy. "It shouldn't be conspicuous and -

"Okay, so Pub it is." Daniel says, he could sense Peggy getting frustrated.

When the two super soldiers get there, they order a round of drinks and explain whats going on.

"So lets get this straight-" Dugan starts to say.

"We barely got out of their alive and you want us to go back?"

"Pretty much." Steve says. Daniel nods along

"Sounds rather fun, actually." Another man says.

"I'm in." Another one. Two more begin to speak in french and the man that finished Dugan's sentence translated that were also in. Daniel and Steve exchange a look.

"Hell, I'll always fight. But you two gotta do one thing for me." "ANd whats that?" Daniel asks

"Open a tab," he replies as he downs the rest of his drink. The rest of the group laughs and downs all of theres. Sousa and Rogers get up and get another round.

"Where are they putting all this stuff??" the bartender asks. Daniel laughs and orders more while Steve goes to talk to Barnes. He says he won't follow Captain America, but he'll follow his friend Steve Rogers. As thye continue to talk, there entering at the door, she stands, radiating the entire room. Her dress, a deep red, and a v-neck at the chest. Barnes and Rogers stop and stare at her. And Daniel? He can't help but try to remember how to breath.

"Ma'am" Barnes says, looking at her.

“Wow, Agent Carter. You look-” Steve stops mid sentence and stares at her dress. She clears her throat and brings his attention back to her face, her brow raised in annoyance. “You look stunning.”

“Thank you.” She relies. "Howard, has some equipment for you to and Sousa to try. Tomorrow morning?"

"Sounds good." He replies. He looks her up and down, and she tries to not roll her eyes. She looks for the team they've gathered and sees them all celebrating and drinking; and sees Daniel's jaw to the ground. She smiles.

"I see your top squad is....prepping for duty,"

"You don't like music?" Bucky asks

"I do actually," She turns to answer him."I might even,when this is all over, go dancing." She turns to glance at Daniel, then looks back at the two men in front of her.

"Then what are we waiting for?"Bucky attempts so slyly flirt. She doesn't bate an eye.

"The right partner." She looks at Steve and says, "0800, Captain," and with that, she leaves.Rogers can’t help but smile to himself and think 'Shes the one’. He rushes after her and speaks.

“Uh, Hey. Would you like to dance? With me that is.” He laughs.

“I’m sorry, Captain, but I’m in no mood to dance.” He looks down and nods his head.

“Okay, sure. Another time then.” He smiles at her, and she attempts one in return. She thinks to herself 'this man simply can’t get the message can he?’ Hours go by and everyone is starting to slow down. Steve leaves the pub for some fresh air and when he returns, he stops in his tracks. There in the window, Peggy Carter and Daniel Sousa are slow dancing on the dance floor. His hands are in hers, and their bodies are close together;dancing in a rhythm that no one else could match. Their dance and connection was souly theres. She looks into his eyes and smiles brightly; everything is right in the world. Rogers blood begins to boil at the sight before him. They laugh and smile all the while enjoying this moment in time together; and Steve storms away.

"You look amazing, Peg." He rests his forehead on hers, and she smiles.

"So... you do like the dress?" She looks up at him, and asks nervously.

"I love it. But I hope this wan't meant to impress me." She foriegns a shocked expression.

"Oh good heavens, never." And they laugh. "Why would I need to impress you when I know you're already mine." He brings her closer and whispers in her ear.

"Don't I know it." She holds her arms around his neck as they continue to sway; they dance and dance, until they can’t feel their feet. Daniel leaves the room to use the bathroom, when suddenly Steve appears.

“I thought you said you weren’t 'in the mood’ to dance.” Peggy looks up at him, annoyed.

“I beg your pardon?”

“You heard me. I asked you for a dance and you said no.And then you turn around and dance with him?” Peggy takes a deep breath and shakes her head at him.“ We both have the serum. What does he have that I don’t?” At this she whips her head towards him.

“What? You can’t be serious.”

“Yeah, I am. I can do anything he can. What makes him better than me?”

“I think you’ve had far too much to drink, Captain, and its time for you to leave,” She stands up in front of him and ushers him away.

“No. I’m not gonna be sent away like some child.”

“Then don’t act like one."She retorts. He grabs her wrist and looks her in the eye, but shes not looking at him. Shes looking at his hand.

"What am I doing wrong here? Why won’t you give me a chance? That should have been us dancing, not-”

“I don’t know what has gotten into that thick head of yours, but if you do not release me this instant, I will not hesitate to use brute force. Serum or not, I can and will put you in your place. Now Let. Me. Go.”

“I’m not drunk. We can’t get drunk.”

“Then you’re a natural imbecile.”

“What!? All I want is a dance, instead you turn your back on me with him.” Now she is in complete shock.

“Yon need to reevaluate your stance with me, Rogers, because it seems to me you don’t know your place.”

“My place? I just want a chance and you-”

“So you’ve said. But I’m not interested. What part of that do you not understand.” She starts to walk away, and he grabs her arm once more. She twists around and lands a painful punch right to his temple, and then hes down.

“Don’t you dare come near me again.”

“Peggy? Whats going on?” Daniel reaches the scene just in time to find Steve Rogers holding his head while sitting on the floor.

“Nothing I couldn’t handle.” She smiles at him and takes his hand. As they walk away, Rogers glares. Soldiers near by glance at his direction and then turn away at his angry face. "Steve! Are you okay?" Barnes asks.

"I'm fine, Buck. Just fine." He gets up and leaves.

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The Next Morning:

"But Daniel-" She runs up to him again and kisses his cheek. "Why?"

"Because, Peg. Its work. I have to meet Philips before he talks to Stark. God only knows how long those to will be in a meeting." She groans and he leans down and embraces her. "Look we'll go out tonight, just us. I promise. No more Steve Rogers or SSR business." She glares at him.

"I have every right to be angry with him." She defends and crosses her arms.

"I know you do, and hes an idiot for thinking he had any say in us. Not that he knows there is an us-

"Because if anyone were to 'officially know'....

"Then we'd get charged and dismissed from the army." Daniel finishes. Peggy looks down and hold his jacket around her. "I'm gonna need that." She looks at him and smirks.

"You just want to see whats underneath..." she teases. "Well, whats not anyway." He laughs and gives her her clothes. "Ugh!"

"C'mon love, I have to go." She grumbles and takes it off. As he rakes his eyes over her body, she smirks.

"Like what you see, Captain Sousa?"

"Love what I see." He leans in for one last kiss and leaves.As he makes his way through the bunker he runs into the blonde Agent from yesterday. When she notices him, she perks up. "Hey, excuse me? Do you know where Colonel Philips is? I have a meeting with him and... I have no idea where he is."

"Uh... yeah, sure."She stands up."He should be in his office preparing for his meeting with Stark." She walks closer to him. Daniel nods and starts to walk away, but she stops him. He looks at her hand and then at her.

"Uhm... Can I help you?"

"I read about what you did. You saved almost 400 men." She advances him into a corner. "That was extremely brave of you and -"

"Look. Stop. Okay?" He grabs her hand, takes it off of him, and steps back. "I'm not interested in....whatever this is. I have my eyes on someone else, so this? Isn't happening." She looks down and backs off.

"My apologies, I didn't realize. She must be real special to you."

"She is." He smiles at the though of Peggy. "If you'll excuse me." Daniel leaves the room and goes to speak with Philips.

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SSR Bunker:

There in the lab, Howard Stark begins to analyze a part of the tesseract. When Sousa and the 107th took over Red skulls base, they stole some of Hydras weapons. A small glowing blue shard is picked up by needle like robot hands.

"Emission signature is unusual. Alpha and bat ray neutral." He squints through the glass. "Seems harmless enough. Hard to see what all the fuss is about." But as he says this and maneuvers another needle to touch it, theres an explosion and Stark is blown across the room. "Write that down."

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

As Captain Rogers stands in the room, looking for Stark, the blonde Agent, once again, makes her appearance. Shes sitting in a chair, re-reading the article of the rescue of the 400 soldiers in Europe.

"Excuse me," Rogers says, "I'm looking for Mr. Stark."

"Hes in with Colonel Philips." She says, not looking up from her paper. Once she does, she does a double back and realizes its Steve Rogers; The Captain America the public adores."Of, course you're welcome to wait." He smiles and nods his head as he leans against the table. "I,uh, read about what you did. "

"Oh the....Yeah." He says. Although the paper doesn't tell everything, not that it meantions the real Captain America, but it does mention the one everyone knows."Well, thats...uh, just doing what needed to be done."

"Sounded like more than that. You helped save those soldiers, nearly 400 men." The two stare at each other, and the silence is filled with awkward, yet flirty energy.

"Really its not a big deal."She gets out of her chair.

"Tell that to their wives," she says as she approaches him. He syas he doesn't think they were all married, but shes insistent on calling him a hero. If shes not going to get to one super soldier, shes going to get to another."the women of America owe you their thanks," She pulls on his tie and leads him into a corner. "And, uh, seeing as they're not here..." She places a kiss on Steve's lips, and he doesn't stop her. He places his hands on her waist as she lifts her arms over his neck...

"Captain! We're ready for you. If you're not other wise occupied.." Peggy says, and then storms away. 'What kind of man flirts with a woman and insists on a chance to be with her, then turns around and snogs another woman?' Peggy thinks.

"Agent Carter, wait." Daniel looks up and sees Peggy and her angry walk. 'Uh oh' he thinks. He walks towards them and hears Rogers and her speaking.

"Looks like finding a partner wasn't hard after all. And yet you insisted it be me, then now its her. Should we expect another woman to be it as well?"Peggy is disgusted at the arrogance of this man. She was never interested, but its the idea of what hes done.

"Peggy, thats not what you thought it was." Her skin starts to boil as he says her name. Shes never given him permission or any familiarity to use it.

"I don't think anything, 'Captain.' Not one thing." She continues walking and spots Daniel. "You always wanted to be a soldier and now you are. Just like all the rest; well most of them." She looks at Daniel, and she can see the concern and weariness in his eyes; she knows that he knows she pissed off.

"Well what about you and Stark? Or hell, Sousa for that matter?" She stops walking and turns to face him. "How do I know you two haven't been...fondue-ing? Or maybe your with both of them. "Her face drops and her eyes widen, and Daniel stops walking with a deadly glare on his face."I guess that explains why you got to go to Europe. So you could be with them."

"I beg your pardon" She starts to laugh. Daniel know what that means; shes in for the kill. "What is it you just said?"

"You heard me." She walks over to him. "How do I know you haven't been with Stark or Sousa. Maybe even both!"Now Daniel's fuming. He starts to storm over to Rogers, then... Bam! Peggy punches him in the eye. At first hes taken back and looks at her shocked. In his vulnerability she hits him again, and again, and again; and once in the balls for good measure. "Ahhh!" He falls down on his knees one hand on the ground for support, the other covers his man hood.

"You don't know a bloody thing about me, or about woman." Daniel stops mid step. "I suggest you educate yourself MR. Rogers." She storms towards Daniel and drags him with her out of the room. As they leave, everyone in the office is shocked; and no one moves out of fear.

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Later that day:

"Fondue is just cheese and bread, my friend,"Howard explains

"Really? I didn't think..."

"Nor should you, pal." The two of them walk into an engineering room. "The moment you think you know whats going on in a woman's head, is the moment your goose is well and truly cooked." They start to browse the room. "Me, I concentrate on work, which at the moment is about making sure your ans Sousa's men do not get killed." They go over protective vests and shields. Steve finds the vibranium one under the table. There was only enough vibranium to make two; Sousa has the first, but Stark doesn't want the second used. He tells Steve about the rarity and that its stronger than steel and a third the weight. Of course because thats all they have, its not standard issue. Agent Carter and Captain Sousa walk into the room. He goes over to talk to another mechanic about his gun, while Peggy talks to Howard.\

"You quite finished, Mr. Stark? I'm sure the 'Captain' has some unfinished business..." Daniel glances up at them and shakes his head. Peggy looks at him and nods. They've talked about it and hes calmed her down as much as he could; but the sour venom of Rogers words still linger in her mind.

"What do you think?" He smiles and asks; as if nothing happened this morning. 'Arrogant pig', she thinks. With an opportunity like this, she just can't pass it up. She looks at the shield covering him, then at the guns, and smirks. Carter lifts it and shoots off four shots, one 'accidentally' nicks him in the ear.

"Ow!" He holds his ear and notices blood. Steve looks at Peggy as she speaks.

"Yes. I think it works." She storms out of the room as Daniel tries not to laugh; hes not successful. A small chuckle gets out, and all eyes are on him. He clears his throat and looks away. Rogers walks up to Stark, who, like everyone else in the room, was ducking for cover. He hands him an idea for his suit.

"Sure thing, pal" He takes the paper, and they watch her leave.

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2 weeks later:

The soldiers have packed everything they need for the long months ahead of them. The Captain's suits have been made; both Sousa and Rogers. The Commandos, as they later call themselves, have been prepped and prepared for the biggest mission of the SSR; take down Hydra.

"Daniel...please."

"I know, Peg. I will, I promise." The two lovers embrace in a long tight goodbye. She reaches for a kiss and he returns it. For a moment it seems like the world is perfectly fine, and doesn't need any one to fight and sacrifice their lives.

"Go, or you'll be late." she turns her face away.

"Hey.." he holds her face in his hands and wipes away her tears. "It'll take the end of the entire world to stop me from coming back to you. And even then I'd fight like hell. Nothing will stop me from coming back, Peggy. I'm in this with you till the end...okay?"

"Until the end...may it come later rather than sooner." He laughs and holds her tight.

"Sousa! You ready?" Barnes calls out.

"Yeah, one minute!" Daniel tuns to Peggy and places one last kiss on her lips.

"I love you"

"I love you too," she says as she watches him leave... "Always and forever, Daniel."

#peggysous #peggy carter #daniel sousa #Peggy x Daniel #agent carter #au fanfic #fanfiction #anti steggy #anti steve rogers #catfa

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sweet-steddie · 5 years

Text

No Labels, All Love: Part 2 to ‘All Wrong’ (g.d. & e.d.)

Summary: This is a part 2 to the imagine All Wrong that I wrote some weeks ago. If you haven’t read it yet, check it out here!

A/N: Depending on the feedback for this one, I may add another part! It just depends on what people want to read, so please let me know :) I would also like to THANK YOU ALL tremendously for your continual support, even though it’s taken me centuries to update this time around. I hope that the wait was well worth it. Also, let me know what you thought of the racy parts and if I should possibly pursue that or never do it again lol. Enjoy!!!!

3.8k +

The TV in front of me could just as well be displaying a blank screen and blaring white noise; I wouldn’t notice. The past several hours have found me sitting nearly stock-still on my living room couch, glossy eyes fixated in the general direction of the flat screen mounted on the wall. I pick up my phone and rest my finger on the power button without applying any pressure before tossing it back onto the couch.

This is a routine I’ve been participating in for hours now: picking up my phone, then setting it back down and worrying my lower lip violently with my teeth. I pick it up for the millionth time and finally decide to power it on. My stomach drops as I watch the screen begin to come to life, the white apple staring me down tauntingly as I await what is sure to be an onslaught of text messages and missed calls. Hopefully.

I pretend like my heart isn’t beating out of my chest as my phone finally finishes powering up. I type in my passcode and wait with bated breath. For a moment, there’s nothing. No new alerts, no new text messages. But then, like an avalanche, the notifications come flooding in. I begrudgingly acknowledge the hopeful lurch that my stomach gives as I watch both Ethan’s and Grayson’s names flash intermittently across my screen for several long moments.

When the chaos comes to a definitive halt, I dare to thumb into my text messages only to find that I have a significant amount more than I did when I had powered off my phone in defiance hours ago. Thumbing into my messages, I see that my most recent texts come from both Ethan and Grayson, respectively. I heave a deep sigh in hopes of releasing some of the butterflies trapped in my stomach as I tap Grayson and I’s conversation first.

Every text bubble visible in the conversation is gray, indicating Grayson’s insistence. I scroll to the top of his slew of messages. I don’t even know what to say. I’m so sorry; Ethan and I met these girls a few weeks ago at an event and they asked us to hang out. We had no intentions of hooking up with them. It just happened; I know that’s not an excuse. I promise this doesn’t change anything between us. I love you so much; Me and Ethan have been trying to call you for hours. Please answer. As I look over a few more texts, all along the lines of Grayson professing his love for me and begging me to call or text him back, I feel a pinch behind my eyes that’s quickly accompanied by tears blurring my vision.

“Fuck,” I curse quietly to myself, wiping roughly at my cheeks and willing the tears to stop flowing. I thumb, next, into Ethan and I’s conversation. It’s much of the same thing that I saw from Grayson. Through teary eyes, I skim over some of the texts that Ethan’s left for me. I hate myself right now. I hate hurting you; You’re still our number one girl. Always; Baby, please talk to us. Even if it’s to yell at us. I just wanna hear your voice; I miss you. Please. The phone drops to my lap as I bury my face in my hands, shoulders shaking with silent cries.

The knot in my belly tightens as I replay the events of today in my mind’s eye. I envision Grayson’s taught stomach, muscles rippling with the effort that it took for him to drive relentlessly in and out, in and out. I see, next, Ethan’s eyes closed, eyebrows and forehead furrowed in bliss, mouth slightly agape as he guided the mysterious brunette over his lap in a sultry rhythm. My jaw clenches reflexively and I find myself gritting my teeth as I try my hardest to ward off these invasive thoughts.

I’m so caught up in my own head that I nearly jump out of my skin when my phone begins to buzz violently in my iron grasp. An incoming call from Grayson.

I give a pathetic sniffle as I attempt to collect myself, fully weighing the pros and cons of answering this call. I know that, eventually, the boys will show up at my door if I don’t give them some indication that I’m okay. I think I’m too upset to see them in person right now. This is the logic that fuels me to accept the incoming call, putting the phone on speaker and placing it onto the empty couch cushion next to me without a word. The first thing I hear on the other line is a heavy sigh.

“She answered,” comes Grayson’s relieved voice, clearly addressing Ethan before jumping right into our own conversation, “baby? Hello, can you hear me?” he asks, bordering on frantic after not hearing from me for hours on end. I let some beats of silence pass as my heart thuds wildly in the confines of my chest. Even just hearing Grayson’s voice is making me an emotional wreck right now.

“Hi,” I finally chime in meekly, trying my hardest to keep my voice steady after having cried only minutes ago.

“Let us see you. Please, we need to see you,” he begs and I could swear that I hear his voice waver for a moment. “Please, just for a few minutes,” he bargains before I can even respond to his first plea. The raw emotion lacing his words is, admittedly, enough for a lump to begin forming in my throat. Regardless of the situation, I hate the idea that Grayson could be close to tears because of me.

“Alright,” I choke out before I even really know what I’m saying.

“Alright?” Grayson repeats like he can’t believe I’ve agreed to this. Part of me can’t believe it either. There’s commotion and then all of a sudden, I’m hearing Ethan’s voice instead.

“Thank you. We’ll be right there. You won’t regret it. God, thank you,” he babbles. “We’ll be there in 20 minutes or less,” he promises and I nod wordlessly for a moment.

“Okay,” I croak out before moving to end the call, but Ethan interjects.

“I fucking love you so much. I love you, okay? I always will,” he stresses and I busy myself with picking at a loose thread on my leggings to keep from crying again. This entire situation has me in an emotional bind. I want nothing more than to tell Ethan that I love him right back, more than I can put into words. But I can’t seem to make my mouth form the sentence. The silence lingers for longer than it ever has after one of us has said an ‘I love you.’ Ethan eventually concludes that he won’t be getting a reciprocation of his affections anytime soon and ends the call with a dejected “I’ll see you soon.”

With the call having ended, I’m left with nothing but the company of my racing thoughts. I have no idea how I’ve ended up in this situation, suddenly awaiting the company of the two boys who put me in this predicament to begin with. I give up on attempting to watch TV altogether, finally switching it off for the first time since I’ve gotten home. What follows is the shortest 20 minutes in history. I feel like I’ve barely gotten a chance to blink when I’m hearing a knock upon my front door.

My heart plummets to the depths of my stomach as I shuffle toward the source of the noise. It’s the moment of truth and that is abundantly clear in the way my palms sweat and the way my breath hitches. In a last ditch effort to appear collected, I run the back of my hand under each of my eyes to get rid of any stray tears. With an unsteady hand, I reach out to latch onto the door handle and pull open the door to reveal two of the most distraught looking twins I’ve ever seen.

It’s only been a few hours since the incident, but Grayson and Ethan look like they haven’t slept in days. Grayson’s hair is a disheveled mess, a stark contrast to the carefully crafted style that he had been wearing it in for the past couple of weeks. He’s donning an untucked, wrinkled white T-shirt and a pair of pinstriped trousers with some scuffed up slides. Ethan’s appearance is much the same, except that he’s wearing a hoodie and sweatpants with dirty sneakers. It’s apparent to me that both boys threw something on so that they could get here as quickly as possible.

None of us say anything for a few long moments. Just as my eyes are scanning them, I see that they’re doing the same to me. We’ve never had to confront an issue this huge in our relationship before and it’s clear that none of us know quite how to go about it.

“Can we come in?” Grayson is the one who dares to break the silence first. His voice is gentle; tentative in a way, as if he doesn’t want to accidentally scare me off after he and Ethan have gotten this close. I nod my head and step aside so that the boys can cross the threshold, careful to keep my distance because I can already feel my resolve crumbling in the few seconds that they’ve been here. They make me so weak.

I try desperately to maintain a strong front as I watch them sink down onto the couch that I had previously rested on and I opt, instead, for the chair nextto the couch, afraid that my judgement may be clouded if I’m sandwiched between them. This attempt at distance doesn’t go unnoticed as Ethan’s eyes dart almost imperceptibly to the chair I’ve placed myself in before he casts his eyes down at his feet altogether.

“I need you to look at me when I say this,” Grayson begins suddenly, grabbing my attention immediately with the intensity behind his words. When I look over to him, I find that he’s already piercing me with an unwavering stare. I wait quietly for him to continue, giving him my full attention. “What you saw earlier meant nothing. It was a stupid hookup and E and I just needed to blow off some steam. We’ve been so busy editing and filming lately and we’ve had so much pent up energy. We figured that the best way to let out that energy would be to hook up with some random girls and that turned out to be such a mistake,” Grayson explains. I notice that Ethan nods his agreement at the appropriate moments throughout Grayson’s speech.

I appreciate the honesty, I really do. But that doesn’t stop my stomach from lurching every time the word “hookup” is mentioned. With the mention of the word, of course, comes the accompanying mental image of what I walked in on earlier today. I wait for Grayson to continue, but he seems to have said his part for now. He stares me down with sorrowful eyes, silently pleading with me to understand. I don’t know what to say just yet but luckily, Ethan picks up the slack.

“We’ll never talk to those girls again. We won’t talk to any other girls, if that’s what you want. How can we prove to you that we’re totally and completely yours? Tell us what to do and we’ll do it,” he bargains running a hand nervously through his hair as his eyes capture mine just like Grayson��s had. I gnaw on the inside of my cheek as I consider the enticing yet entirely unrealistic proposition. It’s not that I don’t want the boys to enjoy themselves. At 19 years old and living on their own in LA, the boys are truly in their prime. It would be cruel of me to keep them on any sort of leash and also completely out of my depth to do so. It dawns on me now that I’m not entirely sure how to broach this subject.

I could maybe settle on something like I’m kind of in love with you guys. Both of you guys. So it actually would be really nice if you never talked to any girls other than me and your mom and your sister ever again! But that would be totally unfair and I know that and a part of them knows that, too. So I decide to be decent about this whole thing. As decent as I can be, given the way that I truly feel.

“I couldn’t ask you guys to do that.” I finally force a full sentence out of my mouth since the boys have arrived here. My voice sounds oddly quiet and scratchy, throat raw from the hours I spent crying off-and-on earlier. Ethan looks as if he’s about to protest. He gets as far as opening his mouth before I continue. “That wouldn’t be fair and you know it. We’re our own people, all three of us. We love and care about each other. I love and care about you both so much,” I pause to bite my tongue, positively annoyed at the way that my eyes begin to fill up. Grayson immediately stands to his feet when he notices, ready to comfort me, but I hold out my hand, shaking my head.

“No, no.Thank you, but no. If you come over here and hold me, I’ll break down and I won’t get a chance to say what I want to say to you guys. So please, not yet,” I explain to Grayson and he looks like he’s having an intense internal battle with himself before he sinks back into his seat, nodding his head out of respect for my decision. I take a moment to compose myself and then I clear my throat before pushing through. “Because I love you guys the way I do, I could never ask you to give up your freedom because of me. You guys are young, single, successful, insanely handsome men. I want you both to thrive with whoever you meet. I would be robbing the world of two wonderful people if I asked you not to talk to girls just because of my own insecurities.”

It’s like, once I’ve started spilling my guts, I can’t seem to stop. “I just. When I walked in on you guys earlier, I felt like,” I search for the right words before settling on, “this small,” and I emphasize that by bringing my thumb and pointer finger together until they’re basically touching. Both boys furrow their eyebrows out of concern almost simultaneously, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of causing me distress, but let me continue without interrupting nonetheless. “When I’m with you guys, I feel like I’m on top of the world. You both make me feel like the most beautiful woman on the planet, but I just feel like all of that went out the window when I saw you enjoying other women. And I know that’s ridiculous. I know it is,” I reason, growing frustrated with my own inner turmoil over the situation.

“You guys are the first people I want to share exciting news with and the first people I turn to when I’m having a shit day and the first people I come crawling to when I just need to be loved. And you’ve given me all of that, always. You don’t owe me anything beyond that. We’ve never discussed anything beyond friendship between us,” I trail off, trying to figure out the best way to word my thoughts.

“We’re more than friends to each other. We all know that,” Grayson defends gently and my eyes widen at him addressing the elephant that’s been in the room since the boys and I first met each other. And the thing is, he’s not wrong. But that doesn’t make it any easier for me to search for the right words to convey that. So I settle on opening and closing my mouth a few times before giving up and just simply nodding my agreement to his statement.

“I’m not saying we have to label anything, but I think we can agree that you wouldn’t like seeing me and E with other women and we wouldn’t be thrilled to see you with another guy,” Grayson continues when he figures out that he temporarily has the floor. I give that some serious thought. The last thing I want to do is stifle these beautiful boys and I express as much.

“That may be true, Gray. But I never want you guys to feel like you can’t go out and experience life and have fun just because I’d have an attitude about some bitches - lovely women - that you might decide to bring home,” I comically correct myself mid-sentence to lighten up the mood and it proves at least a little effective as I watch Ethan crack a smile, eyes all but twinkling as he stares in my direction. Grayson looks visibly more relieved when he responds, the corners of his mouth twitching up into a gentle smile.

“We could never feel like we’re missing out on life experiences and fun when we have you,” he pipes up softly and it’s like a switch has been flipped as I stand up and rush over to him on the couch. I pull him to my chest and he’s a little shocked at first, but he quickly adjusts, standing up to wrap his strong arms around me and pulling me as close as humanly possible. He pulls back momentarily to sweep some hair off my face and behind my ear, resting his forehead against mine and maintaining unwavering eye contact in our impossibly close proximity. “Fuck, I love you,” he breathes and my heart swells as a smile helplessly takes over my face.

I run my fingers through his messy hair, attempting to style it and he just watches me, droopy eyes shining in content. “I love you too, Gray.”

“Can I kiss you?” he mutters, lips brushing against mine every so often in the limited space between us. Instead of answering, I choose to surge forward just enough so that his plush lips are cushioned against mine. He wastes no time in introducing his tongue into the kiss and it becomes hot and heavy in a matter of moments. Before things can go too far, I begrudgingly pull away and kiss the tip of his button nose. He looks mildly frustrated when he opens his eyes and his grumpy expression makes my heart flutter at how utterly adorable he is in this moment.

“I know you have blue balls, but you’re gonna have to wait until later,” I tease, referring to how I had walked in on him getting his dick wet earlier. He purses his lips slightly, shaking his head with playful disdain.

“You are in for it later,” he threatens, raising his eyebrows at me before gradually loosening his hold. I bite my bottom lip at the promise of later as he backs away. “I’m gonna go take care of my situation, if you don’t mind,” he declares before heading in the direction of my bathroom. I smile teasingly at him until he closes the door and then I spin around to face Ethan. He’s still sitting on the couch and he’s chuckling lightly at Grayson’s misfortune. He stares up at me with a smirk still etched onto his lips.

“Are you gonna do that to me, too? Give me a little bit and then make me wait until later?” he asks, reaching out two hands to rub up and down on the outsides of my thighs. I burrow my fingers into his gorgeous head of hair, shrugging my shoulders playfully at the question.

“Probably,” I state bluntly and he rolls his eyes humorously before tugging me down, implying that he wants me to straddle his lap and I do just that. With both legs wrapped around his middle, I allow him to continue caressing my legs as we just stare at each other, mapping out each other’s faces. “Kiss me,” I breathe out and Ethan obeys right away. He takes his time with it, sealing his mouth over mine and gently probing his tongue in to explore my mouth and my own tongue. He’s meticulous with the way that his hands run all over my body and it sets my skin on fire. His hands eventually come to rest over the swell of my ass and he gives it an experimental squeeze, earning a soft moan out of me. When he hears the noise, he’s encouraged to do it again.

This kiss is going a lot further than I intended, but I have no plans to stop it any time soon, especially when I feel Ethan’s hands slide to my hips, gently guiding them in a rocking motion over his lap. Without even thinking, I follow his lead, grinding down onto his crotch and this time, we both moan out in satisfaction. The position we’re in reminds me painfully of what I saw earlier; how the woman rode him in Grayson’s bed. There’s something so hot about taking her place and being the one who ended up there instead.

“You like when your girls are on top?” I breathe against his lips and he groans before claiming my lips again. But he’s pulling back soon enough to growl out an affirmative “Fuck yeah.” Grayson’s thundering voice breaks us apart.

“Hey, how come I didn’t get some of that?” he protests and, even though my heart is thudding wildly out of the surprise of being interrupted, I can’t help but to bury my face in Ethan’s shoulder as I’m overtaken with soft, silent laughter. Ethan sighs out heavily, clearly having been caught off guard as well. I can’t see his face right now, but I can only imagine that he’s staring daggers in Grayson’s direction.

“Grayson, I swear to god,” he starts menacingly between gritted teeth and that’s when I let out a full laugh, pulling back to stare into Ethan’s irritated face.

“My sweet boy,” I murmur gently, tracing the chiseled planes of his face with my finger and watching as the irritation drains from his expression at a moment’s notice. “Later,” I promise, just as I told him I would and he groans again for a different reason this time. I smirk as I dismount from his lap and his arms begrudgingly return to his sides as I stand before him once again. I all but prance toward the kitchen, more than pleased with myself for leaving both of my boys absolutely salivating after me after all of today’s events.

“She’s gonna get it later,” Grayson says to Ethan, but he purposely says it loud enough for me to hear. Ethan chimes in readily.

“Oh, absolutely. Gonna tear that ass up,” he agrees and Grayson’s affirmative mmhm is enough to have me weak in the knees. Maybe I wasn’t totally wrong after all.

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umacaking · 5 years

Text

Up a tree

I wrote a little thing for Inukag week!

As you know, I´m not much of a writer, but occasionally I like to give it a try. I have to confess that the idea of Inuyasha as a firefighter came from an ask @lenbarboza received about her Tiny Miracle series.

I hope you enjoy this AU as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Emergencies were a common thing for him. He had assisted in rescuing people in tsunamis, earthquakes, and fires. He had put his life on the line hundreds of times, Inuyasha just loved being a fireman. Most of his life he had been looked down as a useless waste of space by both human and demos alike, the Tokyo Fire Department had given him a chance to prove his worth.

He had lost count of the lives he has saved and the times he has helped his kind, not that there were many hanyos around, get a more favorable opinion. But as much as he loved his job, there's one part of it that he loathed and it was rescuing animals. Maybe it was because of his Inu youkai blood or because of his hot temperament, but those little monsters didn't seem to like him either. And this kitty, in particular, was already getting on his last nerve. It had climbed to one of the tallest branches of a thick, tall tree and now was meowing desperately, calling for help.

Usually, it would only take minutes to rescue a feline but today it seemed was not his lucky day. For starters, they could not use the aerial ladder because the tree was located on sacred ground, the tree itself was worshiped as well, so they had to be very careful not to damage it. The hanyo would gladly hop from branch to branch and get the damn animal down if the risk of scaring it into jumping off the tree wasn´t that great.

So here he was, moving the ladder to reach yet another branch as the stubborn cat moved away from him every time he got near it.

"You need any help, Takahashi?"

"Shut up stupid wolf!" He shouted to the leader of the group waiting under the tree who was having a great time apparently. "I swear this cat has to be a demon." He mumbled to himself.

How could you explain that the fat creature became so nimble as to jump from branch to branch every time he got near it.

"Last chance kitty" Inuyasha tried to keep his voice friendly to attract the cat, or at least make it stay put. "Either you get on the net or I´ll make you."

He didn´t wait for the cat to obey him, the hanyo decided it was safer for him to switch branches and grab the animal than to keep following it up and down the tree. The kitty seemed to know what he was about to do because as soon as the hanyo took the leap, it moved in the opposite direction. Inuyasha tried to adjust his trajectory mid-air and reached out to grab the fluffy tail when he saw it a few inches from his nose only to miss it and fall spectacularly, bouncing on the branch the cat had vacated and ricocheting down twigs and leaves to finally land face down on the dirt.

The chorus of laughter coming from his crew wasn't as humiliating as the worried feminine voice he heard coming from his right side.

"Oh dear Kami, are you alright?"

A young woman had kneeled on the ground and was trying to help him up.

"I´m fine, don´t worry about me." He said through gritted teeth. " You should worry about the freaking cat."

He had lost his cap in the fall, he realized as he turned and saw the surprised look on the girl´s eyes. Beautiful, warm, brown eyes, he thought, surprised that she did not shrink away from him.

"Please don´t hurt him. I don´t know what got into him. Buyo is always a lazy boy, it´s the first time he does something like this."

Inuyasha didn´t know if it was the pleading tone of her voice or the worried look in her pretty eyes, but he felt the burning fury evaporate almost instantaneously.

"As if I would ever get my hands dirty on a pet´s skin."

He had been so distracted by the girl's presence he hadn´t notice someone was coming their way until he was standing next to them.

"Would you leave it to a weak human Inuyasha?" Sergeant Miroku Kenichi asked smiling, knowing for a fact that the hanyo wouldn´t give up so easily, especially when the wolf demons in the crew had been watching his substandard performance.

"Keh, no fucking way. I´ll get the cat down."

"Are you sure you can climb the ladder again? Are you not in any pain?" He felt the warmth of a dainty hand on his upper arm as the girl tried to stop him from moving.

"He´s much stronger than he looks, don´t worry about him, miss." Miroku interjected since Inuyasha seemed at a loss for words at the moment.

Inuyasha just nodded and started hopping from branch to branch. The young girl absorbing every movement with bated breath, her hands clasped in front of her.

She let out a small cry when the fireman finally got hold of the sneaky cat, her eyes never leaving the blue uniform as he descended the tree, this time landing gracefully on a crouch, one hand on the ground and the other around the furry animal.

The excited squeal coming from the girl made Inuyasha flatten his ears against his skull. He stood up and was about to hand the cat to its excited owner when the girl launched herself into his arms, hugging both him and the frightened animal.

"Thank you so much, I can´t put into words how much I love this cat."

Inuyasha just blushed and let the sweet fragrance emanating from the girl surround him.

"T´was nothing, I was just doing my job."

Reluctantly, the girl moved away from him holding the kitty in her arms.

"I´m sorry, I didn´t even introduce myself. I´m Kagome Higurashi." She said bowing gently.

"I´m Inuyasha Takahashi and that is Miroku Kenichi." He said pointing to the figure standing a few feet from them.

"How can I thank you for saving my cat?" Kagome said smiling softly. "Would you like to come inside for tea?"

Inuyasha was about to answer when Miroku interrupted him.

"I´m sorry miss, we are still on duty." And he moved to grab Inuyasha´s arm to drag him back to the truck. "I´m glad we could be of service, have a good day."

Inuyasha could only growl and look behind his shoulder every few steps until Kagome was hidden from his sight by the shrine steps.

"What is with you Inuyasha? Come on now, we have to get back and fill the reports."

Inuyasha didn´t listen to the words, he just nodded and sighed.

Almost a week had passed and the hanyo couldn't stop thinking about Kagome. He had been tempted to go to the shrine with any excuse.

"Too bad I couldn´t talk to her alone." He sighed.

"Takahashi, get ready. We have an animal rescue, your specialty."Kouga shouted with a grin on his face.

There was no answer, Inuyasha just grabbed his gear and got on the truck.

"You look grumpier than usual, what´s the problem mutt?"

"Mind your own business, wolf shit."

They rode in silence, Inuyasha not interested in anything being said around him until they arrived at a familiar location.

Inuyasha hesitated for a moment, not sure if the crew was trying to prank him or they were here because of a genuine emergency.

"Aren´t you coming Takahashi? Don´t tell me you are afraid of the kitty!"

Now it was Miroku´s turn to make fun of him apparently.

Only this time, the hanyo didn´t wait for the rest of the crew. He jumped off the truck and run up the steps of the shrine to find Kagome waiting for him at the top.

"Hi!" She said with the sweetest smile on her lips. "I was hoping they would send you again."

Inuyasha only gave her a curt nod.

"Is the cat up there again?"

"Yeah, I didn´t notice the door was left open and he ran out of the house again."

"Ok, let´s go get him down."

"Aren´t you going to wait for the ladder?"

"What for? Your cat is too smart, it´s faster if I just hop on the branches."

"Ok." Kagome led him to the sacred tree and Inuyasha repeated the same maneuver she had seen the first time, getting the cat down in a couple of minutes.

"Wow, that was fast."

"Yeah, no need to waste time with the ladder."

"So, now that you saved time, can you come inside and have tea with me?"

Inuyasha looked behind his shoulders and was gladly surprised to see none of his partners in sight.

"Humph." He was about to excuse himself once again when he felt his phone vibrate on his pocket. It was a message from Miroku.

"You can take the rest of the day off, we have another call to answer."

"Seems like I´m free now." He answered finally smiling at the girl.

"Great!" She started walking in front of him, the fat cat purring in her arms. "You know, I was thinking, maybe you should give me your number, just in case Buyo decides to repeat this little stunt again."

The goofy grin on Inuyasha´s face grew bigger yet.

"Sure. No need to involve the whole fire department. Besides, we are friends now, aren´t we Buyo?" He scratched the back of the cat´s head and the cat rubbed against his fingers in approval.

"Look, he´s answering you."

They entered the house giggling and petting the cat until their fingers brushed against each other and they decided to just hold hands, blushing profusely and smiling happily at each other.

#inuyasha #inukag #inubuyo #inukag week #i did it!#day 6 au

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hwaryungrp · 5 years

Photo

SPOTTED! CHOI RAHEE . 22.

Looks like they’ve been wandering around Hwaryung! You can find them living in AERONG VILLAGE or if they’re not home they’re probably working AT NIGHTBLUE AS A MEMBER OF LAPIN. If you can’t find them offline, feel free to message them @exlips_lapin.

BIOGRAPHY

( ✧˖° ･ . family.) A man with dignity, who wrote his mind into the poetic line of verse and a woman with a grace met through a blind date and somehow clicked. He loved her passion to teach kids music, whereas she loved his kind and mischievous nature that differentiated him from his poems. Neither really imagined a miraculous future and often named their desire to have a simple life ahead — and they indeed had one as, by the time they met, both were mature and thoughtful. However, their old age made it almost impossible to have a child of their own. Such that, by the time they got the news, each was both joyful and afraid — afraid that something might happen to the woman during the labour. Unfortunately, something indeed happened, which left the toddler under the care of her father. ( ✧˖° ･ . childhood and adolescence.) The life was simple yet full of surprises in the small town of Busan. Rahee was raised well by her father even if there had been numerous times people mistook him as her grandfather. He continued to write poems but also found other jobs to fill the table in his home and give Rahee everything she desired. Therefore, it was reasonable to say as a child she was a bit spoiled. Nevertheless, growing up she noticed more and more how much her father struggled to give her a proper life and tried her best to help him. However, the man refused to let her get a part-time job, instead, he insisted for her to focus on her education. ❝Worry about nothing. I’ll take care of you myself.❞ His voice echoed in her ears during that one dinner Rahee quietly stared at her food and tried to find the right moment to tell her only wish to her father. She worked hard through seventeen years to make him proud and got herself best of grades at school. However, the approaching university exams happened to be not what she waited for her future. She had something else in her mind. ❝I want to be a singer.❞ Her father did not say a word for two days ever since Rahee uttered her wish quietly, with bated breath. His silence scared her, however, Rahee did not dare to repeat her dream — not until that one night her father knocked the door of her room and met her curious gaze. ❝Five changes.❞ He allowed her to audition five times with a condition that if she was not accepted by any of them, she would give up on her dream and find something else to do. He did not dare to part Rahee away from music, mainly because it was clearly a talent she got from her mother. However, he was also well aware of the trouble the entertainment industry brought and worried about his daughter. Still, that did not stop him from going to every audition with Rahee to support her — until the “seventh” one, where she was finally accepted to NightBlue as a trainee. ( ✧˖° ･ . trainee.) Rahee did not expect her life as a trainee to be easy as she knew there would be rules to follow and limited time to work hard. Not to mention, there was always anxiety as she awaited her debut ever since she left her hometown to stay in Hwaryung. However, she also did not expect her expenses to be so much, a lot more than the allowance her father sent would meet. She could never dare to ask more as she was sure that it would cause her father to find more jobs and overwork himself. That was why Rahee looked for a job that would not bother her trainee schedule and paid enough for her to survive. She became a receptionist in the Shilla Hotel. She worked the graveyard shift in order to keep a low profile among her co-workers and avoided any conversation that would reveal her as a trainee. In others’ eyes, she was just a young girl, who worked to gather her tuition fee and that alone became more than enough for her to be liked by others. However, despite her many attempts to avoid unnecessary trouble, there had been an accident that later on almost damaged her career as an idol. It was just another late night that Rahee stood by the reception and organised a few documents that contained customer information. She fully focused on her task and tried to do her best when a customer walked down the stairs, drunk. The woman was surely not aware of her actions as she swayed from one side to another and made an attempt to leave the hotel without paying for her stay. ❝I’m sorry but you can’t leave without paying, Miss.❞ Rahee was just doing her job as she followed the other out of the hotel. She walked maybe a bit closer than she was supposed to the other, in case the woman fell and needed help. However, she surely did not expect the incident the indeed happen as somehow the woman to end on her arms, her face way too close to Rahee’s. — close enough for it to seem like the woman kissed her. Close enough for people to misunderstand and take a picture, which would be used against her later on. ( ✧˖° ･ . eclipse.) Lapin’s successful debut was supposed to give a delicate meaning to Eclipse, open a refined page in the life of the girl, who followed her dream ever since she left Busan. The positive comments that followed the duo’s debut stage almost led her to the way that she wished to walk on in the future, however, it took her a pair of months to be slapped by her bitter past — somehow, the intimate pictures of her with a fellow woman leaked to the internet. Maybe in some other country, those pictures would be forgotten within a week, yet that was not even part of the option for the public that Lapin’s music appealed. The young people did not care about her ‘different sexual choice’, whereas others began to look for every video and picture of Eclipse to find a chance to judge her. It seemed like even if she tried to explain herself and that she did not even know the woman, no one would believe her — as not everyone knew she worked as a receptionist, not even her own father. That was why, the company management tried to cover up the scandal with fake dating news, which did not help Eclipse at all. Instead, people began to think she was bisexual and it was way too early for her to date considering it had been only a few months she debuted. Even her own father believed it for a while, yet he never questioned her for that — until that one time she was forced to tell him the truth. The misunderstanding, fortunately, did not screw Lapin’s career but it left a small mound on their path. Somehow, it gained public recognition to the group and allowed them to make more music without having any kind of hiatus. Some people believed the duo deserved recognition for their music and their personal life was none of their business, whereas the others waited for every opportunity to remind that scandalous picture in every given chance.

PERSONALITY

( + ) Likeable, concentrated mental focus, considerate ( - ) Impassive, acquiescent, aloof

#HR;FOLLOW

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writersindigestion · 6 years

Text

tipped | edward nygma x reader

“what goes up, must come down.”

reader gender: female

words: 2536

warnings: SUICIDAL IDEATION, mention of gore, violence, abuse, paranoia, trauma, ed didn’t stopped being evil while i was gone. he’s not dark!ed, he’s just ed, and edward is a villain.

notes: hey there, kiddos. sorry it took me so long. i’ve had this part done for a while, but i’ve got another bajillion words to add. i cut it in half once again for your ease of reading. please leave a comment or shoot me a message! gonna try my best to get back into writing!

PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE | PART FOUR | PART SIX

also available on: AO3

The next morning, she put on a plain dress that extended just past her knees, made her hair appear presentable, and made way to the church. [Y/N] had used the phone just for a few minutes yesterday, attempting to find the cathedral’s number from the directory. When she got the information she needed, she made contact and asked when confession was.

Lucky for her, it was sooner than she’d hoped.

The confession booth was small and claustrophobia-inducing, and her paranoia rang vicious bells all around her psyche. She swallowed her fear, however, and crossed herself. “Forgive me, father, for I have sinned,” Her tone was low, quivering, “It’s been… Probably close to a decade since my last confession.” Was it doubly wrong to lie to a priest?

She interrupted herself, “Pardon me, father… That wasn’t honest.”

“Take your time, daughter. I am listening,” The priest calmly replied, his age-wizened voice spreading over her like a warm breeze.

“I’m not Catholic. I have never been,” [Y/N] breathed, trying vainly to soothe her nerves, “I’ve never been to confession, nor would I know how to give confession…”

He did not speak, and so she continued.

“I’m am guilty of a great many things, father, and I don’t know that I’d ever personally been able to atone for them, but I need help,” She said, fighting through the strangle of tears, “I wrote down what I have to say… It might not be safe to say such things out loud. Forgive me.” Her fingers pressed a well-folded piece of paper through the decorative gaps in the confession booth, hoping beyond hope that he would accept it.

The priest took the note from the woman, taking just a few short minutes to read it in its entirety. He made a small sound of grief, of pity, and received a small sob in return for his acknowledgment. “Is this what you need me to do, my daughter?

[Y/N]’s cries became ugly, sloppy, but she couldn’t help it. Her heart was so shattered, so suffocated beyond repair. It seemed like a century had passed since a stranger had so easily offered their assistance. “Please, please - it’s all I could ever ask for. I’m so scared, I’m so-”

“You need not plead any longer. It shall be done as you have asked,” He interjected softly, and she heard him rise from his place, and step quietly from the booth.

She did not follow. She didn’t want to leave the sudden comfort of the tiny room that protected her from unwanted stimuli. She didn’t want to leave the little box of forgiveness for a world that was tinged with green.

When the priest returned, he extended his hand towards her and guided the woman from her hiding place. His expression was grave, and he could barely stand to look at her.

Her blood went cold. She’d been so close. She could’ve tasted freedom only seconds ago, just to have it snatched from her needy grip.

The father undid his collar, frustration in hands that had been so peaceful for so long. He gripped the cross that rested around his neck, and gracefully removed it, before turning to place it around the head of [Y/N]. It pained him to see the look of confusion, of loss in her eyes.

“God has forgiven you, daughter, and I must ask that you forgive me in return,” The priest lamented, before turning away from her, “It seems it is no longer my place to offer advice - but may you also forgive yourself.”

He would not make a return to his place in the Catholic church.

An old, feeble nun gripped her by the elbow, gently leading her into a side room, away from all the stained glass and overused pews. She sat her down at a table; a simple, landline phone lies in its round center. The nun’s hands grasped [Y/N]’s shoulders just moments before she left her alone.

With bated breath, the isolated woman awaited his call. When the phone finally rang, she still hadn’t fully prepared herself, listening to the ring for several seconds more, her teeth gnawing at the skin of her knuckles until her lips were painted with blood. There would be no ignoring him. She picked up the phone and did not speak.

“Once again, you color me surprised, Miss [L/N]. Using a priest to do your dirty work? Terrible. I hope you don’t mind that I took a page out of your book, then,” Edward began, sounding quite like a man who had just won the jackpot, “Don’t bother responding. Just follow my instructions, and no one will be hurt. You have God as my witness.”

She couldn’t breathe. She wished that she wouldn’t.

His voice was crisp, commanding, “Turn around. There is a set of stairs - take them to the top. When you get to the balcony, wait for further direction.”

[Y/N] didn’t move - she didn’t want to, certainly, but her legs felt like gelatin just sitting down, how would they ever carry her all that way?

Edward didn’t relent, barking into the receiver, “Move - now!”

She scrambled to her feet, dropping the phone on the table and beginning her ascent. Flights passed her by, and she peered out of the windows as she marched towards whatever fate was sure to meet her. The people below were busy - probably content, and absolutely oblivious to her peril. In one of her frequent moments of morbidity, she saw her intestines decorating the cathedral spires, painting the church’s outside walls with the blood of a sinner.

This isn’t your fault, you didn’t deserve this. This isn’t your fault, you didn’t deserve this. This isn’t your fault, you didn’t deserve this.

In the middle of the balcony sat another telephone, its winding cord disappearing off towards a distant wall. When it rang this time, she didn’t hesitate to pick it up.

“Nicely done - you’ve proved you can follow instructions, imbecile,” Ed vibrated, the sick sound of joy clearly evident in his words, “What I will ask you to do next is very simple. When I hang up, you will climb onto the balcony ledge. I hope your balance is good, [Y/N], but you won’t be there for long.”

She spoke lowly into the phone, “Do you want me to jump? Is that what you’re looking for? Cause... I’m not exactly afraid of heights…”

“Did I tell you to jump? Clearly, I’ve overestimated your ability to listen. I would say that insubordination deserves punishment, but we’ll have plenty of time for that later,” He chattered, hardly able to contain his excitement.

“Just looking out for you, Eggma. I know you want this to be as painful as possible.”

“It’s adorable to see you pretend to know anything about me,” Ed teased, completely ignoring her jab before his tone grew serious again, forceful, “Get on the ledge, or people will die.”

He hung up before [Y/N] had the chance to ask who he planned to hurt. She placed the phone lightly back in its place and smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress. In her overwhelmed state, she nearly forgot to be afraid, but the knocking of her knees together reminded her that she was still wasn’t as strong as she needed to be. Could she not be like Jim Gordon? Or Chryssie? Or Kristen? Or the priest? Why did she crumble when it mattered most? Why couldn’t she stand her ground? Tears rampaged down her face for the zillionth time in the past months, and she pressed her hands to the stone ledge, pushing herself up onto it.

Her eyes were immediately trained downwards, the safety of the confessional booth was now light years away. She calculated that the balcony was roughly over one-hundred feet in the air and that a nice tumble onto the thin rug below would effectively kill her. The prospect of death was tempting, tantalizing, and the urge rested against the small of her back. [Y/N] stared at the pews, all aligned in perfect little rows for the masses to gather in during sermons. She imagined, like she always did, that none of this had happened to her. Kristen hadn’t died, Jim Gordon never went to prison, her sanity was never stolen, and Edward Nygma was never born.

The fantasy had yet to fail at comforting her.

An acronym was what broke through her daydream, an acronym that she’d heard for a generally happy several months of her life. In any other situation, perhaps it would have been a blessing to hear those four letters.

“G-C-P-D!” A strong, booming voice cracked the foundations of her reverie, bringing the woman back down to Earth with a figurative splat.

Jim Gordon gazed up from the ground floor of the church, seeing the teetering form of [Y/N] [L/N], a former coworker that he’d known so little of during her time at the precinct. Cursing to himself, he started for the stairs, his partner taking the lead in coaxing her down.

“Miss [L/N], we are here to help you!” Harvey Bullock called upwards, raising his voice despite the silence of the cathedral, “Suicide is not the answer - please step down from the ledge, and we will get you the assistance you need!”

Typical Harvey. He was well-meaning, but not completely helpful. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes at his words, fighting the urge to laugh out loud. No one appeared to notice, however, thanks to the distance between them. She put her hands up in surrender, turning just slightly to step back onto the level ground, when she spotted the slithering form of Edward Nygma, winding his way between the officers behind Bullock.

Suddenly, she remembered why the implications of suicide had been so tempting. He stared up at her, his expression unreadable regardless of her vantage point. What alarmed her most was the curling of his right arm through the crook of her girlfriend’s elbow.

She let out a cry of frustration, of exasperation - would [Y/N] never be free of this man? Would her friends ever be safe? Would she ever have control of her life again?

While she would have loved to continue her turmoil over taking a leap, the strong arms of James Gordon wrapped around her middle, tugging her, unwilling, from the balcony ledge. Having just breached the boundaries of hysteria, she let out a deafening shriek, catching the marble rim with the tips of her fingers, stopping Jim from tearing her away from what felt like the only escape she had left.

The detective’s brow furrowed at her resistance, but he knew he shouldn’t be surprised. She was a woman in distress - distress that reached the point of wanting to die. Inwardly, he tried not to think about how close he’d been to the same position in the recent past.

Granted, he’d been hypnotized by a psychotic madman, but it didn’t mean the impulse wasn’t there. A part of him considered her reasons, to which he’d collected just a few, and wondered if she was being coerced as he was.

He pushed the thought into the back of his head for later, pulling firmly on the woman’s waist until she lost her grip on the ledge. What really surprised him, however, was how rapidly her hands went from the stone to his eyes. Jim let out a grunt of pain, his face pinching together in an attempt to avoid the assault, his arms still wrapped around her to keep the woman from jumping. What hurt more than her fingernails against his face, was how goddamn loud she was screeching.

“You can’t do this to me. I have nowhere else to go!” [Y/N] screamed, battering around the man’s head, frantic in her attempt to get him off of her. This would likely be the last chance she got in a long, long time - if she had any idea where she was headed.

The struggle didn’t last much longer. A few more officers joined Gordon’s side, one of them making an executive decision to tase the suicidal woman. She immediately dropped, stiff like a board, but the cop held it for almost fifteen of the thirty recommended seconds before Jim reprimanded him.

“Officer, stand down,” He bellowed, lying [Y/N] on the ground before she could get hurt during the fall. When he was sure his colleague had stopped, he leaned down to check on the female who’d been so keen on dying just moments before. With help, James pulled her back to her feet, letting her use him as a crutch.

As they started to lead her downstairs, she grappled with her feelings, with her body, with her tongue - mostly unable to form words. This was the only time she’d be separate enough from Edward to tell them what was going on. But was he listening? How would she know? Was his plan still to hurt innocents if she didn’t cooperate, as she’d done thus far (she assumed)? Had she even cooperated at all? What was for dinner?

[Y/N]’s teeth were clicking and chattering far too much for her to even attempt to speak in the first place. She didn’t quite feel herself getting tased - or at least didn’t feel the electricity coursing through her - but she definitely felt the effects. Her muscles locked up all over her body - head to toe, and back again. Screams of pain, of terror, of confusion - they tore up her throat and sat, paralyzed, underneath her tongue. She had said so many things, asked so many questions, pleaded for them to stop hurting her, but she was dumbstruck, and in reality, said nothing at all. Now that the tasing had ceased, she felt around her cottonmouth for the syllables that had been so deeply swallowed.

This wasn’t the first time she’d been tased. Curious fifteen-year-olds tend to do stupid things around unsupervised stun guns. One that was used for public defense, however - it was a little more effective. Consciously, she knew that it didn’t particularly hurt, but the sensation was so very, very uncomfortable. And while she would never go out of her way to get electrocuted again, if the opportunity arose in a social situation, [Y/N] probably would. Stupid? Yes, but she enjoyed playing devil’s advocate for the sake of experience.

Maybe that made her a little like Edward, she thought, but there was an incredibly fine line between playing devil’s advocate, and just being the devil.

Was it appropriate to think about the devil in God’s house?

In her mental limbo, she’d missed her chance entirely to tell the cops what was going on. If the walk had taken any longer, the battered woman probably would’ve forgotten what was happening in the first place. They rounded the corner, coming back into the central chamber of the church, and [Y/N] was greeted with a new perspective on the place that she’d nearly jumped from. Suddenly, ghostly images of her fallen corpse spread across her cerebrum, painting the wooden benches with her blood. She promptly bent in half, her vomit narrowly missing Jim’s shiny combat boots.

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