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randomfoggytiger · 5 days
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Collector's Edition: Cars and Conversations (Part I)
Mulder and Scully have traveled a lot a lot a lot during their years in the basement-- surely, they had pretty cool conversations on the road?
Loose chronological order below~
@wexleresque/hellsteeth's
stars
As he climbs into the passenger seat of his father’s Lincoln, Fox yawns. The dashboard clock reads 5:03 AM and the smug tilt of his mother’s lips suggests that the early hour is the result of considerable negotiation. The tires crunch on the driveway and his mother waves at him absentmindedly from the porch as they depart. She doesn’t make a habit of smiling, but in the dark, Fox thinks something close might be on her face.
The drive is quiet this morning, save for the news on the radio and the whistle of the wind through the cracked window. Sunflower seeds sail over the glass and Fox takes a few out of the bag, chewing on them for something to do.
“How’s work, Dad?” he asks as they pass Fall River.
 Young Mulder is tossed back and forth by his begrudging parents.
the fbi basement bulletin board - Chapter 5 (Tumblr)
“Hm. Well you probably don’t need a medical professional to tell you this, but if you keep moving it around, it’s going to take longer to heal. You need to rest it.”
“Noted, doc. And you just missed the turn, by the way.”
S1 Mulder is bad at directions-- especially with a sprained wrist.
Local Radio (Tumblr)
Driving out to a little town in Indiana hadn't been in the original plan, but the business of Memorial Day weekend had removed flying as an option. They needed to reach their destination within 24 hours. So here they were, en route to another place that didn't even warrant a dot on the map (you've seen one, you've seen them all, he sometimes thought to himself).
Mulder is amused at a crazy radio station (and at Scully's reaction.)
Christine Leigh's (Alt. Ao3) Maybe?
"Okay, here we are." Maggie said this as she pulled off the highway and onto the road that would take them into Democrat Hot Springs. She was surprised that there wasn't more traffic. This town, if she remembered right, was supposed to be some sort of a resort area. Five more minutes, and they were in the parking lot looking up at the familiar sight of the neon arches, and that's all that mattered. 
Captain Scully is back from deployment; and Maggie senses something is off with her youngest daughter.
@thatfragilecapricorn30's (Ao3) Tell Me You Love Me - Chapter 1
“How do you know where I live?” he asked.
Scully’s cheeks reddened; she was hoping he wouldn’t notice or find her actions inappropriate. “It was, uh, it was in your personnel file. I wrote down your address after you called me at home after the last case. I figured I may need it at some point.”
Mulder smiled. “Just trying to see if you’ve been spying on me.”
Post Deep Throat Scully can't shed her keyed-up nerves after driving Mulder back home.
@scullywolf's (Ao3)
Eve
Her eyes narrowed. “How far up north?”
“California’s a big state, Scully.”
“I’m aware of that. How far?”
He decided there was probably something very interesting over in the corner that merited staring at while he answered. “About 300 miles. Give or take.”
Eve Mulder sheepishly wakes Scully.  
Red Museum
Sure, the old man wasn’t a member of the church, and similarities between him and Brother Andrew were all but nonexistent, but the cryptic “There’s something I’d like to show you,” with no further explanation, was enough to set her mental warning bells chiming. She was a grown woman, with a gun, but that didn’t mean she loved the idea of jumping into some random stranger’s truck after only the briefest of exchanges. Mulder joined her at the truck’s window, an unspoken question on his face.
Red Museum Scully communicates her anxieties to Mulder without a word.
Demons
The car company rep agreed to come and pick her up, and she sat down on the curb for only a minute or so before getting up again to pace off her nervous energy. A hundred horrible scenarios played themselves out in her head; at least ninety of them involved Mulder getting into car wrecks of varying degrees of seriousness. In order to keep herself from panicking, she tried to focus on the task at hand, which only made her angry that she was even in her current position in the first place.
Demons Scully has to call in a new rental car.
Drive
“All I’m saying,” she said pointedly, “is that it could be worse. We could be crammed in a room right now with a bunch of other agents, and instead we’re at least driving around through what you have to admit is some fairly scenic farmland.”
Mulder spared a moment to mourn their lost office. 
Drive Scully appreciates being out in the field with Mulder again.
Dreamland II
"...Mulder, I’m not proud of how long it took me to realize what was going on. I was about ready to drag you in for an MRI. Some sort of delayed-effect brain trauma from your trip out to the Queen Anne was the only thing I could think of to account for your dramatic change in behavior. Only it wasn’t you at all–”
“Well, you believe it now, and that’s all that matters. Now how do we fix things?”
Dreamland II Mulder and Scully catch up before heading back into the fray.
@cactustree's (Ao3) Fast Times and Slow Drives
She startles when she feels a warm hand on top of hers, and her eyes snap open as though jolted by an electric shock. She looks over to find Mulder studying her, his eyes darkened with concern.
“Watch the road, Mulder,” she murmurs, pulling her hand away from his.
“What’s wrong, Scully?”
Post Genderbender Mulder banters away Scully's apology with facts.
@h0ldthiscat's (Ao3, Alt. Ao3)
Survivor
She swats him away with one of her small hands when he touches her head and helps her into the car, but the look she shoots him lacks her usual antagonism, and the purse of her lips doesn't quite convince him that she's annoyed.
"Do you want another one of these before we hit the road?" He shakes a half-empty bottle of Gatorade at her as he slides behind the wheel, but she shakes her head once, firmly, and presses her lips together in a thin line, making them even whiter than they are.
Post Darkness Falls Mulder drives them home.
7. things you said while we were driving
She shoves the sunshade back up and clears her throat. “Can we go?”
He notices for the first time that her eyes are wet, that her chin is quivering despite her best attempts to control it. Remorse and guilt wash over him as he remembers an offhand comment from earlier in the week that explains her makeup, her nicer-than-usual suit, the set of her jaw. 
Post Never Again Mulder's remorse soothes Scully's feelings.
Can I ask for a fic tonight? :)
“Was the drive okay?” she asks.
Mulder jerks his head back to the still open door and says, “Ask your son, he drove.”
William appears in the doorway, duffel bag slung over his shoulder, tawny hair in his eyes. “It was fine, Mom.”
“Good,” she says, shooting daggers at Mulder with her eyes, daggers that say she can’t believe he let their son drive in a snowstorm....
AU-- Revival era Scully is not pleased Mulder let college age William drive back in a snowstorm.
@crossedbeams’s (Ao3) I-Spy
‘I love this song!’ I explain, whizzing the twizzler I have pilfered from Mulder’s junk food haul around in some vaguely rhythmic pattern. I love music I just lack the skill set to express that love very elegantly.
Mulder chuckles at my enthusiasm and cranks up the volume, ‘I never would have had you pegged as a Clapton fan’.
S1 Scully tells Mulder about her family road trips.
@slippinmickeys's (Ao3, Gossamer)
Prompt Drabble Collection - Chapter 25 (Tumblr)
The thing was, it was next to impossible to see out the windshield. 
Scully loved thunderstorms. Having spent a large portion of her youth in San Diego, they were still a novelty, even after years on other, more weather-prone bases and college campuses, and if she'd been home, she would have pulled up a chair next to her window and curled up there with a mug of tea, watching the light play in the sky and the water ping sharply against the glass. 
However, as a driver she was cautious, and with Mulder, well, she had a reputation to uphold: He was the engine. She was the brake. 
S1 Scully drives through a storm, donuts and a dozing partner included.
@brownies-and-tea/browniesandtea's Collect Call
“Mulder, it’s too late.” Scully sighed and leaned against the rain-streaked window of the car.
"I can't believe you're thinking fondly of that awful motel."
"I'm thinking fondly of a decent night's sleep." she stretched across the passenger seat.
S1 Mulder pursues a lead with Scully, from car to phone booth.
Ten's Learning to Breath (1/2)
In the elevator the women leaned him against one of the walls and kept talking to him, worried that otherwise he would go back to sleep and start sliding to the floor. Dana asked him questions, like his name and address, to keep him alert. She was relieved when she received the correct answers.
They got him into the backseat of Maggie's car, careful not to bump his head. Dana immediately raced around the car and got in the back herself. She fastened his seatbelt and watched as he leaned back against the headrest. He was asleep again before Maggie turned the key in the ignition.
AU-- Post One Breath Scully, Maggie, and Melissa are shocked at the state of Mulder's apartment.
J. C. Sun's Car Ride
My partner is next to me, as he always is, but for the first time in months, he's wearing his glasses. They make him look like an owl: a giant, somber six-foot owl perched in the driver's side seat. However, I doubt any owl has ever rolled his shirtsleeves up to the elbow and cradled a book in his lap, or chased the paranormal for a living. Nor do I think any owl has ever looked quite like him: the slightly twisted nose, the clear hazel eyes and the annoying, annoying little lock that, even now, droops across his forehead. It takes a wrench of will to resist the urge to reach out and to smooth it into place.
Post Firewalker Scully is bonded to Mulder now.
@seek-its-opposite/seek_its_opposite's
transient luminous events
He is still just standing there, the sleeves on the turtleneck he didn’t need to wear pushed up at the elbows. She is suddenly, vividly aware of the car, of the hot metal and the smell of rubber in stagnant humidity. Duane Barry’s trunk smelled like a spare tire. Her mouth goes cloth-gag dry.
“Can we?” she asks. She waves her hand at the road ahead and wonders how she’s so sure of this: He’d have known what she was asking even if she hadn’t.
“Sure,” Mulder nods. He looks relieved. He grabs their flashlights from the glove compartment and hands her one, and the flood of Pfaster’s headlights behind her eyes softens and clarifies into two beams that will never outrun her. And they walk.
Post Irresistible Scully confronts Mulder on his bubble-wrap method of protection.
if you weren't so
She tilts her chin up at him, at the usual angle, and finds that the geometry between them is the same.
“I need to talk to you,” she says. “Something’s happened.”
Behind him, his not-wife drags a recliner over the threshold in reverse, yelling at the houses that all look like hers.
“I have to talk to you alone.”
She says “alone” like she always says it and wonders if she meant to do that. There are days when she’s sure she could leave him in the dirt and still wind up in a room with him at the end of the world. As they slip behind the truck, she's gripped by the idea that to Joanne Fletcher, she is the woman Mulder shouldn’t be with.
AU-- Dreamland II Mulder and Scully try to find a way back to each other.
theramblinrose's Irresistible - Chapter 5/Chapter 6
“I didn’t know when I’d hear from you,” Mulder said.
“I’m at the airport,” Scully said. “I’ve got a car. I’m driving in. I just wanted to call before I left.”
“Anything wrong?” Mulder asked.
“No,” Scully said. “Honestly—everything’s feeling pretty right, Mulder.”
AU-- Irresistible Mulder and Scully are juggling their new relationship, a surprise pregnancy, and the fallout from the nefarious Pfaster.
eponine119's Same Old Fight
-Turn it back, he'd insisted, his knuckles white on the steering wheel with the effort of keeping the car on the narrow twisting road, This is making me jumpy.
-I don't know why I let you drive.
-You didn't have any choice.
-Mulder, pull over and let me drive.
-No.
S2 Mulder rescues Scully after their blowout fight almost ends with an explosive conclusion.
Sneakers/sneakers's
Walter Skinner's 'From Left Field
"But I don't see why Skinner should care about the book. It didn't mention *him*, and it didn't even use our names." Scully stood in front of the bookcase, scanning the shelves. "We didn't divulge anything classified; I'm sure the reading public thinks the whole think is a joke."
"But they had the nerve to claim I ate *twelve* piece of sweet potato pie!"
She pulled the book down. "Skinner's going to complain about your eating habits?"
"But I *hate* sweet potato pie, Scully. You know that, remember? I turned green at the gills last Thanksgiving, when your sister-in-law offered me some."
Post Jose Chung's From Outer Space Skinner has his thoughts on the book.
Sweet Home D.C.
"But the reception . . ." She looked out the window at the 1 AM darkness. "I think we both need to get some sleep. Turn the radio back on if you want to."
He did.
<< . . . Sweet home, Alabama . . . where skies are so blue . . . sweet home, Alabama . . . Lord, I'm coming home to you . . .>>
"That guy's got something wrong with his head, Scully."
Mulder and Scully, switching songs and swapping gum.
Evil_Little_Dog's
Cassadaga Bound
Dana squinted out the car window. "I don't think there's enough room in this town for all the witches, or demons, or devils in Florida, let alone the world."
S3 Mulder detours he and Scully to a fortune teller's.
Travelogue
“We’re not lost.” Mulder shot her a look then turned back to the road, correcting for the drift. “We’re directionally challenged.”
Making a guttural noise deep in her throat, Scully glanced out the window.
Mulder, the car, and a ditch.
@sunlightscully's (XF Writing Challenge - Food)
They have perfected the art of car eating. The driver orders and pays and hands the greasy bag over to be unpacked. The passenger unwraps the driver’s burger. They share fries.
When he pays she asks for the bare minimum and nothing too expensive. He orders extra large milkshakes and pretends he doesn’t see her stealing sips. They compensate for each other. Ketchup has not been spilled in years.
Mulder realizes he loves Scully.
Starbuck's (FFN) Wake Me When We Get There
"Shouldn't be much longer, Scully."
She made no acknowledgment, lying her head upon the seat once again. He continued driving as she drifted in and out of consciousness. White line. White line. Yellow line.
"Wake me when we get there, Mulder."
Mulder keeps the volume down so his partner can sleep on the long drive home.
@wtfmulder/@momdadimpoppunk's (Ao3) drabble; pay no mind
Scully paces around the car, branches and leaves snapping quietly under her weight. But she’s not angry, not at all, or nervous. She occasionally bends down to steal a sunflower seed from him and pauses to crack it before continuing her little loops.
Mulder and Scully find their own ways to entertain themselves when the rental car breaks down.
@incidental-ao3/incidental's Febuwhump 2023: The Truth is Out There (And the Fic is In Here) - Chapter 18
“No, Mulder, I should be keeping you awake, you’re the driver.”
“But I am awake,” he argued reasonably. “So there’s no reason for you to torture yourself when you could catch another few hours’ rest.”
“Don’t be dramatic, it’s not torture,” she scoffed. He smirked.
“Could’ve fooled me,” he said. She scowled sleepily.
Scully tries not to fall asleep, and Mulder ruminates on life before lights.
@mulderbabe77's Taco Stands and Regrets
He pushed down a little harder on the gas pedal.
“Are you gonna throw up?” He gulped, hoping to hear a no.
“Nope,” she answered and for a moment he almost sighed with relief. “The other thing, I think,” she finished, grimaced again and held a hand to her cramping stomach.
“I’m on it!” He sped the car up a little more.
Ten minutes later they could see the exit just ahead. Mulder was shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
Mulder and Scully both get food poisoning while on the road.
@hamster-on-fire/fade_into_the_dusk_with_me’s For The Sake Of Driving (Ao3)
They’d do this sometimes. Drive. They were always driving, it seemed. But when it was dark like this & he was scared like this, or tired like this, or just utterly numb like this, it was different. The curve of the road up ahead could feel like a whole conversation; the silence, an opening, & they’d both sit there, like staring at a sterile wound.
Mulder and Scully help each other decompress on long, long car drives late into the night.
Timemeantnothing's On the road again
“We helped keep the Germans from getting Thor’s Hammer.”
“Mhmm,” Scully hummed, turning the corner.
“It was Einstein, Scully. We protected Albert Einstein.”
“That was very good of us to do.”
Mulder and Scully, driving: hot ladies, aliens, cheek kisses, Triangle rambles, and Millennium contentedness.
Thank you for reading~
Enjoy!
**Note**: I am a "separate the art from the artist" person through-and-through; but my lists will no longer be featuring writers that have blocked me-- tooooooo much drama has been kicked up over that issue.
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bigskydreaming · 5 months
Text
Bit of a vent post, bit of a housekeeping post, bit of a 'so that's what's been happening in Kalen-land' post:
So I have officially done everything that can be done to prepare for our relocation to a different site while they do construction on this one for the next year, which should be....any day now. Since it was originally supposed to happen on October 2nd, lol. Oh, bureaucracy.
If I wrote a memoir of the last two years specifically, 'Oh, Bureaucracy' would be the title, actually. So obviously its no secret that Moukie & I have been struggling for a long time, even after my surgery back in December 2021. But pretty much all of that has to do with our struggles to hack through bureaucracy to secure some actual stability and longterm living situation, since....oh, January 2022. We've finally secured a five year lease to stay in this place (with the exception of the next year, at a different site during construction, as I mentioned), but like....we only JUST got that agreement officially in writing, signed & notarized & all that...last week.
After being told it was basically a done deal but they couldn't finalize anything or put anything in writing until the building sold and the property changed hands and one city service took over oversight of this particular property from another one....pretty much every month since November of last year. They changed dates and timelines on us so many times it was like every three week we'd have a completely new timeline we were looking at for when we could expect to have everything finalized or for the relocation to happen, etc. Most recently, we were told with complete certainty that everyone HAD to be out October 2nd, that construction would be starting immediately after that, nobody would be allowed to stay in the building.
October 31st, and we're still here, lol.
So that's been a fun non-stop rollercoaster ride of stress, lol. The problem, of course, is that before my surgery (12/2021), I'd quite literally been homeless for at least the five years prior to that. Fortunately I never quite made it to the point of having to sleep outside, though there were plenty of times it got close, and spent most of that time living out of cheap motels & extended stay housing while working towards getting enough money together for my surgery, but as far as any landlord or potential renter is concerned, I was for all intents & purposes homeless during that time, and that's....not great when trying to secure housing in the middle of a pandemic right after basically starting your life over from scratch after the surgery to fix the problem that basically derailed your entire life, lol. Not to mention my credit score was practically nonexistent, all my credit cards were maxed out to pay for the surgery & insurance, my driver's license had been expired for years due to not being even able to drive while I had my issues w/my jaw & everything related to that, and getting it back was easier said than done because I'd had like, two unpaid parking tickets at the time of my medical issues beginning & they kinda completely dropped out of sight, out of mind, only to multiply w/fees that were fucking ridiculous to contemplate & going down to the DMV or traffic court to try and argue them down, while my medical issues were still ongoing, was a nonstarter due to how little travel I was capable of in that state....
LOL. Not a great starting point when rebooting for Kalen 2.0 - and of course I'm not going to get into why we had to use my ID & everything for renting & all that, instead of Moukie's, just trust that there were Reasons.
And of course there are programs to help people out with these kinds of circumstances, which is basically what we've been doing since January 2022....navigating that labyrinth of red tape, because actually ACCESSING those programs, proving eligibility, meeting all requirements, keeping consistent with all requirements throughout the months of waiting on a verdict from higher-ups your file's been passed up the chain to....MUCH easier said than done. The hoops are just. The stuff of legends. Especially when you're still having trouble consistently staying stocked on the meds you need to be productive & functional, or even just keeping your phone active. Oof. All of that was very Not Fun.
Which segues into a bit of that venting I was talking about, because over & over the past couple years we've had well-meaning (and not so well-meaning & largely just obnoxious) people asking us in response to our donation posts like, well why don't we just move to a cheaper city? LOL. I just. I wish people would stop to think that maybe if there's such an obvious solution that someone hasn't availed themselves to yet, there's probably a REASON for that.
We actually had several. For starters, there's the fact that I still have stuff related to my jaw to deal with....I still have no teeth, lol, and haven't really been able to even START getting the bone grafts I need to be able to get implants at some point, so I'm not stuck with dentures for the next fifty years....and it took me literal years to find dentists familiar with my situation, willing to work with me on payment plans & longterm strategizing, etc.....not that easy to just start over with all of that in another, smaller city. Not to mention if I do have any problems with my prosthetic, LA's one of the only places that has ANY surgeons that deal with this specific kind of jaw replacement surgery, so I'd always have to come back here for any further medical related stuff.
But then there's additionally the fact that all those programs meant to help people like us who are literally trying to restart their lives after medical issues, homelessness, etc.....they're pretty much all specific to their own city. They're all contingent on each individual city's resources, services, populations and a million other details.....so moving to a different city basically means having to start all over again with applying to THAT city's housing aid programs & navigating THAT city's bureaucracy from its beginning & forfeiting however much time or progress you've put in already in the city you're currently in. And frankly, most cities don't HAVE as good of aid programs as LA does....its just...it takes fucking forever to actually make full USE of such programs, as evident from the fact that after almost two years, we're only FINALLY to the point where one of those programs has been able to actionably help us secure longterm housing.
(And also there's the fact that when we don't even have enough money for groceries, how cheap do people thinking picking up and moving to another city actually IS? Like. You need starter money to even GET there & get on your feet or you wind up in an even worse situation than we were in).
But honestly, we didn't have it so bad, we have been able to stay housed & working various odd jobs for the past two years....its just been long, and stressful, never actually knowing when or even IF we'd get to the point where we stopped worrying about being kicked out at any given moment, and there were times that looking for housing or trying to deal with bureaucratic red tape was the equivalent of a full time job, in terms of hours required.
All of which is to say....be aware when assuming the worst of various donation posts & their posters, that except in the case of actual scammers, no matter what you may think of how a particular donation request was worded or described their situation, its almost always VASTLY more complicated than can be summed up in a couple of easy to read paragraphs that might actually get people to help. I promise you, if super obvious solutions seem evident to you, they've occurred to the people living with that situation 24/7, and there's a reason that they haven't tried that solution or maybe they even did & for whatever reason it didn't actually work out.
And that said, all of this is also to say just....thank you again for everyone who's helped us out over the years. I know it often seems unending or like we're never getting our acts together, lol, but trust me, it feels that way to us too, times a million, and like....we're working on it. Its just. Much easier said than done. For every hurdle cleared, there's usually another one waiting to pop up like a fucking whack-a-mole game from Hell. Since January 2022 we've been consistently working towards a longterm, stable housing situation and this is it, this is what we were working towards.....we've been fully approved for relocation to the other site for the next year & then returning to this one after construction/renovation, w/a lease agreement for the next five years.....and that's the dream, honestly.
Genuine stability, not having to worry about whether we'll have to move at any given moment, actual housing security....allowing us to FINALLY focus on building our lives back up, instead of constantly grinding just to keep a roof over our head & make sure nobody's about to kick us out....and having the room to breathe & for the first time in literal years (in my case, almost seven at this point) actually prioritize something OTHER than figuring out where we stand on paperwork, filing, tracking down various liaisons to bug them yet again about an accurate timeline for when we'd be notified of whether or not we'd been approved for this program or that one, when we'd actually be relocating, when we had to make x payment by to ensure we didn't lose our qualified status, etc.
And I, for one, definitely can not WAIT to give more of a shit about the absolute stupidest shit imaginable instead of like....warily checking the hall to see if new eviction notices popped up overnight. LMAO.
Anyway. Like I said, we finally have our agreement in writing, we know where we're relocating to, and as soon as that actually happens - which they keep insisting should be any day now, sigh - we'll finally be in a much better place. As part of the relocation program we landed in, our rent at the other site is covered during the year this site is under construction, so already just from that alone we'll be much better off financially.
Moukie's been sending around a donation post this month, and we'll probably keep it circulating up until the day the movers arrive and they finally pull the trigger on us leaving this site, because for the last three months they've been insisting that October 2nd was absolutely going to be our last day here, and we planned around that timetable....meaning that since October 2nd came and went with us still here, our only jobs at the moment are whatever freelance ones we can scrounge up, since the new place is far enough away a commute to & from a workplace around HERE wouldn't be viable, so I can't even go look for a new one to replace the last one until we're actually in the area we'll be spending next year in, lol. So in the meanwhile we've basically been surviving off donations since freelance work is painfully dry at the moment, and as it is, the company Moukie does editing work for still hasn't paid them for their last job yet, which was back in September, I believe? Its ridiculous, but it is what it is.
So yeah, we'll keep that post circulating a bit longer til we're out of here for good, basically just for food money until we're settled in the new place & can grab a new 9-5 and I would say something about that damn patreon I'm always claiming I'll make except I am a Proven Liar Not To Be Trusted On That Subject at this point, but hey, once we're in the new place, maybe that will finally change.
That's basically everything I set out to ramble about, I think, so....I'm done. Wait. Lemme check - yeah, no, that's it, I'm good. I've said it before but it'll never stop being true: we would not have survived if it weren't for the kindness of strangers & the help of mutuals & followers & we really are so much more appreciative of it than I can ever adequately express. I know that can come across as lip service, but genuinely, people here have done more for us and to help us and to see us succeed than our families ever did and we've been reduced to ugly-crying more than once as a result. Its gotten bad, guys. Like. When I go all out, it's not a pretty sight. I've got that pale Irish skin that gets all splotchy when I'm emotional, my nose gets all stopped up, I make scrunchy faces like a baby that KNOWS its not as pretty as its parents keep trying to pretend and is out to prove it....its a whole mess.
And on that note - and imagery - I'm officially done here. Thanks for reading!
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asskylosaurus · 9 months
Text
Every time twitter explodes I always think about how it's a fucking horrible platform for pretty much everything but advertising. It's especially horrible for artists and people who consume art. It has the absolute worst systems for everything relating to the sharing of art and artworks out of any site. . It has no usable gallery system, it ruins image quality, there's basically no way to share stuff like music or writing unless you're linking it on other websites so what's the fucking point? The only fucking upside is that everyone uses it so we're stuck with it because the only thing that matters anymore is traffic and yet for a huge chunk of artists (especially in the nsfw circles) that upside is nonexistant unless you're playing to the algorithm. It gets worse every year and the only fucking solution is for everyone to get out. Sunk cost can only go so far.
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dwindlinghaze · 3 months
Note
🪞diamond castle : give me a description of yourself and your preferred aesthetic and i will make a moodboard (you can also add any character if you will)
🩰 dancing princesses : send me a description of yourself (including your gender preference) and i will ship you with a character from the marauders era
I am 5'5, I have dark brown hair that is curly and a little longer than shoulder length. I have two purple colored strands of hair in the front of my head and my lower layer of hair is completely purple
I sadly have pale skin since I hate suntanning lmao
Brown doe eyes and a button nose
I am extroverted but also can be seen as sassy or even rude to some
Most of my friends thought I was intimidating, scary and cool before we became friends but now I'm either described as a 'sweetheart' or a 'lunatic' by my friends
I usually wear baggy jeans and some shirt with a cool design, a H&M sweater and converse, I don't have a specific style but one of my friends said I have a 'downtown girl' style so ig its that 🤷‍♀️
My favorite things to do is to listen to music and draw or read books
As much as I like to read, I am NOT a fan of studying and usually get lower grades but not drastically bad ones.
My music taste can vary as I do not stick with one genre but I usually listen to Lana Del Ray, Tv Girl and Metallica
My friends see me as an older sister most of the time
I have a very soft spot for children <3
I am a female and straight :)
Idk what else to add lmaooo
hii tysm for participating my 500 celebration !
here's the 🪞 !!
☾⋆。𖦹 °✩
🩰 : i ship you with james potter
╰┈➤ your style really fits with james potter in my head <3
╰┈➤ your hair is so cool!! james definitely loves to run his hair through your hair as he watches the purple strands peeked out from beneath his fingers. he definitely likes the feeling of your curls and textures.
╰┈➤ he never really minded about your pale skin. after all he's infatuated and you alone are breathtaking.
╰┈➤ 'a sweetheart' and 'lunatic' are definitely the traits he looks for in a partner. he needs someone with the energy and attitude that complemented his. you can be sweet to him when he craves for it but also be hysterical at the right time. a perfect balance of intimacy and excitement.
╰┈➤ on rainy days where there's nothing to do, you'd put on some music while you draw on your notebook. james will softly hum to the tune, spending time with each other in silence. james is a noisy and a never-shuts-up kinda guy but he needs time of tranquility too.
the sound of rain softly pattering on the curtained windows, the scratches of your pencil against your paper, and james' soft hums were the only sounds heard. on days like this you can fully relax with your partner by your side. his head was rested against your legs, a mop of shiny black hair brushing your skin. "you sleepy?" you said in a soft whisper when you heard his humming stopped. james mumbled a yes in response, dragging himself to a better sleeping position.
╰┈➤ though you enjoy reading books and receiving knowledge non academically, study dates are nonexistent in the relationship. you prefer creating memorable things in your year rather than stressing yourself with piles of educational materials. and james is literally the perfect person to chaperone with that.
╰┈➤ he'd take you downtown where all the lights are bright to listen to the music of the traffic in the city. having talks on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty. you both would stand on the side of a store just admiring the rhythm of a gentle bossa nova and the noise and hurry of people around.
╰┈➤ visiting music stores to get records that the both of you like !!
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It is going to be viciously cold out today and tomorrow, so I got groceries early today. The wind is already pretty stiff. Everyone at work is still depressed and shell-shocked after Wednesday's layoff; Slack traffic is almost nonexistent. I'm taking the kids to see Puss in Boots 2 (?) tomorrow, but otherwise I think it will be a quiet weekend at home.
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zerm1v0hg · 2 years
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The World of Ionos (19)
Since the story’s last three chapters have been rearranged into two chapters, we’ve got a couple blocky Mythos entries for the last two chapters, starting with this:
Terra Kitaneikuk – An isolationist and totalitarian terra, about which little is known. The terrain is apparently hilly, the sky near the terra is pink with minimal clouds and a slight white aurora, and the climate is likely to be temperate desert. Surgically-altered police riding broken Sky-Whales (which are often scarred, emaciated and even surgically altered themselves) patrol the skies. *-WON’T BE ENOUGH-* The current Kitanen regime on this terra is infamous for having violated sentient beings’ rights, with crimes including genocide, forced manual labour, enslavement (including sexual enslavement), and forced military drafting of children during two past wars. Fortunately, the empire was severely weakened by the Storm Hawks in war, and the terra is currently a severely-diminished threat to the free Ionos. Animal cruelty on this terra is also very bad on a systemic level, as no animal welfare laws exist on this terra. The technology is oriented towards surveillance and stunning. The terra is a chancellorship, with traditional architecture and strict rules governing all aspects of life.
Terra Xiaofezi – A hilly and arid terra with once-grand settlements falling into decay, and a hot climate which is frequently struck by lightning-storms and rarely struck by rain. *-BARELY WORTH EATING-* Once the heart of an old empire, Xiaofezi possessed a culture oriented around mass feasts and excessive eating: a way of life which drained agricultural resources to a point where even the home terra itself eventually suffered the consequences. Even after the terra’s ecological destruction, the traditionalist population continue to exacerbate the issue by refusing to change, and violence is common. *-BUT WILL EAT-* It has relatively old-fashioned technology including a limited terra forcefield, trained Cloud-Gorillas, A.I. crystalline servants and a home appliance A.I.. *-SO MUCH WILL BE LIKE IT SOON-*
The Flames of War – A specialised crystalline explosive that originated on a terra which was formerly under Kitanen control and eventually liberated. Once deployed, these crystals will explode with bursts of energy and coalesce into a single mass, which will then explode with even greater force. They’re technically called Mōsshayashōian, but Stork prefers the above nickname he gave them. *-NOT ENOUGH-*
Crystalic Bomb – A weapon of mutually assured destruction, which is nonexistent on Atmos, but was invented on Ionos decades ago to halt an advance by Terra Kitaneikuk. The free peoples of Ionos seriously considered using it again before the Kitanen Empire’s major downfall at the Autumn Cascade. At present, use of the Crystalic Bomb by any one of the free peoples of Ionos is considered an unforgivable crime against sentient life unless it’s put to a vote by the other free states and terras. The bomb itself is roughly car-sized. When the bomb explodes, it releases an explosive blast equivalent to fifty great fire-drakes’ firepower and leaves behind deadly radioactive fallout. *-BLINDING BURNING PAINFUL BUT WON’T KILL THE MOTHER-*
Kianjōng-Fatú – Semi-intelligent, semi-holographic guardians resembling gigantic manta rays. They patrol the borders of Safukaw, scanning inbound and outbound traffic for any illegal goods. They can manipulate most technology, and also form powerful storms and energy blasts to neutralise offenders or threats, but their crystalline power-sources aren’t exceptionally well-protected. *-ALL GONE NOW-*
Storm globes – Powerful devices resembling snow-globes which are sold as merchandise on Nazowanas. Each globe contains a compressed atmospheric storm inside it, and there are multiple varieties containing thunderstorms, hailstorms, blizzards, monsoons and typhoons. The device overall serves the function of being pretty to look at with the storm raging inside it, but storm globes can be highly dangerous, as the storm inside will be released and fully manifest if the globe is shattered or badly fractured.
Terra forcefields – Technology which casts a huge, protective, long-term forcefield dome around an entire terra, acting as a barrier against unwelcome air traffic and an emergency defensive wall. *-THEY WILL FALL-* The controllers of a terra’s protective forcefield can open and close small gateways in the dome to permit air traffic to pass through it. Forcefield technology has been utilised by Ionos’ natives for millennia, before reaching the point of being utilised by multiple old and/or advanced terras in contemporary times. *-CAN’T KEEP OUT FOREVER-*
Vacuum Space – A powerful machine which uses rare crystals found in the west of Ionos alongside rare technology. It’s often designed to look like a large platform or cylinder studded with crystals. When the machine is activated, it generates a field which sucks all oxygen out of the atmosphere within range. It’s possible to extend the field’s range, but doing so risks causing instability. *-NOT ENOUGH-*
Kitan-Eel – Large, flying creatures believed to be a cousin of dragons. They’re native to the skies surrounding Terra Kitaneikuk. The original wild population was seemingly wiped out by the Empire, who bred controlled livestock and subjected them to cybernetic brain surgery and further specialised enhancements, intended to make Kitan-Eels perfect mounts which designated pilots could force to steer like living vehicles. However, following the Autumn Cascade, re-introductions have occurred and Kitan-Eels are no longer extinct in the wild. *-THEY WILL DIE-* In their natural state, they resemble giant eels with six wings, two small legs, a vaguely tortoise-like face with fangs and yellow eyes, and scales that vary from turquoise to magenta. They’re fast, strong and ferocious in the air, but somewhat disadvantaged on land. *-NOT ENOUGH-*
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Meet the Romans, pt. 2
Watched the second episode of the Meet the Romans docuseries with Mary Beard. Today’s thrilling subjects: urban planning and toilets!
It reminds me more and more of a modern metropolis. Sure, the specific amenities might be different, but the “fast-paced” feel of life, the way everything is happening all the time, the way that you learn to ignore the thousands of strangers surrounding you at all times, the pubs and shopping malls and gross-ass public toilets...I’ve been to New York City a few times, and I suspect that visiting Rome in 100 CE would’ve felt similar.
There are some big big differences in everyday life, though...
Technology has changed. No cell phones, cars or subways means that you would be walking everywhere, a lot.
Staying at home back then was a luxury for the rich. Being alone was unheard of. Your basic amenities were almost entirely outside the home - baths, food, entertainment, grooming - and your apartment was little more than a place to sleep after dark. Even for the wealthy, bedrooms were little more than cubicles, and they spent their days in shared rooms with the rest of the family or going outside.
Outbreaks of fire and disease were much more common, and precautionary measures were near-nonexistent. The fire hazard was exacerbated by how narrow the roads were - the traffic jams must’ve been as bad as ours!
Life stopped after dark. New York City “never sleeps,” but in the days before electrical lighting, the dark alleys of Rome would’ve been extremely dangerous. And you couldn’t go to the police for help if you were mugged, and or the law courts unless you were rich - though in practice that’s still often true even today. But in any case, when the sun went down shit got real.
No zoning. Rich and poor and businesses and temples were all on top of each other. And since most people walked everywhere, you’d have work, food stalls, baths, bars, and more all close to home. You might call it an extremely mixed-use development.
Slavery and physical abuse were socially acceptable. I won’t go into the awful details right now, but those things have a big impact on people, socially and internally.
I think there may have been one inaccuracy, regarding the xylospongium. The episode (and the Wikipedia article) claim that a shared sponge was used to clean up after defecating. Now, I’m hardly an expert on Mary Beard’s level, so I could be wrong, but this video makes a pretty good argument that the Romans actually used water, and the sponge was for cleaning the toilet, just like a modern toilet brush.
I’m leaning toward the latter view on account of the fact that it’s actually attested in other cultures, and the Romans probably would have figured out pretty quickly that a sponge would get people sick. They knew about contagious disease and bathed religiously, after all.
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blue-eyed-bloodstains · 10 months
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What kind of movies are you drawn to? horror for sure, thriller and suspense, love a good comedy too...drama...pretty much anything but horror is my biggest one How often do you update your Facebook status? rarely actually make a status, I’m constantly just resharing shit like I do on here What would you like best about living in New York City? I don’t live there, never have so I wouldn’t know but I’ve visited a couple times and I can tell the traffic would drive me fucking out of my mind considering I love to drive just to clear my mind, let alone trying to get anywhere on time...the insane prices of even trying to live there are a big reason I don’t too. What’s the main reason why you use a laptop/pc? out of boredom, to distract, for music... What do you think the world needs more of? respect, common courtesy and decency, easier access to being able to live comfortably rather than paycheck to paycheck in debt scared you can’t pay the bills..
What type of pet would you like to have? I’ve owned pretty much everything you can get your hands on...but I wouldn’t mind owning a bunny.  How do you feel about mornings? hate em, I’ve never been a morning person and I’m usually up all night into morning anyway given insomnia/night owl so yeah What breakfast are you most likely to have? bacon. anything bacon. and when I have the chance, pork roll sandwich What type of day do you like more? to maybe for once not have any drama or fighting or loneliness or being violently sick? that’s way too much to ask though Your social life is: nonexistent What career field could you see yourself in? that’s hard cause it’s switched a few times over the years...still wanna get into some form of journalism for sure, maybe being a crime reporter since i live mostly on crime shows/docs... When you’re starting to feel sick, you: pray this round won’t land me dehydrated in the ER as usual.. Which city would you rather relax in? somewhere closer to access places I may need, with more people around I guess...somewhere where I have him with me and he’s not constantly gone leaving me alone with the cat... What would you enjoy most about being a vampire? how easy it would be to kill myself. just go outside during the day. What colors are you most drawn to? earth tones, darker colors What flavor ice cream would you prefer? banana split You rather have lunch at: depends on what I’m tasting Your oldest friend would describe you as: stubborn You are attracted to homes that are: not too big but just right, quaint, definitely would love a backyard or pool (especially both), with certain amenities like dishwasher/washer/dryer/mostly floorboards for easier maintenance... What deadly sin are you most likely to commit? sloth What section do you drift toward at bookstores? young adult novels Are you a thinker or a feeler? both to extremes  Would you rather go to a festival or a book reading? depends what type of festival, say wine tasting or one with a concert and alcohol Are you more into drama or comedy? comedy Do you prefer to lounge in a hot tub or swim in a pool? I like both but pool for sure so I don’t get too overheated Can you roll your tongue? yeah but I can’t do the shamrock/clover thing  You are more likely to stop wearing something because? it gets ruined? Have you ever smoked pot? yeah Do you speak a second language? no I wish How many books do you have out in the public areas of your house? a few What three words best describe you? insecure, neurotic, stubborn What two elements are you most comfortable with? air and earth I guess Your relationships tend to be: depends on who and what the relationship is...complicated for the most part Who makes a better burger, in your opinion? my dad makes a mean burger on the grill...as far as restaurants? there’s a few local places that make a killer burger compared to usual fast food places Where would you most like to spend Christmas vacation? somewhere warm, I hate the snow For you, snow means: cold hell What do you like best about the holidays? most of the time they suck and have for a long time so...I’d say the food You think your eyes convey: everything I hold in... Besides screaming for ice cream, what else do you scream for? alcohol. depression. usual screaming matches with mom. Favorite summer scent? the breeze at the ocean, grilling/barbecues, fresh mowed grass, the flowers, chlorine of a pool Do you listen to Billy Ray Cyrus? no Do you know how to shoot a shotgun? yeah Do you like fried chicken? hell yeah
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gluttonykinedits · 1 year
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hi, would it be possible to get a stimboard for joshua (the world ends with you)? would love for it to feature cities or urban fixtures (like traffic lights, or even crowds), mild body stims (like finger tapping), spraypainting, piano playing, and/or rhythm games. know this isnt in your sourcelist, but i wanted to ask. not a problem if not, thanks anyways!
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Perfectly fine with me, anon! I had to remove the body stims part of it so the themes flowed well, and the rhythm game stims were pretty much nonexistent so I went with… that kinda vibe instead? Anyway, it’s posted!
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The Hill -- Sneak Peek
Hello,
Been a while since we've had an intro sneak peek!
Huge thank you as always for everyone's love and support for this series! I love you, Crush fam!
------------------------
“This is ridiculous.”
Chucho bites the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing, his hand over his mouth just to be sure his fifteen-year-old son doesn’t see his grin. 
Not that he’s exactly enjoying this…
“Pop, this has got to be the only road with a hill in all of Laredo,” Javier continues to argue, his hands keeping a death grip on the wheel while his right foot presses so hard on the brake that Chucho’s surprised it hasn’t gone through the floor of the ancient truck. “This is stupid.”
“It’s not stupid,” Chucho says patiently, his hand falling to tap on the rolled down window as he looks back over his shoulder to check for nonexistent traffic. “It’s important to know how to take off on a hill. Now, when you’re ready, push the clutch in and shift into first.”
Javier remains frozen, glancing warily at the stick shift in the center like it’s a rattlesnake about to bite him. “It is stupid. Why would I ever be stopped like this? Why do I have to learn this?”
Now there is a good question. Why had Chucho chosen to inflict this punishment on himself instead of enjoying a peaceful Sunday at home? Why isn’t he reading the paper on the porch right now instead of trying to convince a stubborn teenager that he knows how to teach him to drive?
“It is important to know this, Javi. Try again.”
Chucho waits for the few more minutes it takes Javier to reach for the shifter, waits again to see if his son catches his mistake himself before he quietly reminds him, “Clutch first, mijo. Oh, and it needs to be running.”
“Goddamn it,” Javier mutters as he yanks his hand back, his eyes quickly going wide at his accidental slip while he slowly looks at his dad and waits to be scolded for his sin.
“You can curse all you want out here, Javi,” Chucho tells him, once again doing his best to keep the amusement out of his tone. “I won’t tell your mamá as long as you keep trying while you’re cussin’.”
Javier’s eyes narrow as if the offer sounds too good to be true, but his shoulders relax a bit before he faces front again, his focus on the incline ahead of him. He pushes the clutch in with his left foot and turns the key. 
The truck rumbles to life, the old engine still sounding pretty good despite its years, although Chucho wonders if that will still remain the case for the transmission by the time Javier is through learning how to drive.
“Okay,” Chucho says, purposefully relaxing his posture so that his son will hopefully do the same. “Now, shift into first.”
Javier does as directed, guiding the shift lever into the correct gear at the top left corner before he sets both hands back on the wheel.
“Good,” Chucho says, saying a quick wordless prayer over both of them before he continues, “Now, ease off the clutch while pressing down on the gas. Nice and steady.”
Chucho watches his son clench his jaw so tight that he’s positive they’re both going to need Tylenol by the time they get home, but Javier does eventually start to let his foot off the clutch while moving his other foot to the gas. Doing everything just as he was taught until the exact moment they both feel the truck start to roll backwards down the hill. Just as it has every other time.
Javier’s panic is instant even if expected, and he slams his foot back on the brake in response, the truck stalling out as he simultaneously yanks his foot off the clutch. The vehicle lurches back to a standstill as Javier lets loose a stream of profanity. “Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.”
Chucho sighs, frowning as he turns in his seat towards his son. “Javi – ”
“Why do I have to learn this? Practically everything around this damn place is flat.” Javier’s jaw tightens again, his face showing every bit how upset he is just as it’s done since he was little. 
Kid never has had a poker face.
“Mijo,” Chucho says gently, placing a hand on Javier’s shoulder when his son turns his face towards the window in an effort to hide his frustration. “I know it feels scary – ”
“I’m not scared,” Javier snaps, his head whipping back around to challenge his dad’s gaze. “This is just a waste of time.”
The retort is on Chucho’s tongue before he has a chance to fully stop it, his own irritation suddenly right there at the surface after being trapped in the car with a surly teen for the last hour. “Javier, I already told you. You need to do this because – ”
A different voice both like and unlike his own rises into his memory. Another argument and another father and son who weren’t seeing eye-to-eye only…
You’re doing it. End of discussion.
Chucho had hated him for it. For not giving him a choice. For making him leave home. How fitting that it’s all his son seems to want to do.
“Javi,” Chucho says, letting out a heavy sigh. “I want you to learn this because maybe someday you won’t be driving in a place where almost everything is flat.”
Some of the fight goes out of his son at his words, Javier’s eyes falling first to his lap and then out the window as if trying to picture such a thing at the same time that Chucho tries not to picture what it would be like to not have him around every day. Even on days like today when it would be tempting to leave him in the back pasture.
“It is a bit freaky. When it rolls backwards like that,” Javier admits, finally looking back at his dad. The uncertainty in his face once again making Chucho remember him so much smaller than he is now. 
“That’s why we’re practicing. And that’s why you have brakes,” Chucho reminds him with a reassuring smile that Javier begrudgingly returns. “I promise, mijo. It’ll get easier. You just have to keep trying.”
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keyofw · 1 year
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Day 2 of NaNoWriMo and I’m 6500 words in. Now for an excerpt:
PRIDE
Just about the only people still working in this last week were the radio DJs. Even then most of them just played recorded clips on endless repeat. These days music stations were already nearly completely automated, so no change there except no ads and no intrusive announcements about the songs you just heard. Paul mindlessly flipped through radio channels. Someone might still be out there broadcasting news of some kind. It was a long shot but he wanted something new to listen to.
“...and this comes to us from a Mrs. Flynn from Tukwila. Dear Mr. Carson, she writes, can you please send this message out to my son? Your father and I are proud of you, David. We love you and miss you and are sorry we… we are sorry we cannot see you. You have always been our little boy and we’ve loved seeing what you have made of your life. We only hope that in these last moments you have found someone to share them with. Just know that we are sad to have to go, but we have… we have no regrets. We raised you right. We lived a good life, and we hope you did too. Love, your mother and father.”
The voice on the radio spoke slowly and calmly, stopping only a few times to regain composure. Someone was still in the booth at this station. Paul turned up the volume.“Just a reminder, this is Doc Carson. I’m the only one left in the booth, and I’ll be broadcasting all day until - until the final moments. For those of us with nowhere else to go, I’ll be your companion for the next sixteen hours or so. My e-mail address is still live and I will be reading your messages live on the air. Anything you want to say to anyone, I’m here for you.
“And now for a bit of news, what little there is left. From what we hear through the grapevine, there is still little to no traffic whatsoever. For the last week businesses have closed up shop and all other venues shut their doors. We’ve all stored up for ourselves what we need to make it through to the end. But if you have any last-minute emergencies, or you are still trying to see everyone on your visitation list before you go, the roads are open and free. All utilities workers have kept lines open and power on, but please don’t get careless. No one will be able to fix power lines. If you need food, water, clothing, or anything else, all shops in the greater Seattle metro area have been left unlocked and everything is for the taking. Looting is surprisingly nonexistent. People are taking only what they need for the last day. To be frank, even if the shops were locked, you could probably break a window and get in. Who’s going to come stop you anyway? But according to the messages I’m getting, it’s not happening. We’re seeing instead a mass movement of giving and charity. People are getting fed and clothed. The homeless population is taking up residence in Bed, Bath & Beyond. If you ask me, this is sort of how the world was supposed to work the whole time. Too bad we didn’t figure that out until the last few months. So, whoever is listening - whatever alien race picks up on these radio broadcasts, or whatever kind of god is out there - we’re sorry. We blew it.
“This next message, a bit of a long one, from a John Sykes in Magnolia: I was born in 1952 in Preston. When I was six, my father died of lung cancer. My mother had to take care of her five children all by herself. When I was eleven, I learned that the president had been shot. My oldest brother Tommy had been deployed to Vietnam. He never returned. In my first year of college, my mother took her own life. There has never been a time when death was not a basic fact of life. I knew that one day it would come for me, too. I got to live a pretty damn good and long time before the end. Not many make it to seventy-five, even without a goddamn meteor in the sky. Neither of my parents did. Tommy didn’t. The rest of my brothers and my sister all lived good, long lives, but they have since passed. I’m the last one left. It strikes me now how little difference there is between my own seventy-five years and my brother’s twenty-five. My children and my grandchildren may all feel cheated to know they’ll never get to see their golden years, as if life owed us a living.
“What are the golden years, anyway? Why do we work ourselves so hard, ignoring all the good things around us, hoping that someday we’ll be rewarded with riches when we’re too old and stupid to enjoy it? As far as I’m concerned, they’re all the golden years. Tommy was a bright and cheerful kid, despite everything in our family. He would draw little comic strips for me and my sister, superhero stories he’d make up. He also taught us dirty jokes that our parents didn’t approve of. When my father died Tommy was there to comfort us. We all thought of him as a hero when he went off to war. And when they brought his body back, we cried because we thought of it as such a huge waste. A whole life lost to a pointless war. But I refuse to see it as a waste, not Tommy, not my parents, not anyone, as if Tommy’s life only mattered if he got to get old and gray and lose his hair and teeth and forget his kids’ names or something. Maybe the things he did don’t matter to the world today. He mattered to me. Me, and no one else. That’s enough for me.
“The end is coming and it’s taught me that everyone has spent far too long trying to matter, trying to do something that will last for eternity. But if something is going to matter, it’s going to matter now. Tommy’s twenty-five years were some of the most precious years on this earth. We’re really nothing, all of us. If it wasn’t a comet or meteor or whatever, it would be something else - disease, murder, an act of God. One moment we’re up and talking and laughing and the next we’re gone, and the only thing that really matters is the things we do while we still have breath. Life isn’t a waste if you never achieved what you thought you were supposed to. Let it go. Just, let it all go. You don’t have a choice anyone. Anyway, that’s enough rambling from me. I should let you all know that I love you - each and every one of you. To my kids and grandkids, who wouldn’t know what a radio is if it hit them in the goddamn face - I cherish you and don’t regret a single day. I’m glad you existed, for whatever brief time that was. Maybe they’re right that the end is not the end, but even if the only thing waiting for us is a dirt nap, it will have been worth it. Goodbye to you all.
“Thank you, John. I love you, too. And now a message from someone just named Triss - a short one this time: to Mom, sorry about what I said. I love you. To Dad, thanks for everything. To the world, I love Vanessa. She means the world to me and made this whole life worth living.
“Once again, this is Doc Carson, from the Doc Carson show. From now until the end, I’ll be here, reading your messages to the world on KTST, and reminding you that you’re not alone even when - ”
Paul turned off the radio. He knew the messages should make him feel at peace but for some reason they just made him uneasy. It was silly to think it, but Paul had this gut feeling as if the messages were written specifically for him. Of course that wasn’t true, but he had a lot on his mind right now. Besides, he was almost there.
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nctscenarios · 2 years
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Chapter 3 ✦ Are you flirting?✦
authors note
I'm recovering from covid :)))) and my mental health has been nonexistent but writting this late at night has been helping so I'm really going to try to keep my promise and write a chapter everyday babes, thank you for the love <3 :')
PLS TELL ME IF YOU WANT TO BE TAGGED IN FUTURE CHAPTERS <3
TAGS: nctxreader fanfic ; jaehyunxoc; idolverse; smnewgg; fluff; angst; friends to lovers to enemies;
1st Chapter 2nd Chapter
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13th Feb. 2020
SM Building (Training Rooms)
Y/N still couldn't wrap her mind over the fact that she was a trainee under the biggest entertainment company in South Korea and from that day she would be working to make her dream come true, she'd spent the last two days adjusting to the changes in her life. After her meeting with the chairman, she was introduced to a group of other trainees around her age and whom she would be training with. The looks on their faces when they were told that a european trainee was going to join the team? A mix of expressions, but nasty looks mostly. People whispered and ignored Y/N's presence for most of the time. She knew she couldn't take it personally, after all, she was there to achieve her dream and not to make friends.
It was lunch break, and it had been three days since she had started her training period officially. Sitting in the big cafeteria in one of the tables closest to the big windows, she ate her salad and soup alone, while listening to some music in her earpods and watching the little cars on the traffic, in the street several feet below. When she first got to SM she was shocked by the size of the company, it was the biggest building inside and out that she had ever been to. The whole place looked like it had been taken out of a sci-fi futuristic movie. Her mind tended to enter in auto pilot mode during lunch hour because of the jet lag that she was still suffering from and from all the tiredness. When she looked down at her plate and saw that she was almost finished with her food she decided that for the remaining half hour she'd try to have a nap in the practicing room.
With heavy and slow steps she made her way out of the cafeteria, hearing some chuckles and whispers from the table by the door where some girls she trained with sat, having their lunch.
" She's not even that pretty, she's not lasting long." she heard.
Rolling her eyes, Y/N pretended not to hear and turned up the volume of the music she was playing. Comments like this still hurt and affected her a little, even if she told herself they didn't. But they also made something spark in her, suddenly all of the jet lag and fatigue were replaced with will to work. So when she finally arrived to the practice room and noticed it was empty, she connected the speakers to her phone.
"This should work..." when a beep announced that the device was connected indeed, Y/N played her music loud, a song that made her feel excited and happy. Not paying a lot of attention to her surroundings she danced and rapped to Kanye Wests " Touch the Sky", the music bouncing from the speakers and filling the room.
This feeling of pure happiness was what made her go after her dream, and when she performed she knew she did it better than anybody else, because she felt it with her whole soul and body.
When the music reached the end, a few claps were heard making her startled and turn around clumsily, tripping on her feet and almost falling. A girl with brown hair and a pretty face leaned at the door and smiled at her.
Y/N bowed and muttered a shy "Hi", the girl started to walk towards her and offered her hand.
" You seemed like you were having a good time. Its nice to see that. I can't remember the last time I had that much fun during practice." Y/N gave her a awkward handshake. " I'm Hina, you must be the famous new trainee I've been hearing about."
Y/N scratched her neck and tried to avoid eye contact still embaressed from the little show she had put on earlier when she thought she was alone.
" I guess I am... but. Yeah, I think I am. I guess."
Hina gave her a small bump in the shoulder and laughed.
" Don't be shy, we look like we're the same age. How old are you?"
" I just turned 20 a few days ago. And you?"
" I turn 20 in a few months, I guess you're the unnie then." Hina gave her a small smile.
The two remained silent for some time, Hina scattered around the place looking like she had lost something, and Y/N tried to think of something to talk about and end the awkward silence between her and her knew acquaintance.
" I.. I've never seen you here before. Have you been missing practice?"
Hina was curved looking under one of the couches and let out a victorious "AH" after Y/N stopped talking. In her right hand she was holding a pink credit looking card that she got from under the couch.
" Oh yeah, I have. I've been skipping it for a few days." she said sitting in a comfortable positions on the floor. Y/N remained silent looking at Hina, waiting for more information. Hina understood and followed " Actually, I only came here for this" she was holding the card making it dangle a little. " I'm packing my shit and leaving but I realised I was missing my trainee card and, this is..." she gulped and stood up " was the only place I spend enough time in to loose something. And here it was."
Y/N's mouth formed a small O and she looked like she was at a loss for words. She had a lot of questions but it hadn't been 10 minutes since she had met Hina and she didn't want to seem nosey.
" Leaving as in..." she finally asked.
" The company."
Y/N's eyes grew to double their size and Hina laughed at her reaction, making the new girl embarassed and regret her expression.
" I'm sorry, I'm sure you have your reasons. I'm sorry that you're leaving though..." Hina shrugged her shoulders and looked around the practice room with an expression in her face that Y/N couldn't really debunk. It was a mix of disgust and sadness.
" Life's unfair like that. We all reach our limit and some dreams are meant to be only that, dreams." the tone in Hina's tone made Y/N shiver and feel sorry for the girl she had met.
" I'm sorry..." Y/N said again, almost in a small whisper.
Hina put an arm around her shoulders and pulled the foreign girl close to her and gave her a light squeeze.
" Why are you apologizing? You're not the one who stole my place in the new girl group line up girl."
"HUN?"
" You heard me right, they did that."
Y/N stood speechless in Hina's embrace with her mouth open.
" No.. wait, you need to spill the tea. Who did that? Omg are they allowed to do that?"
As soon has Hina was about to spill the beans to Y/N her phone rang, it was Herin telling her that all of the girls were downstairs waiting for her, so that they could go home and start to get ready for Jaehyuns birthday party. Looking at Y/N with a naughty smile in her face, Hina hung up the call and started walking, taking Y/N along with her.
" If your managed calls asking why you're skipping practice tell him you got your period. They hate hearing about it and never ask questions. Do you have any cute outfits?"
Y/N and Hina rushed down the halls of the company, reaching one of the elevators.
" Outfits.. I.. I don't know? What's the ocasion? Is this ok? Am I getting in trouble?" Y/N rambled looking around paranoid and scared of being seen skipping practice.
" A surprise party. But don't worry, you and Herin have the same height and weight I'm sure she has something that fits, LETS GO!" Hina rushed inside the elevator with Y/N and they pressed the floor and the button repeatedly to close the doors .
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When Hina and Y/N got inside Koeuns car, sitting in the back next to Lami the girls turned to Y/N with a curious look and introduced themselves. Thankfully all of them spoke english, which made her loosen up during the car ride, and she began to tell her story and how she had just joined the company a few days ago. She told them about her meeting with the chairman and how she and Hina had met earlier at the practice room. Herin had a cute english accent and she was very energetic, soon enough Y/N learned all about the SMRookie girls and how they had also been trainees at some point. Hearing about their story made her worry about her own future. Hina's story especially made her heart break, but Herins funny comments brightened the mood in a matter of seconds.
" Can you imagine that? Having an avatar of yourself have more screen time than you? tHEY HAVE LOST IT, I'M TELLING YOU, the old man has LOST his last marble" she would ramble with a strong british accent while she scrolled down instagram.
" Whats the dress code?" Lami asked from the back seat. " I'm stealing from your closet Herin, you better have options."
" Ah that's right, Y/N needs something too, I kind of... kidnapped her. And she can't meet her future sunbabes in practice attire." she giggled.
" Sunbabes...?" Y/N questioned looking at the road ahead.
" It's a joke luv, sunbae, babes, sunbabes." Herin said while she Koeun started to park the car in a small alleyway.
" Who's birthday party are we going to exactly? Hina hasn't told me".
Koeun turned to the girls in the backseat and looked at Y/N properly for the first time since she had entered the car. Y/N gulped and smiled looking at the older girl, all of the girls were really pretty but Koeun fit the korean beauty standard, her brown hair was wavy and her bangs framed her small face in a pretty way, her eyes were big and her smiled would melt anyone's heart in a matter of seconds.
" Jeong Jaehyun's". Koeun said unlocking her belt and opening the drivers seat door, getting out of the car.
Y/N's body froze in place. Did she hear correctly?
" F...fr..from...NCT?" she stuttered while Hina and Lami got out of the car following Koeun and helping her take some bags full of make up, clothes and shoes from the trunk.
" Do you know any other Jeong Jaehyun darling?" Herin said with a sly smile in her face, following the girls and running to the door of her apartment. Hina grabbed Y/N's arm and pulled her out of the car, closing the door with a small bang.
" Don't worry, the boys are just that, boys. They might seem cool on the internet but they're the biggest group of losers we've ever met." Hina told Y/N while giving her a wink.
The five of them spent the following hours getting ready and filling Y/N in on all the tea and details about their relationship with NCT and other groups of SM.
" Yeri is an honorary member of our squad btw, she's the only one that reached stardom, and we're very proud of her. We hang out with her a lot so she'll probably be there tonight as well." Koeun shared.
" Oh god Yeri..." Y/N whispered while Koeun straightened her hair.
" Lets place a bet ladies." Herin said coming out of the bathroom, now with a full face of makeup and a cute green dress.
"WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME?" Lami screamed from the bedroom.
" WORRY ABOUT WINNING FIRST!" Herin answered. " Now, the dilemma of the night is " Who do you think is going to be the first one to flirt with Y/N?"
Y/N's eyes widened " What?"
" That's SO obvious Herin, the nations slut, Nakamoto Yuta" Hina said while she made tried on some shoes.
"YOUDIDNOT!" Lami screamed coming out of the bedroom and laughing.
" Lami, I don't know if I approve of that outfit. Turn around"
" I say, Jungwoo." Herin said while she texted someone.
" Koeun stop it, I'm not twelve anymore..."
" You're sixteen, meaning, you shouldn't even be going."
" I know you and Johnny are going to be on my ass the whole night so, don't worry."
" As we should! Now, turn around, I think that's too short, isnt it too short Y/N?"
Y/N looked at Lami's annoyed expression and then at Koeun, she didn't want to be caught in the cross fire between the oldest and youngest but here she was, not knowing who to side with.
" Oh, Koko stop, she looks fine! Plus, it's shorts, not a skirt. If she puts on some stockings will it make you less worried?" Herin said hugging Lami from behind and then whispering in her ear " Come on, I have some with these big sparkles on you'll love them."
The two girls left to the bedroom and showed up a few minutes after.
" Better, a lot better" Koeun said picking her clothes up and going to the bathroom " Sorry I'm cranky... college has been killing me." she finally said with a guilty and apologetic look. " Btw... I bet, Hendery."
" Haechan for sure, the C in Chan stands for CREEP." Lami said looking around for a plug to charge her phone.
The girls let out a laugh and when the clock hit 9pm, they were all out of the door, on their way to the place the boys had rented for the surprise party.
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Johnny was pretty sure that if he wasn't a singer he's career would be something related to event planning. He had planned this birthday party in detail, and until now everything was going according to the plan. At exactly 9:30pm the guests started to arrive to the art gallery the boys had rented. It had two floors, on the bottom one, the atmosphere was cozy, the walls were black and two big video projections that filled the wall completly played on repeat, they were an artsy montage of videos and pictures of the birthday boy. A disco ball projected cool light beams in the room and upbeat music was being played by the DJ on the top floor. There were some tables with drinks and food, along with a big cake filled with candles.
"Hey guys welcome, welcome, thank you for coming, make yourselves at home." Johnny greeted the guest at the front door while they came in.
He noticed a familiar face coming throught the door and opened his arms embracing her in a warm hug.
" How's my daughter? You look dazzling I don't think I can let you in, you're going to steal the show"
" I know, deal with it." Lami said pushing him aside and waving to someone inside, running in their direction leaving the girls behind.
" I think she's going through puberty..." Koeun said with a small pout taking off her jacket and locking eyes with Johnny.
" Who's your friend?" Johnny asked pointing to a shy Y/N that grabbed Hina close by the arm. " I don't think we've met. Hi I'm Johnny." he offered his hand and Y/N shaked it while bowing slightly, all of this new and unexpected interactions were making her forget how to properly act.
" Are you flirting?" Herin said throwing her jacket at Johnny.
" Hello to you too Lady Diana. How was Buckingham?" he asked in a mocking manner and showing her the tip of his tongue.
" Cuz if you are, I owe Yeri five bucks..."
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The hardest part of organazing the surprise party was making Jaehyun not suspect anything. Taeyeong was very surprised to see his friend completly oblivious to what was about to happen in a few minutes, but he also noticed Jaehyuns mood seemed to be down. They walked on their way to a " fun game café " that Taeyong had suggested, the night was cold and the heavy grey clouds on the sky warned it would be pouring any moment now.
Taeyong glanced to Jaehyun a few times before asking in a hesitant tone:
"Are you ok? You seem a little...out of it."
Looking ahead with his hands in his pockets and with a beanie covering his ears and forehead, Jaehyun sighed, releasing a small cloud of smoke while doing so.
" Sorry, I have a lot on my mind, that's all. Thank you for getting me out of the house, I needed it."
Taeyong pursed his lips and hummed. He started kicking a small rock, making it roll forward down the street.
" Is it... because of, we know who?"
Jaehyun faked a cough and sniffed his nose.
" We should hurry, it looks like it will rain soon."
Taeyong knew better than that and he never tried to touch the subject of why Jaehyun was such in a bad mood, he hoped the birthday surprise would help his friend forget about his recent heartbreak, and rise his spirit. The both of them hurried their pace and just when they were about two doors away from the gallery's door Taeyong pretended to trip and blamed it on his untied shoelace.
He got down on his knee and smirked, seeing Yuta and Mark approach Jaehyun from the back trying their best to not crack up laughing.
"Do you need help with that?" Jaehyun asked looking down at Taeyong with a slight tone of annoyance in his voice.
Taeyong rose his head and saw Yuta hug Jaehyun locking him in his embrace while Mark put Jaehyuns beanie down and covering his eyes, in a very clumsy way while laughing like a maniac. The three boys began to drag Jaehyun who cursed and swore they would regret doing whatever they were planning on doing to him.
Yuta lifted the boy while Mark and Taeyong opened the gallery door and hurried inside. Jaehyun felt Yuta release him and he felt a mix of smells coming through his nose. A mix of perfume and eletronic cigarette fumes, along with food. He extended his arms and started to try to figure out his surroundings.
" I'm going to kill you when I find you three!!!"
With a swift motion, a hand pulled his beanie out of his head, and a big crowd in front of him screamed Happy Birthdays and a shower of conffeti fell on him, music started playing and a sea of guys began to run towards him screaming, his bandmates and some other friends.
"DUDE, CONGRATS. Are you surprised or what?" Mark asked with a wide smile in his face.
Jaehyun looked around wide eyed, greeting the guys in front of him with hugs and hand shakes.
"When did you guys prepare this? Thank you..."
Johnny came holding two champagne cups and gave one to the birthday boy and patted him in the back.
" No need to thank, I know I'm the best."
" John D, you're the man, this is crazy. I owe you one..." Jaehyun clinked his cup with Johnny's and the both of them took a big sip before Johnny grabbed him and started giving a tour of the place, going around and greeting the other guests. He showed him his cake, and where the open bar, the DJ and lounge area were. They stopped for a while watching the projections on the walls, curated by Johnny obviously, and Jaehyun couldn't help but hide his face in his hands from embarassment.
" Man this is too much..."
" Anything for you my king"
" Ew"
"It's not everyday that you turn 23! You need to enjoy life and celebrate it while you can man." Jaehyun gave him a side smile and a took another sip from his drink. " Speaking of little things."
Lami appeared in front of the two boys, hugging Jaehyun while screaming wishing him a happy birthday. Jaehyun patted her back and ruffled her hair, thanking her with a surprised face.
" What are you doing here Lami?"
" Partying of course."
Johnny took her cup from her hands and smelled the content inside, frowning and crossing his arms in front of his face while Lami made a face 😬 .
" Go before I tell Koeun, I have my eyes on you."
" Koeun's here?" Jaehyun whispered turning his head to Johnny.
" Yes sir" Lami left while making a salute to Johnny and bitting her smile.
"Koeun's here?" he repeated and this time Johnny signaled with his head to a corner of the room, where Jaehyun saw Koeun, Hina, Herin and Jaemin sitting in a couple of bean bags. " Nooo..."
" Dude it's chill, Taeyong knows." Johnny told him starting to walk toward the group " They're good, no bad blood between the two so no need to worry."
" Isn't it awkward for them tho? I mean, I wouldn't really love the idea of being in the same place as an ex of mine." he walked beside Johhny.
The taller boy shrugged his shoulders and finished his drink, putting it on top of a table and taking another two filled cups.
" Not my business. Now, lets change subject..." he whispered the last part, faking instantly a small and greeting the group in front of him and Jaehyun. The girls waved and wished the birthday boy a sweet birthday and proposed a toast, wishing him a great year.
" We didn't have a lot of time to get you a gift tho... sorry Jae." Koeun said with a small smile. Jaehyun waved his hands and head, telling them they didn't need to gift him anything.
The atmosphere in the gallery was now more chill, smooth jazz covers playing, people were a bit tipsy and tired, so most of them sat in the launge area chatting or playing some drinking games.
Johnny and Koeun had gotten some snacks for the group to nibble on so that they wouldn't fill their stomachs with booze only.
Jaehyun smiled when he noticed one of his favourite songs being played:" Can't take my eyes off of you". He drank a shot with Herin and let Johnny feed him a weird looking spring roll.
Making some small talk about how everyone had been and what they were doing, the six of them spent some time chatting, eating and drinking. By the corner of her eye, Herin spotted something, and banging her hand in the table in front of them, making the cups shake and almost spill, she started laughing and pointing.
She turned to Hina and got very close to her face, talking to her in a mocking way.
" I told you, I told YOU guys. I win the bet! GIMME MY 20 BUCKS!!!"
Turning their heads in the direction that Herin was pointing the girls scoffed and began to search for their wallets.
" What? What's happening?" Jaemin spoke, seating beside Hina and searching in the crowd for what could be the event that made Herin so fired up.
" We made a bet. Which one of you suckers would hit on the new girl first." Hina told him with a pout. " I can't believe Yuta failed me like this." she held Herins hand open and slammed a bill of 5 in it. Herin stretched the bill in front of her eyes and giggled.
" Let this be a lesson, for you all to stop underestimating Jungwoo. He's a master flirt."
Bitting on his tongue and squinting his eyes Jaehyun searched for Jungwoo and the girl that was being talked about. He had known Hina, Lami, Herin and Koeun for years. It was always the four of them, so who could it be that they were talking about?
" He may be a master flirt but Y/N looks like she wants to punch him in the face." Hina remarqued.
In sync, Y/N turned her face to look at her friends, with a annoyed expression ,and Jaehyun's eyes landed on her. The both of them locked eyes, tensing up in place. Y/N felt her mouth go dry, and the voice of the boy that rambled in front of her started to fade. Jaehyun bit his lips and clenched his drink in his hand, wanting to turn away and break eye contact. But how could he? When his heart was starting to skip a beat, to the sight of the most beautiful girl he had seen in his life, with the most annoyed face in the room.
"Y/N is it?" he asked getting up and downing his drink, giving Johnny his cup and leaving, walking towards Jungwoo and the girl that caught his eye.
" What is he doing?" Hina whispered, shaking Jaemins arm that had the most stupid smile plastered in his face.
" Oh shiii hi hi hit." Jaemin giggled hiding his face behind his hands.
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this is huge but I regret nothing 😎
taglist: @queenrachelpink
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zsocca55 · 3 years
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Hello there, I’m back and I’m ready to share my experiences about my vacation in Italy! ❤️🇮🇹❤️ Yeah, the destination was a last minute change at the start of summer but me and my siblings were overjoyed because our family as a whole has never been abroad together. (Save for visiting Austria but that’s entirely different.)
Shit happened just right before we went on our journey but that didn’t stop us from enjoying our vacation! We drove through Austria and then arrived in Italy after an 8 hours long trip during the night.
Let me say this, Italy is such a beautiful country! It has a very different aesthetic compared to its neighbours, and we already noticed the change once we crossed the border. The architecture and the colorful buildings were our favorite. The small villages and the beachside towns are so lively and full of life.
We surprisedly noted that the oleander flower grows in trees in Italy while it almost instantly dies in Hungary if you miss to water it once. My little sister likes flowers very much and she was so happy to see all kinds of weird flowers blooming all around which are kinda alien to us.
But seriously, Italy is so colorful. I love that. Plus it’s very crowded in a very fashionable way that I can’t really describe. We just got the vibe that people crowd their stuff together very tightly in the shops, in the gardens, in the streets, in the town even but it all looks fine and nothing seems out of place. It was a very weird experience compared to Austria, where everything is very orderly and chaos is almost nonexistent.
And Italians…!!! ❤️❤️ They are so friendly! Even if there is a language barrier (only I speak fluent English in my family, my younger brother speaks some German and my dad only speaks Hungarian XD) they still find a way to convey what they are trying to say. I guess body-language is an important part of that. They really do use their hands to communicate everything. And it works! My little sister really enjoyed watching Italians converse, as she loves the language dearly and has been learning it for some time on her own now.
Italians are also very fashionable. They make everything look very inviting and desirable. Seriously, everything looks good in Italy. (Give me your natural aesthetic sense folks!)
And they are pretty chill about everything. I mean, traffic is a chaos but nobody is shouting/cursing so I guess they are used to it. We had funny encounters during our trips in town.
What I also noticed is that Italians are first and foremost expecting Germans to come and have a vacation there. (And oh boi, 80% of the tourists were either German or Austrian.) I mean, the main foreign language Italians spoke there was German. And they speak it very well. But we barely found anyone who spoke English well or at all! It was an issue mostly for me though, because I prefer English above German due to the fact that I haven’t been using my German in ages and so it’s very rusty. I understand when someone speaks in German to me but it takes minutes until I put a sentence together and answer so yeah, English for the win. But it didn’t help me when the shop sellers didn’t speak English at all. T-T
So we communicated in a weird mix of German-English-Italian-Hungarian. It was one of the funniest experiences of my life. (Some sellers knew Hungarian words too!) And yeah, I tried to learn some Italian while I was there too.
I also loved the carefree atmoshpere. Nobody was running anywhere. People are so chill with time that it felt comforting. I need to learn how to keep my cool like that and not fret about not being sharp on time everywhere. (Because I have the bad habit of going to places almost an hour before I supposed to so just I never be late. It’s kind of annoying.)
And the beach was great, if not a little crowded. (There were so many people! I get nervous sometimes.) Also this was my first time seeing a sea and swimming in salty water.
All in all, me and my family had a great time and we enjoyed our vacation immensely. As if we were teleported away from problems and stress altogether.
We were quite sad to leave. Staying another week would have been so good….Anyway, I love you even more Italian folks, you have such a nice country! 💕
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Last Night Beca (3/4)
pairing: bechloe
rating: t
summary:
UNKNOWN @ BECA:// I hope you liked the pictures :) xx UNKNOWN @ BECA:// This is Chloe, btw <3
At just two texts, Beca almost threw her phone across the room. For four days she had been waiting for this moment. The moment where she was finally able to talk to the beautiful stranger who was basically haunting her dreams. Now that it was here, she had no idea what to say.
What do you say to someone who gave you the best night of your life, even though you don’t remember it?
BECA @ CHLOE:// dude, really? you had my number this whole fucking time?
Read chapter 2 here!
Read chapter 4 here!
Read on AO3!
UNKNOWN @ BECA:// I hope you liked the pictures :) xx
UNKNOWN @ BECA:// This is Chloe, btw <3
At just two texts, Beca almost threw her phone across the room. For four days she had been waiting for this moment. The moment where she was finally able to talk to the beautiful stranger who was basically haunting her dreams. Now that it was here, she had no idea what to say.
What do you say to someone who gave you the best night of your life, even though you don’t remember it?
BECA @ CHLOE:// dude, really? you had my number this whole fucking time?
Oh, that’s right. You be a jackass to them.
BECA @ CHLOE:// yikes
BECA @ CHLOE:// that was awful, I didn’t mean it like that
Beca felt like her fingers were possessed. She couldn’t stop typing.
BECA @ CHLOE:// you’re just really pretty and my memories of friday are close to nonexistent and I’m really upset I can’t remember most of it
BECA @ CHLOE:// kind of mean of you to make me wait so long
BECA @ CHLOE:// you owe me
Luckily, Chloe texted her back to put her out of her misery before she said something truly embarrassing.
CHLOE @ BECA:// Aww, for what it’s worth, I am sorry!! But if you remembered Friday you’d remember I told you that patience is a virtue ;)
CHLOE @ BECA:// How about you meet me at the bar in an hour for a drink to make up for it xx
BECA @ CHLOE:// …fine. you’re still mean though
CHLOE @ BECA:// I can live with that <3 <3 <3
- - - - -
Beca was having a heart attack.
Well, maybe that was dramatic. At least she felt like she was.
After Chloe’s last text, Beca had become a whirling dervish of nervous energy. In an amazing display of grace and elegance, she tripped and almost crashed into the wall when she got up to go find something to wear, much to Stacie’s amusement.
Now, she was standing outside of the bar under the neon sign with Chloe’s dress draped over her arm. Taking a deep breath, she mustered any confidence she could locate and made her way in, hearing the jingle of a bell over the door announcing her arrival.
It was a small bar with a cozy atmosphere. Movie posters, old traffic signs, and pictures covered the walls, and there was a vintage jukebox in the corner. Besides a couple of older men at the end of the bar furthest from the door, Beca was the only person there. It was a Tuesday, after all.
She made her way to the bar to hopefully get a drink to calm her nerves when a man walked through the door behind the bar and waved at her.
“Beca Mitchell, as I live and breathe!”
Beca recognized him from the photos that were currently in her jacket pocket. It was the boy who had been working behind the bar in the picture with who she assumed was Chloe’s friend.
“How are you feeling?” he asked with a smirk. “I am still surprised that you were able to walk out of here without falling on your ass, although it was a close one.”
Beca shook her head as she sat down on one of the barstools. “I think part of me died that night. You need to refresh my memory, though. Who are you exactly?”
“Oh, wow. I didn’t know it was that bad. I’m Jesse, I own this place.” He paused to take her drink order (anything but tequila). “I’m also Aubrey and Chloe’s friend if any of that rings a bell.”
“Yeah, that sounds a little more familiar to-”
The bell over the door jingled again, cutting off her sentence. Beca tried to prepare herself, knowing what was coming next. Even with her rushed preparation, she almost fell off of her stool when she swiveled and looked towards the door.
It was like everything else disappeared when Beca saw Chloe. She was wearing a simple outfit, jean shorts and sneakers with Beca’s sweatshirt she loaned her and her long red hair in loose curls floating past her shoulders, but she took Beca’s breath away all the same.
Holy shit.
“Holy shit.”
Oops .
“I’m glad I can have that effect on you twice,” Chloe said laughing as she made her way over to Beca’s side. At the confused look she got in return, she continued. “That was the first thing you said to me the other night.”
Beca felt her face begin to heat up and placed her hands over it to try to hide her blush. “That… is incredibly embarrassing.”
“I think it’s incredibly cute ,” Beca heard as she felt a hand wrap around her wrist and gently tug it away from her face. Chloe now had a drink in her hand that Jesse must’ve had ready for her and was smiling down at her from her standing position. “Now come sit in a booth with me and I’ll tell you all about your wild night out.”
Beca grabbed her drink that had been placed down next to her and followed Chloe to one of the few booths that resided against the right wall of the room, laying the teal dress over the back of the seat. As she sat opposite the redhead, Beca felt her watching her and looked up to see the smile she had dreamt so much about aimed right at her. She couldn’t help but return it.
“I have to know: how much do you remember from Friday?”
With a sheepish smile, Beca replied the unfortunate, “Not much. I remember leaving my apartment, coming here, and being with you. That’s pretty much the extent of it.”
“So you don’t remember the mindblowing sex?” Chloe asked in a low voice after leaning across the table towards Beca.
Beca felt her jaw drop and stared wide-eyed at Chloe’s blank expression until she noticed the corners of the girl’s mouth begin to break into a smile. When Chloe began to giggle ( god, it was the cutest thing Beca has ever heard), she rolled her eyes. “You are literally the worst.”
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself,” Chloe said, still giggling, as she reached out and squeezed Beca’s hand in apology.
With that tiny touch, Beca felt like her hand was being electrocuted.
“Before we start your storytime, is there any chance you’ll leave out the extremely embarrassing parts? Spare my dignity at least a little bit? Because based on the pictures, I was a hot mess.”
“It depends,” Chloe began with a small smirk that almost knocked Beca out of the booth and onto her ass, “Do you consider begging me to kiss you on and off for a couple of hours embarrassing?”
Beca grimaced at those words as she remembered the live stream that killed any chance she had at seeming cool to anyone, ever. “Yes. That is definitely listed under the category of extremely embarrassing.”
“Unfortunately for you, those are my favorite parts and are staying in the story,” Chloe said with a wink. “You’re just gonna have to deal with it, babe.”
And Beca thought the smirk would be what hurt her in this entire experience that involved Chloe? The wink and calling her babe that came with that sentence almost sent her straight into cardiac arrest.
“Okay, I’ll brace myself. Let’s get to it.”
“It started when my best friend Aubrey and I decided to go to our favorite bar after a long week…”
- - - - -
Friday Night
Chloe had a terrible week.
She adored her job. She often thinks that her decision to go to vet school was the best one she’s ever made. She gets to see cute animals daily and do something worthwhile with her time.
But damn is it exhausting sometimes.
That’s what led her and her best friend, Aubrey, to their friend Jesse’s bar. When they first moved to the city after undergrad, they frequented it almost every weekend. Now, it was a rarer occurrence as both girls were usually too busy with work to align their schedules for a drunken night out.
As they approached the building, Chloe pulled a disposable camera out of her purse and snapped a picture of the neon sign on the front of the building.
“Did I time travel back into the ’90s? What’s with the camera?” Aubrey asked her with a smile as they stepped into the small bar.
Chloe replied with a shrug. “Closet cleaning. It was under that pile of sweaters that you always yell at me about.”
Chloe, along with Aubrey, made her way to the half-full bar and sat in her usual seat, a few stools away from the end. They went through their usual motions of a night out like this: they greeted Jesse, ordered their usual drinks, and then talked about all of the gossip they hadn’t had the chance to fill the other in on in the past few weeks.
“Here you go, ladies,” Jesse said, placing the two drinks on the bar top in front of them. He motioned to the camera that Chloe had placed on the counter when she sat down. “You better be taking a picture of those masterpieces!”
Chloe picked up the camera and took a picture of the two drinks. She then turned to Aubrey and directed her to lean towards Jesse behind the bar for a picture, despite the blonde’s protests at the quality of pictures from the fifteen-dollar cameras. “Come on Bree, it makes for good memories!”
After getting up to snap the picture that took altogether way too much convincing to happen, Chloe sat back down and began lifting her glass to her mouth when she saw a small figure all but collapse half of their body on top of the bar to the right of her.
“Hello, I will take any form of tequila, please! You can even pour it directly into my mouth, I’m not picky.”
Chloe watched Jesse shoot her and Aubrey an amused look at the slurred voice before he responded to the stranger. “How’s a tequila sunrise sound? I feel like I shouldn’t be giving you a shot right now.”
“That is perfect .”
Chloe couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity upon hearing the voice. She couldn’t place it, but she was almost certain she had heard it before, or at least one incredibly similar. Deciding to end the mystery as it began, she turned her head slowly to the side to see who the drunk stranger was.
When her eyes landed on the small girl, she thought she was going to fall off of her chair.
“I’m sorry, I could be crazy and this might be totally wrong, but are you Beca Mitchell?”
The girl who had been resting her head on one of her fists picked her head up and when her line of sight connected with Chloe’s, her dark blue eyes flew open and she muttered what sounded a lot like “holy shit.”
“Yes?” Chloe asked the brunette, who she now had no doubts was Beca Mitchell, with raised eyebrows and a smile beginning to creep onto her face.
Beca Mitchell, famous music producer and now solo artist. Beca Mitchell, whose album Chloe had listened to at least one song from it a day since it came out. Beca Mitchell, who just finished a tour that sold out in twenty minutes. Beca Mitchell, who Chloe was constantly teased about having a massive crush on.
It’s not her fault the girl has an incredible voice and an even more incredible appearance.
Chloe’s only human.
“Sorry,” Beca said as her already alcohol-reddened cheeks started to turn a shade darker. “I am Beca, but you’re just, like, really fucking pretty and it caught me off guard.”
Beca Mitchell… who thinks she’s pretty?
Chloe couldn’t help the huge grin that appeared on her face. “It’s nice to meet you, Beca. I’m Chloe.” Gesturing to her friends, she introduced both Jesse and Aubrey and watched as Beca seemed to squirm at the compliments they gave her.
Chloe glanced at the camera that was resting on the counter in front of her and decided that this was probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “Any chance my favorite singer will let me take her picture?”
Beca nodded as she grabbed the drink Jesse had set in front of her. Chloe waited for her to turn towards the camera and took a picture of the girl as she sipped at her drink with a smirk now on her face around the rim of the glass.
“Big fan?” Beca asked after the flash went off, the smirk still present on her face.
She tried to remain calm and shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Beca said with a grin before tipping her glass back. Chloe watched on in amusement as the singer drained half of the drink in one go.
“Not to pry, but is there a reason you’re chugging that?”
It was very clear that when Beca walked in she was already drunk. Past drunk, in fact. She’d probably have bruises on her ribs from how hard she slammed into the bar earlier. Chloe wasn’t a stranger to these nights, but she at least usually had them in the comfort of a friend's house, not in a bar as a famous singer.
Beca looked up from her drink until her eyes met Chloe’s, her face suddenly very serious, and Chloe tried to prepare herself for what could potentially be an upsetting answer.
“I, Beca Mitchell… am a workaholic,” Beca said as her face split into a lopsided grin and Chloe felt relief flood her body. “My friend told me I needed to have fun for once, but I like to think I’m a lot of fun usually. So now it’s just fun while drunk.”
“You’re doing the drunk part really well,” Aubrey piped up from the other side of Chloe, her tone judging. Chloe was ready to turn towards her friend and tell her not to tease when she noticed Beca smile as if she just won an award. The singer then went so far as to thank Aubrey for what Chloe was positive was a somewhat criticizing comment.
It was the cutest thing Chloe has ever seen.
Even Aubrey seemed to think so, apparently, as she laughed under her breath and leaned around Chloe to look at Beca, all ill-will forgotten, and said “you’re welcome.”
“Although,” Beca began as she tapped her finger against her chin as if in thought, “I can do the drunk part even better if your boyfriend gives me a shot.” Chloe laughed at Jesse’s reddening face as Beca reached her hand out to him expectantly.
“I’m- god. I’m not her boyfriend. Either of them.”
“You have total heart eyes for blondie, it’s okay,” Beca called out to his back as he retreated to the liquor bottles and poured her a shot of tequila. When he returned, the blush was gone and was replaced by a smirk. He handed the shot to Beca, and she immediately threw it back into her mouth.
“It’s awfully bold of you to say that when you’ve been drooling over Chloe since you walked in here.”
Chloe watched as Beca choked on the shot at his comment. She had only gotten what looked to be about half of it down and ended up spitting the rest over the bar in a coughing fit.
“Breathe, Beca. Breathe,” Chloe said as she laughed at the brunette. “You called me pretty almost as soon as you got in here and you aren’t exactly subtle at checking me out. It’s not anything that I don’t already know.”
It was true. Since Beca had first looked at her, Chloe had noticed that the singer couldn’t stop staring at her, and not just at her face. Luckily, in the rare times Beca took her eyes off of her, Chloe did the same.
“That doesn’t mean call me out on it! I’m going to the bathroom, you people are mean.”
Chloe watched as Beca hopped off of the barstool in a huff reminiscent of a child and stumble to the bathroom. Surprised that she hadn’t run into any of the tables on the way over, Chloe turned towards Aubrey to see what she thought about this strange, yet very welcome, encounter.
When she saw the shit-eating grin on her friend's face, she wished she hadn’t.
“You’re totally into her,” Aubrey said with the smug grin still plastered on her face.
Even as Chloe tried to give Aubrey her best annoyed look (which wasn’t a very good one), she couldn’t deny it.
How could she, when Beca was so damn cute? It’s not every day when your celebrity crush walks into a bar, drunk out of her mind, and calls you pretty.
She gave up on trying to act annoyed at the questioning. She was always a bad liar. “I can’t help it, Bree! Did you see how hot she is?” she practically whined out.
Beyond the obvious factor of finding Beca attractive, there was something else. Chloe couldn’t help but feel all warm and fuzzy inside while she was talking to her, even through the girl’s drunkenness.
While Aubrey shook her head at her, Chloe got lost in her thoughts, wondering what the best way to ask Beca for her number was.
At this point, she’s willing to beg for it.
She only snapped out of them when Beca walked past her to her seat and slumped over the top of the bar again.
“I think I’m dying,” Beca slurred out, the noise muffled by where her head was buried in her arms. “I stood up and now everything is spinny and I’m dying .”
Chloe couldn’t stop herself from documenting the moment. She grabbed the camera again and took a not-so-sneaky picture of the girl slumped over the bar. Beca lifted her head and looked around confused, presumably at the flash that went off, and finally, her eyes widened at the recognition of what happened.
“Really?” she whined at Chloe as she turned to face her.
“It’s a learning experience,” Chloe responded with a giggle. “I think you need something to look back on when you wonder why you are so hungover tomorrow morning.”
Instead of answering, Beca only slumped back on the bar with a groan, not able to hold her weight well enough to prevent her head from smacking the counter with a thud.
“Maybe you should head home before you pass out. How did you get here?” Chloe asked. She was really hoping the girl didn’t drive seeing as she had been drunk when she arrived at the bar.
“Walked, ‘m a few blocks away from my apartment.”
“How about we call you an Uber? I have the app, I can order one right-” Chloe started, but she was interrupted.
“No, no no no. Carsick.”
Chloe was impulsive. She knew that. She’s made many spur-of-the-moment decisions in her life, with only about half of them going as planned.
She knew her next question would be brought upon by selfishness of not wanting to end her time with Beca, yet still, she asked, knowing it would be the best impulse she’s ever had if the answer was yes.
“I can walk you home, if you’d like?”
She watched as Beca lifted her head from the bar again and gave her a small, drunk smile.
“I’d really like that.”
- - - - -
Present
“And then I had to help you out of the bar. You tripped over that table,” Chloe said with a laugh as she pointed at the table nearest the door.
Beca threw her head back and groaned. “God, that’s so embarrassing. Remind me again why after all of that you were still talking to me? And are still talking to me now?”
She didn’t have a clue. From her perspective, it sounded like she made a fool of herself.
Between immediately calling a stranger pretty, turning her drink into a projectile, and falling over a table, it didn’t sound like her best moment.
“I was still talking to you because I thought you were cute and there was no way you were making it home on your own.”
The combination of the soft smile on Chloe’s face and calling her cute made Beca short circuit for a moment. She paused to take a sip of her drink and tried to remember what words were.
“And now?”
“I still think you’re cute, which is my main reasoning,” Chloe began, her smile growing wider before she sighed. “And you forced me to leave my dress at your place so you could see me again.”
“ What?! ”
“That was way later though. I haven’t even gotten to my favorite parts yet!”
Beca rolled her eyes at the amused look that was present throughout Chloe’s retelling of Friday night.
“Whatever, just continue telling me how dumb I was,” Beca said with what she was hoping was coming off as an annoyed look but probably wasn’t. As an afterthought, she added, “And stop laughing at me!”
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hxseok-honee · 3 years
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atlas heart || part 37
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a/n : uhm,,, so this was 20 pages long,,,, whoops -- hope you enjoy the pain!
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“Jimin… psst-- Jimin, wake up--”
“Wake up, motherfucker!” Jimin’s eyes fly open right before he’s shutting them again, unable to cover his face in time to block the throw pillow that’s being launched at him. It falls to his lap when he sits up, and Jungkook chuckles in the doorway.
“Y/n’s been in here for fifteen minutes, trying to be nice and soft about waking you up, but you sleep like the dead. We’re gonna miss our ride at this rate.” Jimin blinks the sleep from his eyes as he focuses in on the girl that’s kneeling next to him on the bed. She’s nodding along as Jungkook speaks, and even in his half-awake state, Jimin finds her insufferably cute. He also notices that she’s fully dressed and seemingly ready to leave, her backpack by the door.
“What time is it?” His voice is groggy, but the yell he lets out when Hoseok appears suddenly at the door, disheveled and angry, is crystal clear. It looks like the Slytherin’s also just woken up, which is bad news for someone who’s yet to see Hoseok’s infamous ‘morning temper’.
“It’s almost 4:30 in the fucking morning, that’s what time it is. Our ride gets here at 5 -- I’m leaving whether you’re ready or not.” He disappears then, dragging a fearful Jungkook with him back to their room to pack their bags. Y/n turns from the doorway, settling back on her heels as she chuckles awkwardly.
“He’s just really excited to see Yoongi…”
--
When a minivan fit for a soccer mom with 4 kids screeches to a halt in front of the house, Jimin has to rub at his eyes to make sure he’s seeing things correctly. At the wheel sits Jin, an alarming amount of excitement in his eyes as he chugs coffee from what’s less of a cup and more of a vase with a lid. In the passenger’s seat is Namjoon, clinging to his seatbelt for dear life, and behind him are Taehyung and Yoongi, the Slytherin scooting into the middle so Jungkook can pull the end seat down and squeeze into the back row.
He waves Y/n in, and she pulls a stunned Jimin into the back with them. When the end seat locks back into place, Hoseok is throwing himself into it, wrapping himself around Yoongi once the door is closed. His boyfriend smiles with contentment, and even half-asleep, Jimin can appreciate the quiet happiness they share.
Jin slams his concerningly large coffee cup, now empty, down into the middle console and lets out a roar of energy.
“Next stop, Quidditch World Cup!” Pressing down on the gas hard enough that Y/n actually feels the tires squeal against the pavement before starting to turn, Jin takes off, rounding the rest of the massive courtyard before flying back down the winding driveway. Her hand reaches for Jimin’s on instinct, and if she wasn’t squeezing so hard, he might have blushed.
“What’re the chances of us dying before we even get there?” Jimin chuckles at her question, cutting himself short when the car slides into traffic much too recklessly, so he just hums.
“Probably much higher than you want me to admit--”
“Hey, who has my road snacks? I’ve got such a hankering for one of those cinnamon roll thingies--” Jin reaches blindly back into the middle row, searching for the bag of food on Taehyung’s lap.
“Both hands on the wheel!” It seems the entire car’s in agreement, because Jin just returns to his previous position, a small whine leaving him.
“Alright, alright, you big babies. Namjoon -- feed me, buddy.” The Ravenclaw groans loudly, and for a moment Jimin can’t believe he’d missed all these idiots while he was away.
--
When Jin pulls into the campground for the World Cup, they’re all gasping as they take in the scene around them. The arena’s unbelievably massive, towering over them in the distance. The sea of people is endless, crowded beyond belief with spectators and traveling merchants preparing for tomorrow’s match. Following Yoongi’s directions until they manage to find the plot of land his parents had reserved for them, Jin pulls off into the treeline and puts the car in park.
The group stumbles from the vehicle, groaning and stretching, shaking off the anxiety of entrusting Jin with their lives for hours. It’s a little past 11am, enough time for them to set up before lunch. Y/n follows Jimin into the spacious area, admiring the excited chaos of the enormous campground around them. She can hear Jin mumbling a spell under his breath to shrink the car and put it in his pocket, followed almost immediately by Jungkook excitedly asking if he can 'do that with a house -- or Hogwarts!'
Jimin takes her hand, and for a second, she thinks that maybe he’s making a move on her, something that leaves her embarrassingly hopeful. But all he does is pull her close to him, pointing at Yoongi with his other hand. The Slytherin is pulling a tiny tent out of his own pocket and setting it on the ground in the middle of their plot of land. Y/n doesn’t even see Yoongi utter a spell before the tent is growing to full size, and she can only imagine that the inside has been bewitched to fit all 8 of them -- something else that Yoongi’s done without speaking.
“Nonverbal magic?” It slips out without her thinking, and Yoongi hears it, glancing at her and becoming visibly shy under her curious gaze. He nods, pointing back at Hoseok, whose attention is caught trying to convince Jungkook not to try shrinking himself with Jin’s spell.
“We both know it -- most Slytherins do, actually… should I call it a defense mechanism? We don’t like to let people know what we’re thinking.”
“It’s pretty fascinating, if you think about it.” It comes from Namjoon, where he and Tae are unpacking not too far away. “Even in class, Yoongi would always practice nonverbally -- he’d get in trouble for it, too.” The Slytherin shrugs as if performing nonverbal magic isn’t difficult for most people unless the caster is under incredible distress.
“What can I say? A habit’s a habit. I haven’t used verbal magic in years -- it’s just more comfortable this way.” He ducks into the tent then, poking his head out and waving them in once he’s checked the quality of his adjustments to their living space for the next couple days.
They all head inside, Y/n looking around in awe when she sees just how big it is. There’s a section of bunk beds on the far side of the room, and the rest is filled with endlessly cozy spaces -- couches and cushions, corners piled high with blankets and pillows. There’s a small kitchenette in the corner, which Jin makes a beeline for in order to 'preserve his perishables'. Jimin shakes his head at the scene, always amused by the depth of the Hufflepuff’s stomach.
Jungkook pulls Y/n to one of the couches, where they collapse on it in a sibling pile that Jimin’s gotten used to seeing over the last 24 hours. It doesn’t stop the rest of the group (sans Hoseok, of course) from gawking at the pair, everyone unused to seeing the dynamic that’s been essentially nonexistent at Hogwarts. They don’t even notice, Y/n looking up at Jungkook with emotional eyes.
“I can’t believe I have friends to share this with.” She doesn’t realize the group is listening, and they all feel simultaneously touched and saddened by her words. Jungkook only ruffles her hair fondly.
“Get used to it, kid -- things are looking up for us.” It’s then that Jungkook happens to glance up, catching Taehyung’s gaze and seeing glossy tears in the boy’s eyes. Looking around, he notes that everyone’s got a similar expression, and he wonders what they must think of Y/n -- of the girl they don’t know enough about to understand her sentiments. He also wonders why they seem so moved by her words.
The awkward moment’s cut short by Namjoon clearing his throat. He points toward Jin, who’s standing by the fridge.
“We have enough food in there to feed us for a week, but Jin said it’s all ‘snacks’, so it looks like we have to go buy lunch.” Everyone nods, accepting that Jin would probably bite them before letting them into the kitchenette, and they start heading back out into the campground.
--
By the time night’s fallen, they’re all exhausted and a bit giddy. It’s almost 10, the effects of waking up at 4am weighing down on the group as they sit together in front of their tent. Hoseok and Yoongi had set up a small fire for them to gather around, Jimin playing music quietly from the small speaker Tae had packed as they talk amongst themselves.
Namjoon leans against a decently sized pile of rocks, reading quietly with the light from the fire. Y/n suspects he’s not actually reading, having caught his smile every time someone had cracked a lame joke, but she doesn’t call him on it. He looks peaceful there, in his quiet corner. Yoongi and Hoseok sit together on one side of the fire, whispering to each other and smiling about things only they know. Jungkook, Tae, and Jin are huddled, having a small argument about some of the merchandise being sold by the traveling shops that are set up around the campground.
Y/n sits with Jimin, watching the group and jokingly judging Jimin’s music taste as he scrolls through his phone. They’re sitting awfully close together, and Jimin thinks in the back of his mind that they must look about as cozy as Yoongi and Hoseok do -- that thought brings him much more joy than it should.
Despite the endless chatter and liveliness of the campground, the night starts to wind down, the sky clouding over in a way that makes it seem darker than it already is. It’s a perfectly good time for everyone to head to bed, but the chaotic trio has apparently decided to escalate their quarrel, the three of them jumping up at the same time.
“We’re going to check out some stuff -- it’s important!” Jungkook calls out to the rest of the group right before disappearing into the crowd with Jin and Tae. Namjoon promptly shuts his book, standing with a groan and heading in the direction they’d just gone. He offers them a shrug as an explanation.
“Someone needs to keep an eye on them.” He’s gone soon, leaving Jimin and Y/n to make awkward eye contact with Hoseok and Yoongi. Y/n locks eyes with Hoseok, and Jimin gets the strange feeling, from the way Hoseok’s eyes widen and then narrow suspiciously, that they’re communicating telepathically. The Slytherin shakes his head subtly, and then again a little more forcefully, before sighing heavily and rising to his feet. Holding his hand out, he helps Yoongi -- who looks as confused as Jimin feels -- to his feet before pointing noncommittally in the same direction their friends had gone.
“Apparently, I’m hungry enough to go searching for a snack, even though we have snacks in the tent.” Yoongi smirks at the clear annoyance in Hoseok’s voice, tugging him toward the crowd.
“Come on -- let’s go find a tree to make out under.” Immediately, Hoseok’s gaze becomes one of mischievous excitement, and he practically skips after the shorter boy into the distance. Jimin makes a noise of disgust, mirrored by Y/n’s expression.
Jimin only properly registers that they’re alone when his phone automatically starts playing a slower song -- rather, he properly registers that Y/n had asked Hoseok to leave them alone. Turning to her suddenly as if for an explanation, he finds that she’s staring into the fire with the intensity of someone who’s very socially awkward. He can’t help the breath of laughter that leaves him, one that becomes real laughter when she glares at him.
“You look like you just realized the consequences of your actions.” Her jaw drops, and she pushes at his shoulder, affronted.
“Sue me for wanting to spend time alone with you!” Immediately, she’s hiding her face in her hands, groaning. She wonders if maybe -- if she wishes for it enough -- the ground will just open up around her and swallow her whole. Her ears feel like they’re being set on fire when she hears Jimin’s laughter ringing through the air, and she hates that she loves the sound anyway.
“When are you just going to admit that you’re in love with me, Y/n? I promise I won’t laugh.” She mumbles something into her hands, and it sounds suspiciously like ‘you’re already laughing’. Jimin tugs at her wrist, dragging her out from her hiding spot and forcing her to look at him.
“How about we make a deal?” Y/n sends him another glare, but it’s her pout that catches his attention and drives him to the brink of insanity. “We can say it together -- count to three and admit how crazy we are about each other at the same time.” Y/n rolls her eyes and snatches her wrist from his hold, turning back to the fire, which has basically died down completely by now.
“Stop messing around, you big dork.” Jimin holds his hand to his chest and gasps.
“I have never been so serious about something in my life as I am about this.” He keeps talking, a dramatic monologue about his integrity, but something triggers the alarm bells in the back of her head -- the same alarm bells that have kept her alive up to this point -- and she’s immediately distracted.
Glancing around, she finds that nothing’s changed in their surroundings -- families and groups of friends still celebrate the start of the World Cup, the chaos of thousands of people in one place never-ending. But there’s something in the air, something that sets her nerves on edge. Looking up, she realizes that it’s gotten exceptionally dark, the clouds concentrating into one dense curtain in the sky, removing any sign that the stars had been there in the first place.
“Jimin, wait… this doesn’t feel right.” Realizing, based on the pained expression that fills Jimin’s face when she interrupts his secretly heartfelt rant, that she’s said the wrong thing at the wrong time, Y/n shakes her head quickly, motioning out into the distance. “I’m talking about this -- something’s off.” She ignores Jimin’s lingering eyes on her when she stands from her spot on the ground, looking to the treeline and taking in their surroundings. He joins her when he gets a clear look at her face and sees how urgent her gaze is.
The breeze is gone, leaving her with the taste of stale smoke in her lungs, the air still foggy from the bonfire. It seems the sense of freedom had left with the boys, since all she can feel is an invisible weight coming down on her chest -- something coming for her.
And come it does, in Jimin’s frozen form and horrified gaze, staring straight over Y/n’s shoulder into the sky behind her. Whipping around, terrified about what she might find, she’s stepping backwards and colliding with Jimin’s chest before she can even register what she’s seeing. The clouds have darkened considerably and are moving of their own accord, twisting and turning as they take shape in the sky. Jimin begins to shake uncontrollably as the storm clouds become one, revealing the skull with the open jaw, a massive snake emerging from within and wrapping itself cleanly around the top.
“That’s-”
“Guys!”
“Jimin, Y/n-”
“We’re so fucked!” The rest of the group comes crashing into the space in panicked chaos, tearing through their campsite with thinly veiled terror. Taehyung and Namjoon make a beeline for their tent as the sounds of pained screams start to filter in, replacing the comfortable memories of the bonfire with something much darker. Yoongi stands near the fire pit, turning in circles and pulling at his hair desperately as he realizes where they are.
“This isn’t -- this tent, it’s in the middle of --” He stops, breathing hard, hands still buried in his hair as the thought finally hits. “My parents put us in the middle of Slytherin territory.”
Jin comes in behind everyone else, firing curses over his shoulder as he calls out to the group, scanning their faces and doing a mental headcount.
“We need to get out of here -- the muggleborns should go first.” He locks eyes with Namjoon as the older Ravenclaw exits the tent carrying a bag. Namjoon nods, grabbing hold of Taehyung’s wrist and moving toward Y/n, who hasn’t left Jimin’s side.
“I grabbed everything important, so let’s just go.” He reaches for Y/n’s arm, triggering Jimin’s protectiveness. Jimin pulls her closer on instinct, and Namjoon sighs as he releases Taehyung in order to grab both of them. “We need to go.” He addresses Y/n under his breath. “You’re not safe here, either.” They keep eye contact for just a moment, but it’s enough that Y/n is left with the feeling of ice in her blood even after Namjoon’s turned back to the group.
How much… does he know?
Before she can question Jimin about Namjoon’s suspicious behavior, Jimin’s tugging her toward his friends as they move toward the edge of the forest. Pulling back and forcing Jimin to a stop, Y/n points at Jungkook, who has now flanked Jin and is defending one part of their campsite from the oncoming hoard of Slytherins.
“I’m not leaving without him.” The conflicted look that crosses Jimin’s face tears at Y/n’s heart, but she stands her ground, motioning back toward Jungkook. “I have to stay-”
“What? No, you have to go!” The call comes from behind her, and it’s only a matter of moments before Jungkook is by her side, shoving her into Jimin’s arms. “Take her with you! Don’t you ever let her out of your sight-”
“Jungkook, watch out-”
Taehyung yells out to him, just a moment too late. Y/n watches in horror as a red light appears just over Jungkook’s shoulder. It grows bigger and bigger as it flies toward them, accompanied by the disgusted shriek of “Blood Traitor!”, and all she can do is hug Jungkook to her as she waits for the curse to strike him in between his shoulder blades.
Pulling him close, she barely manages to catch the flash of silver that appears, encompassing them as another body slides into view and blocks out everything else. The shield charm is cast wordlessly and so powerfully that it knocks the Slytherin who’d attacked them clean off his feet. Thrown back at least ten feet, he’s left bewildered and sore.
Hoseok stands between Jungkook and the army of Slytherins, breathing heavily as the shield dissipates around them. He holds his head high as he stares down the group, resigning himself to the fact that, after years of hiding his true self from his housemates, his loyalties have been clearly defined in that moment.
The silence that follows is only broken by the soft fwip of a wand being slipped out of a pocket, and it’s as Hoseok is whipping his head around that another red light appears, its caster completely silent. The curse burns through the air, almost as if in slow motion, cutting through the space right under Hoseok’s ear with the sharp precision of a skilled marksman and meeting its target on the other side, searing the ends of Hoseok’s hair as it goes. The Slytherin who’d been poised to attack from the treeline is hurled backwards, disappearing into the forest as everyone watches him go, Yoongi’s wand still trained on the spot where he’d stood.
The cold fury that fills Yoongi’s eyes is replaced with concern as he lowers his wand and rushes to Hoseok’s side, giving him a once over before turning to face the growing crowd of Death Eaters in-training, aligning his loyalties just the same as Hoseok had. Y/n allows herself the small smile that arises when she sees the gaze that Hoseok casts upon Yoongi, filled with the kind of love she could only hope to have in her own life. The moment doesn’t last long.
The group of friends, realizing almost simultaneously that they’re being surrounded, forms a huddle facing outward, wands steady as they prepare for the attack.
“If we make it out of this shit alive, I’m going to throw the biggest fit of my life when I get home.” The mention of the Dark Lord’s most loyal Min family sets off the first wave of curses, their traitorous son the target.
One by one, the group takes down their attackers, tiring out but never giving up. Minimal injuries are sustained on their end, their will to survive too strong to forgive even the slightest mistake. Jimin keeps one hand on Y/n at all times, unwilling to lose track of her for even a moment, as if she’s not been stuck to his side all night.
Curses rain down on them from all sides, the Dark Mark in the sky peeking through the shower of red lights as they fight for their lives. Jimin feels Y/n stagger beside him, but she seems to be unharmed when he looks her over. Glancing in alarm at the moon, barely visible amongst all the smoke and mayhem, Jimin curses under his breath as he remembers the date -- and more importantly, that she hadn’t yet taken her dose for the night. He pours all his energy into his attacks from that moment on, everything suddenly becoming much more urgent.
Time passes so slowly that none of them are quite sure how long they’ve been there, fighting in a war they’d never asked for. Just when Y/n thinks they might be losing -- that they might be forced to pledge allegiance to the Dark Lord, or even killed where they stand -- there’s a loud pop and a gush of wind passes over all of them.
From within their circle comes the angered cry of Sirius Black, who manages to deflect a rather mean curse headed straight for Jin’s chest. He’s followed by James and Remus, the three of them throwing themselves into the mix so carelessly that it catches the Slytherins by surprise. James takes advantage of the delay, surging out of the circle toward the largest density of Slytherins and pointing his wand at the ground closest to them.
“Confringo!” The earth beneath their feet shudders under James’ command, collapsing in on itself before exploding outward, sending no less than 10 people flying through the air and creating a chaos too intense for the rest to handle. The world around them becomes fuzzy and confusing, and Y/n feels nothing except the hands that pull at her and urge her forward into the forest.
They all manage to stumble far enough away from the mess to gather their bearings, but the shouts of their enemies are not far off. As soon as they confirm that they’re all alive and relatively unscathed, Remus takes Y/n by the elbow and pulls her gently to him. Jimin is reluctant to let her go.
“I need to talk to you -- we have to go somewhere safe.” Sirius is collecting the rest of the group and giving them the location of a safe place to meet, a small cottage in the countryside where he and Remus had been living.
“You guys head there first, we’ll meet you.” He hands the keys to Jungkook, who nods in understanding as he sees that Remus has no intention to rejoin the group. Jimin starts to reach for Y/n, unhappy with their separation, but Hoseok speaks up from the back. He’s being half-carried by Yoongi, his leg having suffered a bit of damage from James’ blasting curse, but not so much that he couldn’t walk. Y/n bites back a smirk, suspecting that Hoseok had just been looking for an excuse to need Yoongi, who is absolute garbage at hiding how pleased he is.
“Make sure you come back soon. I trust you guys, and I know you need to talk in private, but I don’t like not having Y/n close in times like this.” Remus nods, acknowledging Jungkook as well, before leading Y/n away. The boys start to apparate away, James helping Hoseok and Yoongi get to the house safely before returning to join his friends. Remus has led Y/n a safe enough distance away that the Slytherins would have a hard time finding them and is explaining the gravity of the situation to her.
“-- to infiltrate a pack of werewolves living in the mountains. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, Y/n.” Y/n examines Remus’ face, noting the new scars and the exhaustion that lies heavy in his eyes. He looks nothing like the bright school boy from just a few months ago, and she knows he’s seen unimaginable things in the short time that he’s been working under Dumbledore. They all look drained and, frankly, terrified. The lives they’d been promised from a young age were fading away into this dreary nothingness, this thankless job where nothing is more uncertain than the future.
“You’ll be careful, won’t you? Just tell me you’ll be careful -- all of you.” Remus looks taken aback by her words, and Sirius can’t suppress the soft chuckle that escapes him, amazed at this girl standing before him, not nearly as reserved as they’d all thought her to be.
“Of course we’ll be careful, love. Don’t you trust us?” Y/n shakes her head, smiling despite her scoff.
“Trust you guys? I didn’t realize you were an aspiring comedian, Sirius.” They laugh openly now, thankful for even just this moment of reprieve from the hell they live in. Remus leans over, patting her adoringly on her head, as if they weren’t damn near the same age.
“Good, that’s good. Don’t trust anyone, Y/n, you hear me? Don’t trust anyone you wouldn’t die for. Can you do that for me?” Y/n nods, the picture of those boys in that cottage in the countryside coming to mind so easily.
“I know who my people are. There’s no one else besides them -- and you guys. So try your best not to get yourselves killed?” James salutes her once as Sirius nods. Remus moves to agree, but the sound of leaves crunching not too far away triggers an immediate response in him. Lunging forward and taking her into his arms, he throws Y/n over his shoulder and takes off running, knowing better than anyone else what it would mean if she were caught. Y/n watches with horror as two Death Eaters appear out of what looks like thin air, sending James and Sirius into action. She can do nothing but watch as they deflect curses while maintaining their ground.
Remus sets her down a long distance away, trying to warn her again, but her attention is on the action they’d just managed to escape. She tries to push past him to go help James and Sirius, but he grabs her by the shoulders quickly and forces her to look at him, shaking her roughly in the process.
“Listen to me, Y/n- listen to me!” She meets his eyes, alarmed by the frustration in his voice. “The public knows. They know now just to what extent the werewolf population is siding with Voldemort. Everything before this summer was just speculation -- of course the evil magical beasts should side with the Dark Lord, right? Well, the Minister of Magic just released a statement this morning. Everyone knows now. And it won’t matter how much we cry and beg and plead for our lives -- if they catch us, we’re dead. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Y/n can do no more than stare into Remus’ eyes, wishing this all away -- wishing that they could just be back in school, a bunch of kids with no worries about the war. But the longer she stares into his eyes, the longer she realizes that they don’t just have to worry about the war now. They’re part of it. Two werewolves with way too many people keeping their secret. James, Sirius, Peter, Jungkook, Hoseok, and now Jimin? And --
Does Namjoon know, too? Just who the hell else has to be put into danger because of what I am?
--
Y/n steps through the front gate of the cottage, having been dropped off by Remus -- she’s not of age yet to apparate alone -- before he disappeared again, presumably to help his friends escape. She’s barely within ten feet of the front door when it’s flying open, Jimin appearing before her with wild eyes. He rushes at her, taking her into his arms with a desperation he didn’t even know he felt. She pats at his back, unsure of what to say, still dazed from everything Remus had told her.
“I was only gone a few minutes…” Jimin pulls back, looking at her as if she’s insane.
“I don’t care. Those were the worst few minutes of my life. I hated not knowing if you were okay.” He looks her over, patting at her arms gently. “You are okay, right?” When she nods he sighs before glancing around them urgently as if realizing they’re out in the open. He tugs her inside, shutting the door tightly behind them. He’s about to motion her down the hallway into the living room, where the rest of their friends are regrouping, but she stops him. The look she gives him is suspicious, and he’s unsure why.
“Jimin, you told me you would never breathe a word of what I am to anyone…” He looks at her with alarm, shaking his head.
“I didn’t tell anyone anything -- why? What happened?” She examines him for a moment, seeing that Jimin’s as confused as she is. She proceeds with caution, realizing that if Jimin really hadn’t said anything, then this conversation is about to be very uncomfortable.
“I think… Namjoon might know something…” Jimin feels like he can’t breathe then, the air stopping short in his chest as his heart drops out from under him. He swears without thinking, the word slipping out as he processes what she’s saying.
“Fuck… shit… fuck…” Y/n squints at him, unsure of where his mind’s just gone. Jimin squeezes his eyes shut, another swear falling from his lips as guilt overcomes him. He opens his mouth to explain, but he can’t bring himself to look her in the eyes.
“Before I figured out… everything, I would talk to Joon about things that confused me… about you.” He opens his eyes just enough to glance at her before looking away, but he’s surprised that she isn’t fuming with anger. She’s only thinking carefully about his words.
“So, he probably put it together on his own.” She comes to the conclusion as she ponders, offering the reason for Namjoon’s comment to her earlier. Jimin lurches forward, taking her hand in both of his, eyes pleading.
“I swear to you, Y/n, I didn’t say a word of this to him after I figured it out. I completely dropped it, and when he asked me why, I just told him I was respecting your privacy by minding my own business -- I promise, I never said anything--”
“Jimin!” His name cuts through the air, and his mouth snaps shut immediately to give her room to talk. “I’m not mad at you. I’m more worried than anything… I wonder who else knows…”
“Uhm, actually--” The new voice has them both turning to look to the end of the hallway, where Tae’s standing awkwardly in the doorway to the living room. He’s flanked by Jin and Yoongi, Namjoon standing with Jungkook and Hoseok just inside the room.
“--I think we all know…” The blood drains from both Y/n and Jimin’s faces as Jungkook and Hoseok look to each other in alarm. Jin nods, Yoongi smiling awkwardly to confirm what Tae’s saying. The air in the house is cold, no one willing to break the tense silence while Y/n processes what she’s just heard. She meets Jungkook’s eyes then, his gaze betraying the immense fear that he’s feeling, much like the ice running through her veins.
None of them even notice the front door opening behind Jimin, the three Marauders stumbling into the house, disheveled but generally unscathed. They stop short at the scene before them, glancing amongst themselves before James is breaking the silence himself.
“Are we… interrupting something…?”
--
“Okay, someone start talking before I go insane.” They’re all crowded into the living room meant only for a few people, Y/n and Remus sitting together on a couch in the middle of the room, everyone else taking up the extra seats and floor space. It looks like a club meeting gone horribly wrong, if the discomfort in everyone’s eyes is anything to go by. Y/n looks around after demanding an explanation, finally looking to Namjoon, as he’s the only one she’d been aware of until a few minutes ago. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair.
“After Jimin suddenly stopped all the obsessive theorizing and curiosities, I got suspicious… I had a feeling he’d put everything together, and I was worried that he was getting himself into some kind of trouble because that’s just the kind of nosy Ravenclaw he is. I just put it together myself so I could help him if I needed to…” Jimin grimaces at Namjoon’s words, knowing them to be true but disliking the description all the same.
The glare of irritation Jungkook’s been shooting him doesn’t help, but Hoseok pulls the Gryffindor’s attention away with a bump of his knee against Jungkook’s thigh. When Jungkook drags his burning gaze away from Jimin to look at Hoseok, Jimin’s shocked to see that Hoseok’s simply shaking his head at the Jeon heir, silently telling him to back off. Jimin’s eyes widen then, never having experienced such a sense of stunned relief as he feels in this moment with Hoseok’s quiet support.
Jungkook turns his annoyed gaze over to the spot where Taehyung, Jin, and Yoongi sit. He locks eyes with his roommate of six years.
“Tae?” The boy in question looks down at his hands sheepishly, glancing at Y/n in a way that seems almost apologetic. When he lifts his head, he speaks directly to her, feeling that his explanation should be for her and her alone.
“Jimin’s my best friend… it would be weird if I wasn’t worried about him with him acting so strange. I didn’t really figure it out until the beginning of the summer, when I started spending more time with you -- I noticed how sick you’d get around the same time each month, and you’d always look so tired afterwards. I know we don’t know each other as well as Jimin knows you, but I was worried about you, so I… did my own digging and put the pieces together. It also explained a lot about all the times Jungkook would run out of our room in a panic in the middle of the night. There were just… a lot of things that made sense once I’d started to think about it.” Y/n keeps her eyes on him, trying to process the guilt in his eyes and wondering why he sounds so upset. “I know that you’re probably terrified of us knowing, but I promise I was just worried about you. I’m sorry I was snooping in your life…”
Y/n sees then that Taehyung feels the same kind of responsibility that Jimin had always carried in his eyes -- one of fear that his actions would bring her harm. He’d been sitting with that for the whole summer, quietly trying his best to keep her safe by pretending he knew nothing at all. She opens her mouth to tell him that he has nothing to feel bad about, but Jin’s clearing his throat.
“I, uh-- we--” He gestures to the space between himself and Yoongi, whose gaze is one of cautious observation as the conversation goes on around him. “We… were on our way back to Yoongi’s room and overheard you and Hoseok talking -- something about Jimin finding out… Hoseok was really upset, and he was kind of yelling. We didn’t mean to eavesdrop -- it’s just that we were right outside, and you were trying to calm him down, and he was just saying a lot of stuff that was confusing and weird, but it was obvious what was going on.” Jin glances over at Yoongi as if to confirm his story, and the Slytherin only nods. He turns back to Y/n, finishing his explanation. “We found out together--”
“Actually--” Everyone’s attention turns to Yoongi, who shifts uncomfortably under the weight of their gazes. He clears his throat, scratching at his neck while he finds his words. “Actually… I already knew by then. I think, based on what everyone’s been saying, that I probably knew before any of them…” He trails off, leaving the group to devolve into strained chaos.
“Wait, you knew?”
“How long have you known?!”
“When did you find out?” Ignoring the barrage of questions, Yoongi only looks to Hoseok, whose eyes tell how shocked he is. Flicking his gaze to Y/n, Yoongi continues.
“Do you remember when we first met? That night in the Hospital Wing -- it was before winter break.” Y/n’s jaw drops as her memories fly all the way back to December -- almost a year prior. “I went to visit you, originally because Hobi had mentioned something about going to visit a friend and I was looking for an excuse to see him.” Hoseok laughs under his breath, still stunned into disbelief about the situation, but Yoongi hasn’t stopped talking, almost rambling now.
“I had just found out that you guys were even friends -- it was really weird for me to think about, you know? Until then, he’d only ever been friends with Slytherins, and even then he seemed hesitant about getting close to them. I mean, I get it, that’s how I was, too. But to find out that my roommate since first year had a secret friend group with people that made no sense for him to know -- I was curious about you. I wanted to see what you were like. Especially because Jimin was, like, obsessed with you -- sorry, Jimin.” The Ravenclaw grimaces again, hating that he’s been described only as obsessive but knowing that that’s exactly what he’d been like.
“So… what does that have to do with finding out about me? How did you know?” Y/n leans forward, elbows on her knees as she looks intently at Yoongi. He sighs in response.
“Look. My entire life, I’ve been trying to separate myself from my name. My parents are objectively fucking insane, and I want nothing to do with them, especially now that they pulled that bullshit with the World Cup reservation. I can’t be like them, okay? I would rather die fighting on the right side of this war than ever pledge my allegiance to that nose-less freak. But that doesn’t change the fact that I still live at the Min Estate. And the Min Estate -- it’s like a beacon for the wicked and evil. I’ve seen every kind of creature walk through the doors of my house whenever my parents hold their Death Eater meetings. It’s like a monthly book club, but for murder. So I know what werewolves are like. I know the signs and the symptoms, and I know how cruel and vicious they can be.”
Y/n breaks her gaze then, staring down at her feet as he confirms every fear that she’s ever felt -- that she would be seen as a monster, an evil beast with only the instinct to kill. All the same, it hurts to hear him say it out loud.
“And that’s why I knew you were nothing like them.” Y/n’s head whips up, and she sees that Yoongi’s focused on conveying to her with his eyes that he means what he’s said. He doesn’t see the affection that fills Hoseok’s gaze, replacing the icy fear he’d been feeling the entire time Yoongi’s been talking.
“You’re nothing like them, Y/n. You’re kind and considerate, and you’re so shy around new people that even I’m in pain just watching you struggle to talk. You’re really fucking weird, and your sense of humor has been shaped by growing up with a crazy ass Gryffindor brother and this sarcastic asshole--” He points then to his boyfriend, finally feeling confident enough to look Hoseok in the eye as he cracks the joke before returning his attention to Y/n.
“So, yes, you’re a werewolf. But you’ve got nothing to worry about with me. Or any of us, to be honest.” The rest of the group nods then, and Y/n feels the air returning to her lungs after so long of holding her breath. It’s only when she looks to Remus, who still seems unsure, that she remembers how complicated their situation is.
“I appreciate that, I really do. You guys have no idea how scared I was that you’d find out… but it’s not as simple as you think -- not that any of this has been simple to begin with. It’s just… more complicated--”
“So, are we talking about Remus, or something else?” Taehyung speaks up, looking genuinely confused about what she’s alluding to. James and Sirius tense where they sit on either side of Remus, whose gaze has just become very guarded.
“I’m not sure what you mean--”
“The ‘you being a werewolf’ thing? Yeah, that wasn’t hard to figure out once I knew what to look for in Y/n.” It’s Jin who cuts him off, Yoongi and Namjoon nodding along. Jungkook throws his hands in the air, flopping back against the couch with an exasperated sigh.
“Just how bad are we at keeping things a secret around here?!” Remus groans in response, but James and Sirius seem to be taking the news in stride.
“Look on the bright side, Moony -- now we have an army of hooligans to keep you guys safe!” Remus rolls his eyes in irritation before looking to Y/n for help. She stares down at her hands, feeling more exhausted than she’s ever felt in her life -- and she experiences monthly painful transformations that leave her bedridden for days after.
“This isn’t a joke, James.” The Potter boy snaps his mouth shut when, for the first time since meeting her, Y/n’s voice carries an edge when she addresses him. “The number of people that are in danger now because of what we are has just doubled. And now there are muggleborns involved -- what’s going to happen if anyone gets wind that they know something about us? With what the Ministry’s just released… it’s too much. This is all too much.” Namjoon hums then, pulling Y/n out of the dangerously dark mental dive she was just about to take.
“I mean, we’re involved in this war whether we know about you guys or not. We’re already fighting for our lives -- what difference does it make if we know what you are? If anything, it gives us a reason to fight harder.” He gestures among all of them, all eleven of them in that room.
“We’re all we have left in this war -- why wouldn’t we do everything it takes to keep each other safe?”
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lynnpaper · 3 years
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“i brought you a blanket.” please and thanks!
sonder! thank you for the ask! 😊
this is also... one of the softest things i've ever written. i hope you like it! :)
(from these prompts)
She finds him on the roof.
It wasn’t her intention, but it had been pretty hard to ignore the distress that seemed to bleed from him with every step he took. He’d made promises. Promises to protect, and promises to succeed, to the Council and to his men. But Separatist forces do not care about promises, and battle droids do not care about the emotional consequences of conflict. Battle droids do not have emotions.
Anakin sometimes wishes he didn’t have emotions.
He sits on the cold stone of the roof, dangling his feet over the edge, watching the speeders as they cross over and under and perpendicular to each other. It’s quiet and peaceful and as far away from any life forms as he can get.
It’s cold on the roof.
Ahsoka steps out of the hangar and hops over the railing, past the point that Jedi Masters would frown at her disapprovingly for crossing. The stone ground is smooth here, where barely anyone treads; the closer she gets to the edge, the bigger the city seems.
Anakin keeps his back to her, but he sits so still his shoulders must be rigid. The rise and fall of his shoulders is practically nonexistent. Ahsoka wonders if he’s even breathing.
She can tell he’s upset. It hurts to see him upset.
Anakin hears her even before she jumps the railing. He doesn’t have to turn around to know who it is—it cannot be anybody else.
“You shouldn’t be up here,” Anakin says. The cool night air carries his voice in all different directions, and the words barely reach her.
Ahsoka doesn’t respond. Her footsteps grow closer, the soft tap-tap-tap of her combat boots reverberating off the stone ground.
“It’s very late, Ahsoka,” Anakin says. As if the time of night means anything to her.
Nothing. Not even a huff to prove her exasperation.
“You should be asleep,” Anakin says. His eyes follow a speeder as it races across the front of a skyscraper, before merging with the main line of traffic and disappearing into the kaleidoscopic streak of reds and yellows and greens.
The footsteps stop. So should you, he expects her to reply.
“I brought you a blanket.”
Anakin turns around, more on instinct than by choice. He’s inclined to respond with “what?” or “why?” but the moment he sees Ahsoka standing there with a brown padawan robe over her shoulders, the hem brushing the ground beside her feet, all words die in his throat.
The towering spires of the temple’s roof make her look so small. She stands too far away for him to make out her expression in the darkness, but close enough for him to see the blanket folded and tucked under her arm as promised. Her padawan beads glint where they rest between her montrals, catching the light when she tilts her head.
It’s windy on the roof. The breeze blows his hair into his eyes, but he doesn’t push it aside. His skin prickles, the thin sleeves of his tunic doing nothing between him and the wind. For someone who grew up on Tatooine, Anakin doesn’t seem to mind the chill.
Ahsoka walks toward him silently. He’d been too reserved since they had returned in the afternoon, his eyes downcast and hands fidgeting as he debriefed the 501st, losing focus and burning himself on the soldering iron as he repaired fighters in the hangar, eating next to nothing at dinner before quietly excusing himself from the table.
Anakin looks away. He keeps his eyes trained on the night sky before him, his hands clasped tightly on his lap.
He would rather be alone.
Ahsoka knows this. Ahsoka doesn't care.
She’s right behind him now, close enough for him to hear her soft breaths and the gentle rustle of her robe. He hears her unfold the blanket, feels the warm weight of it as she drapes it over his shoulders, and almost sighs as the chill dissipates, resisting the urge to pull it tighter around himself.
Ahsoka lowers herself to the ground beside him, her legs dangling off the edge just like his. It should make him anxious, his padawan sitting right on the edge of the roof, the ground a long, long way away. The slanting outer walls of the temple drop down hundreds of meters, but she can catch herself if she falls. There are worse ways to go—some grounds rise to meet you if they think you’ll never hit them.
Something light drops on his lap. Anakin looks down and finds a ration bar. Then he looks to his left, to find Ahsoka biting into one of her own. She stares right back, chews for a second, and swallows. “You didn’t eat,” she says.
Anakin looks down at the little packet on his lap again. It’s one of the better-tasting ration bars—he remembers telling her which ones he preferred.
The first bite reminds him exactly how hungry he is. The second reminds him that the last meal he ate was this morning. The third reminds him of just how much his padawan cares, for all the effort she’s gone through to be here beside him now.
Anakin looks back at her again—there’s nowhere else to look. Now she’s flipping the hilts of her lightsabers, throwing them up and spinning them and catching them in one hand.
“Don’t drop those,” Anakin says softly. He crumples the wrapper of his ration bar, molds it into a little ball using the Force.
Your lightsaber is your life. When did they become so frivolous with such valuable things? Playing with life and death, gambling with fate. Fighting battles as if they are games, deflecting blaster shots as if they are younglings parrying harmless charges from remote droids.
Ahsoka keeps flipping her lightsabers.
Anakin lifts a hand, stopping them in midair, and guides them back down to hook onto her belt.
She looks up at him. She smiles.
He looks down at her. He smiles.
Ahsoka shivers. Anakin realises the blanket is big enough for two.
Ahsoka shifts closer, until she’s close enough to rest her head on his arm. Anakin pulls her closer, holding out the blanket for her to tuck herself under, and wraps his arm around her shoulders.
They sit together, until dawn rolls around and the sun peeks out from behind the morning’s clouds, and the roof doesn’t feel so cold anymore.
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