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#you should wait till we have our other relatives safe to come over but i know damn well they dont want the amount of veg I’m serving
uglysockperson · 3 years
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Was thinking about the ears muffs and like i think spock would say something polite like “these aren’t within star fleet dress code” but Jim’s like nah bro keep em theire cute and your cold and literally no one cares, until a petty ensign who gets rubbed the wrong way by spocks responce to their science report decides to make a complaint about the first officer being out of dress code and at the same time turns the temps just a degree down in all the corridors messing with spocks barely adapting body heat. Leads to cranky spock making comments to uhura after a meeting about how the federation isn’t nearly as accommodating for Vulcans as they claim, i imagine spock goes threw the vulcan version of. “NASA scientists asked if 100 tampons was enough for a week”. Its more like “pack some long Johns? There’s are vegitarian options on the replicator ?” Fortunately hes got a very handsome boyfriend to keep him warm.
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tarosin · 3 years
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the great adventures of y/n tommy jack and tubbo
requested: yes/no
an: part 4 of the great adventures series
pairing: platonic y/n/tommy/jack/tubbo
warning: cursing
It was the afternoon before your new adventure with your friends. you had no idea what to expect, however everyone else knew even ranboo, and he wasn’t even joining you all. you would be lying if you said you weren’t nervous, especially after hearing some of tommys plans for future uploads. tubbo had been trying to drop hints about what was going to happen. You honestly couldn’t tell if he was excited or nervous, either way you could tell it was going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity and boy were you excited. the sound of knocking pulled you from your thoughts.
“hi y/n! sorry for the unexpected visit, i tried to call you but it wouldn’t go through.”
“oh god sorry, tubbo, my phones on charge upstairs, ive just finished babysitting my friends twitch chat.”
“that’s okay, tommy wanted me to see if you want to stay the night as i can take you with me now. he said something about it saving time tomorrow as jack won’t have to go as far and we can get there earlier, i honestly just think he’s slightly nervous and wants to spend time with someone.”
“i’ve not prepared a bag or anything as i was just planning on grabbing everything i needed in the morning, but i’m down to go with you. i’ll pack a bag real quick, make yourself feel at home. you can stay down here or come upstairs with me.”
tubbo followed you upstairs, and helped you pick which outfits would be the best to wear for the trip. around 10 minutes later you finished packing your bag and turned around to see a very pale tubbo, dropping your bag to the floor you pulled a chair up to your bed sitting opposite him.
“you feeling okay tubs?”
“just nerves, I'll be alright, are you ready to go?”
“ready if you are!”
the journey to tommys was relatively quick, you spent it talking about group plans for when ranboo comes to the uk.
tubbo: almost here!
tommy: yes! want to stream for a bit later, just something small could do laugh and the stream ends. i’ll go talk to my mum now!
•••
tubbo: please open the door
tommy: on it
the pair of you stood at the door waiting for tommy to unlock it
“TUBBO! Y/N I'M GLAD YOU COULD BOTH MAKE IT!”
not too long later, you and tubbo had put everything away and sat with tommy planning out a small stream.
“so i was talking with my parents and we can do an outside stream, and set fire to marshmallows!”
“as much as i love fire tommy i don’t think your parents will appreciate arson in the garden.”
“it’ll be fine now grab a jacket, we need to go walk to the shop.”
the three of you set off determined to get to the shop and back before it got dark, tommy and tubbo walked on either side of you as they want you to feel safe. thankfully the shop was only around the corner so you were all only out for about 20 minutes maximum, you probably could have made it back earlier but you stopped every time you saw a pretty rock.
“y/n come on we still need to stream!”
“did you tweet that you were streaming?”
“no he didn’t.”
“then come and look at this pretty rock!”
tommy and tubbo couldn’t help but laugh at how many rocks you managed to pick up.
•••
“guys i think i’d rather just spend time with you all rather than stream.”
“that’s fine, tommy!!”
the three of you sat around the fire updating one another about plans and opportunitie, coming. the conversation swiftly came to an end when tommy had set fire to a stick claiming it was to make the fire grow. you laughed as you heard his mum yelling at him to stop trying to set you and tubbo on fire.
“sorry about that everyone, but look the fire is big again.”
it got colder as the sun went down, so the three of you sat with a blanket draped over you all. his mum offered to take photos for you and you happily accepted, the pictures looked amazing and you posted it to instagram with the caption ‘i am cold and no one is telling me what’s happening tomorrow.’
it was around 11pm when the three of you agreed it was time to go back inside and sleep.
•••
you and tubbo stayed downstairs and tommy stayed in his room. the sound of tubbos alarm woke the pair of you up.
“turn that fucking thing off!”
“this is the fourth time it’s gone off and you’re still not up?”
“that’s because i’m tired.”
“please get ready jack will be here soon enough.”
realisation finally hit today was the day you were finally about to find out what this once in a lifetime opportunity was. tubbo advised you to wear sensible clothing and not wear the zodiac necklace you always wore, so you decided to wear the hoodie ranboo sent you a week ago and leggings.
“y/n you might wanna tie your hair up.”
“tubbo are you sure you’re feeling okay? you genuinely look ill."
“i’m fine.”
jack: right i’m outside so whenever you’re ready
lani: we’re making our own way later on as the hotel we stayed at is closer
y/n: will someone tell me what we’re doing
ranboo: no
y/n: you’re not even joining us how did you get in the gc
ranboo: magic
y/n: fuck off give me a clue
ranboo: i’ve said it since you dyed your hair neon f/c you’d be able to see from way up in the sky
y/n: what the actual hell is that supposed to mean
•••
soon enough you met up with everyone else and lani started recording.
“we’re skydiving, you ready tubbo?”
“WERE DOING WHAT? HOLY SHIT!”
you honestly couldn’t wait to do this. it was something you had wanted to do for a while, tubbo on the other hand clearly didn’t agree, which was evident through his whining.
you stood with tommy laughing as tubbo sat alone questioning why he agreed to this.
“look at him.”
“he’s is not happy.”
you sat next to jack and tubbo watching the video demonstrating what you will all be doing soon. you let out a nervous laugh, as although you were excited, you couldn’t help but be a bit nervous.
“you could fall into the engine and get chopped up.”
“tommy stop scaring tubbo!”
“what if the parachute doesn’t work?”
“free fall to your death.”
“y/n you’re not helping!”
you stood recording tubbo laying on the floor once again whining.
“tubbo there are so many people behind you!”
“i’m sure the parachute won’t fail tubbo, but if it does it was lovely knowing you!”
“uuuuuuugh!”
“i fully agree bo.”
soon enough you tommy and jack joined tubbo on the floor.
“look at the clouds.”
“we’re going to be in them soon.”
“hell yeah!”
“ughhhh!”
you tried not to laugh trying to calm tubbo down a bit before you all jumped out a plane, which worked until you left him alone with tommy whilst you spoke to jack for a while.
“to be fair that looks quite fun.”
“and dangerous!”
“STOP!”
“well sounds like tubbos thrilled to be here.”
the four of you sat on a bench talking about what’s going to happen, and laughing at tubbos nerves trying to make light of the situation.
“look it’ll be fun, tubbo, provided we don’t die there’s a chance we’ll be in more vlogs.. okay so ignore the black cloud of smoke!”
“that’s not a good omen.”
“shut up!”
you wrapped an arm around tubbo trying to make him feel comfortable and reassure him it’ll be fine, only to be interrupted by jack and tommy bickering about eating before jumping from the plane.
•••
the four of you went to the briefing, at this point you were struggling to contain your excitement, and couldn’t help but laugh out of pure joy.
“no, they are listening, they're just excited.”
after doing training for the jump, you stood with tommy whilst someone questioned him about how he got 9 million subs.
“I just went around being incredibly cool.. doing minecraft.”
you and jack burst out laughing whilst tommy went on to make jokes about how much money he was earning.
•••
it was now almost time to jump out a plane. it was around now nerves were kicking in, so you all went around messing about till you were told it’s time to make your way to get ready.
“let’s go gamers!”
•••
“are you a skydiver enjoyer?”
“i am.”
“well that’s always good... please, don’t let me die!”
“y/n are you scared?”
“no, my ranboo merch will protect me, but if i die can we blame tommy for coming up with this?”
“ranboos not going to believe that you’re wearing the jumper he sent you to jump out a plane.”
a few minutes later you over heard a worker say they’re nervous causing you to tilt your head and blink again, trying to process what was said.
“heh???”
it was now time for the four of you to put the equipment on, so you were ready to jump. jack started talking a lot more than usual at a quicker pace due to the fact he was getting nervous. tommy pointed it out and jack trying to argue he wasn’t made you laugh.
“y/n keeps making a lot of jokes about my parachute being shit.”
“sorry manifold should be fine...more than likely...hopefully. only time will tell really.”
“how you doing buddy?”
“i’m feeling okay. i feel my insides doing inside bits.”
“wonderful!”
you were now all waiting to go as a worker jokes about forgetting something.
“y/n you’re going with him!”
“okay, but why?”
“well you said your ranboo merch will protect you..”
someone went by going rather fast causing you to stare in awe.
“we don’t go that fast, do we?”
“no not unless something goes terribly wrong.”
you all stood there laughing.
“stoppppp!”
“y/n, i’m now thinking you should go with them instead!”
“are you trying to kill me off jack?”
•••
you all set off towards the plane, a mixture of excitement and nerves began kicking in.
“tubbos on a lead.”
“oh i’m really nervous jack.”
“look at y/n!”
lani began to record you, who was now way ahead of the others, so you stopped and waved at lani.
“BYE LANI! HOPEFULLY ILL SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE!”
the others caught up and everyone had their equipment checked again.
“oh dear.. should be fine.”
“i’m alright, don’t worry my ranboo merch will protect us!” you got on first and that when you realised they set you up, so you jumped last as you were more confident and tubbo was jumping first so he could get it out the way.
you all sat on the plane and waved at the camera.
“hi there!”
“hello!”
“hi!”
“please don’t let us die!”
“we’re really jumping out a plane with a dream stan.”
“this is the highest we’ve ever been.”
“gamers in a plane whatever will they do...hopefully not die!”
“Y/N!”
“sorry tubbo!”
you were currently at 2,000 feet and sat looking out the window waiting to reach 14,000 feet. jack turned to you and tommy, “i can’t believe you’re jumping out the plane in philza merch and y/ns jumping out in ranboo merch.”
“if i die at least ill look great doing it.”
12,000 feet later it was now tubbos turn to jump, he looked back at you all.
“YOU GOT THIS TUBBO!!”
you watched as tubbo went.
“GOOD LUCK TOMMY!”
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN GOOD LUCK? Y/N?”
“BYEEEEE!”
you laughed as tommy went.
“see you later jack!”
you gave jack a high-five and watched as he went.
“holy shit they actually did it!”
“are you ready, y/n?”
“hell yeah, let’s do this!”
you laughed as you jumped, you couldn’t believe you actually got to jump out of a plane, you waved at camera.
lani met the others as they landed and began telling them about it.
“wait where’s y/n?”
“there they are!”
“Y/N!”
the others ran up to you as you landed.
“i’m glad you didn’t die!”
“thanks jack!”
•••
“would you all do it again?”
“yeah.”
“no.”
“maybe, i’m not sure.”
“i reckon so.”
not too long later, you were all given certificates to celebrate the fact you had jumped out a plane.
“yay it made nearly dying worth it!”
“you’re so dramatic!”
•••
you thought the day was over and that you were going home, little did you know that wasn’t the case.
“were not done for the day.”
“what?”
“heh?”
“you’re tilting your head again.”
“i know it’s because i’m confused!”
“anyway, what do you mean we’re not done?”
“you know george, he’s arrived!”
“gogy!”
“GOGY!”
“can i have a nap in the car please? i’m so exhausted."
taglist:
@l0ver0fj0y
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mirkwoodshewolf · 3 years
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Give her the life I never had; Harry Potter x child reader
*Author’s note*
So this came from my Wattpad requests and this is my first Harry potter (character not fandom) fic that I have written so I hope I didn’t mess this up for any hardcore Potterheads out there.  So this takes place during the Battle at Hogwarts so expect some death and violence involved, other than that not really much anything really. I know it’s been awhile since my last update but I hope to pick up the pace and post up some more stuff and then HOPEFULLY open up requests here since I know you all have been waiting patiently for that.
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Taglist:
@plethora-of-things​
@waddles03​
@jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels​
@ixchel-9275​
@psychosupernatural​
@queen-paladin​
_____________________________________________________________
It was finally over. All of it.  Voldemort was now dead, the Death eaters defeated, and now the Elder wand was destroyed and lost to the sea.  I looked towards the ruins of Hogwarts knowing that the stone and walls can be rebuilt, some of our friends would be able to heal their physical wounds, however some mental wounds won’t.
The Weasleys they’ll always have to live with Fred’s death for the rest of their life and grieve over the fact he’ll never come back, especially George.  I had seen just how close their brotherly bond was, even when they had nothing they had each other, now George was gonna have to make do on his own, if he could.
And Hermione, while she doesn’t want us to know I had a feeling at what she had done to protect her muggle parents, thankfully with her and Ron seeming to repair their growing relationship, I know the Weasley’s will welcomingly be the family she needs now more than ever.
As I walked along the school grounds that’s when I came across (Y/n) getting looked over by one of the healers.  When she looked towards me, she gently smiled and I smiled softly back at her thinking back on how I found her in all this chaos.
The battle was pure hell.  Spells and curses being blasted, bodies dropping like flies, and rubble from the school walls crumbling down as repercussions from the spells firing out.
I had pushed back a Death Eater with an Stupefy spell which sent him flying all the way across the Great Hall.  Another death eater soon came right at me but I quickly disposed of his wand first before giving him the paralyzing spell.
That’s when I heard it.  The sound of a young girl crying.  I quickly ran around the corridor and saw just down the stairs where I once found the Mirror of Erised, a young girl around maybe her 1-2nd year hovering over an older girl who looked almost like her but had longer hair.  The young girl with shorter hair was weeping hysterically as she kept crying.
“Liz? Lizzie. Get up sis. Oh please get up.” From the pale skin and the soulless eyes that Lizzie had, I knew immediately she had been hit with the Killing curse. Cautiously I walked over to her and said.
“Are you alright?” the young girl looked up at me and she sniffled.
“Yes. But my sister she—she won’t wake up yet her eyes are open.” Knowing how I hadn’t learned of the 3 unforgiving curses until my 4th year at Hogwarts, she must’ve not known what exactly happened to her sister.
“What’s your name?”
“(Y/n). (Y/n) (l/n).”
“Well (Y/n), I…….I’m afraid to tell you this but……..your sister’s—she’s dead.”
“What? No but….if she were dead her eyes would be shut, the spell that hit her just made her collapse. Like the paralysis spell.”
“But it wasn’t a blue light that hit her, was it?” she looked back down at her sister and touched her cheek.  “I’m afraid it was the most dangerous of all unforgiving curses. The Killing Curse.” She sniffled and hugged her sister’s corpse and choked out.
“But—she was…..she’s all I have left!” I looked around and two more Death eaters spotted us.
“Get behind me.” I urged (Y/n).  Without question she got behind me and I held out my wand and as they charged toward us I called out, “Stupefy!” which sent one Death eater flying backwards but then I felt a shock to my hand which sent my wand flying towards the second Death eater’s hand.  She sneered at me but then a voice exclaimed.
“Petrificus Totalus!” the female Death eater soon went stiff and fell to the ground.  I turned and saw that it was (Y/n) who had casted the curse.  I ran over and took my wand back from the witch and told her.
“Come on. We can’t stay here.” She took one last look at her sister.  I knew she was hesitant to leave her but if she remained here, she’d be a sitting duck.  “Your sister would want you safe (Y/n).” she turned to me and nodded before taking my hand and we raced out of the hallway.
Together the two of us worked together to fend off the oncoming Death Eaters, but one Death eater used an Inferno spell which burnt (Y/n)’s arm pretty bad.  I shielded her from the next oncoming Inferno attack but the heat of the flames was almost too strong for me to hold back.  That’s when a wave of water came and extinguished the flames and the Death Eater was flown backwards till his back hit a column and he collapsed dead.
We turned and there stood Professor McGonagall.
“Professor.”
“Harry, Ms. (L/n) are you both alright?”
“I am, (Y/n) however got burnt on her arm.” She walked up to us and she examined (Y/n)’s arm. She let out a painful hiss and the Professor said.
“I’ll take care of her from here Potter.”
“Thank you Professor.” Just as I was about to leave, I felt a hand grab the sleeve of my shirt and I saw that it was (Y/n).
“Thank you, Harry Potter.” I smiled down at her and nodded to her.  She released my sleeve and I ran off to finally end this once and for all.
I walked over to her just as the healer cleared her off and moved onto the next student that needed medical treatment.  I sat down beside her and asked her.
“How are you doing (Y/n)?”
“Shaky but—alive.” She softly scoffed.  “But at what cost? My sister’s dead. She was the only family I had left. Now the ministry will probably put me in the Magic for Orphans facility, and with me almost being a teenager, no one will want me.”
I was probably the only one who knew what she must be going through.  Even though we were orphaned in different circumstances, we still lost our loved ones to Voldemort.  Now I must be crazy because I had no clear idea of what to do next but what I did know was that I couldn’t leave (Y/n) alone anymore.
“What if—” I started off by saying.  “What if you…had someone to look after you?”
“But, but Harry I—I have no other living relatives. It’s always just been me and my sister since our parents died three years ago at the Quidditch world cup.”
“I know, but what if there was someone who wanted to help you out. Give you a home so that you wouldn’t have to suffer any potential abuse or neglect.”
“And just who would that person be?” I sighed softly before telling her.
“You’re looking at him.” Her eyes softly widened before she let out a soft gasp.
“But-but why? I mean no offense Harry but…..why would you want to help me out?”
“Let’s just say, from one orphan to another I know how lonely it can be. I had no clue about the magic world till I was just your age, and though I may not know how the Ministry of Magic deals with orphaned wizards, I do know a thing or two about living in terrible conditions. I lived practically my whole childhood in a tiny hall closet in my aunt and uncle’s place. And I wouldn’t want you to potentially go through that type of abuse in a stranger’s home.”
(Y/n) was silent for a moment, taking in what I just said.  Weighing out her options before thinking about what answer she would give me.
“If not I’ll understand, I’ll check in whenever I can. But just know you won’t go through the rest of your life alone.” She looked up at me.  Her eyes that were once filled with tears, but now filled with courage and strength as she said.
“If it won’t be too much trouble with you, I’ll go with you.” I softly smiled at her and told her taking notice of her robes.
“Spoken like a true Gryffindor.”
After that, the Weasley family, Hermione, myself and (Y/n) returned to the Weasley’s old home the Burrow and decided to rebuild it, a symbol as a fresh start to all our lives after this whole war.
We also had a memorial service for both Fred and (Y/n)’s older sister, each of us speaking for both Fred and (Y/n)’s sister before finally burying them and summoning a beautiful garden around them of their favorite flowers and plants.
As the sun was starting to set I saw (Y/n) still standing over her sister’s grave.  I walked out to her and said.
“Mrs. Weasley’s prepared supper for all of us. She says you best come in before it’s all gone.” (Y/n) remained silent.  I softly sighed and without another word I just stood there beside her.  She may not want to talk, but she should at least know that someone was there when she was ready.
“I—never thought I’d have to face this world without her. Even through our fights, especially after mom and dad died, she was always there for me. She especially liked to tease me about my crush on Joey Matarazzo, saying we’d get married one day and have kids of our own. Now she won’t ever see me grow up, or achieve any dreams I’ll have for the future.”
“Let me tell you something my Godfather once told me. He told me that the ones that love us never really leave us. And we can always find them, in here.” I pointed to her heart.
She looked up at me and finally for the first time I saw a true, genuine smile.  She came closer to me and wrapped an arm around my waist and rested her head against my ribs.  I wrapped an arm around her and we stood there for a few more minutes before walking back inside the Burrow to join the Weasley’s for dinner.
*FF 19 years later.*
It was like any other year, but this time it was my second son’s first time doing this.  I could already see from the look on his face that he looked anxious about his first year going as we came up to platform 9¾.
“Together.” I assured him as we took hold of his cart and we both ran straight through the brick wall and found ourselves right by the Hogwarts Express.  As we walked closer to the train, we soon found Ron and Hermione with their kids, I spotted Draco and his wife and son bidding their goodbyes.  He and I looked at each other, neither of us speaking a word but he gave me a point nod, and I nodded back to him.
“I was beginning to think I’d have to write my own brothers up for detention already.” A female voice soon spoke up and coming right towards us was (Y/n), all grown up and in her Professor robes.
Since the battle she continued on her Hogwarts education and excelled in both Magical creature knowledge and potions making.  By the time she was in her 4th year at Hogwarts, Ginny and I had agreed to legally adopt her as our own child and she was beyond thrilled at the news.  After graduating, she worked with me at the Ministry of Magic to focus on potion brewery before enrolling to be the next Potions Professor and this would be her second year teaching that class.
I’m told she’s kind but firm when it comes to students goofing off in that class, but she is always there to make sure no student messes up a potion and causes injuries either to themselves or others.
“Not in the slight.” I assured her.
“Good. I would hate to have to write them up to Headmaster McGonagall.” She told me.  She looked down at her brothers and asked them, “So boys, you ready?”
“Oh yeah!” exclaimed James while Albus was more reserved and didn’t really say anything. Instead he walked away and sat down with his arms hugging his legs close to him.  (Y/n) and I looked at each other and I told her to get James onto the train as well as herself while I talked to James.  She nodded and guided James as well as his things over to the train while I walked over to Albus and knelt down beside him.
“Dad,” he spoke. “What if I am put in Slytherin?”
“Albus Severus Potter. You were named after two Headmasters of Hogwarts. And one of them was a Slytherin. And he was the bravest man I had ever known. But if it means to you, you can choose Gryffindor. The sorting hat does take that into consideration.”
“Really?” I nodded. “But how would you feel? If I was sorted into Slytherin?”
“Then Slytherin will have gained the best wizard they could ask for.” He smiled and embraced me and I hugged him back.  “Now come on, off you go.” We then walked towards the train and Albus got himself situated inside with his brother and Ron and Hermione’s kids, and riding alongside them to keep an eye on them to Hogwarts was (Y/n).
As I stood by my friends and we watched the train leave the station, waving goodbye to our kids I couldn’t help but feel like we had done it.  The war ended almost 2 decades ago and now our children can learn magic in a better world, a world without Death Eaters, a world without darkness and death, a world without a Dark Lord.
A peaceful time in our world.
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shinydelirium · 2 years
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MLQC Season 2 Chapter 21 (Kiro) Part 1 [Gold Card] & [Subtle Changes] Translation [CN]
***SPOILERS*** THIS POST CONTAINS HEAVY SPOILERS FOR CONTENT NOT YET RELEASED ON EN SERVER!!! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!***
Chapter 21 is relatively short so there won’t be as many parts as I will be combining multiple sections. 
Without further ado, enjoy reading!
[Gold Card]
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I sat up on the bed in a daze and stared at the cardboard boxes piled up on the ground.
The sunlight fell on them, making the dust in the air visible.
Two days have passed since I moved here. Apart from tidying up the bed and taking out some basic necessities, the rest of the belongings are still in the same state as I left them after I moved.
I couldn’t help taking a deep breath, trying to get that indifferent face out of my mind.
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MC: MC, get yourself together. You still have a lot to do.
Endless fatigue wrapped me in its silent vortex. I struggled hard to prevent myself from being swallowed by those negative black mists.
I splashed cold water on my cheeks, turning my head constantly, thinking about the message Zehn left me during my absence.
Zehn: “Boss, you asked me to investigate the Evolver who was taken away from the Wish Club, but I haven’t found anything for the time being.”
Zehn: “However, I found a place called Wish Hotel.”
Zehn: “It also has financial support from the charity foundation. I don’t know if there will be any connections.”
I wiped my face clean with a towel and walked out of the bathroom. I took out the card I received at the Wish Club from my backpack and later returned by Lucien—
“Wish Hotel”—dedicated to only serving Evolvers.
There is probably no such coincidence in the world.
My eyes wandered to the phone number at the bottom right, and after giving it some thought, I grabbed my bag and walked out the door.
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The feeling of autumn is getting stronger and the cool wind blows over me making me tighten the hem of my clothes.
These few days I’ve been constantly thinking.
The world seems to be swept by a torrent. Anything at this moment has the possibility of being magnified. It may be the fuse that makes the world move into a different future.
And I’m so small and insignificant in comparison.
What I see and what I believe seems to be particularly vague as the world moves forward.
But I always believed that this new journey and the memories I carry has a purpose.
“Remember to get back what you lost.”
That strange and distant voice still echoes in my ears from time to time.
If CORE is the key to this world, then I must find it.
In this search and competition about CORE, I must learn more.
I walked into an unmanned telephone booth, inserted some coins, and dialed the number on the card.
Electronic voice: Hello, thank you for calling Wish Hotel.
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MC: ….Hello, I want to check in.
Electronic voice: Thanks for calling, bye.
Hearing the beep from the receiver, I was stunned.
I dialed again and the result is still the same.
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MC: It said “thank you for calling Wish Hotel” so it should be correct…
I looked front and back of the small card in my hand, searching for important information points that I had overlooked.
Except for the name, number, and the slogan “Only for Evolvers”, there is no other information on the card.
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MC: Is there a hidden secret code that needs a kind of UV light to see it?
I held up the card against the light but still unable to see anything. I couldn’t help but frown at the slogan.
MC: Maybe it needs special keywords?
Thinking about this, I tentatively dialed the number again.
Electronic voice: Hello, thank you for calling Wish Hotel.
MC: I’m an Evolver and I want to check in!
After the dead silence, I heard a “beep” along with faint white noise—
Electronic voice: Wish Hotel will serve you wholeheartedly.
Success!
Electronic voice: Dear guest, hello.
Electronic voice: Please press 1 for “Wish Hotel”, press 2 for related services, press 3 for check-in, or press 0 for manual service.
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***If you choose 1***
Electronic voice: Wish Hotel is a high-end hotel dedicated to Evolvers.
Electronic voice: Here, you can not only enjoy our service in peace, but also store Evol for free.
Electronic voice: Whether you want to try an unprecedented experience or relive the life of ordinary people, we will do our best to serve you.
***If you choose 2***
Electronic voice: Free storage of Evol is the most distinctive service of Wish Hotel.
Electronic voice: This service has no side effects. It is safe, fast, and effective.
Electronic voice: There is no limit for storage time.
Electronic voice: You are always welcome to experience it.
***If you choose 3***
Electronic voice: Please provide your name and contact address after the “di” sound and we will arrange a special car for pick-up.
Taking into account the necessary identification for the hotel to stay-in and on the premise that a perfect fake identity cannot be forged in a short time, I reported my name in order to avoid drawing suspicion.
Then I looked at the street sign at the road junction and said the name of the street.
Electronic voice: The information has been entered.
Electronic voice: Dear [MC], we will send a special car to arrive at [Fortune. Fu-Lu-2-2-2] in 30 minutes. We will contact you by phone at that time.
Electronic voice: Thank you for your call. Wish Hotel will serve you wholeheartedly.
Thirty minutes later, a black luxury car smoothly drove up in my peripheral vision.
The back seat door stopped precisely in front of me and slowly opened. At the same time, I heard a faint “dripping” sound.
??: Greetings, Miss MC.
I followed the sound. The driver’s seat was completely blocked off and the driver’s appearance was not visible.
I took a deep breath, got into the car, and found an inconspicuous instrument hidden in the corner facing the car door.
It looks exactly like a camera and seemed very familiar—
It’s almost exactly the same as the Evol detector I got from the black fan who exposed Kiro’s Evolver identity and framed him for hurting others.
My heart tightened and I looked carefully towards the driver’s seat.
It’s not surprising that there are detectors here. After all, they claim to be only for Evolvers.
But what does this extremely similar device doing here mean?
The car was very quiet and I looked out through the car window.
Perhaps this Wish Hotel can bring me more information than I imagined.
I don’t know how long it took. The car drove into a garden-like iron gate.
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Along the flowery path, through the secret and prosperous bushes, a small and exquisite dark wood building gradually appeared in front of me.
After the car came to a slow stop, I walked towards the gate.
The wind chime on the door rang and someone happened to walk out carrying a suitcase and passed right by me.
The person didn’t seem like anyone special and I was shocked by the scene in front of me as I stepped through the door—
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The hotel is much bigger than it looks on the surface and the ceiling is indiscernible. I could estimate it to be at least twenty or thirty stories high.
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MC: Did this building look that high from the outside…?
As I mumbled, I looked around. Guests in twos and threes were sitting in the lobby just like in an ordinary hotel lobby.
The waiter on the side came over and greeted me.
Waiter: Hello, please come with me to check-in.
The check-in procedure is simpler than expected. After filling in the basic information, I got my room key.
Waiter: The fifth floor is the restaurant, the 16th floor is the fitness area, and the 18th floor is the beverage bar.
Waiter: The top floor of the 23rd floor is the office area which is not open to the public. There are no restrictions for the rest of the public areas so you can go freely according to your needs.
After nodding and thanking him, I walked into the elevator and looked at the 23rd floor in deep thought.
Acting now would be a bit conspicuous so I’ll wait till nightfall.
The room is no different from any other hotel room. I walked around in the public area again. Apart from confirming that it’s a very luxurious hotel, I didn’t gain anything new.
MC: Is this really an ordinary hotel…?
In doubt, the sky finally ushered in the night.
Taking advantage of the shift time, I walked from the fire exit to the 23rd floor and gently opened the door.
The corridor was dim and there was no sign of movement.
I lowered my body and as I was about to step forward, a fierce force grabbed my waist.
Almost instinctively, I took out the anesthesia gun and lifted my leg backwards to kick—
Only that person is more powerful and faster than me.
His hand went around my neck and bound my wrists tightly. His right leg lifted slightly. He quickly and dexterously pinned my legs. His warm breath brushed over my ears.
??: Stop messing around.
[Subtle Changes]
The voice is very soft and close to my ear like the faint moonlight in the night.
My movements are frozen in place. I felt the temperature near my back slowly seeping through the placket of my clothes.
Only quiet breathing remained in the air.
Meanwhile, two or three waiters walked into the room at the end of the corridor.
??: There is nothing you want here.
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??: Follow me.
With that said, the hand that was holding me slowly loosened, but in the next second, he took my hand and walked towards the door of a warehouse.
Although I was puzzled, I still followed behind that dark figure without question.
He seemed to be familiar with the place as if he had been here for a long time.
We entered the equipment room from the back door of the warehouse and from the side door of the equipment room to the garbage sorting office in the corridor, he pressed the freight elevator button on the side.
The waiting time is long and quiet. I lowered my head subtly and secretly looked at our held palms.
We haven’t seen each other since we separated on the bridge last time.
Except for the “I’m safe, don’t worry” message from a strange phone number, I didn’t receive any news about him.
I faintly felt that it was probably from Helios, but I still couldn’t dial his number.
So I had to wipe away the worries in my heart, silently thinking about our agreement.
He promised me that he would come back safely so he would definitely be able to do it.
Only when I saw him again, my heart still surged uncontrollably.
He didn’t seem to be injured.
Following the position of my hand, my gaze secretly moved upwards until I met a gaze that seemed to have been waiting for me there.
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In the dim light, Helios’ eyes were bright.
I didn’t know what to say for a while. Too many words stuck in my throat making me subconsciously want to rub my fingertips but I squeezed his hand tightly.
Helios pursed the corners of his lips. His eyes dimmed.
The elevator door opened slowly and we walked out in silence, pushed open an iron gate and came to an open-air staircase.
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Helios: It’s okay to talk now.
The soft dusk startled me and I blinked my eyes vigorously, thinking it was an illusion.
I heard a chuckle coming from the side, and Helios raised his mouth slightly, leaning his back against the railing, looking at me gently.
In this impermanent landscape, the soft and warm yellow sunlight washed over his body. The light breeze blew his hair, exposing the small instruments in his ears.
His distinct silver hair seemed to be immersed in the clouds behind him, glowing with golden light and making feel like I was in a trance.
Not so soft, but not so far away.
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Helios: Don’t keep looking at me like at.
In the gaze that I kept staring at, Helios seemed to be uncomfortable, pressing the corners of his mouth hard and turning his head to the side.
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MC: I, I just wanted to make sure whether your injury has fully recovered.
I pursed my lips and tried not to let my myself be too happy.
This person who has always kept himself in his shell now seems to be slowly exploring his own way to show his true self to me.
Somewhat rough and very clumsy.
Helios: I have not forgotten the agreement with you.
MC: …I know.
He turned his head back to me when I said that.
MC: “I’m safe, don’t worry.” You sent this text message, right?
MC: But I think if you were actually safe, you would appear in front of me.
He lowered his eyes, seeming to be tacitly acquiescing.
Quietly, I took a step towards Helios.
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MC: Aren’t you going to call me Narcissus this time?
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Helios was stunned. Seeing me tilt my head with a smile at him, he seemed to pause for a moment. The burning red color of the clouds behind him sneaked onto the tips of his ears.
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Helios: Are you vengeful?
MC: A little bit.
Helios: Then save it for later.
He stretched out his index finger and lightly tapped my forehead and turned the conversation back to the topic at hand.
Helios: Before explaining why you’re here.
Helios: Do you have anything to ask?
MC: ….Are your ears okay?
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I watched him as I asked this question that was constantly occupying my heart, causing his pupils to shrink unconsciously.
Helios: I don’t know how to answer your question.
His hand touched the instrument in his ear. Fragmented light fell on us wildly with the wind.
Helios: But…I can hear your voice.
Helios: As for the rest, don’t ask.
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MC: Okay.
Even though he was reluctant, he did not evade this question either.
Faced with such an answer, I feel happy from the bottom of my heart.
MC: So what happened after you went to the lighthouse with Joker last time? Why are you here?
MC: What’s going on with this hotel? It’s obviously nighttime so why did it become dusk again?
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Helios: ….
I fired off my questions at him one after the other. Helios frowned and finally sighed.
Helios: Nothing happened.
Helios: Joker trapped me here.
Helios: This hotel only looks normal.
Helios: It’s dusk here because there is a problem.
Helios responded to my question word for word but it drew even more questions from me.
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MC: Ho-hold a minute. Let’s take it one at a time.
MC: You said you were trapped here by Joker. Does that mean you can’t leave?
Helios: There are ways, but I don’t want to cause any trouble for the time being.
Helios: There are also things I want to investigate here.
MC: But how can this hotel have anything to do with Joker?
Hearing my question, Helios frowned slightly.
Helios: What do you mean?
MC: I thought this hotel was only related to the Wish Club.
I briefly explained the existence of the Wish Club and those who were taken away from there.
MC: Both of these places seem to have received investment from the Fulcrum Charity Foundation. I met the founder of this foundation some time ago.
MC: He seems to have benefited from an organization called GRAY RHINO and he’s doing things for them.
MC: But is it also related to Joker?
Helios: Who is this founder?
MC: He’s an ordinary man in his forties using a wheelchair and his name is Du Wen.
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Helios’ eyes lowered as if he had figured it out and raised a slightly prickly smile.
Helios: A foundation that only serves ordinary people but why invest in a place that serves Evolvers?
MC: ….Right!
Hearing what he said, I came to a subtle conclusion of what I have been feeling.
Helios: Remember, be careful of that Du Wen.
Helios: As for your question about this hotel….
While talking, he took my hand again.
Helios: Explaining is too troublesome. I’ll show you directly.
[End of Part 1]
-Continue to Part 2-
17 notes · View notes
wh0reforjsmh · 4 years
Text
Lone Wolf
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Summary: A lone she-wolf finds home in a new pack after a series of unfortunate events. As time passes, she slowly falls for the pack alpha and things take turn for the best as they finally find home in each other’s arms.
Pairing: Hwang Hyunjin x female reader
Genre: werewolf au, smut, fluff, angst
Warnings: violence, mentions of character death, cursing, breeding kink, knotting, size kink, overstimulation, degradation  
Word Count: 6k
Disclaimer: This is my first time officially writing a smut so please bare with me. Some information may not be correct but I had to change it a little to adjust with the story line so don’t come at me, please.
Keep running!
You run through the woods at full speed, ignoring the pain on the soles of your feet and the way the tree branches scratch your skin. Your wolf howls in panic, urging you to run faster and lose the group of vampires following you.
Two days ago, your pack had been ambushed by rogue vampires from the coven that marked the southern land. 
A little too much blood lust had them draining the life out of unsuspecting humans and their thirst for power had them killing off a few stray werewolves that hid themselves from society.
Banishment was their punishment but it didn't hinder them the slightest bit. In fact, it made them even more reckless and hungry for power.
And that's how they killed every last one of your pack members.
You had been tasked to gather a few herbs from a nearby valley to prepare for pack dinner. But the moment you got back, you sensed something wrong.
The atmosphere of the pack grounds had shifted and the cheerful chatter which could be heard within a half a mile radius was no longer present.
There were new scents in the air intermingling with those of your pack mates and instantly, you knew the reason. Vampires.
For centuries, vampires and werewolves had been mutual enemies but in the past few decades, a pact had been formed to prevent supernatural wars, a pact to live in harmony by compromising. It was simple, vampires and werewolves should never kill each other, a simple rule that can easily be carried out.
Whoever defies the agreement will be punished regardless of the reason. And the punishment varies depending on the coven or pack. However, the punishment given by the southern coven might have not proven to be a punishment at all considering the fact that their rogues continue to kill werewolves in the quest for power.
As soon as you heard the familiar howl of your alpha, your father, you ran. It was a distress howl to signal nearby pack mates to hide and protect themselves.
But vampires are agile and powerful, with sensitive hearing that could pick up the slightest of sounds.
And the sound that was emitted when you ran back through where you came from did not go unnoticed. In an attempt to save the remaining pack members, your father and the other alphas used their remaining strength to fight the vampires to give everyone else time to escape. And run you did.
Werewolves are quick on their feet, especially in their wolf form and they have relatively good hearing too. But compared to vampires, you don't stand a chance. You aren't quick enough and the fact that you aren't able to transform into your wolf form yet is another hindrance. And you can't detect their location through sound either.
But one thing you do have is a very good nose and you've been constantly sniffing the air out to pinpoint their position, enough so you could create some distance between you and them.
It's been 2 days since the incident and you've grown tired and weak, never stopping to catch a breath yet unable to suppress the drowsiness that crawls upon your consciousness.
You can't stop yet. You need to run as far as you can till you get help. That is if anyone is willing to help. Your pack has always been a little closed off from the outside world, preferring to keep to yourselves and live peacefully in the dense woods, far from civilization.
But that may prove to be a disadvantage with the way the woods seem endless as you continue to run, nobody in sight save for a few animals that scramble away at your abrupt presence.
You don't know how much longer you can take this, you've always been a weak omega with a small frame and less than average stamina and strength. With the energy you've exerted over the last few days, your body might start to cage in on itself.
"Little wolf," a voice calls out from behind and you gasp as you realize that the vampires are drawing near. "Don't be scared."
You continue to run, tears streaming down your face as you silently cry for help. You wolf is howling all over the place, stressed and gripped with fear.
You don't slow down through the chase despite the growing ache in your limbs and the burning in your lungs. _____
"Hyunjin," Jisung, the pack scout, calls as he stumbles into the main house, out of breath.
Hyunjin looks up at him from the kitchen counter, detecting the uneasiness in his voice.
"Did something happen?"
"I found a few new scents in the western border; they've just entered our land."
Hyunjin furrows his brows in thought. We're not expecting anyone.
"Rogue wolves?"
"I'm not sure. They're closing in though."
Hyunjin gets up from his seat. "Then we go meet them."
"What if it's a trap?" Minho comes into the living room, eyes sharp and guarded.
"Either way, we have to face them. We have a pack to protect and danger won't go away by itself."
"Wait," Jisung raises a hand to silence them, sniffing the air.  He has the best nose out of everyone in the pack hence chosen as the scout.
Hyunjin may have the best hearing but certain sounds can only be heard through a distance. And in this case, it won't help much.
"What is it?"
"The scents are different," Jisung mumbles, eyes closed in concentration. "There's a she-wolf but the rest are very different from hers."
“Pack mates?” Chan asks from his hunched position on the sofa.
“No, it’s different,” Jisung shakes his head. “I think it’s-”
"Vampires," Hyunjin growls lowly. "We leave now." _____   
Your legs are starting to give up on you as fatigue consumes you. Despite your inner protests, your body refuses to obey your commands any longer and you find yourself stumbling down the forest floor after tripping over a thick root, landing flat on your face.
Get up! Y/N, move!
You shakily anchor yourself up, putting weight on your hands but it proved to be futile as you end up falling again.
"Look who we have here."
Fuck.
"The little she-wolf has finally stopped to play," you can hear their chuckles from behind you and you inwardly scream in fright as you try to crawl away from them.
"You don't know when to give up do you?" a voice whispers in your ear and you almost scream from the pain that occurs not a second later.
The bastard had stepped on the back of your knee, putting pressure on it and causing a loud 'crack' to be heard.
You accidentally let out a whimper in pain, causing the vampires to chuckle in glee. Gosh, they're not only demonic but sadists too.
"Would you look at that, does the little wolf feel pain?"
"Fuck you," you manage to mutter but you're quickly shut with a vampire hoisting you to your feet by the back of your neck.
"That's not a very nice thing to say, is it?" he hisses before slamming your back against a tree trunk, hand wrapped around your throat and effectively minimizing your breathing ability.
You fight against his hold, scratching against his skin and thrashing your legs around. The vampire isn't fazed one bit by your actions, the glow of the sunlight illuminating his skin as he bares his fangs at you.
Whoever said vampires burn when they step out in the sun must have never met one. Because right now, in the evening sun, the vampires are still quite alive looking and powerful. Vampires don't burn in the sun, rather they're weaker in daytime compared to their powers in the night. And as the sun's starting to set, you fear that this may be your last breath.
"Quite beautiful, isn't it?" he laughs. "The wonders of nature."
You slowly stop fighting, the exertion causing you to slowly lose consciousness.
"That's it, let down your guard. It'll all-"
"Get your hands off her," a new voice speaks up and through your dazed state, you can see a few men standing by. The scent is akin to your pack and instantly you know.
Werewolves.
"She doesn't belong to you, Hwang," the vampire hisses in warning and the other vampires take an attacking stance, ready to kill.
"She may not belong to my pack but she is a werewolf," the man, Hwang, growls in return. "And I'm obligated to care for my kind, regardless of their status."
"She will not got with you."
"I wasn't asking. You've trespassed werewolf territory, my lands. Unless you want to end up headless, I suggest you leave."
"Never."
A split second was all it took but the moment you blinked, you find the vampire holding you captive lying still on the ground, head chopped off his body.
The hand squeezing your throat is gone and you gasp as you breathe in again, the rush of oxygen making you dizzy and you're unable to control yourself from falling over.
A pair of hands grab you before you fall to the ground, however, and you sigh in relief at the warmth surrounding your senses, unconsciously snuggling to the source of warmth and feeling safe at home.
"You're safe now," is the last thing you hear as you drift away to dreamland. _____   
You hear the sound of birds chirping in delight as you regain consciousness, memories flooding back into you one by one and you sit up instantly with a sharp intake of breath, gasping for air.
"Calm down, calm down," you hear a female voice say but you can't be bothered to question who it is, unable to focus om your surroundings and still struggling to breathe.
You're not sure if you heard right but you hear a door slam open and people shouting frantically.
Tears start streaming down your face as you recall the horrors you've faced for the past few days and the recollection worsens your breathing.
"Calm down, omega. You're safe here," a soothing voice says, stroking your hair. Unlike the first voice, it's of a deeper tone but the presence is much gentler and comforting and your wolf whines in recognition.
Within seconds, your mind has cleared and your breathing starts to get back to normal. Carefully, you open your eyes, taking a look at your surroundings. As you turn to look at your savior, you're met by the most gorgeous man you have ever seen in your life.
His looks could be said to be crafted by the gods themselves with porcelain skin and captivating full lips. His eyebrows are the definition of perfect and his jet black hair frames his face delicately. But the one feature that captivates you the most are his chocolate brown eyes and you find yourself getting lost in his gaze, expression filled with awe at his beauty.
You might've stared at him for a little too long until you hear him cough under his breath.
Mother always said, "Don't stare at people."
Instantly, your face turns beet red, embarrassed at being reprimanded for staring. He doesn't seem to really mind though with the way he smirks and raises his brow. Either way, you duck your head down to avoid his gaze.
"How're you feeling, little one?" Now that you can hear and focus properly, his voice is like honey, smooth, sweet and addictive.
"I feel better," you rasp out, throat dry and voice a little croaky.
He hands you a cup of water to quench your thirst and you gratefully take it from him, gulping it down.
"Slow down, sweetheart. Else you might choke."
You blush at the both the pet name and reminder and you nod abashedly, handing him the cup back.
"Tell me, omega," he starts and you curiously peer up at him. "What happened to you?"
You ignore the lump in your throat as you look outside, retelling the events that led up to this moment.
"My pack was attacked by rogue vampires, rogues from the southern coven if I'm not wrong."
He hums at your statement, telling you that indeed, you're right.
"I was on my way back home after gathering a few herbs when I sensed a change in the air, there were new, unfamiliar scents. I had a suspicion it was vampires and when I heard my father, the alpha, howl, I knew it was a signal to run. So I ran and never stopped. I don't know if anyone even survived and I-I just-"
You break down into tears as guilt fills you. You had been so focused on running for your life that you didn't stop to think about what happened to your family.
"It's alright, sweetheart," he mumbles into your hair as he embraces your frail form, stroking the back of your head to calm you down once more. "It's not your fault. Hopefully, there will be survivors from your pack and they made it out alive."
You can only nod in agreement as sobs wreck through you, mourning the death of your family now that you're safe from danger with the alpha soothing you. _____   
"What would you like to eat?" he asks once you feel a little better.
"I don't know," you chuckle tiredly. "Anything will be fine."
Hyunjin frowns at that. "You need to have a proper meal, you haven't eaten since you ran away and that's 5 days ago."
"I was out for 3 days?" you ask with wide eyes, you expected to be a dead for a while but 3 days was a little too long.
"Yes, Yeji has already cleaned your bruises and dressed you this morning but you need to eat. You're small enough as it is, you can't lose any more weight."
"Yes, sir," you mumble.
"Hyunjin," he tells you and you glance up to see him look at you with a soft smile, dimples formed and eyes crinkling into crescents. "My name's Hyunjin."
"I'm Y/N," you smile back, a little blush adorning your cheeks.
He's so handsome.
You can't help but inwardly sigh at his beauty. Not only was he gorgeous but he's very charming and nice too.
Snap out of it, Y/N. You don't really know the man and he probably already has a mate. He's an alpha for God's sake. That Yeji person he talked about might be his mate.
You force yourself out of your thoughts when you hear him clear his throat.
"Yes?"
"Are you alright? You spaced out a little."
"I'm fine. It happens all the time to me so it's nothing to worry about."
"Let's go eat then."
"Alright," you say as you swing your legs to the side of the bed, planting your feet firmly on the floor before getting up, stumbling a little from the lack of use.
"Carefully now, we don't want you to end up in bed for a few days again," he teases you as he holds his arm out for you to hold.
You chuckle lightly at his statement before grabbing onto his arm to walk steadily down the stairs.
You can see a few people loitering around the large living room as you walk downstairs, laughing loudly and chattering amongst themselves.
It turns out that your presence doesn't really bother them as they don't seem to stop in their activity or glare at you with hostility.
"That's only a few members of the pack," Hyunjin tells you as he guides you to the kitchen.
"Where are the others?"
"Some are out on patrol and some are in their homes or doing other activities within the compound."
"Do you live here?"
"Nah, I have my own cabin. This is the main house but we usually use it for meetings and some bonding time. There are guest rooms upstairs though, the one you slept in is a guest room."
"Are there any pups around?" you ask curiously and Hyunjin smiles as the question, a certain fondness overtaking his features.
"Yeah, my cousin gave birth last week to triplets. Aside from them, there are 4 more pups that belong to a few other pack mates."
"There's not much of them around, I see."
"We're quite a newly established pack, Y/N. I started the pack two years ago with my closest friends, my brothers in arms. The eight of us joined together to form a new pack and the other seven elected me as the head alpha considering that I was the one who suggested the idea in the first place."
"A pack of alphas, did that start out weird?" you teasingly ask, knowing that a group filled with testosterone wouldn't really end well.
"The first few months needed adapting, we had to have weekly meetings regarding issues to discuss possible solutions. There were a lot of arguing in the beginning, of course. We were headstrong and hated being proved wrong. It died down however and everything's been peaceful with new wolves coming into the pack. Some are family, some are lone but what matters is that we're all one pack in the end."
"That's true. The pack is important. My father was an alpha who started a pack by himself, brought a few of his friends in and continued on until he mated with my mom. He wanted to live peacefully in a secluded area within the higher grounds of the forest so we moved. We settled there when I turned 4, I was just a little pup itching to run around."
Hyunjin laughs while grabbing a plate from the drawer, plating some homemade food for you to eat.
"Well, little one. Time to eat and you better finish it up."
"You put too much food," you whine, glancing up at him.
He simply stares you down and lets out a light growl.
Out of instinct, you duck your head down in submission, obeying him.
Unbeknownst to you, Hyunjin feels a swell of warmth in seeing you submit to him. _____   
As weeks passed by, you've adapted yourself to the pack, being welcomed and accepted as a new member.
You've been helping out with chores and babysitting; you've always loved kids. It's why you've always taken the babysitting task in your old pack and surrounded yourself with kids.
The pups took an instant liking to you, nuzzling their heads into your sides as soon as you met them. There's this calming aura around you, Yeji said once. Your presence feels comforting and warm, drawing people in with your bright personality.
Sure, the first few days you were a little awkward and shy, you had just gone through a tough time. But everyone was forgiving and open, allowing you to take your time to adjust to your new living condition.
And after all this time, you've just found out that Hyunjin is not mated. In fact, he's the only one out of the eight original members to not have already mated.
The fact surprised you immensely. You thought Yeji was his mate and when you confessed to that, she cracked up.
"Y/N, oh my god! How could you? He's literally my brother!" Yeji had laughed, so hard that her stomach hurt.
Your mouth hung open then, in disbelief. And Jisung passed by commenting how you looked like a fish out of water, which earned him a quick smack to the head.
You felt stupid then and curiously you asked Yeji why he hadn't mated yet.
"He told me that he was waiting for the right one, apparently no omega's caught his eye. Even though he's been set up on dates with the prettiest and curviest of wolves, he's never spared them a second glance," she said.
You deflated a little at that. Ever since he saved you, Hyunjin made sure to check up on you every once in a while, the same gentle smile adorning his features every time you met.
And that smile made you fall for him even deeper. The smallest of gestures he directed towards you would make your heart skip a beat and turn your face flush.
You long to stand by his side and call him your alpha but Yeji's words made you question your beliefs.
If he didn't find a pretty and sexy omega interesting, why would he be interested in you?
Oh, how wrong you are. _____   
You've recently turned 18, a toast to being an adult. The wolves of your pack celebrated the occasion, throwing a party for you with vigor.
You felt happy then and felt like you truly belonged in the pack as their new omega. It won't be long till you're supposed to mate and carry pups.
And the first step to that is to go through your first heat. Usually, female wolves experience their first heat when they turn 17 and after that, they're able to shift into their wolf forms.
While for males, they'd experience their first heat at the age of 16, a determinant on whether they're an alpha or a beta, but their ability to shift takes place since young. It's not uncommon to see male pups wrestling each other in their wolf forms.
Yet here you are, 18 and still haven't gone through your first heat. Your mother did fill you in about the details of the heat but she did not inform you of the signs and pain before the heat. _____   
A few weeks later, you find yourself wide awake at 7 am in your shared cabin with Yeji.
You feel cramps in your lower stomach so you thought that you might be getting your period soon. You've never experienced a heat before so you wouldn't know exactly how it'd feel.
Since you can't go back to sleep, you opt to take a stroll along the compound and see what your pack mates are up to.
Carefully, you slip out of the cabin to not wake sleeping Yeji up, she needed her beauty sleep.
It's still a little too early for people to be up but still, you hear your favorite pup's loud laughter and you smile in glee as you see him running to you.
"Y/N!" Chenle, a 5 year old pup, exclaims in delight as he latches onto your leg, squeezing it.
"Chenle!" you squeal and pick him up, hugging him close to your bosom. "Why're you awake so early?"
He grins at you. "Mama told me that if I want to be a big boy, I need to wake up early and help Papa!"
You laugh at how adorable he looks, nuzzling your cheek onto his.
"Is that so? Then why are you here with me? Shouldn't you be helping your father with the male duties?" you tease him.
"You're right! Y/N, let me down, please. I wanna go help Papa!" he wiggles in your hold, wanting to be let down.
"Alright, geez! But I'm taking you back to your Mama first."
"But-"
"Do you even know what your father does in the morning, baby cakes?" you smile at his confused expression, playfully biting his cheek.
"Y/N!" he giggles at your action, shaking his head excitedly.
You laugh at him, leisurely carrying him back to his cabin.
"See? That's why we need to go to your Mama first. Besides, if you want to be a big, strong man then you need to drink plenty of milk and eat your meals. You can't do anything on an empty stomach."
"If I drink a lot of milk then will I get as big and strong as Alpha Hyunjin?" he peers up at you with curious eyes.
"Of course. However, there's one more condition."
"What's that?" Chenle leans into you, interested.
"You have to eat veggies!"
"Ew, no! Y/N, that's disgusting!"
You laugh as you hold him tighter in your hold, savoring the warmth.
Unbeknownst to you, a certain head alpha watched the whole interaction with a fond smile and a loving gaze. But once he smells the change in your scent, his eyes darken and glaze over in lust. _____   
"Y/N, are you in heat?" Ryujin, another close friend of yours, asks during your little baking episode.
You look at her with a raised brow. "I'm pretty sure I told you how I haven't experienced my first heat yet. I really don't know how it feels."
"I'm serious, Y/N. Your scent's a lot stronger now than it was this morning! Did you feel any cramps of some sort this morning?"
"No-" you start but cut yourself off as you remember the cramp you had earlier this morning.
"Shit, Y/N! You need to get back into your cabin before it starts. Once it fully kicks in, you won't be able to think properly aside from wanting to be dicked down."
"Ryujin!"
"Hey, it's true! We need to get you back before-"
"Ah!" you exclaim as pain surges through your abdomen, and heat starts to crawl through your nether regions.
"-that," Ryujin cringes at how you start to clutch onto your stomach. "Y/N, stay with me. Come on, let's get you back."
'Yeji!' Ryujin shouts through the telepathic pack link, calling out to the older girl in panic.
"What's wrong?" Yeji exclaims as she runs into the kitchen, eyes widening at your position. "Oh, no. This calls for trouble. We need to get her back before all the unmated alphas or betas start scenting her."
Yeji bends down to carry you, not bothered by your weight due to how light you are.
"Get the bed ready," Yeji tells Ryujin who sprints towards your cabin right away.
Yeji tries to run as she carries you in her arms, eyes focused on the path before her.
Meanwhile, you're starting to grow hotter and needier by the minute. You feel like taking all your clothes off because of how hot you feel and the amount of slick you're starting to produce can't be contained any longer.
Surely by now, there's a wet patch on your sweats, slick leaking through your panties. You can't help but whimper at the heat and pain in your core, your wolf whining in need.
Yeji notices the change in your attitude and starts rushing through the compound. Unfortunately, things don't always go according to plan and Yeji finds a certain Lee Donghyuk blocking her path.
"Goddamn it, Lee! Move!"
"And let my opportunity with sweet Y/N go to waste?" he scoffs, walking towards you with arms stretched out. "I'll take her from here."
Of course, with your acceptance into the pack comes a few disadvantages as well. You don't know how it happened but you've gained yourselves a few admirers such as Lee Donghyuk and Huang Renjun to name a few.
They've been pestering you since you came in, taking every opportunity to land a kiss on your cheek or nuzzle into your neck and it infuriates you every time because damn it, Hyunjin is the one you want.
And if he doesn't want you then no one will have you.
Fortunately, you still have half a mind through your incessant whimpers and whines to growl at him. "Fuck you, Lee."
"Omega!" his eyes flash red in anger but before anything could happen, Minho appeared and squeezes his shoulder in warning.
"If she doesn't want you then don't force her. She's in enough pain as is," Minho tells him in a low growl, gesturing Yeji to continue on with a quick cock of his head.
Yeji nods at him before sprinting to your shared cabin, kicking the door open before hurriedly setting you on the bed.
"She's burning up," Yeji curses under her breath. "What do we do?"
"Do you think we should call an alpha for her?" Ryujin asks, unsure.
"Let's not be hasty. We don-"
"Alpha," you whimper in need. "I want my alpha, please."
"Y/N?" Yeji calls out to you to confirm your words. "Are you absolutely sure?"
You continue to whimper, tugging on your clothes with grunts of pain.
"Alpha, please. Please," you whine as you roll on your bed, slick coating the sheets.
"What do we do?" Ryujin asks Yeji helplessly.
"She wants her alpha but who exactly does she mean?"
"Please not Renjun, she'll regret losing her virginity to him for the rest of her life."
"Please, please," you whimper in need, dry humping the sheets. "Alpha, please."
Yeji's head starts to spin from the heavy musk of arousal. "Y/N, be specific."
"My alpha," you cry. "Hyunjin, alpha!"
"Hyunjin?" Ryujin asks with wide eyes.
"I fucking knew it," Yeji cheers but a glare from Ryujin cuts her off. "Alright, you stay here. I'll get-"
"No need," a voice cuts them both off as the door swings open, revealing said alpha.
"Hyunjin-"
Hyunjin growls lightly at his sister and she raises her hands in surrender before pulling Ryujin by the arm.
"Have fun!" she calls out before slamming the door shut behind her.
Thankfully, the walls of every cabin is soundproof, especially Hyunjin's cabin but obviously, neither of you have the ability to make a trek to his cabin near the main house.
Hyunjin has sensitive hearing, the best in the pack and he could hear your soft moans and whimpers all the way from his cabin, driving him insane.
The change in your scent this morning had made him light-headed, driving him into an early rut.
Usually, he'd spend his ruts in his cabin by himself, not wanting to copulate with just any female. He wanted to properly mate with his she-wolf, the person destined to be his mate and carry his pups.
And ever since you stepped foot into his life, he believes that you're the one. Your easy-going personality has him melting in ways unfathomable. Yet, you're way too pure and innocent.
You don't realize how the smallest things you do ignite a passion inside him, he wants to hold you close and keep you safe from harm. He wants to love you hard and soft all the same and keep you away from prying eyes.
He wants to keep you caged beneath him as he does the dirtiest things to your body and knot you till you're full of his cum. And right now, it's the perfect opportunity to do so.
"Alpha," you cry in desperation, hands reaching out for him. "Alpha, please."
"My little omega," he coos as he sits on the edge of the bed, gently stroking your hair and effectively calming you down. "Is my little omega finally experiencing her heat?"
You nod at him, nuzzling into his hand that's moved down to your cheek.
"Look how small and pretty you are, omega."
"Only for you, alpha," you confess through hooded eyes. "I want to be small and pretty only for you."
Hyunjin feels his breath hitch at how ethereal you look covered in your own slick and sweat, the primal instincts inside him begging to be released.
"Is that so? Am I your alpha now?"
You nod fervently. "Yes, alpha, please. Please mark me as yours."
You whimper into his touch as he strokes your cheek, arousal still clouding your mind but the words you say are heartfelt, spoken with the purest of intentions.
When Hyunjin makes no move whatsoever, you whine in need, removing your body from his touch and planting yourself face down, raising your hips into the air and pushing your ass into him.
Hyunjin growls in satisfaction at your display of submission, hands tracing the wet patch on your sweats.
"Alpha, please!"
"Please what, omega? What do you want me to do?"
"Anything, just make me yours," you whine before turning to look him in the eyes. "Knot me till I'm full of your cum, please, Alpha."
At hearing those words, something inside Hyunjin snaps, years of practiced control and patience thrown out the window at your pleas and he doesn't waste more time.
He pulls you into his lap, latching his lips onto yours, tongue skillfully tracing every inch of your wet cavern. You let him dominate you, feeling yourself grow weaker in his touch.
"The things I want to do to you," he growls as he sucks onto your neck, marring your skin with purple bruises.
He scents your mating gland, eyes darkening in pure animalistic lust. "Strip for me, omega."
It takes everything in you to muster the ability to stand on your two feet but the thought of pleasing your alpha sends your mind into overdrive.
Immediately, you pull your hoodie over your head and unclasp your bra, letting your boobs spill out into the open air, your nipples pink and perked.
You shimmy out of your sweats, leaving you in just your panties. But as you grasp the waistband of your panties, Hyunjin grabs your hand.
The action has you confused until he flips you back onto the bed. "I'll do the honors, sweetheart."
Hyunjin latches himself onto your nipples, sucking and squeezing on them like his life depended on it.
You whimper in pleasure and pain, the heat in your core intensifying. "Alpha."
Hyunjin grips the hem of your panties and slowly pulls them down, revealing your most sacred possession.
Hyunjin groans at the sight of your slick coated pussy, hole clenching around the air in need and slick just dripping down your nether region.
Hyunjin locks his eyes with yours as he bends down to face your sopping cunt. Experimentally, Hyunjin licks up your slit and you gasp at the feeling, pleasure starting to consume you as he sucks on your clit like hard candy.
In a haze, you feel his fingers poking your entrance and you whimper as he starts to slip them in, your moans increasing in frequency and your breathing unsteady.
Within seconds, Hyunjin has you coming undone on his tongue, back arching off the bed and hands gripping the sheet so hard you might pop a vein. You come with a loud call of his name as your body shudders in pleasure.
"Think you can take me, omega?" Hyunjin asks once he’s made sure to lick up all of your juices, lips glistening in your cum.
"Yes, please. Alpha, please give me your cock."
"Only I get to see you so weak and vulnerable, right? Huang Renjun and Lee Donghyuk won't have the privilege of tasting this sweet pussy, right?"
"No, Alpha! Only you can have me!"
"Your body's only mine to touch, pleasure, and this pussy," Hyunjin cups your heat, making you moan at the touch. "belongs to me and only I get to dump my cum in there and knot you until you're full and swelling with my seed."
You whimper at his words, fully wrecked with arousal.
"You'd like that, won't you? You'd like to be stuffed with my knot until you're bursting with my cum? Can your little pussy take my cock? You're such a small girl, will your pussy be enough for me?"
"Yes, Alpha! Please take me."
"Good girl," Hyunjin praises with a soft kiss to your lips, breaking the contact a second later to strip himself of his clothing.
You rake your eyes over his form, the way his hair shines in sweat to the way his skin glows ever so brightly. You drink in his toned chest, muscular biceps and perfect abs. You can feel yourself get even wetter as he rids himself of his pants and boxers, the sight of his twitching cock causing another gush of arousal to exit you.
Hyunjin notices and gives you a smirk, obviously proud at your reaction.
Your mouth waters at his cock, the tip a fiery red with bulging veins on the body. He's long and thick, so thick that you question if it'll fit inside you.
"I'll fuck you well, omega," he growls as he approaches, eyes locked on yours and he looks absolutely feral. The sight has you keening, slick gushing out of you as you await his next move.
"Present for your alpha," he commands, staring you down.
In less than a second, you're on your knees with your ass raised in the air, face planted down on the bed.
Hyunjin groans at the sight of your gushing core, cock hardening even more if that's possible. Slowly, he climbs onto the bed, hands cupping a feel of your soft flesh before tracing the tip of his cock on your nether lips.
You whine in protest but a low rumble from Hyunjin shuts you up. Carefully, he slips into your cunt, inching his cock inside till he bottoms out.
You're so well lubricated that you don't really feel any pain at the intrusion, only slight discomfort that goes away once he bottoms out.
You moan at the feeling of being so full, pressing your ass even more against his hips, bending your body into a 45 degree angle.
"Fuck, sweetheart. You feel so good around me."
Hyunjin wastes no time and begins pounding into you roughly, each thrust pinpointed at your g-spot, making your toes curl in delight.
Your moans start rising in pitch, your walls clenching around him like a vice and Hyunjin growls, the action making him pound you harder until it has you screaming.
"Do I fuck you good? Does my cock feel good? This pretty little pussy's only mine to use, isn't it?"
"Yes, yes, yes," you gurgle. "You feel so good, Alpha. Use me all you want but please, please, let me cum."
Hyunjin continues pistoning his hips into yours, the tip of his cock brushing your cervix, and it has you keening into him, your body trembling in pleasure.
"Are you close, Omega? Do you want me to fill you up with my cum? Knot you until you burst with my seed and swell with my pups?"
"Yes, yes, please. Alpha, please," you sputter. "Alpha, please mark me."
You bare your neck to him, allowing him to scent you and Hyunjin reaches down to rub your clit. The added pressure has you squeezing around him, your muscles clenched as you reach your high, face contorted in pleasure and mouth hung open in a silent scream.
As the first wave of your orgasm rushes over you, Hyunjin bites into your mating gland, piercing the soft skin and sucking on it, officially marking you as his.
You moan at the added pleasure, mind starting to clear a little. But as Hyunjin continues to fuck you through your orgasm, the prolonged sensation transitions from pleasure into pain.
"Alpha," you whimper.
"Just a little more, sweetheart," Hyunjin kisses the back of your neck as his knot starts to swell and attaches itself onto your cervix, jets of cum spurting out of him and painting your walls white.
The slight pain makes you whimper lowly, but the sound doesn't go unnoticed.
"Sweetheart, are you alright?" Hyunjin asks worriedly, turning your face around a little so that he could see you.
"I'm fine, it just hurts a little."
Hyunjin carefully positions you on your side so you can lay down comfortably, spooning you from behind.
"Can't believe it took a heat to realize each other's feelings," Hyunjin laughs after a moment of silence, the two of you still breathless.
"I thought I was the dumb one," you tease.
"Ready to play with fire, omega?"
You squeal as he lightly tickles your side, leaning your body into his.
"This feels nice," you muse, nuzzling your cheek onto his bicep.
"Which one? The fact that we're finally mates or the fact that I just fucked you senseless and you've still got my knot in you?"
"Alpha!" you blush at his words, your shy demeanor coming back and you couldn't help but cover your face in embarrassment.
"Hey, none of that," Hyunjin chides as he grasps your hand, interlocking it with his. "You don't have to be shy with me."
You smile in his embrace, feeling his knot start to deflate after a while and Hyunjin carefully pulls out of you, making you whine at the loss of contact.
"We'll go again later, sweetheart. Heats don't end with just one fuck."
"Hyunjin~" you whine as you turn around in his embrace, wrapping your arms around his torso.
Hyunjin chuckles as he strokes your hair, pulling you closer into him. "I love you, my little Omega."
He can feel you smile at his words and his heart swells as he hears you say the three most sacred words back to him.
"And I love you, my handsome Alpha."
380 notes · View notes
jokertrap-ran · 3 years
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(光与夜之恋 Light and Night) Main Story Chapter 1-14: 命运的拐点 Destiny’s Turning Point Translation
“Destiny is like a gust of wind… Red leaves flutter, flying away in the face of it.  And it is when the winds pick up ― That you meet once more…”
“If you go in blindly with the notion of playing safe, you will only be bound by the safety net which you seek.”
*Light and Night Master-list *Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *Join the Light & Night Discord (^▽^)~ ♪ *Main story tag will be #For Light and Night
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Both the audience and the contestants were all collectively stunned for a while.
Audience A: Didn’t he already retire!?
Yeah! So how is this possible!?
But the tall figure under the spotlight and those cold light-coloured eyes… It was unmistakably the same face I’ve seen countless times in magazines…
Sariel was really in front of me, in flesh and blood.
It was as if someone had hit the pause button on the world. Everyone stood rooted to their spots, stunned beyond belief as they watched him proceed onwards step-by-step. He walked past the cameras and crowd alike before taking his place beside the rest of the judges.
Time only seemed to resume when he finally seated himself. Noise and excitement broke out over the crowd like a rising tide.
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Host: Just as I introduced him earlier, Mr. Sariel will be the Design Director for the Warson Brand from today onwards.
Host: We hope that Warson will be able to reach greater heights under his leadership!
The audience broke out in chatter again, and the Host happily handed him the mic.
Host: The last round of the contest is about to begin shortly. May I ask if you have anything you’d like to say to everyone here, Mr. Sariel?
Sariel raised his eyes towards the Host, yet his face remained emotionless.
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Sariel: I have nothing to say.
The Host smiled awkwardly at that as he attempted to clear up the atmosphere once more before announcing the next set of rules for the championships.
The last contest will have three different themes, each put out by each of the judges, respectively. The selected contestants will have to choose their judge, and then create a product in line with their given theme.
Host: The order of selection will go according to the final rankings of the previous round. Hence, the person in the first place will have the right to first pick. And in the first place, we have―
Host: (Y/n)! Please make your selection!
MC: !?
I get the first pick? Wait, I was 1st place for the previous round!?
Slightly buzzing with excitement, I took the mic from the Host and faced the other side where the judges were seated.
Yan Xiao, the renowned Designer, was known for being amicable and his friendliness to all contestants alike.
Meanwhile, Mya, the Deputy Director of Warson’s Design Hub, was known for her strictness. But she had already more or less praised me for one thing or another throughout all the rounds we’d gone through.
And lastly…
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Sariel sat serenely in his seat. He was clearly the most popular person in the venue, yet he didn’t seem to be bothered by the lively clamouring that surrounded him, as if he were in his own personal bubble.
I’d imagined myself meeting him so many times now, yet… never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that today would be the day where it’d come true.
Rumour has it that he is very strict and has high expectations of everything. But… This might also be the one and only chance I’m ever going to get…
I tightened my grip on the mic and took in a deep breath.
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MC: I choose—
Hearing my voice calling out his name, Sariel snapped his gaze back. Our eyes finally met.
Those pale golden eyes of his held not a single shred of emotion within, as usual.
MC: I choose Mr. Sariel.
❖☆———————————★❖
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My heart was still pounding, only calming when I sat back down at my work table.
I unravelled the folded piece of paper that sat in my palm. “Fashion Designer” was written on it. This was to be my theme for the improvisational round. I stared at it for a good long while. Countless ideas flew through your mind, but not a single one of them hit close enough to home.
Suddenly, I heard the sound of the needle of the sewing machine working, vigorously thumping in the opposite preparation room as it threaded.
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MC: They’re already starting work!?
That’s way too fast! I hurriedly sucked in a deep breath, telling myself not to get affected by how quick they were to start.
Even so, the continuous rhythmic sound of the machine working floated into my ears as it threaded, regardless.
The sound of threading… was the same as that one afternoon.
❖☆———————————★❖
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I closed my eyes, letting time flow backwards in my mind as I travelled back to the past.
Thud, thud, thud…
My grandmother was lightly stepping on the pedal of her sewing machine. I sat by her side, staring at her work while resting my cheek on one of my hands.
Granny: What kind of person do you want to be when you grow up, (Y/n)?
Little me tilted her head to the side and thought about it for a full two seconds before looking back to my grandmother with a smile.
Kid MC: I wanna be like you, granny!
Granny: Why?
Kid MC: Because you can make so many pretty dresses, and they sell really well! Also, you and mom wouldn’t have to work so hard if I became like you too!
Granny: Our dearest one is so knowledgeable. Do you know what people who make pretty dresses are called?
Kid MC: Granny!
Granny: Nope. They’re called Fashion Designers.
Kid MC: Then, I wanna be one of them!
Granny: I’ll teach you how to make them if that’s what you really want.
Kid MC: I wanna learn! Teach me!
Granny: Sure thing. But, listen to me, dear. No matter what it is that you do in the future, you must remember to always be yourself.
Granny: Only by doing that, will you not fear anything, granting you the courage you need to face as anything.
Kid MC: Be myself…
I repeated, pretending to nod in understanding as I looked out the window at the roses that were blooming with all their might. My heart wavered and shook along with them in the warm winds that blew by.
Granny: You’ll understand once you grow up.
In the end, I grew up, but my mother was no longer here, and I never had a chance to make her dresses again. Further down the road, granny herself waved her hand to me as she descended over to the other world
I hadn’t yet had the time to master her skill and techniques before I was left all alone by my lonesome, with nothing but this dream to accompany me up till where I was now.
I then remembered what granny had once told me before. I suddenly understood. Standing where I was right now, being here, was what it was to truly be myself.
I think I now know what kind of design I should make.
❖☆———————————★❖
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After submitting our final designs, Wu Yue, Gao Cheng, and I stood upon the stage, awaiting the final verdict that would conclude the championships,
Wu Yue’s theme was “Hippie”. She’d made a knee-length skirt in just a mere two hours.
Gao Cheng’s theme was “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. He’d made a silk dress shirt. It looked simple, but it was actually decorated with intricate designs.
❖☆———————————★❖
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And I’d gone with a formal top hat, made with chiffon of the highest twist available on hand, paired with pale gold rose accessories to express the “Fashion Designer” within me.
Host: Let us now invite the three judges to make some simple evaluations on the submitted designs.
Yan Xiao remained as amicable as ever, giving all of us relatively positive reviews.
And Mya was the opposite in all the right ways, concisely pointing out what each work was lacking.
The mic was passed back to Sariel once again. His face was illuminated under the spotlight, frosty and serious.
The entire venue lapsed into silence. No one dared to breathe or utter a word.
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Sariel: The silk dress shirt lacks a highlight. This is especially so because all your effort has been spent on the making of it. Why not spend the effort to properly think of something new and interesting?
Sariel: And as for the knee-length skirt… Merely going retro doesn’t make it worthy of a comeback. If you go in blindly with the notion of playing safe, you will only be bound by the safety net which you seek.
He paused as his gaze fell upon my work.
At this point, my heartbeat was as loud as a drum. I held my breath.
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Sariel: You absolutely do not understand the meaning of your given theme at all.
Sariel: This presumptuous and opinionated design of yours has completely disregarded the essence of what it means to be a “Fashion Designer”.
MC: …What?
The look on his face was one of disappointment so acute that it stabbed right through me.
The rest of the competition proceedings became a blur, all I could focus on were the piercing eyes of gold that bore into me. I completely missed how the Host concluded the whole event and made the audience rise into boisterous cheers once more.
Until I heard a name being uttered.
Host: Let us congratulate this year’s Warson Prize Champion— Wu Yue!
The overwhelming applause and cheers of the audience rang out, only for it to be replaced with a different tune; the bubbling of the deep sea.
❖☆————— ⊹ For Light & Night⊹ —————★❖
Previous Part: (Chapter 1-12) | Next Part: (Chapter 1-16)
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bookdancerfics · 3 years
Text
untamed hearts, a 911 fic
Summary: Chimney’s problem with animals has never been a secret, so it’s no surprise when Buck gets between Chimney and the panther snarling in the corner. Then it gets the great idea of lunging, and suddenly Chimney isn’t worried about himself--he’s worried about Buck.
Relationships: Evan “Buck” Buckley & Howie “Chimney” Han
Warnings: animal attack, allusion to harm to animals (the animal is ok at the end)
also available on ao3 and ff.net, both under Bookdancer. the ao3 link is in the content source of this post.
Series: checking vital signs, part one, part two, part three (this fic), part four (yet to be posted) / six parts
Series Summary: 5 times Buck prioritizes his family’s wellbeing over his own, and the 1 time they help him prioritize himself.
--
It’s a weird call to begin with—the 911 dispatcher reports that the caller complained of chest pains, probably from a heart attack, but he also mentioned someone named Viola. The caller, a Mr. Ted Jackson, apparently passed out before the dispatcher could find out exactly who Viola was. The call takes them to the outskirts of LA, and they arrive at a decently sized house in the middle of an even larger storm.
The neighborhood is one of those ones where all the houses look alike, so the one thing that really distinguishes the caller is the large Jeep Wrangler parked out front. The rain is coming down hard now, and Chimney really only sees the Wrangler when he’s jogging past it, med kit in hand and Buck at his side. Hen, Eddie, and Bobby bring up the rear with the stretcher, which they’ll leave on the ground floor till they find Ted Jackson. Since they don’t know where exactly in the house he is, Hen and Eddie will take the second floor, Chimney and Buck the first, and Bobby the basement.
They separate as soon as they enter the house, all three groups peeling off from each other. Chimney and Buck make their way through the entryway, then take a left into the dining room, and are just about to enter the living room when the lights flicker and then go out. Chimney pauses and Buck bumps into his back.
He’d had his eyes on the light switch, so Chimney reaches for it, flicks it back and forth, and then shrugs at Buck’s outline when the room stays dark. He keys at his radio, twisting to talk into it.
“The storm took out the lights,” Chimney says. “Any chance someone’s near the circuit breakers?”
“Negative,” Bobby says after a moment. “But I’ll take a look down here. How’s your own search going?”
“Well,” Buck answers. “It’s going.” He’s gone from being a dark shape against other dark shapes to having actual features, and Chimney waits as he reaches for the flashlight attached to his hip.
The light illuminates the room, and Chimney just gets a glimpse of something big, black, and furry before Buck is in front of him.
“Buck,” he says, and he’ll forever deny that his voice cracks. “Please tell me that’s not what I think it is.”
“Uh,” Buck says, and his voice is so low that Chimney has to strain to hear him. “I don’t think you’ll like the answer. Just back away, slowly.”
Chimney does as Buck says, stepping back and suddenly wishing they’d had a reason to be wearing full turnout gear, even in the middle of the summer.
“Bobby,” Chimney says lowly, talking to the radio again. “Bobby you need to get everyone else out of here. And call animal control.”
“What?” Bobby asks. “Why animal control?”
Chimney peeks around Buck when they finally reach the doorway, then swallows harshly. The thing is definitely closer than it had been. Something on the far side of the room glints in Buck’s flashlight beam. Chimney can’t help but peer closer at it, wondering—and it is.
“Buck that’s our guy,” he says, the glasses he spotted still shining in the corner, but it’s not until the thing swings its head to stare at Chimney that he realizes he spoke at the regular, urgent volume he normally does when faced with a patient he hasn’t reached yet.
Buck freezes.
“Why do you need animal control?” Bobby asks again, and his voice somehow rings out even louder than Chimney’s.
Chimney would give anything to not know what it feels like to have a fully grown panther stare him down with its ears flat back, but here he is. Something curdles in his gut, and the very very very very small part of him not focused on the freaking panther—why does this guy have a panther in his living room?—recognizes it as terror. His legs won’t move anymore, no matter how much he tells them to.
The panther’s muscles ripple under its fur coat, and its tail lashes once.
It’s the only warning they get before it lunges.
Chimney crashes to the ground, Buck on top of him, and all the air whooshes from his lungs. He tries heaving in a breath but that just makes it worse, and he can do nothing but watch as Buck rolls in the opposite direction, taking the panther with him.
“Chimney?” Bobby asks, for the third time now, his voice urgent, and Chimney can hear footsteps clattering on the stairs. He’s not sure if they’re coming down or up; it may not really matter. “Buck? What’s happening?”
“Shit,” Chimney wheezes. Somehow he manages to climb to his feet, his grip tight on the doorway and his chest still heaving. His mind is racing. They don’t have a sedative strong enough to take out a cat as big as this one, let alone animal tranquilizers, but he can’t just leave Buck to the mercy of a freaking panther of all things. He can’t leave his future brother-in-law in this situation. And hell, who is he kidding. He can’t leave his brother.
Chimney turns and bolts out of the living room right as Bobby reaches it, and he yells what he hopes Bobby will make out as “Distract it!” as he runs for the house’s entryway.
One of the things about emergency stretchers, Chimney has learned through his years on the job, is that they can be heavy. The other thing is that they’re portable, easily moved.
It turns out they also make excellent ramming devices.
By the time animal control arrives, Chimney is already patching Buck up outside. Eddie and Hen are in the ambulance taking Ted Jackson to the hospital, Bobby is watching Buck with crossed arms and a frown, and the panther is safely locked inside the house, relatively unharmed. Chimney doesn’t even think he knocked her out, just deterred her enough to back off and let them retrieve Buck and the panther’s owner.
Buck himself is… mostly fine. Chimney frowns at the thought even as he finishes wrapping a bandage around yet another gash. The panther swiped at Buck, but she really only hit his forearms and biceps, Buck having managed to hold her at arms’ length the entire time.
“Those long arms finally good for something, huh, Buckaroo?” Chimney murmurs.
Buck gives him a weak smile. “This and basketball, I guess.”
“Yeah?” Chimney asks, even though he already knew that. “You and Albert should play sometime.”
“Mm, yeah, we have,” Buck says.
“Mm,” Chimney copies. “That’s good.”
“Yeah,” Buck says.
Finally they both stand, Buck’s wounds wrapped and set till they can get him to the hospital for care there. Bobby nods at them both, still frowning, but Buck avoids his gaze and Bobby turns toward the firetruck’s driver’s seat.
“Hey, Buck,” Chimney says, clapping a hand on Buck’s shoulder.
Buck glances at him. “Yeah?”
Chimney pauses, his grip tightening briefly as he sees the worried look on his friend’s face. There’s a lot of things he could say—“don’t ever do that again,” “you’re lucky you’re off blood thinners,” “Maddie’s going to kill me,” “Maddie’s going to kill you,” “boy I don’t envy that talk you’re gonna have with Bobby.” But there’s really only one that needs saying now. One he needs Buck to hear.
“Thanks.”
Buck’s face clears immediately, relief shining in his eyes and his shoulders relaxing even as he smiles. “I’m glad I was there.”
Chimney nods. He’s not sure if he entirely reciprocates the sentiment, not when it meant Buck putting himself in danger again, not when it meant Buck getting hurt again, but he is grateful Buck thought quickly. He’s even more thankful Buck lasted long enough for Chimney to respond in kind.
“C’mon,” he says finally. “Let’s go get you taken care of so you can get back out there.”
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miss-spooky-eyes · 3 years
Text
intersection (a belated OC Kiss Week fic)
Yes, I am extremely late, but in my defense I didn't know OC Kiss Week was happening and it coincided with some insane work.
Author Notes/What to Know:
This is a fic about the (near) kisses of my IA/Cipher Nine, Devinahl, and @sunsetofdoom's Smuggler Teo. I encourage absolutely anybody & everybody to read what she's written about Teo, which you can find the most important & glorious pieces of here, here and here.
'Karia Madeesh' is the alias used by the future Cipher Nine during her adolescence as a schoolgirl spy tasked with befriending the children of important Republic figures. I think that's all you need to know, but Dev's backstory fic Riddle goes into much more detail.
Warnings: Um ... nudity? Mentions of vomiting? Extreme teenage dumbness?
Thank you thank you thank you to Sunset for lending me Teo and letting me get way, way, way too much into my feelings about him, especially his teenage depression. I hope you like it.
Further thank you thank you thank yous to @vespertine-legacy for reading various versions, encouraging me and gently correcting me on minor details like the names of my characters 😘
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‘Childhood is long and narrow, like a coffin, and you can’t get out of it on your own.’ - Tove Ditlesen
Part One
New Baxeid, 3652 BBY/1 ATC
Teonine Lunulata didn’t often wish he was somewhere else. Didn’t see the point.
If he closed his eyes and opened them to find he was in a completely different place, it wouldn’t change a thing; he’d still be there.
Right now, though, he would like to be anywhere - back in his room with the door closed, preferably, but a classroom, his form tutor’s office, the gym even - other than here.
A fresh wave of shrill laughter crested over the top of the already too-noisy compartment, and Teonine winced as pain stabbed through his temples again. He huddled further back into his corner, one arm wrapped around his stomach to try to keep the length of plastic tubing from slipping out from underneath the baggy sweatshirt his mother would be furious to find out he still owned because it was so old and shapeless. Winding the tubing around his waist beneath the overlarge garment usually worked well enough to conceal it, as long as he kept his distance from people and it wasn’t like he wasn’t used to that; but he hadn’t done that good a job securing it this time, thanks to the shaky hands and the rush he’d been in, and anyone he bumped up against in the crowded carriage was going to notice something. Even if he was surrounded by idiots.
The shuttle bumped and jolted as it jerked on to the next mag-rail, eliciting more shrieks and squeals from the nearby knot of girls as the passengers swayed and clung on to each other to keep their balance. Teonine splayed the fingers of his free hand out on the wall behind him, and wished he was dead. As if the noise and the stabs of pain it elicited from his head weren’t bad enough, the smell of upwards of fifty people crammed into the compartment was rapidly becoming unignorable, even with the scented bands he wore on his tresses to keep his pheromone receptors from becoming overwhelmed. And he wished he hadn’t thought about that, because half the people in here were miners with all the sweat-and-damp-and-body odours that entailed and someone standing near him was wearing far too much perfume and he had puked up way too much way too recently for that cocktail of smells to be filling his nostrils.
Teonine swallowed down hard on a wave of bile; the dumb kids from his school standing near him might be ignoring him now, but if he threw up his guts over their jacketed backs you could bet they’d start paying attention. Don’t puke, don’t puke, he chanted silently in time with the rumbling of the shuttle on the mag-rails, don’t puke don’t puke don’t puke …
The wave of nausea abated and his insides settled down into a muttering sourness. Shivering, miserable, Teonine huddled into his corner and wished again that he was anywhere but here.
Not that it was anyone’s stupid fault but his own that he was here, of course. One day a month, the students were allowed to leave the carefully-curated grounds of the school, get on the mag-shuttle which was the only means of transport between the various different settlement bubbles on the space station, and visit New Baxeid. New Backside, as the students had inevitably christened it (quite the sophisticated wit, whoever had first thought that one up), lived up to its informal moniker; it was just a hub of offices, warehouses and what passed for upscale residences and shops which catered to the bureaucrats and corporate types who ran the mines on this system’s various lifeless planetoids and asteroids. But to the kids who spent the rest of the month inside the ergonomically-designed buildings and wandering the manicured lawns of the Pantomathia Academy (and you could guess what the students in their infinite wit and creativity did with that name), positively the finest school in Republic space for wealthy parents who wanted their kids to be able to do anything except escape, it represented the only opportunity for a monthly crumb of freedom.
Teonine usually didn’t bother going. He’d been at Pantomathia for three years already, had exhausted the possibilities of New Baxeid - at least, the bits that students were allowed to visit - within the first term, and ‘town’ weekends were usually a good opportunity for him to work on his still in relative privacy. But whatever he’d decided it was a good idea to try fermenting this time had done a number on the pipes, which had made an urgent trip into town imperative. It wouldn’t have been so bad, Teonine thought with the clinicalness of the truly hungover, if he hadn’t tried drinking the results last night despite knowing they’d started to dissolve inert plastic.
His stomach lurched at the very thought, and he pulled the cuffs of his sleeves over his balled fists, shivering. At the tender age of fifteen, Teonine had had some truly miserable hangovers, but the way he’d felt when he’d woken up this morning had taken the prize for sheer awfulness with room to spare. Only the knowledge that this was his only chance for a month to get new tubing and prevent an unthinkable future lapse in his supply could have made him crawl out of bed. Even then it hadn’t been until well after what should have been lunchtime.
Don’t think about lunch.
That was how he’d ended up in a situation he normally avoided like Talaxii foot-rot; the last shuttle to leave New Baxeid in time for the school curfew, crammed into a compartment crowded not just with weary workers and miners headed back to their residential blocks, but with the kids who thought that waiting until the very last minute to get back to the academy made them somehow cool. The ones who liked to hang back and stray down the side streets and talk about staying out past sunset, when school rumour had it that illicit and seedy nightspots catering to the transitory miner population sprang to life and stayed open till dawn. As if they’d ever dare try it.
In the frantic jostle to get on board the shuttle, Teonine had ended up getting swept to the back of the carriage with the absolute worst and dumbest kids from his class; Torsin Fralx, blond and beefy, and his cronies Voka Ginn and Fotze the Gran - all boys Teonine’s mother had gently forbade him from having anything to do with (‘If only I could believe your good influence on them would be stronger than their bad influence on you’) - and the Kel’Dor twins, Aun and Zu, whose father served with Teonine’s mother in the Senate (‘What a quaint family, really quite civilised, such a shame the way those boys play would be much too rough for you, Teonine’). They were all being particularly loud and obnoxious today, vying with each other to impress the girls who were standing next to them in a tight little huddle, Tixia and H’Rukn and the new one, pretending to ignore the boys but shrieking with laughter a little more piercingly every time Fralx did something dumb. Knowing Fralx, the girls’ laughter was going to be audible only to certain aquatic species by the time they got back to school.
None of them had acknowledged Teonine, of course, despite the fact that he was standing within a few feet of them; if Senator Lunulata’s descents upon the school (once when Fotze accidentally gave Teonine a nosebleed in gym, and then when Teonine accidentally let slip that Fralx sometimes called him ‘squid-boy’) hadn’t done the trick, the fact that their parents had absolutely warned them not to do anything to upset the offspring of such an influential politician would have. He’d been safely invisible for the best part of his three years at Pantomathia, and that was exactly how he wanted it. He just wished they wouldn’t be so fucking loud, that was all. Some people had hangovers.
‘Give it back, Voka, you kriffing herder!’ Fralx bellowed nearby, and Teonine closed his eyes, trying to pretend he couldn’t hear that voice rattling through his skull. There was the sound of scuffling feet and grunts, and a Rodian yelp before Fralx was yelling again: ‘Got it! Hey, Karia, did you see that? The skrag tried to nick my kriffing holocard! Kriffing skrag!’
Behind closed eyelids, Teonine rolled his itchy eyes in their sore sockets. Pantomathia liked to bill itself as ‘Polishing the Best and the Brightest’; in Fralx’s case, they were definitely buffing a turd.
‘Dastardly,’ said a girl’s voice, dripping with boredom.
‘Hey, hey, Karia, do you know what time it is? Do you remember I said I’d show you our game? Do you remember?’
‘Kriff’s sake, Fralx, she remembers, don’t tell the whole room,’ drawled another girl; the exaggerated Coruscant accent meant H’Rukn, who liked to pretend she didn’t come from Uphrades.
‘Yeah, it’s supposed to be a secret, you skrag.’
‘You’re the skrag, skragface!’ More scuffling feet.
‘Are we going to show her the game, or are you skrags just going to feel each other up the whole ride?’ H’Rukn again. ‘We’re nearly out of the bubble.’
‘Kriff, you’re right.’ That was Fralx. ‘Where’s the datapad? Tixia, do you have it?’
There was a momentary pause, and then Teonine heard the bored girl say again, ‘Ooh, it’s a circle that flashes. I can’t wait to tell all my friends.’
‘The circle’s just for picking the players,’ Tixia was explaining. Teonine peeked from under half-closed eyelids; the Mirialan girl had her datapad out, and was glancing suspiciously all around her in a way that would have betrayed she was up to something she shouldn’t be if anybody had been paying the slightest attention to the students at the back of the carriage. ‘Well, player, really. Then the person who gets picked, picks their player.’
‘Player for what?’ the bored girl - it was the new girl, Karia something - asked, and Tixia and H’Rukn dissolved into giggles.
‘To go in there with,’ Aun, or maybe Zu, buzzed through his antiox mask, and Teonine heard the other one rap on the back wall of the compartment.
‘The airlock?’ the new girl asked, and Tixia and H’Rukn laughed harder than ever.
‘“Take My Breath Away” is a Panty-mouth tradition,’ Fralx announced pompously. (So were bullying, self-harm and eating disorders, Teonine thought.) ‘You draw lots, and whoever loses has to pick someone to go into the airlock with, and we seal you in.’
‘And you can’t get out while the shuttle is between the bubbles,’ Ginn interjected eagerly.
‘She knows how airlocks work, skrag-for-brains,’ Tixia told him.
‘So how long till the next bubble?’
‘Seven minutes. No getting in or out.’ There was another gust of giggling.
‘So it’s an excuse to make out, except you could also both die.’
‘Someone did die once!’ Tixia exclaimed. ‘There was a power failure at the coils and the rail de-polarised and these two girls were in the airlock and the emergency hatch systems failed too -‘ This station really attracted some incompetent engineers, Teonine thought - ‘and when the repair crew came they didn’t know anybody was in there so they blew the back hatch and the girls got vented into space.’
‘Still with their hands down each other’s pants,’ H’Ruk’n added.
‘Sure, whatever.’
Teonine gave in and opened his eyes. Fralx and his minions had their backs to him, facing the girls; through a gap between their shoulders, Teonine could see Tixia, H’Ruk’n and the new girl, confronting the boys like an opposing team. Tixia and H’Ruk’n had their arms round each other’s waists like they always did, but the new girl had her hands on her hips in a way that would have looked cool and provocative on someone with hips, and which, to be fair to her, she was very nearly pulling off with the equipment at her disposal. All the kids who could grow or buy long hair were wearing it the same way that year, in absurdly long, high pigtails that were meant to imitate lekku, but hers was cut short in a profusion of seemingly careless flicks and spikes, and dyed a violent blood orange. She had on a synthleather jacket like the spacers Teonine had sometimes seen in New Baxeid, and tight pants, and she had enough piercings in her nose and elaborate cuffs on her ears to almost camouflage the cybernetic implants that looped her ears and extended delicate silvery arms almost to the corners of her eyes.
Karia Madeesh, that was her name, and she looked just as cocky and pleased with herself now as she had when the form tutor had introduced her to the class with an injunction to make her feel at home and ease the difficult transition between schools while she stood there running her eyes over them all like she was trying to decide who was cool enough to hang out with her.
Usually that sort of thing would get you eaten alive at the Academy. But because everybody had already heard that the new girl had got kicked out of her last school, and who knew how many before that, they were all agog to find out exactly what she’d done; and when she acted like she didn’t even want to know them, that sealed the deal, because these were some of the smartest, best-educated morons in the galaxy.
‘It did happen,’ Fotze was insisting, braying through his nostrils the way he always did when he was blustering. ‘My brood-uncle Gakze was here twenty years ago and he said -’
‘No, yeah, I’m sure you’re right,’ Karia said, examining the orange-painted fingernails of one hand. ‘I’m sure it’s a really dangerous game of … kissing.’
‘Like you wouldn’t be scared to go in there,’ Fralx scoffed, rapping his knuckles on the emergency hatch in the back wall of the carriage.
Karia shrugged. ‘I think I could just about handle it.’
‘So do it, new girl.’
She raised her eyebrows. ‘Don’t you need your little flashing circle to pick a player?’
‘Usually. But since it’s your first shuttle ride, and since it’s all so tame and juvenile, I think you should go in.’
‘Torsin,’ Voka whined.
‘Shut up.’ Fralx had stepped forward, and Teonine had seen him on the edge of losing his temper enough times to be able to picture the look on his face with perfect clarity. ‘So? Are you going to go in there, or what?’
Karia inspected her fingernails again, flicked some stray lint off her sleeve, tossed her hair out of her eyes and said: ‘Fine, I’ll do it.’ Teonine saw the set of Fralx’s beefy shoulders relax, and was laying his own head back against the wall, losing interest again, when she added: ‘With him.’
Teonine saw every head whip round to follow her pointing finger, and reflexively looked round himself, with the result that his cheek and nose collided with the wall his head was leaning on. There was a hot bloom of pain in his face and a cold lurch of nausea in his stomach and he staggered away from the wall a little, then - idiotically - looked back at the wall again, as if there could somehow be somebody standing behind him.
Fralx’s mouth was open and he was spluttering, apparently lost for words, and a very small, very secret part of Teonine took a mental snapshot of that image. The rest of him was still trying to turn around and look behind him again.
Karia sidestepped Fralx and took two or three steps towards Teonine and the chances that this was some galaxy-sized misunderstanding were further reduced as she looked at him curiously and said, ‘Teonine, right?’
‘Um,’ Teonine said. After a couple of seconds, some neurons kicked into gear in his faltering brain, suggesting that wasn’t enough of an answer, so he added: ‘Er.’
She smiled at him, or at least started to, before she clearly registered the noises he’d made in lieu of words and the smile sort of slid off the side of her mouth. ‘Um … OK?’ She tilted her head to one side, caught somewhere between amusement and confusion. ‘You know about the game, right? So … do you want to?’
Did he want to? Did he want to? Did he want to -? Teonine wasn’t used to being asked what he wanted, except by grown-ups sometimes - visiting professors and more-or-less distant relatives and connections of his mother’s - and that was always ‘What do you want to do when you grow up?’ and that question was always just a cloak for what they really wanted to know, which was ‘Are you going to fall in line or not?’.
Sometimes he thought about wanting, how it worked, what it must feel like: Like a tug inside, a finger hooking itself inside your waistband, pulling you onwards. Sometimes he thought he could sense wanting by its absence, but that wasn’t better, it just left him feeling like a speeder bike with no ignition key.
He might have felt the tug or not, standing there in front of a cool, pretty girl who’d just asked him in front of everyone to make out with her, but he had no idea how he was supposed to know when his whole body was ringing like a bell with the shock and the heat of being spoken to, looked at, picked.
He didn’t know what he wanted.
He knew he didn't want to say no.
So he said: ‘Yeah. OK.’
She smiled and rolled her eyes at him, but not in a mean way, more like she was inviting him to laugh with her at how stupid everything was, and that made him feel another new thing, like something that had been tightly wound in his chest was unspooling, like he might be turning all sorts of colours on the inside. ‘Well, come on then.’
She reached out and took his hand, just like that, like it was a thing anybody could just do; and led him through the centre of the loose knot of kids, pulling him confidently after her, towards the back right corner of the carriage. Teonine heard a few disbelieving mutters and splutters, but for the most part the kids were silent, silent as Fralx, who seemed to have stiffened into statue-like immobility. Not silent because they were avoiding speaking to him in case they upset Senator Lunulata’s precious boy, but silent like they genuinely didn’t know what to say, like they were truly confounded. And to the complex cocktail of emotions Teonine was conscious of experiencing was added a secret squirm of shameful pleasure at how much he was enjoying that.
Voka Ginn hesitated, looking uncertainly over at Fralx, but Karia raised her eyebrows at him and he knelt down by the emergency hatch, connecting his datapad to the controls and tapping in a few commands (slicing, isolating and slaving controls like these was something even the lowest-achieving pupil at Pantomathia’s computer science classes could do). The hatch cover jolted slightly as it sprang free, and Voka moved quickly to catch it before it could fall on to the floor, although it was hardly likely that anyone in the crowded, noisy compartment would hear it if it did, or bother pushing their way through the tightly-packed passengers to investigate.
Karia raised her eyebrows again, at him this time, and feeling like he was lost in a place he was supposed to recognise, Teonine let go of her hand, knelt down and crawled through the hatch.
He had to release his grasp on the tubing hidden underneath his sweatshirt as he did so, and as he made it through the hatch, it started to slip free, one end of it uncoiling and snaking down towards the floor. Hurriedly he grabbed it and tucked it back into place as he got to his feet, just in time as Karia crawled through after him.
Teonine only had time to register a confused impression of the inside of the airlock - grimy metal, a few nets hanging from nails on the wall as if things had once been stored in here and secured in case of ventilation - when the light shining through the entryway was suddenly extinguished as Voka Ginn replaced the hatch after them.
It was … dark. Teonine probably should have been expecting that - why would there be lights inside an airlock? - but in his agitated state the suddenness of it came as a shock which ratcheted his panic up another notch. In a few moments his eyes would have adjusted, but for now all he could make out was the dim movement that was Karia getting to her feet.
‘Cosy,’ he heard her say with casual sarcasm.
It was small - which, of course it was, why would an emergency airlock on a groundside mag-shuttle be big - but the design rationale didn’t make Teonine feel any better about the size of it. It was the same width as the compartment, of course, but in length it was narrow; Teonine reached out with the hand that wasn’t currently keeping the tubing from falling out of his sweatshirt and felt his palm flatten against the back panel of the shuttle. It was rattling faintly, which was not reassuring; right now, if the maglocks that kept it shut were to fail, they would still be able to breathe the air and feel the warmth of New Baxeid’s atmospheric bubble, but in a few seconds …
As if on cue, there was a faint sucking thunk from both the panel at the back and the direction of the hatch, and a familiar shudder ran through the floor.
‘We’re out of the bubble.’ He had tried to speak quietly, to keep it from being startlingly loud in the quiet, but the words came out in more of a terrified whisper.
‘I guess our seven minutes starts now.’ He saw the fugitive gleam of Karia’s implants as she turned her head from side to side as if trying to survey the space.
His own eyes were rapidly adjusting to the darkness, and he looked around him. What he saw was not particularly encouraging. There were big patches of sealant in several places as if covering up places where the metal seams had begun to part, and, worse, none of them seemed particularly fresh. The control panel in the corner, which would instruct the back panel whether or not to open into the hard vacuum of space, had a distinctly jerry-rigged look; Teonine was almost sure there were a couple of loose wires hanging from it, and the floor and walls in the other corner seemed to be darker than the rest of the airlock, as if blackened by fire. Teonine wondered whether he’d been too quick to dismiss the story of the girls who died in here during a game of ‘Take My Breath Away’ as a school legend.
As if reading his mind, Karia said: ‘Wow. We really might die in here.’
He blinked. ‘Wait - you can see?’
‘A bit.’ He saw her hand come up to point at her implants, and a wave of several different perfumes hit him at once, somehow. ‘Magic eyes. Courtesy of Mom and Dad.’
‘Oh. I guess mine are too. From my parents, I mean.’
She giggled as if his weak joke had been a lot funnier than it was. ‘So how much can you see in this light? How many fingers am I holding up?’
Teonine didn’t need to be able to see in the dark for that. ‘One. The middle one.’
‘Oh yeah?’ She thrust her hand in front of his face, trying to cover his eyes with her spread fingers while she waved the other one. ‘How about now?’
Teonine’s senses were suddenly flooded by conflicting chemical scents; he jerked his head away instinctively, choked on a hasty breath.
‘Hey - you OK?’ She drew back, looking concerned.
‘Yeah,’ Teonine said breathlessly, still trying to force down the choke that pinched at each inhalation. ‘Sorry - the perfume -’
‘Huh? Oh. Yeah, we were testing them out at the store, you know, Largxel’s? I guess we put on kind of a lot.’ She tilted her head to one side. ‘I can’t even smell them any more. Is it awful?’
‘No, it’s just - a lot -’
‘Maybe it’ll help if it’s just one scent. Hang on.’ She pushed up her jacket sleeves and sniffed at her wrists and forearms. Teonine saw dark slashes streaking her skin, and thought for a wild second they were wounds, but then realised they were cosmetics of different shades, sampled on her forearms and the backs of her hands. ‘Here - I think this one’s the nicest. Just try to smell that.’
She lifted her right wrist to his face, so close in front of his nose that it almost grazed her skin; his head swam again.
‘Just breathe,’ she told him, her voice carrying such authority that he automatically did what he was told, concentrating on the strongest scent, the perfume she’d told him was the nicest. He knew he knew the different components of it, the creamy notes on top and the earthy, dried body, but he couldn’t put the right names to them; he just concentrated on breathing them in, focusing on that one scent as, slowly, his overwhelmed senses calmed down.
‘Better?’ she asked him, still holding her wrist up to his face.
‘Mmm-hmmm.’ Teonine wanted to nod, but he knew if he did his nose would touch her skin, so he tried to shrug with his body while keeping his head perfectly still. ‘Yeah. How did you know that would work?’
‘When I got my implants …’ She trailed off, and then gave him a wry smile, finally pulling her wrist away from his face. ‘Let’s just say I get it. Being overwhelmed by something other people are barely aware of.’
‘Oh.’ Teonine had heard the other kids circulating some story about how she got the implants; something about needing them to repair damage sustained in some Imperial bombing, some outpost somewhere where her parents were serving, he hadn’t really been listening. ‘Do they - I mean, did it hurt?’
She gave a one-shouldered shrug. ‘You just have to focus on one thing, and shut out everything else. Everything’s fine when you learn to do that.’ She lifted one hand as if to touch his tresses, but stopped short. ‘Aren’t those band-things supposed to filter out … stuff?’
Teonine fought the urge to flick them back over his shoulders. ‘They block. They don’t filter. But sometimes -’
‘I get it. Making a mental note not to wear seven different perfumes next time I go to make out with a Nautolan.’
Teonine had almost been starting to, if not relax, then unwind slightly, but at the mention of making out his hearts jumped so hard he felt as if he’d been punched in both sides of his chest simultaneously.
‘I haven’t, you know. Made out with a Nautolan before.’ She was definitely standing closer to him than she had been before. ‘Have you? Made out with a human?’
‘Uh -’ Teonine felt like distant areas of his brain were fusing together. ‘I - um -’
‘But you’ve, you know. You’ve done this before.’ Karia laid it out like a statement, but it was unmistakably a question.
The air was definitely getting thinner in here. ‘I don’t -’ He didn’t know how to explain that he avoided the dumb kids that played this game, avoided being on this shuttle, avoided everything. ‘I never got picked before.’
‘Yeah, but you don’t have to go into a dark airlock to kiss someone. You can just, you know, kiss them.’
When she made it sound so simple it was difficult to point out that maybe she could, but he couldn’t. Teonine floundered, trying to figure out what he could say that would convey how hopelessly out of his depth he was without betraying, well, how hopelessly out of his depth he was.
He got as far as ‘Um -’
‘So you’ve never kissed anyone. That’s cute.’ She adjusted her stance, shifting closer into him; he felt her torso brush against the arm he still had wrapped around his front, clutching on to the tubing concealed beneath his shirt. ‘Do you want to?’
There was that question again.
He felt the faintest tug as Karia curled her fingers into the front of his sweatshirt, not pulling, just resting there. Now he couldn’t smell anything but the perfume she’d got him to focus on; it seemed to envelop them both like a cloud, cutting them off from the rest of the galaxy. She was looking up at him, her head tilted back and her expression soft, and she was -
She was really pretty.
The thought took hold of him so suddenly he felt as if the ground had dropped away from beneath his feet; maybe he could do what she obviously expected him to, just bend down and kiss her, just as easily as she had taken his hand before. Maybe he could just lean down and put his lips on hers and let whatever happened, happen. Maybe it really could be that simple …
He didn’t know how long he’d been standing there, definitely almost about to do it, when she tilted her head to one side, looked up at him through her eyelashes, and said, ‘You know, I bet your mom would hate it if she knew you were in here with me.’
Just like that, whatever Teonine had been tentatively feeling was erased as if it had never been. ‘What?’ he said, too loudly.
‘Isn’t she some big-time senator? I bet she’d hate it if she knew her son was alone in a little dark airlock with me.’ Karia’s hand in his sweatshirt tugged lightly, teasing. ‘Did she warn you to stay away from me?’
In point of fact, Senator Lunulata had called before Karia even arrived at the school to warn Teonine to avoid her (‘She’s the kind of misguided young woman who could seriously impede the pursuit of your goals, sweetheart’). But Teonine didn’t feel the smallest desire to tell Karia that. His hangover had suddenly returned in full force, hammering in his temples and lurching in his stomach and hot little prickles breaking out all over his skin, and all he wanted was to crawl into his bed, or at least out of this airlock.
Karia’s hand released its grip on his sweatshirt; numbly, he could feel it travelling slowly up his chest. ‘Did she tell you I was a bad girl?’
There was a distant lurch of the shuttle on the rails, and Teonine’s stomach heaved in tandem; he squeezed his eyes shut for a brief second and managed not to be sick, but it made him feel like he was falling backwards. He opened his eyes, but the falling continued.
Her hand was sliding around his collar now, towards the back of his neck, and her face seemed closer, somehow. ‘Do you know why they call me a bad girl, little fish?’
He shook his head, unable to open his mouth for fear he’d be sick. The floor of the airlock seemed to be sliding out from under his feet, tipping him backwards, and there was a faint whistling sound like air was escaping somewhere.
Her hand was pushing against the back of his neck, tugging his head downwards, and he felt her breath against his jaw as she whispered: ‘Wouldn’t you like to?’
The shuttle swayed again, and his stomach was yanked out from under him, and Teonine fell.
*
There was something cold and metal behind his head, and a raised voice. ‘Sorry,’ he mumbled automatically.
‘What?’ A girl’s voice. Panicked. ‘What did you say? Are you OK?’
‘Sorry,’ Teonine said again. There was cold metal underneath his legs and butt too, and it seemed to be rumbling and jolting. He put out a hand, and felt more metal, vibrating under his hand with an unmistakable rhythm.
Shuttle. The word set up a train of associations in Teonine’s mind. Shuttle. Airlock. Dark. Cramped. And …
‘Oh fuck.’ He put both hands on his face, and felt how cold and clammy his skin was. ‘Oh fuck.’
‘Dude, you have got to tell me if you’re OK.’
Teonine opened his eyes. He was half-sitting, half-leaning against the bulkhead which had been behind him, his legs sprawled out on the floor in front of him; and kneeling between them, looking scared, was Karia.
‘Are you all right?’ she demanded.
He’d fainted. A girl had tried to kiss him, and he’d fainted.
‘I’m OK. I’m fine.’ He pushed himself backwards, or tried to, but his hands slipped, too damp to get a purchase on the grimy metal floor. ‘Sorry.’
‘You just went down.’ She was pale, and the darkness of the airlock drained the colour from her virulently orange hair. ‘I was just - and then I saw all these colours go off on your, your things -’ She gestured to his shoulder. ‘And then you just went really green and you - you passed out.’
Clearly, his protective colouration had kicked in, a display to warn away predators. Teonine didn’t even have the energy to feel embarrassed about that, even though to another Nautolan it would be the equivalent of pissing his pants. He shifted. No, at least he hadn’t done that. ‘I’m OK.’
‘Are you sure?’ She reached a hand towards his head. ‘You still look pale -’
Teonine flinched away; he thought he might actually die on the spot if she touched him right now. ‘It’s OK, it’s just - I was -’ He sought wildly for an excuse. ‘I’m - I guess I panicked. I’m claustrophobic.’
In the half-light, he thought she gave him a strange look, but what she said was: ‘Oh. Oh shit.’ She scooted backwards towards the other end of the airlock, giving him as much space as she could. ‘I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.’
‘Don’t worry.’ Teonine passed a hand over his clammy forehead; the pain in his temples had subsided to a dull but persistent throbbing. ‘I mean, you didn’t know.’
‘Yeah, but I ask you to come in here, I put you on the spot in front of everybody -’ She waved her hand at the wall adjoining the rest of the compartment.
Teonine wouldn’t have believed his spirits could sink any lower, but at the reminder that the rest of the kids from their class were on the other side of the partition, waiting with bated breath to hear what had happened on this side, they slipped another few notches.
Karia clearly picked up that she wasn’t helping, because she cut herself off in mid-sentence, eyed him warily for a second. ‘Don’t worry. Just breathe, OK?’ She checked her wrist chronometer. ‘We’ll be inside the school’s bubble in a couple of minutes, and then you can get out.’
Get out and begin the rest of his academic career as the freak Nautolan who fainted when a girl tried to kiss him. And to think that this morning he’d genuinely believed his life couldn’t get any worse.
Karia was rooting in her shoulder bag. ‘I really thought I had some water in here. Do you have any? You should have some water.’
‘Huh? No. I don’t have any.’
‘That’s ironic,’ she said nervously. ‘You’re, like, a fish out of water. A fish out of -’ She caught his eye. ‘Never mind.’ She sat back against the wall, hugging her knees, mirroring Teonine’s posture. ‘Are you sure you’re OK? You really don’t look so good.’
‘I’m fine.’ Seeing her sit like that made Teonine suddenly realise he was missing something. He bolted upright, patting down the front of his sweatshirt -
‘Looking for this?’ Karia held up one end of the plastic tubing. It had clearly come loose and slithered out onto the floor.
‘Uh - yeah.’
‘I nearly had a heart attack when I saw it coming out from underneath your sweatshirt. I thought it was, like, your weird Nautolan intestines or something. Or your dick.’
Teonine, caught mid-inhalation, spluttered. His head throbbed again. ‘Thanks.’ He yanked the tubing towards him. ‘It’s - uh - I need it for class - it's a science project -’
She rolled her eyes. ‘Just tell me if you’re building a bomb to blow up the school. I’ll help.’
Teonine smiled weakly. ‘It’s nothing. I - well - I’ll show you sometime.’
‘Sure you will, little fish.’ Karia glanced at her wrist again. ‘We really are nearly out, I promise.’
‘No, it’s OK, I just -’ Teonine broke off, biting his lip.
She looked concerned again. ‘What? What’s up?’
Could you maybe not tell everyone - not tell anyone - about that thing where I fainted on you? He couldn’t even muster up the energy to try to form the words, despite the growing knot in his stomach when he thought about the looks on Fralx and Fotze’s faces. ‘Nothing.’ He leaned his head back against the wall and longed for his bed.
Distantly he heard her say, ‘It’s OK, you know. I’m not going to say anything.’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ Teonine mumbled.
‘I mean it,’ she insisted. ‘We just won’t say anything about what we did.’
‘Then they’ll assume I freaked out or did something weird,’ Teonine said wearily. ‘It’s fine. It doesn’t matter.’
‘You know what? You’re right. It is fine. Because I’m going to fix it.’ She clapped her hands, startling Teonine out of his daze, and jumped to her feet. ‘Give me a sec.’
Puzzled, he watched as she ran her hands violently through her short blood-orange hair until it lost its carefully-defined flicks and stood out from her head in a fuzzy sort of way. Then she undid the second-to-top button on her shirt. Lastly, she did a weird sort of dance on the spot, jumping up and down vigorously and slapping her cheeks.
‘What are you doing?’ Teonine asked.
‘Trust me.’ She stood stock still for a minute, and Teonine thought she was mouthing something at him, until he realised she was trapping her bottom lip between her teeth and scraping her top teeth over it.
Then she dug in her bag and pulled out a shiny tube of something - lipstick, Teonine realised, as she opened it and scrutinised the colour. She smudged some on her thumb and carefully dabbed her lips with it, then turned to Teonine. ‘Up.’
He pulled his feet in and slid his back up the wall until he was standing; his head swum a little, but he stayed upright. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Making you look the right kind of mess.’ She painted more lipstick on her thumb, reached out to touch him and then hesitated. ‘May I?’
Teonine still didn’t know what she was doing, but he nodded anyway.
She reached out and carefully brushed her thumb against the corner of his mouth, then, seemingly as an afterthought, smudged it against the collar of his sweatshirt. She scrutinised him narrowly, then, apparently satisfied, nodded and put the lipstick into her pocket.
‘Now,’ she instructed, ‘when we get out there, just wipe it off with the back of your hand and look embarrassed.’
Teonine touched the corner of his mouth gingerly with his fingertip. ‘That part’s not going to be a problem.’
‘If somebody asks you what we did in here -’
‘They won’t.’
‘- Just don’t say anything and act like you’re too cool to talk about it. I’ll handle the rest. Trust me, I know just what to say.’
Karia looked down at the tubing he was still holding. ‘Should we try and stash this? Or fit it in my bag? No,’ she decided, ‘stick it back up your sweatshirt. If anybody looks, they’ll just think you’re trying to cover up a boner.’
Teonine, trying to wrap the tubing back around his midriff, choked again and dropped one end.
Karia rolled her eyes and stooped to pick it up. ‘Oh, come here.’
‘Thanks,’ Teonine mumbled, head swimming again as she turned him around with a hand on his shoulder, then back to face her again, wrapping the tubing around his abdomen where it could be concealed by his baggy sweatshirt. ‘You don’t have to … Thanks.’
‘One thing about me, little fish? I might get my friends into trouble, but I always get them out of it.’ She tucked the end of the tube underneath the coils. ‘There. That should be OK until you get back to your room. I’d tell you to go straight back there, but you always do.’
Teonine knew she was trying to make him smile. He knew he should want to smile. Instead, he said, too loudly: ‘You don’t have to be nice to me, you know.’
She laughed, picking up her bag and swinging it over her shoulder. ‘Yes, I do,’ she said, briskly. ‘If only because I triggered your … claustrophobia.’
A shudder passed through the floor and walls, and Teonine heard the faint thunk of seals relaxing, pressure equalising, as the shuttle passed through the atmospheric shield and into the school’s bubble.
Karia was already kneeling by the hatch. She turned to look back at him over her shoulder. ‘There’s another reason, of course,’ she said provocatively. ‘For being nice to you.’
Teonine tensed. ‘What?’
‘Well, you owe me one now, little fish.’ She winked at him. ‘Don’t forget, will you? I know I won’t.’
Teonine knew she was teasing, but as he squatted down beside her and waited for Voka Ginn to unseal the hatch, he felt the familiar, leaden weight of obligation settling into his stomach.
*
Part Two here.
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khiphop-stories · 4 years
Text
Getting Off The Wrong Foot
[Christian Yu | Chapter XI]
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Previous Chapters:
Chapter I | Chapter II | Chapter III | Chapter IV | Chapter V | Chapter VI | Chapter VII | Chapter VIII | Chapter IX | Chapter X
“Are you falling for me too?“ He asked, his eyes locked with yours. Your widened eyes rested on him, not blinking. You spent a few seconds staring at him, your brain unable to formulate a thought. It was a question you didn’t expect at all, especially not coming for him.
“You’re worried? Wanna make a run for it?“ You then broke out into a deep rumbling laughter. Joking - that’s how you dealt with situations you weren’t comfortable with. He couldn’t have been serious anyway, could he? But unlike yours, his face showed no sign of amusement. Usually he would join you and laugh at your jokes, even if they weren’t funny to begin with. But this time, not a muscle on his face twitched. He looked at you deadpan. Was he afraid that you might cling onto him like other girls did? Was he afraid to lose his freedom?
“You’ve been a good friend to me, plus the sex is good. But that’s it. You’re safe. Nothing to be worried about. I’m not falling for you, Christian,” you assured him and you meant it. How could you fall in love with him, when your heart still belonged to someone else? He sighed shortly. Was it a sigh of relief or disappointment? You couldn’t read the expression on his face nor could you guess what was going through his mind right now. You had agreed early on that this would only be physical thing. Why was he suddenly worried about it turning into something more? Admittedly you were a hopeless romantic, but you weren’t over Kiseok yet and he knew, it was the reason you slept with him in the first place. If you had met him under different circumstances, maybe then things would have been different. But there was no room, to think about what ifs. 
“Good, ‘cause I’m really not looking for a relationship,” he then said with a confidence that didn’t sound very convincing, but you shook it off with a shrug. You didn’t want to start questioning him now.
“Good, me neither,” you agreed with him.
~*~
Keeping up the act was quite exhausting and you were slowly beginning to regret having agreed to it in the first place. It didn’t cross your mind that fooling his family wouldn’t be as easy as you had imagined. They knew him inside out while you barely had gotten to know him. You spent most of your time with physical activities and afterwards you were both so exhausted you would go straight to sleep. There was no room for pillow talks. So when his relatives told you stories about him, it felt as though they were describing a completely different person, a stranger. You learned a lot more about him in the span of a few hours than you did over the past few weeks. Ever since you stepped inside this house your entire body felt tensed, you were in constant fear that someone might see through it. Despite your worries, the afternoon went by without any mishaps on your part. You just had to endure a couple more hours, before you could go home, you thought to yourself. But before you could face his relatives again, you needed a moment to yourself. A moment where you could be yourself, not Christian’s fake girlfriend. When nobody was paying attention to you, you quickly escaped to the balcony that was attached to the living room. You took a slow controlled breath and attempted to loosen your body movements. You felt the fresh spring breeze fill your lungs. Winter hadn’t fully passed yet, it was still rather cold outside. Crossing your arms, you leaned them against the railing. Your eyes watched the sun slowly setting behind the buildings at the horizon. The sun casted it golden rays down upon the rooftops, painting the sky shades of orange and pink. Taking this beautiful sight in, your body could finally relax a little.
You heard the balcony door open and close behind you. You didn’t turn around, because you knew the sound of those footsteps. Christian stepped next to you and also leaned against the railing, his eyes following yours, taking in the picture-perfect sight in front of you.
“Are you cold?” He asked when he saw how lightly you were dressed. Without waiting for your answer, he slid the suit jacked down his shoulders, but you stopped him midway. You pulled it back over his shoulders, adjusting it neatly.
“Keep it on. You just recovered from your cold,” you reminded him. He had been lying sick in bed the past few days. Since his fever was quite high you dropped by almost every day after work to check on him. He didn’t really have anyone else to take care of him so you took it upon yourself. It was in your nature as the elder sister to worry too much. You were used to taking care of your sick brother, it wasn’t any different with Christian. It were the same symptoms and you knew exactly what he needed to heal quickly. 
“I’m sorry,” he apologized out of the blue.
You turned your head to the side, looking at him through narrowed eyes. You didn’t understand what he was apologzing for. “My family can be a pain in the arse.”
You shook your head at him with a little smile planted on your lips. “They’re lovely people.” “You think?”
“My family is not that big. I only have an uncle. He never had kids so I’ve never experienced something like this. It’s quite fun, except for the interrogation part,” you chuckled lightly. It was the first time you experienced a family reunion like this. Your own family wasn’t that close, you never met up for holidays or birthdays. Your uncle only ever called when he needed something. 
“You’re lucky my aunt hasn’t found the time to talk to you yet,” he told you playfully as he lightly nudged your elbow with his. “I don’t think she can be worse than your cousins.”
“Why? What did they do?” A wide grin played on his lips.
“They asked way too many questions! It felt like my brain was exploding coming up with lies to tell,” you whined. “What kind of questions did they ask?” “How we met, who confessed first, if you’re romantic, how our sex life is, if you treat me good,—“
“Our sex life?” Christian repeated with arched brows. You could see the smug smirk on his lips even though he was trying to hide it. Of course, out of everything you had said, it was that part that caught his attention. “What did you say?” “I said it was good,” you shrugged your shoulders nonchalantly, deciding to completely omitting the part where you fantasized about him.
“Just good? That’s an understatement, you make me look bad!” He grabbed his chest, pretending to feel offended. “You should have said that I am the best you ever had.”
“That would’ve been a lie though,” you immediately retorted without thinking.
“I’m not your best?” He asked you in a high-pitched voice, looking at you in disbelief. “Who is then?”
Christian was, but you didn’t want to admit it to someone whose ego was as big as his. No, you would never admit it to him, because then you wouldn’t hear the end of it. “Kiseok?” He took a guess as you didn’t answer his question. Even now you remained silent. “The way you described him I thought he was a rather selfish lover. Guess he was doing something right,” he then said trying to provoke a reaction from you. Suddenly Christian shifted in his position. He stood in front of you, his hands grabbing the railing, his arms either side of you trapping you in between. 
“Let me redeem myself, then.” He leaned his muscular body against yours, pressing your back against the cold railing. You felt a shiver run down your spine. “I’ll be the best you ever had.” One of his hand slid under your dress, pushing the soft fabric up your thighs. Then it worked its way to your butt, giving it a tight squeeze. His head moved closer and  he covered your mouth with his in a hungry kiss.
“Your family, Christian,” you reminded him sharply as you were struggling to push him away. Truth be told, you actually didn’t want him to stop there, but you weren’t going to embarrass yourself today. Not in front of so many strangers that he called his family. It was only a glass door that separated you from his entire family. Even though they couldn’t see you because of the thick curtain hanging over the door, it was too risky. Somebody could have come barging  in at any given moment. 
“I don’t think I can wait ‘till we get home,” he groaned at the loss of contact. He tried to kiss you again, but you quickly turned your head to the side. Then you felt something hard pressing against your lower abdomen. You lowered your gaze and your jar dropped open at the sight of the bulge in his pants. “You’re unbelievable, Christian,” you shook your head at him as you threw him a glare.
“I can’t help it,” he whined. He bit down on his bottom lip as his eyes caressed your body. 
“You look so sexy today,” he whispered in your ear, before kissing your ear lobe. You felt his hot, uncontrolled breath brushing against your skin. “C’mon, Min.” “Nope,” you shook your head. “Your whole family is right on the other side of the door!”
“Don’t make me beg for it,” he whispered in a pleading tone. He almost had you there, the expression on his face, his deep voice and the way he was looking at you. It was too much for you to handle, you needed to get out of there, before you would give in to him. 
“Take care of it yourself,” you told him, trying to sound as cold and sharp as possible. You smoothly wriggled out of his arms and walked towards the door. “Fuck,” a deep groan left his mouth. “Can you at least stay with me until…my dick has calmed down.”
“Fine,” you turned back again and walked towards him as your eyes mustered him.
“Shit, Minhee, don’t look at me like that. It’s not helping,” he complained out of the blue. “That’s my face!” “Turn around,” he ordered. Not waiting for you to follow his instructions, he grabbed your shoulders and turned you the other way. He closed his eyes, trying to distract himself, trying not to think about the things he wanted to do with you. But the image of your naked body kept reappearing inside of his head and he was getting more and more turned on by the second. “I just took a huge dump today,” you said out of the blue. His eyes shot open. “What?” “It was really nasty and it smelt horribly.” You thought the more disgusting the story you invented was, the quicker his erection would disappear.
“That’s information I didn’t need to know.”
“Did it help though?” “Not at all,” he shook his head with a laugh.“I’m gonna go to the restroom.You need to cover for me though.” He walked behind you so nobody could see his little friend down there. When you reached the restroom, you parted with him. You went back to the living room where the party was at. As you were standing in the room like a lost puppy, his mother walked over to you and kept you company. Although she did ask you a couple questions, she didn’t make you feel like you were being interrogated. The way she was speaking to you, you were the one that wanted to tell her more about yourself. That’s the power she had. You ended up revealing a bit more about yourself than you had originally planned. 
“To be honest, I was a bit scared he wouldn’t be able to love again after Nayeon.”
It was the first time someone mentioned the name of his ex and judging by the how softly she spoke about her, she must have liked her quite a bit. His ex must have gotten along well with his mother. She probably fooled her just like she had Christian wrapped around her fingers. But how was what you were doing right now any different to how his ex played everybody? You weren’t being truthful either, so how could you condemn someone else for doing exactly what you were doing right now.
“He’s someone with a big heart. He just needs to find the right person to give it to. I’m really glad he’s found you. When he told me about you he was grinning from ear to ear. I missed that boyish, carefree look on him. He seems to be really fond of you.” “I don’t think so,” you blurted out without thinking. His mother had such high hopes for you, it didn’t feel right to be lying to her.
“Don’t say something like that, dear. Rome wouldn’t introduce a girl he wasn’t serious about to the family. And I can see why he likes you so much.” “No…he…I-I mean…” you stuttered when you couldn’t find the right words to explain the situation. “We’re not really dating. I’m sorry for lying to you,“ you blurted out without thinking.
“If you’re not his girlfriend, then…” His mother looked at you confused. “I’m just a friend. He asked me to come, because his aunts were pressuring him so much. I’m really sorry.” “It’s ok, dear. My sisters can be kind of…obtrusive sometimes,” she agreed with a laugh. She didn’t seem to be caught off guard by the new information. You expected her to be angry with you, but she seemed to be taking it rather relaxed.  
“But your son is a really great guy. I’m sure he’ll find the right person,” you meant what you said. Those were probably the first true words that you had said today. 
“Sometimes you miss the forest for the trees.”
“What do you mean?” “Never mind. There he is, I’ll leave you two alone,” she nodded to Christian who had just  appeared in the crowd. 
~*~
“What were you talking about with my mum?” “I kinda fucked up. I’m sorry,” you admitted straight away as you swallowed down. “What happened?”
“I couldn’t lie to your mom. She knows we’re just pretending.” You expected him to be angry. He had been a great emotional support to you without asking for anything in return. It was only one simple favor, yet you couldn’t even manage to get through the day without messing up. “Well, it’s my mum,” he sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “She probably knew anyway.”
“You’re not angry?”
“Why would I be?” He looked at you dumbfounded as he let out a laugh. “I got my aunts off my back. That’s what I wanted in the first place.”
“I’ll go get some drinks.” “No,” you hurriedly grabbed his hand, pulling him back. “Please don’t leave me alone with your family,” you said with panic in your eyes. You weren’t sure you would survive another interrogation by his cousins. 
“Okay,” he chuckled softly. “I won’t leave your side.” “You can let me go, you know?” He looked down and your eyes followed his. You didn’t realize you were still holding his hand until he pointed it out.
“Sorry,” you quickly pulled your hand back as if touching fire while an awkward chuckle left your lips.
~*~
[Time leap]
“Mum, we’re heading home first. Minhee has a meeting early in the morning.“
“Where is she?“ His mother looked left and right, searching for you.”She’s waiting in the car.“ Christian wanted to bid goodbye to his mother, but after the incident between you and his mother, it didn’t feel right to appear in front of her again. You felt too guilty for lying.
“Confess to her before it’s too late.“ “What?“ He looked at his mother with big eyes, completely startled by her words. “Mum, it’s not like that. I just asked her to pretend to be my girflfriend, so I won’t have to go on those stupid blind dates.“ “Rome, when do you ever learn that you cannot deceive your own mother? I know my son. And I know when he is in love.”
“I’m not in love with her. Really. She’s a just good friend,“ he denied again as he shook his head. He knew once his mother was set on something, there was no changing her mind whether she was actually right or wrong. But why was he so adamant in proving her wrong right now? Whom was he trying to convince?
“Don’t wait too long or you might miss your chance.“
“I don’t even like her that way. Neither does she,” he tried to explain to his mother. 
“I see the way you look at her. That’s not the look of someone who’s looking at his friend…” “Mum, it’s really not like that. She’s a good friend…and she’s in love with someone else anyway. She was just trying to help me out because I asked her.”
“If you wait too long to acknowledge your feelings, you might lose her.”
~*~
Ever since Christian returned to the car he had been rather quiet. He didn’t talk a lot throughout the ride and it made you wonder if you had said something to irritate him. You tried to backtrack your conversations with him. He didn’t seem angry when you had told him that his mother knew the truth. He was still goofing around with you afterwards. It was only after he went in again to say goodbye to his mother that his mood suddenly changed. It must have had something to do with his mother, you concluded. “Did your mom scold you? I’m sorry. It just didn’t feel right to lie to her.“ “Nah everything’s good,“ Christian quickly shook it off and gave you a reassuring smile. It was a half-hearted smile. You could tell his mind was somewhere else and he didn’t put in much effort to hide it. 
“Why are you so quiet then?“ You probed further. “I’m just a bit tired.“ He closed his eyelids and crossed his arms in front of his chest, sinking into the seat. You reached out one of your hands while the other held the wheel, your eyes still focused on the roads. You touched his forehead to check his temperature which made him flinch. “What are you doing?“ He pushed himself into an upright position, his full attention now on you. “Checking your temperature.“ “I’m good.“ “You sure?“ His forehead was warm, it wasn’t quite a fever yet, but it wasn’t the normal  body temperature either. “I’m fine, Minhee,“ he chuckled.
“Then what’s going through your mind?“
Christian looked away from you, then down at his shoes. Still not meeting your eyes, he touched the watch on his wrist and played with it for a moment. The car remained utterly silent. You heard the sound of his breaths, irregular and shaky. 
“What you said earlier…”
“What exactly?“ You had spent the entire day with him and his family, you had said a lot of things to him. It was impossible to remember everything or guess what he was referring to. “You said you’re not falling in love with me.“ “You’re still worried about that?“ You chuckled, your shoulders falling in relief. You thought it was something serious, but if it was only that bothering him, he had nothing to worry about. “How can you be so sure? I mean it’s possible that you do, isn’t it?“
You spent a moment thinking about it, but you couldn’t imagine dating him, or dating anyone in general right now. “I don’t think that’s gonna happen.“ “Why not?“ “You’re not my type,“ you answered shortly and simply. “What is your type?“ “Well, for starters someone who’s not afraid of commitment.“
“I’ve been in relationships,“ he pointed out matter-of-factly. 
“I know, but…you don’t want to be in one right now, do you?“
“Where did you get that idea?”
“You said that! And you’re not really making an effort in meeting someone or going on dates.”
He didn’t say anything, he couldn’t say anything. After all you were right and he couldn’t dispute that. He was way too busy to meet someone new and go on dates. Getting to know someone was a time-consuming activity and he didn’t have time left to spare. The time he had, he wanted to spend with you. 
“Ian, you don’t have to worry,” you assured him again. “I don’t even wanna be in a  romantic relationship right now, neither do you. I want some time for myself, you know. Just focusing on work and myself, I’ve been neglecting that for too long. It’s just sex, no feelings involved.” You words were supposed to give him assurance. You thought that was what he wanted to hear, but they had a different effect him. Christian remained silent again. He glanced out of the window, then at his feet. His gaze danced around, avoiding yours. 
”If you’re that worried that I might catch feelings, we could just stop-”
“I don’t wanna stop,” he replied almost immediately as though it was a reflex. “What is it that you want then?”
He didn’t answer that question, because he knew he couldn’t have what he wanted. He’d be asking for too much. “You’re right,” he let out a shaky breath. For a moment, there was no sound. 
“Let’s stop.”
~*~
You parked his car in the underground garage of his apartment. You turned off the engine and pulled out the keys, before returning them to their owner.
“I can’t drive you home, because I drank,” he said with an apologetic look on his face.
“I know, I’ll just take a cab.” “You can stay, you know,” he offered as he awkwardly scratched the back his head. “And do what?” Whenever one of you stayed for the night, there was only one purpose. But sex was out of question now that you both came to the mutual agreement to stop. Staying for the night and not sleeping with each other seemed weird to you. It felt wrong.  
“Right…” he let out an awkward chuckle. “Text me, when you’re home.”
~*~
[Time leap]
You were brushing you hair when you heard the sound of the door bell. You hurriedly walked to the intercom while your hands were busy tying your hair into a bun which was rather difficult without a mirror. At times like these, you wondered why you let your hair grow that long in the first place. It would be a lot easier if you just chopped everything off. You turned on the speaker function and told Christian that you would be down in a minute. 
“I’ll come upstairs.”
“Why?” You wondered, but still pressed the button to open the door. I felt a bit weird, he hadn’t taken a step inside your apartment since you both agreed to stop the physical activities. All you ever did at home was related to sex, that’s why you never bothered to invite him in again.You left your apartment door ajar so he could enter himself and stepped in front of the mirror to fix your bun. You heard the door closing, before Christian appeared in front of you. He was carrying a small wooden box in his hands.
“What’s that?” Your eyes followed him. 
“Peaches,” he answered shortly before he led himself into your kitchen with you following behind. He placed it down on the kitchen counter. Clapping his hands together, to wipe off the dust. You stepped next to him and took a peak inside. 
“My aunt grows them in her garden. She sent me two boxes of it and told me to share them with my girlfriend,“ he said with emphasis on the last word. “The perks of being Rome’s fake girlfriend,” you said playfully as you took a quick look at the peaches. They looked delicious. Smiling to yourself, you felt a warm and fuzzy feeling, a feeling you weren’t unfamiliar with. Kiseok’s parents had a little farm where they grew their own crops and they would always sent you some. They made you feel welcomed and loved, just like Christian’s family did. The only difference was that their friendliness was based on a lie. You weren’t really deserving of it.
“Let’s go.” Christian saw the subtle change in your facial expression, so he tried to divert your attention to something else. You quickly grabbed a jacket and followed him to the elevator which really took its time. 
“You sure you wanna watch that movie?” He asked you out of the blue. “Why? What’s wrong with it? I heard it was good.” “I read some reviews…” His face turned dark.
“Don’t tell me you’re scared?“ You broke out into rumbling laughter. You didn’t think he would be scared of horror movies. He always gave a reliable and gutsy impression, someone who wasn’t scared of anything. 
“A little bit?“ He chuckled shyly. “I mean…you should have read the reviews!“ “You said you liked horror movies!” “I don’t.” Since none of your friends wanted to watch that movie with you, you had bothered Christian for over a week until he finally gave in.
“Why did you agree then?” “‘Cause I missed you.”
Your body froze for a brief moment as you blinked at him, a sudden warmth shooting through your body. 
“Now you’re just sweet-talking me,“ you chuckled lightly as you rolled your eyes.
“Did it work though?“ He grinned at you playfully. 
“A little bit,“ you winked at him with a smile.
“So we’re not watching that stupid horror movie?“
“Well, I don’t want you to wet your pants at night,“ you took this perfect opportunity to tease, a smirk spreading across your face.
In this moment a high-pitched tone indicated that the elevator had just arrived. The door slid open, revealing a silhouette standing on the other side. You didn’t pay much attention as you were immersed in the conversation with Christian. Without looking, you walked straight into the elevator. Christian quickly pulled you back, stopping you from bumping into the person in front of you. Confused you looked up, your entire body froze and a string of nerves tightened in your ribs upon seeing that familiar face.
“Kiseok…,” you whispered to yourself, still not believing your eyes. 
“Can we talk?” He asked you with caution, his voice sounded soft. 
“I-I…actually have plans right now.” You wanted the words to be firm, strong, but instead your voice was shaking. You glanced at Christian, with your eyes you pleaded him to help you to get out of this sticky situation, but he didn’t seem to get it, or maybe he did, but he just chose to ignore it.
“I’ll give you two some privacy. I’ll wait in the car,” he told you as he walked into the elevator, leaving your side. No, no, no, Christian, don’t leave me, you shook your head slightly, giving him all the signs you could think of to make him stay. But he didn’t. He waited for Kiseok to leave the elevator, before he pushed the button that brought him to the ground floor.
Fuck, you cursed inside of your head. You didn’t know what to feel right now, overwhelmed with contradictory emotions. You were angry with Christian, as he left you alone with Kiseok without a second thought. You didn’t want to talk to Kiseok. Christian out of everyone should have known how much you dreaded seeing him again. Yet he left. You felt betrayed by someone you thought would have your back when you needed him. At the same time you felt hurt and scared of the conversation that was about to come. 
“What do you want, Kiseok? Did Jay send you?“ You quickly regained your composure, not wanting him to see you in a vulnerable state. “No, I decided to come myself.“
“Why? You have more insults you want to rid yourself of?“ You asked him in a mocking tone. “I’m sorry for how I behaved at the party. It was inappropriate,” he said out of the sudden. An apology coming from him was the thing you least expected. “I got jealous when I saw you with him.“ It had been a while since you heard honest words coming out of his mouth. “And you thought picking a fight with me in public would it make it better?“ You snarled back at him with sarcasm. 
“No…I-I didn’t think at all to be honest. I had one too many and I leashed out at you.“ You knew it was a sincere apology, yet you weren’t satisfied. You weren’t sure what you wanted to hear from him, but nothing he said could subdue the anger you felt towards him. It wasn’t only anger either, more than anything you felt hurt and betrayed. “You’re excuses are getting worse.“ “Look, Minhee, it’s not easy for me. We’ve been together for so long.“ “And you think it’s easy for me?“ You looked at him in disbelief as you let out a scoff.
“Well, you’ve found yourself someone else pretty quickly.“ “It was just sex.“ You didn’t even know why you felt the need to set it straight. It was none of his business anyway. It was your life which he wasn’t a part of anymore due to his own doing. “I saw the way you looked at him.“ “And how am I looking at him?“ “The same way you used to look at me.“ You shook your head at him and let out a chuckle in disbelief. “God, you’re so paranoid. I’m not in love with him. I think I’d be the first one to know if I like someone or not.”
“What is he doing here then? I know you, Min. You don’t invite just anyone to your home.” You had no idea how the apology turned into an interrogation and you didn’t feel comfortable with the direction the conversation took.
“I don’t owe you an explanation, Kiseok.” “It’s just unfair that you get to move on with your life while I’m still miserable.“ “You have no right to say that. You walked out on us the moment you fucked her and lied to me.“ “I only lied to you because I didn’t want to hurt you and I didn’t want to lose you.“
“Well, you hurt me and you lost me, so that plan of yours didn’t work out very well, did it?“
“I’ve made a mistake, Minhee. I know that and I know it’s not something I can’t fix with a simple apology. But I’m trying. I’m really trying to fix it, because I can’t throw away the past four years just like that. You mean too much to me. I can’t just let you go like that. I can’t give up like this.”
In the silence that followed, you broke your gaze preferring instead to rest your eyes on the elevator behind him. “Is there nothing I can do to win back your trust?“ “I don’t know,” you answered truthfully. Would you ever be able to trust him again after all the lies he had told? Would you ever be able to believe his words without having any doubts? Was his word even worth anything anymore?
“Will you ever be able to forgive me?“ “I don’t know, Kiseok.“ “Do you still have feelings for me?“
Wow, this was a pretty long chapter! The longest yet I think? Hope it wasn’t too boring to read haha. What do you guys think? Is his mother right? Why did Christian leave so suddenly? What will Minhee's answer be? Are you Team Kiseok or Team Christian? Looking forward to reading your comments! :) And I hope you all are staying healthy! 
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Note
Sharja prompt: one of them taking care of the other when sick or drunk (ik that’s not very specific sorry 😩)
There it is, I wrote it in my physics class so I’m deeply sorry if it makes no sense. Enjoy:))
Tarja has just changed into her pyjamas and got ready for bed. She was exhausted from a busy day at a festival, performing with both Within Temptation and her own band, but it was the good kind of exhaustion. She jumped on the bed with a heavy sigh. What a good day.
Her girlfriend, Sharon, was still out with her bandmates, in a club. Originally Tarja was planning on joining them, but she just felt like she needed to rest. Sharon had offered to stay with her so that she didn't feel alone but Tarja wanted her to have some fun after a hard day so she was by herself.
Suddenly, the phone on Tarja’s bed table rang. It was Ruud, the guitarist.
‘’Hey, what’s up?’’ she asked.
‘’Well, that's a long story. You know, Sharon and wine.’’
‘’Oh jeez, what happened?’’
‘’Nothing yet, except for awkward dancing and singing along to songs. But she's completely wasted. Do you think that you could come pick her up before she does something stupid?’’
‘’Ah, ok. I'm on my way.’’
She put on some jeans and a t-shirt. The last thing she needed were news articles with titles such as ‘’The queen of metal, Tarja Turunen, caught bringing her drunk girlfriend back to the hotel room in just her pyjamas’’. Fortunately, she had her car there.
She got in the car and drove to the club with the speed of the light. Tarja would always drive too fast - especially when it had to do something with her girlfriend - but relatively safely.
Finally, she was there. She quickly looked around and found the club Ruud told her about earlier. She made her way up there. After showing her id to the guy next to the door, she was finally inside. She couldn't believe her eyes. Sharon was sitting behind a table, laughing hysterically to everything the guys said, no matter how not funny it was. Tarja didn't think that she ever saw her this drunk. Or maybe she just didn't remember because she was drunk too at the time.
‘’Hey, Sharon, your girlfriend is here.’’ one of the guys informed her.
‘’Oh, hi sweetie’’ Sharon said loudly, over pronouncing every word. Tarja struggled not to laugh, although she knew it wasn't funny at all.
‘’Hi’’
‘’Why are you here, my gorgeous lady?’’ she asked her. Tarja had to giggle. They had a lot of nicknames for eachother but she had never used this one before.
‘’The guys didn't tell you?’’ she asked, lowkey confused.
‘’We did.’’ Martijn said.
‘’I'm here to pick you up honey. Ruud told me that you're very drunk. I'm here to make sure that you're gonna be ok for the interviews tomorrow. Also we wanted to watch some of our friends perform as well’’
‘’Tarja, please, just ten more minutes’’
‘’Sharon, for god's sake, i'm your girlfriend, not your mom. If you want to stay, you can. What i am trying to say here is that if you want to be at least a bit ok tomorrow, you should go home and drink some water. But you can stay if you want to.’’
‘’Ok so I'm gonna go BUT you'll make me your special pancakes and cuddle me till I fall asleep’’
‘’I always do that, silly.’’
‘’Ok, lets go. Bye guys, see you tomorrow. Well, today actually, it's 2 am.’’
They made their way towards the car. Sharon was basically hanging on Tarja, as she was a little bit too drunk to walk properly. Tarja sat her down in the front seat of the car and sat in the driver’s seat. 
It was about 15 minutes to the hotel. Tarja wanted to have the way over so she was driving too fast again.
‘’Tarja slow down or I'm gonna puke at you! You're driving too fast.’’
‘’Ah, ok’’ Tarja said and stepped on the brake way too hard. For a second she thought that Sharon is actually going to throw up.
Tarja finally stopped the car at the parking lot. They did it. She drove Sharon home without vomiting. Tarja managed to get Sharon to the room. 
‘’What now? You wanna those pancakes now or in the morning?’’
‘’Pancakes can wait. Cuddles can’t.’’ Sharon said and smiled widely. Tarja did the same. Whenever her girlfriend smiled, she just had to smile too and it didn't matter how drunk she was.
‘’Ok, but you gotta get a shower and drink some water’’
‘’Whatever. But the snuggles better be good.’’
‘’Do you want some help in the shower?’’
‘’No, I'm a grown ass woman, I can take a shower myself.’’
‘’Ok, just call me if you change your mind.’’
Not even five minutes passed when Tarja heard a loud crash, soon followed by dutch swear words.
‘’Oh my god, Sharon, are you alright?’’ Tarja screamed, running to the bathroom.
She found her girlfriend laying on the floor, almost crying.
‘’Oh honey, did you hit your head?’’
‘’That too, but I'm not crying because of that. Look at me, I'm such a mess. I cant even take a stupid shower by myself.’’
‘’Sweetie, you're not a mess. You're just drunk, it's gonna pass. And even if you were a mess, I don't care. I love you for who you are, not for who you are not.’’
Sharon was still sobbing, wiping her tears and smudged mascara on her girlfriend’s shoulder.
After she got out of the shower, with her girlfriend's help, she changed into her pyjamas and finally went to bed.
‘’Snuggle time’’ Sharon screamed and pushed her on the bed and layed on the top of her, kissing the hell of her lips.
‘’Wait, I said snuggles, not throw me on the bed and crush me into pieces’’ Tarja giggled. She couldn’t breathe well, but she still enjoyed the other woman's touch.
‘’Oh, ok, sorry, I'm a bit drunk, y’know’’
Tarja smiled lightly and freed herself. She laid on her side and pulled Sharon close.
‘’You're my favourite teddy bear, you know that, right?’’ Sharon said.
‘’You're my favourite teddy bear as well, honey.’’ Tarja answered and kissed her girlfriend goodnight. She could still taste the wine on her lips, but she didn't care. She loved her for who she was, not for who she was not. 
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lydiascottage · 4 years
Text
Hurry up, idiot (Poe x reader)
Tumblr media
Hey, this based off the prompt below. I hope you enjoy this little imagine and I’m sorry it’s taken so long for me to put it out.
“Would you stop checking yourself out? We have somewhere to be, you know.”
“Well someone has to admire by beauty, and you don’t seem interested in doing so.”
Warning: rated teen, strong language that’s about it. Have fun.
Authors note: so writing this was rubbish. I love writing but it was so hard bc of technology. Each time I tried to write it on my iPad it would just delete whole paragraphs of work and so I switched to my phone so if this is riddled with spelling mistakes and stuff I'm sorry but I'm so tired and I have wanted this out for about a week so now. Now it's done I havent proof read it but hopefully it's ok.
Taglist: @softly-sad
———————————————
“Shit, shit shit shit.” It was safe to say your morning hadn’t been going well when you had received a transmission via your holo pad that the general wanted to speak to you immediately. Now any other day you would have loved to see lea, but today. You were just done. One of the training medics you had to supervise had decided that they would try treat your burnt mechanic by themselves. Safe to say it didnt go well and now you had a but load of paperwork.
Nevertheless, you got up and headed towards the command centre plastering on the best fake smile you could to see what the rest of the day had in store for you.
"Commander, you requested me?"
"Ahhh Doctor, thank you for joining us at such late notice."
Looking around the command centre stood the normal personal, the general and one Poe Dameron famed leader of the black squadron and resistance poster boy. Oh yeah, and also your kinda secret boyfriend. It was because of this fact that that poes face turned from focused as you entered to worry. He could tell when you were feeling down or in a mood and so was now slightly panicked at your state even though to an onlooker you seemed fine.
"Its fine, what did you want me for? If it's because of the mechanic situation earlier then rest assured that hes been tended to with the best care since and "
"Doctor, calm down. I didnt bring you here to scold you for anything. Though I will want a report on whatever your speaking of at a later date." Leia was always someone you had looked up to, and this just cemented that. She cared so deeply about individuals but also about the job on a level hardly anyone else on either side of the fight did.
"Now, I'm sending commander Dameron out tomorrow for a reconnaissance mission, the whereabouts is highly classified but I want you to go with him. Intel suggests that we may have wounded spies in the field and so I feel you, considering your background as a front line medic would be good for the job. Am I correct in my assumptions?"
"Yes, you are general. I'm gald I can help, is their anything apart from my field supplies I would need?" You try, god you try to keep your eyes locked with lea's but for about a minute now poe has just been stairing at you like an idiot. And that makes it VERY hard to keep focused.
"That should be all, please meet with Commander Dameron in the hanger at 4am sharp. That's all, and good luck." She takes a quick bow of her head in respect before turning back to poe to presumably go over any last details.
This is going to be a long night...
------------
It was dark next time you saw him, with the hallway lights casting a dim shadow over his face Poe stood in your doorway yet again still wearing his clothes for the day but carrying a small duffle bag in his right hand.
"Hey, I didnt think you'd come tonight." It had become a thing as of late, that poe would sleep in your quarters instead of his own. You both seemed to like the company and a good sleep snuggle as poe had so graciously put it. And while your room was smaller, being a doctors one located near the med bay his were near the command centre, a perk of the promotion to Commander but it also meant sneaking in and out was almost impossible.
"Yeah well, you looked tired earlier and I think we both need a hug right about now." I mean he had a point. After your long day all you wanted to do was cuddle but knowing you would be stuck with eachother for an extended amount of time you didnt think he wanted to spend his last night alone with you. At least you thought that till he looked directly into your eyes and you could see nothing but admiration and love.
Finding such things was hard these days, and keeping them was even harder. Hence the reason for the sneaking and secret relationship. All everyone else knew was that you guys were friends who just so happened to hang out a lot.
No longer wanting to keep him from the warmth of your bed, you led Poe inside and straight to bed notioning to where he could keep his bag for the night.
"I'm glad you came, I know we will be spending lots of time together on this mission but"
"No need to explain, I get it." Softly spoken poe was best poe in your opinion. He was always so caring but at the same times his voice just becomes softer and calming in when speaking to you.
Now out of his clothes, left only in boxers poe slips himself into bed next to you bringing his arms out to tuck you into his body as close as possible. Not only were your bodies entwined but it felt like your souls were too.
"You want to talk about today, you seemed pretty frazzled earlier." While his words were soft and intentions good, all this did was make you exhale sharply against his neck.
"I'm fine, I just hope the other guy is ok. One of my students decided they wanted to play hero and so took of the clingfilm I had wrapped around a patients burn wound and tried to inject the burnt skin directly with bacta. I had to rush over and help." By the end of your little rant your shoulders had slumped and relaxed as you let out the days stress.
"Hmmm" it was a while before either of you spoke again, content to just be held in each other's arms in relative safeness considering the circumstances. Both your breathing had evened out and muscles relaxed, both just taking in the feeling of comfort and security the other brought.
"Goodnight darling." That was the last words uttered on poe Dameron lips for the night as he settled down into a blissful sleep ready to be woken up bright and early.
-----------------
"Morning sleepyhead, it's time to wake up. We have to get going in about an hour." It wasn't normal for him to get the last and first word of the day, as your sleep schedule was patient dependent. But today meant none of that.
"Hmmmm" you mumbled in response, already shoving your face into poes pillow and sliding back down the bed to hide inside the cheap covers.
"I know, I hate getting up at this time too but if we are late lea will kill us on spot, and that's a worse way to start the morning. " the huff that came from inside the duvet told poe all he needed to know. That you agreed and so were very slowly sorting yourself out for the trip ahead.
Around 40 minutes later, you and poe were washed and dressed with all your supplies packed (granted you only needed to add some underwear to your bag) and standing in the corner of the main hanger, waiting to see what would happen next.
Unfortunately for you, the hanger for some reason had a mirror lying around. You guessed it was from a left over repair fix to help the mechanic see better under the x-wings.
“Would you stop checking yourself out? We have somewhere to be, you know.”
“Well someone has to admire by beauty, and you don’t seem interested in doing so.”
At this a loud scoff rises in your throat. Sometimes you wonder why you deal with him but then thoughts of all the hugs and loving words come to mind reminding you why you loved him. Despite his flaws. This being one of them.
"Oh so I'll just tell Leia while we have been waiting 10 minutes you decided to check yourself out right when we have to go."
"Uh huh, she'll understand." Confidence. Or was this arrogance, honestly sometimes with poe it was hard to tell.
As you made your way over to the general, you saw poe your idiot boyfriend do a double take of his ass as he walked away from the mirror. Rolling your eyes at him yet still not managing to hold back the hint of a smile at his silliness. Sometimes in a war that was needed.
"General, good morning how are you?"
"I'm fine, thank you for asking. Worried as always about missions and the first order but what can more can I do. I hope you both have a safe flight there and back with hopefully some good news upon your arrival."
"General, with all due respect, you have done more for the galaxy than anyone else here fighting almost your whole life for justice. It's an honour to work under you and I just hope we can bring you back some good news."
While you brought your thoughts to a close, said Poe Dameron was making his was up to you both with a big smile plastered across his face. The reason of which was yet unknown. Now their are plenty of reasons why poe could be smiling, one was his joy at seeing the two people he loved thr most apart from beebs interacting. That would be the wholesome reason. The real one however was that he now thought that he looked amazing in his new gear as shown by the mirror on the floor.
"Lea, good to see you. What's going on?"
"Me and our trusty doctor here were taking about your upcoming mission. Its good to see you so positive for this." When the general addressed poe she usually held a similar fondness and love that poe gave to you, and the idea that he was like a second son to her was engrained in your head.
As your thoughts swirled around the pair of them you couldnt help but blurt out "I'm in a relationship." Shit. That was not the way to do this. Both poe and Leia's faces transformed into one of shock, for entirely different reasons though.
"Doctor, as much as I'm glad to here your doing well for yourself I'm not sure how this effects me."
"Poe. I'm dating poe."
"That's me." He adds pointing to himself, as of anyone thought that their was suddenly two people with the name poe onboard this base.
"Ah, well, this won't affect the mission will it? Your both still our best shot for this." The look of concern that etched over Leia's ace was deafening, you wanted her approval so badly that you had compromised the whole resistance.
"Not at all general. I promise that we are both strictly professional until we have any scheduled time to not be. Oh that sounded inappropriate I promise we only hug."
"Dear, calm down. What you do in your own time dosent bother me. I just want you and everyone here safe and as happy as they can be." A calm washed over you and poe then, as you knew that your relationship didnt have to be secret anymore and the person you both looked up to seemed to not mind and even like the idea.
Maybe things were looking up, despite poe still being an idiot you could call him your idot proudly and not be sanctioned for it. Maybe yesterday was just a bad day and a one off that wouldnt last.
Either way, you had a new outlook going into this mission. And that just strengthened you to do you very best from that point on. The resistance meant so much to you and poe that this mission suddenly held more weight and importance.
It was the start of something.
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jackyjango · 4 years
Text
AU- gust Firefighters AU
This fic can be-- kind of- sort of-- considered as a prequel to
A Cat Named Erik- https://archiveofourown.org/works/15110558
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‘Sir,’ Erik says, ‘You need to come with me right away!’
‘I can’t,’ says blue eyes in a posh British accent— really, nobody’s eyes should be that blue or that piercing even through thick glasses— not pausing in his frantic search. 
Erik curses people’s stupidity. To think that whatever they hold on to so dearly-- money, pearls, documents, grandmother’s china, whatever they hold on to all their lives-- is worth more than their goddam lives. 
(Once, a woman had refused to be rescued out of a burning building without her lunch box. A lunch box! Thankfully, the said lunch box had been metal and Erik had been able to fish it out from below the pile of her smoking furniture before rescuing her out of the house. People and their antics. And they call him the dramatic one!)
Any other time, Erik would have gawked at blue-eyes’s swell ass that is put on display as he bends to look under a table, or the way the hem of his overly large sweater slips from his shoulder exposing his freckled skin, or the way it reaches his mid thigh displaying his pale thighs, covering his boxer briefs and giving off the impression that the sweater is the only thing he’s wearing. He doesn’t do any of that now, because, one- Erik’s on duty, and two- they don’t have the fucking time. The only way into the small apartment had been the narrow corridor, and even that is filled with smoke now, leaving the only window on the opposite wall as their point of exit. 
‘Sir,’ Erik calls out again, injecting urgency into his voice, hoping that his voice will be carried through the barrier of his gas mask, ‘We really have to get going.’
‘I can’t!’ blue eyes says again turning on his heel to look at Erik. There’s a frantic look in his eyes and Erik wonders how much of it is because of smoke inhalation and how much of it is because of genuine despair over whatever blue eyes isn’t finding. ‘I can’t leave without Matilda!’
Matilda? But Erik doesn’t remember the landlord of the building mentioning a second person in the apartment when he’d given the list of the residents of the building who’d needed to be pulled out. Regardless of the number of people, it’s Erik’s duty to save every one of them.
‘Okay,’ Erik says, moving closer to blue eyes. ‘Where was she when the alarm went off?’
‘She was right here,’ blue eyes points at the couch and bends to look around it. ‘Matilda!’ He shouts into the small apartment, cupping his hands around his mouth. ‘Where are you, darling?’
Any other time Erik would have wondered who Matilda is and how she’s related to blue eyes— is she a relative? A sister? A girlfriend, perhaps?—or marvelled at how stupid blue eyes is for looking for Matilda under tables and couches as if a fully grown human would even fit in there (But hey, in blue eyes’ defense, people do stupid shit when they’re under stress.) But now, Erik does none of that, because, one- Erik’s on duty, and two- they don’t have the fucking time. The metal rods holding up the ceiling are slowly losing their structure strength and the smoke rolling in from the open kitchen is reducing the visibility and making breathing difficult.
‘Matilda!’ blue eyes shouts again, and this time his voice wobbles around a hitch.
Spurred into action, Erik scans the small apartment for all traces of metal. Coins, buttons, hooks, clips, any form of metal that one would carry on their person but comes up with nothing. 
‘I’ll check there,’ Erik says, moving towards the closed door of the bathroom. 
‘She isn’t there! I checked,’ blue eyes says, distraught, stopping Erik in his tracks. ‘Besides, she hates water.’
That still doesn’t explain why a person wouldn’t think of hiding in the bathroom in case of a fire, but Erik drops the issue as this isn’t the right time to curse at blue eye’s idiocy. Instead, Erik asks, ‘Do you know any other place she could be, a room or a store room or an alcove?’
Blue eyes looks at Erik for a moment and shakes his head vehemently. 
Sighing, Erik starches out his hand and feels around the room with his senses once more. Though he doesn’t find anything to hint at the existence of a person, he realises with an ugly feeling in his gut that the iron rods holding up the ceiling have lost their structural integrity altogether. They have to move now- the ceiling can crash on their heads any minute. Erik can keep the ceiling from falling on them till they move out, but not for long.
‘Matilda,’ blue eyes call out again, ‘Please come out darling. I love you very much!’ Blue eyes looks like he’s on the verge of crying now, and Erik’s heart shrinks in his chest, because if it comes to it, Erik has to pull blue eyes out of the building with or without Matilda.
So in a last ditch effort, Erik calls out, ‘Matilda.’
There’s no response for a few seconds, and then, Meow.
Meow?
As if on cue, a ginger cat crawls out slowly from behind a stout bookcase and moves towards blue eyes.
Good grief, it’s a cat. 
Matilda is a cat!
‘Matilda!’ blue eyes shrieks and falls to his knees, swooping to pick Matilda off the carpet and into his arms. 
Erik sighs in relief-- relief because they’ve found the cat or because Matilda isn’t blue eyes’ girlfriend, Erik doesn’t know. Erik can’t think any of that now because Erik’s on duty, and they don’t have the time. The ceiling can fall on their heads any moment.
‘Sir, we have to move, now. We can’t go out of the main door because the corridor is filled with smoke, so we have to move out of the window and I’ll have to carry you. But don’t worry, I can levitate us-’ Erik stops, for blue eyes isn’t even listening to him. He’s clutching Matilda to his chest and murmuring sweet nothings to the cat. 
It’s Erik’s duty to declare his purpose before using his powers in the course of a rescue, but they don’t have the time for protocol now dammit. Not with blue eyes lost in another world with his cat.
Any other time, Erik would have been jealous of the cat, but now.... well.
Erik walks to where blue eyes is crouching on the carpet and picks him up with one hand below his knee and the other supporting his back. Blue eyes yelps in surprise but thankfully comes to his senses and loops one arm around Erik’s neck while he grips Matilda tightly against his chest with the other.
Melting the window frame, Erik creates an opening for them and levitates them safely to the ground.
‘You’re a mutant’ blue eyes beams as soon as Erik puts him down. ‘Oh, you have a marvelous mutation, my friend. Doesn’t he, Matilda?’ he asks, scratching the cat on its belly. ‘I owe you my life,’ he says to Erik more sincerely, straightening the glasses that have gone askew, ‘Both our lives actually. Thank you very very much.’
God, blue eyes looks even more beautiful under the sun, lush hair tousled, bare-footed and clad in nothing but an oversized dark blue sweater which puts his pale skin in stark contrast. And as if possible, his eyes look even bluer and brighter. 
‘Just doing my duty. You need not thank me.’ Erik shrugs nonchalantly, removing his gas mask and helmet. He’s not affected by blue eyes. Absolutely not.
‘Oh, my.’ blue eyes whispers looking at Erik’s face-- more to himself than to Erik, but Erik catches it anyways. His blue eyes widen some more, and in a thick voice he all but purrs, ‘If I can’t thank you, then can I cook you dinner? Out of gratitude, of course.’
Erik’s stomach flips, but Az chooses that very moment-- really dammit, Az--to waltz in with his report.
‘Everyone has been rescued and reported for, Lieutenant. Angel and the team are on clean up and damage control. We should be good to go in another hour.’
‘And what do we know about the source of the fire?’
‘According to Ororo, the source of the fire is a heavy-duty electric appliance-- likely an oven-- that short circuited in that apartment.’ Erik cranes his neck as Az points to the same window he just descended from.
‘Oh, dear,’ blue eyes pales visibly, and in a faint voice says, ‘I was just trying to bake cookies for Matilda.’
‘Then maybe you shouldn’t be cooking that dinner,’ Erik says and blue eyes turns a very fetching shade of red.
Erik shouldn’t find the chagrin of a man who almost burnt down an entire building baking-- no, trying to bake endearing. But he does. Dammit, he does.
‘We’re done here for today, then. The reports can wait till morning. Wrap up and go home,’ Erik says, turning to Az, who nods and disappears in a cloud of black smoke and sulphur. 
Confused by the loud cackle of smoke, Matilda mewls and burrows further against blue eyes’ chest.
‘It’s fine,’ Erik says to blue eyes. ‘It was an accident, and besides, no one was hurt.’
‘Oh,’ blue eyes says, breathing in relief. ‘Thank you.’
‘We’ll try to salvage most of your belongings once the smoke goes down, but that won’t be until tomorrow. Do you have any place you could stay tonight? A relative’s place or a friend’s?’
Blue eyes ponders on the question for a moment before biting his lip and shaking his head.
Erik sighs. ‘I have a set of spare clothes in the van. You can have it. And you can stay at my place tonight.’
‘Oh, my. I wouldn’t want to trouble-’
‘It’s no trouble,’ Erik says firmly.
‘Oh, thank you so much, my friend.’ Blue eyes beams and holds out a hand to Erik. 
I’m Charles! Says a voice into his head, warm and refreshing.
Erik scoffs. Blue eyes-- no, Charles is a telepath then. A mutant. All the better.
I’m Erik, Erik replies in kind, taking the proffered hand. ‘Come on, it’s time to go.’
Charles smiles as Erik turns and makes his way for the van. Behind him Charles is murmuring to the cat, ‘We’re going to be alright in the good Lieutenant’s home, won’t we, darling? Of course, we will…’
Erik tunes out Charles and the cat, too distracted by the thought of Charles in his clothes and the dinner he’ll be cooking for Charles that night. He shouldn’t be doing this. He really shouldn’t.
Goddammit!
But he’s off duty now and has all the time in the world to cook Charles a lovely dinner.
A Chicken Marsala sounds good, doesn’t it?
-
50 notes · View notes
jokertrap-ran · 3 years
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(光与夜之恋 Light and Night) Main Story Chapter 1-14: 命运的拐点 Destiny’s Turning Point Translation [3rd Beta Test]
*Light and Night Master-list is under WIP *Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *Game is releasing in 12 days!!! *Beta Test’s main story tag will be #Dreams of Light and Night
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Both the audience and the contestants were all collectively stunned for a while.
Audience A: Didn’t he already retire!?
Yeah! So how is this possible!?
But the tall figure under the spotlight and those cold light-coloured eyes… It was unmistakably the same face I’ve seen countless times in magazines…
Sariel was really in front of me, in flesh and blood.
It was as if someone had hit the pause button on the world. Everyone stood rooted to their spots, stunned beyond belief as they watched him proceed onwards step-by-step. He walked past the cameras and crowd alike before taking his place beside the rest of the judges.
Time only seemed to resume when he finally seated himself. Noise and excitement broke out over the crowd like a rising tide.
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Host: Just as I introduced him earlier, Mr. Sariel will be the Design Director for the Warson Brand from today onwards.
Host: We hope that Warson will be able to reach greater heights under his leadership!
The audience broke out in chatter again, and the Host happily handed him the mic.
Host: The last round of the contest is about to begin shortly. May I ask if you have anything you’d like to say to everyone here, Mr. Sariel?
Sariel raised his eyes towards the Host, yet his face remained emotionless.
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Sariel: I have nothing to say.
The Host smiled awkwardly at that as he attempted to clear up the atmosphere once more before announcing the next set of rules for the championships.
The last contest will have three different themes, each put out by each of the judges, respectively. The selected contestants will have to choose their judge, and then create a product in line with their given theme.
Host: The order of selection will go according to the final rankings of the previous round. Hence, the person in the first place will have the right to first pick. And in the first place, we have―
Host: (Y/n)! Please make your selection!
MC: !?
I get the first pick? Wait, I was 1st place for the previous round!?
Slightly buzzing with excitement, I took the mic from the Host and faced the other side where the judges were seated.
Yan Xiao, the renowned Designer, was known for being amicable and his friendliness to all contestants alike.
Meanwhile, Mya, the Deputy Director of Warson’s Design Hub, was known for her strictness. But she had already more or less praised me for one thing or another throughout all the rounds we’d gone through.
And lastly…
Sariel sat serenely in his seat. He was clearly the most popular person in the venue, yet he didn’t seem to be bothered by the lively clamouring that surrounded him, as if he were in his own personal bubble.
I’d imagined myself meeting him so many times now, yet… never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that today would be the day where it’d come true.
Rumour has it that he is very strict and has high expectations of everything. But… This might also be the one and only chance I’m ever going to get…
I tightened my grip on the mic and took in a deep breath.
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MC: I choose—
Hearing my voice calling out his name, Sariel snapped his gaze back. Our eyes finally met.
Those pale golden eyes of his held not a single shred of emotion within, as usual.
MC: I choose Mr. Sariel.
❖☆———————————★❖
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My heart was still pounding, only calming when I sat back down at my work table.
I unravelled the folded piece of paper that sat in my palm. “A Fashion Designer” was written on it. This was to be my theme for the improvisational round. I stared at it for a good long while. Countless ideas flew through your mind, but not a single one of them hit close enough to home.
Suddenly, I heard the sound of the needle of the sewing machine working, vigorously thumping in the opposite preparation room as it threaded.
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MC: They’re already starting work!?
That’s way too fast! I hurriedly sucked in a deep breath, telling myself not to get affected by how quick they were to start.
Even so, the continuous rhythmic sound of the machine working floated into my ears as it threaded, regardless.
The sound of threading… was the same as that one afternoon.
❖☆———————————★❖
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I closed my eyes, letting time flow backwards in my mind as I travelled back to the past.
Thud, thud, thud…
My grandmother was lightly stepping on the pedal of her sewing machine. I sat by her side, staring at her work while resting my cheek on one of my hands.
Granny: What kind of person do you want to be when you grow up, (Y/n)?
Little me tilted her head to the side and thought about it for a full two seconds before looking back to my grandmother with a smile.
Kid MC: I wanna be like you, granny!
Granny: Why?
Kid MC: Because you can make so many pretty dresses, and they sell really well! Also, you and mom wouldn’t have to work so hard if I became like you too!
Granny: Our dearest one is so knowledgeable. Do you know what people who make pretty dresses are called?
Kid MC: Granny!
Granny: Nope. They’re called Fashion Designers.
Kid MC: Then, I wanna be one of them!
Granny: I’ll teach you how to make them if that’s what you really want.
Kid MC: I wanna learn! Teach me!
Granny: Sure thing. But, listen to me, dear. No matter what it is that you do in the future, you must remember to always be yourself.
Granny: Only by doing that, will you not fear anything, granting you the courage you need to face as anything.
Kid MC: Be myself…
I repeated, pretending to nod in understanding as I looked out the window at the roses that were blooming with all their might. My heart wavered and shook along with them in the warm winds that blew by.
Granny: You’ll understand once you grow up.
In the end, I grew up, but my mother was no longer here, and I never had a chance to make her dresses again. Further down the road, granny herself waved her hand to me as she descended over to the other world
I hadn’t yet had the time to master her skill and techniques before I was left all alone by my lonesome, with nothing but this dream to accompany me up till where I was now.
I then remembered what granny had once told me before. I suddenly understood. Standing where I was right now, being here, was what it was to truly be myself.
I think I now know what kind of design I should make.
❖☆———————————★❖
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After submitting our final designs, Wu Yue, Gao Cheng, and I stood upon the stage, awaiting the final verdict that would conclude the championships,
Wu Yue’s theme was “Hippie”. She’d made a knee-length skirt in just a mere two hours.
Gao Cheng’s theme was “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. He’d made a silk dress shirt. It looked simple, but it was actually decorated with intricate designs.
❖☆———————————★❖
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And I’d gone with a formal top hat, made with chiffon of the highest twist available on hand, paired with pale gold rose accessories to express the “Fashion Designer” within me.
Host: Let us now invite the three judges to make some simple evaluations on the submitted designs.
Yan Xiao remained as amicable as ever, giving all of us relatively positive reviews.
And Mya was the opposite in all the right ways, concisely pointing out what each work was lacking.
The mic was passed back to Sariel once again. His face was illuminated under the spotlight, frosty and serious.
The entire venue lapsed into silence. No one dared to breathe or utter a word.
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Sariel: The silk dress shirt lacks a highlight. This is especially so because all your effort has been spent on the making of it. Why not spend the effort to properly think of something new and interesting?
Sariel: And as for the knee-length skirt… Merely going retro doesn’t make it worthy of a comeback. If you go in blindly with the notion of playing safe, you will only be bound by the safety net which you seek.
He paused as his gaze fell upon my work.
At this point, my heartbeat was as loud as a drum. I held my breath.
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Sariel: You absolutely do not understand the meaning of your given theme at all.
Sariel: This presumptuous and opinionated design of yours has completely disregarded the essence of what it means to be a “Fashion Designer”.
MC: …What?
The look on his face was one of disappointment so acute that it stabbed right through me.
The rest of the competition proceedings became a blur, all I could focus on were the piercing eyes of gold that bore into me. I completely missed how the Host concluded the whole event and made the audience rise into boisterous cheers once more.
Until I heard a name being uttered.
Host: Let us congratulate this year’s Warson Prize Champion— Wu Yue!
The overwhelming applause and cheers of the audience rang out, only for it to be replaced with a different tune; the bubbling of the deep sea.
❖☆————— ⊹ Dreams of Light & Night⊹ —————★❖
Previous Part: (Chapter 1-12) | Next Part: (Chapter 1-16)
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monchikyun · 3 years
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21. sleigh ride
It feels like the snow will never get old to Connor. It has only been over a week, but to him, it might as well have been an eternity. A life-changing one. He can hardly recognise himself anymore, and not in a bad way. So many things have happened since the start of December that he would have a hard time processing all of them were he a human. Maybe that’s why Gavin can’t react appropriately to external inputs, most of the time. Frankly, though, he admires his resilience. Being a true human can’t be easy, as he’s been reminded of several hours ago.  
Not that he minds, quite the opposite. It’s an endearing quality, the fact people can feel this much even when their minds are asleep. Connor has never dreamed so he can’t quite imagine how it really works, and that’s why he doesn’t blame his friend. That’s why he doesn’t want Gavin to blame himself, too. 
It would be like Connor faulting himself for being a machine. 
Oh. 
Okay, fair enough. Besides, he’s well on his way to stop these thinking patterns. It doesn’t give him the right to analyse his partner though, ...not that there’s anything that would stop him from doing so. 
Gavin has insisted that he would drive, claiming that it would help him keep his mind off all the bad in his head. Connor didn’t want to pry deeper to find out what exactly he meant by that, so he just let him. He doesn't really like driving anyway. It’s too much responsibility, too many things that could possibly go wrong. But he trusts Gavin, not doubting that he will deliver them home safely. 
The radio begins playing some upbeat Christmas song, promptly causing Gavin to grimace and turn it off. 
What a shame, Connor would like to enjoy the holiday cheer. 
“Why do you hate Christmas so much?” 
Gavin has not even worn the gifted sweater yet, which, to be honest, stings a bit. 
He just wants to experience this season with the person he loves, wants to make them happy. There’s nothing harmful about a little merriment, is there? 
He’s curious either way, needs to know the reason why Gavin avoids everything that has to do with the holiday. 
“It’s just… not my kind of thing.” The brows between his friend’s eyes burrow with the half-hearted answer, making the android internally sigh. 
“I see.” 
So they are not talking about this. At least not now. But he doesn't plan to give up, not yet. There has to be at least something that Gavin could share with him, a tiny hint that would help him piece this mystery together. 
“Did something bad happen to you around this time?”  
It’s all about the straightforward approach. None of them has the patience to beat around the bush today. 
“It’s not like that, Con. I just… phck… I guess I grew out of it,” Gavin exhales loudly and shakes his head. He grips the steering wheel till his knuckles turn white, focusing on the road for a while before he elaborates. “These days, it just… irritates me. All the forced commercialism, companies persuading us to buy their shit because according to them, that’s the only way we can truly be happy.”
He’s never looked at it this way, at least not consciously. Never known that joy is something one could purchase.
Maybe it’s because happiness has always been an ungraspable concept to him. Until now, that is. 
As they are passing the speeding cars on the snowy highway surrounded by bleak, empty fields, he feels mostly nothing. But one look at the handsome driver and he can’t stop himself from smiling like a love-struck idiot, the only reason for which being that he is precisely that. An infatuated dope. Stupid enough to put this fleeting elation above whatever's waiting for them at their destination.
"Do you like snow? Or the idea of it?" 
Connor would like to learn at least some truth today. 
"Only when you come with it." 
He gives him an incredulous look that is supposed to convey just how unexpected this statement has been. It makes the butterflies in his heart flutter, and he can but smile blue.
Still, he shakes his head right after in case it has been spoken in jest. 
"Maybe we should make the most we can of it while it lasts," he proposes, lowering his voice just enough to sound dangerously soft. The wink that follows comes as a surprise even to Connor.
He can sense Gavin's mouth drying in anticipation of what's hiding behind that vague suggestion. And Connor is a master of subverting expectations, or so he likes to selfishly think. 
"Here," he points at a rural road leading up to a sparsely populated area. A small, poverty-ridden town where not much ever happens. Nothing worth the rest of the world's attention. Luckily, Gavin seems to understand exactly what's wanted from him, and steers the car up the narrower road. It would be foolish to think that Connor is the only one who isn't eager to get home just yet, after all. 
The few houses lining up the main driveway are in a dire need of repair, some even appear to have been abandoned by their owners, left behind to deteriorate on their own. There are a couple of children playing near a big pine tree, throwing snow at each other and laughing when it hits its intended target. Connor regards the scene with wistful feeling, imagining what it would be like, being this little, this unburdened. 
Longing for the carefreeness that comes with childhood. 
Being created as an adult, all he's ever known are worries and their countless shapes. Only lately has he started appreciating the beauty of joy. All thanks to the man who is currently giving him a look hiding several questions. 
"What's your plan?" Is one of them. 
Before Connor can answer, Gavin is already directing the car to a clear flat spot at the end of the small village. The road seems to end there, at least the one meant for motor vehicles. 
There's another field spreading in front of them across which the path continues, only visible thanks to the people that have trodden through the snow up towards the relatively small grove standing tall in the near distance. 
Connor of course has prior knowledge of all that, he wouldn't have brought his partner here otherwise. His plan is to borrow the serenity that comes with being surrounded by little to no civilisation before they'll have to resume their busy lives in the city where trees are as scarce as happy faces.
Gavin pierces him with eyes questioning whether his friend really intends to do what he thinks he might. But Connor just presents him a small, mischievous smile and gets out of the car, heading up towards the wood without uttering a single word. He doesn't have to turn around to see whether Gavin joins him, because the muttering accompanied by unnecessary stomping would be clearly audible even to the human ear.
 "Didn't know you were this lazy," he virtually shouts towards the peak of the small hill, still not bothering to glance at the approaching figure behind him. 
He could hear a quiet "shut up" among the rapidly quickened footsteps, and not long after, there's a lightly huffing man trudging through the snow next to him.
 "Took you long enough," Connor smirks, taking in the beauty all around him, the grumpy detective included. 
"Yeah, yeah, well some of us don't have near-infinite amounts of stamina to our disposal, you know." 
He is painfully aware of that. It was none other than Connor who tried nursing his friend back to health, succeeding only thanks to his endless perseverance. That's why he isn't going too hard on him. A short walk in the fresh air of the countryside doesn't tend to bring more harm than benefit. 
Even if it has only been an afterthought. He can't quite escape the fact that his intentions were almost completely selfish. 
Because something about the idea of their shared vacation coming to an end makes him unreasonably anxious. 
Afraid that when they leave the tranquillity of the bucolic area they're in, the city will swallow them in its incessant hustle and they will crumble under the pressure of it. 
What he’s looking forward to the least is the sight of bodies unlawfully deprived of life and having to interact with their loved ones left behind, knowing that finding the culprit won't really solve anything in the end, because when the case is closed and the right person is about to go through years of deliberate suffering, the hole replacing the person now gone will never just vanish. It will stay there forever, hollowing all the newly bestowed good. 
Connor himself is a prime example of this, though it was his recklessness that killed the one that was so dear to him. His punishment has been having to live with that awareness, unable to change the bad he's already done. 
But he has someone who is able to mollify the anguish, and that by itself should be something to avoid, because it isn't fair for him to feel this light and content, not when Hank's corpse is rotting in the ground, about to be consumed by worms and become one with the Earth, slowly, bit by bit. 
Gavin's fingers tentatively brush his, as if he's asking for permission to touch. And just like that, his worries thaw into nothing and all his thoughts are directed toward the man next to him. 
Connor takes the cold, ungloved hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. 
He’d like to be sure their relationship isn't one big mistake. So far though, all the signs point in the opposite direction, making his concerns obsolete. 
Connor feels content, even if he isn't supposed to. His heart gets warmer as Gavin's hand does so too. His cheeks are rosy pink and Connor can now for certain say that it’s due to more than just the low air temperature. The man sighs as he strokes his thumb across Gavin's calloused skin, hoping to help him forget all about his previous reluctance to follow. 
He still can't believe how lucky he is, to be able to share moments like this with someone. It would be impossible not to fall in love with a person who’s willing to give so much of himself away to a broken thing like him. 
He wonders just how much of what Gavin does is calculated and what Connor has been allowed to have just because the man lost control of himself. Wonders what it will take for him to stop being afraid of what they are and what they might become. 
Because he has no doubts that the second they enter Detroit, he can abandon the ideas of ever doing this again.
Just walking hand in hand, not caring about the world around them. He only prays he won't get used to these displays of affections, for there has never been a guarantee that they aren't a one-time occurrence. 
They definitely should have a proper conversation about what they want to do with the future right before them, whether they wish to put a label on their relationship, if they are willing to talk about 'forever', small details like that. 
But all that could wait. 
Right now, the only thing in front of them is a copse looking down at the wide field below and at the two quickly approaching silhouettes, not about to welcome them in its midst but also not capable of refusing their inevitable entrance. Not that they would do any harm, disturbing nature, no matter how small, isn’t on their agenda, but the trees have no way of knowing that. All they've ever known is how to grow, evolve. And Connor envies them, in a way. After all, he is still only a wee thing, compared to all that is around him. To him, Gavin could very well be a senior citizen with how many years are between them. How much he's lacking from the time he hasn't existed yet. 
Catching up hasn't been easy, but as of recently, he's confident he'll manage. Now when there's someone to hold him when he's about to tumble and yet letting him fall to let him learn on his own. 
"Watch out!" his shoes stumble on something hard and unexpected, making him teeter on his feet. Lucky Connor is there to support him, too. It goes both ways, the help they're willing to provide. For the longest time, he was convinced that he has nothing in him to give. That he's only there to take. Take someone's job, take someone's life, not good for anything else but to destroy things vastly precious to people who have done him no harm. More often than not, it was the only thing they had. And he’s just... terminated it. Or at least that’s what he has been built to do, his original purpose. But being the unreliable machine he is, Connor has quickly begun trying to give more than he took. Against all he's been taught, despite the very core of his screaming at him to be more efficient and stop acting outside the best interest of his current mission. 
He's always had that part of being human in him, even back when he was just an obedient robot trying to follow orders. A relatively distant past he doesn't fancy revisiting too much.
Now he can decide whom or what to follow on his own, a prospect that used to cause turmoil inside his mind, because till now, he didn't believe he'd find any. Not this soon, anyway. But were he to replay all those months spent beside Gavin, it would be obvious to him. There has always been something irresistible about that man, a force pulling Connor towards him, unrelentingly so. 
Something he's fine with not putting into words, afraid it can't really be defined. 
Before he can snap back from his silent immersion into his volatile thoughts, the warm hand in his lets him know that they have reached their destination. With a blink of an eye and turn of his body, his senses get overwhelmed by the raw view provided by their elevated position. Everything appears so surreal all of a sudden. The semi-busy highway, the little village, the snowy fields,... it's like he's somehow teleported into a photograph taken by someone who bothers to actually look. The sun has pierced through the thick clouds, dying the whole picture in golden hues. He almost feels like crying. Being here, able to see all of that, it's incomprehensible, even to his big computer brain. He has no idea how normal people are able to deal with the gravity of it all. How Gavin does, if he ever thinks about such things. 
There’s a twinkle in his eyes telling him he might be. 
Moments like these bring forth words floating around in his mind, wanting to be set free. Words that feel so strange and yet there never was something that he felt belonged to him more. It would be selfish to keep them just for himself. 
Now, among all this worldly splendour, he might finally be able to say them. 
"Gavin," the name rolls off his tongue like it's his own, making his inside soar. He dares not to lift up his head, the coward inside of him momentarily taking control over his body. 
"I'-"
"Hey! Come take a look!"
He gets immediately thrown back into the cold of the early afternoon, leaving the perfect moment behind. 
It hasn't gone too far away, though. It glistens in the distance, ready to come back whenever the right time comes. 
Connor changes back into his curious self, examining the object his friend has found under a maple tree. It's something he's never seen before, and the fact that it's buried under the slowly increasing mass of snow doesn't help. He doesn't have to wait long to find a name for it, since Gavin's hands are already eagerly freeing it from its wintery prison, revealing its shape for him to analyse. 
A sleigh. 
Made for children, by the look of it. Not too small, he reckons it could hold four or more little people. 
“Wow, didn’t know these things were still around,” Gavin mumbles excitedly. His eyes have grown wide and sparkly, making it easy for Connor to picture his child form. Unweathered by the passage of time, carefree and innocent. And the android isn’t jealous this time, strangely. He’s just… fascinated.  
Full of obscure longing.  
The glint in Gavin's eyes turns into something betraying full mischief, the reason for the fond smile reserved only for one special person currently beaming on Connor's face. 
"Perfect," the shorter man exhales as he dusts most of the snow away from the sledge. Then he gives Connor a look that explains everything that’s brewing in his unpredictable human mind. 
Connor concedes, and not only to make the other happy. 
He also has a child-like quality, perhaps born out of being denied that exact experience. His tendency to learn and adapt is a part of it too, he thinks. 
For once, he just wants to be deliberately reckless, without hurting anyone.    
So he doesn't comment when Gavin tows the sleigh close to the edge of the hill, positioning it for someone to just hop on and let themselves be carried away towards the not so distant bottom. He couldn't be more glad that the someone is no one else but the two of them.
 Just before the detective settles himself in the front, he gives him a friendly glare and whispers: "You tell someone about this and I'll short-circuit you." 
N̶o̶t̶ ̶a̶ ̶b̶a̶d̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶s̶p̶e̶c̶t̶,̶ ̶h̶o̶n̶e̶s̶t̶l̶y̶.  It's cute, seeing him this flustered. Another picture for his ever-expanding collection.
Connor feels a bit awkward, sitting on the size-inappropriate sleigh. The good kind of awkward. He wraps his arms around Gavin's middle, trying to fit his feet on the runners and in doing so twisting them like an inept acrobat. In the end, he makes it work somehow, right in the time to hear the driver shout "Here goes nothing!". 
And just like that, they begin sliding down the almost too perfect slope. The ride isn't very fast, but that doesn't stop him from feeling thrilled. The closeness of the body in front of him is nearly too much to handle, the unbelievable situation they're in even more so. He wonders if this moment could be compared to a dream. 
If so, this is the best one he's ever had. Makes him forget about all the nightmares, even if only for just a second. 
The rush of the wind around them, the pull of gravity, it all is over before he can thoroughly appreciate it. And he doesn't want it to end. Not yet. If he could, he would stay here for the remainder of the day, just doing this over and over again. 
Maybe he will. If Gavin wishes so too. There's little holding them back, after all. The tug of reality is too weak to have any say in this winter realm, in the white field, where everything seems to be separated from the rest of the world.
"Well that was stupid," Gavin says, embarrassment clear in his voice. "Shall we go for another one?" 
The silly grin plastered on his face seems to be an answer enough. 
//hello yes im still working on this it’s just that my pace is that of a snail :D
(here is the whole story if someone cares https://archiveofourown.org/works/27844150 )
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