Tumgik
#:x: we just got a letter... i wonder who it's from? ( inbox )
feiiizhu · 11 days
Text
Tumblr media
⟡⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅|| ANON HAD THE AUDACITY TO ASK;; Anonymous asked: why doesnt ur oc have darker skin??
Tumblr media
// okay wow, good morning to you too. Anon has been turned off because you guys can't play nicely. I don't know if you knew, but I LITERALLY JUST spent so much time redesigning my oc Rikka. I USED AN EYEDROPPER COLOUR SELECTION TOOL AND LOOKED AT COUNTLESS SCREENSHOTS FROM BOTH SHOWS, TO SELECT COLOURS FOR RIKKA. THAT IS LITERALLY A SKIN COLOUR FROM THE SHOW.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Also, in legend of korra, there ARE lighter skined waterbenders. And you know what, MY GREAT GRANDMOTHER WAS NATIVE AMERICAN. AND GUESS WHAT. I'M WHITE AS HELL. Guess how? ✨Genetics!!!!!! ✨ :D Not everyone in my family had a native american partner who they had kids with. So, through the power of how things work, the tanned skin faded out of my genetics. I still have the dark hair characteristics, and I'm only like....1/16th now or something. But like- I've done my research. like I said. I also literally used colours from both shows for my color selection???????? I also consulted heavily with my Native American mutuals about my redesign for Rikka and they said it was okay because skin colour is a spectrum and not everyone has the same pigments in their skin. Even people who are tanned, black, white, doesn't matter. Not everyone in the water.tribes have darker tanned skin. Rikka is still tan! She's just not heavily dark tan. I'm going to assume you were talking about my old redesign. I was basing it on L.ok, and yeah. there are lighter skinned waterbenders like Ta.hno for instance. People don't have a gripe with that????? At least from what I've seen????? That's where I got her skin colour from before. And I decided to change it a month or so ago. But if you are talking about my old redesign, please educate yourself and see that I have redone my oc with new colours and have talked with native americans. like- I don't mean to sound like a total dick. this just really irritates me. When I have talked with people while designing her and my own cultural background- as lacking as it is because my paternal family lost touch with it's roots. But this really ruined my vacation. YEAH. IM ON VACATION WITH MY FAMILY. and you had the audacity to send this. Anonymous has been turned off until you guys can play nicely. And if you have any further problems, please consult my friend @aworldofyou/ @spiderwarden. You ruined my weekend, anon.
8 notes · View notes
merveiilles · 6 months
Text
Tumblr media
⋆˚  ✧. ┊┊ YOU'RE A MEAN ONE, MR.GRINCH;; vyrulent asked: "Do you want a Christmas cookie?" - to st nick from jolene july ( she's mother noel of christmasland-- a darker version of mrs claus, but still sweet as can be -- just has scary vampire children ) *** please do not turn into a thread without asking first ***
Tumblr media
ㅤㅤ❝𝓨ou know what, I would love a Christmas cookie.❞ The older man remarked humbly as he took a couple steps forward to reach for the plate that contained the cookies in question. ❝Did you make these? There's no harm if they're store bought. Someone had to make those in the end... Cookies are cookies.❞ He informed the woman, lifting one of them that was shaped like a Christmas tree and took a bite off the smaller end. ❝Thank you so much.❞
Tumblr media Tumblr media
|| @vyrulent
1 note · View note
runningfrom2am · 6 months
Text
leveling the playing field IX
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
summary: with nowhere else to go after getting caught cheating to help lucy gray, you both make some desperately stupid decisions.
pairing: coriolanus snow x fem!reader
wc: 2.6k
tags/warnings: capitol brat!reader, maybe slightly ooc coryo, idk i tried my best. do they love each other or hate each other? who knows (we do, kind of). implications and mentions of abuse, so read with caution!! also a little bit of swearing but that's neither here nor there
masterlists // nav // requests
join my taglist here
a/n: here we are!! 'season' two!! thanks so much for reading it and I'm SO so glad lots of people seem to love it :) if you do, please reblog it or leave your thoughts in the replies or in my inbox! i love hearing from you and talking about it so don't be a stranger !
without further adieu,, enter buzzcut coryo <3
next part
Tumblr media
Coriolanus's stomach twisted as he could hear your screams from the hall, even though by then he was all the way on the other side of the school. He thought that was unsettling, only for them to abruptly stop just before he left. The silence that followed was so much worse. He didn't get any sleep, sitting on the roof in Grandma'ams rose garden with Tigris all night, wondering if you were dead.
He was just sick about it, even as he left the following morning, so early that the sun was yet to rise. It was a long, painful ride, and he spent the entire thing certain that you were dead. It was his fault, he had only wanted you to come with him, so he wouldn't be alone, but now he truly is alone and he won't even have you to write to back home. Regardless, he would try.
Rather than sit with the idea that it might even be pointless for him to live another day, especially with this unflattering haircut and a uniform that challenged the discomfort of the academy one, he decided to write to you on a paper he had found bunched between the train seats to ease his mind.
Y/N/N,
I hope you're reading this. I hope this gets back to you at home and finds you safe and sound, and you're sitting over your desk with a textbook open getting ready for university in the fall. That's not what's happening though, is it? You're probably dead. I probably killed you. If you are reading this in your room, or your library, or over my shoulder as I write this because you are only alive in what's left of your spirit, I hope you know that I am sorry. I did it because I wanted you with me, because in the moment I was so sure you'd be better off with me in the districts than you would be at home with your father. I think I was wrong. But I still miss you. You meant more to me than I ever told you. I guess, more than I ever told myself either until these last few weeks.
I think I heard them kill you after I left you with the Dean. If they did, boy, did you go out fighting. I always knew you would. I can't stop writing in case I never get to speak to you again. But again, maybe you're not dead, right?
Please tell me you're not dead.
Yours,
Always yours, your Coryo
He smoothes out the wrinkled sheet as he writes, hand shaking through most of it. He doesn't know if he should even bother sending it, or if he should just fold it up and throw it out the window in hopes that the message will find its way to your ghost. No, he has to send it. Otherwise he'll definitely never know, at least not for twenty years, and he couldn't bear that.
The wind hits the trees into the windows of the train as it rolls along the tracks, demanding that the branches be heard against the glass. It reminds him of you. Then again, what doesn't these days? Maybe it was just you letting him know you had read his letter, and that you forgive him. That would give him a semblance of peace for the rest of the ride.
When you woke up, it was impossible to tell what time it was. You only knew that it was dark, and your bedroom door was locked from the outside when you got up and carefully tried to open it only to be blocked by the mechanism.
"I have half the mind to agree with you on the Avox thing." You hear your dad sigh, his voice echoing from his study just down the hall. Your eyes widen and you try the knob again. Yep, still locked. "But we could always send her to Nine or Ten as a nurse. She's not staying here, that's certain."
"I don't want to push your decision, here, but she was saying she would tell everyone. She knows more than we thought, more details." Highbottom was here too, great.
"No, that's impossible. What did she say?"
"She knows we're selling, likely that you're storing it all here somewhere, and she knows it's enough to be treason. I don't know what else she knows, but it's risky business ever letting her out of that room again. The procedure might be our best option, here." You've heard enough, quickly making for your window instead. It's locked as well, but draping your old uniform over the lever gives you enough freedom to crush it with a particularly heavy, hardcover textbook without making much noise.
You change quickly, grabbing a few essentials that you could fit into your book bag, then climb out the window and slide down the back porch column before making as quiet of an escape as possible. Adrenaline carried you a few blocks away, but now, you were unsure what to do. You couldn't return, and you couldn't be seen, and you had a tragic shortage of friends at the moment. You find your feet carrying you toward the building you know Coriolanus lives in.
You're not particularly excited to see him, but with no other options, you're sure you can find it in yourself to be forgiving just this once. You could go to Sejanus's family home, but it's not far enough away, and you're not sure what his father would say. He'd probably call your dad in a second and it would all be for naught- you couldn't risk it. So, Coryo's it was.
You enter the building, walking straight for the elevator. He was in the penthouse, so you just have to hit the very top button and figure it out from there. You've never been to his home before, but he's talked about it plenty. Enough that you could find your way there, at least.
You groan when you quickly realize the elevator doesn't work, looking over at the stairs. It's a tall building, so you've got a long way to go. You wonder how he does this every day as you climb up set after set of stairs, taking note of how the walls are basically crumbling around you.
You knew he didn't have money, that he couldn't eat, but you didn't think he lived like this. No wonder he was so thin, and no wonder he still had any muscle left on his body. It was these damn stairs. That couldn't be it though, that wouldn't explain how his shoulders just seemed to go on for miles- maybe he had some kind of workout routine you never knew about.
You're drawn from your thoughts when you reach the top of the last staircase, hesitating to open the industrial looking door in front of you. Just beyond that was the front door to the Snow penthouse, and now that you're here, you're not sure what to do. Do you knock? You don't even know what time it is.
You sit by the door, deciding to think it over for a bit. It doesn't take you long to fall asleep leaning up against the wall where it meets the dusty floor.
Waking up, you're met with a gasp. "Y/N?" You blink open your eyes, seeing Tigris crouched in front of you, forehead creased with worry. "Are you okay? What are you doing here?"
"Tigris, hello." You mumble, gathering yourself to stand up as she helps you. "I, uh, I didn't know where to go, so..."
"Okay, okay. Come in for a second." She nods, holding your shoulder as she guides you back into the apartment. You squint at the sunrise through the large bay windows, she must have been on her way to work. "Can I get you anything? Some tea? You must be freezing..." She says, immediately shuffling into the kitchen.
"No, no. It's fine. Thank you, though." You insist, trying not to stare at the state the apartment has fallen into.
"Okay, well, please, take a seat. Tell me what's going on."
You nod slightly and move to sit down at their dining table where she joins you, reaching out for your hand which you gratefully take. "Did Coriolanus leave already?" You ask and she nods, giving you a sad smile.
"I must admit, I'm relieved to see you." She says, taking you by surprise. "Coryo thought you were dead. He was just so torn up about it, he said it was his fault but he wouldn't tell me why. I was expecting to see your passing in the papers this morning."
"Well, my days are numbered." You sigh, looking out the window again. The view was stunning. Maybe you would prefer a penthouse to your own large, empty feeling home. "My father and Dean Highbottom were discussing turning me into an Avox as a pity punishment, and I don't doubt that my father would rather bury me than have that on his name. I didn't stick around to hear their decision."
Tigris listens intently, squeezing your cold hands between her own. "And now, I don't know what to do. I had nowhere to go, I'm so sorry to intrude-"
"No, my goodness, please. You are always welcome here." She assured you. "But... what will you do?"
"I have to leave." You nod to yourself. "I have to leave and I can't come back, can I?"
"One day I'm sure it will be safe for you to return." She says, notably trying to put a positive spin on it. "I'll tell you what-" She stands quickly, going over to a hall closet and pulling out a large fur coat. "Take this, it can hide you and keep you warm. Take the next train to Twelve, that's where Coryo went." She places the coat in your lap. "He'll be ecstatic to have you and see that you're well."
You nod, standing up and pulling it on in a hurry. It was a beautiful coat, you could tell it was real fur. This must have belonged to one of their mothers. "Thank you, Tigris."
"There's another train headed there in about twenty minutes, if you rush you can make it. I had to check the schedule last night for him. Don't buy a ticket, just climb in a transport car from the opposite side, not the platform." She instructs you hurriedly,
You dig in your bag as you both head for the door, pulling out a handful of money and rifling through it to give some to her. You'll need some, but she will too.
"Here, Tigris. Take this." You say as she holds the door for you, and she instantly is shaking her head.
"No, no. I couldn't." She smiles awkwardly, waving a hand at you. "You'll need it more than I do, Coryo will be sending us cheques."
You smile at her understandingly, holding it out to her again. "If not for your help, then for this lovely jacket. Please take it. I insist."
Tigris sighs, taking it from your hand before pulling you into a hug which you gladly return. "Tell him we love him, okay?"
"He knows," You say, chin resting on her shoulder. "But I will."
It was dark again when your train reached its final stop, and you were curled up under the coat trying to sleep. You scramble to get up, having to bolt from the train before anyone came to unload the car.
Unfortunately, you didn't get the privilege of having a place to stay when you arrived, so once you're out of sight of the train, the best you can do is wander.
You don't have to wander long before you hear music. You didn't realize people were happy here, so the sounds of laughter and shouting and dancing coming from inside what looked to be an abandoned building made you tilt your head at the idea. Maybe you would just sit outside, around the side of the building where you won't be seen and you can listen.
You don't even get the chance to sit before you hear the singing start. It's Lucy Gray. You mentally scold yourself for not thinking of her sooner as you stand again quickly, finding yourself quite lightheaded. You must be hungry. Maybe there will be some food inside, or maybe you can find talk to Lucy Gray and maybe she'll let you stay with her. Just until you get yourself situated here.
Clutching your new coat tightly around yourself you walk in after attempting to dust off and salvage your clothes. Your favourite skirt and shoes took quite a beating throughout the day, and you're disappointed, to say the least. Hopefully Lucy Gray has a washing machine, but you doubt it. Did these people even know what a washing machine is? By the look of everyone in the room, the answer was a definite no.
Sure enough, Lucy Gray was on stage, singing her heart out. You had never seen her smile so wide, of course, and the kids surrounding her onstage were just as talented as she was at all their instruments. You've never seen live music like this before, only classical or opera where everyone sat quietly and listened until the end. This environment was entirely new to you.
Not wanting to interrupt, you wait until Lucy Gray steps offstage and her spot is replaced with a little blonde girl who couldn't have been older than ten.
"Give it up for the amazing Lucy Gray Baird!" The girl shouts into the mic, gesturing to your friend before more music started to play. "She'll be back, she's just taking a little break, but until then, you lot are stuck listenin' to me."
This is your chance. You push through the crowd and step into the hall you saw Lucy Gray go down. "Lucy Gray?" You call out hopefully, watching your step as to not roll a heel. In hindsight, these shoes were not ideal for the journey you took, but your options were limited by a time crunch.
"Lucy Gray?" You ask again, turning a corner and peeling into a large open room. It's a few moments before your eyes land on her, and she turns to face you having heard you walk in.
"Oh my days, I thought I recognized that voice!" She smiles, opening her arms and running up to you. "Y/N, my word, what are you doin' here?" Her excitement fades quickly into concern as she drops her arms from around you.
"Long story..." You chuckle nervously, pulling at your coat again as she nods for you to continue. "We got caught, for the compact. And the snakes, somehow. Coriolanus put our handkerchiefs that you used in the tank so they wouldn't attack you, I guess. I didn't know. Then they pulled us out of class the next day, he told them it was me, so then I put up a fight and they sedated me. When I woke up I was at home and they were talking about having my tongue cut out and turning me into one of those servants but I'm sure my dad would rather have me dead. So," You sigh, trying to summarize it as quickly as possible. "I ran."
Lucy Gray shook her head, mouth agape in shock at all the information she just took in. "Okay, wait... So they were going to kill you?"
You nod.
"But that teacher of yours seemed so nice."
"Sorry?"
"Yeah, he gave me some money and escorted me into the train himself."
You scoff, shaking your head. "He's never liked either of us, but that's only because I have dirt on him. I don't know what Coryo did."
"Well," Lucy Gray sighs, rubbing your shoulders gently. "I'm glad you're here. That you're safe."
"You too." You smile. "Can I just say, too, we were so proud of you. We were so lucky to be your mentors."
"I count myself the lucky one." She grins. "Let's move on, shall we? On the up and up."
"Yes, sounds lovely." You grin at her.
"Can I get you some water? Liquor? What do you need?" She asks, turning at that and going over to a bench in the middle that had a few water bottles.
"I would love some water." You breathe out, joining her and sitting down as she hands one to you.
"Lucy Gray, could I ask you for a really big favour?" You say after taking your first sip.
"Please." She nods.
"Can I stay with you?"
Tumblr media
taglist: @kitscutie, @annaelise, @serrendiipty, @fratboyharrysgf0201, @totallynotkaibiased, @stelleduarte, @klplynn, @secretsicanthideanymore, @bejeweledreverie, @gloryekaterina, @andrewgarfieldsbitch, @queenofspades6, @pixiepopz, @pepperonipastas, @ladybug0095, @lunamothwrites, @nhlfs, @sbrewer21, @mus-tbe-a-weasley, @splxtscreen, @unclecrunkle, @karmaswitch, @sunghoonsbakery, @coconut-dreamz, @nekee-lilac02, @ooooglymoooogly, @riddlerloveb0t, @lovedbalances, @notyourwildestdream, @snowlandson-top, @too-lit-for-fanfic, @utopiakys, @deafeningballoonnacho, @roosterschanelslut, @impeterporker, @chmpgneprblem, @cosmoetik, @http-ilysm, @lauravanderbooben20, @dry0campa, @luclue, @lokidala, @urvampgfsworld, @carolanns-world, @nan-nie, @shakespearseclipse, @iovemoonyy, @notyoursweetheart-honey, @girlalwaysathome, @gingerpixiecosplay, @xyzstar, @eatpizzasass, @slytherinholland, @chess1ca, @queenofshinigamis, @elodiebeau, @soulessjourney, 
if your user has a strikethrough that means i was unable to tag you! double-check that your user is correct! I also did some googling and it says it's possible you aren't being tagged because you could be a new blog or they've flagged you as a possible bot, so try reblogging something or leaving some comments. you can do that here if you'd like ;)
fill out my form linked here to join my taglist!
507 notes · View notes
dumbkiri · 7 months
Text
𝕆𝕦𝕣 𝕎𝕒𝕣
ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴏɴᴇ: ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴀʟʟ
[Name] Jaeger was present for the fall of Shiganshina. She saved many lives of the mass, but couldn't save her own mother. Despite all that, she was charged for abandonment by a Garrison official named Woerman.
ʟᴇᴠɪ ᴀᴄᴋᴇʀᴍᴀɴ x ꜰᴇᴍ! ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ
Leave a request in my inbox, comment down below for more! I'm going through some and editing as we speak. Series do come first though!
Tumblr media
Dear Eren,
In a week’s time, I will be heading outside the walls. When I do I have to tell you the story about Captain Levi and how he saved me from five titans! One day, I’ll make sure to introduce you to him, wouldn’t that be amazing? Would I be the best sibling then?
Anyways that’s not why I am addressing you. I got a very angry letter from mom saying that you wanted to join the Scouts and follow in my footsteps. She warned me that if I don’t stop those “reckless” ideas from forming she would personally drag me off my horse by my ear the next time she sees me to give me a lecture. Surely my ears would fall off for two different reasons! 
So little brother, what makes you want to join the Scouts? Aren’t my stories of the outside world enough for you? It’s beautiful out there,but Eren, you do not want to venture outside the walls. Not now. The way it is, you won’t be able to survive. 
Titans are exceptional beings that are made and subjected to eating humans. You do not want to see that, I promise you. I have seen plenty of my comrades die in front of me. And I know you have seen the men and women come back with gruesome injuries before. Most don’t make it back home. 
I apologize if this scares you, but that’s the point. The world is a cruel and scary place. You know nothing about it and I’m trying my best to keep you hopeful. But titans are ten times bigger and stronger than you all. 
I know what that helpless feeling feels like. I almost lost my life until Captain Levi saved me from an awful death. You don’t want to see what a titan can do to a person you love. 
With that being said, Eren, you should enjoy the peace in your life right now. Hug mom more often, treat Mikasa nicer, fight harder for Armin and dad? Well you know how he can be sometimes. 
He loves us though. He loves all of us, that’s why he keeps fighting. It’s why I keep fighting. I will do everything in my power to keep my family safe this time that includes little Mikasa. 
I’ll see you soon, Eren. Give mom a big hug for me, will you? And tell her that I love her too. 
Sincerely, [Name] Jaeger
This was Eren’s fifth time rereading the letter his older sister sent him. And today was the day he, along with his mother and Mikasa, were going to send [Name] off with a good luck goodbye. He was going to see her again! This was really the only time he got to spend with her. Before she was sent out of the walls to go exploring. 
But something was different today. There was a knock at the door and his mother approached it with a giant smile on her face and a pep to her step. He slightly pouted wondering why she was like that when not even a minute ago she had scolded him about joining the Survey Corps again. 
Then his eyes widened in surprise when he saw who exactly was at the door. His smile is uncontainable just like his mother’s. “[Name]! You’re home!” He shouted happily as he ran to his sister and jumped into her awaiting hug. 
“Eren, it’s nice to see you again,” Her voice was just a tad bit softer than their mother’s. Her arms squeezed him in a tight hug as she laughed about his struggle to breathe through it all. 
“He couldn’t even wait for me to greet you,” Carla sighed and [Name] dropped Eren on the floor as she went to hug her mom. The women laughed about something [Name] had said and Eren blushed when his sister teased him about his excitement for seeing her. 
Then a question popped into his head, “Shouldn’t you be gone already? The bells should be ringing any time soon! What if you-”
[Name] looked down at Eren with a gentle smile on her face, “Calm down, Eren. I was given the day off today to speak with Commander Pixis about…politics. Really boring stuff, I tell you.” Eren could see that his sister was just trying to change the subject. 
“Oh yeah! I promised Hanji and Levi that I would introduce my kid siblings to them on their way out! Say that you two wanna tag along!” [Name] shouted enthusiastically, her hands on her hips with a proud stance. She knew her brother would be stoked to see his idol and his reaction proved to be correct. 
“No way, really! I can meet Captain Levi!” Eren shouted back with the same amount of glee in his voice. His sister nodded her head and gestured outside where a big black horse was standing in a prideful manner waiting for his rider. 
Mikasa awed at the sight of the horse before quickly reverting back to her state of neutrality. This was noticed by both of her female guardians and Carla, despite being against the idea of her son joining the Scouts, allowed for this to happen. 
“Be safe out there and listen to [Name], got it?” She asked the children with a stern voice and both of them nodded their heads. 
[Name] gave a quick kiss on her mom’s cheek and bid her farewell saying, “We’ll be back before supper! I missed your cooking so much!” 
Carla laughed and waved her kids off, “Don’t worry, I’ll make plenty for you to take back to your friends too.” The woman closed the door and [Name] laid her hands on the small backs of her siblings. She led them to the calm and quiet horse that patiently waited. 
“Let’s do this, yeah?” 
Eren watched as [Name] effortlessly picked up Mikasa and sat her in front of the horse’s back with her hands gripping tightly on the silver colored mane. Then [Name] swung herself onto the saddle with a huff steadying Mikasa so she wouldn’t fall. 
Eren stepped closer to the black horse and set his hand on the strong hip, petting it softly. “He’s very pretty, [Name],” Eren complimented and the horse trotted in place with a proud neigh. He looked at his sister who extended her hand out to him, “Reaper says thank you for the compliment.” 
He knew his sister was strong, but to pull his weight on top of the horse was cool. She used to be so weak back then, but the military must have changed her strength. He was placed behind his sister with his hands clenching on her brown jacket that had the Survey Corps emblem on the back. 
“Alright, kids! Hold on tight! Reaper will lose you in the dust if you fall!” [Name] joked lightheartedly and pulled the reins for her horse to go running to where the citizens meet up with the Scouts. 
This had to be the best day for Eren, he thought.
……
Hanji was patiently waiting. At least, that’s what she thought she was doing. But her legs couldn’t stop shaking from anticipation. She couldn’t possibly wait to be introduced to her best friend’s siblings! She casually looked to her right and saw her comrade, Levi Ackerman, looking around the crowd that formed on the sides of the path. 
His eyes flicked from person to person as if he was waiting to see a specific person. 
She wanted to tease him, but first she had to pull him in. 
“Aww, I’m gonna miss [Name] on this expedition!” Hanji pouted as she hung her head back in exasperation.  Then she straightened out her back and she shouted ahead of her comrades, “Hey Erwin! Why did you let [Name] have to speak to Commander Pixis! It literally could’ve been anyone else in this regiment!”
“Shut it, four-eyes. You’re already giving me a headache.”
Hanji looked to the right and saw Levi giving her a glare already. She smiled and pulled her horse to get closer to Levi’s. “Come on, I know you feel the same, Levi. I know you were looking at the crowd to see the familiar [h.color] hair and beautiful [e.color] eyes. I noticed how close the two of you have been-” 
“You’re annoying as ever,” Levi grumbled looking away with a scoff of irritation. 
Hanji opened her mouth to retort, but she heard her name being called out with excitement. She whipped her body around as best as she could and saw a woman waving at her with a giant smile. 
“Hange~! Levi~!” 
Her energetic voice was loud as ever and it brought a smile to the crazy scientist’s face. Then Hanji focused on the kid [Name] brought with her. There was a little girl with long black hair sitting in front of her with stone cold eyes. 
Hange recalled that her younger sister went through a lot of trauma as a kid, but they didn’t know how much. The little girl’s eyes reminded them of Levi’s. 
The citizens made way for the giant horse [Name] rode on and Reaper casually walked in between Hange’s and Levi’s horses. Upon meeting, the two black horses nudged their faces against each other as their greeting while the humans greeted each other. 
“[Name]! I thought you would never come! Both Levi and I were searching for you!” Hange shouted and immediately took notice of hands holding onto [Name]’s vest. “Oh and who is this?” 
Hange leaned backwards and saw a boy with brown hair and very pretty teal eyes look at her with a certain shyness in them. 
“Hange, Levi, this is my little brother, Eren! Levi, he’s your biggest fan!” [Name] gleamed and pulled a nervous Eren to the front, his bottom resting on her left thigh while Mikasa rested on the right one. 
The boy and the man were face to face with each other. Levi being taller on his horse was glaring down at Eren with his neutral look on his face. 
“H-hello…sir, I mean, captain!” Eren stuttered out then shoved his face into [Name]’s chest with a quaking smile. Mikasa noticed that Eren was a bit out of his comfort zone and she glared at Levi for the stare he directed at Eren. 
Hange laughed and jeered, “Geez, Levi, would it kill you to smile? Hey, Eren, I heard you wanted to join the Scouts!” 
This made Eren pick his head up and with a smile, he nodded his head, “Yes, I do! I want to see what’s beyond the walls!” His smile went away and with gloom, said, “These stuffy walls…we’re just like cattle stuck in here waiting for the titans to pick us off.” 
“Oh,” Hange said softly and looked at [Name] for some continuation. 
“Yeah, Eren, is determined to join the ranks. But mom is strictly against the idea for obvious reasons,” [Name] drawled out and she moved onto the next topic. 
“Anyways, this is our sister, Mikasa Ackerman. She is very protective of our Eren which should be my job, but hey! Can’t always be there!” [Name] laughed and Levi caught on to her last name. 
“Ackerman?” His eyes lingered on the foreign girl and she nodded her head slowly. They both had the same last name, but didn’t know who connected them to each other. 
[Name] watched Levi carefully waiting for more of a reaction than the one of curiosity. Then she continued, “These two love to get into fights with other children. Mikasa is super strong and fast while Eren is very determined! He never knows when to quit!” 
Levi hummed in response and focused on the task ahead. He had to get his head back into the game of this cruel world. It was a good thing [Name] wasn’t joining them today. Hanji was right about them getting closer in a relationship. 
He didn’t want a distraction on the field and this mission prolongs his feelings for the woman. But when he glanced at her from the side, holding those children in her arms protectively with a smile on her face while talking to Hanji made him question his life with her. 
Could they- No, could anyone in the Scouts have a family knowing that they could die outside the walls and never come back? Was it possible to protect one another from the titans? 
He couldn’t even protect his friends. Isabel barely made it with [Name]’s help. Even he didn’t know how the two of them survived the abnormal titan. 
“[Name] tells me about the outside all the time, but really! How is it?” Eren asked with enthusiasm that broke through his shy shell. Hange laughed at his question and opened her mouth to respond, but Levi beat her to it with his soft voice. 
“It’s beautiful out there.” 
This silenced the three loud people as they looked at him with shocked expressions. But Eren was the first to break the silence as his hands clenched in anticipation, “It really is, isn’t it? I want to see it! I want to see it all!” 
Levi’s eyes widened for a fraction seeing the pretty eyes that belonged to Eren remind him of Isabel. Even his attitude that [Name] spoke of reminded him of the red haired woman. 
“Just be patient, Eren,” [Name] said with a gentle voice and a certain sadness in her eyes. Hange and Levi knew that look all too well. [Name] had a point in saying that the boy needed patience. Not everyone was willing to sacrifice their life just to see what was beyond the walls. She wanted to keep his innocence in place. 
Levi looked from [Name]’s face over to her brother, he said, “You’re sister is right, brat. Enjoy the life you have now before you dedicate it to the Scouts.”
Then the five of them shot their heads forward when Erwin began his speech for the next expedition. Levi and Hanji shifted in their saddle while [Name] put her siblings back into their respective places. 
Levi heard [Name] whisper to her siblings, “That is Commander Erwin, he’s very motivational. Do you guys wanna feel the rush of riding beside the Scouts?” 
“Yes, I do!” Eren whispered with excitement and Levi rolled his eyes. This kid was a different breed for sure. 
“Okay, hold on tight and make sure to give Hanji and Levi the best “see you later”.” 
See you later? Not a goodbye. 
Levi looked ahead with a newfound motive. That’s right, he’s coming back to see her smile. To hear her imaginative stories of the outside wall that were lucrative to speak of. 
The gates opened up and everyone began riding out to their mission. The five of them rode next to each other for another 30 seconds until [Name] stopped her horse at the entrance. He kept his eyes forward while hearing the voice of Eren Jaeger shouting at them. 
His voice was surprisingly louder than the horses running. 
“Hanji! Levi! We’ll see you later! Mom has the best food waiting for you!” 
Hanji turned around with a smile on her face as she waved at them, her horse continuing to make the distance bigger, 
“See ya guys later! I can’t wait to taste it!” 
Levi split off from Hanji and his squad followed closely behind him. He already said his ‘see you later’ to [Name] earlier. But he must admit that Eren’s was a bit better with that childlike excitement in his voice. 
Little did he know, Levi would come back hearing that the town his friend lived in with her family was destroyed by titans. The terrifying news the bearer held was enough to make him charge straight into Shiganshina to see the destruction. 
…… 
“A fucking hole made by a Titan that was bigger than the walls breached?” Levi questioned angrily, not believing a single word the messengers relay to them. 
He stood among Erwin Smith and Hange Zoe along with their respective squad mates. 
“Y-yessir! It came down with a single strike of lightning and it peered over the wall! Then it just kicked a hole in and titans started coming through!” 
Erwin Smith hummed and stepped up, “What about the Scout that was left behind. She was ordered to speak with Commander Pixis about the Garrison Regiment.” 
The lead messenger nodded his head, “Y-yeah, of course! You’re talking about [Name] Jaeger! She granted the civilians of Shiganshina a lot of time by killing the first titans that came through! But then…” 
The messenger stopped and thought about his words. The silence was enough to stop the heart of Hange as she grabbed the soldier by the shoulders, “Hey, don’t stop in the middle of explaining like that! She’s not dead!” 
The soldier said a small ‘okay’ then resumed his sentence, “But then her family was in danger. She abandoned her post and left to save them. I heard that her mother was terribly injured and her kid siblings just weren’t strong enough to help her…I-I don’t know the whole story. But she’s being held accountable for abandonment.” 
“How much time did she grant the civilians?” 
Erwin’s question stunted the man and his blue eyes were hauntingly glaring at the messenger. 
“H-huh?”
“He asked how much time did she give the people to escape? How many shitty titans did she kill by herself?” Levi reiterated in his own words. 
The lead messenger looked back at his colleague and they brought out a piece of paper. Their eyes scanning over the account of witnesses and Garrison soldiers about the woman who wore wings on her back. 
“[Name] Jaeger gave a whole seven minutes and 19 seconds of time to run away. She proceeded to kill 27 titans by herself and assisted the Garrison soldiers with many more. Yet she abandoned her post and left an abnormal Titan to burst through the interior wall which she could have stopped.” 
The Scouts were silent with the account. 
Levi huffed out in annoyance, “You’re telling me, she helped the Garrison soldiers fight and reduced the amount of lives lost only for you guys to put the blame on her for another abnormal Titan bashing in? Isn’t it the job of the Garrison to help evacuate citizens? Why wasn’t anyone helping her family?”
“No disrespect to you all, but you guys weren’t there. The silence that engulfed Shiganshina…the cries of terror after the hole was created…the titans walking- The fear was enough to stun us!” 
“Not enough to stun [Name] Jaeger,” Erwin spoke up with his naturally deep voice, “it seems to me she was the only one who responded accordingly to an attack. She’s not a Garrison Soldier, but she did the job of one. Explain to me why that is.” He demanded the shorter man before him and the messenger shook his head. 
“I’m not sure why,” The man said quietly nervously looking at the intense eyes Erwin had that made him submit to an actual answer, “M-maybe because she’s braver than me, okay! Maybe I was afraid of losing my life! She’s used to seeing titans, she’s a Scout for crying out loud and one of the best! I’m just a messenger, I never fought a real titan and she has that experience!” 
“She was amazing out there,” The second messenger, the one with the witness statements, said out loud for the scouts to hear. The female continued on with a certain spark in her eyes, “[Name] Jaeger had killed so easily that it looked like anyone could do it. She gave me the confidence to kill two titans by myself even with my heart racing in fear. But when I stopped, she didn’t, she continued onward and she thanked me…me for helping her out even though I only killed two.” 
Hanji smiled softly and said, “Yeah, that’s what she does best. She lets you know that you did good even if you don’t think the same of yourself. But please, tell me why the Garrison is charging her for abandonment, but none of you are facing the same consequence.” 
The female looked at her partner and she sighed, “Captain Woermann is the one charging her because he believes she could have stopped the second titan from blowing another hole.”
Erwin hummed and asked the woman, “Do you think he’s right?” 
“No,” she shook her head, “ the cannons did nothing to stop the second titan. It had armor all over his body. I’m one hundred percent sure that her blades couldn’t have pierced through the plates at all.”
The topic changed immediately when Levi asked an important question that can change the charges against his friend, “Was anyone with her when she tried to save her family?”
The woman’s eyes widened and she nodded her head, “Y-yeah, actually, it was Hannes.” 
The male messenger rolled his eyes and scoffed, catching the attention of the scouts. 
“What’s with that reaction,” Levi questioned, his eyes narrowing into a glare. 
“Hannes is a drunk,” the man replied with a sneer, “all he did early in the day was drink with his buddies. That man can’t guard shit and-” 
“Good,” Erwin smiled and looked at Levi and Hanji, “that’s good. We can use his story to get [Name] out of her trial without any punishments given.”
117 notes · View notes
aanoia · 9 months
Note
Would you be interested in doing “Broken one” by raelyn with James? Just like a readers who’s home life isn’t awful she has her mom and her mom is amazing. But when it comes to love she just doesn’t have a good foundational understanding unlike James potter who grew up amazing
obviously I loved this request so much and I hope I did it justice. It actually really hit close to home with me, so I'm really glad I got to write about it.
Broken One
James Potter x reader words; 1,626 song; Broken One by RaeLynn warnings; divorce (if you need to talk, reach out. this is something I know personally so I'd love to be someone you can trust about it.) the disrespect this world has for never letting me know about this song until now smh if you have a song request, or a normal request (bc i definitely get those out in a timely manner) just use my inbox. I love doing requests :) this one might be a little confusing to read, lmk if it is haha
Tumblr media
We grew up so differently
You had one house, one backyard, one Christmas tree
The difference was obvious between the two of us. Maybe only I saw it, maybe the entire world did. All I knew was I came from a broken home of divorce, my dad was a cheating drunk and my mom, although amazing, was mostly emotionally unavailable. James on the other hand, had parents who loved each other unconditionally, they rarely fought and acted like teenagers in love. 
You didn't split your time, didn't wonder why, like me
“This came from your mother.” My dad said, walking into the kitchen and handing a letter to me.
“Thanks, dad.” He nodded briefly, giving me a tight lipped smile.
“Do you want anything to eat?” He asked. “I can make eggs.”
I smiled teasingly, “You gonna burn them again?” Dad took a swig of his beer and laughed.
“I’ll try not to.”
I smiled and carefully opened the letter. It was from James, so I assumed he forgot it was my dads week and sent his owl to my moms. I smiled as I read the letter, he’s such a sweetheart.
When I met your mom and I met your dad
Damn, it's cool to see that love can last
I watched with a smile as James’ parents danced together in the kitchen, completely forgetting the dinner they were making for us. 
“Are you alright, love?” James asked quietly, not wanting to bother his parents.
I nodded, “I’ve just never seen something like that before.”
James pressed a soft kiss to my lips, “Soon that will be you and I, yeah?”
I smiled against his lips, “Yes.”
'Cause I never knew 'til I was loved like that by you
“Ohhh, Y/n! I’m in love with youUuUUuuUUUuuuuuUU!” James sang loudly in the common as I died with laughter.
Sirius joined as his backup vocals and air guitar and Remus rolled his eyes.
“Will you dimwits shut up, please? I’m getting a migraine.” He asked and James just sang louder, his vocal chords straining.
You could've seen too much work
All the missing pieces
Someone who's gonna leave
'Cause I come from leaving
“I’m sorry, I just-”
“No.” James said, crossing his arms.
I furrowed my brows, “No?”
He nodded and shrugged, “No. You don’t get to finish your sentence because I don’t think I’m gonna like the ending.”
“But Jame-”
He booped my nose and I pulled my face back in surprise, “No. And it’s Jamie to you, missy.”
Could've seen my past
Took a look at my baggage
And packed yours up and run
“You can cry, you know?” James said softly, sitting beside me on the porch of my moms house.
Tears filled my eyes at his words, “I should’ve had you meet them separately. I’m such an idiot.” I whispered, my voice cracking.
James pulled me into his side, “You’re not an idiot. They're the only idiots here. This was important for you, they should’ve been able to put aside their differences for you.”
But you saw a home in a girl from a broken one
“I want this one.” James said and I side eyed him.
“James, I love you. But this one sucks.”
James scoffed as our real estate agent (do they even have those?) laughed.
“That’s all right. I have one more for you two.”
“It’s perfect.” James and I said in sync.
She has my eyes and has your nose
I let out a wet laugh as my baby girl was handed to me. I gently pet her head, a few tears falling down my face.
“I think that was more painful for James than it was for you.” James’ mom said and I laughed as he grabbed my hand, ignoring the teasing.
“I’m at a loss for words.” James whispered honestly and I smiled at him as he stared at our daughter.
“Hold her.” I whispered back and he shook his head.
“I’ll hurt her.” He worried.
“You won’t, my love. Hold our little girl.” I said, carefully lifting her into his arms. He held her carefully, as if she was a fragile flower.
But thank God she never has to know
What it's like to grow up picking sides
“This is a recipe for disaster.” I muttered as James bundled up our daughter in her snow coat. 
“No, it’s not. Relax a bit, Y/n/n.” Sirius responded and I glared at him.
“Don’t kill my kid or I’ll do worse than kill you.”
He grinned, “Don’t threaten me with a good time.”
“She’s ready!” James proclaimed proudly and the two ran out the door. 
I hesitantly followed behind them and watched as they swung her over a large pile of untouched snow. A small smile graced my lips as her laughter filled the air, before it was silenced as she fell into the snow. Instead of it catching her she just went right through. She began laughing again under all the snow and James hurried to get her out while Sirius was howling with laughter. Even a few laughs left my lips.
You could've seen too much work
All the missing pieces
Someone who's gonna leave
'Cause I come from leaving
“Shh, you’re okay, my love.” James whispered into my hair as I cried softly, clutching tightly onto his shirt. “Hey, beautiful, look at me.” He lifted my chin and I struggled not to bury my face in the crook of his neck again. “Hey, we are not your parents, all right? Not your parents.”
Could've seen my past
Took a look at my baggage
And packed yours up and run
I held tightly onto my son's hand as we weaved through the train station, trying to get to platform 9 ¾.
“Are you ready for this, Jean?” James asked our daughter who nodded nervously.
“I think.”
“Well, I know.” I chimed in and she smiled.
“Yeah. I am ready.” She corrected herself.
“First year of Hogwarts, and then in two years it’ll be you Harry.” I said, squeezing my sons hand as he smiled up at me.
“Ah, here we are.”
“Uh, dad, this is a wall.” Jean deadpanned and I laughed.
“Not just any wall, smartas-” I glared at James and he cleared his throat. “Alec. You walk through it to get to platform 9 ¾.”
“Huh?”
“Come on. Together.” I said and grabbed onto Jean’s free hand. The four of us as a group walked through the wall and were greeted with the familiar horn of the train. Jean went rigid and I looked down worriedly. “What’s wrong, my love?”
“I’m scared, mama.”
“No need to be scared!” A voice said from behind us and we turned around.
“Yeah! We can be best friends!” Two identical ginger boys said with large smiles.
Jean smiled, “Okay! I’m Jean Potter.”
“I’m Fred.”
“And I’m George. Or am I Fred?”
“Am I George?”
“What?” James said and I laughed.
But you saw a home in a girl from a broken one
“Ugh, Sirius is a dick.” James said as he walked into our room.
“Then why are you forcing me to let him live with us?” I asked with a teasing smile, setting my book down.
“Because I love him.” James laid his head in my lap. “But I love you more.”
Yeah, my raising wasn't perfect
But the girl you saw was worth it
“I feel so old.” I said, sitting down at the kitchen counter after dropping off Jean and Harry, Jean entering her fourth year of Hogwarts and Harry his second.
“You are, my love.” James said, kissing my cheek and grabbing some milk.
“I hate you.”
“No you don’t.”
You could've seen too much work
All the missing pieces
Someone who's gonna leave
'Cause I come from leaving
“Just go, goddamnit! Leave!” I yelled at my parents who were arguing over who got to see this kids for Christmas. “I mean, for fucks sake, get out of my house!”
“Y/n, that is no way to speak to you pa-”
“I think it’s time for you two to leave.” James said calmly after taking the kids to their rooms, walking over to the door and opening. I breathed heavily, my bottom lip trembling as they walked out angrily. 
Once the door closed my shoulders deflated and I sighed in defeat. James silently brought me into a tight hug, quietly telling me he was there and everything was going to be okay.
Could've seen my past
Took a look at my baggage
And packed yours up and run
But you saw a home in a girl from a broken one
“Oh, you old bag. Shut your face.” I croaked from beside James’ hospital bed.
“You be quiet, you wrinkly tomato.” He retorted.
“Kick the bucket all ready.”
“Mom!” Jean scolded, holding her toddler in her arms.
“What? It’s gonna happen soon for both of us.” I reasoned and James laughed.
“You age like fine wine.” He complimented.
“You age like a banana.” I gently kissed his cheek. “I’m gonna miss you, but if I have to spend another minute in this hospital because you’re too stubborn to die I will kill you.”
He smiled and motioned me closer. I obliged and he kissed me like we were young. Passionate and loving. His monitor flatlined mid kiss and his grip on my hand lessened. I smiled sadly as a single tear fell from my eyes and landed on his cheek.
“It was his time.” I whispered. Two days later I laid in the same bed and took my last breath, the only thing on my mind was seeing James again.
Yeah, you saw home sweet home
In a girl from a broken one
taglist (if you want to be added ask in the comments);
@loving-and-dreaming (your request but still) @1lellykins @poetrypirate
92 notes · View notes
deepspacedukat · 1 year
Note
*smokebomb*
*stealthily enters and drops this letter in your inbox… 👀* just dropping in😂 (also hi fren! ily!💙💙💙💙💙), okay one they totally shouldn’t have dropped the Jarok and Beverly thing and had him be Wesley’s dad. It would be awesome if it added another layer to Wesley like “…so this is why I never felt like I’ve truest belongs and are always kinda searching” like he’s always felt more at home on the starship from a standpoint that Beverly left out the fact that Wesley was half romulan, like didn’t tell him that fact. Also this is my opinion however your write is up to you, but what if jarok still goes through with it and tries to commit suicide from the standpoint of his “only” family sees him as a trader because romulans mostly have that klingon/cardassain mentality of we are the best people and life outside our people doesn’t matter or his romulan life/family doesn’t matter.
But maybe Jarok survives because Beverly gets to him intime to save the romulan and at this point Wesley has figured it out and demanded to know that yes Jarok is his father. So while everyone is standing outside the medical room discussing and Beverly is part of the debrief. It’s Wesley at Jaroks beside going through the emotions of bitter happiness/relief (if I understand myself better now and found some of what I’ve been searching for, a mission piece of me, even if I didn’t know what it was) anger (how could you abandon us? Abandon me?) and sadness (of I most likely could loose you and never got to talk to you) type thing. So Wesley is just there bedside and deep in thought not realizing that Jorak is coming to and the romulan looks over at the young boy, who he sees a lot of Beverly in but his looks of concentrated contemplation is one he recognizes and after a moment almost jolts in shock. He’s seen that look in his own reflection…eventually Wesley notices he’s being observed and his throat tightens, sudden his mouth goes dry, he’s always wondered what it would be like getting to meet his father and what he would say all the years of feeling abandoned and anger yet a part of him still wants his father to accept him (even though Picard has more or less taken him under his wing). But all Wesley manages to force out at Jarok is a simple “why?” (our romulan mans has some serious soul searching, earth shattering thinking to do now 😂)
OMG HIIIIII!!!! ILY FRENNNN 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
I completely agree, they really shouldn't have dropped the Jarok x Beverly pairing. They SO had amazing chemistry. (Also, I might already be, uh...2000+ words in to my Bev x Jarok fic... 👀 )
This Jarok is Wesley's father idea is SO BEAUTIFUL. I would so read a novel length version of it!!! I mean, omfg, the ANGST, the EMOTIONS!!
I would so love the idea of Jarok seeing Wes and immediately being like 👀 "Oh. He's MY boy. I...have a SON." My heart! OMG
3 notes · View notes
opalbeifxng · 3 years
Text
Tumblr media
UNPROMPTED;;  Anonymous asked: hot take, opal should have joined team avatar
Tumblr media
// WE WERE ROBBEDDDDD! I feel the same. I’m not gonna lie, I do feel salty when I see promo images and Opal isn’t there. But I know she’s like-- not part of team avatar directly like the others. But like-- her relationship with Bo should give her a step in the door to being in the group more? ya know??? But honestly we were robbed of the Bopal content in the comics AND SHOW imo. We need more. They are adorable. 
2 notes · View notes
lomlwintersoldier · 2 years
Text
Part 1: Best of You
masterlist | series masterlist | playlist
Pairing: TASM!Peter Parker x female reader
Word Count: 1.3k
Warnings: none
Tumblr media
Peter Parker. Spider-Man. Your best friend in the world. 
Of course, he didn’t become Spider-Man until long after you met. Before he donned his spider-like alter ego, he was just Peter, a tall, lanky, uncertain boy who was looking for his place in the world the same way you were. Two wide-eyed, little freshmen, terrified of embarking on the endeavor that was high school, and ever since you met him the first day of class in first period, you were attached at the hip. You and Peter, always together, always just the two of you, which suited you just fine. He was your closest friend and confidant and you were his. 
Then he was bitten by that spider, and everything changed. When Peter started acting cagey and coming home covered in bruises and cuts, it didn’t take long for you to put two and two together. You might not have been as book smart as he was but you knew more about people than he did, and you knew him like the back of your hand. 
And so you kept his secret for him. You’d tend to his wounds when he’d inevitably come knocking at your bedroom window, late at night when he couldn’t go home for fear of worrying Aunt May. You’d patch him up, let him recover, and send him off to fight another day, then he’d be back again that night and the cycle would restart. You often wondered, and worried, when his luck would run out, when he’d…lose. 
But after days, then months, then years passed and he still showed up at your window every night, your fears eased, albeit deceptively so. The fear-filled thought became dormant.
Especially after you both got your acceptance letters to NYU.  
Your gaze shifts nervously between Peter’s earnest face and the envelope in your hand. He takes your hand, squeezing it nervously as you both sit down on his beat up brown couch, so closely that you can practically hear the pounding of his heart in his chest. He was so much better at school than you were. What if he got in and you didn’t? What would you do if you weren’t able to see each other every day, what if- “Okay, okay, okay, wait,” he interrupts both your thoughts, taking your hand between both of his. His deep brown eyes seek your own. “No matter what this says, no matter where we end up, we’re always going to be together. We’re always going to be friends.” 
You don’t trust your voice not to shake so you simply nod, squeezing his hand back. 
You were so grateful that you didn’t need to say goodbye that night. 
The years of friendship that you shared with Peter were wonderful and beautiful, which was why you could never tell him your true feelings for him. There were moments that you wanted nothing more than to shout from the rooftops, I love you!, but you held back every single time. You couldn’t ruin your friendship, and you didn’t dare to make it awkward, so you simply stayed quiet and allowed your relationship with Peter to be what it was. Friends. Even though it broke your heart to do so. 
But finally, you thought, college would be your chance. You’d confess your feelings to him and whatever he said, you’d be okay with. But you’re in your third year now and you still have yet to say anything to him. You wondered if you ever would. 
It’s November in New York City and although the chilly autumn air blows straight through your coat, you don’t feel the cold. You’d applied for a prestigious internship at one of the top architecture studios in New York and the letter acknowledging your acceptance had appeared in your email inbox just moments prior; the excitement that coursed through your veins made you feel like jumping off the walls. 
As you practically bounce through the quad, you scan the crowd and when you finally spot Peter sitting alone at a table, deep into his book, you make a beeline for him. You know he can sense you coming from a mile away by the way his gaze flicks up at you from across the grass so you whisper under your breath, knowing he’ll hear you, “I did it.”
A wide smile splits his face as he springs up from his seat, quickly shoving his book into his bag and you practically run to him, grinning from ear to ear as he swings you up into the tightest bear hug. 
“I knew you’d get it!” he laughs joyfully as he holds you tight in his arms. “Ohhh, I’m so happy for you.”
“Oh god, Peter, I was so stressed.” You laugh in deep exhales as if you’ve been holding your breath for days. 
“I had no doubts,” he murmurs into your hair, holding you tightly.
You pull away abruptly, laughing incredulously. “Liar!”
“No, really! None, absolutely zero.”
“Bullshit.” But you smile at him. He’s been your biggest supporter for years and you know it’s no different now. 
“Come on, let’s get some lunch.” He swings an arm around your shoulders. “My treat, to celebrate you becoming the next architecture titan of New York City.”
“I’ll build you the tallest buildings to swing from,” you tease. 
“That’d be nice. I’m practically kicking people in the head.” 
---
He takes you out to a swanky hipster place close to campus, and you glance at him suspiciously because this place is in no way like any place the two of you usually frequent. You preferred to go to the old, run down, mom-and-pop restaurants. 
You open the menu and audibly gasp “A cobb salad for $25?!” You exclaim. “Where the hell did you find this place?”
“MJ brought me here a couple weeks ago. Food’s good.” Peter is suddenly very interested in his menu. You recall him mentioning her name a few weeks ago. 
You glance at him before quickly looking back down. “MJ? The girl from your Econ class?” You ask as nonchalantly as you can but a deep pit is forming in your stomach as you try to mask your emotions.
“Yeah, her.” 
“I didn’t realize you guys were hanging out,” 
“Yeah well, you know, you’ve been so busy with the internship apps...” 
An uncomfortable silence falls over the table. 
You didn’t realize then that this would be just the first of many silences that you and Peter would share in the years following. 
“I guess now’s as good a time as any to tell you this,” he sighs, putting the menu down. “MJ and I are dating.” 
His words hit you like a ton of bricks and you slam your tongue to the roof of your mouth to keep your jaw from dropping. The pit in your stomach has broken wide open and the feeling that spreads through you sets you on fire. It takes you a moment to identify it. It's jealousy. 
“Wow,” you reply quietly, taking a sip of your water. “Since when?” 
You’re painfully aware that you must’ve gone beaming red from his revelation. Your face feels uncomfortably hot. 
Get a handle on yourself! You mentally chastise yourself as you plaster a neutral expression across your face.
“A couple weeks now. It’s still new but damn, Y/N, she’s….” he trails off as his eyes unfocused, as if he’s seeing something, someone, that’s not there. “She’s amazing.”
You turn your chin down hard, forcing a smile on your face before looking back up. He’s back, focused on you, waiting for your response with an uncertain expression. 
“I’m happy for you, Peter.” You deliver your words with a smile and he returns it brightly, no doubt happy with your response. You’re happy it didn’t ring as false to him as it felt to your own ears.
“Thank you, Y/N.” 
It’s quiet for a moment, both of you wondering where the conversation will go next so you breathe a sigh. 
“So when can I meet her?” You exclaim, hoping your exaggerated tone masks your pain. 
“She’s throwing a party on Friday, actually, at her apartment! I’ll introduce you then. You’re gonna love her, Y/N.” 
You just nod. “I’ll be there.”
-----
Part 2 Coming Soon!
181 notes · View notes
seabass17 · 3 years
Text
All that’s left | Bucky Barnes
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader
A/n: This is my first time writing something based on a video I found on TikTok, it’s not exactly the same, but it is kinda the idea. I hope you like it and please let me know if you might want a part two. Also, I apologize if you find some errors, im doing my best since English is not my first language. Anyway, happy reading!!
All that’s left masterlist
Pt. 2
Warnings: angst, mentions of injuries (broken ribs, cuts, dislocated shoulder)
Word count: 2.5K
Summary: She still can’t get used to the feeling of being left behind by the people she once called family. After being hurt, she decides that she will give them a chance, and when they failed, she then makes the decision to disappear and start brand new. Of course, she leaves a letter that will left the team standing in the dark, and with more questions than answers about a lot of things, while discovering that she has more of one past that she let to know.
Tumblr media
The sound of the rain hitting against the window of my living room was the only thing that could be heard in the silence of my apartment. I looked over my desk where the paper is waiting for me to pick up the pen and get this over with, but somehow, somewhere deep inside of me, a part is waiting, holding on to the smallest of hope that maybe, just maybe, he is going to come knocking to my door asking why the i haven’t showed up to the compound for the last three days, or why i didn’t text nor call the rest of the team. I wanted to see if they would notice my absence so I left the compound on Thursday. I got the answer to my question when Sunday arrived and my inbox was clear; no one noticed. Today is Tuesday, my apartment is thirteen minutes away, fifthteen if you literally fly or speed up, but still, no one came or text.
To be honest, I'm not surprised, that doesn’t mean it hurts less though. I know i should probably think this through instead of making the impulse decision of grabbing my things and get the hell out of here, going somewhere i can start fresh, somewhere i can start over and get a chance to get over all the things that happened,  find people that actually cared for me, or maybe not finding anyone at all and die alone.
I stand up from my bed and go to my desk, it’s time to get this over with. I start writing the only thing that they get to keep.
“Dear Avengers, You’re probably wondering where I am, or you just don’t care, maybe you don’t even find this. If someone from the building finds this, keep it in case they ever come looking for me; thank you. So, this is it, this is my goodbye. You should consider yourselves lucky, given the fact that none of you even deserves a goodbye because you are the ones causing it. I could tell you the reason why I'm leaving, and you know what, I will tell you. I chose to trust you. The one thing I feared the most was trusting people, but when I joined the team, I thought ‘well, maybe i can trust them, they are my team’, guess what, I was wrong. You should really look out for your teammates Stark, oh, and by the way, you might want to look deeper into why the operation that saved those 30 civilians on may 20, didn’t go south, you might even discover its the very same reason of why i didn’t showed up in the compound for a week, yeah, they were busy torturing the information out of me for a week; information that, by the way, i didn't give, hence why the operation went great. Something even more funny, is that behind every mistake, every wrong that each one of you have ever done, I’m the one that suffered the consequences. Don’t believe me? Then you might want to do your homework, because dear teammates, I’m the one you couldn’t protect. By the time you find out the things you’ve done, I will be long gone. I'm very good at disappearing, Natasha (once she figures it out) can confirm that. I wish things would be different and we could be… family, but that’s never going to happen; not anymore. As of now, there will be no record of my name ever existing, everything that once belonged to me, will be burned, and as of me, well, I am no one.”
I fold the piece of paper and put it in the envelope, once sealed, I write down the word my name in the center so they know. I take a last look at my apartment. Everything is intact, the furniture that came with it is the same as always, the only thing different is that it seems empty without all my belongings. I grabbed my luggage and exited the apartment and then went downstairs.
“Hey Richard”  I say to the man that is in the reception like I always do
“Hey miss, what can I do for you?”
“Well, I'm leaving, for good. If someone comes asking for me, my friends, you tell them that you haven’t seen me. Oh, I left a letter for them upstairs, could you please make sure that it gets to them? Only if the show up, do not sent it”
He looked at me a little sad and confused.
“Oh, well, you will me missed miss, I hope you find happiness and yes, i promised i will make sure they get your letter”
“Thank you Richard, for everything, oh, and this is for you” I handed him an envelope with some cash. He looked like he was about to say something about how he couldn’t accept it but I cut him off. “Please, just take it, please”. He sighs but takes the envelope.
“Thank you miss…”
I smiled at him and then turned around to grab a cab. I'm supposed to be in the airport in 30 minutes. Once in the airport, the only thing left is to start again, be someone brand new.
Tumblr media
*3rd person POV*
Friday morning was a little colder than usual in the avengers compound, everyone on the team was up and in the kitchen having breakfast. Everything was normal, until someone noticed that someone was missing.
“Hey guys” Bucky said right before taking a bite of the pancakes Wanda made earlier for everyone. “Have any of you seen y/n?”
The team stayed quiet, realizing that they haven’t seen her for quite a while, not until Barnes brought it up.
“Uh… maybe she took a trip?” Steve broke the silence while the rest started thinking when was the last time they had seen her.
“No, she was here when we arrived from the Jersey mission, it must have been like what, two days, maybe three?” Tony said. Bucky could feel his insides burning and twisting.
“No… that was eight days ago” Vision intervened. The avengers felt like someone just blew up the white house. Her teammate was missing for eight days and no one even noticed. Bucky was the first one to react by getting up and running to her dorm, only to find it exactly the way it was when he last saw her. He searched her dorm looking for something out of place that could tell him that maybe you were in trouble and that he has to come save you, but he is left desperate when he doesn’t find anything.
“She’s not here, everything is intact” He informs once he is back in the kitchen.
“Everyone” Steve calls out, “get dressed, we’re going to look for her. Let’s start in her apartment”
The team leaves to change their clothes and next thing they know, they are in her building. Without saying a word to the receptionist, they all made their way up to her apartment.
“Hey! wait-” he goes unnoticed because the avengers are already on her door. Wanda knocks on the door.
“Y/n? You there?” no one responds. “Y/n come on, don’t be mad at us” Natasha says.
After a few seconds they all start to worry when the door is unlocked, and they worry even more once they see the apartment completely empty.
“What the-” Bucky says
“Where are her things?” Wanda asks to no one especifically
“Where is she?” Thor says
“What the hell is going on?” Tony says a little louder
Bucky storms out of the empty apartment and goes to the man in the reception
“What the hell happened to apartment 108, where is y/n y/l/n?” he asks with worry and anxiety in his voice.
“I’m sorry, but, who are you?” the man asks the rather intimidating group of people in front of him.
“We’re the Avengers man” Peter says and the man suddenly realizes and his face changes from a confused one, to a sad one that makes the team’s stomach drop.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t…” he sighs, “She left me indicated to give this to you” he hands them an envelope that looks like it's been sitting there for a while. Bucky stares at the envelope like it's some kind of nuclear weapon that if you touch it, it could kill you. Wanda notices, grabs the envelope and stares at the paper in her hands.
“When did she leave this?” She asked
“Three days ago”
“And why didn’t you send it to us?” Tony asked, getting angry at the poor man.
“Because she specifically said  to handed it to you, if you ever came looking for her”
Bucky could feel the tears in his eyes start to form.
“She said that? `Ever’?” Bucky asked almost to himself. The man slowly nodded. Natasha could feel how her stomach started burning from the guilt and the pain of not noticing that her friend was missing for eight days, little does she know that the entire team felt exactly the same.
Tumblr media
“F.R.I.D.A.Y pull the records on the mission on may 20 and also show me the status of y/n on that time” Tony said to the AI and after a few seconds later, pictures of the building that that was about to be blown out by HYDRA with 30 civilians inside showed up. While the avengers were sitting in the conference room looking at the pictures, the AI started talking.
“Mission of may 20. Information was given that HYDRA kept 30 civilians inside the building with the intention of blowing it up with them inside. Source of the information unknown. The Avengers  came to the building and successfully rescued the civilians safely moments before the building was blown up. Agent y/n y/l/n was on an undercover mission on a HYDRA facility at the same time, the communication was lost three days before the civilians situation, and around the same time, the information about the building was given anonymously the very same day that communication with Agent y/l/n was lost; Agent y/l/n returned a week later. Medical record found, access denied”
“Override, Tony Stark” Tony said after a good couple of seconds, the pieces starting to fall in place.
“Access complete. Medical records of Agent y/l/n on may 27th. Access restrained: Agent y/l/n. She presented with several cuts all over her body, three broken ribs, a second grade concussion, a sprained ankle and a dislocated shoulder. Patient refused treatment and was only given medication for the pain”
The seconds were passing and no one in the room would break the silence. The pieces were starting to fall in place, Tony felt nauseous. He yelled at her for being irresponsible for staying a little longer than she should have in the undercover mission, given the fact that she checked in on june 10th, meaning that she waited two weeks for her injuries to heal enough so that he could yell at her for not being good enough. He fell down to his chair, feeling like if he stayed up, he might throw up.
“She was the one that gave us the information about the building” Sam broke the silence. “She was the one that got tortured, and still managed to pass through the data so that we, could be the heroes while she was the one that got beaten up”
“F.R.I.D.A.Y, where is she?” Natasha asked the AI, and it responded after a few seconds.
“No information found”
Natasha frowned, Bucky looked up to the screen to see the red sentence. It only made him want to scream more.
“What does ‘no information found’ mean?” Bucky asked on the edge of falling apart.
“F.R.I.D.A.Y” Steve called
“No information available” it said this time.
“F.R.I.D.A.Y, look for y/n y/l/n” Tony said, thinking maybe he needed to check what was wrong with the AI.
“No records found for y/n y/l/n”
“Detail,” Stark said.
The AI showed what it said before, there was no record of her name, it was like it never existed. No phone number, no mail address, no nothing, just a little picture of an abandoned building or mansion somewhere in the world.
“Wait” Natasha said, “I know that building, F.R.I.D.A.Y, do a close up on that picture”
“What is it?” Wanda asked
“It was where The Red Room used to operate” tha AI responded
“Why does it appear related to her?” Bucky asked, fearing the answer
“The picture was taken when a girl escaped The Red Room in 2002, she eliminated four people on the way, the age or who it was is still unknown” the AI responded.
“Oh god…” Natasha whispered but Bucky manage it to hear it
“Natasha, what is it?” he asked
“2002, that’s three years after i managed to escape, there was a girl, we were some sort of friends, i promised that i was going to get us out of here, but i couldn’t take her with me so i left her. Two years later I contacted someone on the inside so that I could get to her and plan her escape, but she was angry at me and said that she was fine, a year later she did escape, killing four people on her way” Natasha explained. Everything makes sense now, why she looked familiar, why she had exactly the same skills as Natasha. The team noticed it too, but they assumed it was because she had trained very hard to be an avenger.
“What was her name?” Vision asked.
“Eliza” Natasha said
“Wait a minute…” Bucky said, lifting her head looking at Natasha. “Was that her real name?”
“No, she didn’t wanted to say her real one” Natasha said
“Eliza, that’s y/n’s grandmother’s name” Bucky said and the room fell into a silence where you could hear the wind outside.
“In the letter…” Steve started, “She said that you could confirm that she was good at disappearing completely once you figured it out, so, does this mean that…”
“Y/n is Eliza” Natasha concluded
“She was in The Red Room” Bucky added.
“She said in her letter that all of us did her wrong,” Sam said, “how are we supposed to know what the hell we do to her? She’s been in the team for what, two and a half years? And just now we realized that she was the one that gave us the data that saved 30 people and got her tortured, and that she was trained in The Red Room like Black Widow here. What else are we missing?” he added.
“Guess there’s only one thing we can do” Steve said, looking at Tony.
“And what’s that?” Wanda asked
“We find her”
238 notes · View notes
clarawatson · 3 years
Text
It Only Takes a Taste
Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x [Fem]!Reader (GN pronouns, fem coded stuff, but I’m not sure where this is going as a larger work so we’ll say Fem!reader to be safe) Summary: You work at a diner. Aaron Hotchner falls in love with you. We’re not kidding around trying to make us all sound like profilers, just accept the diner life, we love it here. W/C: 1498 Warnings: none yet!  A/N:  First chapter of that diner!au i was talking about here! AO3 ps. I forgot to tag people, so: @willowrose99 & @genevievedarcygranger my beloveds. If you want to get added to the tag list jump in my inbox and i’ll try to remember to add tags every time i post. Where am I in this series?  01 | 02 | 03 | 04 |
~
When you first meet him it’s 5am and raining. You’re switching over shifts for your friend, Rita, because she’s been doing night shifts at the diner. This late into her pregnancy she shouldn’t be working, not technically, but she needs the money and she’s got insomnia because of the baby, so she works nights now. There’s always someone working with her, be it Joe (who’s got far too much muscle for a chef) or Lola (who can beat anyone to a pulp with a pie tray). In the early hours of the morning a bunch of tatt’ed bikies come and sit and talk about their extracurricular activities (definitely not legal) because one time there was an armed hold up and the police didn’t turn up until two hours after it had happened. People don’t like holding up a diner full of men who eat their own motorbikes for breakfast.
But when he comes in, he’s not any of them. He’s not even one of Lola’s nightly hook-ups (she needs the money, you don’t ask). He’s too well dressed in a grey suit (or is it black? Maybe it’s black), trying desperately to shove his I.D. badge in his pocket. He has a look about him that says ‘I’m part of one of the alphabet soup agencies’. A smile on his face, dead in the eyes, and the weight of the world on his shoulders. He fumbles with his wallet as he squints to read the menu behind the counter. The rain’s stopped dripping from his hair, instead he’s got droplets like his woken with the morning dew upon him.
“Hi love,” Rita coos as she hangs her apron up. She has a look about her that says she’ll eat this man for her breakfast. It’s an effort not to curse those pregnancy hormones some days.
“Go home,” you tell her, swatting her arm. “Put your feet up, rest, sleep while the baby does or some shit.” Rita sticks her bottom lip out and pouts, but she’s making grabby hands for her purse, which is stored where the tea towels used to be. Far too high to reach even when one’s not pregnant. You grab it down for her, ignoring the showering of thank-yous.
The new guy (who is getting more and more handsome by the second) is still looking at the menu. He doesn’t look like he’s going to stop looking and order any time soon.
“Are you sure you’re fine to take the metro in this weather?” you check. She’s rubbing her swollen belly and looking longingly at the booths that haven’t had anyone sit in them for hours now. 
“Wait forty-five minutes and I’ll take you!” Joe yells. He’s slaving over something in the kitchen even though it looks like no one’s ordered in hours. “Wife gave me the car ‘cause of the storm!”
“Forty-five,” you repeat and point her towards the seat that she’s been eyeing off. Rita sighs, nods, then goes out to the seat. “What can I get you?” Usually when addressing the customer you’d add something gentle like ‘sweetheart’ or ‘love’ or ‘dear’ because the customers like it and they come back because they think you’re treating them like a long lost friend.
He bats his dark eyelashes and rubs at his forehead.
“I don’t know.” He sounds tired, balancing on the very edge of exhaustion. He might just fall off into a pit of sleep that he won’t wake up from. Been there, done that. “Do you guys do coffee?”
You laugh and point to the brewed pot beside you. There’s one for each table, free refills with a pie purchase. It’s written in decorative lettering right above you on the blackboard.
“We can put it in a take-away cup. It’s before six so it’s free anyway,” you offer. The last bits a lie, but Joe doesn’t care about a cup or two of coffee going missing. He’ll catch it up later when he flirts with all of the mom’s coming through after school drop off. The new guy nods and pulls out a ten dollar note and shoves it in the tip jar. You raise an eyebrow at him, but he nods anyway. He’s like a broken bobblehead.
“I know.” He goes to the sweets display and searches through it like he’s looking for something specific. Maybe he is. You’ve not seen him in the diner before, and neither has Rita, but maybe he’s one of Lola’s regulars. Maybe you’d judged him wrong. 
“Anything caught your eye?” you ask, leaning over the counter as if you could see it from his angle too. Maybe you do it to show off just that little bit of cleavage. He notices, then looks like he’s done entirely the wrong thing as he licks his lips and blinks like a school boy.
“S-sorry,” he stammers, and Rita giggles. You point at her and give her a stern look, but she just puts her hand over her mouth and lies down on the seat. She’s still silently giggling because her belly keeps bobbing above the table. 
“I just…” he has that exhausted look on his face again.
“Long day at work?” The answer is always yes for the people who work at the alphabet agencies. He nods. “Take a seat, grab some coffee, take a minute. It’s only just gone five, you’ve got time.” 
He nods. He looks like he’s gotten his words all mixed up and they’re just sitting in his mouth, refusing to leave. Tongue tied doesn’t exactly encapsulate what looks like is going on inside his head. He sits at one of the chairs in front on the counter, and takes the coffee cup gratefully as you pass it to him.
He’s definitely an alphabet soup man. He sits in this weird stance like he’s countering his weight against a gun. His shoulders are hunched forward as if he spends hours a day doing paperwork. He’s got a nervous twitch in his hands like sitting still is only going to bring the next case.
You think about making a joke about turning on the cellphone jammer, but last time Joe made that joke the whole place ended up swarming with cops. Absolute disaster. No one’s going to do that one again. 
“Cherry, berry or apple?” you ask, grabbing a plate.
“Sorry?”
“Cherry, berry or apple?” Rita repeats from her booth. “For the pie, sweetheart.”
“Uh, I didn’t—“
“Eat it,” Rita growled. You pull a face at her even though she can’t see you. The guy smiles.
“Apple, please.” Well mannered. Sweet. He looks elated as you slide the apple pie to him and hand him the canned cream.
“Not as good as fresh, but it’s better than nothing.” 
He puts a generous amount on his plate. You half think he might like it more than proper cream. Rita leans up just enough to look at him as he digs in, fanning herself playfully before sighing and collapsing back down.
Joe brings out his tray of caramel salted cookies. They’re thick enough to look like cakes with a gooey caramel center, and they usually sell out pretty quickly. The new guy watches them intently.
“How much trouble am I going to get into if I give those to my son?” 
“How old is he?”
“Ten.”
You smile. That’s a good age. “How much do you hate his teacher?” 
He considers this with a gentle tilt of his head. “Not a lot. I’ll give it to him after school.” He pulls out his wallet again and Joe looks like he’s just hit the mother lode as he grabs one of the cardboard boxes. 
“If you really want to spoil your kid, y/n here can write really pretty on top.” You glare at Joe. He shrugs. He’s covered in cake batter and cookie dough, and smells like pancake batter. He’s always smelling sickly sweet, and like a well lived in home, despite looking like the living embodiment of Gaston. “She does it for my wife all the time.”
The handsome man’s phone buzzes. He checks it, then shovels the rest of his pie in his mouth like a starved man. 
“I have to go,” he says. He gives Joe another ten and tells him to keep the change. Joe looks like he’s about to break into a song and dance. You pour a fresh cup of coffee into a take-away cup and slide it across the counter to him. He thanks you a thousand times over then goes. With his cookie.
“Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME?” Rita screeches the moment the door shut with it’s little jingle. “I’ll-show-him-my-cleavage-but-I-won’t-ask-his-name?? No wonder you can’t get a date!”
“I’ll do it next time.” Not that there’s ever a ‘next time’ for these alphabet soup agents. They’re always looking for the next place to go to so they don’t have a ‘regular place’ that can be ambushed. 
But in a perfect world... you’d see him every day.
150 notes · View notes
feiiizhu · 3 months
Text
Tumblr media
⟡⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅|| FREE HUGS! Anonymous asked: ♡ - baatarjr *awkwardly patting her back* *** please do not reblog and/or turn into a thread without asking first! ***
Tumblr media
ㅤㅤ❝𝓦ould it kill you to smile while you hugged your little sister?❞ Opal scolded her brother, of course she meaned it in a joking manner, her voice covered in sarcasm.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
@baatarjr
5 notes · View notes
sialiia · 8 months
Text
Tumblr media
• . ° .┊┊BINGO! I GOT BINGO!;; ofsnarkandmagic asked:
Tumblr media Tumblr media
ㅤㅤ❝BINGO, BITCHES!❞
Tumblr media
2 notes · View notes
bratkook · 3 years
Text
eleven months. (m) myg. one.
Tumblr media
masterlist.
pairing: min yoongi x reader genre: fluff, slow burn!!!, eventual smut, warnings: none this chapter. word count: 2.8k author’s note: this chapter is on the shorter side, just diving into them meeting and giving you all a small glimpse into them as individuals! im really excited for this story so let me know what you think, feel free to scream about anything in my inbox bye ily lmao summary: it’s been years of yoongi living his routine life, accustomed to his pace of living, going with the flow and simply existing. until you come along. yoongi absolutely can not see the logic in the way you live, but he weirdly craves it. craves the feeling of not being afraid of not knowing what’s coming, being able to just let the cards fall wherever they land. and maybe you can help with that.
Tumblr media
Yoongi loves the rain, really he does. The way the clouds gloom over the city, encompassing it in this darkness that reminds him of underexposed film. He wishes he could always see the world through this filter, always smell the scent of wet soil and tarmac as he makes his way through the streets. Something about hearing the soft patter hitting the sidewalk, bouncing off the rooftops and dripping from the gutters calms him. A soft smile spreads across his face as he exhales the smoke in his lungs, letting the stick hang loosely off his lips while his hands clutch onto his umbrella.
When he stomps his foot into a wide puddle, the cold water splashes up onto his ankle and he grimaces. He hates being caught in the middle of rain. It didn’t matter if he had his umbrella or not, or if he managed to bundle enough for the downpour, he hates stepping into puddles and getting his socks wet. Hates how some of the raindrops that slipped under his umbrella—since it was now raining sideways—have managed to make his cigarette slightly soggy.
Pulling the cigarette out of his mouth this time, he holds it in front of his face with a frown. It was halfway done but no longer burning properly due to how wet it had become. 
What a waste.
As he passes a trash can, he stubs it out fully and tosses it inside, a small pout on his face at the loss of something to fidget with. But then he sees the glowing sign inching closer, the bright neon yellow standing out in the grim weather. The illuminated Rkive360 in the distance stops him from slipping out another smoke, choosing to stuff his unoccupied hand into the pocket of his jeans, moving his legs a little faster to get to his destination.
The bell at the top of the door jingles as he stumbles in, his foot tripping over the small lip of the mat by the door. That was a safety hazard he’d playfully bitch to Namjoon about later. 
“Yoongi, hey!” When he balances out, closing his umbrella and giving it a good shake by the door, he looks up and grins at Taehyung. He spots him standing by a flat spread of clothes a few feet away, folding out some new items as he stares at Yoongi with a genuine smile. His curls flop over his eyes and Yoongi chuckles to himself as he wonders how a guy like him was here folding shirts when he should probably be the face of Gucci or something. 
Well, that’s life. 
“Hey man,” Yoongi mumbles out, his eyes catching the plastic bin beside the door that’s labeled ‘umbrellas here’ in a messy scribble he can only attribute to Taehyung. Not needing to be told twice, he sticks his dripping umbrella upside down into it and shuffles inside the shop, taking a minute to look around like he always did. 
Record stores have always been his safe space, even as a teenager. The amount of time spent in one after school, loitering inside with his friends as he sorted through the racks of CDs and vinyl, exiting with his bag of new goodies that left him excited to get home and play them. It was god sent that his best friend decided to open up his own place years ago, keeping it fully stocked with anything he could imagine. Maybe Yoongi was a little biased, but this was definitely the best shop in the country. 
It’s a welcoming place, pops of color in every corner, tall standing sculptures mixed in with displays of music, autographed albums and posters framed onto the wall behind the counter. It’s the full embodiment of his best friend, down to the tiny KAWS figurines perched beside the register and the music playing through the speakers. The small melody in the background fills his ears once the door is shut, recognizing the song playing as Dang! by Mac Miller and he bobs along as he approaches Taehyung.
“Quick question,” he starts, his hands coming up to shake at his gray hair that was slightly damp from the rain. Taehyung sets the shirt down, resting both of his palms on the table as he leans towards Yoongi with interest. “Any chance you guys miraculously got Seventeen Seconds in your stock this week?”
Taehyung hums in thought, his brows furrowing together as he tries to mentally sort through the massive boxes of new vinyl Namjoon had brought in a few days ago. New shipment comes once a week but every now and then Namjoon goes out of his way to find specific records, never missing with his selection. 
A small flash of blurry trees crosses his mind and then he's smiling at him. “Yeah, we actually got it the other day. Pretty sure Namjoon hunted it down for you since you’ve been asking. It should be in the back.” His thumb points behind him, towards the display tables that held all the LP’s available at the store, a very familiar spot. 
Yoongi mumbles out a thanks as he makes his way over, eyes already locked onto the bin that he knew would hold his prized possession. It’s not until he gets a few feet closer that he sees your crouched frame over a box, figure slightly hidden by a giant CD rack. You’re rummaging through the records, almost making him flinch when you quickly stand back up and find their proper spot in the display. You don’t notice him approaching until he’s right beside you, eyes once again glued to the bins lined in alphabetical order once the initial shock of another person subsided.
That’s when you give him a glance, sending him a soft smile as you slip the record in its rightful spot, crouching back down to grab the next bunch. His hand pauses on the edge of the bin at the glimpse of something familiar, momentarily distracted by your shirt. When you stand back up, feeling him staring at you, you slowly turn to face him once more with your eyebrows raised up in question.
He takes note of the tag clipped to your shirt, it reads Sana but he’s used to dealing with Sana and you are definitely not her. You’re new.
The smile remains on your lips as you rest your hip against the edge of the table holding up the record bins, preparing to put your best customer service voice to use. His eyes glance at the writing on your shirt again, cracking a grin when he confirms it's a New Order shirt tucked into your black jeans. “You like New Order?”
Your smile falters slightly, your arms crossing in front of you as you narrow your eyes at him in defense, not entirely sure how to take his tone. “If you’re about to ask me to name five of their songs I’ll have to walk away to avoid getting fired.”
His smile widens at that, soft and gummy, breaking his cold appearance as his arms raise up in front of him in surrender. “No, just an observation.”
Your demeanor softens again, your arms sagging back down to your sides and smiling once more. “Good, it's my first day on the job and I’d really like to keep it.”
Yoongi chuckles softly, going back to his searching for his precious album, leaning over the third bin dedicated to bands starting with the letter C. His nimble fingers flip through the LPs until he gets to the Cure, sorting through Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, passing Pornography until he reaches Wish and his brows furrow, flicking back and forth as if the album he wanted would magically appear.
“Need help finding something?” You speak up again when you take note of him sorting through the same chunk of vinyl. He grunts lightly, letting the stack slant back in a heap as he purses his lips.
“Yeah actually, Taehyung said you guys got the album Seventeen Seconds but I don’t see it.
You step back from reorganizing the bin labeled S, trying to remember if you had brought the record out or if it was still sitting in the second box ready to be unpacked. Your brain was already overwhelmed from all of the information you had been given on your first day, trying to unscramble the entire backroom and it’s countless boxes—most of which were unlabeled because Taehyung said it’s not necessary since he knows where everything is. 
Much like Taehyung, you recall seeing a flash of the album cover when you sorted through the new box of records, knowing exactly where it was tucked away since you had been the one to store it. You were under strict orders to not put it out on the floor, because according to Namjoon, if someone else took this album you’d be attending his funeral. 
“Oh, uh gimme a sec.” You shuffle away, leaving him behind as you approach Taehyung, still folding away. “Hey, Tae?”
He hums in question, turning to stare at you with a small smile. “Whats up?”
“That guy is asking for Seventeen Seconds but Namjoon told me he’d be murdered if I gave this out to anyone.”
Taehyung starts laughing instantly, setting the shirt down as he stares at a confused looking Yoongi still standing by the LP’s. “Yeah, he was saving it for him specifically.”
“Got it, okay. Thanks.” You make a beeline back to the tables at the back, passing Yoongi with a polite smile. “Be right back!” you exclaim, wagging your finger at him as you make your way towards the back room, clearly on a mission.
Yoongi just stands there as you enter the employee stock room, not trying to cross any professional lines and follow you since you have no idea who he is. It's only a few feet away and you left the door propped open so when a few minutes pass and he hears rustling, followed by a heavy sounding thud and some curse words, he can’t help but wander over and peak his head in.
“You okay?” he asks, leaning against the door frame with a smirk on his face when he sees the way you’re frozen, one foot on the ledge of the shelf and the other on a not so sturdy looking stool, caught in the act of a poorly made decision. Below you lay two brown boxes that carry shirts you’re meant to unpack later, definitely the cause of the loud thud he had heard.
“Yep,” you confirm as you pluck out the record you need, shoving the box back into its safe spot and hopping down haphazardly. “Here you go.”
Grabbing the record carefully, he flips it over to skim the track list and smiles widely when he looks back up at you. That familiar warmth fills his chest as he holds the new item, making him feel the same way he had as a teenager when he bought his first LP. He had been searching for this vinyl for months now. It wasn’t as if it was no longer in production, he just couldn’t seem to find it in stock anywhere he looked and buying it internationally was the last resort he would take since the shipping fees were downright illegal. “Thanks.”
You’re already hunched down on the floor as you open up one of the boxes that had fallen in your haste to scale the shelves, deciding to just unpack in now since you were here. 
“Yeah, no problem. Tae can ring you up at the front.” Sending him off with a smile and a wave, he takes that as his cue to exit, making his way to the front again. 
When he leaves the backroom you flop onto your butt with a huff, your legs sprawling out with the second box in between them. You were hoping your words didn’t come across as rude to him but you couldn’t take the way his sharp eyes stared at you. Had he lingered any longer you would have embarrassed yourself, it was a miracle your footing hadn’t slipped on your way down from the shelves. You can’t imagine your ego being able to recover from a tumble like that. 
Taehyung spots Yoongi leaning against the front counter, setting the final shirt down and going to stand behind it with a smile. “Did you find everything okay?” he asks automatically, the general phrases they had to use coming out without a thought and Yoongi scoffs, sliding the record across the counter and nodding.
“Of course I did, you let Namjoon know that I said your customer service is unmatched.” His finger gently rubs against the first black KAWS figurine, smiling at the remaining four as he remembers how Namjoon had excitedly told him that this was their friend group, representing them all perfectly. 
Taehyung grins with a roll of his eyes, scanning the album and slipping it into the brown paper bag they provided. “Wonderful. Your total is 40,000 won.”
“Wow, your customer service voice is phenomenal.”
Taehyung laughs now, his nose crinkling up at Yoongi's sarcastic tone, watching how Yoongi grins back at him, succeeding in getting him to crack. “Fuck you, man.”
“Ah, there he is.” Yoongi hums with a chuckle as he pulls out his wallet, sorting through his bills and handing them to Taehyung. “Who’s New Order girl?”
Tae raises his brows as he enters the amount into the POS, the drawer popping open against his hips. “Oh, Y/N?” Yoongi only shrugs, you had Sana’s name tag on so how the hell should he know.
Taehyung stuffs the money into the drawer and slams it shut, ripping off the receipt from the machine and slipping it into the bag. “She just started today, can’t remember where she moved from, some place far though.” He shrugs as he hands the bag over to Yoongi.
The older boy ruffles his damp hair up, accepting the bag with his right hand. “Oh, cool. Well thanks, I’ll see you guys later then?” Taehyung just waves him off with a smile, similar to the way you did and he laughs to himself when he realizes Taehyung must be the one in charge of training you.
As he approaches the front door he pulls out his pack of cigarettes once more, sliding one out and slipping it between his lips. He finds himself looking towards the back of the shop again, seeing you resuming your organization, but your head lifts up as you feel him staring at you from his spot at the door. The spark of his lighter flashes across his face when he lights up his smoke, opening his umbrella once more now that he's partially outside. When your eyes meet, he smiles around the stick, giving you a nod before turning and walking back out into the rain.
You watch as his figure disappears down the street, his dark silhouette blending in with the rest of the people roaming the city, and when you can no longer see him through the store window you turn towards Taehyung. He’s stood at the POS, fidgeting with the screen, but when you call his name he glances up at you. “Is he a regular?”
He nods in response, eyes going back to stare at the screen as he begins to print out a sheet to fulfill the online orders the store received. “Yeah, he comes in at least once a week. Buys strictly vinyl. I think Namjoon mentioned he’s a music producer, or maybe it was a DJ, I can’t remember.”
Taehyung evidently doesn’t have the best memory, that much had been made clear in the short span you’ve known him. He had forgotten your name twice during your interview, Namjoon having to subtly repeat it for him, he had also asked you three times where you were from and at first you thought he was joking but when his face remained serious you realized he had really forgotten already.
“Hey, where’d you move from again?” he asks one more, genuinely curious as if you hadn’t told him a handful of times already. 
“I told you, Iceland.” It’s a lie, but when he hums in thought—pretending to suddenly remember—you chuckle at the newfound way to mess with him. 
He’s quick to start questioning you about Iceland, nodding along to the lies you spill while you both go back to your tasks of sorting albums and folding shirts. It makes your first full shift eventful, passing jokes back and forth as the sky grows gloomier. As distracting as your conversations get, you can’t help but glance up through the windows whenever a dark clad figure walks by, the thought of the sharp eyed stranger lingering in your mind. 
294 notes · View notes
sambvcks · 3 years
Text
crawl home to her, b.b. x reader
Tumblr media
chapter four // three days on drunken sin
summary: bucky decides to rifle through those boxes and finds the will to make the first move.
warnings: food/eating, nothing too bad this time!
word count: 1.7k
author’s note: how are we feeling about this week’s episode?? we’re getting closer to the start of tfatws with this chapter!! hope i don’t break your heart too much with the boxes :)
[ read on ao3 | series masterlist | inbox | join my taglist! ]
[ PREVIOUS | NEXT ]
The boxes taunted him for three days.
Three stacks of two boxes each cluttered his entranceway, each with that familiar scrawl of Steve’s God-awful handwriting.
‘BUCKY’
All caps, in black Sharpie, underlined three times just for good measure. Steve was always good at getting his message across.
He didn’t want to know what was in them, he told himself. But Steve was gone, and this was all he had left. These, that stupid notebook he still hadn’t found the will to write in, and the shield that was kicking around Sam’s apartment somewhere.
He wanted to toss them in his building’s dumpster, to push these aside like he did with everything else in his life. Out of sight, out of mind. That week, he didn’t tell his therapist about the boxes, or Sam’s unexpected visit, or his neighbor that he was now avoiding like the plague. Thankfully, she chalked his silence up to Steve and tried to fill in the conversational lulls with suggestions of amends and lists and he just wanted to go back to sleep.
Like always, sleep never came.
He knew the single night in his bed was a fluke, but he kept trying at least. He’d untuck his flat sheet from under hit mattress, fluff his pillow, and tuck himself in. Within five minutes, he was back on the hardwood floor of his living room, the lamplights illuminating his window and casting a perfect shadow on those stupid boxes. Finally, on the third night, he huffed a sigh and sat up, his arm whirring at the sudden movement. He wasn’t accomplishing anything letting them sit and gather dust.
Bucky reached under the cushions of his couch, fishing for the knife he had stashed away and got to work slicing through the clear packing tape securing each one.
The first five boxes were files. Mission reports, everything Steve could get his hands on about The Winter Soldier. The translations were rough, the descriptions weren’t as vivid as he remembered them now, and it wasn’t even close to everything. Why Steve kept them when Bucky was working to erase every trace of this from the universe, he would never understand. Steve was sentimental, even with the bad stuff. Bucky glanced over the files scattered across his entranceway, which maybe amounted to a year of his missions. If Zemo had looked in some suburb in upstate New York, he would have found everything he needed.
The dumpster behind his building was starting to feel more and more enticing.
The last box felt different. Significantly lighter and smaller, the items rolling and clanking as he dragged it towards him. He braced himself for more files, more reminders of what he had done as though they didn’t exist in his mind every second of the day.
The first thing he recognized was his mother’s handwriting. ‘Recipes’, scrawled so perfectly on a yellowing label.
The tin box was tinted with age, dented after so many years. He laughed and could remember it tucked away on the top shelf of the cabinet by the fridge, just out of Rebecca’s reach, even when she’d stand on her tiptoes in search of it. His Ma rarely fished it out, other than to let his little sister read over the ingredients with sticky hands as she helped stir pots and peel potatoes. She had them memorized by the time she was a teenager, having transcribed her own mother’s recipes onto these little cards. He was sure Rebecca did, too.
Next was the worn fabric of his Ma’s favorite apron. Yellow embroidered flowers scattered the crimped edge, strings falling loose. He recognized some of the stains, from spaghetti night and cake batter that she let dry on the cloth for too long.
Finally, a worn silver chain was buried at the bottom of the box.
JAMES B BARNES 32557038 T42 A
Of course, Steve with all his connections and know-it-all attitude and ‘I can do this all day’ would find some way to find his dog tags, probably tucked away in some ancient Hydra file. His flesh fingers ran over the indentation of his name, pressed into metal like millions of other boys had, off to fight a war that had nothing to do with them. Everything to lose, nothing to gain.
When he was most alone, settled into muddy trenches with wet socks and a stiff military jacket, he would recite those numbers out into the night sky. He’d map constellations over his head, wondering if it would be his last night and all there would be left of him would be those stupid discs of metal clanking around his neck and the letter tucked away in his jacket breast pocket, addressed to his mother.
His mother was long gone, he knew that. But to a fully conscious James Buchanan Barnes – not the Winter Soldier - he had only seen her a few years ago when he shipped off.
After a moment, he pulled the chain of his dog tags over his head, settling them under his shirt. His ears rung with the sound of footsteps in the hallway. The sound of dragging feet and the jangle of your keychain signaled your return from class.
His family was gone, Steve included. The only people he has left are halfway across the world, or off on some death-defying mission wearing metal bird wings. Except you, who still leaves bags of cookies on his front door mat, despite the silent treatment from his end. His maybe too friendly neighbor who poured over lists of albums for him to find taped to his door in barely legible handwriting when you should have been studying.
His mother’s recipe box was calling his name.
-
The knock on your door startled you from your nap. Well, if you can call dozing off at your desk using a law book as a makeshift pillow a nap. You stalled in your desk chair, eyes bleary as you squinted at your front door, then at the top corner of your computer.
2:36 AM
You nuzzled back into your book, content to chalk it up to your sleep deprived brain making things up.
The second knock was much more insistent and was certainly coming from your door. You rushed out of your chair, sock-clad feet dragging the blanket draped across your shoulders as you shuffled over, the knocking never ceasing. You blinked the sleep from your eyes, peering out your peephole into the dark hallway.
Bucky, with slumped shoulders and a bowed head, trying with all of his might to make himself as small as possible still took up so much of the doorway with his broad shoulders.
You should be mad at him.
You should go to bed, ignore him like he’d been ignoring you for the past few weeks. Like you hadn’t shared late nights and he hadn’t sat in your kitchen, licking your spoons clean or tucked into your couch just to watch you study, a new record playing gently. Your forehead pressed to the door, vile building in your throat as seething words collected on your tongue.
“I know you’re there.” His voice was muffled through the wooden door, feeling so close but sounding so far away. “We should work on you dragging your feet, doll.”
If you had taken another peek, you would have seen him pressing his forehead to the other side.
“You ignored me, Bucky.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” He sounded sincere, even through the door. “Some family stuff came up. But it’s no excuse, I shouldn’t have pushed you away.”
It’s so stupid, letting yourself get so attached to the first guy to bat his eyelashes and read to you. It’s idiotic to want him to seep into your days and nights, to never leave like he had left you, after only knowing each other for a month.
It’s so foolish to open the door. But you do it anyways.
He swallows as he stands straight, and the widening of his eyes tells you that he wasn’t expecting you to give him a second chance.
“I, uh, here. Thought I’d finally return the favor.”” Bucky shoves forward a plate of cookies, misshapen and unevenly cooked. His eyes finally found yours. “My mom’s recipe.”
Family stuff, you remembered. The weight of the plate felt heavy in your hands, almost as heavy as his gaze on you as you lifted one of the lesser burnt cookies to your mouth and took a timid bite.
Bucky, you’ve come to learn, gives his love in silent acts of approval. He shines when you tell him his singing isn’t totally awful or that he makes a great sous chef, eyes crinkling when you approve of his music choice for the night or compliment the voices he picks when reading from his books. As he watched you, you felt that this cookie meant more to him then just flour and eggs.
He was reaching out, terrified of your rejection.
“You made these?”
“Alright, I’m not totally helpless.”
“They’re amazing, Bucky. Your mom should be proud.”
He returned your smile, knowing that she wouldn’t be. How could she, after all that his hands have done? Hands that should’ve been home, hoisting his sisters onto his shoulders. Hands that should have been helping set the table and at work so they had something to eat in the first place.
He looked so timid in your hallway, unsure of the next move. You rolled your eyes, moving to clear your doorway, despite his hesitation.
“Come on.” You spoke, like ushering in a stray cat with the promise of food and love.
He took the first step forward, shoulder to shoulder, head tilted down to catch your playful gaze with his serious one. Your mouth opened to make some sort of quip to ease the tension, but the words died in your throat as he pressed his forehead against yours for just a second.
His eyes closed as he drew in a single serene breath through his nose.
He was gone as quickly as he had come, moving further into your apartment and directly to your shelves of records, gloved fingers grazing over the sleeves in contemplation for his first choice of the night. As you finally collected yourself enough to close the door, you wondered how many people in the world had ever loved Bucky Barnes enough to give him a second chance.
taglist: @tisthedamninez @wcndamaxcmoff @freyagallileaevans @bibliophilewednesday @justtoreblogfics @teti-menchon0604 @l-adysansa @heart-eyes-horan @thiswasnevermylifefromtony @rexorangecouny @dilfvision @urafakebetch @comphersjost @am-tired-bois @spid3rgwen @beautyandthebleh @euphoricaaaa @inadquacy @mackycat11 @withyoutilltheendofthismess @motherofallthesmallthings @victoriabaker112213 @macrillez @stvalentiness @nova10711 @tailsoflightning @okiegirl24 @qhbr2013 @beachbabe925 @weenersoldierr @venusinart @marvel-mistress @orthellqs @phasma-trash @beni-angie @infinitely-yellow @riverlethe1
172 notes · View notes
thatsassyhufflepuff · 3 years
Note
Hey! Hope you're doing good. May I request a draco X fem!ravenclaw!reader where Draco asks her to be his girlfriend but she refuses because her parents wouldn't allow her to date anyone. But they sneak around and do it anyway. And when her parents find out, they are furious and start scolding her brutally, but Draco comes in and argues about how it's not that wrong to date anyone. And then he comforts her because she was crying, and it's full of fluff. Oh and no voldy AU please. Thanks💕
The Serpent & The Eagle
A/N: Hello there! Thank you so much for this request; I'm doing just fine, thank you! I hope you like this! <3 I have one more request to write and then I'll open my inbox back up, so stay tuned and have your requests ready! :) Sorry this took me so long, I’ve been working a ton! Once this is up I’ll probably post ch. 31 of Stronger Than Blood (You can start that here!) & write my final request in my inbox after that!
Pairing: Draco Malfoy x female reader
House: Ravenclaw
Year: 5th
Warnings: angst and lots of fluff! <3
Though she knew Draco mostly had good intentions, Y/N Y/L/N, a Ravenclaw in her 5th year, was a bit nervous when he asked her to meet him at the Astronomy Tower that night.
"Sure," she answered slowly. "But what's the occasion?"
Draco smirked. "Who says there needs to be an occasion? Don't overwork that big brain of yours, Y/N. Just be there."
That was all he said before he winked at her and strode away confidently. Y/N barely refrained from banging her head against the nearest wall. Telling a Ravenclaw not to overwork their brain was like telling the bloody Pope not to be Catholic!
"Stupid, sneaky Slytherin," Y/N mumbled to herself, which earned her a few odd glances from students who passed her in the corridor, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Just what was Draco Malfoy up to?
***
"Ready or not, here I come!" Y/N shouted as she ascended the winding staircase that led to the Astronomy Tower. When she reached the top, Draco was, as usual, smirking at her.
"No need to announce your presence, Y/N. You sounded like a pack of wild Hippogriffs stomping up the stairs."
"I was not stomping!" The Ravenclaw pouted, tossing her Y/H/C hair over her shoulder, raising her chin defiantly.
"Sure you weren't," the blonde drawled with a snicker. "You also weren't muttering something about a sneaky, slimy, irritating git on your way up." He winked. "Surely you weren't speaking of me, though."
Y/N blushed deeply, not bothering to deny it.
"Relax, would you?" he murmured into her ear as he slung an arm around her shoulders, guiding her forward.
"Relax, he says," she grumbled. "You know how much I hate surprises, Draco!"
Draco rolled his eyes. "I'm fairly certain you'll like this one, Y/N."
She arched an eyebrow at that but kept silent as the Slytherin propelled her forward further into the Tower. Y/N let out a little gasp when she saw what was before her.
He'd set up an entire bloody candlelight dinner for them.
"Draco..." Y/N breathed. "When on Earth did you have the time to set this up?"
He smirked. "I bribed the house elves."
"Of course you did." She snorted, smiling her thanks as Draco pulled out her seat for her and pushed it in before taking a seat himself.
The two enjoyed dinner in a comfortable silence. The Ravenclaw could tell Draco was nervous about something, but she knew better than to pressure him. He'd talk eventually. And, of course, she was right.
"Y/N..." His gray eyes danced in the candlelight as he reached across the table, taking her hand between both of his. "You were right."
"I usually am," she said cheekily. "But what about this time?"
Draco was so nervous that he didn't even roll his eyes at her snark. His Adam's apple bobbed in his throat as he swallowed hard, running a thumb across her knuckles tenderly.
"I'm absolutely mad about you, Y/N," he admitted. "I'm sure you can tell. You're bloody brilliant. But I was wondering if...if you'd be my girlfriend?"
Much to Draco's surprise, the Ravenclaw witch's eyes filled with tears.
"I can't," she whispered, pulling her hand away. Draco's eyebrows lowered.
"Why not? Do you..." he gulped. "Do you not feel the same way? I thought--"
"Oh, Draco, no!" she cried, grabbing his hand again to give it a reassuring squeeze. "I feel the exact same way. It's only..." Y/N sighed. "My parents are rather strict, and they've forbidden me to date while I attend Hogwarts. I'm to focus on my studies."
"That's bollocks," Draco scoffed, squeezing her hand back. At her glare, he sighed, running a hand through his platinum blonde hair. "Sorry. But who says they need to find out?"
Y/N frowned. "I don't like lying to them."
"It's not lying." Draco assured her, wiggling his eyebrows. "Besides, your parents aren't here, and summer holiday is months away. We'll be careful." His eyes pleaded with her. "Please, Y/N?"
She scowled at him, her cheeks flushing pink. "Ugh, fine. I can't say no to that face." With an impish grin, Y/N leaned over the table, minding the flame of the candle and kissing Draco softly.
This is absolutely insane. She thought, but soon all she could focus on was the feeling of his lips on hers.
***
In all honesty, Y/N was surprised it took her parents as long as it did to find out about her relationship with Draco. That knowledge didn't stop her heart from sinking as an owl dropped a letter into her lap one morning at breakfast about three months later.
"Who's that from?" A familiar voice asked. Y/N looked up and smiled tightly as her boyfriend plopped into a seat next to her, heedless of the stares he got as a Slytherin sitting down at the Ravenclaw table. By then, most of Hogwarts was used to their relationship, but the stares never quite ceased.
"My parents," She replied with a grimace as she tore open the letter, reading aloud:
Y/N,
We need to have a chat. After you receive this owl, you’re to report to Dumbledore’s office to access his fireplace to Floo home.
“They didn’t even sign their names?” Draco asked, reading over her shoulder. Y/N scowled, tossing aside the piece of parchment.
“They’ve never been the touchy-feely type of parents, Dray.” She said, getting to her feet. Draco placed a hand on her arm.
“You’re going now?”
She nodded. “Best just to get it over with.”
Her boyfriend stood. “I’ll go with you.”
The Ravenclaw knew that there was no talking him out of it, so she nodded but gave him a stern look. “Fine, but stay out of the room. I can handle this.”
***
Y/N wasn’t sure that she could handle this at all, but there was no way she was telling Draco that. His protectiveness would only make things worse.
He squeezed her hand as they emerged into the Y/L/N home sometime later, stepping out of the fireplace. Y/N exhaled with relief when they weren’t greeted by her parents, turning to look up at Draco.
“The library is right next to the drawing room. Please stay there until I come back for you."
The Slytherin responded by leaning down to give her a quick peck on the lips before walking towards the library. Y/N squared her shoulders before making her way into the drawing room where, as expected, her parents were there waiting for her, facing away from her, whispering to each other.
"You wanted to have a chat, so here I am." Y/N said by way of greeting. If she hadn't been so nervous, the way her parents turned around in sync would've made her laugh.
"Y/N." Her mother greeted her with a stiff nod. Her father's gaze swept her features, the disapproval coming off of him in waves.
"Lip gloss?" he snorted.
"Freshly smudged," her mother added, curling her lip. "Y/N, how many times do we have to tell you that-"
"My education comes first, I know," The Ravenclaw sighed. "But Mum, Dad, if you just met him, I think you'd really like him."
Both of her parents scoffed at that. "Y/N," her father pinched the bridge of his nose. "You've always been such a bright girl. Why are you letting the first young wizard to ever give you attention to ruin that?"
"I beg your pardon?" Angry tears stung Y/N's eyes.
"You heard your father!" Her mother cried. "Your first boyfriend and our little girl is completely unrecognizable. The smudged lip gloss, the way your robes are askew. Honestly, Y/N, are you so keen on making our family the laughingstock of the wizarding world?"
Nausea swept through Y/N at what her own mother was implying, that she was some sort of whore with loose morals! A few tears slipped down her cheeks, but before she could bring herself to speak, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Y/N tensed.
"Draco," she hissed, looking up at him. "What did I tell you?"
"All right in here?" He asked instead of answering her, looking first at the Ravenclaw witch then at her parents.
"And who might you be?" her father narrowed his eyes at Draco, taking in the hand the Slytherin had on his daughter's shoulder.
"Draco Malfoy, sir. Y/N's boyfriend." Y/N was frozen in shock as Draco slung an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side, gently thumbing away her tears. "And you're wrong. Both of you are."
"Excuse me?" Her mother gasped, outraged.
"You heard me," Draco drawled. "Y/N is one of the brightest, sweetest, most hard-working witches I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. You lot should be ashamed of yourselves. She didn't agree to date me at first, do you know why?" He glared at her parents. "Because despite the way you treat her, she didn't want to keep this from you. She knew you'd act like this. But no matter. As her boyfriend, I will in no way allow her to fall behind in her studies. In fact," He squeezed Y/N's shoulders. "We often help each other with our assignments. If you're done insulting my girlfriend, we'll be going now."
"Now see here-" Her father spluttered, but Draco cut him off.
"No, I don't think I will. Let's go, darling."
With that, he steered his shell-shocked girlfriend out of the drawing room and into the library, where she immediately bursted into tears. Draco drew her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her frame and rubbing her back gently.
"You're okay, my love." he whispered into her hair. "I've got you. You're okay."
"Did you hear what my mum said?" Y/N choked out. Draco kissed her temple and nodded.
"It's not true, you know." He held his girlfriend away from him in a loose embrace. "You've got one of the strongest moral compasses of anyone I've ever met, love. Though I have to admit," he gave her a teasing grin, ducking his head to rest his forehead against hers. "Dating a prick like me makes me wonder sometimes."
Y/N choked out a laugh, tears still streaming down her cheeks. Draco cupped her face in his hands, thumbs tracing her tears away. Her eyes fluttered shut as her hands came up to wrap around his wrists, keeping his hands on her face.
"I love you," she said in a wobbly voice, but her smile was radiant, and Draco's heart soared.
"And I you, my brilliant, gorgeous girlfriend." He kissed her nose, then all over her face until she was laughing. "Now let's go home, hmm?"
And so they did. Not only was their home at Hogwarts, their home was in each other. An Eagle and a Serpent who lived in harmony sounded like a myth, but it was their beautiful reality. One they intended to cherish for as long as the fates would allow.
~~~
End notes: I hope this is good, I’m not a Ravenclaw so I hope I got it right! 🙉
taglist: @rosiehufflepuff @riddleswh0r3crux @desiredmalfoy @typewriting101 @is-it-really-a-secret
(If you'd like to be added to my Draco taglist PM me! <3)
141 notes · View notes
justasparkwritings · 3 years
Text
Troll In Love: Part 1
Tumblr media
Pairing: Park Jimin x Reader
Genre: Enemies to Lovers / Exes to Lovers, Non-Idol AU
Rating: PG-17
Word Count: 4.6k
Warnings: Swearing
Summary: What happens when your work nemesis and your ultimate troll team up to flip your world upside down? 
Note: This piece is for the #thebtswritersclub fic exchange! Look out for Part 2 later this week. 
This fic is dedicated to, written for the incomparable @xjoonchildx​, who I have been lucky enough to be paired with. A major fan, this was an intimidating endeavor, and I’m kind of in love with what I’ve created for her. And if she hates it .... it’s trash okay? jk... kind of. 
Banner by me. 
Monday: Pitch Meeting
           “Everyone has an inherent archnemesis,” Claire began her presentation, eyes peering across the conference room, attempting to make thoughtful eye contact with her peers.
          Finally, a staff writer, this pitch marked her first foray into feature writing. It wasn’t like she hadn’t tried, in her three years at the company as a freelance writer, it wasn’t that she didn’t draft proposals, complete preliminary research, no, she absolutely did. But there was always someone in front of her, someone who always came around the corner, nicking first place with seconds to spare. Claire hated you from the moment you arrived, bright eyed and excited, a recent college graduate gunning for a position at the magazine. While it took her years to pitch a cover story feature, years to move from an assistant to full-time staff writer, you had done so in a handful of years.
          Today, Claire decided, that would change.  She had prepped and planned for weeks, laid in wait for Marissa to give her the go ahead to pitch her idea to the team. Adjusting her Dior, she shifted from heel to heel before speaking again.
          “We all have that one person who no matter what we post, they find a way to demean it, turn it negative, make it about something completely unrelated. Whether that’s politics, or religion, or sex, there is that one troll we can’t help but root against. My proposal is to use a few members of staff to find their internet trolls, to engage with them over a period of time, and if they’re willing, interview them, both separately and together. I want to discover what it is that makes them keep commenting, why they always seem to gravitate towards certain posts, who their audience is and how it relates to our greater understandings of our enemies.” Claire sighed, the heavy lifting of her presentation just beginning.
           “I like it, who do you want to use?” Marissa asked.
           “Someone from each of our most high-profile teams, or the people in our office that have the largest social media followings. For a few that overlaps,”
           “Who are those people?”
           “Y/N, Jaxson, Hoseok, Emma and Bridgette,” Claire explained. “They have an average Instagram following of ten thousand, and on Twitter it’s twelve thousand.”
           “What do you post that gets you so many followers?” Gillian questioned.
           “My ass,” Jaxson laughed. “But really, it’s Drag Race content,”
           “Good, you have a list. I need written permission from each of you to interview you and your top internet harassers.”
           “I’d like to request that my name be off the list,” You asked, hand still raised.
           Hoseok asked, knowing the answer deep in his bones. “Why?”
           “I just, I don’t think it’d be a –
           “Nonsense, you have a large following, I’m sure there’s someone who pisses you off regularly,” Marissa interrupted.
           “Yes, there is! What’s his name? Jimin?” Claire pretended to scan her page, her cursory glance perfunctory instead of practical.
           You heard the gasp leave Hoseok’s mouth before you registered what was happening.
“Fuck you!” You snapped. “I’m sorry, that was inappropriate, but the sentiment remains.”
           “It was, but it also sealed your fate.” Marissa stood. “Start assembling your team and listen to Claire, I’m sure she has a list of things she needs from you.”
           “I do!” Claire chimed.
           “Great, get me the contracts from legal and get it to each of the people you’ve listed before 5PM today, I want signed consent before you leave this building.”
           “What if I don’t want to?” You asked, your final plea.
           “You owe her for the debacle with your last interview,” Marissa reminded you.
           “It’s not my fault they were drunk both times! I got the article done and out. It was one of our biggest issues in the last year and was followed up by two other feature pieces by me that beat that record,” You countered, your success an unnecessary brag in a room full of people who feared and admired your work.
           “I don’t care, Y/N, handle it,” Marissa sauntered out, her assistants following close behind.
           Slouching in your chair, your eyes landed on Claire, glaring daggers into her perfectly straight midnight bob. She was everything you hated, a brown noser, a narcissist, a career driven monster who had been biting at your heels since you arrived. She was jealous, blinded by some lofty goal that she’d be an editor or editor in chief before 28, a feat rare in fashion, unless you were Elaine Welterwroth or Margaret Zhang, of course. They had become editors and editors in chief by ages 29 and 27 respectively. Though Zhang had begun her career blogging at 16, a fact that only infuriated Claire who was too busy popping pimples and trying to lose her virginity to her junior varsity boyfriend.
          Claire could spend days listing everything she hated about you. She hated your easy interactions with coworkers, the ability to have the entire room stop and listen when you spoke, the craft of your written work and relationships maintained with subjects years after interviewing them. She hated how you left work with Hoseok on your arm or went to drinks with the assistants and interns. How you achieved so many bylines, becoming an editor in your own right without so much as breaking a sweat, while she was scraping the barrel to be noticed. You seemingly had everything Claire wanted, and Claire was sick of it.
Tumblr media
Monday: Your Office
           “Thank you, for your participation,” Claire said, sitting across from you in your office.
           “You aren’t welcome, I’m actually rather unimpressed with your ability to ambush not only me but the other people you’ve trapped into doing your article,” You crossed your legs, adjusting the waist band of your trousers and continued to scowl at her. Claire had only heard of your less than cheerful personality, though it remained largely rumored, she had never had it confirmed or dared to see it in person.
           “How, charming,” She rolled her eyes.
           “Look, you don’t want to be talking to me, I don’t want to be talking to you. Just tell me what you want so I can send you on your way.”
           Claire watched as you reached across your desk to grab your black and white planner, flipping open to the weeks page and holding your pen at the ready. The inside, covered in stickers and hand lettered phrases, fit the persona Claire so desperately wanted to mimic.
           “I need you to read and sign this,” Claire slid the agreement across your glass desk. “Then, I need you to identify the username of your troll, and I need to borrow an intern from your team.”  
           “You can’t have one,”
           “Marissa said I could have whatever I needed, and I need an intern to comb through your tweets.”
           “I can save you the trouble, I rarely tweet, when I do, it’s addressing the same ass hat,” You explained.
           “Well, I need their handle,”
           “Fine,”
           “And the intern,” Claire was firm.
           You rolled your eyes, before pressing the intercom. “Hey Alexis, can you send Erin to me?”
           “Sure thing,” Alexis replied.
           “Thank you,”
           Claire rolled her eyes.
           “Jealous?” You questioned.
           “Read the contract, sign it and send it back to me along with answering the Form that’s in your inbox,” Claire directed.
           “Great,”
           “I’ll be back on Friday to go over your tweets and exchanges before we decide on a tactic to reach out to them and ask them to come in for an interview,” Claire explained. It didn’t annoy you that she was prepared, but it did piss you off a little to know how much she had thought this through. Maybe you should give her a chance, professionally, not socially, Claire would remain a bottom feeder.
           “Who says they’re in the city?” You questioned.
           “If not, we’ll Zoom with them, okay?”
           “Excuse me, you wanted to see me?” Erin peered through the door; wavy bangs parted slightly to expose her forehead and freckled cheeks.
           “Yes, your projects are on hold. Claire here needs your help with her feature article, and as my intern, you are to report to her for the remainder of the project,” You explained.
           Erin’s eyes widened, never had she been reassigned to a special project, let alone with Claire who was notorious for running interns and assistants into the ground. “Who will take over my work?”
           “Can you make a list of where you’re at and send it to me? I will meet with the team tomorrow to talk about where we need to fill in the gaps,”
           “Okay,”
           “Claire, this is Erin, if you are a bitch to her, I will ensure you don’t ever write a feature piece or move past copy editor here or anywhere,”
           “I don’t know where you get off thinking you can speak to me like –
           “I am your superior, and you will respect my intern or face the consequences,”
           “Fine,” Claire turned and left, leaving Erin wondering what on earth she had been roped into.
Tumblr media
Tuesday: Happy Hour
           “You gave the real handle?” Hoseok asked over drinks after work, a little happy hour to celebrate leaving the office before 7PM.
           “What was I going to do? She could easily look at my Twitter and Instagram and find out, why lie?”
           “What happened to preservation?” Hoseok mocked.
           “Either I give in and get Claire off my back, or I get called to Marissa’s and have consequences, like I’m a fucking child.”
           Hoseok eyed you suspiciously. “Did you give her his name?”
           “You saw in that meeting, she already knows. I blame you,”
           “Me?”
           “Yes you, always talking about dance classes with Jimin, the good old days of photographing him and styling him in college. He abandoned me to go to school with you, and you’ve taken it all in stride.” You explained. It wasn’t a new story, a new plea, a new exploration of your tempestuous non-relationship with Jimin. It was sad, really, listening to you express the hurt you’ve never let go of.
           “He didn’t abandon you to come to school with me,” Hoseok laughed.
           “Potato, Tomato,”
           “You should talk-
           “Nope, you made your once monthly ‘you should talk to Jimin’ comment a week ago over margheritas, you don’t get another for ten more days,” You scolded.
           “Fine, fine.”
           “I don’t even know where he is,” You muttered, pink liquid of your Paloma slipping down your throat.
           “That’s a lie,”
           “Can you stop calling me out and let me hate him?” You hadn’t meant to snap, but the constant chatter revolving around Jimin was too much to handle, it was too much in two days, too much in the years since you last saw him. Park Jimin was, and has remained, too much.  
           “Fine,” Hoseok resigned. “Have you looked at your tweets lately?”
           “No, I refuse to go back and read whatever horrors I wrote in 2019,”
           “You should,” He suggested.
           “I guarantee Claire will force me to read them. Probably aloud at some last-minute staff meeting she puts together on Friday to fucking fillet me,” You rolled your eyes again, the last dregs of grapefruit clumping together as they slid down the side of your glass.
           “Maybe if you weren’t so,” He starts.
           “Bitchy?”
           “Your words, then she would like you,”
           “She’s hated me since I got there, I’ve tried being nice. I’ve tried being cordial. Claire and I will never mix,” You explained.
           “He’s gone blonde you know,” Hoseok’s eyes have flittered past you, glancing down the street at the setting sun, glad he brought his latest Gucci jacket to keep him warm in the early spring evening.
           “Didn’t you hit your moratorium on how long you can talk about Jimin in a conversation?”
           “You said his name!” Hoseok argued.
           “He isn’t Trump, Hoseok. I can say his name, sometimes.”  
           Hoseok let the moment simmer, cooling gently before turning it up to a raucous boil. “I’m having a kick back next Wednesday, will you come?”
           “If he’s not there,” You answered.
           “I can’t promise that,”
           “Then I can’t promise either,” Chewing the ice from your glass, you let your mind wander to the possibilities of what might happen should you show up to Hoseok’s party and are greeted by Jimin. Blonde Jimin. Jimin with the sparkling eyes and winning smile. Jimin who harasses you on the internet weekly, Jimin who you haven’t spoken to since you were 22, Jimin whom you hated with every fiber of your being.
           Worst case scenario, you couldn’t avoid him and would be forced to speak words to him. Best case, you time it perfectly and he’s either just left or hasn’t arrived and you can doll out pleasantries before Irish-goodbying and never having to confront him.
           “Y/N, please, you haven’t seen my new place yet and it’s finally furnished,” Hoseok pleaded.
           “I’ll think about it,” You resigned.
           “Great!”
           “I fucking hate you and our friendship,” You scoffed, signaling the waiter to bring you the check. You should’ve ordered food, being buzzed and talking about Jimin was never a good idea.
           “I know you do.” Hoseok winked before picking up the tab for you both.
           “At least tell me you haven’t invited Seokjin,” You asked, slipping your coat over your shoulders.
           “Well-
           “You’re fucking with me, right?” You questioned. “You fucking invited both of my exes to a, I’m sorry, kick back? Hoseok, no.”
           “I love you, and I’m sorry, Seokjin helped me find some great pieces for the place, and you know he’s friends with Namjoon and Jungkook,” He tried to explain.
           “That doesn’t mean I want to stare at them over my tenth flute of champagne and my plate which will be piled high with cheese and crackers and pieces of salami.”
           “You and Seokjin are fine though, you ended-
           “Don’t say amicably,” You cut him off.
           “Well, close to it. Please,” He begged. Begging never looked good on Hoseok.
           Staring into his dark irises, a shade mimicking your own, you couldn’t hold the anger brewing. Being around Seokjin was always a better alternative than Jimin. Though the pity he often felt towards you, at your angered state which has never really subsided, was embarrassing. “I’ll think about it.”
           “I love you,” Hoseok pulled you into a hug.
           “Yeah, yeah, then why do you keep doing this to me?”
           “Because I love you,”
           “Tell Taehyung to call me,” You said, waving to him before stepping into the waiting Lyft you’d called at the bar.
           “I will, can’t make any promises,” Hoseok winked before turning towards the subway, where he’d pull out his head phones and scan through the photos he’d taken throughout the day, waiting to get home to Taehyung to analyze, edit and critique them.
Tumblr media
Thursday: Claire’s Makeshift Office
           “Are you ready?” Claire asked, sifting through the papers on her desk.
           “You had me come to your office, after you scheduled a meeting to ask if I’m ready? Yes Claire, I’m fucking ready,” You snapped.
           “Erin,” Claire gestured towards your intern who tried to hold her eye roll.
           “So, I combed through your tweets, sifting through your interactions with Mochimin, which is a very creative username,” Erin began.
           “Yeah, his name and nickname combined,” You rolled your eyes.
           “And we read through them all, well mostly me… and I have to ask, are you sure these are your tweets?” Erin questioned.
           “Yes, and what should be his responses,” You answered reaching forward to grab the printed copies waiting for you. You scanned over the interactions, the subtweets, the blatant tags, the retweets and comments not just by Jimin, but a few of your friends too.
           “Why have you been telling us he’s the troll?” Erin asked.
           Her question caught you off guard, eyes wide, shock echoing in your bones.
           “What the fuck? What do you mean? Look at how he fucking responded!”
           “Y/N, you’re the troll!” Erin laughed. “It’s you, not him,”
           “I am not! This is a fucking joke! It’s not April Fools yet, way to put the cart before the horse!” Your voice radiated throughout the small conference room.
          Claire, not having an office of her own, had requested it to conduct most of her teams work. It was your least favorite of the conference rooms, colder both in décor and temperature than the others, it was situated on the corner leading to the kitchen. Glass on two walls, it was the definition of exposed. Everyone could see your outburst. Everyone could watch you fall to pieces. You guessed Claire had planned it this way, to demonstrate how focused her team was, how dedicated to the project they were, to show everyone her value as a staff writer instead of a freelancer. You also assumed she did this to ensure that whatever break down you were beginning to have, would have at least ten witnesses, ten people to side with her that your behavior was irresponsible and reckless.
           “Oh please, get over yourself,” Claire chuckled. The light in her eyes proved your assumptions, she was enjoying this. “Do you see how you interact with him?”
          “What do you mean how I interact with him? He started this!” You lowered your volume, side glances from colleagues passing by alerting you to the unprofessional decibels you’d began reaching.
          “In almost every interaction, you bait him, hook line and sinker. It’s you, Y/N,” Erin explained.
           “No!”
           “Yes, this poor man, just living his life while you’re purposefully harassing him!” Claire feigned shock, eyes widening, mouth slightly open. It was taking everything in you not to resort to physical violence.  
           “I would never,” You glowered.
           “You have! For years, it’s always you,” Erin said again.
          “I, no, that’s impossible. He started it!”
          “Admitting is the first step,” Claire’s placid smile was demanding to be smacked off.
          “Fuck you! This is ridiculous!”
          “July 10, 2020: Thinking of one man in particular, hoping the bleach in his locks burns in the summer heat.Followed by his comment: thinking of one woman in particular, hoping she knows I wear a hat and use purple shampoo.” Erin read.
          “I, I, no!”
          “October 13: Nothing makes me happier than not being invited to a birthday bash with all my friends. He responded: All you have to do is ask. On your birthday, he tweeted: Happy B-Day to the girl who … oh never mind she hates me. You responded: nobody asked for your half-hearted bullshit, next time I hope you choke on it.”
          “He started it!”
          “Why are you so awful to him?” Erin wanted to know.
          “I am not, he began harassing me first,” You tried to argue.
          “Does Hoseok know?” Claire chided.
          “Know what?”
          “About your vendetta,”
          “It’s not a vendetta!”
          “Then explain why you tweet or subtweet him at least twice a week, and then when he responds, tweet him again! You don’t even tag him, just vaguely mention discernable parts of his personality or appearance,” Erin explained.
          “I do not! How do you know what he looks like?” You tried to counter.
          “His profile picture, and a certain friend of yours doesn’t mind sharing-
          “You asked Jungkook? Or was it Taehyung? Or I’m sorry, both?” Your eyes were wide, breathing labored, anger boiling to inhumane levels.
          “Well, if we asked Hoseok you would’ve kno-
          “You called or texted or DM’ed Jungkook and Taehyung, and asked about Jimin?”
          “Yes,” Erin bowed her head, guilt written into the freckles her blush tried so desperately to hide.
          “I cannot believe you, Erin,” You spat.
          “I’m sorry Claire wanted me to,”
          You turned your gaze to Claire, who had begun to cower in her seat.
          “You did the one thing, the absolute one thing that you knew, you fucking knew, would set me off. You did this on purpose, you fucking bottom feeder, you fucking dillweed you crossed the fucking line, Claire,” You spat. Your volume had lowered into a low growl, far more deadly and intimidating than any yelling you had done.
          “We have the proof, Y/N, you can’t deny it, you attack Jimin regularly,” Claire unskillfully attempted to move the conversation away from Jungkook and Taehyung. Like you would balk at her intrusion.
          “You don’t get to violate my personal life, to violate the lives of the people I care deeply about, to expose sources and put them in danger should this article go south, poking and prodding into the lives of people who are dealing with their own bullshit to push your own fucking agenda, Claire,” You were seething, Te Fiti in Moana, Mrs. Weasley against Bellatrix, Kim Kardashian against the ocean searching for her diamond. Your wrath knows no bounds, and Claire had finally crossed the line into territory she could never come back from.
          “It’s for the job, nothing personal.” Claire shrugged. You could see it in her eyes, she wanted blood and was elated to be getting it.
          “This is entirely personal.”
          “Well, you can ask Jimin about it when we interview him,” She smiled, lips upturning revealing her veneers, red lipstick perfectly matte and shaped against her thin flesh.
          “No, absolutely not,” You shook your head.  
          “Yes, that’s part of the deal you agreed to,”
          “I take it back. I revoke my consent!”
          “It’s non-negotiable,” Marissa said. She had sauntered in during your berating, watching as you tried and failed to continue believing that you weren’t the troll. “You have agreed to this, and you will sit through the interview and cordially answer Claire’s questions.”
          “Marissa, this is crossing a line,” You stated.
          “You have to be held accountable,” Claire said.
          “Fuck you, Claire. Believe it or not, there are somethings that are beyond your understanding and a few that are not appropriate for work,” You continued to scold her.
          “Y/N, why are you being so hostile?” Claire was mocking you, with Marissa by her side, she was invincible.
          “You picked me on purpose. What have you been working with Hoseok? Is this some larger plan to get me to talk to Jimin? I don’t want to talk with Jimin or talk to Jimin, isn’t it bad enough he’s being brought into my work? Oh and let’s not forget you using Erin and Hoseok to gain access to Jungkook and Taehyung, who are beyond off limits.” You listed each of her offenses, careful to leave out indiscretions that occurred before this project of hers began.  
          “You agreed to-
          “No, I was forced to do this by you, Marissa,” You began.
          It wasn’t hard to glower at Marissa, one of the most decorated editors in chief, beloved by Condé Nast, best friend of Anna Wintour… Everyone aspired to be her, but in the last year, through your promotion and growing turbulence within the magazine, her leadership had begun to falter. Her steady hand, guiding each staff writer and editor towards success and elevating everyone’s work, was crumbling at an alarming pace. Yet, no one knew why or if anything was being done to rectify the damage her wake was leaving.
          “I was coerced into this under some pretense that I owe Claire something for a so called fuck up that resulted in the biggest boon in our magazines readership in the last year, which was followed up by not one but two feature bylines and my promotion. I have done more than enough at this company, in this industry, to sit here and be forced to engage with a man who destroyed my world. I will not speak with him, or to him or listen to him. I will not, and if you force me, I will get legal involved. Should this bullshit continue, you can expect my letter of resignation next week.”
          Standing and shoving your chair in, you turned on the heels of your Oxfords and marched straight to your office. Closing your laptop and shoving your planner into your tote, you grabbed your phone.
          “Where are you going?” Hoseok asked. He moved in time with you, following down the many corridors of your office and towards the elevators.
          As you stepped in, you pressed lobby and waited for the doors to be closed before turning to him.
          “Did you tell Erin she could contact Jungkook and Taehyung?” You asked.
          “She did what?” Hoseok yelled, soundwaves bounding off the metal and plastic of the elevator, reverberating in your ears.
          “Did you?”
          “No, I can’t believe she, are you serious?” Hoseok couldn’t lie, a fundamental flaw in his design made it impossible for him to tell the smallest fib.
          “Did you work with Erin and Claire to get me involved in this feature? To get me to talk to Jimin?” You didn’t mince your words or pad your language to make him feel less attacked. You needed the answer, and you needed it now.
          “No, I didn’t know Claire was doing this until she pitched it. You think I would-
          “Hoseok, they called Jungkook and Taehyung. They want Jimin to come in to be interviewed, they won’t stop until I-
          “Until you what?”
          “Marissa has always supported me, championed me. But Claire has her number, she has her locked and loaded, aiming for me and I don’t know why,” You confided.
          “She has been slipping lately,” He agreed. “There’s only one way to stop this,”
          Together you stepped out of the elevator, moving past the turnstiles to the revolving door.
          “Am I crazy?” You asked, the insecurity beginning to overtake your bravery.
          “No, something weird is going on,”
          You clarified, “No, I mean, am I crazy for… for doing this to Jimin?”
          “I don’t know if you’re crazy, but you’ve definitely not been your best self,” Hoseok answered.
          “He makes me so-
“You still love him,” Hoseok interrupted.
          “I-
          “Go talk to him,” Hoseok encouraged. “Call me after, we can get drinks and wallow or pick out an outfit for your hot date.”
          “What if he-
          “Just, talk to him, okay?” Hoseok requested.
          “Okay,”
          “I’ll check in with Jungkookie and Taehyungie,” He assured.
          “Thank you,”
          “I’ll also scope out open positions, we can’t stay here,”
          “I love you, Hobi,” You confided, a statement that flowed so easily past your lips, you didn’t have to think or parse through the emotions that went along with it. You’ve always loved him, always will.
          “I love you too, Y/N,” Hoseok draped his arm around your shoulders before placing a kiss to your forehead, a gentle embrace, a squeeze of confidence, a gesture of love. He moved swiftly from you back into the building, and as you watched him walk away, you took a deep breath.
          Taking your phone out of your pocket, you dialed a number you had tried to forget.
          “To what do I owe this unexpected delight of a call?” He asked. His voice was the same, chipper and cunning in the same breath.
          “I need to speak with you, ASAP,” You told him.
          “Okay, I’m working from home today, come over whenever,” He invited you without hesitation.
          “You still live at the same place?”
          “No, moved up. I’ll send you the address,”
          “You know who this is?” You asked, uncertainty back in your bones.
          “What, Y/N, you thought I deleted your number?” Jimin laughed, one of only a few sounds that shot right to your knees, making any posture unstable in the docile sounds of his joy.
          “I, I don’t know, I guess. Look I’m going to hail a cab, I’ll be there in 20,”
          “I look forward to it, just tell the doorman you’re here for me and he’ll let you up,” Jimin said.
          “Okay, see you soon, I guess,”
          “I can’t wait,” Jimin was smiling, you couldn’t see it, but the lilt in his voice was all the assurance you needed. Bracing yourself for the impact of him, of his voice, of his laugh, of the way he looked at you, you hailed one of the last remaining cabs in the city and prayed for courage.  
Next: Troll in Luv Pt. 2
104 notes · View notes