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#(the last panel is there because i genuinely thought that i could hear his laughter right after i woke up but i think that’s normal?)

vallygirl285 · 2 years

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Okay so I wouldn’t spend the money that fan conventions….especially Creation but I use to love going to cons back in the 80s and 90s. Below are my top 10 favorite actors I got to see, and these aren’t in a particular order.

#10 Tom Baker

The man may be a little eccentric, but he is fun to listen to on subjects that really matter to him. I remember I gave him a rose (versus the Dr. Who toys others had for him) at the meet and greet which was a very fast-moving line and he smiled at me and literally began talking to me about his garden. I swear if the handler wasn’t there to move the line along, he would have continued the conversation because he was genuinely so happy to discuss his love of gardening.

# 9 Jon Pertwee

Yup there are several original Dr. Who(s) on this list. This man was truly fascinating and definitely what you would call a renaissance man. He didn’t discuss it, but I would have loved to hear him discuss his military service during WW2 and if you’re not familiar with his military service here’s a link for

# 8 Peter Davison

Heh I got to see Peter Davison while he was still the Doctor(I think his last episodes aired in the UK at the time) and honestly he was so different than Tom Baker and Jon Pertwee. The other two men were both very funny but still a little more reserved and formal. Peter Davison not so much.

Oh, my he has a wicked sense of humor, casual and had a little more ‘no hold barred’ attitude. He had no problem talking about the problem the first two seasons of Dr. Who that he did and that they seemed to have waited until his last season to give him some decent stories (which I completely agreed with).

# 7 Rick Baker

I have to admit I went to his panel because it was sweltering out and the AC in the convention sellers area wasn’t working so we went into the hall and heard some laughter coming from one of the smaller rooms. We poked our heads in it was blissfully cool so we decided to sit in on the panel.

There weren’t many people in the room, so it was actually kind of informal but seriously this man was fascinating. His love of special effects make up was inspiring and Mr. Baker was also one of the more charming and delightful speakers I’ve ever seen.

I still think American Werewolf in London had amazing special effect make up.

# 6 Jonathan Frakes

I saw him in 1993 and he was so funny from the moment he came out to What a Man by Salt N Pepper to jokingly calling Deep Space Nine Deep Throat Nine.

I wish I could remember more but seriously the man could do stand up, I never stopped laughing during his whole panel.

# 5 John de Lancie

A true renaissance man. He isn’t for everyone, and I don’t agree with everything he says but he didn’t shy away from controversial topics, and I respect his intelligent and thoughtful responses. I was always a little surprised he never ran for public office.

# 4 Janet Fielding

I always felt bad for Ms. Fielding because she was one of the companions that fans didn’t warm up to.

There was a point back in those days after Elizabeth Sladen left that fans compared the other companions to Sarah Jane which was so hard because she was such a beloved character.

Plus Ms. Fielding definitely dealt with some pretty obvious sexual harassment on and off set but she was also so sweet to the fans even when they would repeatedly ask about her ‘boob tube’ costume.

Seriously I still can’t believe how professional she was. The woman is just a class act…unfortunately can’t say the same for a couple of her costars and the pervy fans she dealt with.

# 3 Nichelle Nichols

There are few people I would say left me completely star struck, and meeting Nichelle Nichols was it.

I know she is hailed as an inspiration for young African Americans girls in the sixties (and obviously she was) but she was an inspiration to all young girls in the 60s and 70s and I wish people would say that more.

I grew up in the 70s where the female role models on TV were housewives or if they were working women they were normally nurses or teachers. There were a few female cops or military officers.

She was the woman who could do what she wanted and as far as we were concerned she was equal to her male counterparts on the show.

Plus, when she spoke about the point, she thought about leaving the show and Dr. King spoke to her sent literal chills down my spine. I have to post this part from her biography where she spoke about the encounter:

“You cannot and you must not,” she recalls him saying. “Don’t you realize how important your presence, your character is? ... Don’t you see? This is not a Black role, and this is not a female role. You have the first non stereotypical role on television, male or female. You have broken ground.

“... For the first time,” he continued, “the world sees us as we should be seen, as equals, as intelligent people — as we should be.”

I still feel blessed to have met this amazing woman!

#2 Paul Darrow, Michael Keating, Mark Ryan, and Michael Praed

I know that’s four people, but I went to a small Blake's 7 and Robin of Sherwood con twice back in the 80s and these four men were just the bomb.

They were all laid back and the con was in hotel where there wasn’t much around, so you pretty much spent the whole time inside and these men hung with the fans.

You would go to the restaurant for breakfast and if they came in they would stop by your table to say hello, ask if you were having fun. If you were in the bar they would sit down and have a drink with the fans.

Security…what’s that…this con I swear didn’t have any and the wranglers were only around during actual events to keep things moving. Free time nobody told you to give the guests space…hell they sought the fans out and hung out with us. Just the chilliest con I ever went to.

Actually, the first time i went Michael Praed wasn’t a guest but the next year he came, and I believe him when he said he came because Mark Ryan told him what a blast the con was.

Oh, and when he did the con, he was still on the original Dynasty which average about 20 million viewers an episode. So seriously an all-around awesome guy who was completely down to earth.

# 1 William Shatner

Yup Captain Kirk!!! My nieces husbands are both Trekkies and think I’m the bomb because I got to see everyone from the original show (except Leonard Nimoy sadly) and I swear their mouths dropped open when I told them I saw Shatner.

Bill Shatner just makes me giggle like a schoolgirl. I will say he is definitely someone who has his tongue firmly planted in his cheek when it comes to mocking himself.

Hell, he’s had a second career playing up this and did some of his best work. Watch Boston Legal if you don’t believe me. Him and James Spader were wonderful together.

And yes, I know he's not politically correct, but I don't care...he's CAPTAIN KIRK.

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cherrycheridarling · 3 years

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"that was painfully sexist" | t.h.

marvel cast x actress!reader

warnings: sexism and swearing

summary: at a panel for the new avenger's film, the questions differ drastically between the female and male actors on stage.

wc: 1.4k

"Okay, a microphone is coming your way, sir."

"Hi! I'm Leonard with Pop Times Blog. My question is for Y/N." your eyes found the bearded man who stood amongst the crowd of reporters.

You nodded, signalling for him to continue, "Playing Silk or Cindy Moon must've came with a lot of challenges. One of them being the costume you are in for most of the film. Can you speak about that and how it fit?" he paused at your skeptical expression, "Like, we all know the suit is skin tight, so did you eat anything special or workout a lot and are you able to wear anything underneath it? Or do you wear a thong and no bra?"

You let out an unenthusiastic chuckle at his question. Beside you, you could hear your cast mates scoffing under their breath. It was common for the women of the MCU to get asked such questions and it saddened you that people normalized such a thing.

Leaning forward, you clasped your hands together and smiled before Robert reached behind Tom Holland and tapped your shoulder, "Would you like me to say something?"

You shook your head, but gave him a grateful grin before returning to the 'man' that asked you such a question, while maintaining eye contact you spoke, "Well, I think the most difficult part about wearing the Silk costume is taking it off after a long day because of how sweaty I get after shooting," you began to fan yourself dramatically, "It all just clings to my body like a second skin and since I am completely nude underneath, it just adds to the problem." sarcasm dripped from your lips as your cast mates snickered at your words.

You quietly laughed to yourself, "I'm only kidding. That question seemed like such a joke that I presumed you expected a joking answer." you cleared your throat, "In all seriousness, it's an honour wearing the suit and I did visit the gym and do some physical fitness regularly to prepare for the role, as did all my cast mates. As for what I wore underneath," you grinned cheekily, having too much fun messing with the reporter, "A Spider-Man onesie was my go-to."

The whole room let out laughs at your words as Tom grabbed your hand and gave you a small squeeze, feeling sorry that you had to answer such absurd questions.

"I hope everyone doesn't sexualize Cindy Moon. She's only a teenager in the film, so keep it in your pants people. That shit is illegal." Anthony pointed an accusing finger at the crowd.

"Thank you for your thoughtful question, Leonard!" Scarlett spoke up, "I hope you got the answer you were looking for."

"Okay, next person."

You sat back in your seat and fiddled with Tom's fingers as the questions were asked towards your cast mates.

"You handled that impressively well, love." Tom whispered in your ear.

You gave him a smile and a shrug before your name got called again, "My question is for Y/N and Tom Holland." a lady with curly blonde hair stood up, "Since Silk and Spider-Man's abilities are very similar, did you two bond over that during shooting or did it cause some rivalry between your characters due to the similarities?"

You felt a wave of relief at the question, thankful that it wasn't another sexist one. Tom looked at you before answering.

"Yeah, yeah. We bonded a lot over that fact and I don't think it caused any rivalry between us. I hope not." he chuckled before you leaned towards the mic.

"No, no. No rivalry. Just a lot of banter about whose character is stronger and who swings around better. It's a lot of fun having someone on set whose stunts are basically the same as yours. And Tom and I have both agreed that Silk is faster and better than Spider-Man." you said that last part quickly drawing laughs and a gasp from Tom.

He looked at you incredulously, "Not true! Spider-Man's suit is so much cooler than Silk's." he huffed like a child.

You smirked, "Who makes their webbing in a high school chemistry class and who has organic silk coming out of her fingertips that she also used to create her own suit?"

Your friends laughed at the banter beside you before Sebastian started to speak, "I have to agree with Y/N on this one. Silk also has that cool ass eidetic memory."

Chris Evans agreed, "And her Silk Sense is a thousand times stronger than Spider-Man's Spidey Sense."

"Isn't she able to know who an attacker is before she even sees them?" Hemsworth asked to which everyone nodded.

"Sorry, Spidey. Silk's just a top tier hero." Robert patted his shoulder as Tom sulked.

The questions began again as the laughter died down. You leaned over to Tom's ear, "Still love the actor who plays Spider-Man even if his character is inferior to mine." he shook his head with a smile at your words.

Questions ranged from the generic ones of the funniest moments on set to who's most likely to become a villain. Your nerves died down as no incompetent person asked another sexist question. Until one did.

"I have a question for Y/N." she was short with jet black hair, "Being around all these attractive men must be a challenge for you as a young female adult. It couldn't have been easy to control yourself around them. Have you had any sexual relationships with any of them or thought about engaging in any?"

Your jaw hung open at her words and before you could muster up a retort, Tom let his anger get the best of him. Was it his anger, his jealousy or his protectiveness? A mix of all three.

"That was painfully sexist." he spoke into the microphone. "I don't see how any of that is relevant to the film. Y/N is an outstanding actress and it's outrageous that you decide to focus on who she fucks rather than her talent."

"What in the actual fuck did she just ask?" Sebastian added, making you laugh.

Chris Evans spoke up next, "Indeed. I thought this was a promotion for the movie not a real life dating app."

Benedict chuckled, "I fail to see how Y/N's private life holds any relevancy to this panel or the film itself."

"It's twenty-nineteen, people! Leave your sexist ass shit at home!" Anthony exclaimed drawing claps from the cast.

Elizabeth shook her head, "I've had my fair share of inappropriate questions, but nothing as horrid as that."

"First y'all ask about her underwear, now you ask about her sex life? Jesus Christ." Scarlett pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Seriously, she's like a daughter to me. That was incredibly disrespectful." Robert added with a disappointed head shake.

Similar comments were added by the rest of the cast as you felt an overwhelming amount of love wash over you. You were so unimaginably grateful for the people next to you.

"You don't have to answer that." Paul Bettany reminded you.

You shook your head and cleared your throat, "Thank you, guys." you looked to your cast mates, "But I'll answer. No, I have not. This cast is my second family and I've grown greatly as a person with them. I'm immensely thankful for the opportunity to call them my friends. And I agree, these men sitting up here with me are undoubtedly attractive, but they are also a great pain in the ass at times," everyone laughed at your choice of words, "And have I thought about having sex with any of them? Nope. Just Scar, Zoe and Liz." you finished with a wink as the room clapped for you.

You couldn't help but to feel a slight bit of sympathy for the woman. Her question was, without a doubt, uncalled for and unbelievably sexist, but the comments from the cast must've made this her most embarassing moment.

"I'm sure you meant no harm with your question. But a little heads up for next time; most actors prefer to talk about their career and their films rather than who they are laying in bed with. But thank you for coming out. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day." you gave her a genuine smile as she cowered back into her seat.

Robert once again reached over and gave your shoulder a squeeze, proud of how you handled the situation.

Tom interlaced your fingers with his and rubbed small circles on your knuckles.

You really were at home with these people and you couldn't have asked for a better family.

#marvel cast x reader #marvel cast x actress!reader #marvel #marvel fan fiction #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland x famous!reader #tom holland x actress!reader #tom holland x reader #tom holland #sebastian stan #chris evans #robert downey jr #anthony mackie #chris hemsworth #paul bettany #benedict cumberbatch #scarlett johansson #elizabeth olsen

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how-masterful · 4 years

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Remastered

Dhawan!master x reader

Chapter 3.5: New Earth- The Aftermath

Attention! This is a sequel to my original remaster of new earth which you can find HERE!

Summary: The sick are healed. The Sisters of Plenitude are taken in for their crimes. But the master still has one very important person he needs by his side, and an enemy that refuses to die. Also known as “new earth part two- will he catch you if you fall?”.

Notes: somebody Seriously needs to teach me what ‘short means’... because this mini offshoot fic designed to answer the burning fainting question ended up almost as long as the original! once again, dedicated to the glorious living legend known as @plethora-of-imagines 👑 feedback is forever appreciated- I hope you all enjoy!

"And now, Cassandra, it's time to deal with you."

The Master turned towards the woman standing behind him, head over his shoulder. He stood from his crouched position, shoes squeaking on the vinyl hospital floor, shoulders for once relaxed from their taught squared position they'd sat within most of the day. The ward was silent, the glass panelling thankfully one way as the shimmering perspex gave vision to the NNYPD, the New Earth establishment escorting the sisters from the premises.

The Master scowled at the thought of any sort of authority, shoving his hands into the seemingly bottomless pockets of his purple tweed jacket.

The day had been long enough without yet another arrest on his record.

"Oh, can't you just leave me alone?" Cassandra sighed at the man before you.

"Look at the day we've had! Woohoo, we saved the filthy lab rats, exposed those flea ridden nurses, all had a head full of big face and none of us are dead. Can't we just leave it be, darling?"

The Master shook his head.

"You and I are not exactly exemplary individuals in the eyes of intergalactic law, Cassandra-" the Master spoke, stepping closer towards you. Cassandra folded her arms, avoiding his gaze.

"And this hospital is crawling with officers who would love nothing more than to hand us over to the Judoon and ship us off to the closest Gulag they can find. And I've been in a Gulag on the first earth, so go knows how rough they'd treat you here"

"Then let me go!" Cassandra exclaimed, throwing her hands up at the man.

" Let's part on solid terms, shake hands and promise to never see each other again."

The Master chuckled, causing Cassandra to pause. You looked the timelord up and down, jaw clenched as he rocked on his heels. The last human pursed her lips, confusion rife within her as she fought to keep her composure. She needed answers, as per usual with the Master. The man confused her and slightly excited her to no possible end. But now was not the time for biting tongues and daydreaming.

"And what are you giggling about?"

The timelord quipped his laughter, head tilting towards you as he scratched at the stubble of his beard. He pondered for a moment, pushing back his hair as Cassandra waited for a response.

"It's funny. If this was any other day, any other planet- any other me really, i'd say yes."

The Master slowly began to walk across the empty ward, a languid step in his stride as he started to circle around the woman at his side. Each step was rhythmic, slow and calculated. Cassandra, for the first time in a very long time, felt a chill crawl up your spine.

"I'd say sure, go ahead. Go wild. Lets drive off into the sunset with a guilt free conscience and a fabulous story to tell the grandkids, or whatever Poor soul we decide to brag to next time."

His pacing was beginning to make Cassandra uncomfortable. She could feel herself shrinking in with her shoulders, the Masters demeanour growing darker by the second, his smile sick and domineering and his voice dangerously calm. It felt as if you were being circled by a predator, a feral cat waiting in the bushes to strike on the wounded gazelle.

"But you still have something of mine, Cassandra. Something I most definitely won't be leaving without."

The Master paused, leering towards the frozen woman stood within his prowl. He narrowed his eyes, the silence practically perilous. Cassandra held her breath.

"Leave her body, Cassandra."

His voice was low and quiet, but each word screamed with murderous rage.

"Give my Y/N back to me."

Cassandra knew deep down she wouldn't be able to keep your body. You'd be an enjoyable yet unobtainable fling for a rollicking fun afternoon, like most of the plethora of pretty faces in her incredibly long life. And she also knew the Master would facilitate any method he could for your return.

After all, she'd been inside his head. It was hardly a secret to her now.

But leaving your body would leave her with nothing. Nowhere to go. The effects of the psychograft would enable her to hop from form to form, but in the air she'd be dead in a minute flat.

Cassandra could feel tears welling in your eyes.

"But… I don't want to die!"

The Master knew the feeling all too well. He was hardly a stranger to the theft of a body, the memory of Tremas of Traken vivid in his personality history. He'd enjoyed that stolen face for a long while. A memory: a memento of how he'd once again bested the universe.

But even that didn't make him feel pity for her. He was too focused on his own problem. The Master smirked, casually shrugging his shoulders.

"Nobody does. But that doesn't stop the universe arranging death for us all. It just depends on how smart enough you are to beat it."

Cassandra looked up at the Master with utter bafflement, opening her mouth to construct even a semblance of an argument against the Master.

"Oh, my Mistress!"

A sound the Master and Cassandra hadn't heard in a long time. One in a name, one in opportunity.

The half life boy Chip scurried out of the dark tunnel towards intensive care and into the blinding white of the ward. Scratches and scrapes littered the scrawls already etched into his ghastly white skin, his eyes alit with adoration as he locked eyes with your body.

"Oh Chip, my darling boy you survived!"

Chip preened under your praise, the Master's hand begrudgingly falling to his hip. He decided he seemingly had a problem with gatecrashers during his most pivotal moments.

The half life nodded, baring his palms towards you.

"For you, my Mistress. I kept myself safe for you!"

Cassandra paused, a plan forming rapidly within your brain as she traced her fingertip over the scribbles on Chip's open palms.

"A body, minus some scrapes, kept safe… For me."

The Master pivoted towards Cassandra, watching the woman intently as she booped the end of her servants nose. Chip giggled, his Mistress following as the timelord stepped forward.

"Cassandra-"

"I worship my Mistress, I'd do anything for my Mistress."

With a confident grin, Cassandra turned to the Master. She gave a smug wink in his direction, pursing her lips to blow him a sarcastic kiss. The Master growled.

"How's this for smart?" Cassandra purred, before ejecting herself from your body towards her willing volunteer.

The piercing shrill returned to your ears, the white sheen of the ward drowning in the sudden pull of the dark. Like a cloth ripped from its tabletop the world fell from under your feet, the mountainous pressure on your skull dissolving into a numb puddle of nothingness. You felt your joints collapse into jelly, the support snatched from within your core as your senses and control of your body finally returned to your mind.

Your knees buckled under the ricocheting weight, the ground preparing to collide with your body.

But the Master got there first.

His left arm flung around your torso, his right palm moving to grasp the back of your head as the oxygen found its way back into your lungs. A gasp escaped you, gravity an enemy the Master refused to let you succumb to.

In almost an instant the world came back into a hazing view, your lashes blinking weakly against your cheeks as his fingers snaked into your hair. The outline of the Master found its way into recognition, the fuzzy edges of your vision dissipating as he stared down at you with parted lips. He held you almost as if in a dance, your form dipped in a perfect flourishing bow.

"Master" you panted, gazing up at the man before you in amazement. The Time lord smiled, almost ready to let you stand on your own until your feet slipped from under you. However the Master refused to let you move, pulling you up to press tight against his chest as your fingers scrabbled to clutch onto the collar of his jacket.

Your eyes met, a silence falling between you as you caught your breath. Only this silence was caring, an easy sense of comfort between you. The Master's hand cradled the side of your cheek, eyes engulfing every detail of your face. The look in his eyes said everything the silence could and more- He would never let you fall.

"Easy pet, i've got you."

You didn't doubt him for a second. A stray hair fell onto your face, the Masters fingers pushing it back behind your ear.

"How's your head, love?"

You smirked, pulling his face closer to your own by his jacket.

"I've not heard you complaining yet."

The Master laughed, a genuine smile spreading up his cheeks as you grinned from ear to ear.

"Good girl, there she is. My Y/N."

The distance between your faces disappeared in seconds, the Masters lips connecting with your own as your fingertips walked to cup the back of your Time lords neck. You hummed into the sweet taste of the Masters mouth, the kiss daring to say the words the Master would never give you the satisfaction of hearing.

'I missed you' permeated his tongue, your mouth teasing his patience as you parted. But the stolen peck you shared afterwards certainly made up for the damage. You returned to the comforting silence, noses lightly bumping as you sent him a doting smile.

"Someone’s feeling sentimental." You teased, biting your lip. The Master tilted his head.

"You're making a habit out of falling for me, love."

“Careful Master, anyone would think you were fond of a human.”

“And we certainly wouldn't want that, would we doll?”

The blush filled giggle escaped you before you could stop it. The Master seemed awfully proud.

“Are you about done?”

Your heads suddenly whipped in the direction of the noise. Strong hands tightened their grip on your torso, the Masters glare narrowing to a steely gaze as the awakened Cassandra's words echoed your own. Chip stood with his hands perched gently on his waist, hip jutted out to the side as he stared you down with complete disdain. You frowned in return, joining the three man standoff as you inched closer to the Masters side. He seemed comforted by the move, hands working their way to position themselves protectively on your back.

“You need to stop this, Cassandra” you said, hand poised upon the Master's chest. His hearts rumbled like thunder under your palm.

“You’ve lived far too long. Life isn't meant to be so artificially stretched and preserved.”

“Neither were my forehead wrinkles darling, but several thousand facelifts later I certainly proved them wrong.”

The Master twitched with suppressed rage. His patience for her condescension was wearing dangerously thin- especially now he had you, the real you, back safe within his arms.

Cassandra smiled triumphantly, flourishing her hands out to the side as if presenting her brand new form. You felt pity in your stomach for poor Chip, the sentiment unable to extend towards the new inhabitant of his body. The satisfaction radiated from Cassandra's stance in droves.

“But now i have a new body! Smart enough to cheat death, smart enough to get out of this wretched hospital and back into the free world, a new woman! You both tried, Master- but neither you nor the doctor could kill me. You’re not the only ones able to keep going, you timelords- and now i feel better than ever, and positively NOTHING can stand in my-”

You watched on in confused shock as the strength in Chips knees vanished, the boy's body twitching and writhing as Cassandra collapsed under her own weight. A scrape and doodle covered hand flung to her chest, blue lips agape in a silent horror as the only noises that escaped were the desperate cracks in her throat. The Masters face was stern, expression unremorseful as Cassandra's chest began to heave. The woman's eyes met your own, and you knew the terror inside her was ripping her to shreds.

“What… i don’t understand… Master-”

“Smart enough to cheat death, are you Cassandra?”

Coldness burned throughout the Masters tone, his hold upon you unrelenting as you watched the cowering woman struggle for breath. You turned to the Master for answers, confusion rife as you scrabbled to figure out what was going on. His thumb softly caressed over your back, gaze unmoving from Cassandra's plight. Then you suddenly realised.

“You were so caught up in your own ego you forgot the limitations of your new body. Chip is a half life. And with the trauma you put him through, he wasn't going to last long.”

“No-”

“You deciding to leave Y/N and enter his body was too much of a shock for his system to handle.”

The Master flicked his wrist up to your eye line, curving his wrist to read the golden clock face that sat upon his wrist.

“I’d say you’ve got around two minutes before his heart stops completely. And you’re too weak to leave him now.”

“How.. what’s happening…”

“You’re past your expiration date.”

You nodded at the Master, his hand returning to rest upon your back as you stared down at Chip’s suffering body. You matched the Master’s narrow glare, a twisted sense of satisfaction within your gut.

“You’re dying, Cassandra. In two minutes you’re going to die.”

“No… no I can't… please, help me…”

The Master gave no reply. You didn't feel the need to dignify her one either. With a gentle push the Master guided you to leave, spinning on your heels as your hand carefully wound its way around his bicep like a cobra. Cassandra let out a panicked whimper, the sound a distant echo and the Master leant into your cheek. A small peck found its way to your temple, mocking bubbling under the surface of his lips as the choked cries of the last human melted into the garish white walls of the new earth hospital ward. The last thing Cassandra ever saw was the distant vanishing of her most resented shock of purple tweed, a strangled beg for mercy the last words ever spoken by the woman who lived far too long.

The walk back to the TARDIS felt solemn. Death was familiar, a sight you encountered every day. But this felt different. A new breed of melancholy sat inside your chest. Cassandra had been so desperate to be loved, to live forever and never grow old or die. But you just turned your back on her as she died alone in a crime scene of her own design, taking the half life with her. You couldn't imagine how it felt to die with somebody else inside your head. You thought you were going to die earlier, when she’d first stepped inside your head. But you knew the man beside you would never let you die.

The Masters thumb cupped your chin, turning your face to meet his curious eyes. You were standing outside the doors of the TARDIS. You must have zoned out.

“I can hear the cogs turning, love. Talk to Master.”

You let out a sigh, falling into the Masters arms. He held you tight to his chest, enveloping you in an embrace that would be offered to no other being in the universe.

“I missed you. That’s all.” you offered, resting your head upon the timelords shoulder.

“Never let anyone do that to you ever again. And that goes for kissing you and body snatching.”

The Master cupped your chin with his hand now, thumb brushing over your bottom lip as he sent you an endearing smile. But his eyes shone with mischief.

“Wouldn't dream of it, darling!” he clamoured, voice thick with the poshest, most refined accent he could muster.

Your elbow swiftly found its way to the Master’s rib, his barking laugh still audible as the TARDIS doors slammed shut on New New York.

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septnautical · 3 years

Text

Anti’s First Fireball

SD-004 looked around the enclosure he was ushered into with curious eyes. It felt… strangely nostalgic. Like he’d been here before. But, that wasn’t possible. The white suits scientists had told him he was a fresh creation, just now being put into testing enclosures. And yet… the sea dragon felt a heaviness in his chest he didn’t understand, being in here. He swears when he closed his eyes… instead of these prison like walls… he saw bright blue open waters- the sun shining in large rays down on the sand. Colorful swarms of fish and… laughter- laughter and smiles that made SD-004 feel warm inside. But, whenever he thought like that- a piercing pain would spear through his temple. It made it hard to think. He’d been having way too many thoughts like that lately…

Even then- this enclosure was familiar in a bad way. Thinking about it… he felt a sense of dread and slight fear being put in here. The walls were stark white, almost painful to look at. There was only one window to look through, unlike the tank where he was most days where he was surrounded by glass. The sea dragon anxiously picks at his scales on his arms, wondering why he was brought here. The scientists had been saying he was doing good… better than he had been. The disks lodged on the edge of his ears itched and stung- but they had seemed happy that they were ‘working properly’. Whatever that meant…

Anti’s muscles bunched up in reaction to the mic in the tank sparking up. Someone was here. He turned back to look at the window to see a scientist smiling tightly at him. Chief Demerci… She was the head scientist in charge of him. He didn’t like her at all… not that there was anything he could do about it.

“Hello SD-004,” Demerci greeted, “How are you feeling today?”

The sea dragon’s fins bristled in agitation just listening to her speak. A fire that was dormant until she came back in lit up. The adolescent sea dragon bared his fangs and snarled at the scientist.

“Don’t waste my time acting like you care. Why am I here?”

The scientist doesn’t look surprised by his hostility- but she does look disappointed. She tsks, then reaches for a button on her control panel. A shock runs from Anti’s ear attachments and down his spine, making him go rigid and cry out.

“Anti,” Demerci sighed. The simple mention of that name had him seizing up more as if expecting something else- “Say Goodbye.”

The phrase has Anti’s eyes drooping- his expression going slack and body held at attention. The scientist looked bored as she addressed the tranced hybrid.

“Punishment will come when you choose to be aggressive to your superiors, SD-004. You are to address them with respect.”

Anti hardly blinks as he replies, “Yes, Chief Demerci.”

“Status report,” Demerci says shortly. The hybrid shifts slightly as a yellow glow comes to his eyes. He talks a bit more robotically, his voice slightly raked with static.

“Vitals normal. Anxiety levels at a medium. Mild headaches o-o-occurring from memory deletion. Command chip integration at 56%.”

Demerci makes a tch sound and leans back in her chair. “That would explain the attitude. We’ll have to work on that conditioning after this experiment.” She takes down a couple of notes before addressing the static hybrid again, “Alright, Anti, see you soon.”

Light comes back into the hybrid��s eyes quickly and he blinks sluggishly back awake, his body relaxing. Demerci studies him smugly.

“So Anti, how are you feeling?”

Anti goes stiff again for a second and yellow flashes in his eyes before he deflates and looks away from the scientist, picking at his scales again.

“F-Fine I guess…”

Demerci frowns but nods regardless. They can work on that more later.

The scientist sighed heavily before a small sadistic smile spread across her face. She leaned over her mic and grinned at the tiny sea dragon like a lioness stalking her kill.

“Well I’m happy to hear that SD,” she cooed with false sweetness, “Because you’ll need to be in ship shape to take on today’s test.”

Anti’s head jerked up, color draining out of his face. “W-What?” He whispered in fear, backing away from the glass to try to curl up against the wall. He knew what that meant- it usually meant pain… lots and lots of pain.

DeMerci showed no sign of remorse as she smiled cruelly and went to press a finger against another large button on the dashboard in front of her.

Something creaked loudly from the walls before a large creature emerged. But… it wasn’t just any creature.

It was another hybrid.

Looming over Anti was a reaper leviathan hybrid with dark skin, covered in red markings and blue scales. It had long flowing red hair. 4 soulless black eyes with gray sclera glared down at the young hybrid as it gnashed its razor sharp teeth. It’s mandibles spring out and aim at the merman.

Anti stared at this thing in increasing horror. His mind was screaming at him- something about this wasn't right- this was all wrong!!

Jackie Jackie! Where was Jackie?!

The creature didn’t care for its prey’s fear. It roared so loud it rocked the tank they were in before diving down at Anti like a torpedo.

Luckily, Anti was quick and he easily dodged. His body seemed to know how to fight this thing- knew of its weaknesses. He watched it prepare to loop around him- trying to attack his back. But. Anti kept in its path, blocking its attempts to maneuver around him.

“No fair Anti! That’s my big move!” A young voice whined in his ear

The hybrid gets frustrated at not making headway and roars before trying to tackle Anti to the ground with its long claws. Anti dives to the sand though- watching with a smirk as the thing barrels into the tank wall and disorients itself above him.

Demerci watches with a fascinated smile. “Your instincts are benefiting you greatly SD- you are the reaper’s natural predator.” But, then she sighs dramatically while picking up a remote off her desk. “However- I specifically stated you were going to use firepower today-“

Without another word- she presses a button. Anti feels his body spark up painfully and he screams and convulses on the floor. The shocking lasts for a couple more torturous seconds before Demerci relents. Anti slumps for the floor and breathes through gritted teeth- trying to push himself back up as the creature prowls back and forth in front of him.

“Use your fire breath, Anti,” Demerci hisses at the boy. “Or you’ll never be able to protect SE-002… and you don’t want that, right?”

Anti freezes slightly at that. His eyes spark with yellow orange light and he twitches, claws digging into the sand.

“No…” he whispers, eyes widening and looking distant. “I will protect SE-002… That’s all I was made for.”

Demerci smirks, happy to see the brainwashing slowly but surely leaking in. “Then, that hybrid is trying to hurt SE, Anti. Don’t let it succeed. Burn it-“

With a wild scream, Anti launches himself from the sand and barrels into the reaper hybrid. They roar at each other, but Anti manages to bang the creature’s head against a rock and drive it to the ground. The thing wiggles and screeches at Anti, trying to get free.

Anti pants almost feverishly, eyes glitching between yellowish and normal. He digs his claws into the creature's arms and pins it hard against the sand so it’s mandibles can’t bend. Then, he opens up his mouth and tries to summon a fireball.

It- it doesn’t feel right. His stomach bubbles uncomfortably hot and the feeling travels up through his throat. He gags slightly on the burning feeling- hot bubbles blowing in the hybrid’s face. The hybrid shrinks away slightly, seeming to fear what’s coming for it.

But it doesn’t come. Anti let’s go of the hybrid to grab his throat, starting to choke on the hot foreign feeling. His scar- it’s irritated and starting to leak hot water which furthers his panic. Worse of all, as the fire starts to escape the young sea dragon is suddenly bombarded by flashes of things he doesn’t understand.

He’s bent over in the sand while two other hybrids lean over him. They both look at him with concern- a concern that feels genuine and… brotherly.

Chase? Schneep?

Anti feels a painful pang in his chest as he coughs up hot burning liquid. Nowhere near close to a fireball. He feels hot water coming from his eyes and he reaches up to touch it, startled and confused.

Then, he curls up gagging and sobbing from the confusing sensations in his head and body. He starts to cry out names he doesn’t know why he knows, but for once- it feels right.

“C-Chase! H-Henny! Jack!! Help me!!”

The last thing Anti sees is Demerci’s enraged face before a powerful shock overtakes his body- then everything goes black.

When the sea dragon next opens up his eyes… he doesn’t recognize where he is. The lighting is eerie and dark- the walls gray and beat up. Anti tires to move only to realize he can’t- his arms and tails are chained up to the walls. He starts to panic- pulling on the chains and trying to catch his claws on them.

“W-What is this?!” He growls, but his eyes give away his terror, “Let me go! Let me out!”

“Now Now, Anti…” Demerci’s silky voice purrs over the intercom, but Anti can’t see her. “You’re here so we can help you…” The restraints start to tighten on his wrists, pulling his arms taut. Anti starts to pant feverishly in fear. “I told you today was the day you would shoot fireballs… so we’re gonna give you a little… ‘stimulation’ until you fulfill your full potential.”

“W-What?! Y-You’re crazy! You can’t do that-!” Anti tries to scream and thrashes as hard as he can. But, then the shocks start to come. Sharp and painful through his restraints- lighting every one of his nerves on fire. The sea dragon hybrid screams bloody murder, trying and failing to break free.

Demerci watches mercilessly, humming under her breath as she casually cranks up the power. Anti can’t form a single coherent thought- all he knows is awful aching pain. He feels like he’s been stripped down to his very essence. The torture seems never-ending… even during brief pauses, Anti can’t even catch his breath to think. He’s assaulted by echoing commands and threats. They echo throughout the too warm water around him and buzz in his ears. You are a monster. Zap! You were made to be a weapon.

Zap!

You will protect SE-002. You will protect the Altera Arms.

ZAp!

You are a ruthless killer.

You know no mercy. You listen only to us- Zap Zap ZAP! Let your instincts rule you SD-004.

Become the fearsome Sea Dragon you were made to be. Serve Altera. As more and more electricity enters his veins, a bubbling flame builds up in his mouth. Bigger and bigger- brighter orange that bubbles like lava. Until finally- Anti shoots his first fireball. And after a few more rounds of shocks in between, he shoots a couple more. No hesitation, automatically as he’s told. Demerci smiles. Their weapon is finally complete. SD-004 paces the length of his tank, back and forth swiftly as he watches the hatch in front of him with hungry yellow-tinted eyes. Finally, the alarm sounds and the hatch opens. The sea dragon hybrid grins and giggles madly in his throat as his opponent barrels through the water towards him. The imperfect warper hybrid tries to pin him down with long blue-tinted claws. SD easily dodges then headbutts them in the stomach, making them fly through the water. He doesn’t give them any room to breathe though as he catches them through their arc then slams them against the rock below them. Laughing madly, Anti sinks claws deep into their arms then drags them down, watching in satisfaction as the ugly thing screams robotically. These ones weren’t nearly as fun as the pure organic ones… but prey was prey. The merman tears into the other hybrid- showing no mercy as he cuts it to ribbons. Deaf to their screams. Ignorant to who they used to remind him of. All that matters is the thrill- the need to hunt. The need to hurt. He was a monster. He was a weapon! The water flows with orange hybrid blood before SD-004 finally backs up- and sends a fireball right on top of the creature. Putting it out of its misery. He giggled and licked the blood off his hand. He looked up to see Demerci smiling down at him, nodding her approval. “Excellent work, SD-004,” She praised, writing something down on her PDA before pressing a button on her dashboard. “Ready for the next round?” SD nodded with a crazed laugh, shaking out his tails and arms, watching the hatch yet again. “Lay it on me Doc~!” --------- Anti awoke with a start, clutching at his chest. His heart was beating too wildly, his skin feeling clammy and hot in the cool water of their cove. That… that was definitely a memory… A memory he desperately wanted to forget. He could still feel the sting of the shocks- the elation of ripping into his prey. He didn’t even care back then that those hybrids were like him and his brothers. He only knew following instincts… following orders. “Anti?” A soft voice reaches his ears and the sea dragon jumps. Then, he sees Marvin swimming over to him, green hair loose and floating around his head like a halo. His mask hung loose in his hands. He tilted his head at the older brother in concern. “You okay?” Anti finds it hard to find his voice. “...n...nightmare-” He finally croaks out, feeling a shiver go up his spine and down his tails. Marvin hums then settles in the sand next to Anti, tucking his tails under him. He offers the sea dragon a sad smile. “Do you want to talk about it?” The older boy is quick to shake his head. Marvin knits his eyebrows together in concern, “Anti… you can talk to me. I mean… if anyone knows what you went through its-” “Shut up!” Anti suddenly shouts, hitting a fist against the sand. His eyes burn as he glares at Marvin and bares his teeth. “You have no idea what I went through! The shit you went through is nothing compared to me! So stop acting like you get it! You don’t! Now leave me the fuck alone!” The warper’s face falls, his gleaming blue eyes showing his heartbreak. Then, pink flashes in his eyes as he growls back, smacking Anti slightly with his tails in his haste to get up. “Fine! Fuck me for wanting to help your sorry ass!” Marvin cries, trying to look angry, but glints of his tears leak into the moonlit water. Without another glance or word, Marvin turns tail and rockets off into the midnight ocean. Anti holds himself after he leaves, hating the feeling of timid eyes on his back. He can’t tell Marvin- he can’t tell anyone about what he saw… what he knows… what he did. They’ll hate him- hate him more than they already hate him. He can handle this… they’re just memories. They can’t hurt him anymore…

#septnautical side story #antisepticeye #sea dragon anti #jezebeth demerci #abuse #experimentation #electrocution #brainwashing #torture #past memories #whump #sorry i know i need to get more refugee stuff done but this just came to me!#it was also inspired by an ask a while ago! :D #huffle tales

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a-third-attempt · 4 years

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Home

A/N: Presented on the occasion of @momochrome‘s birthday.

Inzee is an OC of @momochrome. Source (at her writing blog)

Warnings: Claustrophobia implied, angst with a happy ending. (3240 words)

* * *

“I need to tell you something.”

“Anything, angel.”

You’d known this was coming. He’d been out of sorts for days. Unusually quiet and slow to respond. Calling a rain check for date night. Even his quiet time tending the garden every morning didn’t seem to be bringing him the peace that it had before.

Today, Inzee was slumped over the kitchen table, gray-skinned head resting between two massive webbed hands. He wasn’t upset, you noted, the markings on the back of his head bore only the faintest bit of color. But his pointed ears seemed to tell a different story, drooping down. You sat down next to him and smiled patiently.

He sat with furrowed brow, collecting his thoughts, giving you plenty of time to look him over and be struck once again by how large he was. You had met other Eistirs over the last few years on Enphe, which is how you came to realize that Inzee wasn’t considered particularly muscular. Still, a lifetime of space work had kept him in shape, and what passed for lithe strength on this planet was positively enormous by Human standards. He stood well over two meters tall, with arms as thick around as your thighs and a body to match.

“I’m glad we decided to settle down.” He hesitated, his four eyes fixed on you, nervously watching for your reaction. “But I’ve got to fly again.”

“What do you mean?”

He grunted. “I’m just going stir-crazy from being grounded for this long. I haven’t sat around on Enphe for more than one orbit since I was a child.”

Like you, he’d gone to space as soon as he could, following that ephemeral string into the sky, hoping beyond hope that he would find where it led. That was where the similarities ended. Somehow, he seemed to enjoy it, which had always been baffling to you. Your experiences of space travel were spartan, weeks if not months of cramped quarters, bad food, and poor hygiene. When you were in Terran-charted space, you at least had a crew to keep you company. But most of your years of travels were spent far beyond it, in torturous solitude. Components were damaged with each jump, and the hours that you weren’t spending repairing the tin can were filled with tedious calculations to properly chart your course. That far out, the navigation systems were nearly useless. When they broke along with everything else after the nebula jump, you didn’t even bother to repair them.

“Do you not like it here?” You knew the answer, but you still didn’t understand what he was getting at.

“My sweetheart, you wound me.” He clutched his chest, and you flashed a faint smile. He seemed to be feeling a little better than when you’d first come out, at least. “I love it here. I think I’d love anywhere if you were there. Somehow I just need—” Suddenly his eyes drooped, too ashamed to look at you anymore. “I mean I thought I was just out there searching for you. But maybe I was looking for something else, too, or else this feeling should have gone away, right?”

You nodded slowly. It made sense. You might have been the talkative one, making friends everywhere you went, but he had always been more inclined to adventure. You worked well together, as soulmates should, quickly collecting a large group of like-minded friends all around the world. Soon your leisure time had been positively filled with friendly banter and silly games, and with the effortless travel afforded by Eistir teleporters, there was no shortage of sights to see. At first you had assumed that he was taking you to his favorite spots, but he confessed that most of the time he was visiting for the first time too. I’ve been all around the galaxy, he said, shaking his head, but I’d never known my own backyard.

That life of your dreams had turned into a lump in your throat. How long had he felt this way? He had leased his ship when you agreed to settle back onto his homeworld, when you both thought that your days of flying were behind you. Suddenly, those terrestrial travels seemed like a paltry replacement for extraplanetary flights he could no longer have. Why hadn’t he said anything? Did he not trust you?

No, no. That didn’t matter. He was telling you now. He trusted you now, and judging by the look on his face, he needed you now. You could worry about the past some other time.

You reached over to rub his shoulder, and ducked your head to meet his gaze. “Inzee, look at me. I love you.” He smiled, ears twitching. Every time. “You know how I feel about flying. But honestly, you’ve been a mess recently, and it breaks my heart to see you unhappy. So if you need to take a trip every once in a while, we can do that.”

He didn’t seem entirely convinced, but his skin brightened a bit more, cupping your hand in his. “You’re really okay with it? I don’t know how much time I’ll need. I could be gone for a while.”

Closing your eyes, you took a deep breath. “Honestly, angel, I don’t know. I have some really dark memories of being in a ship. But you’ll be there this time, which will help.” He bumped his forehead against yours, one of his cute little gestures that never failed to charm. “Or at least, we can try. I mean, this has to work out somehow, right? We’re soulmates, for god’s sake,” you said, twanging at the string that bound the two of you.

“Yeah, you’re right.” He pulled away, sighing. “Well, I would rather get my old ship back, if I can. That’ll probably take a while.” He looked you over with concern. He would never say that he didn’t believe you, but you both knew that there was more to be said. “Maybe I can start working on that, and you can think about it? Make sure you’re okay with me being gone for a while?”

“Being gone—?” He couldn’t possibly think that you would be staying home? “I’m going with you, you do know that, right?”

“What?” He seemed genuinely shocked. “No, I’m not going to ask you to go back on a ship again, you’ve made it plenty clear—”

A fire rose in your gut; you could hardly believe what you were hearing. “Listen, Inzee.” He snapped to attention at your sharp tone. “I dragged this tiny Human body halfway across the galaxy just to find you. And there isn’t a darn thing in it that could pry you out of my sight for a second.” He gulped, and then, much to your amusement, shivered. It made sense. He wouldn’t be used to hearing that voice in the daylight. You were tempted to push him further, but reluctantly waved the thought away. Plenty of time for that later. This was serious.

But he must have smelled your thoughts, because he completely failed at concealing his laughter. Shaking his head, he whispered, “Oh, what could I possibly have done to deserve you?”

You grinned. “Do you want an itemized list?”

* * *

It did, indeed, take a while. Days passed and then blurred together as the long series of infuriating telecoms and paper trails paraded on. The red tape brought out a side of Inzee that you had never seen before, not just tenacious but assertive. He navigated the Eistir bureaucracy with an efficiency and ruthlessness that was almost frightening. And, ultimately, effective. After an eternity of wrangling, he managed to wrest back control of his old ship from the rental agency.

On the morning that everything was official, he could hardly contain his excitement. He put a blindfold on you and stepped you through the teleporter, its buzzing sensation a long-familiar nuisance.

"Okay, take it off!”

As soon as the blindfold fell, you were immediately knocked breathless.

The two of you stood on a grated platform that ran along the rim of a gigantic circular room with vaulted ceilings. Sitting in the center you saw the characteristic green wireframe of a holographic starmap. It was massive, at least twice as big as any you had seen, and the room had clearly been sculpted around it; the projection equipment tucked into the arch of the ceiling, control panels on all three levels of the platform. The far side of the room was a window— a single curved sheet of glass that must have been at least two stories tall. At its edges, it faded into elegant yellow walls covered in vast black screens, woven together by veins of blue and purple crystals and a dizzying array of bright buttons. Eistir script flashed on a few of the screens, some projecting smaller holograms of their own. The room was silent, save the quiet whirring of the machinery and the occasional beeps of a droid buzzing overhead.

“Welcome aboard,” he said, his thick arms squeezing your side.

“This is your ship? It’s as big as our whole house!”

“No, I don’t, don’t think so.” His skin flushed blue. “I mean, the boy is, it’s probably, it’s not quite as—”

You hit him playfully on his side. “Jeez, you idiot! Why did you ever give this up?”

He cupped his hand around his ear, all eyes looking at the floor. “Well, I didn’t need it, anymore, once you found me, you know, and anyway, you didn’t seem so keen on flying— and I didn’t really give it up, I guess— we got it back, you see?”

You barely registered his stammered response, still taking in the grand scale of it all. “Oh, sweet heavens, I would have given the whole galaxy to fly on your ship.” His stories flooded back into your mind, and finally standing in the bright, open space, their reckless enthusiasm suddenly made sense. Of course you would love to fly if you got to fly in this beauty! This wasn’t a budget rocket slapped together to get you one or two jumps away. This was a ship made for adventure.

No, not quite, you remembered. It was, in fact, a science ship, designed for acquiring and testing specimens. You whipped your head around, looking for where the experiments might be run. But as far as you could tell, everything you saw looked like navigational equipment. “Where do you keep your collections?”

His markings glowed, intense with regret. Oh. Right. Immediately you embraced him, resting your head on his cool skin. “I’m sorry.”

The ship had been rented out, and the new astronauts would probably have collections of their own, so his had to be dealt with. He figured the data would be useful to someone, so he spent many long afternoons cataloguing everything; giving the local scientists anything they would take, and carefully documenting the rest. You had begged him to just bring them home and be done with it, but he insisted that he didn’t have the equipment to store them. He was so torn up about it, but there was nothing to be done.

“It’s okay,” he said, quietly. He wrapped you up in his arms and you savored his thick scent. “There’s a collections room.”

“There’s a what?” you demanded, jerking your head back. You were so taken aback, you’d forgotten that you were supposed to be soothing him. He tilted his head, confused.

“A… collections room? Uh, to keep everything organized?”

Your jaw dropped, and your eyes spun around the chamber. “There’s more?”

Finally understanding, he chuckled. “Ah. Yes, my love. Come on, I can give you the tour.”

“Holy shit.”

Your mind was reeling as you followed his lead along the grated platform. He turned abruptly and the wall parted, revealing a short corridor, not quite wide enough for both of you to fit at once. He took your hand in his and you walked through to the other end, where a similar portal opened into a new room.

And when he stepped in, it was Inzee’s turn to gasp.

“Impossible…”

You rubbed your eyes as you adjusted to the light. This room was admittedly less grandiose than the navigation room, although still beautiful in its own way. It was smaller, but possibly even taller, with locker-like doors of all sizes lining the walls. A mess of Eistir script was scrawled on most of them, although it had clearly been rubbed off several of the larger doors at your eye level, replaced with more careful, steady handwriting. It wasn’t much to look at, you thought, but your partner was shell-shocked.

“What is it, angel?”

“They couldn’t have left all of it.” He started pacing around the room, sliding his hands across the glyphed doors. His body trembled as he pressed on one and it hissed open, letting loose a puff of orange steam as a shelf slid out. “Sweet oceans, they did.” He pressed frantically on the doors, drawers and tanks emerging.

“I can’t believe it.” He jumped back to you and swept you off your feet, practically lifting you up in the air. “It’s all here!”

He was still shaking as he squeezed you. You grinned like an idiot to see him so happy. “I thought you cleared it out!”

“I couldn’t bring myself to do it.” He returned an embarrassed smile. “I made all the records and put a note in the system asking them to remove it. Maybe a bit rude, but I couldn’t bring myself to actually throw it away.”

You finally gave in to your curiosity and pressed a door open. The tray that emerged was dense with easily a hundred pencil-thin glass tubes. Some of them were empty, it looked like, while others were foggy and bore subtle colors. “Atmosphere samples,” he crooned, sliding one along the webbing between his fingers. “From the Kredar supersystem. A lot of gas giants.”

Your eyes widened. “Wait, is each one a different planet?”

He laughed. “There’s a couple repeats, probably.” The words hit you like a truck. Nearly a hundred planets behind this one door. In a room filled with doors, wall to wall, floor to ceiling.

“I can’t believe they left it all behind.”

You giggled, despite yourself. “You left it all behind.”

He let out an exasperated sigh. “You know what I mean.”

“I’m just teasing, angel,” you said, squeezing his hand. “I’m going to make you tell me about every one.”

“Good thing I’ve already taken notes.” One of his eyelids closed clumsily, and you stifled another giggle. You’d been trying to teach him how to wink, and he still needed a bit of practice.

You slid over one of the ladders attached to the walls and climbed up a few rungs. “Hmm, what’s iiiiiin…” you waved your hand around a section of the doors. “this one?” You slapped one of the larger squares. It opened cleanly, with none of the fanfare of the others, and a glass box rolled out, filled to the brim with—

Lego?

“You have got to be kidding me.”

Inzee clutched his sides as he bowled over laughing, nearly falling on the floor. “Oh no! Don’t tell me you have those evil buggers too!”

You grabbed a handful of bricks. They were a little different than you were used to, lacking the familiar branding, some a bit misshapen. And they were clearly not all made from plastic. Some were metallic, others almost leathery. Throwing them back in the box, you glared at your partner, still wheezing on the ground below you. “What are you on about?”

He was gasping too hard to speak. You shook your head and hopped off the ladder, looking him in the eye as you shook him gently. You tried to appear unamused, but you weren’t sure if you were succeeding— it was adorable to see him like this, and his smile was infectious.

Eventually he calmed himself down enough to explain. “Nearly every race that we have made contact with has invented some version of those things. Not too hard to believe, I suppose, a toy for curious children that gets replicated across worlds.” He shook his head, another chortle busting through. “But you would think that someone would have found a way to make them that doesn’t hurt like hell when you step on them.”

“I cannot believe that the common thread uniting civilizations across the galaxy is fucking Lego.”

“Come on, that’s not the common thread. We all do language, water treatment, fusion, that kind of stuff.” Inzee snorted. “But yes, it is a incredible coincidence.”

“Oh, that gives me an idea. We should swing by Earth!” You frowned, one complication of that plan springing quickly to mind. “Well, it is pretty far away, we’d have to fly for a while. But you don’t already have Human-Lego, right? And I’m sure there’s other collections we could fill out, too.”

“Oh, that sounds wonderful!” His markings swelled with blue, and he spread his arms wide in deference. “I would be honored to visit your homeworld.”

“How soon can we start?”

His eyes were so bright, you swore you could see by them. “What’s gotten into you, my love? Just a few days ago I thought you were ready to call off the whole thing entirely.”

“It’s your ship, Inzee. There’s so much light and space. I can breathe in here.” As if to demonstrate, you loudly inhaled through your nose. He shot you a bemused glance, and you stuck out your tongue. “Oh god, you should have seen the tin can I flew here in. If I could have had this, everything would have been better, I’m sure of it. This ship, your ship, it’s amazing.”

He had been soaking in your words with an awkward sort of pride, as if you had been praising him rather than his ship. Perhaps you had been. But at the end, his expression suddenly softened, and his skin glowed a bright red. He wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you close.

“No, my love. You are amazing.” Towering over you, he leaned down to join his eager lips with yours. His hearts pounded blood through his body, and you felt them as if they were your own, the rhythm of the kiss synching to his hypnotic pulse. You nursed it, squeezing him as you deepened it, his quickening breath sending tingles up your spine.

Neither able nor willing to control yourself, you stepped forward, urging him toward the wall. He gave in to your demand just as instinctively, shrinking back further and further until you slammed him against the doors, pinning him down. He could surely have broken out had he wanted, but the blue heat radiating from his skin told you he had no such desire. This was a man bent on fulfilling your fantasies— or, rather, a creature, an Eistir— any interest you had in the details vanished completely as his silky hands slipped under your shirt, the light touch of his webbing teasing soft moans from your chest.

In retaliation, you slid your tongue into the fork of his, but when he tried to lean in, you pulled away completely. You smirked wickedly at his quiet whines, lifting his chin up with one finger and setting your gaze into his eyes. “Show me to the captain’s quarters, angel.”

#alien #alien boyfriend #exophilia #sci fi #fluff #speculative fiction #7d #18h #claustrophobia implied #angst implied #fiction #momochrome #demomonic murmurs #birthday #the writing process for this was very weird #some interesting challenges here #this probably wins for the story i've written #that involved the most brainstorming for the least change to my initial idea #still lots of fun

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seraph-novak · 4 years

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Forever, My Love (15x14)

Originally posted on AO3

What if the interdimensional geoscope had given Dean a glimpse of what could be if he weren’t so afraid of his own feelings?

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~~~

Dean had got into the habit of checking the geoscope every day, usually while Sam was out on his morning run, and Mrs. Butters was busy teaching Jack how to bake. He could snatch around twenty minutes of privacy, if he timed it right. It was never enough to satisfy him, but he doubted anything but a lifetime of staring through the magical eyepiece would ever be enough. Sure, it made him feel like a fucking peeping Tom, but there was something so irresistibly addictive about the geoscope; he knew he’d reached a point in his life where there was no turning back, no realistic chance of making any drastic, life-changing decisions that could spin him in a whole new direction, a better direction, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t bask in the accomplishments of his interdimensional counterparts. Even the gut-wrenching crash he almost always experienced after tearing himself away wasn’t enough to discourage him. He needed his daily fix, no matter how crappy and self-pitying it made him feel in the aftermath. He needed to remind himself that somewhere out there, in another lifetime, he’d had the balls to make all the right decisions, that he wasn’t a stinking coward in every dimension.

With that in mind, he quietly slipped through the gap of his bedroom door, scanning the corridors left and right before slinking off towards the library, keeping his footsteps as light and delicate as he could manage. Sam’s door was already open, his bed neatly made and his running shoes nowhere to be seen. If he was sticking to his usual routine, which was normally the case on the days they weren’t hunting, he wouldn’t be back for at least another hour.

As he made his way into the library, he could hear the distant clang of pots and pans being pulled from their various places in the kitchen; he couldn’t smell the rich, buttery aroma of pancakes yet, however, which meant he probably had at least half an hour before Mrs. Butters and Jack whipped up the batter and started making breakfast. He had plenty of time.

With one last glance around the room, Dean pulled up a chair and positioned himself behind the geoscope, shaking out his hands and blinking his eyes to make sure they wouldn’t start stinging straight away. He hated having to pull away from the geoscope before he was ready, the gloomy normalcy of his own reality never failing to dampen the golden rush of warmth and joy that settled inside his chest while immersing himself in other dimensions. By now, he knew which ones to avoid, and which ones hit the right spot; his hands worked on autopilot as he adjusted the various buttons and dials hidden on the lidded panel beneath the eyepiece, the controls that allowed him to focus on specific dimensions. He had his favourites, of course, but he liked to switch things up now and again. Plus, the other dimensions were slowly but surely falling off the radar, no doubt due to Chuck’s celestial tantrum; he was trashing all the toys he no longer played with at an exponential rate, making it increasingly harder for Dean to find any half-decent dimensions that didn’t make him want to fucking bawl his eyes out. Without the option of being picky, he could settle on just about any dimension where the vast majority of his friends and family were still alive (Sammy and Cas were a dealbreaker) and they hadn’t all spiralled into a dark, depressive state of complete and utter hopelessness yet.

But the dimensions that really did it for him, the ones he purposely sought out when he needed a pick-me-up, were the ones where he was actually happy. And not just him, but Sam and Cas and Jack and Eileen and even his mom, in the rare dimensions where she was still alive. He loved spying on these dimensions, not just because they were full of genuine smiles and laughter, but because they always included one thing – one insane, dizzying factor that had almost given him a fucking heart attack the first time he stumbled across it. Even now, after weeks of adjusting to the heart-stuttering notion that multiple versions of himself had managed to take the plunge he’d never even considered taking himself until recently, his breath still caught in back of his throat every time he switched to one of these dimensions, the geoscope automatically directing him to wherever the ‘other Dean’ was hanging around, and found himself in a compromising position with Cas, usually pressed up against a wall somewhere with the angel’s tongue shoved down his throat, or sometimes nestled quietly together in some private corner of the bunker, simply holding each other close. Those were the situations that really got to him, the ones that filled him with an aching sense of longing that left him walking in a trance for hours after abandoning the geoscope. Sam and Jack would bombard him with questions of concern whenever he got into one of those states, and Mrs. Butters would simply fix him with a knowing smile and slide a plate of grilled cheese towards him, a gesture that never failed to lift his spirits.

It was a shock, that’s for sure. He didn’t really know if it even made any sense, if that was something he’d ever have the guts to do, even in a dimension where things usually went according to plan, and the good times generally outweighed the bad. But, even so, he found himself craving those crazy snippets of lust and comfort, imagining his own Cas, the version he’d continuously stomped on and treated like crap for over a decade, holding him with the same level of gentleness and care, gazing down at him with the same adoration in his eyes as he carded those long, nimble fingers through his hair... It was something the real him, the version staring desperately down an interdimensional geoscope like he was a fucking addict seeking his next high, could never possibly deserve.

But that didn’t stop him from wanting it.

He flipped through a few of his regular channels, a lump steadily rising in his throat as he kept coming up with nothing but darkness, the interdimensional version of TV static. There was only one thing all that nothingness could mean, but he tried not to think too hard on it. He couldn’t bear the thought of all those worlds, all those versions of him and Sam and Cas and every other sorry sucker on earth no longer existing. Had they been together when all those dimensions were wiped out? Had all those versions of him and Cas managed to share one final kiss before the end, or did they not even see it coming? Not even get a chance to say goodbye, to tell each other how much they –

“Fuck.”

There was bile stinging the back of his throat, his eyes filling with tears that spilled down his cheeks as he scrubbed a hand over his face, the breath sweeping out of him in one long, deflating shudder. He shoved his chair away from the geoscope and closed his eyes for a moment, the blood rushing loud and hot inside his head. After a while, the familiar smell of pancakes wafted into the room, the triumphant tittering of Mrs. Butters stirring him from his reverie. He swallowed thickly and sat up in his chair. He only had a few more minutes before Jack came galloping into the library to announce breakfast, no doubt grinning from ear to ear like a little kid. This time tomorrow, it wouldn’t surprise him if every single dimension in the geoscope was no longer visible. Shit, it wouldn’t be long before their own dimension was nothing but a forgotten smear of nothingness. This might be his last chance to selfishly indulge himself in all the beautiful what-ifs of the universe, and there was no way in hell he was going to pass that up.

He allowed himself another deep breath, then dragged his chair back towards the geoscope, ignoring the burn of tears as he peered into the eyepiece once more. Fiddling with one of the dials for a few moments managed to transport him to a version of himself sitting down in what appeared to be the bunker’s dungeon, his head hanging in his hands. He was about to switch over, already sensing this wasn’t a happy dimension, when Cas appeared in the frame, slowly approaching Dean like a wounded animal before sitting down beside him, his arm sliding around his shoulders. Almost immediately, Dean barrelled into his chest, his hands clutching at the front of Cas’ shirt. He wasn’t crying, not quite, but his shoulders were shaking with silent, tearless sobs. It was like he had nothing left inside him to cry out.

“It’s over,” he said, his voice hollow. He lifted his head and regarded Cas closely. “How long d’you think we’ve got?”

Cas pressed his lips together, arm tightening around him. “Not long.”

“Days? Hours?”

“I’m thinking minutes, Dean.”

“Fuck.”

“Chuck is done playing his games. He’s won. There’s no reason to drag this out.” He tipped his head back, eyes screwed shut. This version of Cas was apparently more powerful than his; there was a brief flash of white-blue light in his pupils as he opened his eyes again, the lines in his forehead smoothing out as the rush of power ebbed away. “I’m detecting unusual levels of radiation in the atmosphere. I think it will all be over very soon.”

Dean barked a wet laugh and nuzzled his head against Cas’ shoulder. “At least it’ll be quick. Not like it was for Sammy.”

“Dean...”

“It’s not fair, Cas. It wasn’t supposed to end this way, ya know?”

“I know.” Cas rubbed his nose against Dean’s scalp, breathing him in. It was hard to tell from a distance, but it looked like he was kissing his hair. At least this version of them had seemingly managed to get their crap together before the end. “I won’t leave you, my love. I’ll be here.”

Well, that was new.

“Promise?”

“Always,” Cas whispered, dragging his lips softly against Dean’s temple, until their mouths connected in a chaste kiss. Dean’s eyes were still closed when they parted, his hands trembling against Cas’ chest. He looked so fucking small like that, but somehow unafraid. Maybe it was the fact that dying in a blazing fire was a lot less scary than living in a world without his brother, or maybe it was the angel wrapped around him, kissing his cheek and stroking his back. Either way, he looked at peace. Or as peaceful as anyone could hope to be when the world was coming to an end.

“Do you think... heaven’ll still exist?” Dean asked. He seemed hesitant to voice the question, almost bashful, as if he already knew the answer, but was naively hoping for Cas to prove him wrong.

After a beat of telling silence, Cas raised Dean’s chin with the pad of his thumb and gently cupped his cheek. He was wearing a crooked smile, the one that lifted one side of his mouth with a lazy flash of teeth, his eyes lidded softly. Dean had only seen it a couple times before in his own dimension, usually when Cas was depressed or deluded or fucking possessed. It made a nice change to see it directed at him, or a version of him, with nothing but love behind its meaning. What he wouldn’t give to see his own Cas looking at him like that someday.

“Do you remember our wedding?” Cas asked, changing the subject in an endearingly awkward way. It was only then that he noticed the bands on their fingers: Dean’s broad and gold, Cas’ narrow and silver. Some would probably call them mismatched, but they were alike in their simplicity, their understated beauty. They looked perfect next to each other as Cas threaded his fingers through Dean’s and lifted their hands to his lips, kissing the golden ring. “It was quite the occasion.”

“I remember you blowing me at the reception,” Dean replied with a grin, his eyes trained on the rings as they brushed against each other. “Couldn’t get the fucking stain outta your tie. Had to pretend it was cake.”

“No one believed us.”

“Nope.” Dean chuckled under his breath. He was getting sleepy, if the slurring of his voice was anything to go by. The impending heat of destruction was likely pressing around them, making it difficult to breathe. He could feel his own chest staggering in response, as if he was there with them. He knew he shouldn’t be watching, should’ve pulled away as soon as he realised what was going on, but he couldn’t seem to move his hands. His fingers were wrapped around the dial with a vicelike grip, his jaw tightly clenched. He had to see this through, no matter how painful it proved to be.

In the other dimension, Cas’ gaze had turned solemn, his throat squeezing up and down. As an angel, he didn’t need to breathe, but he still appeared to be struggling. Or maybe it was the tears gathering in his eyes, saturating the usual stormy hue to a bright, glittering blue.

“That day, I promised to love and cherish you forever,” he said, the muscles in his face twitching with the effort of keeping the tears at bay. “I promised to protect you, stay by your side no matter what. I intend to keep as many of those promises as possible.” He bowed his head, pressing his forehead against Dean’s. They leaned into each other with an ease that defied every doubt and fear that Dean had ever felt, every whispered voice in the back of his mind telling him he could never have this, every obstacle he’d placed in his own path to prevent himself from taking a step too far and losing himself in a love that would undoubtedly leave his life cold and empty in its absence, when the day it abandoned him inevitably came... The way they fell into other seemed so easy, so natural, and Dean was struggling to remember why he hadn’t been doing this with his own Cas for the past twelve years. How fucking stupid, to let the fears he’d conjured up for himself as some kind of security blanket keep him from having this. How absolutely fucking ridiculous.

“You getting sappy on me, Cas?”

Cas laughed, a tragic sound. “Would you prefer it if I stopped?”

“Nah. Keep going.” Dean buried his face in the crook of Cas’ neck, arms coming up to squeeze his waist, a single tear finally rolling down his cheek. “Tell me you love me.”

It was whispered, fractured with vulnerability, and Cas responded in a similar fashion, his voice a low murmur just for them. “I love you, Dean Winchester. My brave man. My insufferable idiot. My saviour. My best friend.”

Dean was shaking in his arms, his face pressed against his skin. His mouth was moving, either whispering words of his own, or simply kissing his neck, drinking in as much of this moment as possible before it all came crashing down around them. It wouldn’t be long now, seconds at most. Dean could feel fresh tears pooling in his eyes, his stomach rolling with anticipation as he watched the scene helplessly, caught between grief and longing. Would his Cas be there beside him when he met his own demise? Would he hold him in his arms and swear to love and protect him until the very end? No. It didn’t seem likely, not unless Dean gave him permission to do so, let him know that’s what he wanted. And when had he ever given Cas the impression that he wanted him in that way? Never. Because he was a coward. Because he hadn’t, up until this moment, realised how fucking pointless it was to keep holding himself back from something that would make him genuinely happy, if all these other dimensions were anything to go by, when the world was literally falling to its knees.

“I love you,” Dean gasped, kissing Cas on the lips once more as a deafening rumble tore through the bunker, sending up clouds of dust and mortar as the walls of the dungeon began to crumble. “Just hold me. Please, Cas. Don’t leave me alone.”

“I’m here,” Cas said, shushing him softly. “I’m here, my love.”

He stayed like that, kissing his eyes and holding him close, long after Dean could no longer hear or feel him. He stayed by his side until the very end, just as he’d promised, until a silent explosion of white light engulfed the bunker, temporarily blinding Dean until the feed cut out and the geoscope was bathed in darkness, finally releasing him from its hold.

Dean tumbled off his chair with a sob, stumbling backwards down the steps leading to the geoscope and straight into the arms of Cas, his Cas, who was watching him with wide eyes, his hands instinctively flying up to Dean’s arms to steady him. He was saying something, probably asking him what the hell he was freaking out about, but all Dean could hear was white noise. Cas had died. Cas had been swallowed by white fire. Cas was gone. But he was also here, now pressing the back of his hand against Dean’s forehead, checking him for a fever. His Cas was still alive, with his tanned skin and baggy eyes and wrinkled coat and stupid, lovely voice. He looked tired, as per usual, but his concern for Dean was taking centre stage. As per fucking usual. How had it taken him so long to figure this shit out?

“Dean, what –”

“Don’t you go dying on me,” he said, his voice a pitch too high as all the sounds came rushing back. “I ain’t fucking done with you yet. There’s too much I gotta say.”

Cas was shaking his head, completely bemused. “Dean, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve only just arrived. My leads on Amara all dried up.”

“I don’t care about that right now.”

“Dean –”

“Stop saying my name!”

Cas snapped his mouth shut, adorably at odds about what to do without the ability to say his favourite word, the word that only ever sounded perfect on his lips. “I... But...”

“Just look at me.” Dean lifted a shaking hand to the angel’s face, tracing the lines of worry etched into his skin. For a guy who didn’t require sleep, he looked like he was about to keel over from exhaustion. He was a fucking mess, that’s for sure. But Dean liked him. Wanted him. There was no point in denying it anymore. He didn’t want to carry all these repressed emotions to fucking oblivion. He wanted all the mushy promises and clashing wedding rings and dirty memories to laugh about when was old and grey and farting sawdust. He wanted a happy ending, goddamnit.

“Dean,” Cas said, apparently unable to help himself.

Dean smiled, met his eyes. “My love.”

Cas spluttered, his cheeks flushing, and Dean smothered his mouth with a biting grin, his own face flooded with warmth. It was nice to see those words had the same effect on Cas as they did on him. Nice, also, to feel Cas’ lips moving against his own, albeit slowly, as if he was still puzzling through, trying to figure things out. Dean couldn’t blame him for being confused, but he wasn’t in the mood for explaining things just yet. They’d wasted enough time as it was. He didn’t want to get stuck grieving for a version of him and Cas that no longer existed; there was only one Dean and Cas he had any chance of saving, and they were right here, kissing for the first time in a newly-polished bunker with tears sticking their cheeks together and the smell of freshly-cooked pancakes sweetening the air.

When they finally pulled apart, Cas was gawking at him with pinkened cheeks and a bewildered smile. Dean opened his mouth to say something, to at least make a start at explaining things, when Jack suddenly came skidding into the library, his 1000-watt smile turning even brighter when he spotted Cas.

“Cas! You’re back! I’ll tell Mrs. Butters to make some more pancakes.”

He bolted away as quickly as he’d appeared, apparently not noticing Dean and Cas’ close proximity, or otherwise not caring. Dean loved him for that.

“Mrs. Butters...?”

Dean looked back at Cas, his heart clenching when he realised the angel was still clutching at his jacket, lips just a hair’s breadth away from his own. They were even prettier after being kissed. “It’s a long story. How about I tell you over breakfast?”

Cas nodded, the corner of his mouth twitching with one of those precious half-smiles. “I’d like that.”

#destiel #deancas #supernatural #castiel #dean winchester #15x14 #destiel fics #my fics

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apocalypsewriters · 4 years

Text

Secret Identities

Summary: Freddie's overeager adoptive parents jump at the chance of securing a new friend for their kid. The person they have in mind is Zach, someone Freddie has not typically gotten along with. Can they settle their differences? Or will their already fragile relationship be torn asunder?

"It'll be so much fun!" his mom, or as most knew her, Violetta, squealed, pulling Freddie in for a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're hanging out with kids your age!"

"Or, at least, close to your age," Aster, or Mama as he called her, remarked. She dropped a soft kiss on his head once Violetta reluctantly let him out of the hug.

"Plus, you already know him so well- from that time you guys spent living together!"

Freddie had shared the past traumatic experiences of his life with his new mums, and they had been very supportive, sending him to therapy and making sure he had a happy and secure environment to fall back on. Unfortunately, this also meant expanding his friend group, something he generally found difficult to do. His superior intellect, while it helped him make leaps and bounds in different research projects with prominent scientists of the time, meant he struggled to relate to many other people. He had been a lot closer to Bella than he’d been to Zach, though he tolerated her since she shared his love of learning. Zach was nice enough, but not generally his taste. His mums had already met Bella and practically fallen in love; Bella’s social skills made it difficult for anyone to be repulsed by her. They’d been ecstatic by the first “friend” they’d met, so it made sense they’d jump at the opportunity for him to make another.

A phone call later, Zach was scheduled to come over that coming weekend. Freddie had spent the entire week mentally preparing for the visit. When his studies and various scientific projects hadn’t served as enough of a distraction, he decided to spend Thursday and Friday behind his closet. Shortly after moving in with his adoptive moms, he had divided his spacious closet in two - the front was his sparse wardrobe and behind was a secret compartment. Inside it was a haven to him. His prized comics made up one wall, while the other was plastered in superhero posters. A display case proudly presented the Spidey-serum along with an imitation of most of Hawkeye's arrows, and a round shield he'd started experimenting with. He picked it up and made his way to the workbench underneath a poster. He'd been experimenting with different compounds to coat the shield in that would make it significantly more durable.

Before he knew it, hours had ticked by on Friday afternoon, and his momma was calling him down to dinner. Throughout the affair, his mom eagerly asked questions about Zach. Momma was a lot less apparent with her enthusiasm, but Freddie could see her happy at the thought of his life being improved. He sighed inwardly and answered Mom's barrage of questions as genuinely as possible, trying not to let his apathy and somewhat distaste of the situation seep through.

Finally, Saturday afternoon rolled around. Freddie had spent the morning the same way he'd spent the previous two afternoons - working on the chemical compound for the mock Captain America shield.

"Freddie! He's here baby!" Mom's voice broke into his treasured workflow. Freddie groaned, tilting his head back to roll his eyes at the ceiling. Reluctantly, he traipsed downstairs. Zach was standing in the doorway taking his shoes off, his hair a much darker blond than usual, damp with a few strands dangling in front of his eyes. The boy on the doorstep grinned winningly, a sharp contrast to the sneer on the boy on the stair's face. He flicked his eyes over his mothers' faces. Mom was beaming while Momma's lips quirked into a small smirk, the equivalent of her jumping up and down in excitement.

Freddie stifled another groan. "Come on then." Zach's smile morphed in a mischievous grin. The main reason the pair tolerated one another during the apocalypse was because of the need to survive. That and Bella, who could be relied on to break up any of their fights. Zach loved getting on Freddie's nerves and judging by the smug look on his face and the exaggerated swagger he was looking forward to that afternoon. Freddie pushed open the door to his room. Without hesitation or prompting, Zach fell into the beanbag by the window. Freddie sniffed and looked Zach up and down. "You smell like chlorine."

His lanky figure sprawled out on the beanbag, Zach shrugged. "I went swimming this morning." His curly hair was in larger clumps than usual and stuck out at odd angles.

"And you didn't shower?" Freddie’s voice was full of contempt.

“I did,” the brevity of Zach’s reply irked the smaller boy.

“But you didn’t smell like chlorine before.”

The older boy shrugged again. “It’s swim season. The smell won’t go away until it’s over. Though I’m thinking of doing it the whole year this time.” His gaze lifted to the ceiling thoughtfully.

Freddie wrinkled his nose in disgust. He understood the health appeal of extreme physical exertion as sports, but he couldn’t imagine how anyone could enjoy them, or the ludicrous lengths people pursued them.

“Freddie!” his Mom hollered from downstairs.

“Coming!” he called back, before turning to Zach. “Don’t touch anything. I’ll be back soon.”

Zach waited until he heard Freddie's methodical footsteps fade downstairs before springing up from his beanbag. He dashed to the bedside table and started going through the drawers. He almost slammed them shut when they yielded nothing blackmail-worthy, the fear of Freddie hearing him stopping him. After peering under the bed, Zach sauntered to the wardrobe and poked his head inside. He almost gave up when a sliver of light caught his eye. He squeezed into the wardrobe, and, ignoring the faintly glowing keypad, swung the loose back panel open. Inside was a veritable treasure trove of posters, collectibles, and comics of various heroes. Zach grinned and whipped out his phone.

Suddenly Freddie called. "I'm back!" Zach groaned under his breath. "You'd better be in that beanbag...oh no." Freddie's quiet pacing drew up to the wardrobe. "GET OUT! I don't care what my moms will say. OUT! OUT NOW! Put your phone on the bed and stand by the door." Reluctantly, Zach retreated from the hidden room. He put his phone on the bed and went to lean on the wall by the door.

"So, you like comics," Zach said lightly.

Freddie was bright red as he tapped on the older boy's phone. "Quiet," he seethed. He handed the phone back to Zach, having gone through it, looking for photos of his treasured room. "If you tell anyone about this your reputation will be ruined before you can say 'tesseract.'"

"Okay, Sheesh. You need to chill out little man."

"Get out of my house."

"Fine, fine. What am I going to tell your moms?" He asked around the door as he started down the hall.

"That's your problem now." With that, Freddie slammed the door, clipping Zach's nose.

Zach shrugged. Once downstairs he called out, "I just got a text. I have to go, I'm so sorry. Thank you for having me in your lovely home!"

"So soon? That's a shame." The more spritely woman skidded around the corner, the quieter one following closely behind at a more stately pace. "Do come back sometime."

He grimaced at the door before turning around with a winning smile. "We'll see." He waved as he walked down the path, and, swinging one leg over his bike, called out one more time. "Bye! Have a great weekend!"

The last thing he heard before he rounded the corner was, "You too, sweetie!"

“So you yelled at him then kicked him from your house?” Freddie could hear the stifled laughter over the phone. After banishing Zach from his home the day before, he'd called Bella to get a second opinion on the situation.

He sighed, "Yeah. But I'm in the right! He was snooping when he wasn't supposed to!"

"I guess. Did you talk to him or did you just interrogate him?" Freddie could hear her smirk at his silence over the phone. "That's what I thought. So do you want my advice on how to fix this?"

Freddie mumbled, "I mean, I don't really want to. He's not that great of a person anyw-"

"What was that?" Bella cut him off.

"Nothing. Please help me," the plea stuck in his throat.

"I thought so." she was unbearably smug. "Now, I want you to invite him over again. Apologize, then show him the room."

"What?!" he exploded.

"Calm down and hear me out. You will show him your room and give him a comic."

"WHAT!?"

"Just follow my advice and you'll be fine." her voice was soft as if she was soothing a spooked animal.

"You know what? I don't think I will," with that, he hung up.

On the other end of the line, Bella smirked at the silent phone. "I'll give him until Friday," she said to herself.

He broke on Thursday.

On Thursday night, he was sitting at dinner, his issue with Zach gnawing at him. He pushed his dinner around the plate.

"Not hungry, baby?" Mom asked, concerned.

He sighed and put down his fork. "I am. I was just wondering if Zach could come over this weekend," he choked the words out.

Momma raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure? You seemed a bit te-"

Mom cut her off with an elbow to her gut. "Of course, honey! I'll text his family after dinner. But no guarantees. We don't know how busy he is."

"Thanks." Freddie went back to his dinner, zoning out of the conversation while reliving last Saturday and planning and replanning the coming weekend.

Luckily, Zach was free that weekend. He came over the same time as the week before, in much the same state - damp, messy hair, chlorine smell, cocky attitude. He steeled himself against the older boy's smug and brazen attitude and managed not to snap on multiple occasions as they tramped up to his room.

"I never thought I'd be back here," remarked Zach incredulously as he strode up and sat on the beanbag he'd been on the week before.

"Mmm." Freddie was on the bed, head in his hands, feet dangling, his legs not long enough to brush the ground. He was seriously reconsidering inviting over the other boy again.

Zach sat forward in the beanbag, "I think it's safe to assume you didn't just invite me here to hang out."

The smaller boy sighed and threw himself backward onto his bed. He grabbed his pillow and screamed into it. Zach winced from his seat but didn't move, looking on with more curiosity. Freddie heaved himself up, a few strands of his carefully gelled back inky hair astray and began speaking again, his eyes slit, "I brought you here to propose a truce." He plowed through the stunned, heavy silence. "I thought over our last interaction and -" he was cut off with a cough from Zach which clumsily masked "totally Bella". Freddie glared down at him. "And I want to attempt to improve the terms between us, so," he scooched over to his bedside table and opened a drawer, flipping up a secret compartment and pulling out three well-loved comics - Spiderman, Ironman, and Guardians of the Galaxy, some of Freddie's favorites. The bottom corner was thin and a little frayed, and the spines were white with creases but other than that, they were in pristine condition. "I'm going to lend you some of my graphic novels."

Zach snorted, "You mean comics?"

"Sure," huffed Freddie. "Read them, and then you can understand why I like them. But understand this." He hopped down from the bed and stalked over to where Zach was lounging on the beanbag. He grabbed the collar of the bigger boy's shirt and yanked it upward, lifting Zach's indifferent gaze to meet his own smoldering eyes. Zach gulped, never having been so scared of someone so much smaller than him. "If you crease, tear or so much as think of damaging those comics, your life will be ruined before you can say 'vibranium.'" With that, he released his grip on the shirt.

"Yes, sir," Zach playfully saluted Freddie, who rolled his eyes exasperatedly. "So now what?"

Freddie shrugged, "Do what you like. Leave, stay, I don't care. I'll be working on a project in the room. Don't disturb me. However," he paused at the doorway of the closet. "I'd advise you to stay here at least twenty to thirty minutes to avoid Mom's suspicion. Unless you want her to perform an investigation on your social life to try and determine why you're so flighty…"

"Got it, thanks," said Zach, grateful. He pulled out his phone and played around for a bit.

About half an hour later, he called out he was leaving. Miraculously, Freddie emerged from his "lab", if only to give him a plastic bag for the comics. With a final threat over the safety of the lent material, he sent Zach off, whose trip home was uneventful.

Once he arrived home, Zach thumped up to his room. He pulled out one of the comics and flipped through the pages, skimming the fading words and pops of color. He rolled his eyes, dismissing the childish trinkets. He pulled out the rest of the comics and stuffed them into his school bag, promising himself that he’d read them later, and pulled out his homework.

At his desk, he sighed and slumped forward, resting his head on the hard, cool wood. His leg bounced with unspent energy. Sitting up again, he attempted two more questions, but his mind remained fuzzy and blank. He leaned back on his chair, eyeing his window and the tree branch that brushed it. Resigning himself to an unproductive afternoon, he jumped up and made his way to the window. Leaping with practiced ease, he swung his way to the floor, mucking around with a basketball until it was too dark to play.

The comics sat unbothered until Tuesday afternoon, at which point they were smushed and creased by a tennis racket. They settled further into his bag and drifted further into the back of Zach’s head, the upcoming swim tournament, and tennis trials taking priority in his week. Any time not spent on homework or sports practice was on his phone, winding down for the day by texting friends and playing video games.

The next two weeks flew by in a similar pattern, the comics lay forgotten at the bottom of his bag, keeping half a year’s worth of forgotten permission slips company. Finally, a free weekend rolled around, so Zach made his way over to Freddie’s house, the plastic bag the younger boy had given him dangling carelessly from his bicycle handles. As he pulled up to the gate, Zach glimpsed a small black head duck away from the partially closed blinds. He smirked. Pulling up to the front door, he leaned his bike on sturdier shrubbery and walked up to the door and knocked twice before ringing the doorbell, obeying the flowy writing on the flowery sign underneath the house number. He heard rhythmic tapping approach the door before it was flung open and he was enveloped by the more eager of Freddie’s mums. She brushed his cheeks with her own, making kissing sounds like in French greeting, as the other stood to the side, stifling laughter at Zach’s reddening face, his discomfort at the overwhelming attention apparent. When he finally escaped, he gave the pair a two-fingered salute before dashing upstairs. He burst into Freddie’s room, panting. “Wow, your mom can be a bit…”

“Much, I know,” Freddie sighed. “Now sit. Tell me how you enjoyed the simpler side of my refined taste.”

“Um,” Zach awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. “I didn’t read any.”

“You’re kidding me.” Zach shook his head, making Freddie huff exasperatedly. “You had two weeks. Surely you had some free time.”

Shrugging, Zach said, “I did. I just spent it on other things.”

“Did you at least start one?”

The older boy shook his head.

“Maybe we can find something more your taste. Pass the ones I lent you to me.”

“You’re really trying to make this work, aren’t you,” remarked Zach as he passed the bag over.

“I guess. I don’t like giving up, and besides, I have nothing better to d- what did you do?” Freddie’s casual statement darkened as he peered at the contents of the bag. Inside, the comics were warped and horribly creased. “Ironman” even had a rip in the back cover. Freddie took a deep shuddering breath and pinned the damaged comics on his closet doors with his shaking hands. “Where were these for the past fortnight?” His voice quavered with pent up rage.

“In my school bag. They must've been pushed to the bottom and jostled around a bit. Sorry, I didn’t realize they meant so much to you.”

Freddie let out a burst of hollow laughter, “Surely you can’t be serious, I threatened you multiple times, and I have an entire room dedicated to those. How much more could someone care about something?”

Zach scuffed the floor from the bed. “Not much, I guess. I really am sorry. I got distracted during the week and didn’t pay them enough attention. Is there anything I can do to help?”

Freddie paused in the preparation of a rant. The older boy seemed genuinely remorseful. I might seriously regret this, he thought, as he decided to give Zach another chance. “N-no. I’ll patch them up myself, I don’t trust you not to ruin them more.” Zach winced. Freddie continued, “I think I have the perfect comic for you. And this time, it’s staying in my room so it doesn’t get damaged and so I can make sure you’re reading it. I ought to have a copy, so maybe…” he trailed off, continuing his speculations in his head as he disappeared into the back room. In the silent bedroom, Zach got up from the bed, which creaked in relief from the removed strain, and made himself comfortable on the beanbag.

Finally, Freddie emerged from the room, brandishing identical comics that declared “Captain America.” He handed him the comic before flopping onto the bed himself and opening his own. They sat in silence for five minutes until Freddie spoke up, "Get off your phone."

"What are you talking about?" The telltale click of the screen shutting off made Freddie smirk at Zach's faux innocent statement.

"I'm not deaf I heard you turn it off just now."

"Fine," Zach huffed. "How did you know anyway?"

"You weren't turning pages. And five minutes is plenty of time to finish at least one page, especially for a comic. Besides, the beginning has action and suspense and you didn't react to anything."

"Huh," Zach mused.

"Please just try. I know you don't read much, but this is mostly pictures. Even your small brain ought to be able to process it. Maybe you can put your phone on the floor?" Freddie's voice pitched up at his last statement.

Zach rolled his eyes and slid his phone to the ground, deciding to humor the small boy. His efforts seemed genuine and his earnestness was sweet.

Sure enough, not three minutes later, Zach was enraptured in Steve Roger's story. Freddie smirked on the bed which widened into a smug grin at every gasp, occasionally sneaking glances at Zach's awed face. A little over half an hour later, Zach carefully tossed the comic at Freddie's feet, landing it on the other copy. "Please tell me you have more," Zach's voice was taut with hope.

Freddie scoffed, a triumphant grin plastered across his face, "Didn't you see my room? I have almost every single comic. Not all of them are on display, though."

The rest of that afternoon was spent in near silence. It was punctured by a few gasps, giggles, and triumphant whoops and some of the sweeter victories. Miraculously, Zach finished all the Captain America comics and started Spiderman.

Halfway through the first Spiderman comic, Zach looked outside for the first time in hours. "Geez! It's dark already?"

"Huh," Freddie was unsurprised. Spending hours rereading comics and working on his favorite projects made him lose track of time more often than not, so sudden unnoticed hours flying by wasn't out of the ordinary.

"I should probably go," Zach was forlorn, before perking up slightly. "Do you mind if I take a few comics home."

Zach sighed, lifting his gaze to the ceiling thoughtfully. "I suppose. You seem to see the value in the graphic novels now, so you probably won't damage them." His eyes drifted back to the older boy, who was on the edge of his seat in anticipation. "Fine, take them. But come back sooner this time so you haven't fewer chances to ruin them."

"Of course!" Zach reassured the boy sprawled out on the bed, "There's no way any of these will be so much as creased under my watchful eye." He winked.

Freddie rolled his eyes. "What day this week will you come over?"

"Umm… I don't have any fr-" Zach started to explain.

"Make time. You are coming over."

Zach huffed, exasperated. "I'd forgotten," he muttered under his breath, "how annoying you can be."

Freddie ignored the comment as he emerged from the secret room with two comics, handing them to Zach, who was still on the beanbag. "Now leave before I change my mind."

"You got it chief," Zach gave him a two-fingered salute as he strode out the room, pausing at the door as his movement in his peripheral vision caused him to whip around, catching Freddie with his tongue out. He raised an eyebrow at him, causing the tips of his ears to redden. Zach snorted.

"Go," spluttered Freddie.

Zach flew down the stairs two at a time. "I'm going now," he hollered, "thanks for having me!"

Aster and Violetta, as they insisted he address them, rounded the corner. The only reason Violetta wasn't skipping around the corner ten paces ahead of her wife was Aster's hand on her shoulder, holding her back.

"Surely, you're not planning on cycling home alone, in the dark?" Violetta simpered.

"Uh, I guess?" replied Zach.

"Absolutely not! It's not safe for someone your age." Violetta rebuked.

"It's really not," agreed Aster. "We'll drive you home."

"Oh, no," Zach protested, finishing lacing his shoes. "It's fine. I know my way, it'll be fine."

"Nonsense," insisted Violetta. "Our car has plenty of room for both you and your bike."

Zach sighed, knowing they wouldn't let up until he caved. "Okay. Thank you so much."

"It's no trouble."

Over text, Zach managed to organize to come over on Wednesday. He burst through Freddie's bedroom door to an empty room. "Hello? Freddie?" He heard sniggering from somewhere in the room. He peeked into the comic room and rifled through the wardrobe in front.

"Look up, moron," He heard from above him. Freddie was crouched against the ceiling. "Pass the comics up." Zach handed the comics up for inspection before laying back on the floor to avoid straining his neck. "Not bad," Freddie remarked. "You didn't do any damage. Well, no major damage. I guess I shouldn't be surprised you're one of the heathens that doggy-ears pages." He glared down at Zach, who shrugged.

Sensing the building annoyance, Zach quickly changed the subject. He hauled himself off the floor and sat on the bed, tilting his head to focus on Freddie, who was still in the middle of the roof. "So now I know where that's from. I knew you couldn't come up with good original ideas."

"Hey!" Freddie protested, before suggesting "I have a few other projects back there. One in particular I think you'll like."

Zach's eyes shone with excitement. "What are you waiting for then?"

Freddie grinned back before motioning to the beanbag. "Would you mind pulling that over? I don't feel like walking down the walls." Once the cushioning system was below him, Freddie jumped hard and curled himself into a ball, landing with an "oomph". Picking himself up, he strode into the back room, so light on his feet he was practically skipping. He returned with a large metal circle and several souped-up arrows. "Catch," he called, frisbeeing the disk, Zach diving to catch it, saving it from clattering to the ground, as the throw fell short.

He examined it, flipping it over and spinning it a few times. "Is this?"

Freddie nodded earnestly, "A replica of Cap's shield. I'm experimenting with a chemical compound that will increase its durability. And these," he brandished the arrows, "are replicas of Hawkeye's arrows. I'm pretty sure you've seen him once or twice by now."

"I have. Hey...can I try the Spiderman thing out were using?"

Freddie hesitated, "Well, it's a bit of a pain to make, so I generally save it for special occasions."

"Like scaring me?" scoffed Zach.

"Shut up and read," Freddie tossed him the next issue of Spiderman, confidant in the athlete's catching ability to make up for his poor hand-eye coordination.

They were barely four pages in before Zach spoke up, "I wish there was something I could do to bring another...hero item to life."

"Other than being my lab rat to test the supersoldier serum and other stuff, there's not much more you're good for."

They sat in silence for a little longer before Freddie made a suggestion. "Maybe an Avengers comic can spark an idea in your weak brain."

Zach protested weakly as he accepted the comic, eager to get sucked into another hero's journey. To his delight, he found six heroes to invest in. As he read, he turned over different possibilities for weapons to bring to life. Finally, something clicked. "Hey, Freddie?"

"What?" The small boy poked his head out of the makeshift lab, where he was working on the shield.

"What about an Ironman suit?"

"No," he dismissed. "It's way too complicated. As much as I hate to admit it, it's out of my depth."

"Why don't we ask Bella?" Zach heard something clatter to the ground at his statement. He smirked, pleased he'd come up with something Freddie hadn't.

"Grab my phone, now." Freddie dashed out of the room and launched himself onto the bed. Zach grabbed it from the bedside table and sat next to him. After a quick squabble over who would ask, the phone ended up between them on speaker.

"Hey, boys," Bella answered after the second ring.

"Wh- how did you know?" Zach asked.

"Simple. Freddie doesn't normally call me on a weekday and I knew you two would reconcile."

"Oh."

"And I heard rumors you'd gotten into superheroes recently, which only confirmed my suspicions."

"You are a woman of many talents, Anabella."

"Thanks. Now," she cut off Freddie who was about to speak, "What do you need?"

Freddie held back his initial question, "Who said we needed something?"

"You never call me unless you need something. That goes for both of you."

Zach said sheepishly, "That's fair."

Freddie sighed, "Yeah, we do. Can you make an Ironman suit?"

"That's a tall order," she commented. "As friendly as I am with you two, that's going to require funding or hands-on help. Preferably both."

"Okay. When can you get started?"

The line was silent for a moment as she pondered the proposition further. "This coming break. I'm swamped with work right now, and I'm sure you are too, Zach."

He winced. "Yeah, I am."

A faint tapping and rustling filtered across the line. "If you send the money soon, I should be able to get the material to start early. It might even be ready before the break if everything goes according to plan."

"Thank you, Bella," they chorused.

She chuckled, "No problem boys. Bye." She hung up.

The pair exchanged fervent looks, eyes brimming with eager fire.

"This is going to be awesome."

#writing #fiction #original characters #freddie moore #zachary williamson #my writing #short story #a new infection #a new infection au #cof(fee)#crown of flowers #technically speaking since they have roles here #the perfect family #anabella silvette

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noonachronicles · 5 years

Text

Forget Me Not

Lee Hoseok/Wonho X Reader

Word Count: 22k

Warnings: Tamed usage of curse words. Smut, but cheesy, bad smut . It’s almost like I wrote it bad intentionally? (don’t even read it tbh). Also some of this was written during a cold medicine haze. So any part you don’t like was written while I was on cold meds and/or written at three in the morning and you can’t blame me. Everything you enjoy I was fully conscious for. Also I didn’t proofread this. I tried, but I’m so tired.

Genre: Mostly fluff, some smut, angst? FWB to True Love lololol.

A/N: Happy (belated) Birthday to my beautiful angel baby, Sara (@memoiresofaneternaldreamer ). I’m unexplainably sorry that this took me so long to get to you and I’m grateful for your endless patience with my shit. 🤣 Why you tolerate me I’ll never understand but it means everything to me to know that no matter what’s going on, I can always count on you to be there. For sticking with me through my worst, I wanted to give you some of my best.

Did I also use your birthday as an excuse to write out what is essentially 20k words worth of praise for Wonho based off of the disgusting amount of deeply internalized love I apparently have hidden away for him? Yes. Please don’t tell Changkyun. Now, let’s get to it.

Saturday

Hoseok 8:40PM: Right. Fucking. Now.

You 8:45PM: k

Monday

You 9:38PM: Busy?

Hoseok 9:40PM: On my way ;)

Thursday

You 8:54PM: Now.

You 8:58PM: Please. :)

Today

Hoseok 9:03PM: Need you.

Hoseok looked down at his watch as he was stopped at the red light. He'd already sent the message to let you know he was on his way over which gave him about 15 minutes to get to your place before you got too impatient. He had two choices. He could drive straight and make it to your place a little ahead of time. Or, he could turn right and stop at the store to get a bottle of that wine he knew you loved.

When the light turned green he made a split decision and went right. He might be a little late but your irritation with his tardiness would disappear at the sight of the wine.

In the parking lot of the store there was a homeless man begging for change. Hoseok would have to choose between walking passed the old man or stopping to pull out his wallet. As he always did, he stopped. He grabbed a few bills from his wallet to give to the man and talked to him for a while to see if he needed anything from inside before actually going in. He found the wine quickly but then he chose to get something to go with it. He eyed the fresh flowers and picked out a bright mix of spring colors, he knew you’d like those better than something more romantic like roses.

He could hear your complaining already, “You're not my boyfriend. Stop doing boyfriend things. I'll get the wrong idea.”

He could also already see the bright blush on your cheeks as you sniffed the petals and placed the flowers in a vase while he opened the wine. He smiled at the thought of it and made his way to checkout. There he had chosen to stand behind a woman that looked like she was nearly ready to go crazy. Two crying toddlers stomping around in the shopping cart and screaming at the top of their lungs.

Looking at his phone he thought about sending you a message that kids were the worst, but he didn't want you to know he'd stopped. The gifts were meant to be a surprise after all. He couldn't help but listen to the conversation happening before him as time ticked by.

“I'm sorry ma’am, that's still not enough.” the cashier frowned as the mother dug inside her purse for change.

“What if we remove the chicken? So it would just been the rice and vegatables.”

“I can pay for her order. All of it.” Hoseok stepped forward placing his things on the conveyor. “Just add my two items to her order and I can pay for it.”

“Oh, please sir…”

“It's not a handout, there's no need to look so ashamed. It's a gift between friends. Feed your boys well tonight. They're growing after all.” He smiled as tears built in the woman's eyes.

“Thank you.” She whispered, trying not to breakdown in front of her kids. He handed the change from the cashier to the woman who tried and failed to deny it from the persistent Hoseok.

Feeling good, better than good, he made his way back to his sleek, silver, sports car. As he made his way to you he thought about all the choices he'd made that had brought him here and how happy he was with his decisions. Maybe he was running late and going down the road with more potholes than the other but it was worth it. You were worth it to him.

He was nearly to your place when someone else's choices that day changed everything. A delivery driver that had chosen to have an extra drink with dinner. Who chose to take off down the road instead of sleeping it off in the cab of his truck. Who chose to flip through the stations on his radio rather than look up to see the red light. Whose choices brought him crashing into the silver sports car that was on its way to you.

~~~

Downtown always seemed so busy, so alive, especially on a friday night. People out celebrating having survived the work week, couples on dates, college kids looking for a party so they could avoid any weekend assignments until Sunday. The people were often rowdy and loud, the traffic most times louder. Movie theaters were packed and lines at all the best restaurants took longer than the movies lasted. Despite all of that, it had been a really wonderful second date so far. At least that’s what you’d been thinking about as Loey walked you down the sidewalk with his magnificently long arm over your shoulder, talking enthusiastically about the movie you’d just seen together.

“...but, anyway, that’s why I had really wanted to see that one. And I know it wasn’t really your thing, so I appreciate you going with me.” he was saying as you brought yourself back to the conversation. “Did you at least like it though?”

“Umm,” you released a heavy puff of air, “I mean, it was...nice. I liked most of it. There were a lot of, um…”

“Boobs.” he said with a nod, “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I swear I didn’t know. I wasn’t trying to like… set any moods.”

You laughed at his genuine nervousness, “It’s okay, I’m not upset. It was just an observation.”

“Well if you were upset and you’re just being sweet about it now, dinner will more than make up for it.” he beamed, “I got us a reservation at the best restaurant. It’s so popular right now, I’m amazed I got us in.”

Your blood prickled in your veins just slightly and you looked at your surroundings. You’d gotten so lost in your thoughts on the walk from the theatre. With his arm around you, you hadn’t even needed to pay attention to where you were walking. The street you were on was familiar, one you’d successfully avoided for months. Your old favorite coffee shop, your old favorite jewelry store, your old favorite bookshop. Everything you’d given up for fear of not having enough restraint to not walk into the restaurant you were walking towards right now. The one with a line of people outside the door, waiting enthusiastically for their chance to experience the best french fusion cuisine in the entire city. The sign above the door, gilded script on dark wood, read La Boucherie. Though to you it might as well have read Turn Back Now in bright, blinking neon lights.

“You don’t seem excited.” Loey said looking down at you with a lopsided pout, “You didn’t happen to go vegan since our last date, did you?”

“No, no.” you shook your head and plastered on your best smile, “This is great. I’ve heard really wonderful things.”

“We can go somewhere else.” he was a puppy, always so eager to please.

You grabbed his face in your hands and forced his big doe eyes to meet yours, “It’s fine. I don’t care where we go as long as it’s together. Also I just want to eat so...”

He clutched at his chest dramatically, “You really are after my heart.”

Once inside the restaurant you tried to keep breathing. Your belly was in knots and you weren’t sure how you were going to stomach a meal with your nerves twisted so tight. There was sweat beading at your hairline by the time the hostess sat you down, but you kept your smile on your face. If he was going to see you here, you were going to look happy. Happy without him.

By the main course you had calmed down quite a bit. Your table was in the main dining area and you knew that on weekends, since they were so busy, he would be working the bar. There hadn’t even been a glimpse of him all night, and the conversation with Loey was going really well. Your stomach aching from laughter rather than nerves. By the time the two of you were sitting, waiting for dessert and after dinner coffee to arrive, you had forgotten where you even were. You hadn’t thought about it at all when you excused yourself to go to the restroom. The restroom that was next to the bar. You’d even made it in and out without a hassle. It was only when you’d walked out of the restroom that your eyes fell behind the redwood bar top. You’d frozen, your heels jammed into some invisible cement, and you weren’t entirely sure you were still breathing either.

Four mirrored panels lined the wall behind the bar reflecting the packed tables, shelves on either side of the mirrors were lined with bottles of the top shelf brands that were offered. Everything else was well stocked, and well hidden, behind the bar itself. It was a sleek look and one you’d always found aesthetically pleasing.

The man behind the bar you’d used to find pleasing as well. His black hair was disheveled. The way you’d used to like, bangs swept across his forehead. They had clearly been busy all night. He had the sleeves of his white button up rolled up to his elbows, showing off the veins in his hardworking forearms. He was helping a customer who had apparently said something funny because you found yourself blinded by his incredible smile. Very suddenly you felt sick.

Honestly, standing there you weren’t sure if you were pissed off or aroused at the sight of him, which only left you more frustrated and flustered than before. After watching him for far too long you remembered Loey and found the strength to leave. At least the strength to get to where the bar met the dining area. It was there you hesitated. You were already here and if you could help it you were never coming back, you’d reasoned with yourself. You would only have this one opportunity to say your peace until you never saw him again. After a deep breath you marched over to an open space at the bar and looked at him expectantly.

He was helping someone new at this point but he noticed you immediately. His smile grew bigger than before and he held up a finger to let you know he’d be with you in a moment. You scowled slightly, having been trying to look angry but wondering if maybe you’d come off as happy to see him. He was either happy to see you or just being his generally happy self. When he was done at the other side of the bar he pushed his sleeves back up and moved over to where you were standing.

“Hey, what can I get for you?” he asked, dark brown eyes sparkling as they looked you over.

“I don’t want anything.”

A smug smirk spread across his face, “Oh, just came over to see me? I’m flattered.”

“Don’t be.” you snapped, “I just wanted to tell you, I’m here on a date. It’s going really well and I really like him. So I might have sex tonight...with him.”

His eyes went wide with surprise and he laughed, looking both amused and confused by your declaration. “I-I’m...that’s great? Congratulations.”

“I’m really happy now. I wanted you to know how happy I am.” you felt your confidence waiver the longer you stood in front of him. “So that’s why I came over here. To let you know I’m fine, better than fine.”

“Well I am happy you’re happy. I guess.” he nodded casually.

“Yeah, and no thanks to you.”

“Wh- I...I’m sorry. Do we know each other? You seem really mad at me.” he said finally just needing some clarification over this bizarre conversation.

“Seriously?” you scoffed, unsure how much longer you could hold up because you were pretty sure this man was trying to break your heart for a second time. “Are you joking? What...are we pretending like we never happened now? You just moved all the way on from me.”

“I...I’m so sorry. I wish I knew what you were talking about. If we had spent time together, that’s definitely something I would have wanted to remember.” he looked genuinely sorry, which made no sense to you. You weren’t crazy.

“Spent time together?” your jaw dropped to the floor, “I know we weren’t exactly dating but I thought we at least… You know what? Forget it. Just, I don’t know, go fuck yourself, Hoseok.”

You didn’t even give him the chance to process your words before turning on your heel and leaving. You were already almost in rage tears when you’d gotten back to the table. Loey’s smile instantly fading at the sight of you and turning into concern. After apologizing profusely you grabbed your things and begged him to stay and enjoy dessert, promising to call him when you were home. He was incredibly confused but you’d made it clear you needed, and very much wanted to be alone.

You made it out to the curb before the first tears hit and you threw your jacket on before starting down the sidewalk. Behind you there was someone calling for you to stop. Looking over your shoulder you could see it wasn’t Loey, it wasn’t anyone familiar at all so you kept going. You weren’t in the mood for being sexually harassed tonight. He was not relenting, once you passed the second building with him still on your tail you reached into your purse and wrapped your hand around the mace you kept.

“Ma’am! Miss! Please, stop. Ma’am. Jesus Christ, would you stop?” he called behind you.

Finally nearing the end of the block, tears streaking your cheeks, you whipped around furiously. “Listen, you fucking creep, I am clearly not interested. And the fact that you’re chasing after a vulnerable, sobbing mess of a woman really goes to show what kind of sick predator you truly are. Now step back before I mace you until you are forever blinded.”

“Wow…” he said, raising his eyebrows and taking several steps back “Are you done? I’m not trying to fuck you, okay? I saw you in the bar talking to Hoseok. Are you friends with him?”

You calmed slightly, but just barely. “I thought, at the very least, but apparently I wasn’t anything to him but forgettable.”

“Um… okay.” the stranger placed his hands together in front of his mouth, trying to decide the best way to say whatever it was he was going to say. “Here’s the thing. Hoseok was in a really bad car accident. He doesn’t remember most of the last six years of his life.”

“What?” you asked, unsure of what else to even say.

“I know it sounds... nuts. I don’t know what you know about memory loss, but they said he has post-traumatic amnesia. His is a hefty cocktail of retrograde amnesia and short term memory loss.” he shrugged, “The guy doesn’t even remember he was in an accident most days.”

“Fuck,” you muttered looking over this complete stranger, “You are the most legit wingman that has ever existed, but you can go back to your friend and let him know I’m over it. I’m over him.”

“No, listen, seriously! This isn’t some joke. The only reason he remembers who I am is because we’ve been best friends since grade school. I swear on my life, if you come back tomorrow, he won’t even remember tonight happened.”

With your heart pounding against your chest, your first thought was to wonder if he’d really been in some horrible accident. Your second was how you hadn’t been there for him if he was. Tears threatened the backs of your eyes once more and you took a deep breath.

You were pretty sure you knew the answer before the question left your mouth, but you had to ask anyway to be certain. “When was it? The accident...what was the day?”

Before he even got the date out all the way, you knew it was the night Hoseok was supposed to be coming to see you. It had been over a year but that day stuck with you like it had been one of the worst days of your life. It was the beginning of the first time you’d ever had your heartbroken.

Closing your eyes, a few tears fell down your cheeks. It was a lot to take in if it was true. If it was true that meant that he hadn’t intentionally hurt you. You exhaled deeply, “Thank you... for telling me. I have to go.”

You had already turned your back to him, more than ready to leave, when he said “Are you yeosin?”

“Excuse me?” you asked looking over your shoulder.

“Did Hoseok ever call you yeosin?”

This time you turned all the way back around as you thought back to one of the last times you’d been together.

Postcoital cuddling in his bed, tangled up in the sheets together. He’d been petting your hair, keeping you in a staring contest. Prolonged eye contact was his favorite game to play with you because it never took long for you to get too flustered to even look at him and he reveled in it. You could be anywhere. In bed or out to eat, alone or in a crowded room, it didn’t matter. He’d touch you, something small. Petting your hair, his thumb rubbing circles on your hip, running his foot against yours. Then he’d lock eyes with you and smirk while your stomach got tied up in knots, your core covered in warm honey. The easiest way to get you in the mood.

“Damn it, Hoseok!” you’d whined and then laughed, blushing as you’d finally looked away.

He’d only laughed, pulling you closer, and you’d sunk comfortably into the warmth of him, “Oh yeosin, maybe one day.”

“Why do you call me that?” you’d asked pushing his bangs off his forehead.

“Yeosin?” you’d nodded, and he’d smiled, “Because for me, that’s what you are.”

You’d rolled your eyes at his response, “That doesn’t make any sense. I’m not even your girlfriend.”

“You’re more than that. You’re my goddess, my queen.”

When you came back from the memory, his friend was still looking at you expectantly. You shook your head, “It doesn’t matter. I really need to go now.”

“Please, it does matter! If you ever cared about him at all...please, just please come back tomorrow.”

You sighed, “Maybe.”

“Okay! Maybe, I’ll take a maybe over a no.” he sounded genuinely excited, “My name is Minhyuk. Come straight to the bar tomorrow. I’ll look for you. We can talk.”

~~~

La Boucherie. You’d stood in front of the restaurant window for twenty minutes. Just eyeing the curl and flow of the cursive gold lettering that matched the lettering on the sign over the door. You weren’t even sure why you had come. Still not even positive this wasn’t some insane ruse. All day, and most of the night, you had debated on whether or not to actually show up. It would have been easy to go back and forth for the rest of your life contemplating whether or not you believed the validity of the story you were told. One thing you knew for sure though, for the last year of your life Hoseok had stayed on your mind. And even after months of anger and pain, seeing him had still made your heart race at a different pace than any of the other guys you’d tried being with after him. So you couldn’t help but think that it would be worth it to find out. For closures sake, you’d justified to yourself.

Saturday at the restaurant was just as bad as Friday or worse maybe, you’d thought walking into the thick crowd of people at the door. You told the hostess you were there to see Minhyuk and she waved you into the bar area. He was there, like he’d said, and as enthusiastic as ever. When he looked up to see you his face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. At least someone remembered you. He made you your drink of choice and practically begged you to stick around until he got a free moment to sneak away. You sat at the bar, sipping on your drink and scrolling through your phone. Minhyuk came by often to check up on you and make sure you didn’t need anything. He even made sure someone brought you an appetizer on the house. Nearly every time he passed he thanked you again for being there and for staying.

“You’re not flirting with him are you?”

You had just lifted your drink to your lips for a sip and had to actively try not to choke at the sound of his voice. You eyed him through the mirror behind the bar. He was smiling, head quirked slightly as he looked at the back of your head, waiting for you to notice him.

Dabbing your mouth with a cocktail napkin you turned to look at him. “Excuse me?”

“The bartender. You’re not flirting with him are you?” he asked and leaned against the bar between you and the guy who had been on the stool next to you.

He was so close you weren’t sure you could speak. You put your glass down slowly. “What would it matter to you if I was?”

“It’s none of my business. I know that. I just think there is something inherently wrong with the most beautiful woman in this entire building flirting with him. I felt a moral obligation to object. I say all of this with love, mind you, the guy’s my best friend.”

You placed your hand over your mouth to try and hide your smile, but the blush was already creeping over your cheeks and up your neck. He was a meal standing right in front of you. Tight back jeans ripped over the muscles in his thighs, his white button down from the night before was replaced with a black one to match the jeans. You loathed how impossibly soft, and pink his lips looked as he pouted at you slightly. Not to mention the way he was staring at you like you were the only other person in the world, forget being just the most beautiful woman in the building.

It was unfair, if this was true, you thought to yourself. If he was really standing in front of you looking like that. You knowing how good it felt to kiss those lips and at one point having been able to kiss them whenever you’d wanted. To already know the feel of his hands on your body, but be expected to do nothing about it because if he truly did have amnesia you were certain that kissing him like you wanted to now would be some form of sexual harassment. Even if he wouldn’t remember it tomorrow. Maybe even worse that he wouldn’t remember it the next day.

You gulped, “Well, who would you suggest I flirt with then?”

He raised his hand to chest, “Wow, I’m so sorry. Was I not being as obvious as I thought I was being? Beautiful, you should be flirting with me.”

“Oh, you were definitely being obvious. I just wanted to hear you say it.” you smirked and brought your drink back to your lips.

“Good.” he held out his hand, “I’m Hoseok.”

You bit your lip, trying to read his face. Did he really not remember you? Even from last night when you’d kind of gone off on him? You placed your hand in his, the feeling was electric.

“I’m y/n.” you said a little awkwardly, thrown by having to introduce yourself to someone who knew you.

“Fitting, a beautiful name for a beautiful woman.” You suppressed an eye roll you would have given old Hoseok. “Would you mind if I sat with you for awhile?”

He still held your hand in his, his thumb rubbing gentle circles over the top. With your free hand you motioned to the now empty seat behind him. He sat down, keeping your hand, and once he was situated he locked eyes with you. It felt hard to breathe, he was the definition of breathtaking. You grew warm all over, like being showered in sunlight. Then you started to feel the all too familiar tug in your belly. The tiniest sigh fell from your lips as he continued to circle his thumb on the back of your hand. You turned away first, per usual. He chuckled lightly as you took a sip of your drink.

“Um,” you put your glass down, “The bartender...he’s your friend, you said?”

He nodded, “Best friend for many years.”

“How do you know him? Do you work here?”

“Actually, I own this restaurant. Him,” he nodded towards Minhyuk, “I met back when we were in school.”

“Oh,” you nodded. Pretending to be impressed by something you already knew was harder than you expected. “How long have you owned this place?”

“Almost six months.” he said confidently. There was a complete and total belief that what he’d said was the truth. It wasn’t. Hoseok had owned this restaurant for over seven years already.

“You’re sure we’ve never met?” you asked curiously.

“Absolutely positive. I could never forget a smile like yours. That way you blush...” he boldly brushed his thumb over your cheek, “I would never forget you.”

He stayed with you at the bar for some time playing with your hand as you tried to casually ask him questions about your past lives together. You focused on reading his face when he answered and it didn’t hurt that his face had always been one of your favorite views. You remained unsure if you were trying to catch him in a lie or were just amazed at the fact that he might have actually forgotten everything. On top of everything running through your head there was also something strangely exciting about sitting there experiencing him flirt with you again the way he had the very first time you met.

If you were being entirely honest with yourself you’d missed him. It had been so easy to be angry and to hate him when you hadn’t seen him for weeks. In your head he had turned into an evil demon monster. Having him sitting right in front of you smiling and laughing, being the sweet and funny Hoseok you remembered, it made you ache for him like you hadn’t done for months.

“Have you ever tried the curry place down on fourth avenue?” you asked. That was the place that you would always order takeout from together.

He shook his head, “No, actually I’ve never had curry before.”

He hadn’t tried curry before the two of you met, you knew that about him. Hoseok had pretty singular tastes and didn’t really stray from what he knew, but you were too adventurous to let that fly in your relationship.

“If you’re ever around there, you should go and try it. It’s really good. I think you’d like it a lot.”

“I actually live right down the road from there. We should go together.” he offered.

“Yeah I think I’d really like that.” you said with a tiny smile.

Sooner than you’d wanted he confessed he had to leave. There was work to be done and he’d already spent a lot of time fooling around with you. The two of you had talked through most of the dinner rush. Although you felt a little guilty, you wouldn’t have changed it. It worked out well anyway because almost as soon as Hoseok was gone Minhyuk had come over, ready to talk. He walked you around the corner, passed the bathrooms. There was a small room with what looked like a lot of backstock for the bar. Kegs of beer, crates of wine. Minhyuk emptied one of the crates and flipped it over, offering it to you as a place to sit.

“He doesn’t remember anything.” you said quietly, your eyes welled up with tears instantly, the weight of it finally sinking in now that Hoseok wasn’t around to distract you. “He doesn’t remember us at all.”

“It’s not just you.” Minhyuk said stuffing his hands in his pockets, “It’s really everything. He doesn’t remember his mom's passing. His brother’s wedding. Most days he struggles with the code to his apartment and there have been days when he couldn’t even find the apartment itself. I can’t express how hard this has been.”

“So what, you have to like babysit him?” you asked, “Does he really forget everything, everyday, like in the movies.”

“Basically. I was the only one who could really afford to pick up and leave everything else to be here for him. He was in a coma for almost seven months. I immediately took over the restaurant for him while he was out. When he woke up with the memory loss, I stuck around. He doesn’t question me being here because I actually worked with him when he first opened. Which is about where he is in his timeline, memory wise.” Minhyuk let out an exasperated sigh, “He’s mostly fully functioning now, but he does get confused. He picks up on little things here and there. Usually the more repetitive it is the better he is at remembering. Being back at work really helped. He’s been good at remembering small tasks and it’s stirred up some progress but he’s been at a bit of a standstill lately. The problem with just doing the same things over and over is there’s nothing new challenging him or stimulating his memory. ”

“How long will he be like this? Forever? Why did he regress so far back? Is that common?”

Minhyuk shook his head, “No, the doctor doesn’t think it’ll be forever, but there’s no real timeline. They don’t know why he went back so far, maybe the extent of the damage. Most people only forget until just before the accident. He, his doctor, said that a trigger would be helpful in getting him back but we hadn’t really been sure what that could be. That’s actually why I asked you to come back.”

Pushing himself off of the shelf he’d been leaning on, Minhyuk pulled a phone from his back pocket. The screen was cracked to hell and there were scratches covering every inch. Hoseok’s old phone.

He handed it to you. “You’re the only one he talked to consistently that wasn’t me or his brother. He knew both of us before that six year mark so we don’t really trigger anything new for him. We were thinking...you might be what he needs.”

“We?” you asked absentmindedly scrolling through his phone.

He’d had dozens of conversations but most of them were with vendors for the restaurant or employees requesting time off or reporting an absence.You’d always kind of thought he worked too hard, but you didn’t realize the extent of it. You didn’t realize that he didn’t have anything in his life outside of work, except you. The conversation at the top was yours. He had you in his phone as Yeosin, which you’d never known. The last message was from you to him.

If I ever see your face again, Hoseok, it’ll be too soon.

You gulped, ashamed and embarrassed at how hateful you sounded in your last messages to him. For weeks after the accident, when you thought he’d just been ghosting you. You looked up at Minhyuk ready to explain. To apologize and swear up and down that you weren’t this person.

He shrugged, “You didn’t know.”

Next you scrolled through his photos. It felt a little like an invasion of privacy but you couldn’t help yourself. It was like learning parts of him he’d kept from you before and it was fascinating. You saw his brother at different holidays and special events. A fractured timeline of his niece through the years, from infant to toddler. Pictures of things for the restaurant like invoices, inventory, and what were probably pictures for insurance.

What surprised you was that most of his pictures were of you. Hoseok didn’t do social media, he didn’t really have time. He didn’t even run the media pages for the restaurant, he’d hired someone for that. That meant you��d never gotten to see all the pictures he’d taken of you, or realized just how many the two of you had together. Out to dinner, at different events, at home. There were cute ones, silly ones, sexy ones. An entire history of your relationship. You didn't realize you were crying until tears were splashing down on the cracked screen. You wondered if you had meant more to him than you realized and he’d just never told you. Then again it wasn’t like you’d ever told him what he meant to you either. Suddenly, you were incredibly worried you would never get the chance to know for sure.

“Um, we?” you asked again wiping your face clean and handing him back the phone.

“His brother, me, the doctor.” he said, “We would have tried to get ahold of you right when it happened, but we didn’t even know about the phone until he woke up. It had been lodged in the car, they put in a box with all the other stuff they salvaged. We hadn’t even thought to open it until we realized we needed to trigger his memory. By that time...”

You let out a small laugh, “I had changed my number. I’m so sorry. Have you tried just showing him the phone?”

“Yeah, a couple times. He just got weird and cried a lot. It didn’t really help.” he shrugged, “We think you could help though. You knew him the best during the last few years. I, we, really think you could be what brings him back.”

Thinking about the man outside this room with his beautiful smile and lingering gaze, you knew there was only one option. You looked up at Minhyuk and nodded, “What can I do? I’ll do anything.”

~~~~

It was simple really. All you were asked to do was come around and see him. Come see him and let him see you. That’s what you did and you did it often. Four times a week that first month. At first it was going to the restaurant, hanging out at the bar or eating a meal alone, waiting to see if he would notice you. He did, every time without fail, notice you. Each time he would come over to where you were and confidently make a pass at you. He would offer to comp your meals and buy you drinks. Several times he’d asked for your number. You’d have to tell Minhyuk so he could go back later and delete it, knowing it would be tough to explain why you were in his phone already the next time he asked you for it.

After weeks had gone by and you’d reintroduced yourself to Hoseok for the twentieth time, you and Minhyuk decided you needed to try something else. The two of you started manufacturing casual run-ins. He’d find out where Hoseok was going to be or ask him to come out with him somewhere and tell you where to go. Grocery stores were easy locations and so were coffee shops. You’d always get a little nervous because it was so uncertain how he’d react. The restaurant was more controlled and he was always so confident there. When he saw you anywhere else he seemed almost shy and would really work for it. It was so brand new to you to see him struggle a little.

At the grocery store he’d follow behind you for awhile, gathering courage. Usually if you stood for a while pretending to read the backs of boxes he’d make his way over, pretending to need something in front of you as a way to break the ice. Coffee shops usually meant him sitting somewhere in your line of sight. He’d make big movements to try and catch your attention. Pushing out his chest, stretching out his arms, subtle flexing that left you biting your lip to keep from laughing at how ridiculous of a flirt he was. He’d test the waters by matching your gaze over the tops of his glasses until you were blushing and flustered. Then he’d come over to your table and sit down with a pleased smile offering to refresh your drink.

Everytime, no matter where you were, like a moth to a flame he would find you. At first it was the best feeling in the world. It warmed you every time he’d find you. Everytime you were in a room full of people and the first thing he noticed was you. Everytime he would find a new way to get your attention, introduce himself to you, and flirt with you made you fall a little bit more for him. Then, slowly, it became the worst feeling. It was bitter for you because even though there was clearly something there, you were stuck. You were falling deeper in love with him than you’d ever been with anyone else. You learned and relearned every part of him, and all he ever wanted was your name. It got harder and harder for you to “meet” him, feeling so hopeless, knowing it was all for nothing. Desperate for a break you’d been avoiding messages and calls from Minhyuk for days.

Too frustrated by everything you just wanted a step back. A moment of your life where Hoseok’s face wasn’t the only thing you saw or the only thing you thought about. Work was turning out to be a decent distraction for that. Especially as there was a big opening at the art gallery you worked for in the upcoming weeks that you were busy preparing for. You were actually on the phone with the caterers for the event when you heard the chime of the door opening.

“I told Bianca when we spoke last week that it was eight hundred. Minimum.” you said calmly looking up from your paperwork to the visitor. You placed your hand over the mouth of the phone before saying “I’ll be with you in just a moment.”

Everything stopped as you caught sight of him. He may have had his back to you but that didn’t change the fact that you knew it was him. There was a black beanie pulled over his hair and his ears and he was wearing a leather jacket over a pair of light jeans. There was no reason for you to know it was him from where you were positioned but you did with one hundred percent certainty. You sunk down behind the front desk and took several deep breaths. There had been no plans made with Minhyuk for this, you didn’t even remember telling him where you worked. He had never once told you to expect this.

“Ma’am, hello?” you could hear the woman from the catering company on the phone, “Are you still there?”

“Oh my god,” you hissed into the receiver, “can you please give me a minute. I need a minute.”

You grabbed your cellphone off the desk and pulled it into your lap bringing up the conversation you had with Minhyuk.

You 1:15 pm: Are you here?

It took a minute for you to see the bubble pop up with its three little dots. Or it might have been seconds, but time got strange when you weren’t functioning properly.

Min 1:16 pm: ...where?

You 1:16 pm: At my work.

You 1:16 pm: Min

You 1:16 pm: Did you send him here?

You 1:16 pm: How do you know where I work?

You 1:16 pm: Min

You 1:17 pm: Min

You 1:17 pm: EXPLAIN PLEASE

Min 1:17 pm: Who

Min 1:17 pm: Wtf r u talking about??

Min 1:17 pm: I’m at the restaurant

Min 1:17 pm: haven’t heard from u in a week...

You looked up again to see that he had moved near the back of the gallery, still just observing the art. You could see now that he was wearing his tight maroon sweater under the jacket and your eyes went wide, he looked so good there was no way this wasn’t a trap.

You 1:18pm: Ho! Seok! Hoseok is at my work right now!

The bubble appeared and disappeared four different times and then…

Min 1:19pm: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

You 1:19pm: You’re a dead man Lee Minhyuk.

After the message sent you slammed your phone down on the desk and picked up the cordless phone for the gallery.

“Are you still there?” you asked hurriedly.

“Yes…”

“Okay, I’m going to have to call you back. Something super urgent came up, a fire to put out. I will call you back as soon as I can.” the woman on the other end sounded upset but you didn’t have the time to concern yourself with it.

You stood up and smoothed out your skirt before inconspicuously slipping back into the heels you’d kicked off under the desk. After several deep breaths you walked over to where he was standing. He’d been looking at a tall, nearly ten foot tall, narrow painting that you’d had in the gallery forever. He’d seen it before. He used to come in all the time to pick you up from work or to take you to lunch. When this painting came in originally he’d looked it over for a long time and said

“You’re never going to sell this.” you blinked at the Hoseok standing in front of you now, a sincere wave of deja vu crashing over you. He looked over at you and smiled, “I mean, not that I think you’re a bad salesperson it’s just who has the kind of space for it?”

It took an excruciatingly long moment for you to reply as he stood there looking at you, waiting. “Not the first time I’ve heard that. Um, unfortunately you’re not wrong. It’s been hard to move to say the least.”

“If I had somewhere to put it, I’d take it off your hands.” Not the first time you’d heard that either. He reached out his hand, “I’m Hoseok.”

“Hi Hoseok, I’m y/n. Did you need help finding something?” you asked tugging your lip between your teeth.

He shook his head, “No. I actually was just going to get lunch. I liked the way the door looked, thought I’d come inside.”

“The door… of the building?”

“Weird, right? I saw it and it just felt...familiar? Just felt like I’d been wanting to come in here for awhile, and I had the time so here I am.” he grinned. “Do you know any good places to eat around here?”

That earned him a suspicious look. He lived maybe a handful of blocks away from here and you knew his favorite ramen shop was about two streets over. “What are you hungry for?”

“What would you want? If you were going to lunch with me, what would you be hungry for?” he asked.

You crossed your arms over your chest and thought about it, “Anything I want?”

He nodded, “Anything at all.”

“Curry.” you said with a smirk waiting for a groan or a request for something else.

He made a bit of a face and then smiled, “Okay. Let’s go then.”

“What?” you asked surprised.

“Come get lunch with me.” he shrugged as if it was no big deal to ask someone you’d known for five minutes out to lunch.

“That’s bold of you. Anyway, I’m at work.” you said and looked around the empty gallery, “Alone. I can’t just leave.”

He hummed thoughtfully, “How long? How long until you’re not alone?”

“Could be hours.” you lied and looked down at your watch. Your coworker should actually have been back from her lunch twenty minutes ago.

“I’ll wait then.” he said clasping his hands behind his back and moving on to the next piece of art.

You couldn’t move, you just watched him as he walked around the gallery. Never once did he look back at you. He didn’t need to, he’d already seen the incredulous look that you’d had frozen on your face. Finally, after taking way too long to respond once again, you walked over to where he had stopped this time.

“Why would you wait that long just to have lunch with a stranger?” you asked.

He turned to you with a small smirk on his lips, “I think you’re pretty. I also thought it was cute, the way you were trying to hide behind your desk when I came in. So I’d like to have a meal with you. Also I’ve never had curry before. I wouldn’t know the first thing about what to order, I’ll need you to come with me to tell me what’s best.”

You scoffed, “You think you’re so charming, don’t you?”

“What, you disagree?” he laughed.

“I didn’t say that.” you blushed and looked away.

You both turned at the sound of the chime for the front door to see your coworker scurrying in. Big sunglasses on her face, big purse on her shoulder, and big phone against her ear. She had a finger raised as if to shush you before you even thought to say anything. The two of you watched her go around the desk to drop her bag off and then click clack her way to the restroom without even so much as a hello.

“Well would you look at that?” he said, “You’re not alone anymore.”

You opened your mouth to say something but thought better of it and ended up just rolling your eyes, much to his amusement. When Mina returned from the restroom she had her sunglasses on the top of her head and was just pulling her phone from her ear.

“Hey, Y/n! Soooo sorry I’m late. We had italian for lunch. I had too many bellinis and honestly the service was terrible. It’s not really even my fault I’m late.” She looked up at you finally and her eyes went wide, “Oh. My. God. Is that H-”

“Hey!” you shouted enthusiastically, “Hey, Mina. Mina...hey! Can I talk to you?”

“Sure,” she said eyeing Hoseok as you hurried over to the desk where she was standing. When you arrived she leaned in and said, “That is Hoseok, right?”

“Yes,” you said quietly.

“I can’t really blame you for going back to him, he looks…” she ran her tongue across her lip as she looked over at him. “So good.”

You sighed, “We’re going to go to lunch, so I’ll be gone for a little bit.”

She raised a dramatic eyebrow. “Oh, you think you’ll be coming back to work after. That’s so cute.”

“Mina! Please, it’s just lunch.”

“Just lunch...with that man? I don’t think so, y/n.” she said waving over at Hoseok and he nodded kindly in return, “Yeah, leave your panties here, you won’t be needing them where he’s taking you.”

“Anyway…” you said and grabbed your purse off of the desk, “I’ll be back. Hoseok, let’s go.”

He hurried to the front where you were and went to open the door for you.

“I won’t hold my breath!” Mina called in a song song as you made your way outside.

Lunch with Hoseok had been amazing. At several points you’d questioned why you had ever wanted space from him in the first place. You also realized you’d gotten so good at feigning interest in the things he’d repeatedly told you about himself as first meeting banter. The best part by far had been something new. It had been ordering Hoseok his favorite dish from the restaurant and watching his face explode in delight at the very first bite. He made you laugh so hard your cheeks ached and the two of you ate so much you thought you’d never have to eat again as long as you lived.

Afterwards he asked if you wanted to take a walk with him or if you had to go back to work right away. You didn’t want to prove Mina wrong so you sent her a quick message to let her know you wouldn’t be back that afternoon. You also found a message from Minhyuk swearing he had nothing to do with it, which you ignored. Hoseok walked the two of you down the street to the park that was across from his apartment building. You walked and talked down the bike path and around the small duck pond and then back up again. Finally you begged for the chance to sit down.

Your work heels weren’t meant for leisurely strolls, and you’d become worried they were filling with blood. Though truth be told, if he’d wanted to you would have kept walking for miles, but you were grateful that you didn’t have to. You were grateful he had found an unoccupied bench for the two of you to share. You sat there for some time, at one point the wind picked up and he threw his jacket over your shoulders to make sure you were comfortable enough to stay with him a little longer.

“I’m really glad I walked into your work today.” he said moving a few stray hairs away from your face. The lights in the park started to turn on as the sun neared setting.

“Me too.” you agreed watching his tongue brush over his lips. This, you’d thought to yourself, would be a good moment for him to kiss you. If he didn’t you imagined you might scream out of frustration.

The two of you sat there for a little while longer, just watching each other. It didn’t have quite the intensity of his staring game, but it still left knots in your stomach. Your whole body was vibrating as you caught him eyeing your mouth. He gulped lightly and it felt like this was it. So you sat still as a statue as he leaned in, worried you might scare him off if you made any sudden movements. He was so close, nose brushing lightly against yours close. Then he pulled away.

“I’m so sorry.” he shook his head, “I don’t know why I did that. We just met, that was really out of line. I apologize.”

You sat quietly for a minute. All of your sexual frustration threatening to boil over. Little white bubbles stacking up beyond your capacity, staying put by nothing more than the grace of god. Looking at his face you knew you couldn’t yell at him, despite the urge to that was tugging at your chest. It wasn’t his fault, he didn’t know, but this wasn’t your fault either. It wasn’t fair for anyone.

“I can’t do this anymore.” you sighed and stood up, “I can’t.”

“Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“I just can’t, Hoseok. I’m so sorry.” you said through trembling lips as you pulled his jacket off your shoulders.

He took the jacket from you reluctantly, “It was a mistake, I won’t try it again. We don’t have to do anything, I promise I didn’t expect anything from you. I just wanted to spend time with you.”

“That’s the problem!” you groaned in frustration, he probably already thought you were crazy. You thought you might as well get it all out so he could go to bed and forget any of it happened. “I know it’s not your fault, but you can’t possibly understand how hard it is for me to be falling so desperately in love with a man that never remembers who I am! I don’t get to kiss you or touch you like I want, like I was used to. Every day it’s like you’re meeting me for the first time and you would never want to spend time with a girl that desperate that she begs for your physical attention after the first five minutes of meeting her.”

“I…” it was clear he was already confused by everything you were saying but it was too late, you just had to get it out.

“No, I’m not done.” you said lifting your finger, “Because now it’s so much more than that. It’s more than kissing you and holding you. It’s the inside jokes that you’re on the outside of. It’s the memories that you can’t remember and feeling like maybe I made all of it up. Maybe I made us up. Worst of all...worst of all, it’s knowing in the back of my mind that maybe before all of this you could have fallen in love with me too. I could have made you love me and now I can’t even get you to remember me.”

“I don’t...I don’t know what to say.”

“No, I know. I know.” you sniffed and smiled weakly, “I’m going to kiss you. Is that okay?”

He didn’t know why it felt right but he nodded, “Yeah.”

You grabbed his face in your hands and pulled his mouth to yours. It felt so good to have his soft, full lips against yours. He pulled you close, letting you sink into his chest. It was bittersweet. Kissing him again was exactly what you remembered it could be, but that only reminded you how much it hurt to not have it all the time. You left a quick peck of a kiss and pulled back.

“I’m gonna leave. Um, I’ll call Minhyuk and let him know.” You ran your hand over his chest with a sigh, “I’m really, I’m really sorry I wasn’t...strong enough for this. I hope you get to remember.”

“Minhyuk?” he asked still dazed and very much confused, “You know Minhyuk?”

“Yeah, you should call him. He can explain everything.” you grabbed your purse off the bench and slipped on your shoes. Hoseok didn’t know what else to do but stand there and watch you. Everything you had confessed, the kiss, and his feelings on all of it still processing very slowly. When you were ready you leaned up one last time and kissed his cheek, “I really do love you, Hoseok. I wish you could remember that.”

~~~

It was lucky for you that it was the start of your weekend because when you got home and sunk into your pajamas you knew that you’d have been useless if you were forced to try doing anything beyond laying in bed watching sappy romance movies and eating ice cream a gallon at a time. You called Minhyuk to try and explain why you couldn’t do it anymore through hefty sobs but he wasn’t understanding anything you said. You ended up just texting him something of an essay that didn’t make much more sense than your verbal ramblings but you’d figured you’d tried your best and it’s all you could do.

It made you incredibly frustrated, mad, and just generally upset that you had to get over Hoseok for a second time. Part of you wished you’d never seen him again, that you didn’t know about the accident. That you hadn’t spent the last couple of months fruitlessly trying to help him get his memory back. Mostly you just wished that he would come back to you.

Sunday morning you woke up fairly early. You showered and got ready for the day like a normal human being, and made your way down the street to the grocery store. The pretense was that you were going to pick up some vegetables and fruit, something sustainable. Part of you knew all along that you were just going to get more ice cream. As you walked up the sidewalk to your apartment building you saw a familiar face. You shifted your bag of groceries in your arm as you watched Hoseok, wondering what he was doing there.

“Seriously, Minhyuk…” you muttered under your breath.

Hoseok looked completely lost, just slowly spinning around in a circle like he was looking for something specific. As you got closer to him, he stopped. You could see his Adam’s apple bob in his throat with a gulp and you wondered for the briefest moment if maybe he remembered you, if you were the something specific he’d been looking for. You kept his gaze, half expecting him to say something to you. Instead his cheeks grew a shy blush and he looked away as you passed him. Maybe not. The fact that he didn’t say anything to you only made you more curious as to why he was there if it really wasn’t for you. You walked up the few steps of the stoop and tried to juggle your groceries as you dug into your purse for your keys.

“Do you need some help?”

Even though you knew he was there, his voice still took you by surprise. You looked over your shoulder and smiled, “No, thanks. I got it.”

“Okay.” He smiled back lightly and shoved his hands in his pockets before walking down the sidewalk a little ways.

Once you got yourself inside you stopped to grab your mail. You could still see him from your mailbox, wandering around aimlessly. He looked like a sad, lost puppy and all the frustration you’d felt start to dissipate yet again. You let out a long deep sigh as you realized that it was never going to be over for you, not when it came to him.

Leaving your groceries on the shelf in front of the mailboxes you walked over to the door and pushed it open. “Do you need help with something?”

Hoseok spun around with a bright smile on his face. “I don’t know.”

Your eyebrows knit together in confusion. “What?”

“Um…” he looked around the street once more and then jogged the short way to your stoop. “I don’t know what I’m doing here. You ever get the feeling you’re supposed to be somewhere but once you get there you’re not sure what you’re there for?”

“Literally never...done that” You laughed.

“I know it sounds crazy.” He shook his head and looked back up at you, meeting your gaze but this time with more confidence. “I woke up this morning and I knew that I had to be here, that it was important that I come here.”

You gulped, “Like right here, to this spot?”

“I didn’t know, not it first. It was more general. I’ve been walking around this neighborhood all morning and then when I got to this street I just knew I was close and then I got to that light post over there and...can’t figure out where I’m supposed to go. But I know this is approximately where I need to be. I haven’t been able to figure out why. It feels familiar but nothing looks familiar. Does that make sense?”

“Why did you feel like you needed to come here?” You asked leaning against the doorframe.

His smile faltered slightly. “I felt bad, I think. Guilty maybe, like I needed to make something right. My heads been weird lately. I thought I’d know when I got here.”

“Well…” you sighed, had he really come all this way to make up with you without even knowing it? Or were you just reading too far into it? “If you’ve been outside all morning you should come in for awhile and warm up. You don’t want to get sick. I can make you some tea.”

“Really?” He asked, looking thrilled at the idea, “You’d do that for a stranger?”

You let out a small laugh, “Yeah...I’d do that for a stranger. Come on, I’m letting all the hot air out.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much.” he said slipping inside of the building. He watched as you got your mail, you’d been too distracted by him to do it before. Then he snatched up your bag of groceries before you could, “I’ll carry them. It’s the least I could do.”

“I guess, if you really want to.” you grinned walking over to the stairs.

“I’m Hoseok, by the way.”

You let out a little hum and nodded, “Nice to meet you, Hoseok. I’m y/n.”

Inside your apartment you brought the groceries to the kitchen and told Hoseok to make himself at home as you started the water for the tea. As you waited for the water to heat up you peeked around the corner of the kitchen and watched him as he scoped out your living room. He looked cozy in his old, oversized, black hoodie and a pair of gray sweatpants. You let yourself imagine, just for a moment, how nice it would be to get back into your pajamas and curl up on the couch with him. Luckily the whistle of your tea kettle woke you from your fantasy and you slipped back into the kitchen.

When you came back into the living room with the tea he was sitting in front of your record collection, flipping through the old vinyls. He looked up at you with a smile, “This is really cool.”

You handed him one of the cups and sat down on the floor with him, “It was mostly inheritance from my dad. I’ve picked up a handful here and there, but it was mostly his thing.”

“Can I put something on?” he asked hopefully.

“Sure.” you shrugged and while he flipped through the records you crawled over to the couch and started tossing throw pillows onto the floor in front of the record player.

After you crawled back over you laid on your back with your head on one of the pillows and closed your eyes. You weren’t entirely surprised when the first song started to play. It was one he’d played often when he came over to your place before. A well worn compilation of vintage soul songs, it had been your dads favorite record too. Hoseok laid down on his stomach, tucking a pillow under his chest, and held the tea you’d made in his hands.

When you opened your eyes he was looking down at you with a curious smile, “Is this okay?”

“This is really nice. I like it.” you nodded.

You watched him for awhile as he bobbed his head and moved his shoulders to the beat of the songs, taking sips every now and then of the tea in his hands. He looked happy and content. You thought to ask him what he was thinking about but didn’t want to bother him. When he was warm from the tea he moved his pillow so that he could rest his head on it. Then you watched each other quietly as the music played in the background.

“Did you ever figure out what you came here for?” you asked.

He smiled shyly and turned his face into the pillow for a second before looking back at you, “Yeah, I think I did.”

~~~

Minhyuk smirked when he saw you walk into the bar that evening. Without offering you a greeting he started making your usual drink as you found a seat.

“I see you changed your mind.” He said sliding the glass in front of you. “That didn’t last long at all.”

You gulped down a mouthful of the drink and placed your glass back on the bar. “Don’t boast, it doesn’t suit you.”

“What changed your mind?” He asked leaning against the bar top.

“Hoseok.” You answered simply.

“Speaking of, he’s not here tonight. He’s off today.”

“Yeah, I know. I saw him earlier. We spent a couple of hours together.” You cleared your throat, “That’s why I’m here to see you, we need to talk. Something is changing with him.”

“Something good or something bad?”

“Good. I think.” You said, “He came to me today.”

“He usually does make the first move.”

“No, he found me. I didn’t seek him out or make myself available to him somewhere. I got home from the store and he was standing in front of my apartment. He had no idea why he was there, but he came to me. If you really didn’t send him to my work like you say you didn’t, that means it’s the second time this week he’s done that.”

“Hold that thought.” he said and moved down the bar to the customer that had just sat down.

You wondered what it meant, if it was possible it meant that he was getting more memories back. How could he have known where to go if it weren’t for some subconscious memory trying to make its way to the surface. If that was the case then it meant there was finally a sliver of hope that you could hang onto and that’s all you’d really needed all along. A vision of a light at the end of the tunnel.

“Okay.” Minhyuk said sliding back over to you, “I want to get into the Hoseok thing, that’s important, but I also need you to clarify what the hell you were talking about the other day when you said you were done. Can you tell me now without crying? Hoseok seemed to think you were, I don’t know, the way he described it just sounded like you were horny, to be honest.”

Your cheeks burned red as he smirked at you. “No… that’s not… not exactly. I mean, okay, yes. I am… horny or whatever, but it was more than that. It is more than that. I have feelings for him and he can’t have feelings for me because he can’t even remember me. And yes, sometimes I want to kiss him and more-”

Minhyuk snorted, “Kiss him and more. Are you five?”

“Shut up.” you rolled your eyes, “I want more from him but everyday is the first day we’ve met for him and there’s no good way to try sleep with someone an hour after you’ve met.”

“You’ve spent all this time with him and never asked him to smash?”

“No!” you gasped, mortified, “Total time, yes we’ve spent a lifetime together, but he doesn’t know that. From his point of view every time we meet it’s the first time and it’s only for like three or four hours max. No one is just going to ask a stranger to have sex with them a few hours after they’ve met.”

He scoffed, fully amused at your assumption. “Uhhh, false. Guys will. Guys will have sex with women within minutes of meeting them.”

“You’re disgusting.”

“Men are disgusting and I’m a man, so you’re not wrong.” he shrugged and leaned against the bar. He knocked his knuckles against the wood rhythmically as he thought. “How many dates did you go on before you guys originally hooked up?”

“Well,” you flushed slightly. “It was...the first...date.”

He raised his eyebrows at you, “Then what’s the issue? Just make a move already.”

“It was different that day!” you argued. “We met early in the morning and ended up spending all day together. We were with each other for over twelve hours by the time we got to his place. So it was like we’d gone on three dates, just all at one time”

“Okay, then just do that again.” he said as if it was the obvious answer, “It’s not like we haven’t fabricated all of your other dates.”

“This one we can’t. The day we met we were both going to a festival. That’s why it worked out the way it did. It’s not like there are festivals happening all day everyday just because I need one.“

“Festival?” Minhyuk asked looking suspicious. “What kind of festival was this?”

“Just a music festival down by River Park.”

“Bullshit,” he laughed, “Hoseok would never go to a music festival. He hates that crap. He doesn’t even like to go to regular concerts. He thinks they’re a waste of time and money.”

“Well I don’t know what to tell you. He was there with me all day.”

“Who mentioned this festival first, you or him?” he asked, clearly not letting it go.

“I don’t know, it was like four years ago!” you said shaking your head, but then you realized you did remember. “It was me. I was wearing some dumb outfit and he said ‘looks like you’re going somewhere fun’ and I told him about the festival, it’s how we started talking actually.”

“Hoseok, you sly dog.” Minhyuk grinned, “I’d bet a million and a half dollars he didn’t even know about the festival until he met you.”

You shook your head in denial, “He had a ticket.”

“A ticket he could have purchased online, day of the event, using his phone?” your face scrunched in confusion. “It didn’t seem weird to you that he was going alone or not meeting anyone there?”

“Not at all, because I was going to go by myself before I met him that day.”

Minhyuk stopped and looked at you for a long while. It was like he was looking at you for the first time. You squirmed uncomfortably under his lingering gaze. You reached over the bar and grabbed an olive before throwing it at him. “Oh my god, what?

“I can’t believe it took me so long to realise it. It’s so clear, everything makes so much more sense now.”

“What is clear? Make your weird little brain make sense to me!” you complained.

“Hoseok was in love with you from day fucking one.” he chuckled to himself, “It’s why he always finds you. Subconsciously he has to remember. I knew, I knew all we needed was you. We just have to figure out what to do with it.”

“In love with me? Are you kidding? We weren’t even dating.”

“You went to dinner together. You watched movies together. You went to festivals together. You made him dinner and he bought you birthday presents. Oh, and you had sex regularly...What the hell do you call that?”

“Nothing!” you argued, “We didn’t call it anything. That was the point. We didn’t have time for dating and feelings. We were just friends with benefits.”

“Well.” Minhyuk sighed, “We learned two things today. One piece of good news, one piece of bad news.

“Yeah, what’s that?” you asked taking a drink.

“Bad news is you’re a totally useless idiot. Good news is I wasn’t the last one on earth to figure out you two were in fact dating and also in love with each other.”

You rolled your eyes yet again, your favorite thing to do when Minhyuk was around really, “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Get your head in the game, y/n!” he said reaching over the bar and dramatically strangling the the air in front of your neck, “He’s in love with you, you’re in love with him. Let’s figure out how to fix this mess!”

~~~

Your hands were shaking as you stood in line for coffee at your favorite cafe. It had taken Minhyuk all of ten minutes to come up with a plan and even though you weren’t sure it was going to work you also didn’t have any better ideas. It also wouldn’t hurt to try considering Hoseok would just forget by tomorrow if everything went to hell. He was standing in line ahead of you getting his coffee, his phone pressed between his shoulder and his ear. You said a silent prayer as he thanked the barista and turned around to leave.

“I’m literally right across the street. It doesn’t make sense for me to not come in today.” He was still on the phone, with who you knew was Minhyuk. As he got closer you took a deep breath and stepped to the side just a few inches. His shoulder crashed into yours. There was the sound of a splash and then he said, “Shit, Min. I gotta go.”

You turned towards him and touched his forearm lightly, “Oh my god, are you okay? I’m so sorry!”

He looked from your hand to your face where he stared for quite some time, just blinking at you. “No. Yeah! I’m fine, did I get you with my coffee?”

“Um,” you looked down at your outfit, “My shoes a little but that’s okay. I’m really sorry.”

“Please,” he shook his head, “It was entirely my fault. I was on my phone, not paying attention.”

“Even still, please let me get you another coffee. Do you have a minute to wait with me?”

Hoseok looked down at the phone in his hand, Minhyuk had said not to come in today, that he wasn’t needed. Looking back up at you he smiled, “Yeah. I have all day actually.”

“Awesome!” You beamed, “I’m going to go get something to clean this up with. Stay here for just a minute, save our place in line?”

“Of course.”

You let out a deep breath you didn’t realize you’d been holding as you stepped away. Phase one of Minhyuk’s plan was right on track.

According to Minhyuk phase one was equal to the first date. A “meet cute at the coffee shop” he’d called it. You were impressed at how everything had happened exactly like he said it would. After the mess was cleaned up and you bought Hoseok his new coffee you asked if he’d wanted to sit with you awhile and he was thrilled by the idea. Four hours of effortless conversation passed. Part of you didn’t even want to move on to phase two, you’d been so happy with how phase one was turning out. Even if you would have been fine joking around and laughing with him in that cafe for four more hours, you moved on with the plan.

Phase two, or date two, was the fall festival down at the park where the original music festival had been. Minhyuk had found out about it after thirty seconds of googling and made a terrible joke about how you’d been wrong when you said there weren’t festivals whenever you needed them. It wasn’t the same exact thing as your first first date, but it could still be a lot of fun if he agreed to it. You asked Hoseok if he’d heard about the festival and when he said no you asked, ‘even though you’d just met’, if he wanted to go check it out with you. He agreed immediately and the two of you walked down to River Park. A true gentleman, he bought your entrance ticket but you only let him do it after he promised to let you buy him a corndog.

For hours you walked around the festival. You did some people watching, lots of judging and even more laughing. You got on some sketchy looking festival rides and felt grateful every time you walked off of them in one piece. And you ate way too much fried food. Your latest culinary decision had been a pumpkin spice funnel cake and a hot chocolate. Hoseok drank hot apple cider while eating his second corndog of the day. His was a combination you couldn’t get behind entirely, but he seemed to be enjoying it and you loved to see the smile on his face.

As the two of you walked down the midway you tore a piece of your funnel cake and held it up to his mouth, “So good, try it.”

You bit your lip as he leaned forward and wrapped his lips around your fingers before sucking the treat into his mouth. He hummed as you pulled your hand away, “There’s so much delicious, horrible food here and I must eat it all. Why?”

“I don’t know,” you laughed, taking another bite, “Isn’t it the best?”

“Oh! Oh! Oh!” he pointed enthusiastically across the way from where you were standing to one of those balloon and dart games. “There. We have to go over there.”

You groaned, “Those are just money traps. Let’s go to the fun house!”

“After.” he said grabbing your wrist and pulling you across the crowded midway with determination.

Very politely he asked you to hold his apple cider and you obliged. He shoved the rest of his corndog in his mouth, and was standing with it bulging from his cheek as he dug out his wallet. You watched as he exchanged his cash for three darts. In a manner that was all too serious for you he took his stance. His tongue was sticking out of the side of his mouth as he eyed one of the balloons. One out of three balloons had popped, winning him a tiny plastic toy. Apparently that wasn’t what he wanted because he pulled out more cash from his wallet and exchanged it for more darts.

It was clear after sometime that you were not going to be leaving that game until he got whatever it was he was after. In the time it was taking you finished your funnel cake and neither of you had a drink left. You’d even left at one point to find a trash, found a clown making balloon animals and purchased a balloon crown. When you finally came back he was still going and you put the crown on his head and told him it was good luck. There was a growing pile in front of him of very cheaply made, small and medium toys. Things were getting tense as he was down to his last few bills.

“What are you even after?” you asked curiously as he received another bunch of darts.

“You’ll see.” he took his first shot, the dart bursting through a red latex balloon. He got the second one too, blue balloon bits exploding with a pop! With a contemplative sigh he looked over at you and asked very seriously, “Yellow or green?”

“Green.” you answered quickly and confidently.

He focused ahead and took a deep breath before throwing the last dart. The point of the dart blasted through the green latex balloon and you couldn’t help but scream out in excitement. You laughed as Hoseok turned and lifted you off the ground to spin you around.

“You did it!” you exclaimed as he put you back down.

“Great,” the carny said with much less enthusiasm. “Toad or bunny?”

“Bunny.” He smiled, leaving his arm around your hip as he waited for his prize.

Both of you watched as the carny grabbed his long hooked stick and hoisted it into the mess of stuffed toads and bunnies above his head. He gave it a little jiggle and the huge bunny in his little velvet vest with his tiny bowtie tumbled from the sky.

“All of this because you wanted a bunny?” You asked shaking your head.

“No.” He handed you the bunny and smiled, “I don’t need a bunny, I am a bunny. The bunny is for you so can take him home and think of me when you see him.”

Your mouth fell in awe and amusement. He was such an incredible flirt and you weren’t sure when you’d started taking that for granted. Giving the bunny a tight squeeze you remembered that he had in fact told you he was a bunny when you’d first met and that he’d said to be gentle with him. At the time you’d thought he was just joking, but you’d been learning more and more that despite his manly physique he was the softest, sweetest man you’d ever met.

“You’re keeping all of them?” You asked genuinely surprised as he scooped up the whole stack of smaller prizes in his arm.”

“No, not keeping them, but I did pay for them” he looked over at you and smiled, pleased by the way you were holding onto the stuffed bunny. “Fun house?”

As you made your way down the midway once more, headed towards the fun house, you watched him as he passed out his stack of prizes to kids he saw along the way until his arms were empty. When that was done he threw his freed arm over your shoulder and you blushed into your fluffy, oversized gift. Phase two - second date, was going flawlessly.

~~~

With your arms wrapped tightly around your bunny you stood face to face with Hoseok in front of the exit gates of the festival. People were swarming around you as they tried to leave. Broke teenage couples that spent too much money cheap trinkets and rides all day, parents with pink cheeked toddlers crashed out against their shoulders. You tugged your lip between your teeth, it was time to initiate phase three - date three.

“So…” you said slowly, this was the one you were least certain he’d agree to. “I know it’s late and we’ve already spent all day together. You’re probably tired of me and want to go home but...my friend is spinning at a club a few blocks away. If you’re at all interested in spending even more time with me, I can get us in. No wait, no cover, maybe free drinks?”

“Ummm.” you were trembling, so nervous he was going to say no. “I was actually trying to think of an excuse to spend more time with you myself, so I would love to go.”

“Oh.” you sighed with relief. You felt warm all over despite the chill of the fall air. “Well, good.”

Before the two of you even got passed the gates he’d scooped up your hand in his and you led him the few blocks to the busy club. There was a line that wrapped around the corner of the building of people waiting to get into the club, but you dragged Hoseok, and Bunho, who Hoseok had named for you, to the front of the line. You dropped your name and were let in without a seconds worth of waiting. You could still hear the groans of the line outside as you walked into the building.

Inside the club was packed from wall to wall. You squeezed Hoseok’s hand as you led him to the DJ booth, laughing to yourself as people stared at the giant stuffed bunny in your arms. In the booth you were greeted by your old friend Hyungwon. He’d met Hoseok before plenty of times but you weren’t worried about him remembering as he met hundreds of people a night and was usually already tipsy before his sets even started. If you didn’t meet him outside of a club he was never going to remember you. After giving Hoseok a friendly handshake, Hyungwon wrapped his arms around you in a tight hug as a greeting and told you how happy he was you could make it. He handed over two neon green wristbands that were good for free drinks at the bar, and he promised to take care of Bunho in the booth while you had fun.

“Will you dance with me?” You asked against Hoseok's ear once you were on the crowded dance floor.

He looked so tense, but he nodded in agreement anyway. You tried several different moves in an attempt to get him to loosen up but you could tell he wasn’t feeling it yet.

Remembering the wristbands you put one in his wrist and the other on yours before shoving him to the bar. There the two of you indulged in several shots of top shelf tequila and a couple of mixed drinks. Within no time at all you both were in the best of spirits and you couldn’t shake the urge you had to dance. You asked again if he wanted to dance and this time he nodded enthusiastically

He held your hips as you both made your way back to the dance floor. It was a tight fit all around but you found a decent spot near the back where there was actually enough space to move. His cheeks and the tips of his ears were pink from the alcohol as he danced with you in the crowded club. You were glad he’d finally loosened up and seemed to be having fun.

You danced for what felt like hours and you wanted nothing more than to keep going. The pair of you jumped around, arms flailing recklessly through the air. He grabbed your hand and twirled you around under his arm several times.

Then he spun you out and pulled you back into his arms. Your heart was pounding in your chest, your chest pressed against his. Both of you were short of breath. Everyone around you kept dancing while he held you close. Not moving, not speaking, barely breathing. Your fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt and you leaned in just slightly, testing the waters. He leaned towards you, until your sweaty foreheads were pressed together. Your eyes hadn’t left his lips, but you were hesitating and you were sure why.

“Are you gonna kiss me or what?” He grinned.

That was the invitation you’d apparently needed. Pulling on his shirt you tugged him that half an inch closer until your lips were pressed together. You smiled against his mouth. Really pressing yourself into him, you lifted your hands from his chest to his hair. His tongue brushed against your mouth and you let him in. You tried not to cry as you thought about how this was happening. Not some sad pity kiss in the park. A kiss you both wanted and were clearly enjoying. It felt so damn good. One of his hands slid up your back and cupped the back of your neck. You thought for a moment how you’d be okay doing this and only this for the rest of your life.

That only lasted until Hoseok pulled away from your lips and leaned close to your ear to whisper, “Do you want to get out of here?”

That one single question had an implication that left fireworks going off in the pit of your stomach.

~~~

The walk back to Hoseok’s place wouldn’t have taken that long. Even still he hailed the first cab he saw once you were out on the sidewalk outside of the club, not wanting to waste any more time. He’d pulled you into his lap in the backseat where you kissed the entire ride. In the elevator ride you stood on opposite sides. He held onto the bar behind him as he smiled over at you, anxiously tapping his leg. You peeked at him from between Bunho’s big ears, squeezing the bunny close to your chest. You couldn’t help but giggle at the feeling of anticipation running through you.

Once the elevator opened Hoseok was blasting passed you through the door, gripping your wrist tightly and leading you down the long hallway. You said a silent prayer that he’d get the code right the first time and almost cheered out loud when he did. Finally inside, your purse and giant stuffed bunny were left by the wayside as he pulled your hips towards his own.

His hands slid down your ass and backs of your legs until he’d hooked his arms around your legs to pull them around his waist. You had released several moans into his mouth. The way your body was reacting to his made you feel like he might as well already be inside you. You were feverish, and aching all over for more of him. So close to the release you’d been needing.

“You gotta…” he panted, pulling away from you slightly, “stop making that noise. My jeans are already too tight for that.”

“I can't stop.” You groaned again. Your hands fisted his hair. He let out some guttural noise and pulled away again gasping for air. And you whined, “God, I fucking missed you.”

“What?”

“Nothing.” You whispered against his ear before pulling it between your teeth, the way you knew he liked. His whole body shuddered and he slammed your back against the wall for leverage to keep from dropping to his knees. You dropped your legs from his waist to give him a break and he pressed his freed palms against the wall beside your head.

“How are you real?” He questioned as he rested his head against your neck, gasping desperately for air.

“Maybe I’m not.” You panted out your own reply.

“Okay..” he sighed, “I gotta get to that bed.”

Hooking his arms around your thighs he lifted you back up around his waist. You cupped his face in your hands, sucking his swollen lips between yours fervently while he danced the two of you the rest of the way down the hall. The mattress took you by surprise when he dropped you onto it. Hoseok stayed standing. You watched, your tongue passing over your lips, as he stepped back and unbuttoned his shirt before untucking it from his jeans.

You wanted to scream with excitement at the sight. It was really happening, after months and months. First months of thinking he’d just abandoned you. And then the ones you’d spent trying to get him to remember you. It was about to happen, you were here again with him and everything felt somewhat normal. Felt like it had before, when it was you and him, and everything was good.

When you focused back on him you realized he’d gotten down to just his tight black underwear and you gulped at the defined bulge. Feeling impatient you stood up, grabbed his face in your hands, and kissed him hard. He whimpered when you drug your nails down his chest.

“Sit down.” You muttered into his lips, “It’s my turn.”

He sat on the end of the bed and watched you with a giant, beautiful smile on his lips. You pulled your shirt over your head and immediately his eyes were wide. With a little chuckle, feeling quite proud of yourself, you unbuttoned your shorts and dragged them down your legs. When you stood back up Hoseok had his hand on his chest.

“I can’t…” he looked at you with wonder, “I can’t breathe.”

“Please, I’m not that special.” You laughed, thinking he was joking.

He shook his head, “No..I...I don’t know.. I can’t-“

“Hoseok…” you stepped forward and grabbed his shoulders. He looked like he was having a legitimate panic attack. “Oh my god.”

He grasped at you with both hands pulling you forward by your hips. He pressed his cheek against your bare stomach and begged you, “Hold me. Hold-hold me, please.”

Hunching over you wrapped an arm tight around his shoulders, and with the other you massaged his head. “I’ve got you. You’re okay. Just breathe, I’m right here.”

It took a couple of minutes for him to stop shaking, a little longer after that for his breathing to be steady, and then he was back to normal. He threw his head back and looked up at you. He looked so embarrassed, “I swear that’s never happened before.”

“Are you okay? What happened?” You asked placing a gentle palm against his flushed cheek.

“I saw you and...it’s so cheesy...I guess you just took my breath away.” He sighed, “It was something else though. I can’t explain it right, you won’t get it. I know we just met and this is the first time I’ve ever seen you like this but there was this overwhelming… it was like flashes of you, in front of me like you were but not now, not this moment. It wasn’t deja vu. It was like memories.”

You bit your lip unsure of how to handle what was happening. No one had told you what to do if his memory started to return like this. Were you supposed to explain everything to him? Risk him having another panic attack. If he had questions you weren’t sure you’d have the answers. “Should we stop?”

“God no.” He muttered, he was looking up at you with big doe eyes. “I mean, I don’t want to stop, but if I made you uncomfortable…”

You held out your hand to him and when he took it you pulled him to his feet. You planted a kiss against his lips before dropping to your knees. His eyebrows raised in pleasant surprise. As he stood before you, you tugged his black underwear from his hips, dragging them down his legs. He was already fully erect, his tip glistening.

Moving your hands back up his legs you could feel what you thought was scarring. You wondered if he even knew it was there, how often did someone look at the backs of their own legs. Trying your best to be inconspicuous you leaned in close to his hip and left a soft kiss. From that angle, looking down, you could see the scar. It looked pink and fresh, starting at his hip and following the length of his leg all the way to his ankle.

You rested your forehead against the top of his thigh, trying to keep yourself composed. Every reminder that you could have lost him for good had a bad habit of nearly breaking your heart.

His fingers traced you jaw to your chin and he lifted your face to look at his. “Are you okay? Do you want to stop?”

You shook your head and gave him a small smile, “Hoseok...you’re so beautiful.”

He tried to play it off but you could see very clearly on his face how much he appreciated the praise. You leaned back on your heels. And ran your hands down his inner thighs. He shuddered underneath your touch. Wrapping your hand around his length you leaned forward and swirled your tongue slowly around the tip. You grinned, seeing the muscles in his abdomen clench from the small action.

After one more teasing swirl, you took him into your mouth completely. Hands gripping his hips, you looked up at him through batted lashes. His breathing was tense already, and you wondered what he was thinking about as you sucked your cheeks in. You would have never guessed how desperately he was begging himself not to explode in your mouth after only a minute of your lips wrapped around him. He didn’t know why he was so sensitive, he didn’t know it had actually been a year since the last time he’d had sex.

He palmed your cheek as you bobbed back and forth along his length. Your tongue swirling around him simultaneously and you offered the perfect amount of teeth. The slightest dragging sensation that made his eyes roll back. Professional, was all he could think to himself as he gasped helplessly above you. You watched the heave of his chest, paired with the trembling if his thighs under your hands, and you knew he was close. He closed his eyes and you though for a second this was it.

Instead he pulled his hips away from you and panted out, “Stop. Wait. Fuck.”

“Are you okay?” You asked still concerned over his reaction earlier.

“Yeah I just…” he didn't know how to, or really want to, try and explain the comedic way he was imagining his orgasm would look. Feeling like he was going to blast out like a firehose, spraying your face relentlessly. You running away terrified. Him never seeing you again.

“Hoseok?”

“Just...come here.” He said with a smile and helped pull you to your feet. He kissed across your cheek and down your neck before whispering against your earlobe, “I want to taste you.”

That was a good enough reason for you. An anticipatory groan fell from your lips with such gusto that you felt embarrassed, wishing you could somehow take it back. However, Hoseok loved how much you wanted him back. With his hands on your hips he spun you around so your legs were backed against the bed. He kissed down your neck, across your collarbone and over your shoulder. His hands moving around you for just a moment before you were released from your bra.

You wanted to say something about the ease with which he removed your bra but the dark look in his eyes as he leaned back and slipped your straps from your shoulders left you incapable of saying anything at all. Your lip trapped between your teeth as he leaned forward once more to kiss and suck at the sensitive skin. His mouth left a moist trail all the way down your abdomen to the elastic band of your lace panties. His fingers hooked onto them on both sides of your hips and he tugged until you were completely naked in front of him.

“Sit.” He commanded. You did so easily, your legs bordering on the consistency of jello as it were. He knelt down in front of the edge of the bed and m propped your knees open in front of him. You were leaning back on your elbows, watching him as he dragged his fingers along your sex and smirked, “Hey, y/n…”

“What?” You asked breathlessly.

“You’re so beautiful.” Still smirking he leaned forward and buried himself in you.

Your arms fell weak and you crashed back against the bed as he worked you with his mouth. Just the swirl and dip of his tongue, and the way his lips wrapped around your clit, it was all you needed. In just minutes you were so close. And then he slipped his finger inside of you, then suddenly it was two pressing deep and curling as he pulled them out.

“Hoseok,” you gasped, “I-“

You couldn’t speak, you could barely breathe. Not much more than a mess beneath his touch. With a whimper you reached between your legs, running your fingers through his hair. Your toes curled and your back arched against the sheets. Eyes rolling back, you gushed around his fingers and onto his lips. The sound he made as he lapped up your orgasm nearly had you coming a second time.

When he was done he moved on to the bed, between your legs, crawling up your body until your lips were clashing together. You ran your hands up his back, your fingertips tracing the muscles in his shoulders. Pulling away from your lips he shuddered and leaned back in to kiss down your neck, his lips sucking greedily at your clavicle. Goosebumps raised across your skin from the gentle way he dragged his fingers over your body.

“Please,” you begged with a gulp. It was too much. He was too much.

You opened your hips beneath him as further invitation. He pushed himself up further, to get a better look at you. He ran his hand over your cheek and dipped his tongue out over his lips. His dark bangs were hanging away from his face and when he looked at you, you could have sworn he knew you. Not just knew you today, but knew you deeper than that. It was like he knew you were his. It took every ounce of self-restraint you had in your body not to tell him then and there how much you loved him.

He reached down between your legs and keeping your eyes locked with his he fitted himself against you. “You’re sure?”

“Positive.”

Your head fell back as he eased inside of you, the feeling was euphoric on a hundred different levels. His forehead pressed against your neck, and tiny grunts escaped his lips. You dug your nails into skin of his shoulders and dragged them down his back.

“God...damn” he gasped before digging his teeth into your skin.

“Over.” you said against his neck.

He rolled over on the mattress, taking you with him. You pushed yourself up, sitting back against his thighs. His hair was a mess and you were sure yours was even worse off. After some slight adjustment you sunk back down onto him and satisfied with the fill you sighed and looked down at him. As your hips rounded on him you moved your hands over his chest. The dip of his collarbones, the rise of his pecs. His hands gripped your thighs so your eyes followed his arms. Fingers to strong hands, hands to tightly flexed forearms, forearms to bulging biceps, and then just his smiling face looking up at you like you were everything.

“What?” he asked as you let out a small half laugh, half moan.

You shook your head, “Nothing, it’s so stupid.”

He moved his hands up to your hips to make sure you kept your pace as he lifted his own hips up until you were gasping from the fill. “Tell me.”

“It’s just,” you blushed from embarrassment, “you’re so sexy.”

He shook with laughter beneath you and the vibrations left you whimpering. You laughed at the sensation of it and he laughed with you.

You fell forward and giggled through tiny gasps, “Stop...laughing,”

“Why?” he asked, “It feels so good.”

“I know, but I’m gonna cum, and it’s not funny.” you groaned as he chuckled again.

“You’re right,” he said and your stomach tightened at the way he dropped the smile from his face. He moved his hand between your thighs and circled his finger against your clit, “I will take your orgasms very seriously from now on.”

“Oh. Oh my god!” your eyes blew wide as you hit your second orgasm for the night, “Hoseok, fuck!”

He squeezed his eyes shut, his nose scrunched up and he bit his lip as the pulsing from your orgasm brought him to his own. Breathless and exhausted you rested against his chest. You could have fallen asleep to the sound of his heartbeat.

~~~

That night you didn’t let yourself fall asleep next to Hoseok, even though a big part of you wanted to. The winning part of your mind couldn’t stop imagining how terrible the next morning would go when he woke up with a stranger in his bed. Especially after the breakdown he’d already had, you just weren’t sure how he’d handle it. So that night you made up some excuse about needing to be up early the next day and went home with just Bunho to keep you company. Then you did it again. Three more times. Three more day long dates with Hoseok that ended in some of the best sex you’d ever had in your life. Each time you ended up being too afraid to stay for fear of what might happen the next morning, despite the fact that every time he’d asked you to stay.

After the fifth daylong date you found yourself dozing off. You’d been laying with your head on his chest, and he was running his fingers over your bare skin. He’d been humming a song for a while, though you couldn’t figure out which one it was. All you knew was that it was soothing. Hitting that moment when you’re just about to truly fall asleep your eyes flew open.

“I really need to get out of here.” you sighed, pushing yourself up and out of his arms.

“What? No, why?” he asked grabbing your hand, “Stay with me, I don’t mind.”

“I can’t.” you looked over at him almost annoyed at how effortlessly handsome he was being. How effortlessly handsome he always was. “You won’t want me here in the morning.”

“Why? What happens in the morning?” he asked brushing your cheek with his thumb.

“Nothing, you’ll just change your mind.”

You sank back down onto the pillow next to his and looked over at him. You didn’t want to leave, and were less worried now that you were feeling wide awake. He placed his hand against your cheek. He locked eyes with you and you couldn’t look away. His face was so serious, the slightest pout on his pink lips. Your heart was beating impossibly fast.

“Stop.” you said gently, trying to match his calm energy.

“Stop what?” he asked raising a single eyebrow, looking almost innocent.

“Looking at me with your face.” he laughed and you felt yourself sink further into the bed at the sound. “Looking at me like you know my soul.”

“You think I don’t?” he asked seriously, quirking his head to the side slightly. “You don’t feel it?”

Tingles shot across every inch of your bare skin. “Feel what?”

“Feel like you’ve known me forever? I feel like I know you already.” he dropped his hand from where it had been cupping your face to your hand and squeezed your fingers, “Stay. Please?”

“Okay,” you agreed, “but only until you fall asleep and then I’m taking off.”

He smiled, pleased with himself, and moved his hand under the sheets. “Are you challenging me to an all nighter?”

“Hoseok!” you shrieked with laughter, feeling his fingers slip between your thighs. You shoved his shoulder but the action barely moved him.

“Come on.” he said leaning close, burying his nose in your neck, “Let me work you so hard you can’t even feel your legs. Then you’ll have to stay with me.”

You let out a half laugh, half groan. Laugh because of the way his breath tickled all the way down your throat, and groan from the feeling of his fingers slipping inside of you, slowly.

With a weak conviction you choked out, “You can try...I guess, but it won’t work.”

Hoseok’s stamina hadn’t been something you’d considered. His plan had worked and you fell asleep while you were still in his arms after the second round of the night.

Shocked was an understatement of how he felt the next morning as he woke up with his arms around you. For a moment he didn’t recognize you, he didn’t remember bringing anyone home or what he’d done the night before that could have lead him forgetting everything that brought him to this moment. A groan fell from your lips as if, even in your sleep, you could tell he wasn’t close enough anymore. You rolled over so that the two of you were face to face and your hand found his waist under the sheets. He was wide eyed and anxious, as he looked down at you, afraid you were going to wake up and he wasn’t going to know you.

Slowly and quietly, in hopes that he wouldn’t wake you, Hoseok brushed the hair away that had fallen in your face. His breath caught in his chest as he started to remember, a smile spread slowly across his face. He leaned in and pressed a kiss against the exposed skin of your neck, then another and another until you were squirming beneath him.

“What are you doing?” you groaned as his lips tickled your neck.

“I’m awake, y/n. I need attention.” he whined.

Not ready to wake up, you kept your eyes closed as you moved your hand up the warmth of his back. The sheets were so soft and his hands were so strong, gripping your hip. Everything felt so normal. Hoseok was awake and he remembered who you were.

Hoseok was awake and remembered who you were. Your eyes flew open and you sat up in bed taking in a quick gasp of air.

“What’s wrong?” Hoseok asked, “Did you forget where you were?”

Biting your lip, you looked over at him stretched out over the white bedding. Not where, you thought to yourself, but when.

“Yeah,” you smiled and laid back down, “or something like that, but just for a second.”

He hummed and slipped his arms around you, pulling you closer. “You were wrong, by the way.”

“About?” You asked, so comfortable you could have fallen back asleep.

“You said I’d change my mind about wanting you here.”

“Well, I’m glad you didn’t.”

It hadn’t been completely intentional, but the two of you spent the rest of the day together. Most of the day was spent in bed, which you’d had few complaints about. Later in the afternoon, ever the gentleman, Hoseok drew a bath for you to enjoy while he went down the street to pick up some food. You knew he’d probably intended on you staying relaxed in the water for longer than you did but you found yourself a little too restless to stay still for too long. For a while you meandered his apartment, not really looking for anything since you’d mostly seen all of it before. Back in his bedroom you raided his drawers finding the oversized sweater you’d seen him in and a pair of boxers, which surprised you since you’d never seen him wear them before. You dressed yourself in your findings and continued to walk around the apartment as you brushed your hair with his comb.

When he finally returned he found you in the cupboard searching for something unhealthy to snack on and disappointed that there was nothing. He’d brought back...everything. Hoseok realized when he’d gotten downstairs that he had never asked what you might want, so he just went to a bunch of places and hoped that he’d gotten something you’d like. Luckily, all of it was stuff you liked. Together you took refuge on the couch and devoured nearly every bite of food he brought home. As the hours ticked by and the afternoon inched into the evening you started to worry again. Worry that you’d have to leave him soon and that if, or more likely when, you finally did he’d only forget you again. However, as your movie binging, makeout marathoning continued on his couch, he never once asked you to leave. He didn’t even suggest it. Instead, as you tucked into him, what he did was run his hand up and down your back until you’d fallen asleep on his chest.

It surprised you when Hoseok wanted to spend the next day with you as well. This time the two of you actually left the apartment. You’d gone to enjoy a late brunch. Afterwards you strolled around downtown. You stopped at several department stores to warm up but mostly you liked to go into designer boutiques and guess the prices of their ugliest pieces. Once your cheeks were permanently sore from laughing he brought you home, stopping on the way to grab dinner.

Sitting across the table from him made you sad because you realized that you couldn’t continue to spend all your time with him. This had been the longest amount of time you’d ever spent with him, even before the accident you were never really together for more than a couple hours, a day at the longest. You’d imagined you’d have gotten tired of him or he would have gotten bored of you. You thought, especially since you’d relived the beginning of your relationship a hundred times already, that he wouldn’t have anything new to offer but he kept you on your toes.

You stuffed your mouth with rice and curry, to avoid having to answer any questions about the change in your mood. You were just sad imagining being alone and worried that the second you left he would forget you and you’d have to restart this whole process over again.

When you finally told him you had to leave he looked equally sad. You knew it that it would be awhile until you could see him again. The event at your work was happening this week and you were going to be outrageously busy until it was over. You’d told him it would be at least a week until you’d be free to see him again. When you told him that he kissed you for a really long time in front of the cab he’d called for you. You were sure that if the meter wasn’t already running that the driver would have left you on the sidewalk, your mouths glued together.

He sighed when he finally pulled away, “Do you think that’s enough for a week?”

“No.” You laughed, “That’s not enough for even a day.”

“Glad you agree.” He grinned and leaned in to kiss your cheek. “We’ll just have a lot to catch up on when we see each other.”

“Coffee right?” You asked, “The cafe where we met. Sunday morning.”

“Sunday morning.” He confirmed.

“You won’t forget?”

He shook his head, “I won’t forget.”

“Hoseok,” you said in a whisper. He raised his eyebrows expectantly, “don’t forget me, okay? Promise you won’t forget me.”

“How could I ever forget you?” He laughed like it was ludicrous.

“Just, please. I know it sounds silly but will you just promise me?” you basically begged.

“Hey…” he cupped your cheeks in his hands and smiled brightly, “I promise, I will not forget you.”

~~~

Preparing for your work event was excruciating. It would have been regardless but it was more so because you spent every second you weren’t thinking about work thinking about Hoseok and whether or not he’d forgotten you yet. You’d removed your number from his phone before you’d left him, just in case, so if he’d wanted to get a hold of you he couldn’t. With barely a second to even eat or shower between preparations you definitely didn’t have a minute to contact Minhyuk to find out if he knew anything about Hoseok’s current memory status.

Saturday night, after the last guest left the event, the caterers drove off with their equipment, and the tables and chairs had been stacked and made ready to be picked up in the morning your shoulders finally fell with some relief. You’d been slightly worried you still wouldn’t be able to sleep before your meeting with Hoseok in the morning but your head crashed down on your pillow before you’d even taken off your heels.

The cafe was busy for a sunday morning but you’d gotten there early and grabbed a coffee and a table. Hoseok was right on time, he looked amazing and there was nothing more you wanted to do than to kiss him but you waited instead. Waited to see what he would do when he saw you, because he always came to this cafe and him being here didn’t necessarily mean anything. For a blink you thought he was looking at you but you couldn’t be sure, and he walked passed your table to the counter without a word.

You watched out of the corner of your eye as he turned around a few minutes later, coffee in hand. It looked for a moment like he was headed straight for your table but instead he moved just passed it. He sat at a table across from you and opened his book, not unlike he had done a dozen times before. When he caught you looking at him he smiled kindly, which he’d also done plenty. You were becoming more and more certain that he’d forgotten you, like he’d definitely done before.

Feeling a little heartbroken your shoulders slumped. Part of you wondered if it was all the way back to square one, which meant hopelessness. Or, you wondered, maybe if you just spent every single moment together for the rest of your lives he’d be able to remember you. The thought alone was exhausting, but a big part of you thought you could manage it.

“I hate to bother you,” you looked up to see his smiling face, coffee in one hand and a book in the other, “but can I use that chair or are you waiting for someone?”

“Oh, go ahead, I’m not using it.”

You expected him to drag the chair away, like people usually did when they asked to use chairs, instead he sat down on the seat and placed his coffee on the table. He crossed one leg over the other before opening his book.

He grinned over at your confused face, “Sorry, I just felt like it was selfish for us to be using up two tables when we can just share this one. I won’t bother you.”

Unsure what to say you looked down at your book. You read nothing, you couldn’t focus long enough to comprehend the words. Sniffing with eyes brimmed with tears you were trying desperately not to cry out of frustration. You just wanted to stand up, grab his shoulders, and scream Remember Me!

“Rough story?” He asked.

You looked back up at him, “What?”

“I know I said I wouldn’t bother you but,” he nodded towards your book, “you look upset, pretty emotional story?”

“Yeah,” you nodded, “it’s devastating. Might be the worst love story of all time.”

“Why read it then?”

“I can’t seem to let it go, no matter how much it hurts.” You wiped your cheek and looked back down at the book.

The table fell into a comfortable silence, and you were able to calm yourself enough that you didn’t feel on the edge of an emotional breakdown. You hadn’t noticed, but Hoseok hadn’t looked back at his book. Not once. He’d been too preoccupied watching you.

After quite some time he finally leaned forward, planting his elbows on the table. “Y/n, can I ask you a question.”

“Of course.” You said looking up at him expectantly.

He looked almost sad, “Who hurt you?”

You leaned back, feeling slightly attacked by the question. “Excuse me?”

“Who hurt you?” He repeated.

Suddenly your brain seemed to start working again and your eyes went wide, “You said my name.”

“I can’t believe you really thought I’d forgotten you!” He exclaimed in disbelief, “What person on this planet made you feel so forgettable because I have a few choice words for them.”

This time you were really going to cry, but you had to keep it together. You wouldn’t just be able to explain to him why it meant so much to you that he remembered who you were. At least, you thought, you couldn’t do it without Minhyuk. He watched fascinated by how every part of you lifted and brightened in just the blink of an eye.

“You really remember me?” You asked.

“Well, I did promise you I would, didn't I?” He smirked over at you.

You bit your lip, “Tell me what you remember about me.”

He laughed and then realized you were being serious. “That’s such a weird request.”

“Please?”

“I remember a lot about you.” he looked you over for a second and dragged his bottom lip between his teeth, causing an instant blush to cross your cheeks, “like how soft your hips felt, especially when you had just gotten out of the bath. I remember how cute you looked in my sweater, and how you look even cuter when you stuff your cheeks with rice. I remember the way your hair smelled when you fell asleep on my chest. The way you taste, I remember the way all of you tastes.”

“Oh.” You let out a soft breath, not having expected that answer. He laughed at how immobile you seemed.

“I also remember that work project you had that kept us apart all week. How’d that go?”

He remembered you. So many thoughts rushed through your head, so many feelings and you felt incapable of expressing any of them properly. Instead you told him all about your hellish week before asking him about his and then making plans to spend the day together.

~~~

Minhyuk had been so thrilled by your news about Hoseok that he’d dropped the three hundred dollar bottle of tequila he’d been holding. He grabbed your face and kissed you right on the mouth he was so happy and all you could do was laugh because you knew the feeling well. The two of you discussed for a long while the best way to tell Hoseok about everything, deciding ultimately to wait until you knew for sure his memory lasting wasn’t a fluke. The decision had been Minhyuk’s. It had surprised you at first, until he explained that he’d already had to remind his best friend of the accident hundreds of times before and it never got any easier. He wanted to make sure this time it lasted.

You’d told Minhyuk to take his time, that the time of the reveal would be up to him. You had felt bad at first. It felt like you were lying to Hoseok whenever you were with him. Keeping a secret that affected him so deeply. Then weeks had passed and you found yourself too distracted by life with Hoseok. It had been three years. Three years of his demanding hands all over your body. His desperate and needy late night requests for your attention. Never spending more than a day together, rarely spending time overnight. Dates hadn’t been called dates, it was just hanging out. You had never been his girlfriend and he wasn’t your boyfriend. This time with him was different, it was better. It was date night’s and entire weekends together. And when Hoseok told you he wanted you meet Minhyuk and you asked him why he said it was because he thought it was important that his best friend and his girlfriend got along.

After a delicious dinner at the restaurant and probably already too many drinks the three of you went back to Hoseok’s for more drinking and hanging out.

He’d been so affectionate all night. Holding your hand, kissing your shoulder, always making sure that you were comfortable and having a good time. Back at his place he’d grabbed your hand and led you over to the couch, he crashed down onto the cushions and pulled you onto his lap, “This has been the best day. Might as well be my birthday.”

“I’m glad you’re so happy, Hoseok.” You said before pressing a kiss against his cheek.

He looked over at Minhyuk who had walked over slowly, thoughtfully, “I’m glad you two get along. I hadn’t really been worried, but it was important to me.”

Min smiled at Hoseok and then looked over at you, “I think we should do it now.”

Hoseok looked between the two of you slightly confused, you leaned in and kissed his cheek once more before standing up from his lap. You weren’t sure where to go, you’d wanted to give him space but you also wanted to be there for him at the same time. Minhyuk sat beside him on the couch. Hoseok reached out, solving your dilemma for you by grabbing your hand, you weren’t going anywhere. You sat down on the edge of the coffee table in front of him.

“What’s going on? Why does it feel so serious?” he looked over at you, he seemed almost scared so you squeezed his hand.

“Hoseok,” Minhyuk took a deep breath and exhaled, “You were in a bad accident.”

It was crushing to watch the myriad of feelings that crossed his face as Minhyuk went over all of the details of his accident, and then his recovery. He was so hurt, scared, and confused by all of it and what it meant. Tears fell down his cheeks as Minhyuk showed him pictures of his demolished car. Pictures of him bandaged and broken in the hospital bed during his coma. The stitches that had been taken out long ago and scars that were now hidden underneath the hair that had grown back. The x-rays of the plate in his leg. He squeezed your hand tightly through every step of the timeline. Finally nearing the end there were pictures of him after he’d woken up, when he was going through physical therapy. Your heart went out to Minhyuk who had retold Hoseok about his accident every single morning when he’d had panic attacks from waking up in the hospital.

“...up until a few weeks ago you’d had short term memory loss.” Minhyuk had finished telling him almost everything he needed to know. “Since it finally seems like your memory might be sticking we thought it was time to tell you what happened again.”

For the first time in almost an hour he dropped your hand. He ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh before looking over at you, “We didn’t just meet, did we?”

“We did, it just wasn’t for the first time.” you said in barely a whisper as Minhyuk handed him his old phone.

His forehead scrunched in confusion as he quietly scrolled through the photos on the phone, “Were we dating...before the accident?”

“Sort of. I’m starting to think we made it more complicated than it needed to be.”

“This was over years. We’ve been together for years.” he looked up at you expectantly. “Are we in love?”

“I think so.” you wiped a stray tear from your cheek, “We’ve never said it to each other but I think we are.”

The table vibrated as your leg bounced anxiously. You watched Hoseok scroll through the conversations on his phone. He spent a long time on the one he’d shared with you. It looked like he’d tried scrolling all the way back to the beginning of the conversation before reading it all out. He stared at the phone so long without moving the screen went black and he just kept staring. Finally he dropped the phone on the couch between him and Minhyuk. When he looked up at you his lips were trembling. You knew he was about to cry and you didn’t know what to say.

“Hoseok-” you started.

“You were so mad at me.” he said cutting you off.

“I didn’t know. I never would have said any of that if I’d known. I swear.”

He slipped down off of the couch in front of you and dropped his head in your lap. His arms wrapped around your waist and you could feel him crying. You looked at Minhyuk wide-eyed, unsure of what was happening, hoping he’d have something to offer but he only shrugged. You rubbed your hand over his back gently.

“I’m so sorry.” he mumbled into your lap.

Still confused and concerned you continued to rub his back, “Wait, why are you apologizing?”

“I hurt you so much. I’m so sorry.” he said as he cried even harder.

“Oh, Hoseok. No, it wasn’t your fault.”

He tightened his arms around you, pulling you closer. His face pressed against your stomach. “I almost lost you forever.”

You hunched over him awkwardly wrapping him up in a hug, “No, baby. You would have found me. You always find me.”

Minhyuk leaned back against the couch with a small smile on his face, “Physically, he is stronger than steel. Emotionally, a baby bunny.”

“Don’t listen to him.” You whispered against the top of Hoseok's head. He just squeezed you tighter.

~~~

“I can’t believe you cheated on me.” Hoseok said dropping his keys on the counter.

It had been a few weeks since you’d told him about the accident, and he’d been getting memories back ever since. Minhyuk and you told him all of the really big events that he’d forgotten and that seemed to open the gates as the rest of his memories came flooding back. More and more every day. Some of them were beneficial. Some of them, you were finding were just embarrassing for you, which Hoseok loved.

“What are you talking about?” you nearly shrieked, hanging up both of your coats on the rack.

He turned around and looked at you with raised eyebrows, “Don’t try and tell me you weren’t with other guys the entire year we were apart. You even told me you were going to sleep with that guy you were on a date with.”

“You remember that?” you asked surprised, “I barely even remembered Loey.”

“Too many notches on your bedpost?” he asked with a raised eyebrow and the tiniest smirk.

“Hoseok…”

“I however was not with anyone else,” he yelled dramatically throwing his arms in the air, “because I was in a coma!”

“It’s not funny.” you frowned, “If I could go back…”

“Yeooooosin.” he sang, pulling you into a hug. He kissed your neck in quick little pecks until you were laughing in his arms, “I’m just kidding.”

You ran your hands up his back and over his broad shoulders, squeezing him tight, “I don’t like that joke.”

He leaned back and kissed your forehead. “Okay, I’ll think of a new one.”

You hummed, with a purse of your lips at him and went into the living room where you plopped onto the couch and waited for your very attention needy boyfriend. When he finally arrived he was carrying wine glasses and a smile on his face.

“I also can’t believe you stuck it out with me. That must have been so hard. Why did you do it? For months and months.”

You looked over at him, accepting the wine glass, and laughed to yourself. “Isn’t it obvious? You have a really hot body and a lot of money.”

He clicked his tongue in annoyance, “Just confess that you love me.”

“Never.”

“Well I can’t until you do. So I guess we’re just at a standstill.” He pouted.

You took a quick gulp of wine before placing it on the coffee table. He came around, set his glass next to yours and stretched out on the couch, laying his head in your lap.

“I keep waiting for you to kick me out.” you said quietly, running your hand through his hair.

“Why would I ever kick you out? Why would I ever want this to end?”

“You have your memories back now. I figured it’s only a matter of time until you remember that we were never really like this before, and how you don’t really want to be couple-y with me.”

Hoseok popped up from your lap, and stared at you from the other side of the couch, “Yeah… I have my memory back, which means I remember you never wanted to be in a relationship with me.”

You scoffed at the accusation.” Hoseok, you said you didn’t want to really date because you were so busy with work all the time and you felt it would be unfair.”

“I only ever said that because you always told me not to get confused about what we were doing with each other.”

“Hoseok!” you practically screamed, eyes wide in shock, “I said that because I wanted you to think I was still just a chill, down girl, like I was when we met. Then, I don’t know, you made me want more. I didn’t want to scare you off with all my feelings or by being too clingy!”

“Y/n! Are you kidding me?” he screamed back in frustration.

You watched as he jumped from the couch and stormed out of the living room. As you waited you stood up, this felt like a fight and you felt too vulnerable sitting down.

He stomped back into the room with a low growl, and a small black box in his hand. “I have been in love with you forever, you idiot. I just kept waiting for you to finally get to where I was so I could tell you. Waiting for you to love me back so I could give you this!”

Your eyes went wide and your body tensed as he went to open the box but you relaxed at the sight of the brand new silver key. “Is that a house key?!”

“Yes! I love you and I want you to live with me!” you’d yelled at him so he felt it was only appropriate to yell back.

“What the hell? I’ve loved you for so long! You thought I would just hang out here for months when you didn’t even know who I was because I just wanted to be fuck buddies again?!”

“No!” he shouted, albeit confused, “Why are we yelling!”

You threw your hands up, “I don’t know!”

“You started it!”

“Yeah, because I love you!”

“Well I love you too!” he yelled one last time and then smiled, “...so come here and kiss me already.”

He closed the box with the key and tossed it onto the table as you moved towards him, throwing your arms around his shoulders and meeting his lips with yours.

You smiled against the kiss and mumbled, “You’re so stupid.”

“And yet you’re the one who loves me.” he mumbled back. He sat back down on the couch, taking you with him. Your knees landed on either side of him as you sat on his lap, and leaned into the kiss. He let the kiss go on for some time before pulling away, “I love you, seriously. Be my girlfriend?”

“I was already your girlfriend.” you laughed, moving back into the kiss.

He pulled away again and you groaned, “And move in with me?”

“Obviously! Yes.” you landed the smallest kiss on his lips before he pulled away again, “Jesus! What?”

“Marry me?” he grinned.

Your eyes blew wide and you slapped his shoulder, “Hoseok!”

“Yeah, you’re right, too soon. We should date for awhile. Maybe move your stuff in first, and then I’ll try again.” he reasoned.

He caught your eyes with his and you knew he was playing his game, his battle of the wills. His face mostly neutral except for the pout that accentuated his lips and the clear amusement that glistened in his eyes as he waited for you to crumble.

Dragging your teeth across your bottom lip you grinned, “Ask me again then. When I’m all moved in, and we’re laying in our bed. I’ll have my head on your chest and you’ll be doing that thing where you drag your fingertips over my back. Ask me like that.”

His eyes scanned yours for a long while after you’d stopped talking as he tried to figure out if you were serious. Then, as if he’d been replaying the words over in his head until he finally believed them, he turned his face away. Breaking contact because the joy he’d felt looking at you had become too overwhelming.

With a small laugh you leaned forward and kissed his exposed neck before resting your head on his shoulder. “I win.”

He hummed in agreement, “Yeah, but I win too.”

#Wonho scenario #Wonho smut #Monsta x scenario #Monsta x smut #Kpop scenario #Kpop smut #Happy Birthday Sara!#Did you even like this?#Thats all I care about is that you like it #sooo.. god I hope you like it.#It's so much

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mcgregor · 5 years

Text

So... this happened !

*screaming*

Is it too much if I say I can die happy now ?? (yes it is but bear with me)

Everything you can hear about the man is true. He is the sweetest, kindest person you can meet. He seemed genuinely happy to meet his fans, always smiling and looking right at you, giving you his complete attention. And yeah, I’m gonna say the most heard and cliché thing ever, but he is even more beautiful in person ~~

And he is really tall !! As can be seen above! I mean, I am pretty small but I was wearing shoes with platforms you know? and he’s still a head taller than me ^^”

Everyone I was with only had the nicest thing to say about him ♥

When I was on the train coming back home after that wonderful day, I tried to write down everything I remembered from the day, especially the panel.

So here you go !

AUTOGRAPHS

The moment you turn the corner and see him seating at that table is completely surreal. I never thought I’d ever met him someday, and then he was added as that last minute guest in that convention in Paris, 1 week before the convention, and I bought that pass on a whim, and then BOOM he’s right in front of you ! Surreal ..

He really took his time talking to people, and he spoke french quite a lot ! Then came my turn, I spoke about the punisher, Billy, and Gold Digger, said I hoped he wouldn’t die in this one ^^ He told me a secret about it, I honestly don’t know if he was bullshitting me (I mean, it was kind of a big thing, so I don’t know if he was messing with me haha), but he asked not to tell anyone and to keep it a secret (I totally failed at that but shush) sooo we’ll see ! I asked for a hug, and that was it !

You’re so close to him during that time, and he’s looking up at you with his huge dark eyes and he’s smiling, and looking perfect, and you wish you could replay that special moment forever~~ Thinking about it later on, it’s hard to realize you were really this close to Ben Barnes !

PHOTO OP

Photo op wasn’t planned ! Not gonna lie, it was kinda expensive and I was happy to just see him yk? But then, the people I did the line for the autographs with, kept telling me I had to do it, it was the opportunity and well, it was hard to resist ! I mean, Ben freaking Barnes !!

Photo ops are more rushed, you do your pose and it’s done, next ! But it’s still amazing ~ He did every pose without complaining (those I saw anyway), he was a good sport about it! I went for the classic hug, because it just is the best ♥ Ben Barnes is hugging you and you have the proof of it ! I said thank you, and kinda grasped his fingers at the same time, I don’t know why but a day after, it’s the thing that keeps coming back to my mind.. :)

PANEL (with Floriana, but I was pleasantly surprised, most questions were for Ben)

What I can remember:

Anecdote about Westworld (the question was about LGBTQ representation I believe). He said that originally in the script, there was a scene when they're in the brothel where Logan chooses who he's gonna sleep with. It was supposed to go like this : "I want her... and her, aaaaaand him !" Apparently he loved that scene but it was never actually shot.

About Narnia. He talked again about how he took his sword home with him, it's on the wall above his fireplace. Someone mentioned how he had lied about his experience with horses before Narnia and asked how people reacted once they had noticed the truth... He started by saying he didn't really lie and that he did have experience (queue laughter) ... he did ride a horse. Once. When he was 5 😂😂 Afterwards he said that the producer (or maybe the director) told him it looked like it was the horse riding him and not the reverse 🤣🤣

He then briefly mentioned Shadow and Bone and said he was doing lots of riding for that role and that he got way better. Floriana confirmed it was true because he send videos to her/his friends.

He mentioned again how he was wearing his character’s (Benjamin in gold digger) clothes (he was wearing the coat for the panel)

Someone asked him If he knew people love to fancast him as Sirius Black and if he would be interested to play him if it ever was a real project. He said he was aware and that yes, he wouldn't mind playing Sirius. He loves HP, his friends love HP, and he is really impressed by what JK Rowling created. He loves fantasy universes in general.

Someone asked about their favorite stunts. (She wanted details, because she wants to be a stuntwoman, so he kept saying “details” when he talked ^^). And he mentioned the big carousel fight with Jon. How he had this mask on a third of his face. And that Jon had to scrap that against the mirror. And of course The Scream, and how it unsettled Jon, who asked him if he was ok (”bro, are you okay?”) and how was he supposed to know if he really hurt him there. He also said his stunt double (Jefferson yayyyy) only replaced him when Jon had to tackle him over his shoulder at some point. And that overall he was really proud of that fight scene.

When asked about his favorite character, he said Billy Russo.

And favorite moments to shoot (it was a shared question with Floriana, so about S2): the therapy sessions in the earliest episodes. And episode 8.

How they felt about the cancellation: Ben said he was sad, obviously, and that he was pretty surprised/sad when he read the script and found out he was gonna die. He didn’t want Billy to be killed off.

Also he thinks characters who are much closer to him in personality are actually more difficult to play than ‘darker’ characters like Billy or Logan

He kept saying funny little comments, little things in french, and was quite impressed by the woman who translated everything in French (especially her insane memory)

Someone asked about his covers on Instagram, who were his favorite singers/song and if he could sing a little something for us. Everyone kept cheering for him (even Foriana) but he said he was too embarrassed to sing. Favorite singers mentioned: Freddy Mercury (especially his earliest work), Ray Charles, Ottis Redding and Stevie Wonder

I also talked with people who were at the private meeting with him and he showed them a picture of him at 4 wearing a Batman costume (in relation to the InStyle article, major awwwwwws when we heard that).

When asked if he ever thought about doing another job. He said no, but that he still took the negative feedback after Dorian Gray pretty bad.. That it was a difficult time for him and that he thought the critics were "cruel".

And that’s it for that magical day ♥

#ben barnes #long post #the punisher #westworld #billy russo #I don't like to show my face on social media if you didn't know

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spookyblackwidow · 4 years

Text

Sweet Confessions

Author’s Note: Thank you so much for this adorable request!! I’ll admit that fluff isn’t my strong suit, but I still really like the way this turned out! I’m so sorry for the delay, I immediately fell in love with the concept but wasn’t in the right head space to be able to write it. But here it is! With some mild language, and, as always, a touch of angst

Warning: brief child abuse mention

Sweet Confessions

2091 words

“Romanoff, there’s an incoming storm, extraction will have to wait. Grab Barton and head back to the safe house, I’ll send you a new flight plan in the morning.”

“Nick, we’re more than capable enough pilots to avoid—”

“That’s an order, Romanoff. Stay grounded,” Nick grumbled and terminated the call.

“Hear that, Clint? Time to turn around.”

They trekked back through the narrow streets outside Lom, the Norwegian air brisk with a mid-March chill. The wind had noticeably picked up, swirling the powdery tops of snow piles. Years of Russian winters had taught Natasha enough to know Nick was right, the weather was about to get a whole lot worse, it was far too late for takeoff.

The safe house was a small cabin situated near the base of Skarstind, a mountain in the Jotunheimen range that could potentially provide some relief from the gathering blizzard, if the wind would be so kind as to shift. As it was, Nat and Clint had to fight their way through nearly a foot of snow and harsh winds in order to take refuge in the cramped building they thought they had seen for the last time.

The majority of the space was the kitchenette and living room, an open area paneled in dark oak. Off the back wall was a small bedroom and a bathroom, sparsely furnished, but functional. Natasha’s request for two queen beds had gone unheeded, but Clint had been gracious enough to allow her the full-sized bed to herself, opting to sleep on the tattered couch instead.

They dropped their bags by the door and set off to warm the cabin again, to stave off the chill that had permeated the building in their absence. Clint turned on the oven and rummaged through their food reserves as Nat lit a fire.

“Whoever packed our supplies is an idiot,” Clint muttered under his breath, pulling out a couple measly slices of bread and a nearly empty jar of peanut butter. “Who the hell sends two full grown adults on a mission in a remote area with so little for emergency food? What if we’re stuck here for a few days?”

“We’d have more if you didn’t eat so much of it earlier.”

“Can you blame me for not wanting to carry it five miles to the hangar?”

“You’re such a child,” Nat laughed dryly.

Their meager dinner was far from satisfying, but they’d both survived on less, and Nat was grateful Clint hadn’t managed to eat quite everything before they had left. The wind howled outside, the snow piling up along the windowsills, disguising just how much had fallen. It was still early yet, but with nowhere to go, they lounged across the couch, counting the knots in the ceiling beams.

“Hey Nat?”

“Mmhmm?”

“How well do you think we know each other?”

“About as well as I let anybody know me. Why?”

“I’ve got an idea. Want to play a game?”

“What kind of game?”

“We make claims about each other, something we believe to be true, so no easy shots like, ‘You’re one half of Strike Team: Delta.’ Guesses only, no prior knowledge.”

“And if you’re wrong? Are we drinking?”

“Oh no, I know better than to challenge you to any competition involving alcohol. I think I still have some M&Ms.” Clint dug through his duffle for a few moments and triumphantly held up a crumpled bag. He poured out the few remaining candies and divided them into two piles. “If I’m wrong, toss me an M&M. Whoever runs out first wins.”

“You’re giving yourself four guesses?”

“You’re assuming I’m going to be wrong?”

“Maybe.” She smirked. “Alright, I’m game. You avoid talking about family because one of your parents, most likely your father, was abusive.”

“Damn, Nat. There’s no easing into things with you, is there?”

“Is that your claim?” She rolled a blue M&M between her forefinger and thumb.

“Only if I’m right,” he smirked, settling into the oversized chair opposite her.

“No cheating.” She tossed the candy, which he deftly caught. “Okay, easing in… If no one’s looking, you’ll drink straight from the coffee pot.”

“Wait, did you hack into Fury’s cameras?”

“I will now,” she laughed.

“If that’s how this is going to go… You love bad jokes, especially puns.”

“And if you tell anyone else, you’re dead, you hear me, Barton?” Nat narrowed her eyes, as if having a sense of humor beyond sarcasm and biting remarks would tarnish her reputation.

“Fine, this is all confidential, we’ll keep it out of the mission reports.” Clint laughed, certain including their secrets, no matter how small, was never part of the game plan. There was a lot to be said, a lot to admit, and Natasha was the only person he was willing to open up to. Of course, she’d only get out of him what she wanted to discover, which could be anything.

“Good. Are we still easing in?”

“Please.” A part of him already regretting starting this game.

“You’re far too lazy to bother matching your socks, even if we’re not on a mission and you have plenty of time to sort your laundry.”

“That feels like pre-existing knowledge.” Clint narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Hey, I may have the blueprint to your apartment building, but I haven’t had a reason to break in yet.” Nat raised her hands defensively and smiled as innocently as she could manage.

“…I’m going to choose to ignore that for the sake of our friendship.”

“Good choice.” Nat winked. “Now’s not the time to give you a rundown of all the information I compile on my associates.”

Clint was never quite sure if she was exaggerating about her surveillance, but given her intense and guarded personality, he knew better than to doubt her; between her various shady contacts and heavily detailed notes, she’d saved their asses on more than one occasion.

“You always give me shit about pets, but if I had to venture a guess—”

“Which you do.”

“—I’d say you’re a cat person.”

“Guilty as charged.” She flashed him a tight smile, her lips pressed firmly together.

“Wait, have you never had a pet?”

“First of all, that was a question, and second, it’s not your turn. You put off washing dishes until you’ve completely run out of clean stuff.”

“Paper plates exist, you know.” He tossed an M&M her way, but she didn’t move to catch it, so it bounced quietly off her lower lip and landed in her lap. “Nat?”

“Sorry, I got a little lost in thought for a second.” She gently shook her head, ate the candy, and forced a smile. “Easing in, let’s go.”

“You’re afraid of spiders.”

“…You’re serious?” A genuine smile spread across her face before she erupted in laughter. “I’m Black Widow, the Slavic Shadow, the Red Death. You really think I’m afraid of an arachnid?”

“Admittedly, no,” he chuckled, “but it’s all I’ve got right now.” It was a lie, but he had no intention of letting her know; all he cared about was keeping her happy.

“Take your candy, idiot.” Nat rolled her eyes and held out a green M&M. She placed it in his extended hand, her fingertips lingering on the flat of his palm for a second or two longer than usual. “You cry at weddings, don’t you?”

“Truthfully, I can’t remember the last wedding I went to that wasn’t for a mission, but if you’re including television and movies, yeah, I guess I occasionally cry watching them. Some of us are human, you know.”

“Hey! I’m human! Emotions just aren’t my thing.” She shrugged.

“They could be, and no one would judge you for it. You know that, right?”

“I’m well aware that you would be fine with it, but most of the world is far less forgiving. This is who I am, it keeps me safe. Now please, take your turn before I run out of patience.”

“You would leave this life behind at a moment’s notice and never look back.”

“Hell no. I’m good at this. I’ve done so much bad in my life; this job—dangerous missions in foreign places to stop whatever villain of the week, no matter how small—is my chance to make it right. Sure, retirement sounds nice sometimes, but I can’t see there being a point where I’ve done enough.”

“Nat, you’re a good person.” Clint instinctively reached across the table for her hand, hoping to offer reassurance in whatever way he could. “I see you, not your past, not—”

“But enough about me,” she shook her head and set an orange M&M in his palm, “it’s my turn to guess. Let’s see… Your favorite kill—and before you interrupt me, don’t—was that fucker in Prague that preyed on kids.”

“I’ll admit, he deserved it, but not all of them do.” Clint shrugged. “The world’s a better place with him gone, I’m glad I had a hand in removing a predator from it.”

“See, I knew you enjoyed at least some of the damage we cause!”

“Aren’t we supposed to prevent more damage? I think you forget that sometimes,” Clint teased, giving her a knowing look.

“Oh, whatever,” she laughed. “Can’t a girl have a little fun? We’re assassins, after all.”

“Yeah, fine, you win, I’m an idiot.” He rolled his eyes but couldn’t help smiling.

“An idiot that’s almost out of chances.” Natasha smirked as she picked up the solitary red M&M in front of her. “Ready to lose, Barton?”

He tried to hold his smile, he really did, but nerves were getting the better of him. He’d waited months for an opportunity like this, for all the pieces to fall together just right. This wasn’t supposed to be the trip—the snow had moved in faster than predicted, he wasn’t as prepared as he would’ve liked—but there was no doubt in his mind that what he felt was real. He took a steadying breath and met her eyes. This was it, no going back.

“You love me.”

A deafening silence hung in the air, neither of them daring to so much as breathe. The candy slipped from Nat’s grasp and bounced off the edge of the table with a dull thunk. She blinked and looked down, tracing its path along the wooden floor until it rolled to a stop near the fireplace. No one moved.

“Nat?” He just needed her to look at him, he needed to see the truth in her eyes, in the lines of her face, but she just stared at the heat from the fire turning the candy shell glossy and thin. “Did I just lose?”

Finally, she turned back around, her expression blank, but her eyes revealed warring emotions beneath the surface.

“You love me,” she echoed quietly.

“With every fiber of my being.”

She searched his face for signs of deceit, but all she found was genuine earnestness; this was real, and she was expected to process it.

“You’re such a sap,” Nat smiled, laughing slightly, “but okay, let’s test your theory.”

She reached across the narrow table and grabbed his shirt to pull him in, their lips meeting in the middle. Clint slid a hand to the nape of her neck, his fingers tangled in her loose curls. Her grip on his shirt softened, and he felt her hands wind around to his back before twisting the fabric in her fists once more. All thoughts about the uncomfortable positioning ceased, just how close he was to falling off the edge of the chair no longer mattered. He’d imagined this moment countless times, but even his wildest dreams couldn’t live up to reality. He fully lost himself in the moment; all that existed were urgent kisses and racing hearts.

Eventually they parted, their breathing heavy, faces flushed, neither sure when the cabin had gotten quite so warm. Natasha laughed breathlessly and smoothed her hair, grinning like an idiot. For years, passion had been her business, but love? Love was new and exciting and wonderful.

“I guess we were both right,” Nat beamed, joy radiating from her, somehow making her even more beautiful than usual. Clint’s response got caught in this throat, all he could do was smile back. “Should we continue playing or…?”

Clint moved around the table to sit beside her and took her hand, their fingers automatically entwining, a perfect fit, as if this was how it was meant to be all along. “Forget the game, I’ve already won.”

Tag List: @romanoff--natasha @clintashaotp @baker151910 @unsociable-hobbit @thexploress @unholyromanoff

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boundtoyouphff · 4 years

Text

Chapter 13: Come Dance With Me

A/N: Here is the next chapter like I had promised! I cannot wait to share more of this story with you guys. I hope to hear from you soon. Enjoy xx

*Please make sure you have read Ch 12 that I had posted earlier today BEFORE READING THIS CHAPTER!*

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

Dancing.

I love to dance.

You turned me around and I found those hopeful piercing blue eyes asking, “Come dance with me.” I grabbed your hand without hesitation as if an outside force pushed me into your arms. Our bodies were connected and moved as if we were puppets with our invisible strings being maneuvred from a source above the clouds.

I love to dance, but I found out that I love to dance with you more.

Maybe it’s the way you hold me securely in your arms as I put my trust in you to never let me fall.

But, I am falling. Falling in love with you.

They say to dance with your heart and your body will follow. Is that the case with love too? If you love with your heart, will your mind accept that love or is the voice of reason too strong?

Will this dance end before it can even begin?

I love to dance.

Come dance with me.

Come dance with me to a song that never ends.

————————--------

Giving the crowds one last wave, Harry jumped in the back seat of the vehicle and settled down into the comfortable leather while releasing a deep sigh. He finished his somber engagement at Fort Lennox this afternoon, one which held a memorial for all of those who fought and lost their lives at the Battle of Lennox. The majority of the Illyrian Royal family were present, including Emilia, but it was her brother Edward that was to accompany Harry today.

The prince closed his eyes for a brief moment relishing in silence that he had found. He breathed in a slow deep breath and released it through pursed lips as a wave of relief floated out from him. He now had a break in his tour where he would be able to spend some more time with Emilia.

The door flew open making Harry’s eyes spring open as his peaceful surroundings were distrubed by none other than Emilia’s twin brother, Prince Edward. He smirked and took the seat beside Harry before he unbuttoned his military uniform and threw his head back with a sigh. “I find these memorials are too somber for my liking.” Emilia’s brother voiced his unwanted opinion. His head turned to flash a smile at the quiet prince. “At least we are heading to Cavallo this evening. The resort we always book is off the charts mate. It will be good for you to have a fun evening off from this tour, Harry.”

The prince was doing his best to be courteous to Edward, despite his inward feelings for the man and the way he treated his sister. “I am looking forward to spending some time in the sun and on the beach I must admit. Is this a yearly dinner?” Harry engaged in conversation with Edward, hoping to pass the hour and a half drive to the resort.

But, his mind kept drifting off to an image of Emilia at the memorial. She had stood beside Harry and her brother Edward for the majority of the service. Her wavy long dress had Illyrian flowers printed across the fabric that flowed in the breezy wind that tousled her hair. Harry remained the stoic soldier beside her, dressed proudly in his military uniform he had brought along specifically for this occasion. From under the brim of his hat, he saw the princess bow her head and wipe away a stray tear. In that exact moment, you could hear a sea of cameras clicking away and capturing the moment. No doubt to use against Emilia in tomorrow’s papers. His heart sank in his chest for her, the princess was under constant scrutiny. Why were they so vindictive of her when she was the only one who showed true emotion, the one who wasn’t afraid to?

Harry joined the rest of the royal family, greeting the soldiers of the past and present to thank them for their continued sacrifice. Emilia was ahead of Harry to begin with, but he quickly caught up to the princess as she greeted and spoke to every single one of them who eagerly waited for her. She often kneeled down to their eye level and held a short conversation rather than just a greeting. There was one moment where they both delved into a deep conversation with a veteran who told them their story.

“Harry?” Edward had called his name, bringing the prince back into the moment.

“Yes? Sorry, my mind went elsewhere.” Harry locked eyes with the prince and offered a kind smile.

“Better not have been thinking of my sister, she’s off limits!” Edward tossed his head back in laughter, making light of the situation.

Little did Edward know, that was exactly who was on his mind.

—————————

The prince had arrived at the Malvarossa resort in Cavallo after a mentally strenuous ride and immediately felt relaxed with the stunning ocean views that welcomed him. Prince Edward ensured that Harry was all settled in his room at the private villa the royal family had booked for a few days. The villa was a separate entity of the resort and was often the place the family used as a vacation venue.

He walked out towards the balcony and opened the white panelled doors, immediately feeling the sea breeze hit him. Closing his eyes, Harry took in a deep breath and felt the bright Illyrian sun warm him. He grasped the balcony rails and looked down, deciding to go for a walk and check out the villa until he had to get ready for the dinner.

Harry was wandering around aimlessly when he ran into Julianna, The Duchess of Molvania and her husband Prince George who had their children with them, Prince Leonardo and Princess Fiona, Emilia’s cousins. Leonardo enveloped the prince into a hug and welcomed him to the resort, immediately inviting Harry to join him at the bar for a drink to which Harry accepted.

Prince Leo ordered their drinks and sat down beside the prince, running his fingers through his thick dark lock of hair. He held Harry’s gaze as he saw those same icy blue eyes that was a clear genetic marker in the Illyrian royal family. “How’s the tour going, mate?” Leonardo casually asked Harry.

“Well...” Harry laughed nervously and took a healthy sip of his drink. “You know how tours can be exhausting. So this is a well needed break.” He turned to angle his body to look out towards the crystal clear waters, watching as the waves came crashing into the shore.

“I get it, Harry. Been on my fair share and I cannot say I would willingly volunteer again for one.” Leo barked a laugh and clasped his hands together. “Tonight will be fun. You will definitely get to see a different side to my family..... the dramatic side that is.” He continued to laugh.“Us boys always place a bet on how long until things blow up. There is always some sort of family drama that gets unleashed when we all get together.” Leo shook his head at the memories that had come flooding to mind. “At least there won’t be any Emilia and Thomas drama like last year....”

Harry watched Leo’s expression morph into a somber one. It caught him off guard and caused Harry to want to know more of what Leo thought of his cousin, Emilia. It had seemed that most of her family was ready and willing to drag her through the mud, but Leo appeared not to be in that same category. His gut feeling was that Leo was a genuine friendly guy.

“It does appear that drama is always surrounding Emilia...” He left his statement drag off in hopes that Leo would take the bait and share his thoughts with him.

“Not of her doing... don’t be deceived by what you read.” Leonardo did not waste a breath in his reply as he stared at the bottom of an empty glass before ordering a new one. He spinned the bar stool around to face the prince, locking in his gaze.

“Let me tell you something about Emilia, Harry.” Leo nodded his head slowly. “Emilia is like a sister to me and I know her like one. She has more heart and empathy than anyone on this earth and she is not afraid to show how passionate she is. I have worked on numerous projects with her and she literally puts her heart and soul into every little detail. But, at the end of the day she is judged more harshly than anyone in this family thanks to my grandmother and the media.” Leo shook his head and displayed a look of disgust. “She is exactly what this family needs, what this country needs to see from their royal family, but my grandmother is stuck in the past.”

“It breaks my heart to see her light being dimmed because others can’t stand to see how bright she can shine.” Harry could feel the love Leo held for Emilia emanating through his words of admiration for the princess. It was a relief to see that at least someone in this family saw Emilia for what she was worth and could see the potential in her. The prince lifted his head to glance up at Harry. “She’s been through so much this past year. I didn’t blame her at all for running away to London for a while. I think she shouldn’t have come back and given a taste to gran what she is missing.”

Before Harry could speak in return, his eyes captured Emilia walking down to the bar dressed casually in a pair of jeans, a simple white buttoned down blouse and black flats. Leo caught Harry gazing at the princess over his shoulder and glanced back to see who had caught his attention. “Perfect timing.” He giggled lightly.

Emilia tucked her long dark hair behind her ear in an attempt to tame in from the wind blowing off of the ocean. She was carrying a duffel bag of hers and was on the way to check in to her room when she saw her cousin Leonardo and Harry having a drink at the private bar. Emilia waved at them with a beaming smile, silently loving the fact that they appeared to already be getting along with one another.

“Hello boys!” Leonardo hopped off of his bar stool and leaned in to greet his cousin with a peck on the cheek.

“Hello gorgeous cousin. Glad to see you have arrived for the familial festivities.” He patted her on the head to remind her how much shorter she was than him. Emilia rolled her eyes and playfully swatted his arm away before turning her attention towards Harry.

“Hi, Harry.” Emilia took a step towards him and opened up her arms inviting him into an embrace. He wrapped his arms around the beautiful princess and squeezed her tiny frame.

“Hello, Emilia.” Their hug lingered for a few seconds too long as Emilia took in a deep breath and inhaled Harry’s sweet memorable scent. Breaking apart, she lowered her head in embarrassment knowing that Leo would pick up on it. She always struggled to lie and keep things from her close knit cousin.

“I see you two have already started drinking.” Emilia peaked up at Leo and reached across him, grabbing his drink and downing it before he could intervene.

“Ahhh!” Leo gasped in shock. “I really have missed you cousin!” He waved at the bartender to order more drinks, but Emilia had stopped him.

“Nah, none for me Leo. I need to get settled in and ready for dinner.” She sadly informed the dark haired prince and watched him dramatically extend out his bottom lip into a pout.

“I am good mate.” Harry held his hand up in refusal.

“Well, I can’t be here at my lonesome?!” Leo tossed his arms up in the air and shook his head in disbelief.

Emilia angled her head up at him. “Should have invited Ella then.” She held her hand up in the air to act like a visor and block the sun from her eyes.

“Ya, not after the disaster that happened last year when you brought your boyfriend to the dinner.” Leo’s eyes grew wide with horror.

Emilia smacked Leo’s stomach hard. “Leo!” She scolded her cousin before turning her body towards Harry. “Leo is dating my stylist, Ella. No one in the family knows, but me.” Harry nodded in understanding, but it was not that particular bit of information that he was more curious about.

“I am going to take my bag to my room. See you two at dinner.” Emilia bent down and picked up her bag with a small grunt, forgetting how heavy it was.

“Need help with that?” Harry was quick to offer the princess, but was met with a glaring narrowed set of blue eyes.

Leo raised his eyebrow and watched the interaction. “Good luck convincing the tiger.” He mumbled, but both Harry and Emilia had heard his words.

The prince took a step forward towards Emilia, making the close proximity to her very evident in his intentions. She peaked up at him, gazing up at him while his hand brushed up against her own to grasp the bag. Emilia did not put up a fight like she normally would have and dropped the bag into his hand.

“Where’s your room?” The prince motioned for Emilia to show him the way.

“Follow me.” Emilia turned on her heel with crossed arms and waved goodbye to Leo. “Bye Leo, see you later.”

Harry grabbed the bag and carried it behind his shoulder. “Good god, do you have a dead body in here? How much did you pack for two nights?” The prince complained as he trailed behind Emilia towards the direction of her room.

“Oh stop complaining, Wales.... besides.” Emilia turned around and started to walk backwards. “A girl can never have too many clothes!” Harry rolled his eyes and offered a quick wink before following Emilia down the corridor towards her room.

Emilia and Harry fell into step with one another as a comfortable silence fell between them. Emilia glanced up towards the prince and witnessed the elated smile that was still plastered on Harry’s lips. She gently grabbed his hand and interlaced their fingers together, patiently waiting for his gaze to fall upon her. The prince angled his head and looked down towards the princess and caught her staring up at him with an adoring expression.

Harry squeezed her hand while his lips spread into a beaming grin for the princess. “You looked beautiful today.” He showered her with compliments watching that little glint in her eyes appear at his sweet words. Emilia’s cheeks blushed with a faint crimson red, making her gaze falter to the ground in embarrassment, but was flattered at his compliment.

“Thank you, you are too sweet.” Emilia giggled and tucked a piece of her long dark brunette hair behind her ear. When she lifted her head, the prince’s eyes were still staring down at her while he blindly followed Emilia down the hall. “I am really happy that you are here with me. I have such great memories of this place.” The princess released a deep breath.

“Me too, Emilia.” There was a hint of exhaustion laced in the prince’s tone. He had been non-stop since his plane had landed in Illyria.

Emilia had made it to her suite in the villa and unlocked the door while she continued to listen to Harry vent. She kicked off her flats as Harry set down her bag at the front entrance. Emilia heard the deep sigh he released and turned back around with an endearing smile.

“Come relax and sit with me a bit.” Her hand reached out to him as their fingertips brushed up against one another. The prince did not need further convincing to spend some time with the beauty before him. He followed Emilia to the lounge and sat down beside her. Harry instinctively lifted his arm as she snuggled her frame close to his body.

Emilia sighed and placed her head on his shoulder closing her eyes briefly. Relishing in the private company of one another, the two of them sat in near silence being left alone to their thoughts. But, they still felt the comfort that the other offered them through simple touches.

“Are you excited for tonight?” The princess broke through Harry’s deep thoughts and brought him back to reality.

“Yes.” Harry’s lips spread into a smile. “But, I am looking forward to spending more time with you.” The prince happily confessed as he turned his head to smile down at Emilia. He saw her lips spread into a beaming smile while her eyes held his gaze.

Emilia quietly stared up at the prince, looking deep into his eyes as her mind started to wander back to that moment in the back of the car when Harry told her that he needed an answer with where they stood with one another. Part of her was waiting for these few days knowing that she would likely have more time with Harry to figure out where her heart was, but truth was she already knew what her heart had decided. It was whether she could get her mind to follow.

Her eyes drifted down to their entwined fingers and took in a deep sigh. Harry’s eyes followed her gaze down as he felt the light brush of her hand trail down his forearm. He could tell that the young princess was in an internal debate and he did not want to disrupt her thoughts so he quietly sat beside her and enjoyed analyzing every part of Emilia to keep it in his memory for a later time.

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

Emilia emerged from her closet wearing a purple off the shoulder dress that boasted an asymmetrical frill skirt. It elegantly flowed across her body as she stepped forward in her bare feet towards the floor length mirror in her bedroom.

Harry had been casually sitting on the edge of her bed waiting for her to get ready for the family dinner this evening. He was sipping on a drink when he nearly choked on it watching the princess come out in the dress, taking his breath away.

The princess slowly twirled around, carefully analyzing whether it was the right choice of dress for the evening's events. The back of the dress had not been zipped up, exposing a healthy amount of her backside and her black bra beneath. Harry was literally at a loss for words as he continued to sit on the edge of the bed in silence.

Emilia turned around swiftly and caught Harry in the act, checking her out. She shook her head at the naughty prince, giving him an eye roll.

“It is not my fault when you come out looking like that, Em.” Harry tossed his arms up in the air with a light giggle. He watched as Emilia turned her attention back to the mirror, but this time a frowned replaced that bright smile of hers.

“Do you really like it?” Emilia had suddenly become doubtful in her choice as a shy almost embarrassed version of herself emerged while the confident side of herself faded into the background.

Harry pushed himself off of the edge of her bed and slowly stepped behind her. This was what he was witnessing with each passing day. The strong confident princess he met in London was fading as uncertainty came forth clouded by the pressures of her grandmother's expectations.

He stepped in behind Emilia and gently grasped both of her arms, giving them a light re-assuring rub. “You, my princess… are absolutely gorgeous in this dress.” His deep quiet, assuring voice calmed her fears with a few simple words.

Emilia felt his finger delicately lift her chin, making her look into the mirror at herself with the image of Harry standing behind her. She locked eyes with the prince through the mirror and saw his genuine sincerity that killed any doubt that had grown within her being.

His gaze faltered down to her exposed backside and trailed his finger down to the zipper that was at the small of her back. He heard her Emilia’s mouth gasp from his simple touch as her breath became jagged. Harry smirked cheekily loving the effect he was having on Emilia. His fingers grasped the zipper and gave it a light tug. He did her dress up, reluctantly hiding her exposed skin and undergarment.

He looked back into the mirror at their reflection and found Emilia’s eyes locked on him while her body remained frozen. The prince lowered his head while tucking her dark locks out of the way to find her exposed shoulder. Harry placed a soft kiss on her shoulder and whispered in her ear, “Don’t ever doubt that you are beautiful again, Emilia. You are beautiful to me.”

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

The Illyrian Royal family’s festivities were well under way. The whole family had come together this evening and shared an enjoyable five course meal with local traditional Illyrian entertainers. They had even welcomed Harry as one of their own, as Emilia’s cousins included them in the familial banter and fun.

The prince had been seated next to Emilia and her cousin Leonardo that apparently Emilia herself had arranged as alluded to by her father. He let it slip that his daughter wanted Harry to feel as welcomed as she did in London. Her parents were seated across from them as they engaged in a light hearted conversation. The Crown Prince couple were more relaxed and at ease than to what Harry had previously been witnessed to and he could see where Emilia got most of her traits from… her father.

“She has always had me wrapped around her finger since the day she was born.” Frederick smiled proudly at Emilia and shared a sweet moment with her. But, the prince could not help but wonder if her father knew how much inner turmoil was going through. She hid it so incredibly well and could pretend that nothing was the matter.

“I remember that day fondly.” Frederick continued as Harry and Emilia had focused their attention to the conversation with her parents while everything else faded into the background. The long wooden table was dimly lit above with hanging fairy lights while the reflection of the flames from the candles that lined the table danced upon their faces. “You were so stubborn, Emilia. So stubborn that you wouldn’t even breathe.” A glimpse of concern washed across his face as the memory of it all came flooding back to her father.

“No wonder Emilia is the way that she is. Lack of oxygen to her brain at birth really explains a lot.” Edward piped in from the seat beside his mother as he finally gave his family some of his attention instead of his girlfriend, Louisa.

“EDWARD!” Liza, Emilia’s mother gasped in horror. “You do not say that in front of our guest! Or period!” She scolded him, but Edward just chuckled and ignored his mother.

“Eddie, stop being an areshole.” Emilia glared at him with her piercing blue eyes.

“Or else what Emilia?” Edward egged his twin sister on.

Emilia parted her lips to speak her retort when a loud voice spoke her name from down the table.

“Emilia!”

Everyone became silent as Queen Eleanora scolded the princess, embarrassing her in front of everyone, including Harry.. “Behave and stop getting into these childish tifts with your older brother.” An awkward silence fell across the whole table as Emilia sat there in a clear state of quiet anger, staring at her grandmother with shock and disbelief.

Harry’s blood was nearly boiling as rage coursed through him. How in the world is Emilia getting in shit and being embarrassed for something that Edward had done. The thing that surprised Harry the most is her father did not even come to her defence, nor anyone in the family. He couldn’t sit by any longer in utter silence.

His lips parted to speak up on Emilia’s behalf, but he felt a hand quickly grasp his thigh and give it a hard squeeze. Emilia did not even look at the prince, but with a subtle shake of her head she begged him not to defend her.

“I am sorry Gran.” Emilia’s voice choked out.

The conversation around them started to become more lively, but everyone around Emilia was carefully watching her silent self. She refused to look at anyone or engage in conversation.

“Emilia…?” Frederick’s brow furrowed with concern as he watched a stray tear trickled down Emilia’s cheek. “I’m sor-” He was about to apologize when Emlia cut him off.

“Don’t.” She angrily spoke, wiped the tear away and turned her attention back to the dancers. Pretending that nothing had happened.

-------

Harry and Emilia were standing around in a circle with Emilia’s cousins Gabriel and Alessandra sipping on their drinks and watching the rest of the family dancing to the upbeat music. “This is not like you, Emilia! Standing on the sidelines while the rest of the family is dancing away. You are normally the instigator of fun!” Alessandra angled her head down at her younger cousin, with a cheeky grin.

Emilia shook her head and took a sip of her drink before replying. “Not tonight.” Her blue eyes drifted towards her parents dancing away with their silly moves. “I am trying to behave…” The tone in Emilia’s voice was evidently somber. There was a part of her pulling her towards the music, desperately wanting to let loose, but all she could see were her grandmother's eyes on her every move. She could not have another problem arise tonight for she was walking on thin ice.

“Behaving is really not in your vocabulary.” Gabriel smirked and fell into a fit of laughter. “Remember Ibiza?!”

“Oh Gabe! Ibiza was all on you, that I had nothing to do with!” Emilia tossed her head back in laughter at the memory of the debaucherous trip.

“You were right there with me, my partner in crime.” Gabe tossed his arms up in the air in innocence. “Stealing that boat.”

Harry’s eyebrows rose with curiosity as Emilia felt his eyes on her. She turned her head as the conversation fell to a silent shock. Emilia shrugged her shoulders, “What? It was a small boat ok, Harry!” She defended herself while confessing to the crime.

Gabriel cleared his throat and shook his head. “Emilia… we stole a fucking yacht!” He barked with laughter at her falsely portrayed innocence.

“A yacht?” Harry’s blue eyes glanced down and locked eyes with Emilia, watching the guilty expression on her face grow until she dissolved into a fit of giggles.

“Ok fine!” She breathed in between breaths. “It was a yacht…” Emilia held Harry’s gaze steadily. “I was young and following Gabe’s lead. He took advantage of my innocence.”

“Yeah, there is nothing innocent in those blue eyes Emilia.” The prince slowly shook his head down at Emilia and stared deep into those adorable blue eyes of the princess.

“Oooooh!” Gabriel and Alessandra could not help but laugh at the prince’s words. They both caught the way that Harry was looking down at their cousin in an endearing way as their gaze continued to linger.

“Looks like Ana has got some competition for Prince Harry’s heart!” Alessandra chuckled lightly to herself as Harry and Emilia both snapped out of their unwavering shared glance as their minds were brought back to reality and realized what they had done. Emilia’s cheeks became flushed at her cousin's remark and looked away to hide her face, silently kicking herself for not being more careful around Harry. It had been difficult enough tonight not being able to hold his hand or touch him in the way she wanted to in fear of her family finding out they were more than acquaintances.

“Who is Ana?” Harry was curious to find out.

Emilia leaned into him and pointed past her cousins to a young blonde teenager sitting at the table by herself watching everyone else dance with a partner. “That is my cousin Ana Lilia. Alessandra and Gabriel’s sister.” He caught the way Emilia smiled proudly towards her direction.

“A little birdie told me she fancies you.” Alessandra giggled with a raised eyebrow. “But, I am afraid that I need to get in on this dancing action. Are you coming Gabriel?” Emilia’s cousins had left them alone to themselves as they joined the family, dancing away.

Emilia’s eyes remained stagnant on her youngest cousin, sitting there by herself. She felt Harry’s hand settle on the small of her back and gently rub it soothingly. “You know you are allowed to have fun with your family. I bet you are a better dancer than me.” Her lips spread into an amusing smile as she lifted her head to glance up at Harry.

“I’d like to see you dance.” Emilia could not help but giggle at the thought. “In fact…” Her eyes drifted for a brief second back to Ana. “Why don’t you ask Ana to dance with you.” Emilia locked in Harry’s intense stare. “I know she would love it if you did.”

“You sure you want me to ask her? You know she might win my heart.” Harry cheekily replied and earned a playful smack on the arm by the princess.

“Yes, I am sure Henry.” Emilia gave him a light push forward. “Go!”

Emilia watched from afar as Harry approached Ana and bent down to her level with his hand extended out in an offer to dance with him. A fond smile started to stretch the corner of her lips as Ana nodded her head and stood up from her seat, eager to dance with him. Harry pulled the smiling blonde teen to the dance floor and twirled her around, innocently dancing with Ana as she smiled with joy.

A few dances later, Emilia was ordering a new drink when a hand gently grasped her wrist and gave it a light tug to turn her around. It was Harry with an adorable beaming smile and rosy red cheeks from dancing.

“Come dance with me.” His deep posh British voice was alluring and difficult to say no to. His piercing blue eyes cut straight through to her soul, rendering her speechless.

“Henry….” Emilia reluctantly shook her head in fear of the repercussions and also scared of the fact that her family would find out about them. It had been a difficult evening not being able to hold his hand or reach out and touch his face or play with those tufts of his ginger hair at the nape of his neck. All because of that lingering fear. But… to dance with Harry? He had to be mad!

“You deserve to have fun like the rest of your family and I promise that I will be careful where I lay my hands on you. A respectable dance between a prince and a princess.” Harry did his best to convince Emilia, knowing full well that she was on the edge about to take that leap with him.

“Henry….” Emilia broke her silence and tightened her grasp on his hand. “Fine. But, just one dance.”

“Deal!” Harry tugged on her hand without hesitation and led Emilia to the dance floor where her family were happily dancing beside them.

Harry twirled Emilia around as they kept up to the beat of the lively music. He was observant of her family's reactions of them, careful not to place his hands on her body suggestively. Emilia’s unbridled laughter echoed in his ear, bringing a beaming grin to his lips as he watched Emilia let go and have fun.

Emilia had promised Harry just one dance with him, but that one dance turned into another and another until they found themselves being the last ones left on the dance floor. Emilia selected a slower classical song that changed the aura of the dance floor into a sensual romantic one. She stepped forward towards Harry with a shy smile.

“Will you dance with me? This is my favorite song to dance too….” She lowered her head, displaying a rare shy side of herself to Harry. (Come Dance With Me started to play by Norah Jones https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbjZPFBD6JU )

“I’d love to.” He reached out and wrapped his arm around her body, bringing Emilia in close proximity, securing her in tightly with his grasp. Harry felt her hand settle on his forearm as she waited for him to take the first step and lead her.

Harry took a step forward as Emilia moved her body in sync with him. He slowly moved them around the dance floor as his hand drifted down to the small of her back. Emilia lifted her head up to look into the prince’s deep blue eyes. Being mesmerized, she fell under his spell and was thankful that his strong body was holding her weak knees up at that moment.

The corner of his lips tugged into an elated smile, relishing in the closeness of Emilia being flushed against his body again. He looked down into her ice crystal blue eyes and could get lost in the depths of them for days if he allowed himself to. Harry’s heart swelled in admiration for this beautiful woman in his arms. He could not help but admire her beauty both inside and out that encapsulated her kind heart.

“Henry…” Emilia’s feet stopped moving as she quietly whispered his name. Their bodies swayed in their cemented place as they looked longingly into each other's eyes.

“Yes, Emilia?” His hand lifted and cupped her cheek tenderly while he gently caressed it with his thumb.

“Will you spend the day with me tomorrow? I…” She lowered her head, averting her gaze to the ground. “I think we need to talk and figure out what all of this is between us.” Emilia took in a shaky nervous breath in fear of the potential outcome, in fear that this man in front of her could break her heart.

“Well, you could steal a yacht for us to hang out on.” Harry teased the nervous princess in an attempt to bring back that adorable smile of hers.

“Harry!” Emilia shouted his name.

“Oh… I know you can scream it louder than that!” The prince was relentless, but it was all in good banter.

“You are so awful…” Emilia shook her head and snaked her arms around the back of his neck loosely while his hands found a home on her hips. “Awfully handsome…” She stood up on her tippy toes and placed a soft kiss to his lips that was all too quick for his liking.

Emilia reluctantly tore his lips off of Harry’s but she could not risk their private moment together any further in fear of exposure. “We need to go inside Harry… We can’t get caught.” She was the voice of reason amidst their cloud of building desire.

The prince took in a deep breath and sighed heavily. “You are right.” His arms fell from her frame, breaking their embrace. “Let me walk you to your room.”

The pair left the dimly lit dance floor and made their way back to the villa. In the midst of the darkness, they searched for the others hands and interlocked their fingers, savouring every moment that they were able to share with one another. Emilia quietly moaned when their hands separated.

“Trust me, I don’t like it more than you do.” Harry walked Emilia down the villa’s hall towards her room which just so happened to be right next to Harry’s.

Emilia leaned up against the door frame and turned around to face the prince. “Good night Henry.” It took all of her not to just invite Harry in for the night, but the truth was she needed time for her own mind to think.

Harry flashed a brief smile and bent his head down to place a soft kiss to her forehead. His lips lingered there as Emilia breathed in his familiar scent. Her hands reached up and grasped his forearms making him stay there for a few passing moments.

His arms slipped through Emilia’s hands, unable to continue being in the same space as Emilia any longer. “I can’t stay here…” The prince admitted and pressed his lips one more time to Emilia’s lips and said his goodnight.

“Sleep well, tiny dancer.”

#prince harry #phff #prince harry fanfic #royalfanficcollection #fanfic #chapters #chapter13 #boundtoyouphff #harryandemilia

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darksunrising · 4 years

Text

Sola Gratia (4/?)

Masterlist

Rating / Warnings : Graphic depiction of violence. No real horse was harmed in the making of this fic.

Fandom : Bram Stoker’s Dracula, BBC’s Dracula, various Dracula and vampire lore.

Part 4/? (2216 words)

Author’s notes : I’m gonna take my horse to the- Oh god. Oh god no.

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The following morning, I found myself numb and sore, as I apparently had slept on a sofa, near the fireplace of the library. The Odyssey had slipped from my hand, and lay on the floor beside me. I stretched my limbs out, and took a look at my finger. Surprisingly enough, it was clean, and the cut was already closed by a fine dark line. The handkerchief was gone. My mind still fuzzy with sleep, I thought nothing of it. And yet...

I figured, decidedly so, that it might be time for me to take my leave.

The room was filled with light, and I thought for a second that the weather might have improved. Through the thick glass diamonds that made up the windows, even though deformed, I could see the soft fluttering of snowflakes falling from grey skies. That was my luck, I frowned. If it kept on going like that, I would never leave this place.

With a scoff of annoyment, I made my way out of the library, and to the main entrance. The door was unlocked, and, using all my weight to push on the heavy wooden panel, I slipped outside. The whole yard was already covered in a thick sheet of snow, crunching under my boots. I couldn’t help but smile, even considering the disturbing strangeness of my whole situation. Everything was silent, the snow absorbing all noise, except for the muffled sounds of my steps.

Outside the gates, the village seemed, strangely enough, more alive than it did before. With a bit of imagination, you could just believe it was a normal winter day, too cold for people to get out. Every breath I drew let a thick cloud of steam past my lips. On the ground, when I thought I would only find undisturbed snow, I noticed steps, rather fresh, but very unlike those of a human. Curious, I followed, turned at a street corner, and couldn’t contain a gasp as I almost ran headfirst into a horse. The momentary fright passing, I still stepped back, hoping not to be considered a threat. The animal followed, ears pointed at me, nostrils flaring as if he tried to find some treat on me.

As I took one final step, my back hit something. Or rather, someone. A gloved hand appeared near me, holding an apple, which the horse helped himself to. I turned my head to see the pleased expression of the Count, apparently very content with the look of surprise I must have had.

“I feed them, when they pass through the village”, he told me, pretending to feel guilty as if it were a great crime. “They used to be completely feral, and now not much more threat than puppies.”

“I’m not very fond of horses”, I told him with a nervous laughter.

“How can that be ? They are magnificent beasts. Man’s best friend, if you ask me.”

He seemed almost offended, scratching the animal’s head, who seemed to trust him completely, indeed like a dog to his master.

“I have my reasons”, I replied, not wanting to go into details.

“Have you never learned how to ride ? It may rid you of irrational fears…”

“If you must know”, I started after an exasperated sigh, “I do know how to ride. I have also been sent to a hospital for three months because of horses, which is probably why I haven’t been friendly with them since then.”

The Count didn’t reply, and dug into his coat’s pocket. He handed me another apple, eagerly followed by the horse. I protested, but he left it in my hand, telling me to keep it straight open. Knowing there was no way I could escape that, I obeyed, feeling more tense than I had been in a long time. It’s just a horse. Not even that big. All fluffy with his winter coat.

“Count Balaur, I’m- I don’t-”, I started, starting to feel more and more anxious as the animal stepped towards me.

“Do not be afraid. You are perfectly safe”, he whispered into my ear.

Somehow, I doubted that. I remained still, holding out my hand awkwardly, trying to have it as flat as I could. The animal sniffed around the apple, and finished it in two bites, munching through it in a matter of seconds. The coarse beard hairs tickled my palm as he seemed to check if anything was left. Satisfied with his offering, he turned back to his horse business. I let out a sigh of relief.

“That wasn’t so terrible, now, was it ?”

I sighed and turned to face him.

“It was.”

I tried to sound harsh, but it only seemed to make him laugh.

“Well then, I promise not to do it again”, he told me, a hand over his chest. “Also, please, call me Vlad. You have already made me feel old enough.”

“Very well, Vlad”, I replied. “Do not make me fraternise with these spawns of the Devil again, if you will.”

He swore, again, and I turned back towards the main street, leaving the horses to their business, which was now the few more apples Vlad left for them. He caught back with me, offering his arm for me to hold. I decided to play along. We slowly walked into the snowed in streets, in silence. The ambiance felt almost surreal. Trying not to focus on his hand, his thumb occasionnally brushing on mine, I kept studying every detail that hadn’t been smoothed over by the heavy blanket of snow.

I started to genuinely enjoy it, yet had to stop dead in my tracks. On the corner of a house, a few feet over, blood had been splattered along the wall, dragged out on the stone. It was dark, almost black, but there was no mistaking it. I let go of Vlad’s arm, and hastily made my way up there. The path was narrow, stuck between two houses. Obviously, large enough to let a horse pass through, as that had been the case for the one lying dead at the end of it. I approached it, my morbid curiosity trumping the sinking feeling of dread in my stomach.

“Eris, come back. You don’t know what killed it.”

Killed. Right. As I got closer, I discerned the deep gashes opening up the carcass, leaving the organs to spill on the frozen ground. Good thing the cold kept the smell to a minimum, even through it still had me covering my nose with a part of my cloak. It looked… Chewed off, toyed with, but not actually eaten. I remained at a few respectable paces. The snow hadn’t fallen in the pass, and I noticed that even with all the gore spilling out and the multiple wounds, there was barely any blood anywhere. I examined the carcass, eyes drifting from cut to scrape. The animal’s head was thrown back in an impossible angle, the spine broken. On the neck, right below the jaw, was a very discernable bite mark. And it sure as hell was not a wolf’s.

“My, this looks dreadful. Why don’t we take our leave, dear ? I don’t want neither you nor me to be this pack of wolves’ next meal.”

Vlad wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and practically dragged me off the alley. His tone was indecipherable. He might just be actually moved by the horse’s gruesome death. He did seem to like the beasts, as strange as it seemed to me. I didn’t press further, still having a last look before we left. He was very silent as we walked back to the castle, and I had some trouble keeping up with his long paces.

He opened the main door with concerning ease, and almost slammed it behind us, the creaking of the wood on the stone floor echoing through the hall. He took my cloak -- his cloak, actually -- and asked me if I would wait for him in the dining room. I nodded without really thinking about it, still preoccupied by the horrific sight embedded in my brain. I mechanically walked through the corridors, guts and bitemarks flashing before my eyes.

I let myself fall onto a sofa, locking my eyes on the dying fire. I really didn’t want to overthink this. Still, a nauseating feeling twisted my insides. I tried to ignore it. I folded my kneed against my chest, holding them tight against me. The flames danced in the darkness. I thought at that point, I had to be confused. I didn’t understand anything. It all seemed to get stranger and stranger by the minute, and I couldn’t really just stand there, ignoring it. I cut my finger. A horse died.

I didn’t hear when he came back into the room, and had no idea how long I had remained staring onto the fire. Music started playing, with the soft, nostalgic grain of a gramophone. He set a cup of tea on the small pedestal table next to me, warning me to mind the heat. It steamed. His own did not.

“What’s in your cup ?”, I asked.

“Tea”, he replied.

I looked up at him. He was smiling, offering his hand.

“Eris, my dear, may I have the pleasure of a dance with you ?”

“I- I don’t know how to dance”, I tried to evade.

“You will find me to be an excellent teacher”, he told me, his voice sweet and inviting. “Would you do me this favour ? I dearly love to dance, and so rarely have the occasion.”

Understanding that my choice wouldn’t have any sway over the matter, I unfolded my legs, and took his hand. He guided me to the windows, placing his hand a bit above my waist. Some old dancing etiquette resurfacing in my mind, I placed mine on his shoulder, to which he feigned to be impressed by. I couldn’t help but giggle at his expression, to which he responded by pulling me closer. Following his steps was far easier than I thought it would be, and after a short moment, I did it without thinking about it. His eyes locked with mine. So blue. His hair was framing his face in long, wavy strands, catching the silver and golden lights of snow and fire. It almost seemed like he could read right through me, my thoughts, my fears, my desires.

I felt heat rise to my cheeks, and no matter how hard I tried to stifle it, the slight smirk on the corner of his lips proved my efforts entirely vain. He slowly had me spin away, and back, wrapping his arm around my waist at my return. With a mischievous smile, he dipped me low. I felt at his mercy, leaning back, with only his arms to hold me. He was so close. Too close.

I turned my head to avoid his gaze, only to feel his breath on my neck. I wanted to say something. Stop him. Did I ? His lips brushed against my skin. Cold. Soft. Sharp. I breathed out his name. It came out choked. He pulled me up, slowly. I could feel him smiling against my skin. He tilted his head up to face me, just after planting a light kiss, right above my collarbone.

“Are you afraid of me ?”, he asked.

His gaze was intense, face inches from mine, holding me close against his chest.

“What’s in your cup ?”, I repeated, in a whisper so low I wasn’t even sure he’d hear it.

He only laughed, quietly, his hands holding me tight. I pressed mine against his chest, freeing me of his grip. He let me go, perfectly conscious that he could have kept me there as long as he wanted. I circled around him to reach his cup, laying on the dinner table.

My hand shaking, hovered about it. Almost full. Dark, viscous liquid, barely see-through. The Count had not moved, simply watching over me, his tall silhouette completely darkened by the light pouring out the windows, behind him. I had to be sure. I had to know. Maybe this was all some kind of misunderstanding. Maybe he just pulled some sick, very unfunny prank on me.

I took hold of the handle, and raised the cup to my face. I didn’t dare breathe in. I dreaded the smell. The liquid moved around slowly, and I noticed a fine film had formed at the surface, breaking off as soon as I moved it. I breathed in. Bitter. Iron. Sweet, in a sickening way. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t think.

Before I could find anything to do, I felt the Count’s hands slip around my waist, one pulling my shirt to the side, revealing my neck and shoulder. I was paralysed, my heart pounding in my chest so hard it became painful.

“I am a fair hunter”, he whispered against my skin. “I will give you a headstart.”

He dragged his teeth up along my neck, my veins pulsing against the sharp edges. He placed a kiss right under my ear, almost tender, taking his time.

“Run, little rabbit.”

~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

Taglist : @carydorse @angelicdestieldemon @bloodhon3yx @thewondernanazombie @battocar @moony691 @mjlock @thebeautyofdisorder

#horse #fanfiction #fanfic #dracula fanfiction #dracula bram stoker #dracula bbc #dracula castlevania #claes bang #vampire x human #vampire #sola gratia #sola gratia part 4 #slow burn #romance #i promise there's gonna be romance at some point ok #gothic horror

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writethelifeyouwant · 5 years

Text

You Got Iced - Chapter One

Pairing: Jared x Reader x Jensen

Rating: M, for language (future chapters will be explicit)

Summary: Inspired in part by the challenge prompt and in part by this convention https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAHS_RJ5Gac (which is fucking hilarious, go enjoy yourselves there). The reader is attending a Supernatural convention during a heat wave and gets her money’s worth out of her ticket that’s for sure.

Word Count: 3556

Warnings: None for this chapter

A/N: Written for @babypieandwhiskey ‘s Hot as Hell challenge. This is only chapter one of an undetermined number. If anyone else wants to be tagged in the rest of the chapters shoot me an ask! I’ll be posting them over the next couple weeks as I finish them. I’m in the process of moving to a different country so it’s taking me a little longer to write than I’d hoped :) (Also I’ve only been to cons in my dreams so sorry if things aren’t totally realistic in that respect).

The convention hall, also known as the shabby ballroom of the Hilton on Main, was clouded in an ungodly, sticky heat that had descended, seemingly from nowhere, the previous night. Even the oppressive heat hadn’t dampened the palpable excitement of the hundreds of people that were crowding into each other’s personal space, waiting for the boys. A dance, so identical it was practically choreographed, spread throughout the audience as the minutes slipped by. People’s heads nodded up and down as they checked the clocks on their phones and then checked the stage again, finding it still empty.

Then a shocking scream erupted from a corner of the room where a ripple of the curtain had announced the imminent arrival of Rob and his band of merry men. Shouts rang out as the band populated the stage and without introduction, cranked out discordant rock chords.

“How you all doing today?” Rob shouted into the microphone and answering hollers echoed back. “No one melted yet?”

An answering “No!” came back from the crowd.

“Alright well let’s get this show on the road before that happens!”

Cheers erupted as the music started, Rob introducing himself, Michael, Billy and Stephen, and Rich who had popped up from behind the curtain in the meantime.

“So hey,” Rich had grabbed his own microphone, “I saw a couple guys lurking backstage, I think you guys might know them, those two really tall motherfuckers that are on TV all the time?” The shrieks that flew out of the crowd must have made the band glad they had earplugs in. “I’m gonna assume that means you guys want them up here too?” Rich prodded with a smirk. More screams. “Yeah I thought so, everyone give it up for Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles!”

The boys, somehow dressed in flannels despite the god awful heat, jogged out on stage, waving and smiling and lapping up the outcry from the nearly hysterical audience members. Picking up the microphones that were waiting for them on the chairs in the centre of the stage, they settled themselves in, Jared flipping his chair around and earning some extra swooning screams because he somehow managed to make that simple movement incredibly seductive.

To be honest, you were glad you had a railing to lean against as you watched them. Terrified excitement gripped your chest as you stared up at them enjoying the turmoil they had engendered, and you felt sweat pooling at the base of your spine that had nothing to do with the sweltering humidity you’d been standing in all morning. You were in one of the two lines of incredibly lucky humans stood near the front of the room, with your question scribbled on a piece of paper in case you totally lost your mind when it was your turn to talk to them.

Just as the noise finally began to die down Jensen grinned into the mic and said, “Hi guys,” pulling a whole new wave of cheers from everyone.

“How are you guys doing?” Jared asked, nodding along to the answers of “great, amazing, good, boiling” that were making their way back to him. They both laughed. “Yeah, it is pretty hot in here isn’t it?”

“Sorry guys, that’s my fault,” Jensen smirked, and Jared shot him a teasing look and fanned himself wildly.

“Seriously, is this normal for here, did we just totally miss a memo?” Jared asked. The crowd shouted that this was completely not normal, it was some sort of sign of the apocalypse, curse from God, that sort of thing. “Oh good, so we’re not total morons,” he nodded, shaking the front of his shirt to encourage some airflow.

“You know what might help, man?” Jensen asked.

“What?” Jared’s face told the crowd that he genuinely didn’t know where Jensen was going with that question.

“If you took the fucking beanie off.”

Laughter rang out followed by hollers of encouragement as Jared shook his head but pulled off the wool knit cap, shaking out his hair and pushing it back out of his eyes.

“Yeah okay, the hat was a stupid move today,” Jared admitted, tossing it casually straight into Jensen’s face. “Do you guys like not know what air conditioning is or…” laughs rippled through the audience and a garbled shout you couldn’t make out made its way towards the stage.

“What was that?” Jensen asked, leaning forward as if that was gonna make it easier to hear. You heard the words repeated but you still couldn’t understand them.

“Bring back strip question?” Jared clarified. The boys chuckled as answering shrieks reached a heightened level of hysteria.

“Honestly, I don’t think we’re gonna need the prompting this time, the layers are just gonna start melting off eventually,” Jensen laughed.

“No but, on a slightly more serious note,” Jared interrupted, “Thank y’all so much for being here. We love you guys and we really appreciate it but it is hot in here so, take care of yourselves, drink water if you have some. If you have to get up and go cool off or get a drink, please, please do, don’t feel bad. We don’t want anyone collapsing out there.”

Jared’s thoughtfulness really touched something in you. He was so unendingly sweet it just showed how much he really felt everyone there was his family. You felt like you mattered and that spread warmth through your limbs that was altogether separate from the heat of the room. Lost in your thoughts briefly after Jared’s PSA you noticed that they had started to take questions from the line, and you shook yourself out in time to hear a small girl’s trembling voice ask, “What was the hardest thing you ever had to do for the show? A stunt or something emotionally difficult or scary to film?”

The panel trickled by, and you tried to absorb every second of it. The minute expressions that Jared and Jensen shared, the laughs they broke from each other, the looks of adoration on every fan’s face, the feeling of gratefulness that swelled in your chest at being anywhere near these two and surrounded by such an incredible amount of happiness. The heat was the constant companion of everyone in the room, and Jared and Jensen were frequently leaving their chairs to make trips to the jugs of iced water that had been set up by the band.

As you neared the front of the question line, Jensen got up for another water break while Jared finished answering a question about the mechanics of one of his favourite shots from last season when he was suddenly interrupted by a growl from Jensen.

“Son of a bitch!” Even without the microphone he was incredibly audible, especially since you were very close to them at this point.

Jared turned around, confused and amused, trying to figure out what the hell Jensen was doing. It quickly became apparent as Jensen pulled from a jug of ice a slim white bottle, shaking the condensation off of it. Jared burst out laughing, clapping his hands together and pointing in mocking.

Walking back to his mic, Jensen twisted the cap off the bottle. “Did you do this, man?” Jensen accused Jared.

“No, I swear,” Jared choked out still laughing. Jensen rounded on the band and Rob and Rich just shrugged, with unapologetic smirks on their faces. “Hey man, at least it’s cold,” Jared offered.

“Ugh I hate these things,” Jensen complained, but he sank to one knee to raucous applause and tipped the Smirnoff Ice back, downing it in an impressively short time. Rob and Rich grinned at each other and shared a surreptitious low-five behind Rob’s back. You were right next to their side of the stage now and they heard you laugh at them. Turning they gave you a thumbs up and Rich looked around, leaned in to whisper something to Rob, then pulled back with a pretty evil smile.

On the other side of the stage, Jared and Jensen had returned to answering questions and you tried to pay attention to the anecdote they were sharing but you kept getting distracted and glancing back at the band, because you could feel Rob’s eyes on you. Looking around you realised that Rich had ducked behind the curtain and now he was rounding the corner of the stage on the audience level, sneaking along bent over so his head wouldn’t be seen over the side of the stage. He was coming right at you.

He stopped to check something with the volunteer that stood at your side of the stage, then continued to creep back towards you. You stood there in stunned silence as he approached with a wide, conniving smile and whispered an introduction.

“Hi there, I’m Rich.”

“H-hi,” you gulped, completely stunned that you were standing so close to an actual Supernatural actor.

“So, you’re gonna have the last question,” Rich cut straight to the point, keeping his voice down so he didn’t disturb the proceedings around him. You nearly choked on your breath.

“That, that means,” you struggled to compute for a second. “I go up there?” You pointed up to the stage where Jared and Jensen were sitting, laughing, looking like giant gods.

“Yup,” Rich popped the ‘p’ on the end of the word. “That okay with you?” You could only manage to nod. “Okay, so, we play the little jingle, the volunteer will walk you up, we’ll have a chair there with a mic, all good?” Again, you only nodded, clutching your question in your hand, eternally grateful that you had thought to write it down, and hoping the sweat pooling in your hands didn’t smudge the writing.

“One more thing,” Rich ducked his body behind yours and brought his face close enough to full-on whisper. “That dress have pockets?” Completely confused by his question you squeak out an answer.

“Yeah, why?” You felt something cold at your elbow and you looked down. Rich was sneaking you another Smirnoff Ice, indicating with his head that you should put it in your pocket.

“Think you can give that to Jared for us?”

“Oh,” you breathed out, understanding now. “Yeah, sure,” you giggled.

“Thanks kiddo,” Rich clapped his hands on your shoulders and squeezed before darting forward and launching himself back onto the stage so he could situate himself with the band.

After an exchange of looks from Jared and Jensen and back to Rob the music kicked in and you were ushered forwards by the volunteer Rich had spoken to a moment ago.

There were no real words to describe what it was like to stand right in front of Jared and Jensen. You felt like your heart had stopped and like it was beating a million times a minute at the same time. Up on the stage with lights beaming down it was even hotter than it had been in the audience, and when Jared and Jensen each placed a hand on your upper arms and guided you towards your chair and mic, it felt like their hands were burning into your skin. You almost hoped you had scars a la Dean’s from Castiel.

As you sat down, the faint buzzing that had stuffed your ears started to dissipate and you realised that Jared was talking to you.

“I’m sorry, can you say that again?” You were so embarrassed that they were affecting you like this but Jared just smiled gently, practically radiating a safe, warm encouragement.

“What’s your name darlin’,” Jared asked again.

“Oh, uh, Y/N,” your name came back to you, finally.

“And Y/N,” Jensen asked now, “what is your question?”

“Okay, um, so my question is for both of you and I’d like to extend it to Rob and Rich too if that’s okay?” You glanced around at everyone’s faces and all four seemed to be nodding their heads that that would be okay. When you looked over at the band you caught Rich’s eye and he quirked a brow at you, a small reminder of your other purpose on the stage. Clearing your throat you pulled out the your question but kept your other hand in your pocket with the cold bottle.

“But, before I ask it, I’ve been asked to give something to Jared by a friend.”

“Oh cool, what is it!” Excitement took over Jared’s face like a puppy dog who heard the word ‘treat’. That joy was quickly doused when he saw what you pulled out of your pocket. “Oh, God,” Jared pulled a hand over his face, scrubbing at his cheek adorably in annoyance.

“Sorry,” you did feel a little guilty, but mostly it was funny.

“Which one of those douches was it,” Jared pointed accusingly at Rob and Rich.

“You’re welcome!” They shouted in unison, giving Jared a big thumbs up.

“You suck,” Jared shouted, but good-naturedly sank to one knee, upending the Smirnoff Ice and draining it as quickly as possible. What made you absolutely lose your breath, and nearly your mind, is that when he dropped to his knee he used you as his brace. His long fingers wrapped almost all the way around your knee, and he squeezed gently, almost teasingly, as he gulped down the icy drink. You couldn’t take your eyes off the way his neck was pulsing as he swallowed, and a small drop of sweat was running achingly slowly down past where you knew you could find his pulse if you just reached out your fingers and touched.

When he finished, he exhaled on an over-exaggerated ‘ahh’ and his eyes locked straight with yours. He maintained eye contact, his hazel irises twinkling in the bright lights beating down on the stage, and he rose slowly back to his feet, giving your knee one last squeeze before reaching out for his microphone again.

“Now, Y/N, since we’ve got that out of the way,” Jared flared back at Rob and Rich, “what is your question?”

The rest of your time on stage was an absolute blur. Jensen answered your question first, quickly followed by Rich. Jared and Rob took a few seconds each to consider before offering their best answer and then before you could process what was happening Jensen was pulling you to your feet and wrapping you in a burning hug. Jared came around the other side and stretched his arms around both you and Jensen, briefly trapping you there between them. Then all the sudden you felt a rush of air as they pulled back and you were being ushered off to the side by a volunteer.

Your eyes took a moment to adjust back to the lack of blazing spotlights, so you kept following the volunteer without giving much thought to where she was leading you. It was a shock when you found yourself being pushed through a gap between a curtain and the wall, moving back behind the stage. A little holding area was filled with everyone who had just been on stage, and a volunteer passing around water bottles.

“Why am I back here?” You whisper shrieked at the volunteer. She laughed at you.

“You want to take a picture with the guys?”

“Oh wow, you’re not serious,” you panicked, smoothing out your hair and patting over your face, hoping your makeup hadn’t sweated off too much.

“You’ll be fine,” she laughed again, good-naturedly though. She must be used to dealing with fangirling freaks, you thought to yourself.

“Hi Y/N,” Jensen called when you were just about level with the group.

“Ready for your close-up?” Jared asked, waggling his eyebrows at you.

“Um, yeah I guess,” you gulped, trying to organise your thoughts as you followed Jared and Jensen over to where a camera tripod was set up against another wall. You were walking between them, the bare skin of your arms brushing against their hands, because they were that much taller than you. “It is so nice to meet you guys, seriously, I just want to say thank you for being like, amazing and wonderful. You’ve made such an amazing family,” you stop talking and try to rein yourself in, knowing you can’t guarantee you won’t say something monumentally embarrassing very soon.

“Well, you guys are all pretty amazing too,” Jared smiled, clapping a hand on your shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze, clearly sensing you could do with a little calming down, not that having him touch you actually accomplished that. Your heart felt like it was trying to jump out through your throat.

“So, where do you want us?” Jensen smiled warmly at you, but there was something else peeking out from behind his bright green eyes. Mischief, maybe.

“Oh god, I don’t even know,” you tried not to giggle hysterically, which was your usual defence mechanism when you got nervous.

“It’s okay, just come over here,” Jared pushed you forwards slightly towards Jensen. They stood together, arms slung around the shoulders that were touching and pulled you in front of them. Stumbling a little, like a total idiot you berated yourself internally, you fell back against them. Assuming they’d want a little more space, you started to take a step forward but then you felt solid warmth pressing against your back. Jared and Jensen had both pulled you closer into them and they were pressing you back into their bodies. You felt more than heard a chuckle roll through Jensen’s body, and he slung his left arm around your body, settling his hand against your right shoulder. Jared mirrored him, crossing his arm over Jensen’s to hug you tighter to both of them.

“Okay, say ‘bacon’!” The photographer snapped a few photos of you all absolutely laughing your asses off, because who says ‘bacon’ when they take a photo? But as the laughter settled you felt a sense of incandescent calm spread through you. Jared and Jensen were still pressing you against them, and the laughter had broken the tension you’d been holding in your limbs, allowing you to settle into them without so many nerves.

When the photographer indicated that he was done the boys released you and each other, Jared ruffling his hair mostly to give his hands something to do. You felt more relaxed now, and a little more confident that you weren’t going to start babbling nonsense so you took a chance to ask for a favour.

“I’m gonna ask since I’m here and I know I’ll kill myself later if I don’t… Do you think it would be okay if I got a photo with the band?”

“Oh, sure, yeah,” Jensen said, obviously having expected something much more out of left field. He waved over to the guys still milling around in the holding area. “Hey, Rob, get your guys over here!”

When they were in better earshot Jared pointed his thumb at you and said, “Your new minion wants a picture.” His voice was scathing but hid his amusement pretty poorly considering he was an actor. The band plus Rich all crowded around you for a photo, going for a giant group hug approach and pulling loads of stupid faces, helping you chill out even more.

As they released you from the crush you turned back to Jared. “Sorry, again, about that,” you said, referring to passing on Rich’s prank before, and blushing a little.

“Yeah, bullshit,” Jared laughed, his eyes crinkling and fuck, why was that so sexy.

“Well did you want to give her this for your revenge Jared or…” Jensen let his thought trail off, swinging a cloudy white bottle by the neck between his thumb and a finger.

“Jay, we cannot Ice a fan,” Jared laughed exasperatedly.

“Sure we can,” Rob grabbed the drink from Jensen and tossed it at you. You screamed a little but by some miracle you caught it clumsily, clutching it to your chest to keep it from smashing to the ground.

“Y/N you really don’t have to drink that,” Jared insisted, trying to protect you from his ridiculous friends.

“No it’s okay, fair’s fair” you laughed, twisting off the cap of the cold drink, confused as to how this was your life right now. You brought the bottle to your lips, taking a moment to shoot Jared a reassuring smile because he was still looking worriedly at you. Before you managed to actually drink any of it though you heard Jensen clear his throat, and he looked pointedly from you, to the ground at your feet.

“You forgetting something?” Jensen grinned as he watched you, arms crossed over his chest. Of course, you thought, you were supposed to take a knee when you downed it.

“Someone’s bossy,” you chided, but you let yourself fall, landing on both your knees instead of just one like the challenge technically called for. Glancing up at Jensen for permission to down your drink now you saw him exchange a fleeting look with Jared. For just a moment, something had cracked through their smiling exteriors. It was dark; hungry. The change had been infinitesimal and before you could swear it had been there to begin with, their warm, encouraging smiles were back. You tipped the bottle back, keeping your eyes locked with Jensen’s the whole time, like Jared had done with you earlier on the stage.

#babypieandwhiskey #hot as hell challenge #j2 fic #spn #j2 x reader #j2 x reader fic #Jared Padalecki #Jensen Ackles #spn family #you got iced #getting iced challenge #chapter 1

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jacklyn-flynn · 4 years

Note

Space Trash Thedas Valentine's Day. It should be a thing there, shouldn't it? ;) Tell me if you have any ideas. :D

Oh, it’s a thing now! I couldn’t help but write something silly and slightly romantic. If you’d like to see the gentleman dork on a date (and don’t mind super minor spoilers) take a look below the cut!

Cullen knocked on Jules door. He straightened his shirt as he waited. He was wearing formal black slacks and white shirt with the top few buttons undone. He also wore his uniform jacket, open, so he hoped those buttons would make it look less formal. He hadn’t planned on wearing it at all but Jules had told Cassandra that she liked the fur collar and that the dark maroon suited him.

The door slid open and he couldn’t help but smile brightly. “You’re wearing a dress.” He blurted out in surprise.

It was a very well fitting sundress. Unusual amid the metal of the ship in the middle of space but incredibly flattering on her. It was a light Jade green with tiny white flowers embroidered on it. It had short, capped sleeves and the skirt fell to her knees. It hugged her hips, giving him a glimpse into the figure her jumpsuit always hid. He loved it. More than he would ever admit to anyone.

Her cheeks immediately flushed. “Is it too much? I’ve never worn one before. I think I look silly but Morgan and Cassandra said I look "adorable as fuck” and “divine”. Respectively, of course.“

"They aren’t wrong.” He said with a grin he couldn’t hold back. “You look beautiful.”

She swallowed hard and smiled slightly. “You-you look nice too. I um..” She hesitated, wringing her hands together. “I like your eyes.” She wasn’t lying, but the way she said it sounded so incredibly stupid to her own ears. She could feel her blush traveling down her neck.

“Thank you. I got them-” Maker’s breath, Rutherford. Don’t say it. “For my birthday.” He groaned inwardly and ran his hand through his hair to rub the back of his neck awkwardly. He gave her an apologetic smile. He expected her to stare at him as if he was an idiot, at the very least be embarrassed for him.

He didn’t expect her to start laughing. She covered her mouth with her hands, hiding her brilliant smile and stifling her oh so rare laughter. Regardless, it made him smile wider as well.

He offered her his arm and she slid hers through it. “I don’t know anything about this holiday. I hope I don’t embarrass you.”

“You could never-I mean, I promise you won’t embarrass me.” He assured her. Already the night was going better than expected. She’d smiled, laughed and taken his arm without hesitation. He was proud to have her on his arm. To be the one experiencing those rare moments with her.

“Traditionally, flowers and chocolate are brought as a gift, but they are quite hard to find on the Herald.” He apologized. “All I have to offer you is a private dinner. Unless you’d like to go to the galley? Whichever makes you more comfortable.”

“Private. I don’t think I want everyone to see me dressed like this.” She said shyly. He wanted to stop her in the corridor and tell her how incredibly beautiful she was. To tell her all of the reasons why. He knew that would only serve to embarrass her and Maker knew the idea of having her undivided attention was appealing.

He led her through the corridors, confident now in the layout of the ship. They returned to his cabin and the door slid open silently. He allowed her to enter first. She walked in slowly, taking in the room.

“I thought you would have more belongings.” She commented.

“When you become a Templar, you give up your worldly possessions in service to the Maker. While I am not a Templar anymore, I haven’t managed to get back into the swing of collecting material things.” He admitted. He did have one thing that he’d kept since his last day in Honnleath. Something he had considered giving her. He would wait until the right time and this didn’t feel like it.

The small fold away table was set up, one chair on either side. Two plates with silver domes sat in front of them, silverware set up on either side. Whatever was beneath smelled wonderful.

“I don’t normally drink wine, but I have some if you would like it?” He offered, pulling out her chair for her. She looked slightly confused, but settled herself in it anyway. He pushed her in and then moved to sit across from her.

“No, thank you. I can’t get drunk and I don’t care much for the taste.” She explained. How could he have forgotten? He was glad he’d decided not to get it.

Jules took the dome off of her plate and let out a soft moan of appreciation. Two small medallions of meat sat on the plate, beside a small, fluffy pile of mashed potatoes. Bright, crisp green beans with the soft sheen of melted butter completed the plate.

“This looks delicious.” She said, slightly breathless at the decedent spread.

You look delicious. He almost said. Instead, he just smiled. “Let’s see if I can get this right. It’s brown butter braised filet mignon. It’s supposed to be….I don’t know. Fancy.” He said with a short laugh.

It looked far too fancy for the likes of her, but she was starting to get used to that. Being exposed to things that had previously been far out of her reach.

Neither of them were sure what to say, so they just started to eat. Every time he looked up from his plate he hoped to catch her looking at him but she never was.

She finished her last bite and pushed the plate away slightly, stacking her silverware on top. He only had a few bites left.

“This is a very weird custom.” She commented. “To eat a meal together because it is a certain day of the year.”

“As I mentioned there’s usually flowers and chocolate. I was thinking we might dance a bit as well.” He suggested.

“Oh no.” She said quickly. “I don’t know the first thing about dancing. I would look ridiculous.”

“You could glue feathers to your face and quack like a duck and you still wouldn’t look ridiculous.” He said quickly.

She looked perplexed. “Why would I do that?” She asked, genuinely curious.

“Well, you wouldn’t, I was just-nevermind.” He laughed. “I’m not a very accomplished dancer myself but I know a basic waltz. It’s just four steps. It’s a little fast for your favorite song, but we can just take it slow and enjoy the music.”

She looked like she was leaning toward no while she contemplated, but eventually nodded. “How close do we have to be?” The softest hint of apprehension in her voice.

He stood and offered his hand. She took it and stood up as well, nervously adjusting the skirt of her dress.

“You’ll hold this hand and put your other on my shoulder. I would traditionally put my hand on your waist, but I don’t have to.” He explained.

Jules smiled and his heart flipped. “It’s okay, I trust you.”

He laid his hand on the gentle curve of her hip ever so slightly, as if she might shatter at his touch. Releasing her hand he leaned over to touch the small panel on the wall.

The sounds of gentle strings started to play. The long, vibrato of the deep cello note made her eyes close and a smile grace her lips. The very visceral reaction to the music, the pure joy on her face made everything worth it.

“Air on the G string. Bach.” She opened her eyes but the smile remained. “How did you know this was my favorite piece?”

“Morgan.” He told her, slightly distracted by her gentle smile. “He said that you like to play it with him. I would love to hear you play sometime. He says you’re extremely talented.”

“I’m not really.” She said, her smile fading. “It’s mostly because of the augmentations.”

He continued to sway with her, leading their dance. “I don’t believe that’s true. Music isn’t just about technical skill. It takes passion. He told me that when you play it’s like you’re in another place. Just you and your violin. He also said that you’ve moved him to tears before.”

That lovely rose blush started to color her cheeks again. She looked down at their feet but couldn’t hide her smile. “He did?” She sounded both surprised and pleased.

“He did.” Cullen confirmed. “I don’t think a man like that would admit such a thing lightly.”

“No, he wouldn’t.” She looked up at him through her lashes. “Maybe you can come and watch us the next time we play.”

“I would like that, Jules. Very much.” He sincerely hoped she knew he meant it. Every bit of it.

The song ended with a beautiful harmony of strings. She released his hand and stepped back.

“We did quite well for two terrible dancers.” He said, reluctantly lifting his hand from her hip.

“Did we?” She looked up at him and he couldn’t contain his smile.

“Neither of us stepped on the others’ toes. We did phenomenal.” He chuckled. “Allow me to walk you home?”

“I am home.” She said, confused. “And I know the way back to my cabin.”

“I know you do, it’s another silly tradition.” He tried to explain. “Men would accompany the woman they were wooing to ensure they got home safely.”

“Are you wooing me, First Commander?” Her delicate brows raised slightly. He didn’t know how her non-organic eye could show as much emotion as her real one, but it shone with amusement all the same.

“If you’ll allow it.” He let her make the decision.

“I don’t feel that it’s wise on your part, but you’ve been so nice to me.” She reasoned.

“You don’t owe me anything. I’m very fond of you, but if you don’t feel the same, you don’t have to spend time with me because I’ve been nice to you.” Maker, it hurt his soul that he had to explain that to her.

“Can I think about it?” She asked softly.

“Of course.” He said immediately.

“Okay, you may walk me to my cabin to protect me from harm.” Was she actually teasing him?

He offered his arm again and they walked back to her cabin in silence. He didn’t realize he was staring down at her, admiring the golden curls of her hair until she looked up at him. He felt his own cheeks flush at having been caught blatantly oogling her.

“Now what?” She asked when they reached her door.

“We say goodnight.” He said simply. “Traditionally with a kiss.”

To quell the flash of uncertainty in her eyes, he grasped her hand and raised it to his lips. He kissed the back of her fingers gently and released her. “Goodnight, Jules. Thank you for indulging in my silly traditions.”

She bit her lower lip and nodded. “Goodnight.” She smiled up at him again. He would see that smile in his dreams. He nodded and headed back down the corridor.

“Cullen?” He heard her take a few steps to catch up with him. Surprised to hear his name, he turned. She was right behind, and now directly in front of him.

His heart stopped when she raised herself onto her toes to kiss his cheek. When she stepped back, she was blushing furiously.

“You may continue to woo me, if you’d like.” She said quietly.

“Thank you.” He said, still shocked.

She nodded and walked back to her door, slipping inside. His fingers brushed his cheek where her soft, warm lips had been a moment before. With a huff of laughter, he headed back to his own cabin.

#space trash #cullenxjules #dorky date #happy valentines day #i made their dinner for my husband #so tasty #great ask

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vemodalarna · 4 years

Text

The sun will be guiding you

Characters: PIXAL, Zane Julien (mentioned: Nya, Cole) Ships: PIXAL/Nya (Samuraishipping), Zane/Cole (Glaciershipping) (mentioned) Word count: 2001 Description: PIXAL asks Zane about love.

i wrote this back in september to y’know. break my basically year long record of not completing fics. i wrote this in one sitting, in the middle of the night, on my phone - which, frankly, i think is becoming a trend. Ninjago came out of nowhere and has me hooked so cheers!!

-----

PIXAL was idly watching the numbers and code flash by on the screen when Zane knocked on the door. She quietly shut down the diagnostics program, disappointed in her findings; nothing was out of the ordinary. All of her systems were optimized and functioning. No mentions of a hiccup or virus anywhere. The code was flawless, like it always seemed to be.

"Come in," she called out, while swiftly but carefully pulling out the clunky cable from the left side panel on her chest, ejecting it with a soft pop . Zane sheepishly poked his head out from behind the opening of the cave, giving PIXAL a little smile.

"There you are," he sighed, an artificial sound created by his voicebank. PIXAL found it odd, but Zane had previously stated that it made him feel 'more like he belonged' - that it made it less obvious that he wasn’t organic like his family all were. "Nya's been looking for you. She said you malfunctioned and refused to let her help?"

PIXAL clenched her jaw and looked away from Zane. Shame flooded her system as she recounted the days events- a totally normal sparring fight between Nya and herself. Losing wasn’t the shameful part; it was how her body reacted to...

Shaking her head, PIXAL stood up from her chair- too fast if Zane's expression was anything to go by. Weaving around the mechanisms and machines, she quickly picked up a sweater that was lying around in the Samurai X hide-out. She didn't need to wear clothes, but she knew that it led to discomfort or flushed looks her way whenever she didn't.

"I am fine, Zane," PIXAL hummed, while pulling the sweater over her head. "You do not need to worry."

Zane frowned slightly, closing the door behind him and crossing his arms. "Forgive me for being blunt, but your powers shutting off because of a simple throw over the shoulder is not 'fine'."

"I ran a diagnostics test," she replied, her eyes drifting to the now turned off screen. "Nothing is out of the ordinary. My systems are optimized and running and I cannot detect any physical injuries that would cause me to turn off." PIXAL sat back down on the chair in front of the control panels, watching as Zane furrowed his brow and grabbing the spare chair that Nya used and placing it next to her.

"Then why did you?" Zane sat down with a soft clunk , his fans whirring softly. His blue eyes flashed, and he sat back with a concerned look on his face. "My sensors cannot indicate anything wrong. Something, however, is clearly distracting you. Your movements were less sharp than usual today."

PIXAL's fans kicked in, and she forcefully archived the wave of embarrassment she felt in her systems. Her cooling liquid rushed through her body, hurrying to lower the temperature of her core and limbs before anything fried or shut off. "Yes, Zane, I noted."

Zane didn't respond, so PIXAL took the time to sort through and analyze the memories from the sparring. Nothing was vastly different from her usual trainings. Everything was running smoothly, until she changed sparring partners to... Hm.

"Zane, how did you..." PIXAL started slowly, breaking the silence. "How did you figure out your feelings for Cole? How did you manage to define love ?"

The titanium nindroid sat up even straighter, somehow, at her question. "Ah, that is a complicated question."

PIXAL looked at Zane as his eyes flashed a darker blue and nervously scratched a hand behind his head. "Well, when did you realize you had acquired more than platonic love for him?"

"I will be fully honest with you, PIXAL," Zane chuckled, "I would have kept analyzing for decades why my systems reacted differently to him if it were not for him confessing to me first."

"What do you mean?"

"Love is very hard to define, and thus to understand. For the longest time I assumed that I would never feel romantic love," He explained, looking thoughtfully at the Samurai X suit stationed in the room. "And yet, after Yang and Stix, I found that my feelings for Cole were different compared to the others. It was not necessarily stronger or more confusing than the feelings I felt for the other in our chosen family, but. It was not the same."

Humming, PIXAL looked down at her hands. That was indeed similar to how she is currently feeling about Nya. Not worse or better, but different to how she reacts to Zane and the rest of the ninja. Stroking her hands across the soft blue fabric of the sweater (of Nya’s sweater, she realised with a start- she must’ve left it here when she last visited), her sensors tingled as the static of her fans mingled with her thoughts.

Ever since her reveal as Samurai X, Sensei Wu had recruited her for proper training. PIXAL didn't need it, as she was a nindroid - she could simply download data and put it to use without training, but Sensei Wu insisted. In usual Sensei Wu fashion, he said a probably inspirational quote, but PIXAL had a hard time picking it apart and understanding it.

PIXAL won nearly every time someone sparred against her. Analysing and predicting her opponents’ movements was something that took no energy at all; Kai was too hectic, and not planned out. Jay flails too often and can't control his strength. Cole tends to rely too much on brute force when he loses his concentration, and while Zane is the most balanced out of the bunch, he can get too caught up in the numbers to fight freely. Nya, however... Nya was the hardest to predict and beat.

Nya banters while she fights, her words smooth and knowing, yet sharp and biting. She's light on her feet despite being a sturdier and shorter build. While she mostly stays in one fighting style, she's versatile and can quickly change to defensive from offensive, and vice versa. Despite being serious in actual brawls and scenarios, Nya laughs and jokes as she spars and trains. It distracts PIXAL too much to predict her blows.

That is just what happened that day. PIXAL got distracted while analyzing a jab Nya had thrown at her, giving Nya the perfect opportunity to strike. She had grabbed PIXAL by the arm and flipped her. Nya had just laughed that loud and spontaneous laugh at her, and extended her hand to help PIXAL up.

From PIXAL's view Nya looked like nothing PIXAL had ever seen before. Around her hair was a soft and warm glow from the sun, a halo illuminating her face and changing the black tint of the loose curly strands sticking out from her ponytail. Her deep brown eyes had sparkles in them and her soft, round flushed cheeks pushed up against them. Between her eyes, her nose was scrunched up, the way it did when Nya smiled genuinely. PIXAL found that she longed to see her this way more often, to make Nya happy and to hear her laugh. How she wished she could stay in that position and admire the woman in front of her more often.

It... It was too much information for PIXAL to handle. Warning notifications clouded her vision, her fans going haywild inside her chest and her motherload heating up. A strange feeling arose in her chest, and the last thing she saw was Nya's expression turning concerned as her systems shut down.

"In what ways was it different?" PIXAL asked curiously. “How did your attraction to Cole change… Well, your behavior?” Zane smiled at her, warm and flustered.

"I was, ah, distracted, mostly. I found myself thinking about him more. I would feel elevated yet terribly anxious whenever I was around him- which was not good for our team, by the way," Both nindroids chuckle, the unnoticed tenseness in PIXAL's shoulders melting away. "My system would generate daydreams and thoughts about him, possible what-if's that were so much more... Involved than it had ever done with the others. My fans would work in overdrive to keep my circuits from frying around him. I put so much of my energy into unwillingly noticing small details, from the cracks in his hands or the texture of his hair. Wondering and wishing about him."

PIXAL softly clenched her fist, remember how pretty Nya was under the sun, and how she had an undeniable need to remember everything about that moment.

"So when he admitted to having... Romantic feelings- you understood what it was that you felt?"

"No, not exactly," Zane grinned at PIXAL's confused face. "I understood that I, too, felt a romantic need to be with him, but I never could, nor have defined love. I still get warnings and emotions that I cannot compute properly or solve. The important difference, however, is that I know the source, and it makes the whole experience easier to pick apart and understand."

Nodding, PIXAL subconsciously opened up her memories. How many are there of her not understanding the signals her systems and body are giving her? How many feature Nya, with her smiles and laughter and wild hjinks and theories that leave PIXAL speechless and bewildered every time? How many memories has she purposefully archived, because they were not memories at all; rather figments of her imagination, puzzling together fantasies of the two together, or of obscure details featuring Nya? PIXAL simply didn't know.

“I do not know if I am capable of loving someone,” PIXAL admitted, her voicebank rumbling quietly. “I do not believe that is in my programming. In the very least not romantic love.”

“And I doubt it is in mine,” Zane chuckled. “Yet, I found that I had fallen for Cole. You are the only one who can find out whether or not you are able to love, PIXAL. And if you aren’t capable of romantic love, you are clearly capable of platonic love.”

"If I were to hypothetically catch these feelings- romantic feelings - for someone," she unsurely spoke, feeling her eyes flash pink and her cooling liquid circulating. Warnings popped up in the corner of her eye how her sensors were overloading slightly. "What would be the best course of action?"

"That depends from person to person," Zane nodded, clasping his fingers together with a click. "What would hypothetically work best for you and your counterpart? What is your raw, unfiltered instinct? Consider before you do anything, but do not overanalyze. You will only get stuck in the numbers and analytics of it all- and those are not to be trusted when it comes to things such as love. They are usually unreliable, since love is an unpredictable phenomenon."

Frowning slightly, PIXAL made a mental note to save this for future use.

"I must go," Zane stated, sheepishly standing up and moving his chair out of the way. "The chicken I am roasting will soon be done. If you wish, I will let you know once dinner is ready."

"I do not eat."

"No, but good company truly never hurts." His footsteps echoed along with his words as he wandered towards the cave entrance.

"Thank you, Zane," PIXAL called out, successfully stopping Zane in his tracks and making him look over his shoulder. "For everything."

"It is no problem," he smiled and resumed his walking. "Good luck with Nya!" he called out right before stepping outside the cave and closing the door, ignoring PIXAL’s offended yelp and giving a clear chuckle in the distance.

Embarrassed but satisfied, PIXAL busied herself with cleaning up the cables she used for her diagnostics check. Nya’s shirt hung around her shoulders, it’s shape too short for her chest but yet too big to sit snuggly. PIXAL found that she didn’t wish for it to fit any other way. The soft blue contrasted well with the purple electric veins that adorned her arms, the color family intermingling aesthetically. Smiling, she decided that was more than enough talk for one day.

#ninjago #vemo fics #nya ninjago #PIXAL ninjago #zane ninjago #cole ninjago #PIXAL #nya smith #zane julien #cole brookstone #samuraishipping #glaciershipping #long post #q #fanfiction

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