#Beta squad scenarios
Note
Hello!! I’ve seen your one shots and there absolutely amazing, your very underrated and I love your work. I was wondering if you could do a scenario where the beta squad members reject you and regret it afterwards like maybe you confess your feelings and there having a bad day and maybe reject you or they don’t really pay attention to your confession and you distance yourself and afterwards they regret it and basically apologize just an angst to fluff scenario and you can change it however you want but I would love that, thank you! It’s okay if you don’t wanna do it just don’t stop writing for the beta squad because your work is absolutely amazing!!!
Rejection and Regret [Beta Squad Scenarios]
Warnings: none
A/N: Aww, thank you so much! Sorry it took a while. I was trying to figure out how they might react because honestly, I don't think any of them would take confessions lightly, but I hope you enjoy it!
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You were excited as you had previously planned a fun day to hang out with Niko. Today, at the end of it, you were going to confess your feelings to him.
You drove to his house to pick him up, staying in the car for a bit. You called his phone number,
"Hello?" Niko answered. He sounded a bit confused to receive your call.
"Hi Niko, I'm here at your house to pick you up now." Responding to him with an excited tone, knowing all the things you planned for the both of you would definitely raise his spirits up.
"Oh shoot," Niko sighed. You could hear that he rubbed a hand over his face, "Y/N, I'm so sorry I completely forgot about that."
He forgot?
"Well you can just prepare, no worries I can wait out here!" You hoped, a little disappointment tinging your voice as you tried to stay positive.
"No Y/N, I'm not at my house, I'm not even in England right now. I'm on a plane to America. California to be exact."
Now it was your turn to be shocked, couldn't he have told you this before you made plans?
"California!? Why are you going there?" You were perplexed and hurt at the suddenness of it all.
"I'm filming a video with the guys, for the beta squad channel."
Of course he was.
"Y/N, I'm sorry, we can hang out another time? It's not that important right?" Niko said, you could hear chatter over the phone someone calling out to Niko, probably Kenny. "I have to go, sorry again, see you Y/N." And he hung up the phone.
You blinked in disbelief, and stared at your phone for a solid minute just processing what happened. He was in California filming a video? And he just so happened to forget to let you know about that, on the day you made plans to tell him your feelings.
Clearly it didn't really matter to him, he could've let you know beforehand and you would have understood and changed it to a different day. But this felt like you got stood up on a date, which technically it was.
You were really gutted by his actions, driving home you decided to scrap the idea all together. Maybe he doesn't even like you at all.
A week went by and you didn't call ot text him at all. Others can call it selfish but that hurt you, that day was all planned out and important to you and perhaps the both of you if he did like you back.
You were sitting at your couch, watching TV while wallowing in your own self pity as your friends would call it. Mindlessly scrolling just trying to not let it get to you too much.
Your door bell rang, and you just called out to the door saying it was open. You were expecting one of your friends to come over so you thought it was her.
"Y/N."
You stopped everything you were doing. That was the voice you wished you couldn't hear at the moment. But also the same one you longed to have. Turning around slowly, the same tall figure you loved. Niko.
He stood there, wearing a thick jacket and even had a bag on, you assumed he had just come from the airport. Swiftly walking towards you, a phone in his hand.
"Why weren't you responding to my calls? And why did you just leave your door open like that? You are really an idiot."
You stared up at him, still in shock. Did he really just come straight from the airport to you? And did he say he called you? Everything was spinning right now in your head.
"Y/N? Are you OK?" Niko asked, removing his bag and jacket and coming over to you on the couch and putting a hand on your shoulder.
Then it hit you. Maybe he did care about you? Maybe he was here to tell you? Maybe you would never get another chance again. So you just blurted all your thoughts out without thinking straight.
"Niko, I really like you, okay? That's why I wasn't responding to your calls and texts because I was hurt that you told me you were in a whole different country, when I had this whole day planned out for us and I was gonna confess to you at the end and I thought you didn't like me."
And then he kissed you, with just one kiss, it confirmed to you that he didn't hate you at all. That was all you needed to know.
Pulling away to hold your face in his hands, "Y/N, I'm so sorry I missed that day. I didn't mean to hurt you like that, I hope you can forgive me, because I really like you too."
Sharky wasn't sure how to react when you confessed to him. He was having mixed feelings, honestly. He didn't know whether or not he liked you.
So when he told you he didn't accept your confession right now, he meant that he needed some time to figure out his own feelings for you.
You did end up distancing yourself from him. Yes, you were hurt, but you understood. Especially since you felt like that at the start, but then one kind act from Sharky was all it took to confirm your love for him.
You decided to spend some time with your good old friend, Harry Pinero. He thought you would be up to spend some time together to get your mind off it.
Harry always knew a way to cheer you up, whether that would be food or just some time spilling all the tea to him, and he inhaled all the gossip like air. Harry knew your feelings for Sharky, and he had hoped it would have gone well for you.
But when you told him, Sharky declined and said he had to figure himself out first. He was ready to connect his fist to the Somali's face. You stopped him obviously, but he didn't hide the fact that he was annoyed you two didn't get together. He definitely was your number one shipper of you both.
You were at a party with Harry as he invited you and said it would be good to cool off there, what you didn't know was that he had a plan. He invited Sharky too.
You were standing beside the food table and just enjoying your time there, you almost forgot about being rejected for a moment there.
Until you saw a certain someone walk through the door, the very person you tried to not get upset over, Sharky.
You tried not to let him see you, so you went up to talk to Harry and tell him that you saw Sharky. You didn't see the evil smirk on his face when you looked back at the door.
"Well, Y/N. You could just stay here with good old Harry you know?" He laughed and wrapped one arm around your shoulder, he whispered to you, "Don't worry about it, just calm down and you got this."
You were about to question what he meant by that when suddenly Sharky approached the two of you.
"Uh, hey Harry." He waved at the taller man, and then looked at you, and nodded. "Y/N."
"Hey Sharky. What are you doing here?"
"Actually, I was about to ask the same to you." Sharky replied, "anyways since you're here, I actually wanted to talk to you."
"What about?"
"Yeah, Sharky, what about?" Harry repeated your question, earning an annoyed look from the both of you. Harry ended up excusing himself from this as he could tell it was a private conversation.
"Well, what did you want to talk abou-"
"I love you, Y/N." Looking earnestly into your eyes, "I figured out that I love you, I actually love you so much I would do anything for you. And I was such an idiot to have rejected you like that."
Your eyes softened as you observed the man in front of you, beating himself up over the fact that he almost lost you. Even thinking that you would fall out of love with him so fast is stupid. You loved him and you always will.
"When I saw you hanging out with Harry the past few days, I won't lie. I was a bit jealous. And I realised it was because I loved you. And I want to be with you, Y/N. If you'll still have me." He looked up at you, a scared hope filling in his eyes.
How could you ever say no to him?
Later, you found out that Harry had called Sharky to attend and talked about both of your feelings, helping him realise that he truly did love you. You definitely owe the old man one.
You were invited to Kenny's family event, and you decided this would be a good time to let him know of your feelings. You felt as if he reciprocated them, so you weren't too anxious to let him know, but still, you were nervous.
After the meal, everyone went to the main room as there was a dance floor and music. Before you headed there, you discreetly pulled him to the side and asked if you could speak to him.
He led you out to a garden place that was quiet and a bit away from all the people.
"So what did you want to talk about?" He asked, curious as to what you wanted to say.
"Ok, well, I've been thinking a lot about this, and I was hoping you feel the same way," looking down to the floor and fiddling with your fingers.
"I really like you, Kenny, and I wanted to ask-"
"No." Came out of his mouth, cutting you off from your sentence. He stood there with an annoyed look on his face, shocking you as you thought he felt the same way.
Did he not like you that way? Or were you just fantasising that he did? So you had to ask.
"What do you mean no??" Pleading with your eyes that you heard it wrong or you misunderstood what he meant.
"No, because I was supposed to tell you my feelings first." He said, shaking his head, but forming a small smile, "I was supposed to ask you out, but here you are beating me to it. I'm just annoyed that I didn't get to say it first."
Scratching the back of his neck with a small pout on his face as you gazed at him. Reassured that it wasn't a rejection, you started to laugh.
His face grew to an even bigger frown at your laughing figure. But then he started to laugh with you.
"Seriously Ken?" Still laughing but calming down a bit. "Ok, I'll let you start this time and confess to me instead." You definitely will remember this moment forever.
A huge smile was put on the man you loved so much. Clearing his throat, he grabbed the nearest flower and held it out towards you.
"Y/N, I love you. Will you go out with me?"
You have never felt happier, and you best believe you told him yes.
This wasn't the best day for Chunkz. Filming fake employee videos was one he hated the most. He'll be honest. Everything that happened afterwards pissed him off, His car wouldn't work. The boys were extremely annoying to him today and much more.
And when you told him you liked him all out of the blue, that was the last straw. He can't handle all this new information at once. So he told you to leave, he just needed a day's peace by himself with no one around to annoy him further.
At first, you were hurt, wondering why he just treated your feelings like rubbish thrown into the bin. Wondering what you could've possibly done that would've made him so mad.
You thought that news you brought him would have cheered him up, but apparently not. The thing is, you knew Chunkz had bad days, and this was one of them. He'll get around to you and respond back because to him, certain things shouldn't just be left off like that.
And that's what happened, The next morning, you got a call from Chunkz.
"Hey, what's up?" You answered, yawning as you were still sleepy as you just woke up.
"First off, I wanted to say I'm sorry about yesterday, I was having a really bad day, and I just couldn't comprehend everything all at once."
You smiled behind the phone, you knew it.
"I was such a idiot towards you, my darlin, and I'm sorry about that. I like you a lot too."
You were completely awake now, and you laughed in relief, and you were so glad he felt the same. It would have absolutely crushed you if he actually meant how he treated you yesterday. "I'm so glad you feel the same way."
"Oh, and don't tell the mandem I got mad at you yesterday... They will probably smoke me if they find out I was an annoyed bastard when you confessed."
You most certainly will tell them, though you will just make it seem they found out from another source. ;)
"I know it's early in the morning, so I'll let you go back to sleep, my darlin. Though later I'll pick you up at 2 so don't forget." Then he hung up the call, leaving you smiling to yourself.
How could you go back to sleep now?
When you confessed to AJ that you liked him, he legit laughed. You were both in his sitting room because you had previously told him that you wanted to talk to him privately.
He thought it was something super important, but he never thought you would be one to joke around. So he laughed when you told him.
"You like me?" He laughed, putting a hand over your shoulder to try and calm down his laughter, taking deep breaths, "Hah, Y/N, I never thought you'd be a joke man, that's a good one."
"Aj, I'm not joking right now, I'm serious." You responded in disbelief at his reaction.
"Sure you are." He said with his voice clearly laced with sarcasm, "But if you "were," I wouldn't accept anyway. You're not good enough for me." He winked and started to giggle again but stifled his laughter.
At this point, you felt as if AJ thought everything you did was a prank to him. Spending time with him was so much fun, and you loved every minute of it. But you knew he wasn't taking you seriously, and so you stood up and left.
You could hear him call after you, asking where you were going, but you couldn't let him see you so upset like this, holding back your tears. You confessed your feelings to him, and he thought it was a prank? Insane.
On the drive back home, you kept hearing your phone go off and buzzing but you just put it on silent. You knew it was probably Aj, but you didn't want to answer him right now.
How could he treat you like that? Laughing off at your feelings like that. Even when you told him that your feelings were real.
I'm not good enough for you?
Thinking about it, though, he was a famous youtuber known all over many parts of the world, and you were just you. Of course, he thought you weren't good enough for him.
Arriving home, you decided not to eat dinner at the moment and just try and go to sleep. You didn't even reach your bedroom door yet until you broke down crying. Your heart hurt even more because, for once, you genuinely liked someone and told him, but just dismissed your feelings off as a joke.
Suddenly, you heard a knock at the door, but you didn't have the energy to open it, until you heard a soft voice speak.
"Y/N, I know you're in there, could you please let me in? Can I talk to you please?"
Knowing it was Aj, you won't lie and say you weren't upset, but you decided you'd at least give him the chance to talk to you, so you went and unlocked the door. Opening it, you saw him holding a bag full of your favourite food and snacks. Once he saw your face, you could instantly see the guilt he felt as it showed in his eyes.
Holding the door open, you motioned to let him enter. He went and put the food in the kitchen table and after he did he instantly came up and inveloped you into a tight hug.
Physical touch was one thing Aj didn't like, but seeing you so upset, he was willing to try with you.
"Y/N, I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were actually being serious, and you weren't responding to my texts or calls so I knew you actually meant what you said and I know you're hurt and I'm genuinely sorry about this." He rambled on nonstop, "And I even brought you some food to cheer you up because I know those are your favouri-"
You put a finger to his mouth to shush him and lightly giggle to yourself. "Aj, calm down and tell me calmly, I can't understand most of your rambling." Calming down, he took both of your hands and looked you straight in the eye, guilt in there, but you saw something else too, love enveloped over it, consuming his eyes.
"I thought you were pranking me, and I didn't want to be hurt if I did tell you I liked you and you actually didn't reciprocate my feelings." He looked down a bit in thought, and then took a deep breath as he looked back up at you,
"What I'm saying here is ... I really like you too, Y/N."
Taglist: @b4tasquad, @p3drii, @n1kodl, @elora-k, @slutforpablogavi
#beta squad#beta sqaud headcannons#beta squad scenarios#niko omilana#niko omilana x reader#niko omilana x you#sharky#sharky x reader#sharky x you#sharky beta squad#king kenny#king kenny x reader#king kenny x you#chunkz#chunkz x reader#chunkz x you#aj shabeel#aj shabeel x reader#aj shabeel x you#niko omilana headcannons#niko omilana scenarios#sharky headcannons#sharky scenarios#king kenny headcannons#king kenny scenarios#chunkz headcannons#chunkz scenarios#aj shabeel headcannons#aj shabeel scenarios#shuuuuush fics
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Being the sixth member of Beta squad
MASTERLIST
Side note: This was inspired by another post I saw so if it sounds like I'm copying I'm not I just got inspired by them. The reader is female in this. Also sorry if this doesn't sound accurate I tried my best. There's nothing romantic in this I view this as a platonic post but you could view it however you want. Sorry if this is cringe
ALSO I kinda took forever to publish this cause I accidentally published it on accident and had to restart which made me lose motivation but now I'm finished ♡
Let's say you joined beta squad when it first started. Maybe you know Sharky for a long time and we're introduced to the others then instantly clicked
At first you were hesitant when you were invited to join. But you made the decision to join, which changed your life forever
They weren't friends they were family to you
They'd always look out for you like you were their little sister
You had a bond with each and one of them. You would hang out off camera and talk to them whenever
So much teasing
If you're the youngest they'd sometimes joke about it regarding the age
If you're shorter than AJ you both get teased and made fun of
If you're taller, my gosh AJ would be an absolute joke of the group for being shorter than you
They are all overprotective and view you as a little sister. They want you to be safe and want what's best for you
Maybe they had a little crush on you before..
Being close friends with Nella, Darkest and Filly. You all are good friends
You and Chunkz are the duo who cooks with each other.
You, Kenny, and Sharky being the duo in the jungle video that makes the video 10x entertaining
Niko and you are absolutely hilarious together and people fear you both for your pranks and the type of content you both make
You and Aj being the ones who get teased the most
But you and AJ sometimes have a violation battle over the stupidest things
Your Kenny's number one support. You'd work out with him and keep him company during his training and encourage him
Chunkz and you are super loud and chaotic. But he sometimes brings you around to his family dinners and lets you hang out with his family
Sharky's sisters love you. I imagined you doing Shakira's makeup on stream before
Also feel like AJ is more comfortable with you and will sometimes hug you (like in the mukbang video where he was hugging Chunkz when Sharky was laughing at him almost drowning )
They'd never do anything without you
They would never admit it but they're your biggest supporters and would give you their honest opinions about decisions you make
They definitely would try to be annoying commenting rude things on your Instagram posts
Them being rude to you as a joke but fans take it seriously and make dramatic edits about it. (Just like the AJ edits but 10x dramatic)
When you all lived together you would always cook for them so they wouldn't always order take out everyday
They loved your cooking and sometimes show up to your house uninvited just for you to cook for them
Unless you're a bad cook, I could imagine you attempting to cook but end up burning the food. Which leads to them making fun of you for it and it becomes a huge joke
You and Harry pinaro having the worst relationship ever to the point where people actually think you two hate each other
You two don't get along (I love/hate Harry)
In the weakest link videos I feel like you'd get the hardest questions since everyone knows you have the most intelligence out of all of them
Sometimes when a person collaborates with the channel and they end up flirting and the boys would either tease or get weirded out
I feel like they'd tease depending on the person
If it was stormzy, KSI, or anyone else they'd definitely get weirded out by it
If it was Trent they'd tease you about it till the day you die. They'd bring it up in almost every sports related conversation or video.
You being the mom of the group and making sure everyone is okay. You'd text them everyday to make sure they're doing fine
Since you're a fan favorite and have good video ideas, they like to hear your opinion in videos since you're actually smart and your videos get a lot of views.
Chunkz gets jealous over the fact your Smarter than him
Unless your dumb
you win come dine with me and Niko gets absolutely so upset that you won over him. He accused you of cheating and supposedly hiring someone to cook the meals you made
Them calling you for advice before dates and advice about girls in general. They come to you when they need help with any life situations since they know they could trust you
(Niko definitely would ask u advice if his girlfriend ever got mad at him)
Speaking of his girlfriend, you two are best friends.
if you ever got in a relationship they'd do a full integration on them
They want what's best for you. They have to know what type of person you're dating and need to know if they're treating you right. It's their job to make sure their friend is happy and in a healthy relationship. Especially if you're like a sister to them
If you're ever feeling down they do anything to try to make you laugh or brighten up your mood
Imagine filming the box video with amp
You leaving the box after AJ left since you landed on leave the box. But you genuinely felt like Niko had a better chance at winning since he won the first one
But if one of the amp members flirts with you they'd get weirded out and annoyed because everyone knows how amp is (love amp though especially Chris & agent)
I don't say they would be jealous, they just feel like they should protect you from getting your heart broken
Or maybe they do get jealous (up to you to decide)
In the cooking video for amp channel let's say you and Duke teamed up (sorry filly)
Duke is Duke so obviously he flirted with you trying to get your number and use his cringe "rizz" on you
But before the video, you, Chris, and Davis had a conversation. You gave them advice, out of all the amp members they connected with you the most
But the amp cook off was chaotic especially with you
You actually tried for half the challenge before giving up and just having fun. It was better to just entertain the viewers instead of actually trying to win
You decided to annoy everyone by moving their stuff
I imagine you, aj, fanum, and Niko get in an argument and start throwing flour each other
you and Duke losing which leads to you threatening the person who switched out everyone's cakes
you and Niko both manage the beta squad Instagram and tiktok since you know all the popular trends
Even though everyone is behind Instagram and tiktok, you are mostly the one posting on it, and the one who replies to comments
Niko and you are both know for being menaces and immature. Especially when you two are filming together, you both make the most craziest pranks. Your friendship with him is so adorable and wholesome. You both always joke around and add on to each other's jokes to make it more funny. Always having laugh attacks with him.
You and Chunkz are literally the duo who randomly burst into a song together. You two both send songs to each other and both show a huge interest in music. I like to imagine you and Chunkz going on a drive or just hanging out to sing to music. You two also know a lot of people and are the ones who know a lot of celebrities. You two are the ones who message famous people to Collab with the Beta squad.
You and AJ love hating on each other, even though he'll leave positive messages on your Instagram to be funny, he bashes you and insults you at the same time. It's a bit confusing at times to tell if you're completing each other or insulting. But you two never get offended and know when to stop.
Man, you and Kenny have such a bond. You were his biggest supporter during his Boxing matches and Practices. If you love to work out or get exercise, you both go to the gym together or you'll go on diets with him so he won't be alone. He always goes to you for advice on girls. You two laugh at the random things and can't take anything serious. You and him always are always whispering things to each other during filming.
Sharky and you are known to laugh so hard where you can't even breathe. You two laugh in serious situations and always look at each other before bursting out laughing. He likes to drag you outside for a walk and just listen to music with each other. Similar to Chunkz, he sends you songs that he thinks you'll like.
overall the boys are grateful for you and everything you've done for them. You're like family to them. They all love you. They are family, not just a friend group to you. They love you and always will.
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Note: Uhm so I'm working on a Niko agnst fic so please give me ideas for it because I'm kinda concerned on if it isn't good enough
I hope this is good!! I tried my best 😭 I had fun writing this since I wish for a friend group like them and always imagined what it would be like to be in the beta squad. I might make a part two but idk yet 💚 I kinda rushed the ending and put random things down. Lmk if I should add something or you have any suggestions or headcanons I should make
#reader insert#beta squad#niko omilana#chunkz#king kenny#aj shabeel#sharky#imagines#headcanons#duke dennis#fluff#oneshots#writing#scenarios#youtube#group#friend group
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Soldier Boy x Reader - Prompt Response - "Sleep. I'll keep you safe."
Summary: You're tired of running and you go to Soldier Boy for protection. He agrees to do it but not without a price.
Pairing: Soldier Boy x Female!Reader
A/N: Prompt from @thelonelyempath. The original character I wanted to respond to this prompt with before deciding to make it multi-character. This scenario immediately popped into my head reading the line and I just had to write it. Hope it's okay.
Thank you to my beta Em for her services. You rock, girl!
Warnings: violence/murder; implied assassination attempts; sexual propositioning; Soldier Boy being himself; starts out as a blackmail type dynamic that appears as if a little dubcon at first; language?
Word Count: 2528
SB Taglist: @heartlessdelusions; @nancymcl; @brightlilith
"Sleep. I'll keep you safe."
Beau version | Dean version | Jenny version | Tom version | Jason version | Anael version | SDV Alex version
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You never thought in a million years that you would be seeking out one of the most dangerous Supes in the world for protection. Then again, you never would have thought that a multi-billion dollar corporation would be after you, intent on seeing you torn apart and scattered to the four winds. You didn’t exactly blow the whistle on them, but you didn’t exactly tow the company line either—something Stan Edgar was less than thrilled with and now the evil son of a bitch wanted you dead.
It was no secret that Edgar and Soldier Boy had a falling out of sorts after the truth about his being handed to the Russians had come to light. His old team may have made it happen, but it was Edgar pulling the strings all along. Surprisingly, the Supe who had been so focused on revenge hadn’t hunted Edgar down after this revelation, which made you wary about going this route. However, after narrowly escaping the latest death squad sent after you, you decided you had no choice but to take the gamble. There was nowhere you could run that Vought wouldn’t find you and you just hoped this would be more of an ‘enemy of my enemy’ situation rather than a ‘handing you right over to your enemy’ situation.
Once you had managed to track him down in Hong Kong while you were busy running yourself, he had shockingly agreed to a meet, and even more shockingly agreed to help you. Not without certain stipulations, of course.
“Let me in that sweet pussy of yours and you’ve got yourself a deal.”
You should have known, especially from the way he had been eyeing you up ever since he caught sight of you. Screwing your face up in disgust, you flat out refused. “Not happening.”
He shrugged and began to walk away. “Then you must not need my protection that badly.”
You scoffed in disbelief. “You’re seriously turning me down because I won’t fuck you? Whatever happened to the ‘Soldier Boy is America’s son’ bullshit? The OG superhero who fought Nazis and protected people?”
Soldier Boy stopped and slowly turned back towards you. “I’d be putting myself on the line to protect you. For that, I deserve one hell of a payment.”
You rolled your eyes and crossed your arms. “So now you’re blackmailing me into sleeping with you? Unbelievable.” You had heard he was more like America’s Asshole than its Son, but you still couldn’t believe your ears. You had even offered to help him take Vought down with what you knew, so long as he kept you safe. You knew he’d want that kind of information. Why else was he hopping from continent to continent in the last few months, trying to shake Vought just like you were? Instead, his dick was taking top priority. Typical.
“It’s the least you can do, doll.” He faced you fully again, shield hanging off of his arm as if it weighed nothing. “Like you said, I fought for this country, fought the Nazis, and now you’re asking me to play bodyguard while taking on Vought for you. I deserve something worth all that trouble.”
You ran through all other options in your mind. You still had a contact that could possibly put you in touch with someone that wouldn’t mind tapping into Vought’s offshore accounts that weren’t supposed to exist. You were already on Vought’s kill list; what would a few hundred thousand dollars of theirs matter? “I could pay you,” you offered.
“I’m not interested in money.” His eyes roved over you as he approached. “Besides,” he murmured as he came to a stop in front of you. You tensed as he reached up to tuck a strand of your hair that had gotten loose from under your ball cap behind your ear. ”I haven’t had a looker as pretty as you in a long time. Been locked away.” He gently gripped your chin in between his thumb and index finger, his eyes intent on your mouth before lifting to meet yours. A hint of a smirk started to appear on his handsome face when he most likely heard your heart beat starting to increase.
He released you and even took a step back from you, allowing you physical and metaphorical space. “Your call.”
You bit your lip as thoughts chaotically swirled inside your head. On one hand, you refused to be manipulated or pushed into sex with this asshole. No matter how physically attractive he might be, you weren’t willing to get on your back just so he would help you. But on the other hand, the cold hard truth was that you were tired — tired of running, tired of little-to-no sleep, tired of the paranoia that came with such a flight. Hell, at present, you hadn’t slept in almost two days and you were running on fumes; there wasn’t enough caffeine or energy pills in the world to get you through another day with no rest. Your reaction time was already dragging if your last narrow escape was anything to go by. If you continued this way, you’d be dead before the sun started to warm the sky; you were certain of it.
Soldier Boy stared you down. “What’s it gonna be?”
You didn’t answer. Instead, you glanced behind you at a small noise far off down the street. Thankfully, it was an old woman tossing something out onto the pavement, but you couldn’t deny it put you further on edge. You turned back to the Supe whose eyes stayed trained on you. You took a deep breath to steady your nerves and readied your response. His lips began to quirk upwards into a smile; he knew what your answer was going to be before you even said the words.
…
Vought Tower had been completely demolished. Luckily, it had been mostly evacuated before the destruction occurred. A fight between Soldier Boy and the now-dead Homelander had caused most of the damage, but the C4 that had been carefully lined throughout the infrastructure is what ended up bringing it down.
Before it went boom, Soldier Boy had approached Stan Edgar, who refused to cower in a corner. The Supe respected that, but it didn’t change what he’d come here to do. He gripped Edgar by the throat and lifted him in the air, choking the older man and ignoring the fingers that desperately clawed at his hand.
“I thought we had an agreement,” Edgar rasped out.
Soldier Boy shrugged. “She made me a better one.” He then snapped the man’s neck and tossed his body aside like a rag doll.
“Oi! We ought to get out of here,” Butcher warned after seeing Stan Edgar lifeless on the floor. “Frenchie’s about to blow this place to fucking hell.”
He glared over at the Brit and picked up his shield. He still didn’t trust him, not after what he and his merry band of assholes had tried to do the last time they’d teamed up, but he’d made a deal with you and he was intent on keeping his end of it. The only conditions Butcher and Captain Lesbo had given this time around was: no civilian casualties and Ryan was off limits. He did his best with the first and he could give less than a fuck on the other. As far as he was concerned, the kid was Butcher’s problem as long as the kid didn’t come looking for some payback once he got older, which Butcher assured he wouldn’t. That, and there better not be Novichok gas waiting at the end of this mission for him. They’d reluctantly agreed, knowing they had no other way to kill Homelander and take down Vought all in one swoop.
“After you.” Soldier Boy gestured for Butcher to leave first. The man scowled but obliged, keeping a wary eye out as he moved. Smirking, Soldier boy followed. The Supe might have enjoyed the reaction—or even tried to settle the score from Butcher’s previous betrayal—if he didn’t have you to get back to. He needed to let you know that you no longer had Stan Edgar or Vought to worry about. He’d kept up his end of the bargain you’d both made — now, finally, you were free.
…
You woke up to the sound of someone moving through the darkness in your room. You grabbed the gun from beneath your pillow and bolted upright as much as you could, trying to get your eyes to adjust so you could get a good shot.
“Relax, it’s just me,” Soldier Boy assured you.
Recognizing his voice, you slowly lowered the gun and focused on his location. When your eyes finally adjusted, you realized he was near the foot of the bed, completely nude, his hair damp from a fresh shower. “Ben,” you breathed out in relief. “You scared me.”
Through the beams of moonlight shining into the room from the window, you saw him give you a smile and lay his shield down on the floor next to him. “Didn’t mean to.”
You slipped the safety back on the gun and stashed it into the drawer of your nightstand. You hated having it under your pillow at night; it was super uncomfortable and you only needed to do that when Soldier Boy — Ben, as he’d asked you to call him instead — wasn’t around. “Everything go okay?”
“Better than okay.” You glanced back to see a smirk adorning that handsome face of his, with an all-too familiar gleam in those green eyes. You watched as he slipped on some sweats and then made his way to the opposite side of the bed. You moved onto your side to face him, smiling as he climbed in next to you and sat up against the headboard, turning to grin down at you. Within seconds, he had his arms wrapped around you, pulling you up against him, and he was kissing you a proper hello. He only pulled back when you needed air and tenderly rubbed his nose along yours, nuzzling you. “How about you, doll? Everything go okay while I was gone?”
You nodded and snuggled into his bare chest, letting out a relieved sigh when you felt his warm hands stroking your back. “Everything’s fine,” you assured him, closing your eyes. You’d never admit it aloud, but you felt so much better when he was around. Not only did you feel protected but you just felt better in general. You’d have to be under the pain of torture to admit to him (or yourself) that you actually missed him when he had to leave.
He pressed a kiss to the top of your head and let his lips linger there, continuing to rub your back just the way you liked. “Edgar and Vought are gone,” he murmured. “The Caped Cunt, too. You’ve got nothing more to worry about.”
Your eyes snapped open and you lifted yourself up to meet his gaze, your brows furrowed. “What?” You asked in shock.
“You heard me.” He stroked your cheek with his thumb, his grin now a smug smile. “You’re safe, baby.”
Your eyes widened when the realization hit you. “That’s where you went?”
Your only answer was the lengthening of that smile.
“Jesus, Ben.” So many thoughts and emotions swirled within you all at once. You were free, truly free. You no longer had to worry about Vought death squads hunting you down, Homelander coming for you, or Stan Edgar sending after you any ragtag Supes he could scrounge up. You were free. Although, Ben hadn’t told you that he was about to go on his most dangerous mission yet. He might be America’s original superhero and he might be tough to kill, but that didn’t mean he was completely invincible. He’d admitted as much to you over the last few months. “What if… What if you didn’t—”
He kissed you, effectively cutting you off. “I did,” he hummed against your lips. “Told you I would.”
You nodded, gently tracing his facial features with your hands before gliding down to his shoulders, dipping down the warm expanse of his back and then slowly returning to his chest. As always, he remained patient whenever you did this ritual of checking him for any wounds or injuries, knowing you wouldn’t find any but needing to assure yourself just the same. Truthfully, this man had come to mean more to you than you’d ever imagined would be possible. Hell, there had been a time when it wouldn’t have been possible at all.
When you were done, you met his gaze head on. “Do I want to know?”
Ben remained silent, but his eyes said it all: no, you didn’t want to know. You and Ben may have planned for the downfall of Vought and the ends of Homelander and Stan Edgar, the very same bastards that had put a target on your back in the first place, but that didn’t mean you wanted to hear the gory details of their deaths. You were just grateful Ben had come back to you alive and unharmed.
You gave him a thin-lipped smile in understanding. “Thank you,” you whispered.
Ben studied you for a moment, then pulled you in and kissed you again, his fingers slipping through your hair until he grabbed the back of your neck and urged you to meet him more fully. Just as you were getting into it, he broke away and chuckled. “You’re real eager for me, aren’t you, sweetheart?” You shot him a look and the smirk was suddenly back on his face. Without warning, he picked you up to rearrange you in the bed how he wanted you. “Too bad that you need to get some rest. We’re blowing the fuck out of here tomorrow and you’re gonna need to keep up.”
As if he would leave you behind if you couldn’t. “I thought you said Butcher would leave us alone after this.”
“I don’t trust that dicksucking Brit and I trust his bitch of a boss even less.”
You rolled your eyes, smirking when you felt him settle in behind you, knowing how much he enjoyed spooning you like this. “‘Kay,” you agreed. He had successfully protected you this far; you’d follow his lead on this one, too. You shut your eyes and snuggled into your pillow, content to feel his hands on your back caressing you once more.
You were just about asleep when you heard him murmur in your ear, “Sleep. I’ll keep you safe.” You smiled when you heard the words he’d been saying to you every night now for many months and your heart lightened when you felt his hands trail from your back to cup protectively over your rounding stomach, rubbing gently. ‘Safe’ is exactly how you felt right in this moment, and the little girl moving to meet her father’s embrace—like she always did when she sensed he was near—only cemented the knowledge that this was the first night neither you nor she were in danger any longer. It gave you a sense of peace you hadn’t known in a long time.
#soldier boy x reader#soldier boy x female reader#soldier boy x you#soldier boy x y/n#soldier boy#the boys fanfiction#the boys#prompt response#the boys fandom#soldier boy fanfiction#soldier boy x female!human!reader#female!human!reader#jensen ackles#jensen ackles character#thebiggerbear
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How they’d react to you crying |Beta Squad|
Scenario: Imagine they come home and see you crying for the first time bcs smth happened (idk what it doesn’t matter)
U know 3am thoughts as always
edit: not proof read , I accidentally posted it alr so doesn’t matter 💀
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Niko
Would first be shocked. His dialogue filled with oh no's and small gasps before he sits down beside you wraps his arms around you, asking what's wrong. Niko would be so patient. He'd wait for you to calm down, stop crying and get your thoughts together before explaining what was wrong. He wouldnt let go of you, he'd be holding onto you to you until you were stable enough to speak because seeing you cry would hurt him so much. After carefully listening to what you had to say, he'd instantly start coming up with things that would distract you. Food, movie night, shopping, nap, anything you'd want. And for the rest of the day he'd be so so worried for you, even if you had already calmed down completely, he'd still be so concerned because he cares so so much.
· ·──────────────· ·
AJ
AJ wouldn't freak out, I feel like he would handle the situation pretty well. He'd sit down beside you, ask you what's wrong and if you'd rather be left alone or you'd rather he stay. For AJ the most important thing is working out wether you wanted him beside you, hugging you, comforting you or if you'd prefer to be left alone with yourself until you calmed down.
As I said he wouldn't panic, he'd find the right way to calm you down and get you to explain everything to him. And after that he'd give you advice, help solve your issue or just be by your side for the rest of the night.
· ·──────────────· ·
Sharky
The sweetest person. He wouldn't hesitate to come rushing over to you, wiping your tears with his sleeve before kissing your forehead and pulling you into a tight hug. For him comfort comes first. He needs you to know that he's right there with you, that he cares and he's just as worried as you are. And after feeling his love and warmth, you'd quickly calm down and tell him everything. He'd thoroughly listen to all your words and then together you'd come up with a solution to your problem or if something tragic happened he'd express his sympathy with a few genuine lines.
For the rest of the day he'd be extra affectionate (if that's even possible). He wouldnt go over the top though, he already knows what you like and what you don't, so that's wouldn't be a challenge (?)
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Kenny
Poor Kenny would be so shocked to see you cry he'd even put his hand over his mouth and gasp. There would be a looot of oh my gosh's, we know Kenny. He'd pull you into a hug, making you crumble even more. He would be clueless on what to say or how to act, so he'd just sit there, stroke your back and keep repeating "It's okay" over and over. You’d feel so so safe in his embrace and so comforted by his soft tone and genuine concern that in no time you’d end up telling him everything and of course get maximum support from him after you do.
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Chunkz
Now I think Chunkz would be the calmest. He’d act composed, and he would want you to get all your emotions out. “It’s ok to cry” , “it’s alright let it all out” he’d say as he holds you close to his chest. And after some time and some more soothing words, he’d get up and make you a cup of tea (or your favorite warm drink) and the two of you would sit at a table and talk about what happened. He’d definitely give the best advice, or words of encouragement, (depending on what you need) and afterwards you’d fill a shit ton better and very grateful. Chunky we love you!!!
· ·──────────────· ·
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- Introduction -
Hi, my name is Nia and I write for the Beta Squad ( mainly niko if you couldn’t tell 💀 ) Requests are closed !!
- Masterlist -
Sm4t = 💋
Beta Squad
- Niko Omilana
Tough
Needy
Baking day
Night out 💋
Presentation *coming soon*
Temperature *coming soon*
Aftermath 💋 *coming soon*
Desperate 💋
Are we still friends? *coming soon*
Change of plans 💋
Social media au Pt 1
Social media au Pt 2
Niko Omilana nsfw alphabet 💋
I’ve always loved you *slight💋*
- King Kenny
Gentle kisses
- Chunkz
Time is money *coming soon*
Your Mans Money
Spooky *crossover*
- Aj Shabeel
Rise and shine 💋 *coming soon*
Streaming
- Sharky
Jealousy
Other
Beta Squads love languages
How Beta Squad act if they like you
- Rules
Any hate to anyone, including racism, homophobia, misogyny, or anything else, will be deleted.
Please be respectful to people, a reminder that this is fan-fiction, which means its not real.
I don’t write any scenarios got to do with r4pe, sa, any form of incest, sh, suicide, because I’m not comfortable writing it !!
I do write sm4t, apologies if it isn’t the best as I’m still practicing and getting better at it, but I’ll do my best !!
——
Thank you for reading :) !!
- Nia x
#aj shabeel#beta squad#chunkz#king kenny#kingkennytv#niko omilana#sharky#sidemen#miniminter#simon minter#behzinga#tobjizzle#vikkstar123#zerkaa#harry lewis#w2s#harry w2s#ndlqz
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could you do niko head cannons if fem!reader was upset and crying over something?
Let me cook ☝️😈
He comes home after filming a video with beta squad, and sees you sitting on the couch sniffling and crying
Quickly gets a bit worried, since you were his girlfriend crying over who knows what, and sits besides you
Puts an arm over your shoulder, hugging you, and asking you over and over:
“what’s wrong?”
“are you okay?”
“what happened, love?”
While sobbing, you show him your phone.
It was a TikTok of an old man sitting alone in a restaurant. That’s what had made you cry.
“Oh..” is all he says, trying not to laugh. (He would definitely cry at it as well).
Kisses you in the forehead while telling you it’s gonna be alright, and that the old man is probably just waiting for someone.
That doesn’t stop your crying, as you start bawling while making up your own scenario of the situation.
“What if the person he’s waiting for never showed up?”
He puts on your favourite movie, while comforting you by playing with your hair.
Since he’s so bae 😝 you calm down from what he does for you 😘
———————————————
Need niko so bad.
I hope this is okay 😔 this is my first time doing this ☝️🤓
#niko omilana#betasquad x reader#beta squad#niko omilana x reader#fluff#headcanon#idk man#cvppidtr#aj shabeel x reader#king kenny x reader#sharky x reader#chunkz x reader#yung filly x reader
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your love is the love i need || chapter 2/4
pairing: javy machado x femme reader (no y/n), callsign Cross
summary: Cross and Javy continue their charade, try not to think about the kiss, and share secrets of heartbreaks past
warnings: 18+, minors please DNI – even though there is no smut in this chapter, there will be some in the next
length: 7.3k
A/N: once again, thank you to my anons who send inspiration, and the people who let me brainstorm with them @daggerspare-standingby (also ty for beta-ing!) @laracrofted @bradshawsbitch @peakyrogers💙
previous chapter
Sunday
It’d been a productive morning, which you were choosing to believe was because you were a productive person.
Absolutely not because if you sat still for more than two seconds you started panicking.
You cleaned your kitchen—not merely putting away dishes and swiffering the floor, no, you windexed the windows of your kitchen. Outside and inside.
You ran a load of laundry for the dagger squad—after a day of dogfight football and the news that the laundromat on base had flooded, they’d dropped sandy towels, tshirts, and swimsuits off with you, promising to pay you back with coffee.
You made dough for cinnamon rolls—it took 8 hours to rise in the fridge, and you could have a good answer for “what did you do this morning?” or “and what will you do for the rest of the day?”. And in the absolute worst case scenario, you could use it as an emergency escape plan if required, but you doubted it would come to that.
You turned your closet inside out, trying to decide what kind of image you wanted to present and ultimately deciding on a sundress with a light cardigan. You were wondering if it was too on the nose when you heard a car pull up outside.
Javy’s mom probably expected him to walk to the door to fetch you and, as fun and confusing as last night had been, that wasn’t how you wanted to start today. You locked your front door quickly behind you, and were sliding into the backseat of the car before Javy was able to get out of the driver’s seat.
“Good morning!” you sang, wondering if you sounded as fake-happy as you felt.
“Good morning,” Mrs. Machado said warmly, smiling over her shoulder at you. “What did you up to this morning?”
“Ah, not much,” you lied through your teeth, pulling on your seatbelt. “I did get started on a batch of cinnamon rolls, so that’s exciting.”
“Oh, do you bake much?” she asked.
“Not at all,” you sighed, wanting to lie, but also knowing you’d be doing enough of that today, so the truth slipped out easily. “I was just nervous, so I needed something to do.”
“Sweetie,” Mrs. Machado fully turned in her seat to smile kindly at you, “you don’t need to be nervous! I’m just pleased to have time with you and get to know the other special lady in Javy’s life.”
You smiled back at her like you were reassured, when the opposite was true. You looked nervously at Javy, to find his eyes on you in the rearview mirror. You didn’t recognize the expression on his face, which did nothing to calm the butterflies in your stomach from her words, so you looked away quickly, hoping you hadn’t blown this already.
“That’s,” Javy cleared his throat, checking over his shoulder before he turned the car around, “that’s a great dress.”
“Oh, thanks,” you mumbled, flattered that he’d noticed. You supposed you didn’t wear dresses that often around the squad, so it was probably something like a shock.
“Duckie,” Mrs. Machado chided softly, “you can do better than that.”
“Momma, I don’t need—” Javy grumbled, but broke off when his mother just lifted an eyebrow. His eyes met yours in the rearview mirror again, before they darted down to the reflection of your dress, and up again.
“You look beautiful,” he said.
And it was three words, three very simple ones, but they settled deep in your skin, the kind of compliment that made the sun shine warmer. Javy looked like he meant them, too, he looked earnest and honest, which was a combination you’d never stood a chance against.
“Thank you,” you said quietly, hoping you didn’t seem flustered. After all, surely Javy would give his actual girlfriend compliments like that all the time—but you got the feeling that if he told you the same three words every day for the next fifty years, you’d still glow from them.
You looked away first again, out the backseat window to watch the car pull over the Coronado bridge. There were runners in the pedestrian lane, bright neon splotches against the bay and the sky, the same shade of gray as the morning mist hovering over the sea. North Island blurred into La Jolla, and Javy dropped you and his mom off in front of Harry’s Coffee Shop, while he looked for a spot to park the car.
Mrs. Machado linked her arm through yours, as you walked up to the restaurant and asked for a table for three. They seated you at a brown leather booth in the back and you busied yourself with the menu before recognizing Javy’s voice as he spoke to the seating hostess. You expected him to slide in next to his mom, but he sat on your side of the booth, facing her. His arm went across the back of the booth, not quite touching you, but you could feel the warmth of him through the cotton of his henley all the same.
Mrs. Machado was studying her menu, but the corners of her mouth turned up suspiciously when you pushed your menu towards Javy.
“So,” she asked brightly, once a waiter had come to drop off waters and take your order, “I want to hear your version of how first you met my son.”
Of all the questions she could have asked, you were relieved she’d chosen one that would require little to no embellishment on your part. You glanced at Javy, who was fiddling with the wrapper of his straw, somewhat embarrassedly, before looking back at Mrs. Machado.
“Well, it was right after I was assigned to this detachment,” you began. “Some guy was being creepy to this girl at a bar, I called him out on it, he wasn’t backing down. Then Javy stepped in, flexed a bit, and the guy was humbled pretty quickly.”
Mrs. Machado’s jaw dropped, looking at Javy. “I thought you met while you were playing darts!”
“We did,” he said stubbornly, and it didn’t surprise you at all that he’d downplayed his role on that night. “She came over and beat Jake—you should’ve seen his face, Momma, it was hilarious.”
“That’s when we met,” you acquiesced. “But my first impression was before that, when this guy was in full Knight In Shining Armor mode.”
“Yeah, call me Lancelot,” Javy joked, winking at his mom, like it was easier to brag than accept praise. He’d started peeling strips in the paper wrapper, a little pile of confetti forming on the glass tabletop.
“More like Galahad,” you told Mrs. Machado, who looked at you fondly. “No, seriously, it was like something out of a movie. I half expected him to have some John Wayne line like ‘I think you’d better listen to the lady’, something like that.”
“It wasn’t that big of a deal,” Javy grumbled, and you shook your head.
“It was to that girl,” you insisted. “It was to me.”
You weren’t sure when you’d moved, but your hand was on his forearm, an unspoken emphasis of the weight and meaning behind your words, but you withdrew it quickly. He wasn’t looking at you, but you saw his jaw clench, looking down at the table; you looked back at Mrs. Machado, who was smiling proudly at her son.
“That’s my boy,” she said fondly.
You couldn’t help but smile at the clear affection between the two. A waiter came by with coffees, cleaning off the table and picking up Javy’s scrap pile. You felt the bench start to shake and you realized he was bouncing his leg—was he nervous? He couldn’t be. His mom seemed like the kindest person, and this story was pretty damn congratulatory.
But his leg kept moving, and it was making you nervous, so you shifted slightly, your leg resting next to his. You regretted it almost immediately—with his arm almost over your shoulders, and his long leg now pressed against yours, Javy was entirely too close to you for you to be able to complete full sentences. But his leg did still, so you figured that was better.
“Anyways, darts came after that,” you said, continuing the story. “Jake was beating him pretty embarrassingly, and I’d wanted to say thanks anyways, so I went over and introduced myself.”
Mrs. Machado poured some sugar and cream into her coffee, sliding the sugar jar down the table to you.
“Well, I’m glad I asked,” she said. “I figured there was more to the story than a bar game.”
“He may not have noticed me before then,” you shrugged, “but that’s when I saw him.”
“I noticed you,” Javy said quietly.
He didn’t seem to realize he’d said it aloud, but the table was quiet as you and Mrs. Machado stared at him. He looked between the both of you, lifting a shoulder lightly.
“Come on, are you kidding, of course I noticed you.”
And it warmed you, the same way his compliment in the car, that he’d say something so kind with absolute conviction. A tiny voice in the back of your head whispered that it wasn’t real, but his brown eyes held brightness and honesty, so you told that voice to stuff it, and turned back to Mrs. Machado.
“Well, there you have it,” you said, reaching to fix your own coffee.
Mrs. Machado smiled over the rim of her mug, looking between the two of you, before the conversation shifted. You talked about your hometown, what Javy was like growing up, how training was going between missions.
Safe conversation topics, topics without surprises.
Maybe that’s why you felt brave enough to lean back a little, relax into the warm leather of the booth, your shoulders brushing against Javy’s arm. Maybe that was why his hand dropped from the back of the booth, his thumb ghosting over the thin material of your cardigan.
The rest of the meal flew by, and you’d tried to break away after breakfast, but Mrs. Machado had insisted that you come with them as they walked around Balboa Park. So you joined them in playing tourist for the afternoon: picking out glass ornaments in the Spanish Village Art Center, coming up with names for the koi fish in the ponds at the Japanese Friendship Garden, struggling to pronounce Latin names in the Botanical Gardens.
Your phone died somewhere between the Casa de Balboa and the Old Globe Theater, and so it was Javy’s phone that you handed to strangers offering to take pictures of the three of you. The wind caught Mrs. Machado’s scarf as you were posing by the lily pond; Javy took off to chase it, and the kind tourists held out his phone to you, photo opp deferred. You thanked them, waving apologies for having interrupted their afternoon, as Javy leaned dangerously far over the pond, trying to snag where the scarf had tangled in some bulrushes.
You swiped through the pictures they’d taken, laughing at the stop-motion effect of the wind blowing her scarf away, but the pictures they got before then were cute. You minimized the camera by force of habit; you didn’t mean to look, but Javy’s background made your heart skip a beat.
It was a picture of the two of you.
Last month.
“This is the dumbest idea any of you have ever had,” Phoenix announced, to a roomful of ears that were absolutely not listening.
“Yes, but it’s team bonding,” Fritz said, dragging a stack of chairs across the Family Center. “You know how Mav feels about that.”
“THE dumbest idea,” Phoenix reiterated, “and, really, guys, that saying something.”
But she grabbed another stack of chairs.
Fanboy’s latest comfort youtube content was various Star Wars cast members on Hot Ones—the show where celebrities were interviewed while eating increasingly spicy chicken wings—and as a gag gift, Payback had gotten him a verified box of the hot sauce lineup. One thing had led to another, and now an industrial amount of wings had been delivered to the Family Center, while half the squad was raring to prove that they had the strongest tastebuds.
Or, at least, the most fireproof ones.
“So, Phoenix,” Rooster called, “is that your way of saying you’re not gonna join in?”
“Absolutely not,” she responded. “This is not a question I need answered.”
Everyone laughed, as you arranged chairs around a foldout table.
“Halo?” Hangman asked, lifting his hands in dismay when she shook her head. “What? Come on.”
“I feel like she’s protecting our dignity,” Bob said, as he carried over a couple gallons of milk and some paper cups.
Everyone looked at Callie, who smiled slightly.
“I was raised on Ma La Xiang Guo, guys,” she shrugged, pointing to a sauce with a literal skull and crossbones on the label. “I could brush my teeth with that stuff and be okay.”
“It’s all good,” Hangman said, with an impish smile as he looked between Phoenix and Halo, so you knew what he was about to say was just to goad them into reacting, “we all knew a man was going to win this anyways.”
And apparently it worked.
Because, without batting an eye, Phoenix announced, “Cross’ll do it.”
Your head whipped around as you heard your name spoken from down the table. “Cross will what now?”
“Welcome to the competition, Crossy,” Jake crowed, slapping a paper plate down in front of you.
You looked down at it. “Guys, I’m not—”
“Feminists everywhere are counting on you,” Phoenix said solemnly.
“Remember when you said this was a dumb idea?” Payback asked, and she waved a hand at him.
So that’s how you ended up sandwiched between Rooster and Harvard, eating wings doused with hot sauces that sounded like terrible porn star names, and hoping the lining of your stomach could take it.
It was fine, and then it suddenly really, really wasn’t.
Bob tapped out on the fourth one, bless him, and Omaha was out on the fifth. Rooster hung on for a couple more, Payback too, but by the time you were down to the final two sauces, it was you, Fanboy and Coyote.
“For our penultimate round, ladies and gentleman,” Hangman croaked, his voice hoarse from Da Bomb, the sauce that had knocked him out in round eight, “I present to you—Unique Garlique, by Puckerbutt Pepper Co.”
“That is not the name of the company,” you groaned, your eyes streaming.
You’d started crying around round six, and had accepted it as your fate. No way were you about to touch your eyes, and sweet Bob stood beside you with a tissue, patting at your face helpfully, but it really was no use.
“Tragically, he’s not,” Fanboy sighed, dabbing some sauce onto a wing, before passing the bottle to Coyote.
And honestly? Fuck him. Because you were actively weeping, Fanboy was sweating patches into his uniform, and Coyote looked like he’d maybe gone for a light jog. If anything, he was glistening, like some eau de perfume commercial from the early 2000s, and it really was ridiculous.
He handed the bottle to you, and you grimaced, reading the label. “How does something as innocuous as garlic somehow contain 642,000 Scoville heat units?”
“You can always tap out, if you need,” Hangman teased, and you wanted to flip him off, but that took more energy than you had to spare.
“I want you to know,” you told him, not looking up from the wing that was practically glowing with garlic poison, “that I’m channeling all of my pain into anger at you specifically, and I will win this damn thing on spite alone.”
“The American way,” Coyote said, cheersing his chicken messily into yours with supernatural enthusiasm, and then Fanboy’s.
You three took a bite.
You three chewed, thinking maybe it wasn’t so bad.
And then you three saw hell.
You could not drink enough milk, and Natasha was trying to be helpful by fanning you with a notebook, but somehow it felt like that was stoking the spiciness higher. Your mouth felt like it was actively on fire, and you were pretty sure your throat was closing up on itself.
“Holy shit,” Mickey wheezed.
“What if we just die,” Javy rasped, “what are they gonna tell our families?”
“Oh my god,” you mumbled. “Only one more, right? Then I have clear and convincing evidence that I am more of a man than Hangman could ever dream to be?”
Javy might’ve snorted beside you, but he also might’ve just been choking.
“Oh, babes, you passed that a while ago,” Callie said soothingly, rubbing your back.
“One more,” Bradley confirmed, and he slid the bottle down the table to the three of you.
The Last Dab, it was called.
You looked at the bottle—orange red, with a flame logo, and a lovely worded description that explained how it was the only hot sauce in the world made with the apollo pepper, and the Scoville heat units couldn’t even be calculated.
“Well, I have had a stunning epiphany,” Mickey said, slapping his hands on the front of his pants. “And that is that I straight up do not need this. I’m out.”
“Garcia’s out!” Omaha yelled.
“He yieldssssssssssssss,” Jake called, like he was an announcer at an internationally broadcasted sporting event, not standing in the middle of a team of dripping, miserable pilots.
You looked at Coyote.
At his ridiculously handsome face, with his ridiculously calm demeanor, with his ridiculously nonplussed expression, as he handed the bottle to you. “We doing this?”
You desperately wanted to say no.
Just go stick your head in a freezer or stand under a cold shower for the next three hours or drink your weight in orange juice until your body felt some semblance of normal. But Javy was looking at you like he was having fun, like he and you were the only ones in on this joke, and you weren’t about to walk away from that.
Also, feminism, peer pressure, all that.
“We’re doing this,” you sighed, coating the final wing.
He poured the sauce onto his wing resolutely, then shrugged, following the tradition of the show and dabbing an additional glob on top.
“Lagniappe, and all,” he muttered.
“Laissez les bon temps rouler,” you offered, those two phrases combined being the extent of the New Orleans slang that you knew. Javy flashed a smile at you as you clunked your chicken wings together in a cheers, then took a synchronized bite.
God, it was awful.
Truly horrendous, mind-bogglingly painful, and if you hadn’t already been openly weeping, this would’ve done it. The squad was going crazy. You were pretty sure Natasha was taking pictures, Jake was being an exceptionally good sport and had started clapping and the whole room was yelling, cheering like you’d won dogfight football, and for a moment, you felt it—you were on the team.
Javy caught the scarf.
He returned, brandishing the colorful fabric like a banner, and Mrs Machado patted his cheek as he helped wind it about her shoulders again. You didn’t say anything about the picture, turning off the display on his phone, before you handed it back to him, and tried to forget about it for the rest of the day.
Mrs. Machado had an evening flight and there were a few more things that Javy had wanted to show her before she left, so you thought that now would be the perfect opportunity to give them some time alone, and use your cinnamon roll excuse. You borrowed Javy’s phone to call yourself a ride, and bid your goodbyes to your fake boyfriend’s mom. She held you so close when she hugged you goodbye, making you promise to text Javy once your phone had battery again, letting them know you’d gotten safely home, and you felt guilty the whole ride back to your place.
Maybe that’s what all this was—an extension of your guilt.
Guilt had you so on edge that you’d imagined Javy being calmed by your touch this morning. And he’d probably kissed you last night because it was part of convincing his mom. And his phone background—well, the phone background was hard to explain.
It looked like the picture had been taken right before that final wing, at the impromptu competition last month. A nervous smile was on your face and you’d closed your eyes bravely. Beside you, Javy was laughing at something you’d said, his eyes on you, his expression one you didn’t remember.
But, maybe you’d remembered that wrong too.
You’d only looked at the picture for a couple of moments, and maybe there was something you hadn’t seen—Jake acting a fool or something funny that would make sense for Javy to keep it as a background.
Guilt and emotional exhaustion made a hell of a cocktail, so you let autopilot take over as soon as you got home. Plugged your phone in, rolled out cinnamon rolls, put them in the oven, cleaned the kitchen while they baked, set them on a rack to cool and clipped your hair up before you hopped in the shower. You were almost done with the arduous process of moisturizing your whole body when there was a loud knock on your door.
You made a face at your foggy reflection in the over-the-sink mirror; someone must’ve gotten the wrong address for one of your neighbors. As you readjusted the towel under your arms to continue rubbing lotion into your legs, the knocking continued.
“Wrong apartment,” you called, hoping they’d realize their mistake soon.
“Cross, come on, open up.”
You froze, recognizing that voice.
Shit.
Glancing around the still misty bathroom, you realized your clean clothes were in your bedroom, opposite of the way to the door, but you weren’t about to answer the door in a towel. Thankfully, the closet that held your washer and dryer was right next to the bathroom, and you rooted around in the dryer for the first tshirt you could find, sending a moment of gratitude to the universe that your front door had none of those filtered glass panes on it. You shoved your arms into the shirt as you struggled into some pajama shorts on your way to the door.
“What are you doing here?” you asked before the door was opened, and even then, only wide enough for your head to poke through.
Javy was leaning against the door frame, arms braced on either side of it, and you noticed his shoulders relaxed a bit when he saw you.
“You’re okay?” he asked, his eyes running over you, seemingly scanning for some nonexistent injury.
“What?” you blinked. “Yeah, I’m fine, what…”
All at once, you remembered the promise you’d made to his mother, and your phone charging in the other room, and how long it’d been since you’d gotten into the car at Balboa. You looked up at Javy, clocking the relief and stress warring in his expression.
“I’m sorry,” you said, your nose wrinkling. “I just got carried away with stuff and—”
“Is that my shirt?” Javy interrupted you, and you looked down.
It was his shirt.
You’d grabbed it out of the tumbled load in the dryer, which you now remembered was one of the last dogfight football loads.
“It was the first one I grabbed,” you said, quickly.
Javy didn’t say anything, but his hands did drop from the door so he could cross them across his chest. And he was smirking, damn it, something that should be annoying or at least not attractive, but it was, and it made you want to stomp your foot.
“It doesn’t—“ you tried again. “Don’t be weird about it, okay, it doesn’t mean anything.”
“Sure, Cross,” he said, that lazy smile growing, and you pursed your lips, refusing to give into the impulse to smile back.
“Okay,” you said, knowing it was petty, but pointing to the phone he held in his hand, “is that my picture?”
Javy’s jaw actually dropped.
“Don’t be weird about it,” he mumbled, a moment later, stuffing his phone in his back pocket, parroting your words back to you. “It doesn’t mean anything.”
It was your turn to hum, amused.
But you did feel bad that he’d been worried enough to drive to your place, so you stepped back, opening the door to your apartment. You walked through it without waiting for Javy to follow you, heading into the kitchen to cover the cinnamon rolls, the smell of them still lingering in the air. You heard the door shut behind you, and smaller shuffling sounds as Javy toed off his shoes.
“You actually made cinnamon rolls?” he called after you, and you couldn’t bring yourself to be offended by the surprise in his voice.
“To everyone’s shock and amazement, yes,” you replied, flipping on the tap. “Want some water?”
“Sure,” Javy said, his voice closer this time, and by the time he made it to the kitchen, you had filled a glass and held it out to him. You wrapped the cinnamon rolls carefully, while Javy stayed in the doorway.
When you glanced over your shoulder at him, he was looking around your small kitchen curiously. He looked at ease, like he almost always did, with the calm aura of assurance that was deeply grounding. It was something to see him like that, in your space.
He finished the water and walked the glass over to the sink, turning to lean his hips against it. You pushed the cinnamon rolls to a corner of the counter, crossing your arms in front of you self consciously as you became aware of the casualness of your dress.
“Well,” you said, awkwardly, “thanks for checking on me. I am alive, so this has been a win for due diligence.”
Javy nodded slowly, his eyes still flitting around the kitchen, as the silence stretched.
“What if it did?” he asked, and you tried to track what that could mean, but couldn’t place it.
“Sorry, what?” you asked, confused.
Javy shrugged, his posture casual, but you noticed his hands gripping the countertop behind him.
“Mean something,” he said, before continuing as you shook your head, still confused. “My shirt. Our picture. What if…what if it meant something?”
The room felt like it’d been de-pressurized, like suddenly there wasn’t enough oxygen in the air and you couldn’t breathe.
“What?” you managed again, your voice sounding like more of a squeak than your actual voice.
Javy didn’t move from the sink, merely lifting an eyebrow while he waited for you to process what he knew you understood he was asking. It made his forehead wrinkle, which was annoying, because he couldn’t be adorable while he was tilting your world off its axis.
Your mouth felt dry and when you wet your lips, you felt Javy’s eyes dart down to watch your tongue as it slipped between your lips.
“Don’t get me wrong,” you said, your voice sounding shaky, even to your own ears, “it was really sweet having breakfast with your mom. And today was fun. And like, it was a good kiss, but it’s been like twelve hours of faking it, we can’t—”
You stopped talking when Javy pushed away from the sink, his long legs crossing the room quickly. The laid back air of earlier was gone, replaced by an intensity that seemed to crackle the air, and you backed up as he walked closer to you. Your back hit the opposite wall and you yelped quietly, but Javy didn’t stop until he was right in front of you.
He didn’t touch you, and you could’ve moved, but you both knew you wouldn’t.
Not when he leaned his forearms against the wall behind your head, his large body caging you, and all you could see, all you could focus on, was him.
“First of all,” he said, and his voice sounded different up close, like it rumbled out of him, “it wasn’t just good, and you know it.”
You knew what he meant, and his eyes darkened when you nodded, after a beat.
“Second,” Javy continued, in that same voice, and you shivered, “we’re pilots, not actors. Twelve hours…if that was all it was, neither of us would feel like this.”
You shook your head, knowing that if you let yourself imagine, just for a moment, it was going to hurt all the more.
“You said you had no plans to ask me out,” you whispered, aiming for a cavalier tone but coming up short. “That this was just the easiest lie.”
“I’d take it back if I could,” he said quickly, and you read the honesty in his eyes. “But, look, I was panicking. I’d been telling Momma about you for months and then she showed up and I had to say something before she told you how much I…before you got freaked out. I didn’t know you felt the same thing I did.”
You both desperately needed, and were terrified of, what he’d been going to say.
“This is wild,” you mumbled, your mind reeling. “You can see that, right?”
Javy smiled, the inevitable, gorgeous smile of his, and he lifted his chin a little bit. “Kiss me again.”
Your heart skipped a beat.
And you knew it wouldn’t solve anything, wouldn’t explain any of it, would probably complicate things further, but if the tradeoff was clarity or Javy’s mouth over yours, you knew what you were choosing. Your fingers curled into the front of his henley, pulling him down to you, and then you could feel that smile against your lips as he kissed you.
It was different when you weren’t two steps above him, when one of Javy’s hands fell from the wall to hold the side of your face as he kissed you. His lips were so soft, and of course he was teasing you with it, his mouth brushing over yours with light chastity until you pulled harder at his shirt and he pressed closer to you, his lips parting. At the first sweep of his tongue, your knees literally weakened and you swayed into him, your bodies coming flush together. Kissing him was dizzying, dreamy, and when you came up for air, you thought this might be your favorite sight—beautiful Javy, from this close.
You reached up to wipe at his mouth, where some of your chapstick had smudged, and he turned to press a gentle kiss to your knuckles.
“Told you,” you whispered, “Galahad.”
He laughed softly, another sound that was different up close, warm and deep and you wanted to hear it again. Unfortunately, Javy cleared his throat, kissing your forehead before standing up straight.
“I should get back to base,” he said, regretful but responsible. And he was right, of course, because you had drills in the morning, and whatever was between the two of you could wait another day.
“Stay,” you blurted.
You almost took it back, embarrassed of how needy it had sounded, but when you looked up at Javy, he looked almost as hopeful as you felt.
“Snuggles?” he asked, and you pressed your lips together at how freaking adorable it was, that this enormous man lit up like a kid on Christmas at the thought of something so innocent.
“If you want,” you hedged, and Javy gave you a look like it wasn’t even a choice for him, before he thought it through.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” he said gently, “but, hell, I want to.”
You shook your head determinedly. “We won’t do anything. I don’t want to rush it, and today’s been a lot to add that, too... but it’d be nice to be together, without the pretending.”
You couldn’t believe you were practically begging the man to stay and just cuddle, but also it was Javy Machado. You’d do a hell of a lot more than beg, if push came to shove.
You could see him deliberating, and you decided you might as well throw in a final desperate bid.
“And you can give me a ride to base in the morning,” you added, “so I don’t have to catch the bus.”
Javy chuckled, before nodding seriously.
“Well, when you put it like that, it’s only practical,” he said. “The rational choice.”
“I’m a very rational person,” you said. “That’s why they pay me the big bucks to be a WSO.”
Javy blinked. “Do they—”
“They definitely don’t,” you laughed. “It’s off of rank, same as the rest of the Navy.”
He rolled his eyes, but followed you obediently deeper into the apartment.
You showed him where extra toothbrushes and toiletries were in the bathroom, and offered his shirt back, which he adamantly refused. He ended up grabbing a nondescript Navy shirt from the pile, which you were pretty sure was Jake’s, but didn’t want to comment on, since it seemed deliberate that he hadn’t asked.
Being in the same squadron, and being based in San Diego, there was a level of physical awareness that you two had passed months ago, so it was oddly anticlimactic to be sharing space as you brushed your teeth and got ready for bed.
Which is why the nerves, as soon as you and Javy settled into your bed, surprised you.
It was dumb, because you knew you had nothing to be nervous over. You’d both already agreed nothing else was happening tonight, you should be tired enough to just be chill about this. But as soon as your back hit the mattress, it felt like someone had injected straight caffeine into your veins and you couldn’t lie still.
Javy’s arm was under your head and you’d turned slightly into him, but suddenly your feet needed to be out of the comforter. Or maybe you needed to lie on your other side. Or the top sheet felt weird on your skin, or you weren’t sure if—
“Cross,” Javy sounded like he was trying not to laugh, “I’m gonna leave if you don’t lie still.”
You winced at the ceiling, disengaging so you could put just a few inches between the two of you. You felt yourself relaxing, like some weird performance anxiety, after he’d been so excited to hold you.
“Sorry,” you mumbled, “it’s just—”
“A dream come true, I know,” he sighed, like it was a heavy burden to bear, and you swung halfheartedly in his direction. Your hand swatted at the comforter over his chest, and you could feel the bed shaking as Javy chuckled.
“Unfamiliar,” you revised, “is what I was going to say.”
Javy hummed, and you both knew his answer was closer to the truth, but he was kind enough to drop it.
You shifted slightly, settling more deeply into the bedding, trying to tell your body it was comfortable so it could just be still. But even with the distance, every inch of you seemed hyper aware of the fact that Javy freaking Machado was literally in your bed. You knew you’d made the right call earlier, that you didn’t want to rush this, and everything else rational…but you were only human, damnit, and you were too curious to drift off to sleep.
You chanced a peek at Javy, at what little you could see of him in the dark of the room.
He was on his back, facing the ceiling, his hands folded over the top of the comforter like it was a sitcom from the 60s. His eyes were closed, and his chest was rising and falling rhythmically with his deep breaths, perfectly at ease. Except…if what he’d said last night was true, he should’ve been as ill at ease as you were, sharing a bed with someone.
“Can I ask you something?” you asked quietly.
“Ah, sure,” Javy said, still sounding amused. “Not like we’re sleeping till you’re tired out.”
“Okay, well—” you huffed, but Javy lifted a hand from the comforter placatingly.
“I kid,” he said. “Honestly, we should all be impressed that I’m staying PG and not slipping into a ‘well, I can think of an easy way to tire you out’ line of thought.”
Your mouth snapped shut; you hadn’t even considered that.
Javy shifted and the comforter crinkled as he cleared his throat. “Okay, neither of us can think too hard about that; ask your question.”
You hesitated for a moment, kind of enjoying the comfortable silence of the room. You turned your body to follow your head, settling on your side with your arm between the pillow and your head, before you asked, “Why hasn’t there been anyone since the Academy?”
Javy didn’t freeze, didn’t pull in a deep breath or tense up, but you felt his surprise, all the same. “Sure you don’t want a happier bedtime story?” he asked, his voice carrying a kind of hesitation that was new to you.
“You don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want,” you hedged, meaning it. “I can think of another one.”
You watched his jaw tense, and then he shook his head, just once. “Is it crazy that I want to tell you?”
You weren’t sure, but you did know that it felt an awful lot like trust, and you wanted that more than you wanted to know the story. Javy was fiddling with the end of the comforter, and the motion reminded you of the straw wrapper at Harry’s so you reached for him.
His movement didn’t break, he just accepted your hand and enveloped it in his. He wove the fingers of one hand between yours, and with the other he traced along the tendons on the back of your hand.
“There’ve been folks since Academy,” he said, slowly, like the conversation had to pick up steam. “Just no one I’ve introduced back to Momma. You know how it is, how you can always find someone for the night. I found it was…easier. To keep it that way. No expectations, no strings, just fun. No one gets hurt that way.”
His slow motion of his fingers over the back of your hand was soothing, tracing patterns an retracing them with another finger.
“You got hurt before?” you asked softly, watching Javy’s nostrils flare slightly as he processed the question.
“I hurt someone,” he said, quietly.
You doubted the distinction was mutually exclusive, but you stayed quiet as you waited for him to continue.
“We met when I was at Annapolis and she was at St Johns. She was from up North, so she was like no one I’d met in Louisiana. On a law track, in a sorority, all that. And we were…serious.”
He paused, and you could tell he was trying to decide how much to tell you.
“Pick out a ring, serious?” you prompted.
The pause lingered, before Javy traced down the fourth finger on your hand, saying quietly. “Put a down payment on one, serious.”
It shouldn’t have surprised you.
You tried to envision a younger version of Javy, bright-eyed and fresh at the academy, planning his life out, with conviction. That part hadn’t changed, Javy’s calm assurance, and you could envision some paralegal from Connecticut being absolutely swept away by him.
“I got my first post, in Norfolk,” Javy continued. “She got into Law School at William and Mary, and we had a little place in the middle. Painted the kitchen yellow, had a hell of a fight with the landlord over it. We had window boxes with flowers; we couldn’t keep anything alive in there, winters were too cold, but we tried every spring.”
It sounded idyllic, how he described it, and you could hear a painful undercurrent of longing in his voice as he told you about it. Like even now, it hurt how perfect it’d been.
“What happened?” you asked, gently.
You watched Javy’s profile shift as his nose scrunched up, in answer to that question.
“I had an accident, one day, flying—I made it, my wingman too, but the plane was rubble.They called her to meet me at the hospital and I remember when they let her in to see me; she was so quiet. She’d been real worried, I guess, and seemed pretty upset…I thought she might’ve missed an important lecture, or something, I don’t know, but it was weird.”
You frowned, squeezing his hand. “Surely a lecture wasn’t more important than being there for you.”
“Nah, she wouldn’t have thought that,” he said, then laughed wryly. “No, that wasn’t what she was upset about. When they discharged me a couple days later, and I got back to the apartment it was half empty. I remember walking in, and she was sitting on the hearth, one last cardboard box by her feet.”
You squeezed his hand again, hating that you knew where the story was going. Didn’t everyone who shared your employer?
“Yeah,” Javy sighed. “Uh, and she was right, you know, it wasn’t fair. If I’d died that day, she would’ve been stranded in Virginia, and every time I went up in the air, she was going to have to wonder if this was the time I left her for good.”
A dozen responses flash through your head, but you bit your tongue, before answering carefully.
“Flying isn’t something you do against someone,” you said evenly. “No one plans on burning in.”
“I know,” Javy said, and you hated how his voice had taken on this detached quality, like this speech was one he’d given himself hundreds of times. “But it’s selfish to ask someone to love you with all that on the line, and ask her to carry that fear. I get it, it was too much, so…yeah. I get it.”
He hadn’t stopped tracing over your hand, and your heart broke for younger Javy. How he must’ve felt standing in that empty apartment, as the woman he’d planned the rest of his life with left because she was scared. How blindsided and guilty, and clearly holding that guilt years later, as he relayed that story to you.
“Run that last bit by me again?” you asked.
Javy looked at you. “It’s selfish to ask someone to love you with all—”
“Yep, that part,” you interrupted. “One more time?”
You knew Javy knew what you were getting to, because he didn’t repeat himself again.
“You know what I mean,” he mumbled.
“You know what I mean,” you retorted. “Not everyone can take what we do, and that’s fine. But that’s something you hash out on a third date, when you talk about career plans and make sure your lives line up. Not when you’ve dated through college, have a home together, and when you get a call from the hospital. That’s when you need support, not for someone to ask themselves a question they should’ve asked years ago. Like. I’m sorry, but that’s a shitty thing to do.”
The room was quiet for a moment, and you wondered if you’d overstepped. Obviously you didn’t know the entire ins and outs of the relationship, but let’s face it, you were always going to take Javy’s defense against some WASPy lawyer.
Or, as far as you knew, a wannabe lawyer.
With her staying power, maybe she didn’t even pass the bar.
You let out a long breath, trying to release your animosity with it.
“Thank you,” Javy said quietly.
And you were sure there was a lot you could’ve phrased better, maybe held your tongue on, but you didn’t. Instead, you told your restless body to get over itself and slid back across the bed, into Javy’s side. He kept his hold on your hand over the blankets, but you tucked yourself against his torso, more determined to be comforting than comfortable.
“You’re not selfish for asking someone to love you, Jay,” you said, your voice muffled by his tshirt. “And I think you deserve someone whom you don’t have to ask.”
He didn’t say anything, but a moment later, you felt him shift, before he pressed a kiss to the top of your head. You felt the both of you settle, either lightened from the sharing of his past or from the relief of holding each other, and sleep came easily, this time around.
//
next chapter
tagging: people who haven't told me to stop and people who interacted with ch1: @mxgyver @princessphilly @hangmanbrainrot @roosterforme @blowmymbackout @datemephoenix @fuckyeahhangman @lt-bradshaw @double-j @callsignvalley @sebsxphia @javihoney @rosiahills22 @andrewrussgarfield @teacupsandtopgun @katiedid-3 @beyondthesefourwalls @gretagerwigsmuse @auroraboreallisfine @bioodforbiood @m1ssmunson @rassvetsky @desert-fern @et-homephone @letskeepthislo-ki
#javy machado fic#javy coyote machado#javy “coyote” machado#javy machado x reader#javy machado x you#coyote x reader#coyote x you#coyote x cross#javy coyote machado x reader#javy coyote machado x you
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Oh that does make a lot of sense actually, I'm always thinking of like scenarios because of how amazing the lore is in your series. Like it has me THINKING
Is it possible that there are other omega's at the base that 141 work at? Like I know that reader was assigned to 141 to keep everything like balanced but surely there are other squad packs of alphas and betas..right?
Like it's kinda hinted at that reader is the only Omega by the comments she got but it does make me also wonder if any other teams would get an Omega? OR is it just because task 141 are like very important and very much needed that they were assigned reader? Does this make any sense at all??
Sorry if it does not 😭🙇♀️
No, that makes perfect sense!!
So, at this point in the fic, reader is the only omega on base that like lives on base. The other alphas and betas on base likely have their own little squad packs based on just their shared goal and camaraderie, but perhaps also more 👀and there's probably a few barrack bunny omegas that make their way onto base during the weekends, or at least the others are interacting with. I'd imagine since most of the soldiers on base are SAS or adjacent, they'd be some of the first in line if governments decide to move forward with the Omega Initiative.
TF 141 specifically got the first omega just because they are an experimental pack to begin with. They're sort of the cream of the crop military-wise so if the Omega Initiative proves successful with them, then that's kind of the go ahead everyone needs to prove that it's a good idea.
We'll get more in depth with this kind of stuff here in a few chapters when things kind of start to get revealed about things. I can't say too much without risking spoilers so I am being intentionally very vague right here lmaooo
#please keep thinking#i love hearing people's theories and thoughts and ideas#gives me life#(and inspo to keep writing)#answered#crcb lore
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Request: Can I please request some yandere beta earth! Chamber x reader? (y/n) was the only last person on her team, then she meets the other world Chamber, and he was being uncomfortable with her. It was later then revealed that Chamber got some feelings towards (y/n) since the beginning. (y/n) has no counterpart in beta earth.
@oyasumimosura is the owner of this idea!
Your place is with me - Yandere! ΩChamber x Reader
Genre: yandere, slight hurt/comfort and fluff in the end
Warnings: none!
Note: Thank you for this one, I missed this lil French Boy! I'm still learning to write yandere, but I've tried my best showing some behaviors that would suit Chamber. You know, some signals, since it's their first encounter. I hope you'll enjoy it... :3
There was no time. You had to act fast now, to save atleast yourself. No one was answering you anymore, you heard nothing, but dead silence. Everyone was gone, and it was only you on the battlefield. How could this happen? Why did this happen? Never before have you had a thought about you being the only one left alive from your team. It was beacause you believed, that could never happen, and it hurt you when you imagined this scenario.
You ran for your life, as fast as you could. There was no way, you alone could save thie situation - the spike was going to blow up any second now, so running was the only thing left for you. You were so swift, avoiding all the ruined structures and collapsed objects with no problem. Little did you know, you were followed, and you've realised that the moment you hid behind the wall, to take a breath. You wiped your forehead from the sweat, took a deep breath, ready to run further.
"And who do we have here?" You heard, suddenly, which made your hearbeat fasten. Your body froze in one place. It wasn't that hard to guess whose voice was that. French accent is... well, unique. Chamber. Was he alive? Did he really make it? Those thoughts disappeared quickly, when you've realised, that the person you've heard, was problaly from the other earth. Your team was gone - you already knew that. You just didn't want to believe it.
You sighed, redied your gun, and left the cover, pointing your gun to the man's head. "Back off" you uttered, focusing your eyes on the target.
"That's an interesting way to say hello, don't you think?" Chamber chuckled, grabbing his Headhunter. "I don't think that'll be the best idea for you" He said, as you felt someone grabbing your arms from behind, making you drop the gun.
"Hey-Hey! Don't resist, we won't hurt you" You didn't care about the word's you've just heard, fighting the strong grip around both of your arms.
"What's the point? Don't you already have me in your stupid collapsing world?" you snorted, giving up, after you've realised that you don't have the strength to unleash yourself.
"No." You heard as an answer from Chamber. His voice was straight and cold, but you didn't care about that now. What mostly cought your ear, was the fact, that the answer was "no". You softened your body, giving up. "You're coming with us... what is your name?" The gunsmith asked you, staring at you with his amber eyes.
"Y/n." you answered, stiffly, hearing the spike blow up, you released a loud sigh. "Take me or not, it's over anyways."
You were taken by the opposing squad to their base, which, well, looked exactly the same as your base on Alpha Earth. You felt a little bit uncomfortable there - it could look like your home, but it wasn't. There were so many familiar faces, yet you didn't even know one of them. Those weren't the same people you knew before, and it was hard to remember about that.
--
"So you don't have a counterpart, huh?" A creepy and ratteled voice hit your ears as you were walking around the corridor, waiting for someone to take you to your temporary place. And again, you perfectly knew whose voice was that.
"Yes... Omen." You gave in an answer, but there was big disappointment in your voice. You didn't want to believe in what actually happened, you hoped that it was one awful nightmare. But the moment you pinched your skin, you remembered that this was in fact real. "I have no Idea why. And I have no idea why am I even here."
"You'll be important for us" Omen said, standing in front of you. A little cold shrudder hit your back.
"Nah, there's no way I'm even stepping with one foot on the battlefield with you. Not against my people" You snorted, with a bit of anger in your voice.
"Let her be Omen." Suddenly you heard another familiar voice, for the second time today though. Chamber stood between you and Omen, giving you his typical judgmental look. "Not scaring our lamb aren't we?"
"Chamber, I don't need any-" he interrupted you, not letting you finish.
"Shu-up" he murmured, his voice as cold as before. You swallowed his words. It didn't even surprise you, that Omega Chamber would behave almost the same like the Alpha. His, or actually their person was unique and hard to understand.
"Alright, alright" Omen said, a little bit unsatisified, turned back and just went somewhere god knows where. Afterwards you thanked Chamber, with a smile on your face, which you didn't think you would experience today. Well - you thought that a smile could atleast soften the situation, that's why you smiled. Chamber looked at you, his face neutral.
"Sure..." He answered after a few seconds, like he didn't know what to say. His eyes scanned you whole, you felt like every piece of you is being judged with total precision. The Chamber you knew was a BIT judgy, but not THIS much. Well. Atleast you knew you couldn't expect much from the mirror versions of your firiends. They were your enemies after all.
"So do I pass?" you asked. Chamber rised his left eyebrow, and gave you a questionable look.
"Looked like you're judging me" you added crossing your arms.
"Uhh... You're fine. Come with me" He glanced at you and started walking through the corridor. You did as he said, and kept going right behind him.
"So, how long until you all stop being weird with me?" You asked, curious of his answer. Chamber sighed and answered you quickly.
"They don't know you. Nothing weird there" The man answered.
"And how long do I stay here?" This question seemed to be a shadow, because Chamber didn't care to answer. You were wondering what is the reason behind that. Sure, you were a stranger, but after you were taken, you deserved atleast an answer. "Hey, I asked you a question" you reminded.
Chamber turned around, troubled. "Look, you're not coming back!" He erupted, but there was also some disappointment in his voice. Both of you stopped. You could see, the man was uncomfortable having to talk with you about that. And the way he reacted, was atleast suprising for you. Was he afraid to tell you that you're staying there forever? Why?
The moment you heard his words, something inside of you broke though. These were hard to swallow - again. You weren't coming back - even if you tried to run away, you wouldn't make it alone to another world. And it wasn't a thing you wanted to think about now. Right now, you felt like a mess. You were going to stay here. And in the end, you kinda understood, the silence Chamber treated you with.
"Let's go" you sighed, and went forwards, passing the man. "This way, right?" You pointed with your finger. Chamber nodded, and guided you to your temporary room.
"We'll see you tomorrow morning on the practice, you probably know where the range is."
"Nah I've never been there" you joked, neutrally.
Chamber chuckled quiletly under his nose, turned around and started going to, you assumed, his room. "Oh, and lock the door. In case someone comes to ask you questions" He looked over his shoulder at you when he said that, and you nodded.
This night was one of the longest. You couldn't close your eye even for one second, without thinking about what happened today. What you also kept thinking about, was Vincent, whose attitute to you was confusing to say the least.
--
Days have been passing since you've been taken. Every night, you kept telling yourself, that it was just a dream... just a dream. Uneffectively. You also felt so troubled about Chamber, who turned out to be your assigned buddy to help you find yourself around. In the end, he was him who cought you - nothing weird that it was him who got chosen. He was helping you, and giving you a hand with watever you needed help with, but on the other hand, he seemed to feel so uncomfortable around you. Always looking at you in silence, speaking when he really had to. Like he didn't even want to be there.
Today, you woke up, tired and dehydrated. Your mouth felt so dry, like you've been drinking nothing at all. With a loud tired groan, you woke up and went to the bathroom to get some water. You drank the first glass in a second, filling up another one.
After your morning bath, you took on your training clothes and went straight to Chamber's place. The door were open - as always, he has been working with his weapons, adjusting them or experimenting. You soflty knocked, and when you didn't hear an answer, you just entered the room.
"Up for some training?" you asked, focusing your eyes on his hands which were polishing a rifle.
"Nah, I'm busy" Chamber answered, not even looking at you.
You released an dissapointed sigh. You hoped, that he among them all would be the person who would atleast show some care and will. "Guess I'm on my own there."
Only when you left the room, Chamber's eyes switched to you disappearing behind the door. He put his weapon away, sat lazily and sighed under his nose. "Just wait a little bit longer..." he murmured under his nose.
--
Before your practise, you went to the kitchen to grab some water.
"Training again?" You heard from Breach
"As if I had a choince not to" You murmured, unsatisfied. Yup. All you could do for the past days was to train, since there was nothing else to do for you.
Breach chuckled and supported himself on a table. "You're coming with us today, Y/n" You heart stopped just for one second. You perfectly knew what was the meaning of his words. Yet you tried to pretend not to.
"Where?" You answered with a gulp in your throat.
"We need more radianite. And you'll be in use today". God, how you didn't want to hear that.
"I'm not going anywhere" You snorted, turning your back to Breach and leaving the kitchen. You heard him then shout to you
"Orders!"
Remember, when you thought, you wouldn't make it alone to the Alpha Eearth? Well, you were good with lies. Never in your life would you go on a fight against your friends, and while being there? There was no way you could avoid that. You looked over your shoulder to see Breach leaving the kitchen, and when you saw he was out of your sight, you went to your room as fast as possible.
Immidiately you ran over your room to take whatever could be at use, including your weapon. It was early morning, so there still was a big chance that you wouldn't be noticed untill you leave the building.
"Alright, I got this" You told yourself, attaching your weapon on your back as you left the room. The corridor was clear. You swiftly and quietly ran through it and hid in the first corner you could find to scan the area again. You could feel the stress filling you all, so you made a few deep breaths. Afterwards you left the corner, carefully watching and listening to the sounds. From the distance, you could already see the door leading to the outside. You made one last fast run, ran through the door and immidiately started to look for a place go further.
The surroundings of the building were different than the ones you were familiar with. On your left, you could see the landing area surrounded by a high fence - that wasn't a way out, so you've decided to take the right. God, how relieved you were, that you made it out without anyone noticing. Unofrtunately, you hit a blind path, and had to turn around. The moment you turned around though, you stopped. It was him, again. The relief turned into huge stress in seconds.
"It's like we've been there before" It was Chamber. He was there right in front of you - again . As if he was your shadow
"Let me go!" Momentarily you rushed to him, avoiding him as he tried to catch you. He ran after you, but the chances of him catching you were low, since you were the swift one.
Suddenly, though, you hit Chambers chest, as he teleported right in front of you, blocking the way. You looked at him, tears in your eyes.
"I want to leave!!!" You shouted, angry and devastated. "I've never asked to be there. This place isn't right. I'm not right. God, even you keep avoiding me and giving me weird looks! I don't belong there, so PLEASE, let me go!" You screamed at him, and the only thing Chamber did, was wrapping you around his arms, and letting you cry.
"I'm sorry for being an ass to you..." he tightened the grip, as if he would never let you leave his arms ever again. He knew, he couldn't hide the truth any longer from you. "Look at me, Y/n" He moved your chin up with his finger. "The truth is, we think that this place is where you actually belong. That's why you're here." You looked at him, not sure what to say. You were shocked. Were you in the wrong place for your whole life? Was there something they weren't telling you on Alpha? Moreover, why was he suddenly so kind to you?
"Why did you run? What happened?" He asked you.
"Well" you sniffed "I was told I'm to go on a mission today."
Chamber's eyes narrowed. "Who? Who told you that?"
You hasitated to answer, but you've decided that nothing will come from silence now. "Breach..." You murmured.
The man sighed, putting his hand on your arm. "Aight'. Gonna beat his ass on the next practise then" You chuckled. "I'll make sure you'll be safe there, alright?" He convinced you. "And as for now, you're not going anywhere. I'll make sure."
Despite the fact, that you were shocked about the information you just recieved, you felt somehow relieved. Finally, you could feel that in fact you're not alone here. You looked at the gunsmith.
"Why are you this kind to me, after how you've been avoiding me?" You asked. Chamber looked at your face, watching every single detail on it. For a while, he didn't answer, but this time you let the silence be.
"The moment I've found you." He started "Something struck me, you know. I didn't want to release the emotions, when you've just had been through the worst in your life, probably."
You weren't sure what to say now. The only thing you did was hit your forehead on Chamber's chest. This was... well, too much for now. But it also felt somehow good after what you've heard from Chamber.
"Let's go back, alright?" He then said, you hummed and let go. Both of you went stright to the base entrance.
"You won't tell anyone, right?" You asked him, as he was walking you away to your room.
"I won't. You and your secrets are safe with me." He gave you, finally, a warm smile. "Also Brimm would kill me if he knew I almost let you run away" He chuckled.
"I'm sorry, Vincent" You sighed. "I won't run again."
"No, you won't." He gave you in an answer and you treated him with a questionable look.
"Is that a treat?"
"Ah, no! Je m'excuse" He said, embarrassed a little. Was he though?
#chamber#chamber x reader#chamber x you#valorant chamber#valorant x reader#valorant x y/n#valorant chamber x reader#vincent fabron x reader#vincent fabron#valorant fanfiction#yander fanfiction#or atleast an attempt...#yandere chamber#valorant fluff#hurt comfort
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Melted With The Snow - Part 4 - No One's In The Room Mini Series
Series Summary: Jake and Ryleigh find themselves stranded in a remote location when a mission goes sideways. Injured and dependent on his help, she gets a glimpse of the man beneath the façade of ‘The Terminator’. Once they are rescued, the bubble of their personal Vegas bursts, and Jake struggles with new emotions while Ryleigh hopes he will finally see the man she came to know when no one else is in the room.
Summary: Ryleigh attempts to extend her friendship with Jake now that they are back home, but jealousy rears its ugly head.
Warnings: fluff, jealousy.
W/C: 2.6k
Characters: Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin, Ryleigh ‘Rodeo’. Small Parts/Mentioned: the rest of the Dagger Squad, Javy ‘Coyote’ Machado.
Pairing: fwb - Ryleigh x Fanboy.
Pairing: none for part 2.
Betas: @deanwinchesterswitch
Graphics: made by me on canva.
Catch up here.
Melted With The Snow
Ryleigh’s leg ached as she awoke, but it was soon forgotten, feeling Jake cocooned around her. His arm rested across her stomach, chest pressed to her back, breath fanning her neck. She’d woken with the thought of needing painkillers, but the steady rhythm of Jake’s breathing and the warmth of his embrace seemed relief enough for the moment.
She timidly shuffled back, pulling his arm up and tighter around her, and even in the midst of sleep, he must have thought she was cold as he tugged the blanket higher and nestled his face into her neck.
She’d seen Jake in many scenarios, and his cocksure smirk was ever-present. Unable to stop herself, she gingerly turned over, careful not to wake him nor put too much pressure on her injury, as she wanted to see what he looked like, relaxed and vulnerable as he slept.
A slight frown creased his brow, “Cold,” he murmured, eyes still firmly shut. Jake smoothly ran his hand over her side tucking it under the other side, and tugged her flush against him. Reflexively she threw her leg over his hip, and slowly his eyes opened. As close as they were, almost nose to nose, she noticed flecks of gold amongst the hazel. He smiled softly in a silent greeting, and she felt her stomach flip.
No, Ryleigh. She warned herself. Don’t.
Despite her brain screaming at her not to fall into the trap of Jake Seresin, her hands hadn’t quite caught up, and she found them swirling patterns on his back, down his side, and around his chest.
Jake hummed and followed her lead, tracing imaginary lines on the leg holding him against her. He shivered and wet his lips, tongue brushing her mouth as they tested the other’s boundaries.
Gazes locked, Jake’s hand roamed further up her leg, and she wanted him to slip his fingers beneath her panty line, grip her tight, and take what he wanted.
The air was charged, something invisible but very present and tangible passed between them, but Jake hesitated. The hesitation worried him; he’d never been uncertain with someone before. He was confident and bold, so why couldn’t he close the minute gap between them? Her eyes searched his face, and without saying it aloud, he told her: “if you want this to happen, then you have to make it happen.”
He wanted her. He’d never be able to express how badly he wanted her and worried that having her in the ways he wanted wouldn’t satisfy his craving but only serve to increase it.
She drew circles on his stomach, as low as their position allowed her hand to wander, and she felt him growing hard against her leg. Still, he made no move to get closer or kiss her.
Was he teasing or as nervous and unsure as she was? Her eyes fell closed, and she steadily lifted her head to lean in closer, feeling the tickle of his lips against hers just before the crackle of static on the radio burst the bubble.
“Shit,” Jake jumped and didn’t give her a second glance before rolling out of bed and making his way to the living room to answer the call.
Ryleigh waited in the bed listening to Jake’s mumbled replies to whoever was on the radio, unsettled by what almost happened. What was she doing? Why was she giving into… what was she giving into – lust, curiosity… feelings? No! Not feelings, no way, and why hadn’t he kissed her? She was sure he wanted to, and she’d made it very clear she wanted him even though she had previously told him it would never happen.
Her leg began to ache again. She shuffled to sit up and readjust her position but remained in the bed, hoping Jake would rejoin her.
Instead when he reappeared, he shoved his shoulder against the doorframe, arms folded over his chest, and barely looked at her.
“There’s a break in the storm,” he explained, “it’s the best chance for evac that we’re gonna get.”
“How long do we have?” she asked, chewing her bottom lip and shamelessly dragging her eyes down his body.
He felt his body flush with heat, something in the way she hungrily drank him in gave him pause. But why? Anyone else, he wouldn’t have hesitated to add to the long list of conquests. He’d have marched in there and taken her in all the ways she wanted him to.
He wanted it too, but suddenly not like this. Not because they were each other’s only option at that moment. He didn’t want a quick, meaningless hook-up. He wanted more.
Fuck. No, it wasn’t that. Couldn’t be.
“Jake?” she questioned.
He cleared his throat. “There’s a clearing two klicks southeast. I’m gonna go meet them, lead them back here with a stretcher, save you walking.”
“I can walk just fine,” she insisted, “amongst other things.”
“The moment’s passed,” he said, walking further into the room to grab the jeans he’d thrown on the floor. “Let’s just forget it.”
“What if I don’t want to forget it?”
He shrugged, “I’m sure Fanboy will be happy to help you forget it.”
She huffed a mirthless laugh, “so that’s how it’s going to be.”
“Vegas was fun while it lasted, Rodeo.” It had been fun. He wasn’t lying, but he had to sell it. Tone dripping with nonchalance, he added, “Fun’s over. We don’t need to play at being friends anymore,” as he walked out of the room.
The Hard Deck was packed. Jake had barely been there ten minutes before he and Javy attracted a group of pretty women to flirt and shoot pool with, though his attention was divided. Rooster, Bob, Phoenix, Fanboy, and Payback stood around the piano, drinking and talking, and Jake kept glancing over to see if Ryleigh had arrived.
He hadn’t seen her since they’d got back. They’d whisked her off to medical and him to briefings. He spied Fanboy laughing with Bob, and curiosity had him staring while Coyote took his shot.
What did Fanboy have that he didn’t? Why had Ryleigh so easily fallen into bed with Mickey but had repeatedly rebuffed him? He felt his chest tighten, a pang of envy, perhaps?
No. Jake mentally scoffed at himself. Him, jealous? Of Fanboy? Please. The thought was absurd. If anything, he pitted Mickey; he had his hands on something special and didn’t seem to know it.
Jake took his shot after Javy scolded him for being distracted. He potted two balls in the top left corner, winning the game, and winked at his prey for the evening as he straightened up. She giggled, tucking an immaculate brunette curl behind her ear, and though he didn’t know her name yet, he knew he’d won her too.
A rambunctious cheer caught his attention as he approached her, and over her shoulder, he spied the enthusiastic welcome Ryleigh received.
“I’ll be right back,” he said and didn’t wait for a response. He pushed through the crowd and made it to Ryleigh’s side just as Fanboy released her from a tight embrace.
“Rodeo,” he said, tapping her elbow to get her attention.
She turned to him as did everyone else, except she was the only one with a welcoming smile. “Hey, Jake.”
“Jake?” Rooster commented, confusion knitted his brow, “but he’s Bagman!”
“No more Bagman,” she scolded and looked at each of them in turn, “it’s Hangman or Seresin.”
“Okay, what happened between you two?” Phoenix asked.
“Nothing,” snapped Jake, quicker than he perhaps should have, and instantly regretted approaching her. He should have waited and caught her when she was alone.
“Yeah, okay,” Fanboy said, and it was clear no one was buying it.
“The kegs in the car,” Rooster said, “let’s turn and burn. I got some money to win.”
The group collectively groaned and gave him shit, but they all gulped the last of their drinks, and Jake took the opportunity to nod to Ryleigh, silently asking her to move away from the group, out of earshot.
“Go ahead,” she told Mickey when he hesitated to follow the group, “I’ll be out in a sec.”
Suspiciously he spied Jake over the top of her head as he moved to tuck himself against the nearest wall but didn’t comment. Fanboy kissed the top of her head, “don’t be long.”
The familiar and almost flippant way Ryleigh tiptoed to kiss his lips made Jake clench his fists at his sides. He took deep calming breaths to keep himself from clenching his jaw.
Ryleigh waited until Mickey was a few feet away before she turned and limped toward Jake. “What’s up?”
“Nothing,” he snapped unintentionally. The jealousy catching him off guard, he continued before she could question his attitude. “I just wanted to catch up and see how you’re doing. Haven’t seen you since we got back, and I’m headed home tomorrow. Why are you limping?”
“I’ve spent days being poked, prodded, and assessed,” she groaned but smiled playfully, “but Docs say I get to keep my leg. Apparently, I had good first aid or something.”
“So celebrating?” he asked, pointing toward the group as they made their way out of the bar.
“I’m supposed to be resting, doctor's orders,” she explained, “but Rooster decided I can rest and have a poker night. You’re welcome to join us.”
“Not sure Fanboy would appreciate my attendance,” he chuckled, though, in truth, he wasn’t sure he could handle seeing them together. “And as tempting as it is to take their money, I got my own thing going on,” he said, nodding toward the brunette he planned to take home.
She followed his line of sight and saw the pretty woman staring back at them, a smug red-painted smile wrapped around the straw of her drink.
“Have fun with that,” she said and only sounded mildly disdainful.
“Have fun with Fanboy,” Jake retorted, matching her tone.
“What the hell is your problem with Mickey?” she snapped, the pain from her leg intensifying the pang of jealousy and the sting of betrayal.
“My problem with him?!” Jake exclaimed quietly, “my problem is that the only thing he wants is for you to be his personal fuck toy, which you claim you don’t want anymore.”
“Why do you care what I want?”
“I don’t,” he snapped.
She scoffed. “So why are we having this conversation?”
He stared her down, and she softened her expression, begging him to say it. Admit that he was jealous and be done with it. But he offered no reply, and reluctantly, she dropped her gaze. What happened in Vegas had clearly stayed there.
“You can’t even….you know what? It doesn’t matter.” She stopped herself, shaking her head before she turned to leave, but Jake caught her arm, and she twisted back.
“Why doesn’t it matter?” he demanded.
It sounded almost pleading. She stared into his hazel eyes, waiting for…what? What did he want her to say? Confess that she felt like something had changed between them. But didn’t him having a conquest already lined up prove it was one-sided?
“‘Cause I’m an idiot,” she explained, somewhat angry but more so at herself for thinking something was different. “Back at the cabin, I thought…”
The bell of the Hard Deck rang out, and the patrons erupted into cheers, cutting her off.
“What did you think, Ryleigh?”
There was that tone again, imploring but still cautious. She couldn’t do this, not with him. Her sigh was heavily laden with regret as she looked over at his intended conquest. Meeting his eyes again, she mirthlessly smiled, “Whatever it was, I guess it melted with the snow.”
“I guess we’ll always have Vegas, huh?” Jake shrugged.
Humorlessly, she chuckled, then kissed his cheek and hobbled away.
Jake couldn’t decide whether it was a really good idea or a downright going to get his ass kicked into next week, colossal asshole of an idea? It didn’t matter, not really. Regardless, he felt he had no choice. He couldn’t go another minute without knowing, without doing it, at least once.
The woman he’d taken home was drop dead, trophy wife pretty, she was smart too, a lawyer or something. He hadn’t been paying that close attention, but the more she spoke and they kissed, the more Jake compared her to Ryleigh.
It was ridiculous and all-consuming. He’d asked the woman for her address, and when the cab pulled up outside her place, he’d apologized and given the driver a new address.
Now his feet carried him up the concrete path, and as the cab pulled away from the curb, he realized he perhaps should have asked him to wait. He might have needed a ride to the hospital after.
He knocked on the door with more force and speed than he intended, but his heart was pounding, with nothing but white noise in his ears and the desperate need to complete his mission.
The door opened, and the breeze of the motion fluttered Ryleigh’s hair around her face. She hadn’t even finished saying his name before he cupped her face and pressed his lips to hers. It was sloppy, and their teeth clashed.
She grabbed onto his hips to steady her stumble, and after her initial shock subsided, she shocked him by tugging him closer, rising to the tips of her toes, and slipping her arms around his neck.
It wasn’t as frantic as he’d expected, not the ‘I want to rip your clothes off’ impatience he usually found. Yet, she widened her mouth to allow his tongue to find hers and swallowed down a groan he didn’t recognize as his own.
She tasted like red wine, and he hoped she wasn’t drunk enough that she was just caught up in the moment and she’d come to her senses.
His stomach flipped and rolled, doing somersaults, and he felt giddy and anxious, all wrapped up as one strange and unfamiliar feeling. A rumble gathered in his chest, and it wasn’t until Ryleigh smiled into the kiss he realized it had been a contented hum from a depth he never knew existed.
Ryleigh pulled away, and though he wanted the moment to last forever, he loosened his grip and slowly opened his eyes to stare into hers.
Time ceased to exist. The heart hammering in his chest felt at odds with his usual cocksure attitude, leaving him unsteady and faltering. He wasn’t sure what to say. An apology seemed stupid. She’d reciprocated, so what did he have to be sorry for? Any admission of wonderment seemed redundant. He knew it was written in his expression.
Say something, he begged of himself. Tell her you want her in all the depraved ways you’ve dreamt and the ways she’d described; unconditional trust, no inhibitions, no fear of rejection or judgment, someone to lean on.
His brain scrambled to catch up while he willed his mouth to form words, but Phoenix called from inside, “Ryleigh. What’s going on?” interrupted.
“Give me a second,” she hollered, holding Jake’s eyes.
“Fuck,” Jake scolded himself in a tight whisper, stepping backward. “Sorry.”
“Strike out at the bar?” she asked smugly.
“No. What?” he asked, confusion creasing his brow.
“Well, you’re here,” she explained, “I assume you struck out with the brunette, so you’re trying your luck with me.” It wasn’t an unfair assumption, and she silently prayed he’d deny that he’d struck out and tell her that he had chosen to seek her company instead.
“That’s not what I’m doing,” he sighed, shaking his head. He didn’t know what he was doing, but clearly, it didn’t matter. Ryleigh had drawn her conclusions. She didn’t see what he felt, couldn’t see that he wanted to change, that being the terminator no longer worked for him.
“Then what are you-”
“Come on, Rolo,” Bradshaw yelled, interrupting her, “it’s your turn!”
“Forget it,” Jake said, “I’m sorry.”
“Jake,” she said, but he barely heard it. Spinning on his heels, he walked away as quickly as he could without running.
Part 5 - About Last Night
Tag List Info can be found here
Master Lists: Top Gun Maverick // All The Fandoms
Tags: Take to the skies: @alexxavicry / @b3autyfuldisast3r / @fandom-princess-forevermore / @imjess-themess / @justagirlinafandomworld / @leigh70 / @letsbys-library / @shanimallina87 / @wildbornsiren / @writercole / @xoxabs88xox / @atarmychick007
Hangman's Hoe's: @deanwinchesterswitch / @dempy / @emorychase
#jake 'hangman' seresin#mickey 'fanboy' garcia#hangman#fanboy#mickey garcia x ofc#fanboy x ofc#jake seresin x ofc#hangman x ofc#fluff#angst#top gun maverick#TGM#original female character#Jake Hangman Seresin#jake seresin#jake hangman seresin x ofc#jake hangman seresin x original female character#ofc#hangman x oc#oc#jake hangman seresin#flirting#bagman
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Twenty Questions for Fic Writers
Thank you so much for the tag @yoellglia and @shambolicchaos !! always appreciate being remembered, love you guys xoxo <3
1. How many works do you have on AO3?
6 works, and it's probably going to stay that way for quite some time 💀
2. What’s your total AO3 word count?
25k+ . I'm a very lazy writer, and I just write short fics tbh, there's only one fic that has alot of words lmao
3. What fandoms do you write for?
Publicly published? Only Tennis RPF and Beta Squad (on Wattpad) but I've written alot of fics for many fandoms that I write just for me to read to satisfy my imaginations. I write alot of Twilight, football RPF, Avatar fandom (not the blue people), and Teen Wolf, there's really a lot. I've been writing since I was a child so like💀
4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?
Say Yes To Heaven, Say Yes To Me (god I really need to change the name💀) but yeah, this fic's alright.
He Who Chases Two Rabbits, Catches None. AKA Chasing Rabbits fic. yes the name is long, yes it's not the most beautiful. But this quote is really just, similar to my fic. I actually got inspirations for my fic from this quote itself.
Everything is different. My first ever fic!!
If I'm on fire (you'll be made of ashes too). Lmao this is just me trolling the readers by writing plain angst🙈 but hey! Taylor Swift inspired song!!
Heaven's A Heartbreak Away. Ruru fic!! It's like the only fic that's not fedal lmao XD
5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?
Ofc I do!! Even if the comment's just an emoji. I'll reply, I always do. I love commenting, and I love when my fics get commented on. It's really really sweet, and the long ones especially just makes me go 🥺 like aww, you thought so much about my fic!! how awesome is that?
6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?
Angstiest ending? I wouldn't call it angst for this one but it's definitely not a happy ending. Can I call it ending? Cause the story is kinda like description-ish and there's not alot of plot but it's Say Yes To Heaven, Say Yes To Me. Unrequited love and all that stuff. But there's one fic where it's supreme angst, no happiness in it. Which is why I don't think it's considered an ending cause hey. The whole plot is angst so like- yeaa
7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?
It's either Heaven's A Heartbreak Away or And time can't stop me (quite like you did) but I'm going with Heaven's A Heartbreak Away. It's just Casper and Holger facing their own personal struggles, in the end they found each other and BAM fall in love. happy. And this fic actually has the ending I'm most proud of, I think I slayed on the ending but that's just my opinion.
8. Do you get hate on fics?
No? Not necessarily hate, just opinions. I never take it to heart. I am my biggest hater anyways, so I'm always ready for any comments. (All my fics suck and I suck and no one can convince me otherwise)
9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?
Nope. Maybe never, or maybe not yet. I won't write a one shot smut, but maybe I'll include smut in the long fic, aka Rabbits fic, cause that fic is long and angsty and there might be some scenarios where smut should be involved. But idk how to write smut, I read them, I don't write them. Feels awkward.
10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?
I do! But not the ones I publish, and it's never that crazy anyways. I had a fic between Shadowhunters fandom (Malec obv) and Harry Potter, with the Harry Potter AU, but every fandom has a Harry Potter AU so it's not crazy.
11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?
Not that I know of, no. My writing isn't actually Shakespearean level for it to be stolen. It's just....fanfiction💀
12. Have you ever had a fic translated?
No.
13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?
No.
14. What’s your all time favourite ship?
Fedal!!!! Obviously, obviously. Their whole relationship irl is a masterpiece in itself, they're a piece of art just waiting to be looked upon and researched and just. They're the best. They're a walking fanfiction, they have the most beautiful concept and I love that they're actually real. FEDAL 🔛🔝. With a side of Cherik, Satosugu, Malec (also one of my oldest, iconicest, bestest, favourite ship ever. They're so sweet)
15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?
I'm scared to say that this WIP might just be my Rabbits fic. I have this thing with consistency, and I can't keep my head straight and focused. But for now, that's not one of my WIPs (yet).
I have this Malec WIP, it's Harry Potter AU, and I really love it. I've written the plots and the process and wrote the ending, but I can't seem to bring myself to write the actual fic. It's a mystery-ish, action packed, romance with a side of dystopian too. And that fic is my baby, but I doubt I would continue it, despite being my favourite.
16. What are your writing strengths?
Idk, probably descriptive? Like, descriptions. I've received some comments in the past (during my Wattpad days) that I can make my readers clearly imagine what I'm writing and what they're reading and that my writing can be quite detailed. That was back in my days when I was just a child, I don't know about now cause I have a diff writing style now I think. I don't know, I don't really have anything extra on my writing, it's just plain fanfiction.
17. What are your writing weaknesses?
Consistency. I'm actually having difficulties rn with continuing the third chapter of my He Who Chases Two Rabbits, Catches None because I think my writing style has changed COMPLETELY. and I'm trying my best to get it back from the first two chapters, but I don't know how I wrote in that style. My writing style keeps changing, sometimes there's too much dialouge, sometimes there's no need for them. And sometimes it's just alot of descripting, and at times it's just alot of random things put in. Idk😭 and along with lack of consistency, there's also a side of procrastination. Fantastic. What a way to ruin a writer's writing.
18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?
What does this mean? I don't get it. But hey, yeah, it's cool. I think. I've read a few fics that has diff languages in their dialogue and they're top notch. Probably too complicated for me, cause for me if it's another language I just write in diff font but everyone has their own style. I'm fine with it.
19. First fandom you wrote for?
if it's published then it's Tennis RPF. But if it's not then I think..my first is definitely Twilight.
20. Favourite fic you’ve written?
All my fics are shit, I don't like any of them and if there isn't alot of reads and comments already I would delete them all. BUT despite the fact that I absolutely hate all my fics (I'm a person filled with hatred, I hate all of my art pieces too) I do have some fics that I hate on less.
It's definitely either one of the fics on my Of Paradise and Vicissitudes series. The first part, Say Yes To Heaven. I think it's a good start for the series, It's alright. And the second part, which is the Chasing Rabbits fic. It's, I put alot of thought and effort into the fic. Its a fic I really invest alot of my time on. The fic is a bit precious to me. I really want to see the fic end the way I pictured it, but it's a bit hard for me to continue and keep going. Hopefully this is just for a short time. Once I'm done with exams, I'm planning to get back on track and start writing the third chapter.
Idk. Who should I tag? I think everyone's been tagged already but let's go with @schumi-nadal @soronya @babygirlrafa @dillo-alla-luna and IDK- how many of u guys are fanfic writers??
TAGGING ALL OF YOU AO3 WRITERS🫵🫵. YEAH.
#i always end up typing too much words and it becomes a paragraph i need to learn how to stfu💀💀#fanfic ask game#yada yada#ao3
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LET ME LOVE YOU 【SHARKY】
【Summary】 ; Finding yourself dragged in to join a video with the beta squad, you meet Sharky. You've promised before that you wouldn't fall for anyone anymore after all you've been through. But now that he's popped up in your life, maybe you're slowly breaking your promise.
【Warnings】 ; slow build, reader has a description of a past abusive (more toxic than abusive) relationship and insecurity, mentions of trauma from it, slow brains to comprehend feelings, words: "damn", "bastard", "Shit" are used, Sharky being a jokeman.
【Pairing】 ; Sharky x f!Reader
【Word Count】; hehe 15k !!
【A/N】 ;Hope you all enjoy this, and it did take a while, so please let me know what you all think about it ! @vctrvn-ls thank u so much for scenario ideas and motivation when I felt like my brain was fried, and @allygatcr for hyping me up for this fic 🫶🫶 and all my mutuals who have long awaited this fic I love u all !
Masterlist
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The cold, cool air of the summer breeze hit your face as you stared out the window of the moving car.
Chin leaning on your hand as you watched houses and landscapes moved past your eyes in a speedy manner.
You didn't know what to expect in this upcoming event you were attending, well not a big event but a video that was shooting.
It was your first collaboration with other youtubers as you yourself was an upcoming one. Well you were more a guest than a collaboration but that's what you liked to call it.
Being nervous was an understatement, you didn't know what to expect but all you could do was hope for the best. Knowing the Internet could do anything after the video was posted was what made you more nervous, you hope things go your way and all but is that really realistic?
"You better not be over there being worried about the whole thing Y/N." A voice spoke beside you, one who was driving the car you were in.
Turning to roll your eyes at him, Aj just shook his head, hand still on the steering wheel as he continued speaking, since you didn't say anything.
"Cmon, I told you it's all good. These guys are my trusted friends and good collabs too. It'll help you a lot. And maybe get over your fear of…" He trailed off, glancing to your side as he faked a cough to quickly recover from what he was originally going to say, "You know what I mean. I'm telling you right now it's all good."
"It better be." You mumbled, still staring out the window of the car trying to calm your nerves down. Sure, Aj tried giving you a pep talk, but right now, it wasn't really working. Still, you appreciated what he did for you.
Aj was one of your family friends, you both have known each other since you were really young and both grew up together. He was the older brother that you never had. Throughout your childhood, you would be able to count on his triangle head.
Even though you'd both insult and tease each other, you still cared and were thankful.
And being the good friend Aj was, he saw how you were trying to become a bigger youtuber. But he knew you were afraid to expand and get to know more people than your small circle of ones you already knew.
So, he told you about the beta squad and how he and his friends created this group, where they make videos together and live in the same house. They do collabs with others too to make their videos more fun and interesting when there's guests.
He invited you, despite you saying you were fine by yourself, he insisted that it would be fun. And now here you are, on your way to the beta squad house to film a video with some people you don't know.
Except the short triangle head.
"If things don't go great, I'm heading straight back to this car, Aj." Sitting up straight and turning your head to him as you spoke.
You could tell he was contemplating whether or not to say some insult or snappy remark back, but in the end, he just nodded and said alright.
The driving came to a slow as the car approached the driveway of the house. The house itself was actually impressive. You thought maybe it would not be the best-looking house you'd seen with Aj living in it, but clearly, you're wrong.
I mean, what did you expect? They live in a mansion for crying out loud. You thought to yourself, as if hearing you, Aj laughed and commented on that thought.
"Yep, this place cost a sh' ton of money, but it's worth it." He spoke as he parked the car and turned off the engine. Looking for his keys to open the front door.
You laughed, finding the key on the front window of the car and handing it to him "Okayy mind reader shabeel. Thanks for the info."
He rolled his eyes in response and exited the car, causing a laugh to escape you again. Taking your phone out of your pocket, you looked at the time as it read, 4:30pm. The video was scheduled to start preparing to shoot at 5:00pm.
You got out of the car and shut the door, following Aj to the front of the house as he unlocked the door with some passcode at which he told you to "look away I don't want you breaking into this house"
And then proceeding to use the key to unlock the front door.
Stepping inside the house, it was cooler than outside, probably because of the air conditioning, and the mansion was huge, bigger inside than what it looked like outside.
Cold marble flooring that matched the white of the walls. Taking a look around the house, you noticed posters of all the beta squad, sitting on their thrones and wearing royal king crowns, following with their names beneath the poster.
You admit this place is starting to look really cool, and the fact that all of them are still quite young and can afford a house like this amazes you. Perhaps one day you'd be able to do the same.
Sniffing, you smelt a savoury aroma enter the room, you guessed, coming from the kitchen as you imagined the delicious food being cooked.
But your attention to food was taken away when you heard a ringtone coming from Aj's phone.
Glancing at it, he started to speak, "I gotta take this sorry, you can go ahead and sit on the couch or take a look around. Sharky might be at home right now, too."
Before you could question further where the sitting room was, he already was on the call, speaking to someone and walking out the door outside to the carpark.
You sighed, putting a hand on your hips, guess you had to explore now.
Thankfully, you found the giant couch without too much effort. As there was a glass door in front of you, beside the posters you were looking at earlier.
Speed walking up to the couch and plopping onto it, you felt the comfort of it instantly sink in, you felt like you were in your own bed that's how comfortable it was.
You pulled your airpods out of your pocket and connected it to your phone as you put them into your ears to listen to some music to pass the time a bit.
Going into Spotify to find your most trusted thing, your music playlists.
Pressing shuffle, you were glad one of your favourite songs popped up, "Thinkin' bout you." By Frank Ocean.
You listened to a lot of music artists and you never really had a favourite, but whenever you did listen to Frank Ocean it's just something about the lyrics that always touched you. Either they were too real or too sad and it made the songs more enjoyable. Or they were also just a good beat to be honest.
Humming along to the song, you foot tapped to the beat, following along with your head in sync. As you scrolled through your phone to find something to do, quietly singing the song that played through your airpods.
Cause I been thinking 'bout forever, ooh
Most of the time, you could almost dance to the music when you were alone but here, you were content with just tapping your foot along with the beat.
No, I don't like you, I just thought you were cool enough to kick it
You started humming along to the words, enjoying the beat of the music.
Got a beach house I could sell you in Idaho, since you think
Now the music had taken over and you were singing along to the music, not singing too loud but enough to not classify it as a whisper.
I don't love you I just thought you were cute, that's why I kissed you
Got a fighter jet, I don't get to fly it though I'm lying down
Too lost in the music, you failed to hear the footsteps approaching beside you. You jumped slightly as a hand tapped your shoulder, causing you to remove one of your airpods and look up to see who it was.
"Hey, sorry for startling you. I just wanted to come over and say hi, You're Y/N, right? The guest today?"
You were greeted by dark chocolate eyes that were connected with a smile. A pretty face, you'll be honest. And he was tall. Damn, he was tall. Like 6 foot something, definitely. He had a good sense of style, wearing a grey backwards hat and matching hoodie and joggers that had a logo, Primo on it.
Still hooked on the fact that this beautiful man was standing in front of you. Were you daydreaming again?
Maybe you were observing him for too long, as he waved a hand in front of your face with a small chuckle.
"Oh! sorry, yes, I'm Y/N, I didn't mean to stare.." You internally punched yourself in the brain. He didn't have to know you were staring. Why did you say that out loud? You frickin idiot. You still haven't even turned off your music yet.
You paused the music on your phone and it caused an excited gasp to escape from the man in front of you, confused you looked back up at him to see him smiling with excitement as he was looking at your phone.
"Oh my days, you listen to Frank Ocean? Do you like his music?" He came over to sit beside you, still excited like a little kid who just made a friend for the first time.
You gave a slight giggle as you nodded, "I don't just like his music, I love his music. It's just something about the way his songs are always so real."
"Yeah, it's so relatable, and the way his lyrics are raw, it just makes it more enjoyable, you know?" He added, nodding while he talked and listening to you intently.
"I know, right? Honestly, one of the best music artists I know." You agreed, a small smile dusting your face as you talk about the one thing you enjoy, music.
He chuckled, "The greatest of all time," he stopped for a bit before asking, "What's your favourite song of his?"
"Ohh, it's hard to say because I love them all." You looked away to ponder for a minute, trying to differentiate which of his songs you would classify as a 'favourite.' No one really asked that before, too, so you never really had to think about it. "Honestly, I can't choose."
"Cmon, you have to have one that you could listen to forever."
You thought for a bit, "Hm, but if I had to have one, I'd say this song I'm listening to right now, Thinkin Bout You."
"Ohh, that song is so good, I'd say mine is Pink and White, only because I've been listening to it a lot." He admitted, one hand in the air as he said that last statement with a grin.
It's been a while since you've been able to connect and talk to someone about interesting topics you enjoy. You felt so welcomed, and something about him just warmed your heart, always managing to put a smile on your face every next sentence he spoke.
You could tell he was an open person, someone you could trust. This feeling you get of trust and instant friendship is rare and hard to find, and when you do find it, you've heard that you shouldn't lose it. It's a once in a lifetime chance.
Suddenly, he face palmed and mumbled an 'I'm so dumb,' "Sorry I forgot to introduce myself, I'm Sharky." He held a hand out to you to shake. You took it automatically and with a smile.
"Y/N L/N." Wait, you didn't even register what his name was for a second, and then it just clicked. "Sharky? Like a shark? Is that a nickname?"
"Aha, yeah, that's what I'm nicknamed as my actual name is Sharmarke. It's just that's what I'm better known as." He scratched the back of his neck while looking to the side, a small pink dusting his cheeks.
You were about to ask more on that before you heard more voices enter the room. Both of you turned your heads to see what you assumed was the beta squad, and some camera crew entered.
Sharky turned to you and smiled, "We can talk after, I think we're about to start. These are the rest of the beta squad." He said, standing up and pointing to the four guys. You followed his line of sight and saw them waving at the both of you.
Getting up and coming over to greet them all, you introduced yourself to the three and got their names as Niko, Kenny, and Chunkz. You were about to comment on the last one's name before he put up a hand and pointed to all of himself as his explanation to which he gave a laugh.
The camera crew set up everyone, placing mics on them and doing sound checks on everyone. Putting cameras in two rooms, one for the main video and the other for another part of the video, the part where an individual talks to the camera themselves.
Now you saw that everyone had put on their silly costumes and understood why Aj had asked you previously to bring something too.
You had brought a red riding outfit since it was the only costume-like thing that you had owned. You changed into that, and you went to check out everyone's costumes, or if you didn't know what it was, you asked them.
Kenny was dressed as bigfoot, Chunkz as "Prince of Saudi Arabia", Niko as Sharky, well more specifically a Shark biting him, Sharky as a black viking and Aj a sheep. Quite accurate, you thought with a small giggle.
The lighting in each room took a while to set up as it had to change throughout the video. Green and red lights were the two colours. While getting mic'd up, Niko explained to you the video they were shooting.
A game called Mafia.
"So basically, there's 6 players, 6 cards, 2 for the mafia, 4 for the civilians. The cards are picked at random by all players. The mafia share their identity with each other, while the others close their eyes and are left in the dark. All players open their eyes, and the game is on." Niko spoke as they finished up the sound and led you all to the mafia game room upstairs. He continued to explain the game to you while also showing you a clip of the previous videos on how to play.
"The civilian's job is to find the mafias and get them out. They need to work together in catching these two and not letting them take over. The only problem is they don't know what card everyone else has. The mafia's job is to make all the civilians turn on each other and eventually vote each other out, making them the only remaining players."
"And at the end of every round, one person will be voted out and punished by being dunked into a tank of freezing water, the victim will then reveal their card showing the rest of the players whether they made the right choice or not." Aj laughed as he told you that this was his favourite part of the game. He just hoped he wasn't the one being dunked in the tank.
Everyone sat down in their respective places on the couch. You sat down next to Aj, obviously because he was the closest to you, following Chunkz beside Aj, Niko, and Kenny beside him. Leaving one space beside you, Sharky took that place with a smile on him.
"So the game ends when either both mafias are caught or all civilians are outnumbered and voted out, right?" You asked no one in particular, but they all nodded and that you now understood how the game was played.
You'll admit it does sound fun. You've never heard of this game before, but if it's as fun as it sounds, it probably would end up being one of your favourite games. And as Aj told you before your chance to get over your fear. You don't like being reminded about it, but just for a while, you didn't have to remember.
Looking around the grey but well lit room, you noticed an LED light sign that read "Mafia" in blue, and playing cards that had each beta squad member on it as a king or joker etc.
The camera director told you all it was starting in 1 minute, causing the chatter to cease as quickly so that they could start filming. You glanced to your side as Aj nudged you, giving you a thumbs up and mouthing an "you'll do great," to which you whispered a thanks.
Seeing this interaction, Sharky leaned in towards you but respecting your space and also whispered, "Don't worry, Y/N, it'll be fun." He smiled at you when he saw that the nerves in your face calmed down a little after both of the reassurance you've gotten.
"Camera rolling!" The cameraman shouted.
Aj was the first to speak, "Welcome to another game of Mafia! Please welcome our new guest, drum roll, please!" Everyone was hitting the table to sound a drum roll as they then all pointed at you, "Y/N L/N!" You waved at the camera and thanked everyone.
"Now that we've introduced her, it's time to pick the cards." Sharky glanced at you for a split second when he spoke, before reaching to grab the cards, everyone following suit to do the same.
If the cameras didn't pick it up, then you surely did when you both made eye contact with each other after looking at your card, which was the mafia card. The King. Why did you look at Sharky first after looking at your own card? You really don't know the reason for it. But you couldn't ponder any longer as you had to win this game.
Chunkz did the honour of telling everyone to put down their cards and close their eyes.
"Mafias! Open your eyes." Chunkz said cheekily while dragging out the 'eyes.'
Slowly, you opened your eyes and looked around, trying not to make any noise when you turned as you were still wearing your hood over your head.
Looking towards your right, not Aj, not any of the other boys so that must mean, as you turned your head to the left, you met eyes with Sharky, who smiled instantly and slowly nodded his head while you gave him a smile back.
"Mafias, close your eyes." Chunkz shouted, which caused the both of you to turn your heads back and shut your eyes. "Everyone, open your eyes."
When you opened your eyes, for some reason, you just couldn't hold in your smile. You were excited, genuinely. This already seems fun.
Aj must have caught on to this because he instantly went to attack you on that. "Nah, why you smiling Y/N, are you Mafia?"
"What? Can I not smile?" Damn it, where you about to get caught already? The game just started ain't no way you're letting them think you're mafia.
"Smiling is a bit suspicious, you know? I'm getting mafia vibes from Y/N." Aj turned around to the rest of the guys and pointed at you, who faked being shocked and hurt.
"Wow Aje, you know, you thinking I'm mafia without any other grounds other than me smiling is suspicious in itself. I'm thinking you're targeting me because you're mafia." You stated as a matter of fact, to which the others nodded.
"That does sound like Aj when he's mafia." Kenny said, rubbing his chin while looking at Aj with distrust.
"Yo HOW blud. She's trying to trick you all against me." Aj shouted as he threw both of his arms in the air to prove his point.
"Yeah, I think we should just vote Aj out. Personally, I don't like mafia infested rats." Niko laughed as he looked at the camera saying those last words.
"So all in favour of voting out, Aj?" Sharky spoke now, looking around the room as he raised his hand to see who would follow, and everyone did but Aj, causing the shorter man to stand up and leave, mumbling an "I hate you guys" making the rest of you laugh.
All of you were led outside and were about to watch Aj be dunked into a tank of freezing water. You laugh as you remember Aj saying earlier that the forfeits were his favourite part of the video, oh how the tables have turned for him.
Niko was the one to throw at the dart target board for Aj, he missed the first few times but when he finally made it, seeing Aj's face as he dropped in the water was one that made everyone burst into laughter and excitement.
As he got out of the tank, the boys shouted "Show your card" And when he did, it showed a 5 of spades. Everyone just groaned in disappointment.
"YOU LOT WASTED YOUR TIME, MAFIAS STILL OUT THERE." Aj yelled as he ran back into the house to change out of his now freezing cold clothes.
Obviously everyone knew Aj wasn't the mafia but if he was that would've been great, 1 out. But realistically they just wanted the rat gone. Kenny pointing a suspicious finger at you after Aj showed his card to everyone.
You glanced at Sharky, sending him a quick, worried look as you saw Kenny tell Niko his suspicions. And you both knew what you had to do in the next round.
As everyone sat down, Chunkz was the first to speak, "Now automatically I'm smelling Niko vibes." He giggled afterwards as a shocked and confused look went on Nikos face.
"What? I've not done anything? You can't always target me because you don't like me."
"Okay so Niko, who do you think is the mafia?" Sharky asked, because he knew that once Niko thought that one of you was the mafia, he would stop at no costs to prove his point and he might even end up winning the game.
"Well, earlier, Kenny told me that it could be Y/N. But I mean, you haven't really done anything that would be mafia suspicious in my eyes. But Chunkz keeps targeting me, so now he's my suspect."
You sighed quietly, hoping no one heard that. At least Niko didn't think you or Sharky were mafia.
"Yeah, actually," you started to speak, turning to Chunkz, "Why are you thinking Niko's mafia?"
"Nah, it's because every Mafia, I go for Niko, I just try to show from early that he's not my friend. There's like no coalition."
They all went back and forth with the banter and hurling suspicions left and right and each other, but surprisingly, no one thought you or Sharky were mafia. The only suspects were Niko, Kenny, or Chunkz.
Sure, they suspected you both a few times, but really, they didn't think much of it, as everyone was already pinning it against themselves they didn't have time to suspect you both fully.
Until the last round, Chunkz had been voted off and seeing as his card wasn't a king card the suspicions now turned to you again. Kenny was the first to pounce again on the argument.
"Listen, Niko, I'm thinking Y/N is mafia. One hundred percent, no doubt. But I think Sharky might be the other mafia. I'm not too sure about that."
"Niko, don't listen to him, I promise you, I am not Mafia." You looked at Niko and put on your best innocent face.
"I don't know, to be honest, I'm baffed." Niko threw his hands in the air in confusion and placed a hand over his mouth to think. "Then again, big foot here isn't really giving me much evidence to question on."
"Yeah, but it's not about evidence!" Kenny shouted, and it caused the rest of you to laugh at how serious he's being, even if he was telling the truth, you were a mafia. "Oh my days, Niko, can't you see? They literally are both mafia!"
"Niko man, vote out, Kenny, because clearly he is mafia by trying to lure you in and win. There is one other mafia. I think it's Y/N if not you. At least get one of them out." You turned your head as Sharky spoke those words. You thought he was supposed to work together with you?
But then he sent a sly wink and smile towards your way, if you blinked you would've missed it and then it hit you, if Niko voted our Kenny here, you and Sharky would've won, both the mafias would be left standing winners.
And so when it came to the vote, it started with Kenny voting for you, then it was up to Niko, who looked back and forth between you and Kenny, you pleaded one last time with him.
"Look Niko, if I was mafia I would've been out by now, this is my first time playing. If you think it's me, vote for me by all means but if you just use your brain you could clearly see Kenny is mafia."
And with that, Niko agreed and voted Kenny, leaving you and Sharky to vote for him as well. Instantly after the votes were complete, Kenny stood up and left yelling at the camera as he didn't want to get dunked in water.
But as soon as he did, and when he showed his card making him a civilian, you and Sharky both shouted and jumped with joy, while Niko just stood there mouth agape as he slowly went to cover his mouth still being shocked and the rest of the boys yelled at Niko for being an idiot.
While you and Sharky celebrated, he went up to wrap his arms around you while yelling "We did it!!"
And you laughed along, hugging him back. When you did, it instantly felt comfortable, being in his arms felt safe. You didn't know what it was, why did it make you feel all fuzzy?
It reminded you of your mother's hugs when you were a kid, and you won something, the genuine happiness and excitement you found in that hug reflected Sharky's hug. It felt familiar and you wouldn't admit it if anyone asked you but you could stay in that hug forever.
Maybe you lingered in that hug for a second too long as the others started teasing Sharky, saying ooo, and Chunkz started singing, causing him to let go of you as quick.
After they calmed down a bit, they filmed the outro, and thanked you as their guest, and they allowed you to do the honors of saying, "play the trailer."
After they finished the filming, you grabbed your belongings, and headed towards the bathroom to change out of your red riding outfit.
Just as you were about to enter, you heard your name being called, you turned your head to see Sharky running up to you with a wave.
When he finally reached you, you gave him a small smile to which he returned it and then rubbed the back of his neck while looking away.
"Hey, I just wanted to ask if you'd like to hang out sometime?" Sharky asked, a small cough erupting out of him at the end of his sentence. As he gazed back at you with those same soft brown eyes.
You were about to say sure, but then you hesitate. Why did he want to hang out with you? Did he mean romantically or platonically? And if you were about to fall in love again, you didn't know how you would feel about it. The last relationship you had, let's say … didn't end nicely.
But you were thinking too far ahead, for now you could make friends. And you always stick to the same branch of people that you hang out with, and these guys all seem really nice, and Sharky did have the same interest as you in music so why not?
"Sure, I'd, uh, I'd like that." You hated that against your own will. Your cheeks started to burn a little. You just hoped it wasn't noticeable to him.
"Yes!" He did a mini punch in the air but then realised what he did and scratched his head and cleared his throat, "I mean, that's great. Could I get your number? If you're okay with that, that is?"
Nodding, he quickly took out his phone and handed it to you, and you typed in your number, putting your contact name in too. He waited patiently as you did and when you handed it back to him, he called the number and the phone in your pocket buzzed.
He smiled and thanked you, "Hey, you know we make a good team. You actually did really well for your first mafia game."
"We do," You laughed, "you guys should invite me more on your mafia videos."
Sharky was about to say something when Aj yelled, "Hey lovebirds! I gotta drop Y/N back off so be quick and finish your conversation!"
Your eyes widened, Lovebirds?? Oh hell no, Aj's not getting away with that, you mumbled under your breath. Glancing up at Sharky to see his reaction he had the same reaction as you, but he just rolled his eyes and smiled at you saying that he'll leave you to it and pointed at the clothes you were holding. He waved as left to head towards the group.
Going into the bathroom and shutting the door, you looked at the mirror. Damn it, you were blushing. Shaking your head, this was gonna be a long car ride.
When you were done changing, you walked towards the door, where Aj was standing, waiting for you on his phone, when he looked up at you he rolled his eyes and said finally.
"Alright, I'm gonna drop Y/N off. See you guys later!" He yelled into the house, causing the boys to yell out a bye to you, and Niko popped around the corner to shake your hand and say bye to you.
"By the way, Y/N, all that banter that we said earlier, that was just for the video, so don't mind it." Niko admitted, waving a hand off towards Aj, who just laughed as he agreed with him, and then you both left to head to the car.
"So, what was that all about, ay?" Aj teased, as he had a smug grin on his face. As he glanced over at you, who was there looking straight ahead on the road, trying to avoid this conversation.
"I don't know what you're talking about." You shrugged, crossing your arms over your chest.
"Y/N, cmon, don't think I didn't see that idiot Sharks flirt with you."
"Flirt? I don't think he was flirting, he was just being friendly. We just met after all."
"Nah, he definitely was. Knowing Sharks, he just sucks at flirting. Actually," he started as he turned into the street you lived in. "Yeah, maybe he might just be friendly. But I'll be honest, it looked like flirting to me, Y/N. So just be careful. Don't want him breaking your heart or vice versa aight?"
You scoffed. Aj was definitely overreacting with this. But it did make you think, was he really flirting with you? Or was he just being overly friendly. You hoped it was the latter, though. You don't think you could handle a relationship right now.
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He watched as the car drove away, and when he turned around, he was frightened to see Chunkz looking at him with a sly smirk on his face. He just rolled his eyes as he made his way towards the couch, Chunkz following him as he continued to pester the other Somali.
"Oh my days, I know I made it so awkward. You know how awkward that was? I'm not good with girls at all." Sharky covered his face with hands as he slouched down onto the couch and sighed.
"You seemed fine when you hugged her." Chunkz did his famous laugh, as he went to sit beside Sharky.
"Stop, man, that was just -" Sharky cut himself off. What was that hug actually? Shaking his head, he cleared his throat as he pulled out his phone to ignore looking at Chunkz. "A winning hug. Like I hug all of you when we win a game."
"A winning hug? Sharky, you're a joke man. I know you fell in love instantly, bruva." He elbowed his friend as he laughed in his face. Causing the fellow Somali to pull over his hood to cover his face, which started to warm up.
Fell in love instantly? Sharky's not like that. Or was he? He didn't know at this point, just the very thought of you got his face heating up and the flutter of wings in his stomach grew out of nowhere. You've got him second-guessing himself. Usually, he's a confident guy, but now.
Now, he's definitely not.
Sharky was in the kitchen when he first saw you, he was making something to eat while waiting for the guys to arrive back at the house, but that's when he saw you walk toward the couch and sit there like you owned the place.
He was about to ask who you were, but then he remembered there was a guest for today's video. Normally, he would just call out loud and make his presence known, but he was caught off guard by your singing or, well, whispering the words to a song.
A song to which he also listened to.
He started to smile after hearing the words to the song you were singing. He leaned back against the counter to listen, but he then decided it would be a bit weird if he just stood there listening to you without you knowing, and that's how he decided to confront you.
As he moved closer to you, he realised how pretty you were. Like genuinely pretty, stunning even. The way your face smiled in that look of content as you listened to the music and-
Oh no. Maybe Chunkz was right.
You head down the stairs to make your breakfast. It was about a week since you met the beta squad. And you were currently at home. You just finished getting ready to go on your morning run.
Usually, you don't go on runs in the morning as you'd sleep in, but for some reason, you had the urge to just get up and exercise.
As you were making your breakfast, a classic bowl of cereal and toast, your phone buzzed on the table. Turning your head, you stopped making the cereal and opened your phone, and checked the notifications.
A big smile cracked on your face against your will as you read the text from Sharky.
Message sent at 8:16 am
Sharky 🦈
Good morning 👋🏻
I was thinking, do you wanna … maybe hang out today?
IF YOU'RE NOT BUSY THAT IS😅
You 💟
Morning Sharky !
Nah I'm not busy, where do you wanna go?
Sharky 🦈
Hmm, wherever you want! I don't mind honestly 😁
You 💟
Ok, how about let's meet up in the park since I'm gonna go on a run there anyway and we'll see where it goes from there 😂
I'll see you at 9
Sharky 🦈
👍
See you then ❤️
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You stared at the message he last sent, "See you then ❤️"
Oh my days, you're going nuts over a heart emoji? You thought, internally slapping yourself, but you can't help but look over the message, and then you shook your head. Get yourself together, you send hearts to everyone, why did it surprise you when he did?
Finally taking the pieces of toast, and finishing off your cereal. You ate as quickly as you could, as soon as you finished it you grabbed your house keys and headed out to the park.
Locking your door, you put on your headphones and play your music playlist. You start to jog towards the park. You were thinking of running, but maybe you'll save that last bit of energy when you're closer to the park.
It was a chilly morning, the cool, crisp air hitting your body, but not enough to make you freeze, especially since you were jogging.
You don't remember the last time you jogged, maybe a few weeks or months, who knows at this point. Perhaps the conversation you had with Aj last time slightly may have hinted that Sharky does like his runs in the morning.
Is that what motivated you to run? Or was it just the fact that you haven't been out in a while?
The warmth hit you as soon as you closed in near the park. It wasn't that far from your house, maybe about 20-24 minutes.
You reached the entrance of the park, the soft scent of the array of flowers surrounded the area, and the tall trees moved with the gentle breeze.
People walked around the park, and some kids played as they ran around the park, chasing each other and shouting with joy when they caught up.
Nearing a bench, you sat down and pulled out your phone, checking the time, 8:42 am.
Maybe he was here already?
You hesitated. Should you call or text him? You ended up calling Sharky to see if he was here already or not. The phone rang twice before he picked up the phone.
"Hey Y/N, I'm at the park where are you?" Sharky's voice spoke through the phone.
"Just near the entrance, I'm sitting at a bench, uh," looking around, you tried to describe your surroundings, "near this really tall tree."
You heard him laugh softly through the phone, instantly causing you to smile and ask, "What's so funny?"
"Nah, it's because you said you're near this really tall tree, but Y/N, there's trees everywhere." He laughed again, making you roll your eyes but still have a smile on your face.
You ended up sending him your location, and he followed it, finally making his way as he caught sight of you sitting on the bench.
He stood there for a split second because call him crazy if you will, but he swore he saw some light shine upon you as the trees moved their way to do so. He softened his gaze, as the scene in front of him seemed like a movie.
It was a chilly day, yes, but somehow the sun came around just as he arrived. And especially when he saw you, the trees, sunlight and wind might have been paid actors if it wasn't for the fact that they're not people.
"Is this seat taken?" A familiar voice spoke as you looked up and met eyes with Sharky, who smiled as soon as you did. You motioned for him to take the seat beside you, and he gladly did.
The sounds of the park all muffled out, no person walking past, the rustle of trees in the breeze or even the cars on the far side could be heard as you drowned out all noise to listen to the Somali in front of you.
As you both talked, you ended up deciding to head to a cafe nearby, just to grab a drink, to talk and get to know each other. The walk wasn't that far and it was a small cafe.
A blue and white awning hung over the entrance and window of the shop, the inside was decorated nicely with tables and chairs surrounding the room. The warmth from the coffee being made radiated throughout the cafe, and the smell of baked goods added to it.
Both of you waited in line to order your drinks and pastries if you were feeling like it. You stared at the menu board behind the counter, looking at what to order. They had a wide range of drinks and food. Checking the prices beside them surely they couldn't be-
Why the hell are they so expensive??? You thought a small cafe like this would surely have good prices, but this was insane. £6.80 for a coffee? Crazy. And that was the cheapest thing there.
"What ya thinking of getting?" Sharky asked, leaning down to ask while still keeping his eyes on the menu board. You looked up at him briefly and made eye contact, causing you to turn your head swiftly back to the menu and pretend to look at it.
"Hmm, I was thinking of getting just the coffee because it's the cheapest thing there." You scoffed, shaking your head at the insane prices of this place.
"Just coffee? You could get something else too. You know I'm paying right?" He blurted that out like you were supposed to know that already, a giant grin forming on his face. You raised your brows, surprised.
"No, it's alright," you waved him off, "I can pay for my own one."
"Cmon Y/N, I insist." He started to grab his wallet from back pocket, but you stopped him by pushing his hand away from reaching it.
"Well, then I insist back?? And I don't want you to waste your money."
"It's not a waste if it's for you, plus I asked to hang out with you today. It's the least I could do." He shrugged, finally managing to reach for his wallet without you stopping him.
You were about to argue on that until he shot you a look, and you ended up rolling your eyes and accepting. Inside, you were grateful. At least your wallet was saved.
"Fine." You sighed. When you looked back at him, he had a smug grin on his face. He looked as if he had achieved the impossible, but he laughed when he saw the frown on your face.
He ordered for the both of you, and you waited for about three minutes before you collected your coffee and a pastry.
Heading over to a table that had two free seats, you sat down across from each other. Sipping your drink as he started a conversation. Turning to face you as he put down his own cup of tea.
"You have a channel, right? What videos do you make?" Sharky asked, genuinely curious since he didn't actually know much about you being an influencer.
"Honestly, I haven't made many videos, just a few prank videos with Aj and some beauty videos. A mix of everything I'd say." Chuckling as you took another sip of your coffee. He nodded at your answer and smiled.
"What else do you like to do then? Do you have any hobbies?" Laying his hand on his chin as his soft eyes met your gaze.
"Um," you ponder for a bit, "I like music, and I sing," you hesitate, scratching the side of your head, "well sometimes."
"Ohh, of course!" He throws his hands up in realisation, "Frank Ocean! So you like singing, that's good to know."
"Maybe one day you could put on a show and sing for me." Sharky's lips curled into a small smile, creasing the outer corner of his eyes. And seeing your face get slightly warmer only made his smile grow wider.
It seemed as if you've talked forever, the way the conversations you've had with him flowed like honey. Almost as if you've known him your whole life, it was almost … comforting.
You don't know how you ended up talking about football, but it led to a conversation with him explaining the basic mechanics and how it's "so easy" even a baby could do it.
"You really don't know how to play football?"
Seeing you shake your head, must've lit a light bulb in his head, as his gaze turned from one of confusion to his sienna brown eyes widening.
"Unacceptable." He shook his head and stood up, taking your hand in his as he left you out of the cafe.
By the looks of the sky, it was evening already, the sun slowly setting as the sky painted a canvas of light orange hues and yellow rays.
You laughed, still holding on to his grasp, "Where are we going?" As he led you both down the street.
Your laugh rang in his ears, a small thing motivating him to stay by your side. It was angelic. You may not have thought so, but to him, if his heart had melted from it, he would fix it all up just to hear it again.
He brought you to a stadium, a football stadium. The grand entrance of the place staring you in the face as he entered in with some ID card and brought you to the pitch.
"I'm teaching you how to play football." Sharky spoke as he grabbed a nearby football that was lying in a basket full of other ones. Putting one hand on his hips as he beckoned you to come closer.
You were in awe of the stadium, it was huge, and it especially looked amazing in the evening, the peach coloured rays hitting the walls of the stadium emitting a soft hue around the pitch.
"How were you able to even get in?" You inquired of him, slowly walking closer to him as you looked around the stadium.
He led you to the middle of the huge pitch. The whole stadium was empty, except you thought you saw two cleaners, but other than them, it was just you and Sharky on the field.
He grinned, "Perks of being an ex-emirates stadium worker. Plus, I'm a youtuber, they know me." Putting a hand on his chest, as it was something that always deeply touched him.
"So," He started, as he kicked the football to go in front of him, "I'll show you how to kick the football first." He motioned for you to come closer, pointing at his right foot as he told you to kick it with the side of your foot instead of the tip.
He took a few steps back and sped up towards the ball and kicked it just as he showed you, evidently making a goal.
Earning a cheer from you, to which he gave a small bow, running up to get the ball back and placing it in front of you. "Now you try." He placed his hands on his hips as he waited for you. You looked at him as your face contorted into one of confusion.
"Uh, I don't think I'll be able to score a goal just like that? "
"Well, try it first then you can complain." He laughed, ushering you forward towards the ball, you looked at him and then back at the ball.
'Well here goes nothing' you thought and tried to kick as Sharky showed you, but you ended up only kicking it more than a meter away from you, and heading off to an angle to your right.
You heard a small snort come from Sharky as he tried not to laugh at that kick, earning an embarrassed chuckle from you, as you tried to shorten yourself from this situation.
Making Sharky feel bad so he put on a smile for you, to make you feel less awkward about this, he really did want you to learn and he has tons of patience so this would be really easy he thought.
"Yeah, maybe we should practice other things before goals. I realised that may be a bit difficult." He rubbed his chin, thinking of what to do next and his brows raised as it came to him.
He moved towards the storage room and brought out a few cones, placing them in a row in front of you, measuring the width of the spacing between each cone with his own body, he placed six cones in a row.
Taking the ball back and bringing it near the both of you, he started to move it between his feet, looking up at you as he did.
"So what I'm doing right now is called dribbling." Slowly moving towards the cones, the football still between his feet as he demonstrated going around the cones left and then right, up until the very end where he repeated it again heading back to you.
"Dribbling is basically just moving the ball between your feet, like kicking it a little."
Passing the ball to you as you stopped it with your foot, the small of your lips turning upwards, "You could practice by going around each cone and coming back to me here."
You nodded, placing it between your feet, moving closer to the cones as you tried to kick it back and forth between your feet, but it's easier said than done. As you tried but ultimately failed, crashing into the cones as you almost tripped over the ball, trying to go through the cones.
Causing a small laugh to come out of Sharky, as he walked over to you and extended a hand to help you up. He put the cones back in their place and let you try again, repeating to you how to do it as he watched you try to dribble between the cones. Evidently crashing into them again, at least it wasn't all of them this time.
After a couple more training sessions (more like failed attempts) you managed to do somewhat of a decent job at dribbling and sometimes you scored a goal. Almost always you earned a high five from Sharky, even if you did fail an attempt, he'd just smile and say we can try again. Never did he sigh and give up.
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"Wait, what did you just do right there?" You asked, after he suggested you can take a break, since you seemed out of breath after all the training.
You were kicking the ball back towards the seating area when Sharky quickly kicked the ball from beneath you, taking it back towards him as he tossed it up into his hands.
"This? It's called a nutmeg, you simply just kick the ball through your opponent's legs, to retrieve it back so that they won't have it anymore."
You laughed, sitting down in one of the chairs, gazing up at Sharky as he messed around with the ball. "I thought nutmeg was a spice?"
He furrowed his brows for a split second and then let out a laugh, "Yeah, it is, but that's just the term for it. We're not really cooking here, are we?" Shrugging his shoulders as he went to sit beside you.
A soft silence filled the area, as both you and Sharky didn't speak a word. Even the usual white noise, when things got quiet, couldn't be heard, but instead, a delicate soft breathing between the two of you.
Fiddling with your thumbs as you stared at your feet. When is there ever just silence? Normally overpowering the peace, the sounds would get louder, the steady rhythm of your beating heart, sometimes going off track to stumble you.
But now, it's at ease, the quietness, an instant comfort to soothe your mind and heart. Lifting your head up to look around the stadium, it's not normally quiet in a place like this, but now, now is a rare time.
Sharky was looking at you now, eyes softening at your figure, the way you're peacefully sitting here, content, and the soft breathing from you showing him that you're alright with him being here. Alright, with him being beside you. And that, that's what makes him smile.
"You know what," you say, suddenly standing up and placing your hand on your hips, catching him off guard as he didn't expect you to move suddenly, "Let's do a 1v1."
Sharky squints slightly, uncertainty written upon his face, "Are you sure? It seems a bit unfair from my point of view."
"Are you doubting me?" You scoff, picking up the football that was tossed to the side earlier and holding it in your arms.
He laughed quietly, gazing up at you with his brown doe eyes, "Not at all."
Both of you moved towards the centre of the pitch, placing the ball in the middle of you and Sharky. You glanced up to see he was already looking at you. You thought it was to prepare himself, but something was telling you it was anything but that, behind his eyes. Shaking off the thought and ignoring it, you stood ground and prepared for the 1v1.
"Don't go easy on me." You grinned, winking at that statement.
He pretended to think for a minute but then smirked and locked eyes with you, "Never, don't worry. First, to score wins."
He counted to three, and you both aimed towards the ball, you managed to grab it first but he took it off of you, heading towards the goal while dribbling, you tried to run after him but then you saw that he was about to make a goal.
You remember him doing a nutmeg, earlier and thought maybe this was your ticket to victory, moving closer as you ran beside him trying to get the football.
But as you did, your foot got caught on his ankle causing you to spin. Your eyes widen as you see him fall back and you shut them waiting for impact.
Only when opening them do you find yourself fallen.
on top.
of Sharky.
It was too fast to stop it, and both of you didn't react until it was too late. Landing on his chest, you slowly lifted your head up to see him, his hand reaching to touch the back of his head. Your brows furrowed in worry, and pupils written in fear.
You watched as his gaze instantly shot to you, raising his head just as quick and the same worried expression you had on your face, reflecting his own one. "Are you alright?"
"No! Wait yes, I mean, are you alright? I should be asking you, not the other way around…"
Your voice trailing off, you found yourself frozen in place, a shiver of nervousness hitting your skin. Despite your brains commands to move, your body ignored it.
As part of you wanted to get up, the brain telling you to do so, the common sense in this situation, but your longing heart, the other, just wanted to keep looking into his dark eyes and get lost in them.
Dark chocolate rays fanning out around the bottomless pit of an iris, inky crescent moons trapped by a hazy, black limbal ring.
Those eyes are the colour of every tree in the forest, richer, due to the golden light from dawn to dusk. The warmth of an eternal hearth felt in those deep brown eyes.
Holding eye contact was the strongest thing you could have ever done. An achievement, a rare feeling inside of you bubbling up just waiting to come out.
For a second, you thought you imagined it, but reality hit you as you see his eyes flicker to your lips. Your mind finally taking over the reins, causing your heart to match the speed of the beads of sweat falling down.
You blinked, clearing your throat and getting up off of Sharky. You got up, stumbling, almost tripping on your own foot as you do so. The normal colour of your cheeks suddenly changing to a red hue as the warmth builds up.
Why can't you function properly today?? Placing a hand on your face, you can feel the warmth radiating, no doubt an obvious hue, seeping and shown through, you could not let him see you like this.
His brows knitted together as he took a glimpse at you, and he shifted to sit upwards, What happened? What did I do? Sharky thought, as he observed you, watching as you stood there covering your face with your hands.
Standing up now, rushing to your side, he put a hand on your shoulder as he tried to get your attention, "Are you okay?"
The smoky sound of his voice, making you feel intoxicated. The sound of your heart beating like crazy rang through your ears as you could barely make out the words Sharky was saying. Your breathing, quickening, and uneven, why were you like this?
Sharky didn't know what was happening at this point, he guessed maybe you were a bit overwhelmed with the whole football thing, and tired from all the running. He was worried but he didn't want to overthink it if it was a minor issue.
"Do you want some water?" He offered, handing you an extra bottle of water, he brought with him earlier.
"Uh, yeah…" You accepted, nodding your head frantically and taking the water from him, "Thank you." turning away from him as you drank.
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The night sky was aglow with the bright city lights of London, the shades of navy and black painted across the sky like a giant canvass, and yet the stars fought their way onto this canvass, outnumbering and conveying their glow to the eyes of people.
You were heading home now, and even though you insisted you'd be fine heading back yourself, Sharky wouldn't take no for an answer and made sure that you had to return home safely.
Walking beside each other as a small breeze hits your backs. Sometimes when you walked your hand would brush against his, and your stomach would get butterflies. Causing you to pull your hand back but not enough to make it too obvious.
The touch was electric, one that sent your nervous system to jealousy, but you couldn't help but think about it. The soft touch of his hand, what would it be like to hold it again? But… longer?
Little did you know, he was thinking the exact same thing. Earlier, he did manage to grab your hand, but only for a short spur of the moment. It wasn't technically holding your hand. It was more of a… guiding you.
Sharky wasn't gonna back down this time. He had an amazing time with you. Your laugh, your smile? He really didn't want it to end. Just one day isn't enough time with you.
How did he do it before? How did he manage to take hold of your hand earlier? Maybe it was because he wasn't overthinking back then, but now he was.
I've done way more scarier things, I got this. He reminded himself, taking a deep breath to prepare, hyping up himself as he tried to get rid of the nerves.
3… 2… 1… He reached out for your hand, but you suddenly stopped in your tracks. Turning to face the other way, he retracted his hand.
"This is my stop." You mention, as you came to a stop in front of the pathway of your home.
Shit, Sharky sighed, gaze turning to the floor. There goes that opportunity, he sighed. Why couldn't he have just done it faster?
"Alright… uh, I'm gonna go? Thank you for walking me home, Sharky." You beamed at him, flashing a shy smile as you tried to hug him goodbye.
Clearly, he didn't know it was going to be a hug because he tried to elbow bump or more of a fistbump you instead. You tried to motion to him that it was a hug and he ended up realising it with a laugh, then engulfed you in a hug, wrapping his arms around your waist as you wrapped yours around his shoulders.
"Of course," He spoke just above a whisper into the hug, and smiled to himself, good thing you couldn't see his face right now because if you could, rosy cheeks dusted his face and a wide smile stuck on his face.
If you could stay in this hug, you would, the warmth radiating from it shielding you from the night breeze. The soft fabric of his clothing hugged your figure as it provided comfort in his arms.
As you tried to pull apart, a piece of your jewelry got caught on a stray thread of his jumper, an awkward chuckle coming out the both of you as you attempted to try and just break the thread off of your necklace.
Instead, it just made the thread longer, to which you just resorted to taking off your necklace and handing it to Sharky, giving up on trying to remove the stray piece of thread.
"Just… when you get home, cut it off and give it back when you next see me." You say, a tinge of hope in your voice, hoping that he did want to see you again.
But your worries were gone when you saw him flash you a smile while he gave you a nod, holding your necklace in his hand.
As you both walk your separate ways, you're both thinking, "Why the hell, did I make that awkward?"
Days turned into weeks, and during that whole time, you'd hang out with the beta squad more and more, being in their videos to just movie nights and snacks, which included more time spent with Sharky. He did give back the necklace after a couple days, but from your perspective it looked as if he was busy those couple days.
But in reality, he was debating what day to give it back to you and how. Should it have been a gift he gives you along with the necklace? Or just hand it back to you normally? He did the latter, but it did really mess him up, a flustered mess thinking how he actually had something of yours with him.
Throughout the weeks going by, Sharky invited you to join in his videos, the fans loved you with the beta squad so he thought it would be a great thing to have you on his channel. He said it would be great for your channel too but honestly in his heart, he just craved to spend more time with you.
Every minute with you was precious, every moment and every smile. Hearing your voice, brightened his whole day, yes his heart would race and yes his breathing would be uneven thinking about you. But it didn't matter, none of it mattered as long as he was by your side.
You made everything better, and he knew it, in fact he wished every day would be with you.
He had learned a lot just by hanging out with you for videos or even just football sessions. He loved listening to your voice as you talked about your passions or just random things that came to your mind. He'd often smile as you talked, sometimes not even realising he was staring at your features.
Gazing at you was like daydreaming outside a window, it wasn't much to people on the outside, but to himself, it was something he couldn't stop himself from doing. It was addicting to say the least. You've got him hooked from the start.
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"No. Way. You have to come over right now, spill all the tea."
You let out a laugh, currently you were on a call with your friend, trying to catch up but she realised it wasn't easy to get to know all that's happened through the phone so she arranged for you to meet at her place later today.
She drove to your house, waiting in the driveway as you hurriedly got out of your house, locking the door as you left. And making your way to her car.
The weather wasn't the best, it could've been better but the raindrops hitting against the roof of the car and the floor outside didn't seem that the weather was going to get better anytime soon.
On the way to her place, she started to tell you stuff that's been going on for the past couple of weeks, exciting things and sometimes boring ones, you'd be honest sometimes you could fall asleep to what she says at times.
When you arrived at her house, she got you some warmer clothes and brought you a hot drink. Thanking her as you took a seat on her couch, her following suit.
As soon as she sat down, you knew she was going to ask you what happened in your life so far. Usually, you'd laugh and say nothing much, as she almost basically told her whole life story in the car. But this time, there was something interesting to talk about.
More like… someone.
Explaining the start of when you met Sharky, to the football training, the videos and the hangouts you told her all about the fun, but you also told her about how you couldn't function at times around him.
When you finished telling everything, she put a hand on your shoulder and looked deeply into your eyes, "You're in love, no doubt in my mind."
"Are you joking? In love?" You scoffed, averting your gaze from her to the mug you were holding, sloshing around the liquid inside of it.
"You're so delusional. Can you not see it?" She sighed in exasperation, throwing her head back to lean it against the couch.
"Last time I was in love, it didn't really turn out well." You mumbled an air of melancholy surrounding you as it clouded your features. Placing the cup onto the table as you crossed your arms in front of you and leaning back.
"Hey," She turned to you, nudging you to make you face her, "Your ex was a piece of shit." You let out a small chuckle as she continued. "You didn't ruin anything. He ruined it."
"This Sharky you're talking about clearly isn't like that. From what you're describing to me anyway. And clearly, you like him." She grins, a stupid grin on her face.
"I don't—"
"Look me in the eyes and tell me that again." She cuts you off, glaring and raising one brow at you.
Your mouth snapped shut, pressing into a thin line. She has a point, one that you couldn't argue on, and even if tried, it would make you look stupid.
"C'mon, you can't deny that you didn't like that date." She teased, a knowing smirk lingering on her face as she drank the rest of her coffee.
"What date?" You raised eyebrows surprised, turning to face her.
"You know, where y'all went to a restaurant and then he taught you how to play football after?" She giggled as she saw the look on your face.
You rolled your eyes playfully, shoving her arm slightly, "Stop messing around. We didn't go on a date! It was a friendly hangout. He sees me as a friend for sure."
She gave you a look which said really? Are you kidding me?
"But is that really all he is to you?"
You gulped and thought about it, shifting your gaze to the ground. Your mind suddenly goes back to the past weeks.
When your hand would brush against his, or when his arm would be pushed near yours in a tight space, your heart would race each time without fail, and you'd think about it for days.
Or when he'd speak, his voice warm and calm, like a flowing river, soothing to one's heart. And that's how he made you feel, all warm and fuzzy on the inside, a tingle in your stomach building up.
When you'd happen to look across the room and he was standing there so perfectly, talking about something you couldn't hear with a glimmer in his eyes and the corners of his lips upturned.
And when he'd notice you looking, turning his gaze to your direction and you'd stare into his dark golden eyes, suddenly everything around you would blur out, the voice of someone speaking disappeared, and the sound of your surroundings vanished. And all you'd notice was … Sharky.
"Just date already!" Your friend laughed, cutting you out of your thoughts, shaking your head to focus again.
You would laugh it off, but the truth was that you were scared on the inside. You didn't want it to end up like your last relationship, cold and cut off. But then again, Sharky wasn't your ex. Sharky was a whole different person.
You had promised before that you wouldn't love for a long time, to heal you had said, you roll your eyes at that, you couldn't stay away.
Why? Because here you are catching feelings.
࿙ ࿚ ࿙ ࿚ ࿙ ࿚
The talk with your friend really made you think this week, made you think a lot, actually. Maybe you'd try to accept that you've fallen in love, but it's hard when you don't even know if the other person feels the same way.
It's honestly so frustrating, and yet you hate that you love the way he's making you act up like this. It's like a high school girl with a stupid crush.
You don't even know if you've been obvious to him this whole time.
But you had to ignore it, just for today, because right now you were heading to the beta squad house to film a video for Sharky's channel. A general knowledge video is what he mentioned to you.
As you arrived at the house, you were greeted by Niko as he brought you along to the sitting room. Aj, Chunkz, and Sharky were standing there talking to the camera crew.
While you walked in, you caught the eye of Sharky, waving to you as soon as he saw you, of course you waved back, but this time you took more notice of Sharky, specifically the way his eyes lit up as soon as he saw you.
Or maybe it was the way Chunkz elbowed him in the ribs immediately after Sharky waved at you, a knowing smirk on his face as he switched his focus between the both of you.
Niko turned to all of you, reminding you all that the video would start in 10 minutes, "So if you guys need to do anything, now's the time not later."
"Oh! That reminds me we've gotta get the boxes for the challenge upstairs." Sharky added, heading towards the door, but stopping before he reached it, half turning to face you all with a questioning look.
"Anyone gonna help me?"
"We three are a bit busy so," Chunkz stated, Shrugging his shoulders as he put on a cheeky smile. "Y/N can help you with that? Right Y/N?" Chunkz wrapped an arm around your shoulders as he observed his friend's reaction.
You glanced between Chunkz and Sharky, both of them waiting for your answer. You nodded hesitantly before following Sharky upstairs.
There were forfeits to this challenge, most of them being hidden in boxes that you'd have to find out during the recording of the video.
As you both walked towards the room, you hated that your hands started to sweat, and your heart started to race. The silence was deafening to your ears, you wanted to break the silence but what could you say? But you didn't have to worry much as he ended up speaking first.
Sharky cleared his throat as he opened the door, revealing a small room that had a poster covering the walls, some few items scattered around the floor and the stack of boxes, "We don't have to take them all in one go, by the way."
"Obviously not." You giggled, watching as he moved towards the boxes only to stop after hearing your sarcasm.
"Sorry." You groaned, diverting your gaze as you covered half of your face with your hand out of embarrassment.
He rolled his eyes at your response, shaking his head with a small smile.
With your help almost all of the boxes had been brought down in no time, leaving only a couple of things on the bed. You were so focused on actually helping that you hadn’t noticed Sharky walk in whilst you were picking up the cards with the questions on them.
His hand grazed over yours, slightly brushing just the back of your hand, but it was enough to make you freeze and make your heart beat like crazy.
Your mind was all over the place, nervous and flustered. Your gaze darted up and down and all over him, struggling to focus. As you glanced at his face you noticed something different…
He wasn't wearing his usual backwards hat or a durag this time, but just his hair, the way the curls formed faultlessly on top of his head, accentuating the rest of his features. He'd be on the front cover of a modelling magazine, and you could stare at it all day long.
And when he looked at you, oh boy, that's when you knew you were in for it. You can't go back, you've fallen too far ahead now. Those eyes, they hypnotise you, draw you in instantly and it's hard to get out.
"Stop looking at me like that." You half-rolled your eyes, but the corners of your mouth started to curl up against your will.
"Like what?" He chuckled, making your heart skip a beat once again. Genuinely smiling and you could tell he was curious to know what you meant as he leaned just maybe an inch closer than he already was.
When you look at me and it speaks a thousand words when our voices couldn't and when our gaze crosses from a distance, and it fills my heart with comfort.
The way your eyes have that slight crinkle at the corner of them and that makes your face the cutest when you smile and makes my heart skip a beat, all. the. damn. time.
And when those eyes are looking only at me.
"Nevermind," You dismiss him waving a hand, while looking away, missing to see that he frowns, he has that longing behind his eyes to ask what you meant but he knew he shouldn't pry any further, he didn't want to scare you away.
But he had to know. His mind couldn't stop his curious heart, and so he moved without thought, stepping closer towards you and grabbing your waist.
You yelped at the sudden closeness, eyes widening in shock at how close you both were. His face leaning towards yours with longing eyes, his lips slightly upturned at your reaction as your face started burning.
"Tell me." Sharky breathed, his eyes flickering to your lips for a second too long before gazing back into your eyes.
He was too close, too close that you could see all of his features, the small crinkle on the side of his smile, the unrivalled shape of his eyes, making him unique.
And you'd dare say you also saw a small pink dusting his cheeks.
He was too close, too close that you could feel his breath upon your lips, just centimetres away from you.
His lips looked inviting,
craving something from you.
Asking you to complete it, to fill in that emptiness, it so longed for.
Or maybe you were the one that longed for it?
And you watched as it slowly formed into a smile, glancing back up to the eyes of the owner.
You could see that he was inching closer and closer, your heart denying your every wish to stay calm.
Your mind was frightened, scared of the outcome; it was like stepping on glass, afraid to fall into nothingness and yet your heart thrived in it, determined to see through it.
Honestly, you could move, you should move. It was the smart thing to do.
And yet why didn't you move? You could've moved, told him you weren't okay with him being that close.
But you just… couldn't? It was like you were frozen in place, stuck, bound to stay here for eternity.
And so maybe that's why you shut your eyes slowly.
Waiting to accept the invitation.
But the creaking of a door opening made both of you jump and pull away, swiftly turning your heads to see who it was.
Niko raised his eyebrows, glancing back and forth between the two of you, "Am I interrupting something here?" His mouth formed into a thin line as he scratched the back of his neck, silence dawning upon his answer.
Only until a cough came from Sharky, did Niko return back to his normal self, disregarding what he said earlier and advancing towards the middle of the room, lifting a box, "Guys, we're starting the shoot in 3 minutes and you both didn't even bring down one last box?"
Walking to the door before turning to the two of you, "By the way, when I said earlier, if you have something to do, do it now. This is not what I meant." He laughed, bolting downstairs not to see yours or Sharky's reaction.
Sharky rolled his eyes, scoffing as he couldn't help but let a smile sneak on his face, as he placed his hands in his pockets. "We better head back down, I guess."
You nodded, swallowing the nerves as you took the cards back into your hands, walking beside Sharky downstairs, avoiding any contact with him.
Throughout the whole video, your mind just couldn't focus. Your thoughts going back to earlier, what would have happened if Niko didn't walk in? What would you have done if he didn't? Was Sharky even trying to kiss you and you were just delusional?
Aj kept snapping his fingers in your face every time he noticed you weren't focusing. People who would watch the video would think he's just being his usual Aj self, but in reality, he was worried.
Worried that maybe something happened, and you were going back to not feeling like your usual self.
He hated that time, he hated whenever his friends felt at their worst. He knows because he's felt that same way before, and to feel it multiple times? There's nothing worse.
And so after the video, he went up to you, to see if you were alright. He caught up to you, right as you were about to leave the house, calling out your name.
"Ay Y/N, why you leaving so fast? Are you alright?" Worry surrounded his voice as he placed a hand on your shoulder.
"I'm okay Aje, thanks." You chuckled nervously, "Just uh, tired, yeah..." Scratching the back of your neck as you glanced away.
You hoped he hadn't seen the way you tried to avoid Sharky, or the glances you took during the video, causing your heart to race every second you did.
"Thanks for having me, tell that to the boys alright?" You gave Aj a small smile, patting him on the shoulder as you pointed towards the door with your thumb, indicating you were gonna leave, stepping out the door.
"How are ya gonna get home?" He shouted after you, still at the door, watching as you walked towards the driveway.
Turning around, you pulled out your phone in your pocket showing it to him, "Uh, I'll just call a taxi." You waved at him as you left.
As soon as you turned round the corner, where the eyes of the houses were gone, you took a deep breath, trying to steady it, as you wiped your sweaty hands. You cursed under your breath, How'd one guy get you messed up like this?
࿙ ࿚ ࿙ ࿚ ࿙ ࿚
Aj closed the door when you were out of sight, as he turned towards the sitting room where the rest of his friends were. But he stopped in his tracks, a light bulb flickering in his head as he remembered something.
He scoffed as he peered inside the room, showing Sharky, Chunkz and Niko, having a conversation around the table, sitting back with their phones in their hands.
When he turned to head to the kitchen, Aj heard Sharky's voice call out to him as he glanced back and saw Sharky walk up to him.
"What's up Aj?" Sharky asked, darting his gaze around the room, it's as if he was looking for something, "Where's Y/N?"
Aj raised a brow, something clicking in his head, as he eyed the taller man in front of him. He placed his hands in his pockets as he spoke.
"She left." Aj started, squinting his eyes at Sharky as he continued to speak, suspicion drawing in his voice, "But I was just thinking, Sharks, what happened upstairs earlier?"
Sharkys eyes went round for a split second before returning to his normal face, "What do you mean?" He chuckled.
"Don't play stupid, I know you know what I mean." Pointing a finger at him, his voice raising slightly.
Sharky diverted his gaze, staring at the ground as he scratched the back of his neck. He knew what Aj was talking about, but was it what Sharky was thinking?
Aj shook his head and sighed, "I know you like her Sharks, but …" He trailed off, getting the other Somalis' attention as he watched Aj continue.
"I was worried. She wasn't herself today. It reminded me how she acted after her ex, dazed, fake smiles, and all that shit." Aj narrowed his eyes.
Sharky's brows upturned as he listened, something aching his heart. Would it be right to ask what happened? Or would it be overstepping his boundaries if he did?
He shook his head. If it was overstepping, Aj would tell him, and so he spoke, "I don't want to pry too much, but what happened?"
"Her ex was fine at first you know? No one noticed anything off with him, he was great until he started being toxic, then we could see it from a mile away. Man flippin gaslit her into believing that he loved her the whole time." Aj furrowed his brows in annoyance, as he placed his hands on his hips.
Sharky's face was stern, no emotion on it other than in his eyes, flames of anger burning behind them, his brows knitted together.
If looks could kill, his one would have.
How could someone do that to you? Play someone's feelings like it was a game? He hated people like that. He thought it was so disgusting to even think about it. For sure, if he ever sees the guy, he's gonna have a serious talk with him.
"I don't want you breaking her heart. You're a good guy for sure so just stay that way, blud." Aj pulled a smile, looking up at Sharky as he patted his shoulder, going to the kitchen and leaving Sharky with his own thoughts.
࿙ ࿚ ࿙ ࿚ ࿙ ࿚
He slowly went over to sit on his bed, still in disbelief. You had to go through all that? And that bastard treated you like that? Proper mad, that guy.
Something in his heart suddenly twisted, an ache, or a pain, he wasn't sure. But he didn't like the feeling, the feeling of someone hurting you? Sharky would never do that to you.
He knew he didn't like you, because he loved you. He loved you so much that it hurt to think of someone hurting you. He wanted to be there for you, always. To let you lean on him when you needed to, and to be there just to see you laugh, to see you smile.
Pulling out his phone and putting on his Frank Ocean playlist, the song "Thinkin' bout you" popped up.
He sighed quietly as he put on his airpods and laid his head on the headboard of his bed, shutting his eyes close as he listened to the song.
"I've been thinking 'bout you"
A song that was your favourite of Frank Ocean.
"Do you think about me still? Do ya, do ya?"
He smiled, remembering you first singing it.
"Or do you not think so far ahead"
"Cause I been thinking bout forever, ooh"
And that's when it hit him, forever is a long time. And he didn't want to just think forever. He wanted to experience things, experience them with you.
But how could he, if he didn't tell you that he loved you?
He wanted you, no, he needed you.
That's why he got up and ran out of his room, grabbing a jacket on the way out as quickly as possible.
That's why he fumbled rushing to get his car keys to drive to your house.
That's why he's getting into his car, not even bothering to put on a seat belt, but focusing on getting out of the driveway to head to you.
And that's why he's running up to your house, knocking at your door, in the middle of the night.
And when the door opens, revealing you, looking up shocked when you see him, that's when he knew he wasn't too late, that he could still tell you.
Sharky is always a prepared guy. He plans out things for everything, and he's normally very organised. But this was hasty, reckless even, for the first time from what he can remember, he's unprepared.
No planning, no nothing, he was just following what his heart desired in this very moment. And in this moment, he desired you.
Rushing to you? Was definitely spontaneous. But how could he complain? He'd change up his life. He'd endure through any hard circumstances if it meant he'd be by your side.
This was why he wanted to let you know, to let you know now before it was too late, before someone tried to take you away from him.
He turned his gaze to the floor, fumbling for the words to say, suddenly his mind was everywhere, words didn't exist, only feelings at this point.
But he tried, calming his heart down as he shifted his gaze back to you, taking a deep breath in to say something, anything to you.
Sharky rushed to speak, "Y/N, I'm never this impulsive, I think things through, I … I … I'm organised, I plan it all out but…" His brows drew together, sighing in exasperation.
"Agh, I can't stop thinking about you. You're making me act all different, I can't focus anymore." He rubbed his temple, trying to calm his voice, to speak clearer.
"My heart races everytime I think about you, my palms start to sweat and my brain just can't focus. Everytime I close my eyes at night your face shows up and I can't sleep."
His eyes were darting everywhere but you at this point, "Every song I listen to suddenly reminds me of you and I can't get you out of my head."
"And every. damn. glance. I take is because I can't take my eyes off you, you really steal the spotlight when you're in the same room as me. I can't concentrate."
"You honestly looked so perfect when we were filming the video earlier and before upstairs… I'm sorry. I couldn't control myself. The urge to kiss you was killing me, and if Niko didn't walk in, I would have kissed you without thinking properly."
He realised he hadn't looked at you the whole time he talked because he was afraid, afraid of what your reaction would be, afraid maybe you wouldn't have felt the same way as him.
Maybe he read the signs wrong? Maybe you didn't love him back as he did with you?
But the thing was when he did look at you, you were in shock, you stood there wide-eyed, frozen in place at his confession. You couldn't say anything, you wanted to, but nothing was coming out.
He thought he was done for, that you didn't feel the same way until he saw the bright red flush creep upon your cheeks. Your gaze softening at the Somali in front of you.
He took a deep breath, inhaling as much air physically possible because right now he felt like he couldn't breathe either. You were just there in front of him, barely even an arms reach away from him. And the urge to envelop you in his arms was too strong.
"I will treat you right, the way you should be treated. I would never do anything to harm you or hurt you. And it's because I love you. I truly love you. Please…"
This was the minimum he could do for now, Taking your hands in his soft ones, moving your gaze to his soft sienna eyes.
He knows he shouldn't be doing this right here. But he couldn't help it.
It was now or never, to think he would lose you was one mistake he never wants to make, not later, not now.
But if the pain of not having you in his heart was stronger than in his head where his logical thinking was, just for once, just one time in his life he could ignore it.
He would do anything.
Anything for you.
So he spoke, words coming out of his loving heart rather than his mind, his brain allowed his heart to speak just this once, to know, truly know what you feel.
"Let me love you."
Taglist: @b4tasquad @p3drii @n1kodl @elora-k @slutforpablogavi @enhacolor @amwife @distantfromu
Mutuals Taglist: @b4tasquad @p3drii @vctrvn-ls @allygatcr @slutforpablogavi @kennysboxergf @n1kodl @amwife @heartsforaj
Taglist for this fic: @vctrvn-ls @allygatcr @kennysboxergf @lunasmindinwriting @heartsbyvalentina @heartsforaj @elyse3s @leanamaybank
I'm sorry if anyone else wanted to be on the taglist here. Send me an ask, and I'll add you! Currently cannot think rn of who I have to add-
#shuuuuush fics#beta squad#sharky#sharky beta squad#sharky x you#sharky x reader#sharky imagines#sharky oneshots
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Illicit Affairs - Chapter 15
Captain Rex x OC (Talia Riva)
Previous Chapter
Chapter Summary: After the bombing, Rex desperately searches for Talia, hanging on to the hope she survived.
Rating: M
Warnings: Canon-typical violence, child in threatening situation, graphic descriptions of injury (blood and burns),
AN: @galacticgraffiti; thank you for always being a wonderful beta reader and supplying the mando'a translations! Also let me know if you need therapy coverage for this chapter.
Ao3 Link:
Series Masterlist
Mando’a Key:
Tion gar gana jaro: Do you have a death wish?
Osik: Shit
Kyor'la haran: Rotten hell
19 BBY - Turia – Settlement
Ice-cold, paralyzing fear locked Rex in place as the building in front of him lit up and shook from the explosion, its roof and stone walls falling inward. He burst forward, only to be rocked back when another landing bomb shook the earth around him. His back slammed into the ground, a high-pitched ringing in his ears, but he pushed himself up; he had to get to that building, he had to get to Talia. The Separatist bombers swung back around for another strike, their thrusters roaring over the air and the shouts of his brothers behind him. Rex staggered steps forward but was held back again, strong arms pulling him away from the burning building. Rex tried to fight against the grip but was dragged back into the cover of a crater by the previous run of bombers.
“Tion gar gana jaro!?” Cody yelled at Rex , shoving him back down when he tried to bolt again. It took everything in Rex to not hit Cody in that moment; didn’t he see what had happened? Every moment he wasted was a moment Talia lost if she had survived the explosion…no not if; Rex couldn’t fathom a scenario where she didn’t make it. He had to get in there. He had to find her. Cody was yelling into his comm ordering for air support to take care of the bombers. Talia hadn’t gotten that far into the building, she was right there. If he ran fast enough, he could pull her and the child out before it was too late.
Another bomb struck the ground near the building, its walls shaking and rumbling when they crushed down. This time as he tried to sprint forward, screaming Talia’s name, it was not Cody’s hands who held him back. He felt a pull over his body, unable to move no matter how hard he struggled, only turning his head back to see the remorseful face of Anakin a few yards behind him, his hand raised up as he used the Force to hold Rex back from running into the rubble.
By the time the clone fighters had taken care of the bombers, the settlement was reduced to rubble, craters littering the ground. One good stroke of fortune was that most of the inhabitants had already been evacuated, meaning many were unharmed. But they had lost the homes they had carved for themselves, something meant to be their own safety. The clones didn’t suffer too heavy of losses, the wounded being rounded up for medical care. They were scrounging the smoking rubble, Turia’s rain aiding in putting out the fires to see what survivors they could find. There was still no sign of Talia or Runo.
That gnawing feeling burned through Rex as he dug through the rubble of the building, his armor coated with mud, his vision fogged in his vizor. Only the back wall of the building still stood, the rest had fallen inward. Bursting pipes were spraying water, dancing in the air with the rain, leftover pieces of clothing scorched and tangled with the debris of what was once a home. There was no sign of life, but Rex couldn’t stop searching; he didn’t care that Anakin and Cody had tried to get him away, reminding him that rescue squads were doing all they could. He didn’t care that they had to move on with the march to the capital, all he cared about was even the simplest chance that Talia was still alive. But every bit of rubble pulled away showed no sign of her, and the pit in his gut grew the longer he searched. His eyes were stinging, a weight rested on his chest constricting his breath as his heart pounded heavily. The ringing from the bombs still sounded in his ears, a constant soundtrack as he continued to move rock after rock from where the building once stood. She’s fine, she’s Talia, she always makes it through. She has to.
A meek voice, high in pitch squealed through the silence and the hairs rose on the back of Rex’s neck as he tried to pinpoint the sound. The voice called out again, its words incomprehensible as Rex stepped over the rubble, careful not to shift anything too much, as he followed the small sound. Under a pile of rubble, a little turquoise hand was pushing its way through a crack, the voice speaking again, pleading, and calling out. Rex crouched down, trying to peer in the hole as his heart raced.
“Get these rocks out of the way!” Rex barked at a few troops who dug through debris nearby, reaching for larger pieces of rubble that had settled in the strange formation, almost like a dome. He hurried to pull the rubble away, only for his arm to be grabbed by the little hand and tugged on.
“It’s ok little guy, we’ll get you out of there,” Rex offered, his voice cracking as he tried to reassure the child, but Runo still babbled on, tugging his arm. Rex held his hand through the rubble, and started to pull away pieces in the way with his other hand. A soon as the gap widened, Runo tried to push himself out, gasping and crying as Rex pulled him through. The child was covered in grey dust, but seemed miraculously unharmed as he emerged. Runo coughed as Rex brushed some of the dirt off his clothes, trying to check for any obvious injuries but still the child tugged on his arm, now pointing frantically at the rubble pile, which was now starting to cave in piece by piece. Drenched in a new ice-cold wave of understanding, Rex handed Runo off to another trooper and clamored back to the pile, digging through the rocks frantically so they wouldn’t collapse. He pulled rock after rock, until a larger gap formed, and he caught a glimpse of a dirt coated, shaking hand outstretched against the rocks.
“Get a medic over here now!” Rex ordered, rushing to catch debris before it fell; Talia must have been using the Force to keep the rubble from crushing Runo, but now as it caved in it seemed her strength was failing. Rex tore through the rocks, freeing as much space as he could, until enough light was able to crack through to reveal Talia’s limp form. A choked sob caught in Rex’s throat, but he swallowed it down as he fought to clear more out. Footsteps sounded around him as more hands joined to free the rubble around Talia. Rex’s heart seemed to stop as more was cleared away; Talia’s face was as covered in the grey dirt as Runo’s was, her lips parted as rattled breaths filtered through. What he could see of her skin was wan, drenched from the rain that had filtered through the rocks and soaked through her robes. From the waist down, the left side of her body was singed, with red flesh peeking through the parts of her clothing that had been burned away from the explosion. Her right arm was under a large fragment of the building's stone walls, bent at an awkward angle and preventing her from moving it. Her eyes were closed, streaks of tears running through the dirt coating her face.
Rex shouted over his shoulder once more, calling for Kix or any medic nearby as the men around him worked to free Talia from the rocks entombing her. His voice was hoarse and ragged as a hand slipped into his; her skin was ice cold and clammy even through the barrier of Rex’s glove. He snapped his gaze down to Talia’s face, her eyes slightly open as they tried to search for him.
“I’m right here,” Rex croaked out, squeezing her hand back. “You’re going to be ok. I’ve got you, you’ll be fine. You have to be.”
The GAR Aid Station had been set up near the 412th’s encampment near the entry to the valley, an easy access point for dropships taking wounded troops who couldn’t be treated in the midst of battle. Once enough rubble had been cleared, and Kix had deemed it safe, Talia was transported to the station via a dropship. Without thinking Rex jumped on with Kix and the other medics, Cody at his heel. Talia was hooked up to a breath mask, fading in and out of consciousness as the dropship jostled them through the air. Cody was communicating with the Generals as they arrived at the station, Rex could feel his brother’s eyes on him as he crouched next to Talia on the gurney, still holding her hand in his even as she wasn’t able to clench it back.
The aid station was an organized chaos – the men of the 212th who had been sent to disable the anti-spacecraft guns had already transported casualties for care; a large part of the field set up for triage greeted the dropship as it landed. As soon as they touched the ground, Kix led the gurney off to one of the shelters, shouting orders to the medics with him as Rex and Cody followed.
It was like a foreign language to Rex’s ear, Kix talking with the surgeon stationed at the station, working with the other medics and the nurses who worked for the GAR. They crowded around Talia’s body, leaving only a slither of her table at her head open for Rex to stand by, his blood running cold as the dirt and grime was rinsed off her face to reveal just how wan her usually rosy cheeks were, a near lifeless dullness settling over her body, contrasting with the burned skin and blood that stained her robes. Her eyes were open again now, but drooping as they darted around the room, the sparkle usually held there dimmed. Rex was aware of someone telling him he needed to get out of the way, but it was like cotton was stuffed in his ears. The beeping of the medical equipment, the shuffling of the staff, all of it was background. They threw out terms, talking about the severity of the burns, some potential head trauma, fractured bones, risk of hypothermia. How could Talia be hypothermic when half her body was burned?
Talia cried out in pain, breaking Rex from his stupor as the once blurred sounds crashed around him like walls caving in. A nurse had started to peel off the remnants of Talia’s scorched pants away from part of her burned leg, eliciting fresh tears and sobs from a more awakened Talia as it irritated the skin.
“Don’t you numb it first?” Rex barked out, but the nurse didn’t flinch. It almost made Rex more irritated; he was mad, mad at how this had happened to Talia. He needed to scream, because in what universe would this have happened?
“She’s been given a stim,” Kix informed him tensely, directing Rex’s attention away from the busy nurse. His jaw was set as he tentatively as he dressed a puncture wound on her side. “It will take a little to kick in and we can’t waste time.”
Talia whimpered under the breath mask and Rex’s temper still flared. Before he could demand more, Kix ordered for help to hold Talia down, reaching for the broken arm and Rex had a moment to press his hands on each side of Talia’s head before Kix pulled. The gut turning crack was met by a throaty, raw scream from Talia’s throat as Kix reset the bone.
“You’re hurting her,” Rex gritted, glaring at Kix, who still didn’t lift his gaze to meet Rex’s. Kix was already bracing the arm in a thick gauze, wrapping it tightly. Talia had fallen limp again in Rex’s hands, her breathing heavy through the breath mask.
“I’m sorry, we don’t have enough to knock her out for this,” Kix answered matter of factly, the slightly perceptible crack in his voice the only hint that his apology was honest. “It’s only going to get worse, maybe you should step out, Captain, I’m just doing my job-“
“Well maybe you’re not doing it well enough!” Rex shouted, unable to hold back his rage. Kix did not stop what he was doing, still wrapping Talia’s arm but now his teeth gritted, his jaw working.
“Rex, get out of here,” Kix ordered, the tone he reserved for the few moments he had ever had to pull rank. Rex let go of Talia’s head, and pushed up from the table, seeing red as he stepped to Kix. A hand pressing on his chest held him back, and for a moment Rex was ready to swing before he was met with Cody’s stern yet understanding eyes.
“He’s right, you can’t be in here, vod,” Cody said with no room for argument. Rex worked his jaw, glaring at his brother when Talia let out a meek whimper again. Rex’s resolve faltered, his eyes darting back down to her, to Kix who now looked up at him with an apologetic but steady face, and once more to Cody, whose expression softened. “I’ll stay with her, go outside.”
Cody’s eyes said all words could not, they were filled with sternness, understanding, accusation, and comfort all at once. Rex gulped, and nodded, slowly backing away from the table. Cody watched as Rex walked out of the room, taking Rex’s former spot at the head of the table Talia was splayed on, glancing down and murmuring softly.
Rex slumped to the ground on the wall outside the room and stared at the sky. In some cruel, mocking joke of fate, the sky was clearing up, gleams of sunlight peeking through the clouds. Rex was suffocating, even the crisp air of the suddenly clear sky unable to breach his heavy lungs. He hated feeling helpless, he was always in charge, always able to do something. And now the woman he loved lay on a table, hurt and barely hanging on and Rex had to sit outside and wait.
His hand lifted to his collar, where Talia’s necklace rested. His fingers ran over the raised bumps on the metal pendant, counting each indentation as he breathed in and out. In times of grief or strife, some people prayed, looking for a higher power to give to the answer. Rex didn’t necessarily believe in some Maker, some all-knowing creator of the universe. There was the Force, but for all his time with the Jedi, Rex still understood so little about it, just the words he would catch in passing spoken in riddles that didn’t seem to make sense to him. Maybe it was because it was so natural to them, their connection to it. Talia had even tried to encourage him to meditate to calm his mind, but he couldn’t find any mystical energy field or source connecting them like she would talk about. And at this moment, he hated it even more. Because he needed whatever there was out there, because if there was even the smallest chance that some external Force could be on Talia’s side, to get her through this, she needed it. Rex needed it.
The voices from the room were muffled by the durasteel walls, Rex tried to pick out anything he could, but it was a strain to understand. Their voices were hurried, occasionally a louder yell or barked order coming through; Talia had not made any more sounds and Rex could only hope that meant her sedation had kicked in. He blinked rapidly, trying to hold back the prickling feeling in his eyes. He stared over the field with the aid station, temporary shelters for tending to the wounded were set up around him, each of them occupied with another life in danger, brothers being carried on gurneys, some who wouldn’t make it. What was all this for?
A low buzzing sound sounded to his left, followed by a series of low beeps. When Rex turned, he found the small form of D3 floating in the air; how could a droid seem sad? Behind the droid stood the black and gold painted form of Captain Storm. Storm’s steps slowed as he pulled his helmet off; he glanced at the door just beyond Rex and then back at his fellow Captain. Storm’s face was unreadable, apart from the slightest glimmer of pain in his eyes. Storm approached Rex and sat next to him on the ground, while D3 floated around to land on Rex’s opposite shoulder. Storm didn’t say a word, but he rested his hand on his brother’s back, nodding at him and joining Rex’s silent watch.
The sky was hueing orange by the time the door had opened, another day passed. The door to the trauma room opened and Rex pushed himself up, Storm rising just after, to see Cody and Kix standing at the entrance, the latter still wiping blood off his forearm with a towel. His face was lined with exhaustion as he lifted his gaze to meet Rex. Rex’s heart thudded as he approached, a lump in his throat.
“We’ve done all we can with what we have,” Kix started, his tone straightforward. “She’s going to be transported back to the fleet so she can recover in a bacta tank. She’s still in rough shape, but she’ll make it.”
Rex let out a deep breath, a weight releasing off his shoulders as relief washed over him.
“You can go see her, before they take her away,” Cody added, his voice level. His face was masked, not giving any glimpse to his thoughts. “Then we need to get back to the front.”
Rex nodded, for the first time in his life unable to look Cody in the eye. He stepped toward the door, but paused and glanced back at Kix. “I’m sorry, for what I said-“
“It’s ok, Captain,” Kix waved him off. Rex tried to insist again but Kix just rested a hand on his shoulder. Kix, who had seen death on a daily basis in more intimacy than most troopers had developed a thick skin for these things, but Rex could tell he was more worn today. “I know you didn’t mean it.”
Still feeling guilty, Rex nodded his thanks and continued into the room. The same nurse Rex had yelled at before was tidying up, and had walked out another door before Rex could offer her an apology. Talia was on the table, sleeping through the last of her medication. They had cleaned her up, no more dirt was coating her skin and some of her color had returned. Her arm was wrapped tightly, and her burns covered in dressings. She looked eerily at peace as Rex approached. He leaned over her, his hand caressing her cheek; her skin was still cool to the touch, but not in the frightening way it had been earlier. Her eyes fluttered at his touch, slowly opening and that was when Rex couldn’t hold back the tears he had been fighting off. He tried to swallow it down, but the relief of seeing her looking back at him, and seeing the light behind her eyes again was too much.
He curled over her, his forehead pressing to hers, his breath heavy as he sputtered out, “I thought I lost you.”
Talia’s left hand pressed tenderly against his cheek, holding him as he shook, his tears running over her palm. Her voice cracked out, but Rex couldn’t hear her, and not wanting her to strain herself he pressed his lips to hers. He held himself against her, feeling her breath against his skin, the softness of her hand against his cheek. He would let her go in a minute, let her have the time to heal as she needed, but for now he would grant himself a few more moments assuring himself that she was there, and that she was ok.
Just as Talia originally predicted, the capital fell in three days. Shortly after Rex left Talia at the aid station, he and Cody returned to the main offense. It was a resounding defeat of the Separatist forces, one of the best victories they’d had in a while. The Republic forces were preparing to withdraw, a garrison of men staying back as extra defense for the planet. Kenobi and Skywalker were updating the Council, leaving Rex and Cody to spend their time in the latter’s quarters. It was a usual custom for them when they had missions together, once all was said and done they would unwind from the stresses over a strong Corellian whiskey – being a Marshall Commander meant Cody had some ease in ignoring contraband rules. Sometimes they recapped events of battle, maybe taking the opportunity to rant about their Generals’ individual eccentricities. Others it was a time to mourn, sharing fond memories of brothers who had fallen. Today, they were silent.
Cody sat at his desk, his glass sitting half-drunk while he read his datapad, going over the final report Rex had filled out. Rex sat in the chair in the corner of the room, swirling the brown liquor in his glass before he poured it back, swallowing it all. Cody’s quarters were a temporary shelter, it would be taken down as soon as Kenobi came back with the word on their next orders, only to be set up on the next planet, the next siege. Cody sighed, closing the datapad and leaning back in his chair. He grabbed his glass again, took a swig and looked at Rex for the first time since he had come to the room.
“So, tell me, how long have you been sleeping with General Riva?” Cody was not one to mince words. His look wasn’t judgmental, but his eyes were scanning Rex’s face in a way that made the Captain know he couldn’t avoid this conversation.
“About a year now,” Rex answered, leaning over to set his empty glass on the table.
“Osik,” Cody sighed, running his hand down his face. He glanced down at his empty glass, then reached for the bottle on the table, pouring another. “Well, I guess after that display the other day I’m just surprised you’ve managed to keep it hidden for that long.”
Rex didn’t have anything to say. He just watched as Cody finished filling his glass and took another sip of the amber liquid. He felt like a cadet all over again, getting scolded for failing a simulation. Because there was no anger in Cody’s face, just resignation and disappointment.
“I don’t need to tell you how many ways this goes against regulations,” Cody spoke again, leaning in his chair and fixing Rex with a look. “Or how what happened the other day can’t happen again.”
“I know I behaved irrationally-“
“Irrationally? Rex: You tried to run into a crumbling building. When the generals tried to get us to move on so we could continue the mission while the search and rescue team worked, you ignored them. You went on the shuttle back with her without approval,” Cody rattled off, exasperation creeping into his tone. “I went with you when General Skywalker suggested it, saying he and General Kenobi could lead the men and we could meet up with them later. And then you yelled at Kix, the only chance she had at being saved-“
“I know, I fucked up. It won’t happen again,” Rex said through gritted teeth, annoyed at how Cody acted as if those very actions weren’t replaying in Rex’s brain constantly the past two days.
“Good, because it can’t,” Cody stated bluntly. “What if the word gets out that you’re fucking a Jedi-“
“We’re not ‘fucking’,” Rex couldn’t hold back, “I love her.”
“Kyor'la haran,” Cody groaned, leaning forward to put his head in his hands. He pinched the bridge of his nose and continued, “It would be easier if you were just fucking.”
He sighed, and set his once again empty glass back on the desk, “Out of all the women out there… you had to go for a Jedi, huh? Rex, what really can come of this? If you get caught, you could be demoted, lose your command and be a foot soldier on the front line, or worse; you get sent back to Kamino and get decommissioned.”
Cody’s words were no weightless threat; every clone had heard the stories. Of troopers who acted out of the normal expected bounds and were never heard from again. Those who committed treason, like Slick had or even Dogma were arrested, there had to be a face for such known crimes. But for others, those who just disregarded the regs or broke protocol? They were sent back to Kamino to be re-trained, but no one knew what came of them.
“And for the General – what about her? You two get found out and she’s kicked out of the Order; you know from what happened with Ahsoka that there isn’t a happy ending to this.”
“Cody, both Talia and I know this isn’t easy,” Rex exhaled. His voice was low and gritted with exasperated exhaustion. “But…we care for each other. We want a life outside of this.”
“Rex, you and I know there’s no life outside of this, not for you or any of our brothers,” Cody stated. “Not for a long time anyway. We’re sworn to the Republic, that is what we were made for.”
“Come on, Cody. You have to believe there’s more for us than just this,” Rex’s voice rose. The Cody he saw across the table reminded Rex of a version of himself he once knew, sitting in that very position at the Lawquane’s table. “You can’t tell me that you’ve never thought about a life outside the army for yourself.”
“’Course I have, but that just isn’t an option,” Cody glanced to the side, his jaw working, then he exhaled, “One day, I hope so. But right now, we’re soldiers. And we have a duty. Not just to the Republic, but to our brothers. Would you abandon them just for a woman?”
Rex scowled, frustrated that Cody would even go there; even hinting that Rex would just desert his brothers was a low blow. “Well, even if I'm still in the army, Talia could leave the Order. Then there would be less of an issue.”
“You think she would do that?” Cody asked, raising a brow. “I don’t mean to talk ill of her, in fact, I think she’s a great woman and in any other situation I would want this to work, but do you really think she would leave the Order just so you could be together?
“Yes, she would,” Rex said firmly, but he wasn’t so sure of his own words. Talia had never expressed that in her wishes, nor voiced it to him as something she had thought of. And that little voice in the back of his head, reminded Rex that Talia had yet to say she loved him too. He didn’t doubt her feelings, but it did weigh on him as he couldn’t help but wonder if they were still on the same page.
“Well, that’s good to hear,” Cody responded, but his tone and the way he scrunched his face showed his doubt. “But this can’t go on anymore.”
“I won’t react like this again, I’ll be more in control of my emotions,” Rex replied defeatedly.
“No, you won’t. Because you need to end it.”
Rex’s head snapped to Cody, anger flaring in his chest. “It’s not that simple.”
“It needs to be,” Cody fixed Rex with a stern look, speaking in the voice he usually had when giving orders; there was a flash of pity in his eyes as he frowned, but he shook his head, took a breath and continued. “I can’t help you when this eventually falls apart, and I can promise it will. Out of respect for you, our friendship, and everything we’ve been through I won’t report this, but think about if this had been a different Commander… As much as you care for each other, something will happen again. And at some point, your emotions will be caught by someone who will have no issue separating you two.”
Rex clenched his jaw, his eyes locked on Cody’s. His gut twisted at his brother’s words; was he right? Back after the island, Rex remembered that doubt he had, about him and Talia’s positions, and how they at first held him back until he said to hell with it and gave into the desire to be with her. Cody was just bringing back all those old fears, and Rex couldn’t ignore the truth behind them.
“I’m sorry, vod,” Cody broke into Rex’s thoughts. His expression was sincere, his face creased as he met his brother’s eyes. “I wish…that there could be something else but-“
A knock sounded on the door and Cody mumbled a curse under his breath. He yelled for the interrupter to come in, a shiny Rex didn’t recognize; there were more and more of them these days. As the trooper informed Cody that they were cleared to move out, Rex sat on Cody’s words, irritation still brewing in his gut as they seeped in. What Cody had said wasn’t new, they were the exact worries that had been in the back of Rex’s mind his entire relationship with Talia; they just carried a deeper threat and meaning when spoken by his most trusted friend.
Talia hated bacta tanks. Having to soak in one overnight always left a strange, medical smell, her hair always a bit greasy and she even felt like her limbs moved weirdly after being in the gelatinous liquid. Still, they worked wonders medically; her burns were healed, apart from some still faintly pink skin running down her leg. She wore a sling around her arm, just so she wouldn’t be tempted to try and overexert herself but she bore no other physical hints as to her injuries. That didn’t help how claustrophobic she suddenly was, unable to be in a too crowded elevator without gasping for air as images of the debris falling on her flashed in her mind.
Talia had been on the venator for the rotation after she came out of the tank, but had communicated with Lileyna on Turia’s surface; the settlement was obviously upset over the loss of their homes and much of what little belongings they possessed. But Lileyna assured her that they would recover; they had experienced adversity before and would be able to resettle. Talia was also relieved to the point of tears that Runo was physically unharmed, apart from a few scratches. She hoped the boy was young enough that this wouldn’t have any lasting mental harm on him, but also knew that he had a strong support system around him to guide him through anything he needed.
Talia took her third shower of the day; it might be a bit wasteful but she couldn’t stand the scent of disinfectant on her skin, and she didn’t have much else to do while the rest of the Forces were in battle. It was agonizing, being sidelined when she was so close to the action; but she knew if she even tried to disobey the medical orders she would be immediately turned back by the combined forces of Rex, Storm, and even Master Kenobi. Now, she just had a lot of time to wait before Anakin and Obi-Wan returned to the venator, when they would no doubt fill her in on their successes. She was ready to leave at a moment's notice, she was probably being sent to some other world in need right after this. One more planet in the seemingly endless path of war.
Three quick knocks rapped on her door and Talia’s spirits lifted immediately; she knew only one person who knocked on her door like that. She quickly made for the door, pushing the release button for it to slide open and she couldn’t hold down back the beaming grin she released at the sight of Rex. He looked exhausted, but she had never been more grateful to see him. She slammed the release button again shutting him into her quarters and flung her good arm around his neck, clinging to him as she sought his warmth, that caring strong presence that had been absent in her recovery but was the one thing she longed for the most.
Instead she was greeted with apprehension, anxiety, guilt, and a cold wall; emotions she had never felt from Rex. She pulled back and looked into his amber eyes; they were staring back at her, roving over her face as if he were committing it to memory. Talia brushed it off as some response to him still coping with her injuries, and pressed on her tiptoes, kissing him as a way to show she was ok. Rex’s hand landed on her hip, his gloved fingers clenching the fabric of her robes and holding tight, as if she were about to disappear in front of him.
“I didn’t think I would kiss you again,” Rex murmured as they separated, his hand toying with the fabric on her robes before releasing them.
“You should have known it would have taken a bit more than a little bomb to keep me down,” Talia mocked but immediately regretted the humor at the glint of pain in Rex’s eyes. Choked sobs rang in her ears, raised voices and a hand clasping tightly around hers came flooding back to her. Talia shook her head out and stepped back, tossing Rex a reassuring smile as she returned to the bed. She had a small bag there, just a few things she kept together on missions, the things she could have ready to go when called on a moment's notice when duty called elsewhere. It was a good distraction for her as she didn’t want to talk about what had happened; when she was in the bacta tank all she had done was relive the fragmented memories of the accident and the treatment. She didn’t need to do it again, not even with Rex.
“Cody knows,” Rex broke through the silence of the quarters and Talia dropped her datapad on the cot. She picked it up and turned to face him, his face a mask to any guess she might have on his feelings. “About us.”
Talia sighed and turned back to the bed, slipping the datapad in the bag. “I can’t say I’m surprised. Cody’s a smart man, he was bound to figure it out sometime.”
When she faced Rex again, Talia found him frowning at her, his forehead crinkled as he shook his head out. “He was bound to figure it out? Talia, do you realize how serious this is?”
It was Talia’s turn to frown now, anxiety creeping into her gut. “He didn’t report us, did he?”
“No but…” Rex started, only to pause and glance at his helmet in his hands. “It’s only a matter of time before someone does.”
“What are you saying?” Talia asked slowly, her brows cinched as she tried to meet Rex’s eyes.
Rex glanced down, his thumb brushing over a scorch mark on his helmet, buffing it out. The rust colored stain only smeared as Rex sighed out a long breath, as if expelling all the air from his lungs before he finally raised his head to meet Talia’s gaze.
“I’m saying we need to end it.”
Talia stared at Rex, her mouth falling open in disbelief as she didn’t recognize the man in front of her, the words coming out of his mouth practically a foreign tongue. Rex stood his ground, the perfect soldier in his armor, his face set straight as he looked back at her. Talia huffed out half a laugh.
“This is a joke, right?” she asked humorlessly, her lungs seized, trapped under the rocks again.
“I’m sorry, but it’s better for both of us-“
“Better for both of us?” Talia’s voice was turning shrill now, a sound she hated in her own ears, but it was uncontrollable. “Tell me, since obviously I’m too naïve to understand; how is this better for us?”
“I’m not saying -,” Rex took a step towards her but stopped, his jaw working as he looked for the words. “There’s just too many risks.”
“And you’re just now thinking of that?” Talia asked in disbelief. “After months, now you’re concerned about the risks?”
“I was at the beginning as well!” Rex fired back, his tone raising for a second before he reigned it back in. “I thought about everything that could go wrong, and I chose to ignore it just so I could have some time with you, but now-“
“Well, I really wish you would have thought that through before we got this far,” Talia scoffed, crossing her arms, and stepping towards him. “Now after you fucked me enough you had your fun; I get it.”
Rex’s eyes flashed and he grimaced as she approached but he stood his ground.
“That’s not fair, you know it’s not like that,” Rex said through a tight jaw. He glanced down at his helmet then back up at Talia, his eyes rounded as he sighed. “I meant it when I said I love you.”
“You sure have a funny way of showing it!” Talia exclaimed, turning away so he couldn’t see the tears brimming in her eyes. She was torn between wanting Rex to stay as far away from her as physically possible and wanting him to wrap his arms around her and hold her against his chest. “It’s funny; you’re the bravest man I know, I never thought you would be such a damn coward.”
Rex didn’t answer, and that just made Talia’s temper flare more. Was he really tearing her world apart without even feeling it on his end? Like everything they had could be so easily discarded? At the first sign of trouble, he was just…done? No, she couldn’t believe it.
“The other day you told me you wanted a future with me,” Talia said under breath. She turned her head back to face Rex; he wasn’t looking at her, but instead seemed focused on the void of space out the viewport, his jaw so tight Talia thought it might crack. “A future for us. Was that all a lie?”
“Not a lie, but a dream,” Rex exhaled. He glanced back at Talia, sighed and stepped to the desk, placing his helmet on it and sinking into the chair next to it. He rested his elbows on his knee, clasping his knuckles in front of him. Talia was ready to fire back another witty remark, when Rex spoke again, “What we want, we can’t have. I’m sworn to the Republic…I can’t have a family as long as I’m serving. And even then... is that really what you want?”
“Rex, I told you I saw that future with you!” Talia answered, frustrated at his self-imposed nobility; a trait she normally admired and had even drawn her to him in the first place. But now he was being so damn stubborn, convinced he was doing the right thing. She approached him where he sat, lowering to her knees and grabbing his hands in hers. “I want that with you, no one else.”
“So you would leave the Order then?” Rex’s words slammed into Talia. She gaped at him, frozen into space as she processed the question. Because in everything; she had never thought of a world where she would leave the Order.
“Rex…” Talia started, her voice suddenly small and unsure, the fire from her earlier retorts gone. “It’s the only life I’ve ever known.”
Rex nodded, understanding in his eyes, but his voice grim as he asked, “So you wouldn’t leave then?”
“I-I don’t know!” Talia pushed herself up. “You can’t just ask me to give up something I don’t know how to live without.”
“But you would ask that of me,” Rex retorted, pointing at her as Talia scoffed and turned away. “The other night you asked if I thought about deserting.”
“I wasn’t telling you to desert!” Talia rolled her eyes, she could feel the frustration radiating off of Rex, only adding to her own ire once more. “I just don’t think it’s fair for you to expect me to be the one to give up everything.”
“Do you know what happens to clone deserters? I would have to be on the run, never able to stay in one place for long because if I was found by the Republic I would be executed.” Rex paused, rubbing his hand over the back of his head. “I’m not expecting you to give up anything, I just- This is what I mean! Where can we go from here? We’re both tied to sets of rules that don’t bend.”
“But is this life really what you want Rex? Serving the Republic, fighting in their wars for the rest of your life?” Talia asked.She worked her jaw, closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to ignore the tension in her head as she tried to fight for what Rex seemed to have given up on. “Because there will always be another fight. Once this war ends, yes, we might have a few years of peace; but that’s only until the next conflict. Will the Grand Army of the Republic be sent to deal with pirates in the Outer Rim? Or security as politicians debate trade treaties? You would be happy with a life like that?”
“I have a duty to the Republic, a duty to my brothers. And I can’t just walk away from that.” Rex stated simply and firmly. Always the perfect soldier, at this moment almost to a fault.
“Is that what you really believe or what you were bred to?” As soon as the words left Talia’s mouth, she froze in the spot she was madly pacing in, she turned to Rex, his face a statue of disbelief.
Only the soft hum of the ship's life support systems sounded above them. Rex’s eyes didn’t leave Talia’s; a muted shock and pain etched in them before he closed his face off. He grabbed his helmet off the desk, and rose from the chair.
“Rex wait, I’m so-“ Talia couldn’t finish the words before Rex slid the door shut behind him. She stood locked in place, staring at the cool grey durasteel in front of her, her own cruel words echoing in her head. The tears she had been stopping from breaking free began to stream down her cheeks, and Talia slowly crouched to the ground, allowing them to wash over her.
Talia’s body ached.
Not from any lingering side effects of her injuries, but from the sobs that had racked her body for about an hour straight. She pulled herself together to meet with Anakin and Obi-Wan when they arrived on the ship; if they thought she was out of sorts they didn’t say anything. Her downcast mood could easily be attributed to her recovery. As expected, she was being sent off again, somewhere else in this war that she couldn’t find the reason for fighting at this moment.
She stood in the hangar, off to the side of the shuttle that would take her to the rest of the 412th. It was ready to depart minutes ago, but she lingered outside fumbling with her datapad and pretending to read a report, anything to buy time; he had never failed to see her off before. Rex could never offer a formal goodbye, not without raising suspicion. But he always managed to be in the hangar when she was taking off, giving a nod just before she boarded whatever spacecraft would take her away from him.
But as she scanned the clones in the bustling hangar, there was no sign of the familiar jaig eyes.
“Sir?” A voice called from the ramp behind her. The pilot had stepped out of the cockpit, “We’ve been cleared for takeoff, flight control is pushing me along.”
“Oh sorry, I just..” Talia’s voice fumbled off as she searched for an excuse. She glanced around one last time but no one paid any mind to her shuttle, no familiar warm presence felt in the crowd. Talia gulped and faced the pilot, nodding as she stepped up the runway. “Let’s get out of here.”
--
Next Chapter
A/N:
Cody fans: I'M SORRY BUT WE NEEDED A VOICE OF REASON. Obviously this means Codywan is not canon in the IA universe, but might do a Codywan fluff oneshot as penance.
This is not the end and I don't need mean to leave you all hanging like this, but I am leaving on vacation tomorrow so it might be a couple weeks for an update!
As always, comments, reblogs, and asks would be so SO appreciated!
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#captain rex#captain rex x oc#star wars fanfiction#the clone wars#Captain rex x reader#star wars#captain rex fanfiction#illicit affairs fanfic#ia fanfic#oc fanfiction#original female character#star wars oc#talia riva#tcw fanfiction
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"we should go skinny dipping" for noctitra?
[ prompts ]
prompt: skinny dipping
pairing: Nocte/Kit Fisto/Dara Idella (@spacerocksarethebestrocks)
tags: T, M/M/F, polyamory, surprise vacation, beach trip, non-sexual nudity (maybe semi-sexual but it's not overt at all)
ao3
big shoutout to Madz (@spacerocksarethebestrocks) for the polycule brainrot and also for beta reading this for me <3
It's something of an anomaly for Nocte to get deployed offworld.
His post is on Coruscant, running the ins and outs of the Guard's medical wing, chasing down commanding officers who refuse to account for their own health, doing his best to shield his shinies from the ugliness surrounding them. Even brief leaves of absence create a backlog of work that, frankly, are rarely worth the reprieve. It may not be the job he expected, back on Kamino, but it's the one he got. And he's damn good at it.
So he doesn't get pulled away, almost as a rule. Even if it wasn't such an inconvenience, he doesn't have a traditional battalion to follow to the frontlines. The need simply isn't there.
All of which makes it a shock when Dara requests a medic to escort her to Scarif, all the way in the Outer Rim. Not a Jedi Healer (that would be overkill), not a civilian medic (she'd hate to put them at risk), not a small squad of Coruscant Guard medics (surely it makes sense to send as few as possible). She specifically requests one of the Guard's CMOs, with a note that she would prefer they assign Nocte to her.
When any Jedi bothers to request one particular trooper, it's hard to rationalize denying them.
That's how Nocte finds himself in a civilian transport shuttle, kitted out in unpainted armor like a shiny, with Dara at his side. They draw more attention than he would like. Far more. A lone Jedi with only a single trooper. It's strange. Nocte can't really blame them for staring.
He also can't speak up to ask what the hell is going on, not in such a poorly secured space. His helmet speakers are turned off and that won't change until they land.
The trip to Scarif takes 95 hours. Six flights; five passenger carriers and one cargo craft. Five refueling depots. Countless scenarios where if push came to shove, the sheer volume of bodies could overwhelm them with ease. Before they board the last ship, Dara shoves a change of clothes and a large pack into his arms. So goes the bulk of his bodily protection, stuffed into a backpack and exchanged for what amounts to hiking gear and a mask. Dara swaps her robes for street clothes as well. As much as Nocte hates it, they practically disappear from watchful eyes.
With the end in sight, he assumes that the worst is behind them. They situate themselves in the cargo hold of a freighter and despite himself, he almost relaxes.
It proves to be a mistake.
The last leg of their journey is less a landing than a freefall.
More specifically, it's Dara giving him a rushed minute to strap on a parachute then ushering him out of the bay and into open air.
Only when he's collapsed on the ground after cutting himself loose from his 'chute - which got tangled in a tree and left him dangling precariously - does he tear off his mask, bury his face in his arms, and curse loudly. In several languages. Colorful enough that even Wolffe would chastise him.
Dara knows better. She waits for him to peel himself from the damp, pungent dirt and come to her.
"What," he says evenly, "the Sith-fearing fuck."
"Are you hurt?" is, of course, her first question.
Nocte blinks at her. Her clothes are as torn up and filthy as his own, but there's no evidence of injury. Granted, she's not up and walking yet. They'll both be bruised, at minimum.
"No. Are you?"
"No." She stands with as much grace as he's come to expect and steps into his space, searching for something on his face. "Welcome to Scarif."
"Dara–"
"No one outside the GAR and the Order knows we're here," she continues. "No one knows exactly where we are on the planet. We're alone, or as close to it as we can be."
"I still don't–"
"Do you trust me?" The words alone are almost accusatory, but her tone borders on pleading.
"Dara."
She crosses her arms and raises a brow. "Well, do you?"
Nocte's shoulders slump as he blows out a sigh. "Of course I do. You know that."
"Then trust me," she says, smiling sharply. "We have a couple miles to walk, then I'll explain everything."
—
A couple miles roughly translates to a 15k hike over uneven jungle terrain. They don't talk much, only breaking the silence with warnings about the route or to relay oncoming transmissions. It gives Nocte enough time to conclude that Dara probably has her reasons for being cryptic. She's never led him astray before, and he does trust her with his life.
His frustration fizzles out. The brain-numbing sameness of putting one foot in front of the other eventually becomes similar to a light meditation. When the jungle breaks out onto a sprawling beach with soft sand and crystalline water, it threatens to take his breath away.
When he spots a tiny log cabin further along the treeline, and Kit gods damned Fisto standing shirtless in its doorway, confusion wipes away his newfound peace of mind. Kit heads toward them and Nocte turns back to Dara, knowing that his question will be written all over his face. And for whatever it's worth, she cuts straight to the point. Just like she always does.
"So," she says, scratching the back of her neck sheepishly. "There's no mission here. Not really. I'll have to take a day before we leave, but we have nine days to treat like a vacation. This was… not the only way, but a way to get you some time off and away from the city. Plus, Kit was able to dump his battalion on a different beach, give them a break, and meet us here. I couldn't explain where anyone else might hear, since this is probably breaking so many GAR rules, but yeah."
And that's just. "You're completely ridiculous," he manages through disbelief. "You could've warned me, though. I'm– shit, I was so stressed about this. All of that travel? The lack of security?"
That edge of concern returns to her face and her gaze drops to the ground as she takes a breath. "I know. I'm sorry, love. I wanted this to be a surprise, but it's tricky with all the military restrictions and scheduling conflicts and everything else. I'm sorry."
It does help to know that the 422nd is getting some downtime too, and Dara's long overdue for a break. Nocte hasn't seen Kit in person in months either. The war spirals further every day. No one's really, truly coping well.
Maybe rash decisions are warranted.
"I know," he says, softer now. "I understand. It's still ridiculous, and you're ridiculous, and I love you, so I guess that means I'm ridiculous."
"Maybe a little bit." Her tone is still sheepish, but there's a shine in her eyes that Nocte hasn't seen in a long time. "I love you too."
Any further discussion is shelved when Kit skips hello altogether, takes Nocte's face in both hands and crashes their lips together with an air of desperation. A broken noise escapes Nocte before he can stop it, but he can't be bothered to care. All the recent nights, long and cold and lonely, get lodged somewhere in his throat, hitching his breath. Kit's lips are warm and his grip is strong, twisted in the back of Nocte's hair. He feels like home.
If he sways forward when Kit finally pulls away, no one can rightly hold it against him.
If he gets caught smiling like a lovestruck fool when Kit turns to Dara and pulls her into an equally heartfelt embrace, so be it.
They're all alive. They're all together. That can be enough. Kit drags them back to the cabin and into bed before exhaustion knocks them flat on the sand, and it's relief.
Sleep can wait.
—
The ocean on Kamino was a terror. Frigid temperatures shook cadets to their cores and neverending storms sent vicious waves skyward. Their limited aquatic training was among the most dreaded stages of cadets’ curriculum. Pneumonia was unavoidable. Some of them swore up and down that they could never breathe as well afterward, even years down the road. As such, the vast majority of the clones have a healthy fear of open water. Nocte is a part of that majority.
He hasn’t seen an ocean since the war broke out, and hasn’t had any qualms about it. It’s one of the few perks of Coruscant. When they’re on shore leave, Monnk and his boys comment on the absence of natural bodies of water like it’s a flaw instead of a feature.
Privately, Nocte thinks their brains are probably waterlogged. Ongoing proximity to Kit probably has some adverse effects on one’s judgment, as well. Still though.
The ocean on Scarif is peace. Its waters are clear and calm and the antithesis of Kaminoan chaos. He almost can’t believe it. The sunset on the horizon is an explosion of orange and pink that reflects off the ocean’s surface like a mirror, a seamless painting of warm color, broken only by wispy clouds overhead. Birds overhead and the gentle wash of surging water are the only sounds to break the silence; there’s not another soul in sight on the shoreline.
Kit and Dara are around somewhere, but they’ve left him to his own devices since he wandered from their cabin. Maybe they knew this would be significant for him in some way. Maybe they’re desensitized to the simple sight of the ocean. Maybe they’re just preoccupied, napping or fucking or scavenging for snacks. Regardless. For the first time in his life, Nocte stands alone with the sand between his toes and the ebbing tide licking up around his ankles, and some of the weight that presses down on his shoulders at all hours dares to lift. He’ll have to comm Remedy or Carrion in the morning and check in, but for now…
For now, he can breathe.
—
It can’t be long before the sand crunches behind him and the breeze carries over the quiet chatter of Kit and Dara’s conversation; the sun is still a sliver of light in the distance and the temperature is only just starting to drop. Kit presses himself close against Nocte’s back and loops his arms around his waist. The lingering scent of burning charcoal clings to his clothes from cooking dinner. Relaxing back into his hold, Nocte tucks his head into the crook of Kit’s neck.
Dara carries on past them, stepping deeper into the water and turning her face to the sky, Wrapped in loose, flowing layers of light fabric, she cuts a stunning figure, backlit by the remnants of the sunset.
“Quite a view, isn’t it?” Kit voices Nocte’s thoughts precisely, too softly for Dara to hear.
Nocte hums his agreement. “‘s beautiful. I still can’t really believe it. You’re both insane.”
Kit snorts like he must be joking, but it's true. Despite the fact that the consequences seem far away and– well, inconsequential, he can hardly imagine the sheer magnitude of blowback if someone was to find out that they pulled him off duty under false pretenses. Not only that, but it would undoubtedly come to light that the three of them are in a relationship. That could jeopardize Kit's position on the Council, Dara's reputation in the Order, Nocte’s credibility among his family. It could be absolutely catastrophic.
But now? Now, Kit's fingertips trace idle patterns into Nocte’s sides. His breath sends goosebumps up his neck. Dara's bundling her skirts up in her arms as she wades deeper into the water. Now, Coruscant and the Temple and the Guard are little more than a recent memory and a distant concern.
Maybe Kit and Dara are a little bit insane, but maybe you have to be, to find happiness during this hell of a war. Maybe Nocte is just lucky to have them. He twists his fingers through Kit's and breathes and watches.
Dara eventually tires of shying from the waves and of hiking up her clothes, so she pulls them over her head and turns back to her partners with defiance in her eyes. The bundle of her clothes hits Nocte squarely in the face a split second before she folds backwards, disappearing under the surface. At his back, Kit twitches, like Grizzer when he sees a tooka.
Folding Dara's clothes over his arm, Nocte smiles at the unspoken want. "You can join her."
"As can you," Kit says with a smile in his voice.
"You both should," Dara adds, surfacing nearby. Rivulets of water catch the dying light as they roll down the length of her figure and draw Nocte's gaze, over her chest, to the juncture of her hip, to the point where the surface laps at her thighs. "How have we never all been skinny dipping together?"
Kit's body heat retreats when he wades back to deposit Dara's clothes on their beach towel. "Apparently, a kidnapping is what it takes to get Nocte away from the Guard," he calls over his shoulder.
Which isn't fair.
Scoffing, Nocte opts not to dignify that with a response and rolls his eyes at Dara instead. "To be fair, there aren't that many swimming options back on Coruscant, or at least not in the Senate District."
"Have you not been to Zelle's?"
He raises a brow, pointedly. "No?"
"Subterra?" Kit tries. As he rests his hands back on his hips, Nocte grimaces and busies his own fingers with twisting his hair up into a bun, letting the breeze cool the back of his neck.
"Nope."
"What about–"
"Nowhere since Tipoca," he cuts Kit off - not rudely, but he gets a sense that the pair of them could probably name a dozen more spots. When he thinks about it, it makes sense for Nautolans to scope out pools and springs more thoroughly. "Well, we have a lap pool at the gym, but it's not exactly ideal for leisure."
Not that the ocean back home was, but Dara already looks like he kicked her tooka, so he omits that tidbit.
"You've never been skinny dipping, have you?" she asks sadly.
"'fraid not."
Whatever she's about to say gets cut off by Kit abruptly hiking Nocte's shirt up and maneuvering it over his head.
"Hey."
"Hey, yourself," Kit echoes. Thick arms wrap around Nocte's waist as Dara approaches with a smile that radiates mischief.
She takes his face in both hands and kisses him firmly, pressing herself flush against him. Her skin is cool and damp, a stark contrast to the heat of her lips and her tongue swiping into his mouth. With Kit sturdy and unmoving behind him, Nocte can do little more than return Dara's enthusiasm and let them pin him in place.
They've never been shy about their affinity for overwhelming him with affection - trapping him between them, holding him still and then smothering him with words and touches that white out his brain. Privately, he thinks it has something to do with how seamlessly they seem to slot together. Years upon years graced them with synergy that Nocte can't hope to compete with, and he doesn't try. His presence in the equation could be a hiccup or a speed bump or a challenge, but they don't treat him that way. They don't try to force him to fit their dynamic, but they do fold him into it. Physically and otherwise.
Plus, Dara just likes to push his buttons. To see how much he'll take before he starts bucking against the restraints they pose. Her fingers drop to the waistband of his shorts, like she heard his thoughts, as Kit sucks a bruise into the side of his neck, and Nocte has to swallow a whine.
Then, in one swift motion, his shorts drop down around his ankles. Dara beams up at him, all teeth and silent challenge. "This is skinny dipping," she informs him.
Nocte narrowly resists rolling his eyes again and brushes a thumb across her cheek, holding her gently when she leans into his touch. "My life is forever changed," he says, "I see the light, the galaxy suddenly makes sense, and I owe it all to being naked and wet."
Dara snorts and smacks his hand away. "Okay, smartass."
"Hm. You love my smart ass."
"Well, I certainly love your ass. What do you think, darling?" she redirects her attention to Kit, where his face is partially buried in Nocte's hair. "Is he getting the full experience?"
Kit's grip on him tightens, ever so slightly, and alarm bells start to ring.
"I don't think so," he says. His tone is entirely too innocent.
"Don't you dare." Nocte says as he tries to squirm out of his arms, but it’s too late.
In the same instant, Dara steps away and Nocte's world tilts sideways as Kit hauls him up over his shoulder. His jaw-dropping view of the ocean and the sky and Dara, just in general, is replaced by a downward angle over Kit's ass. Usually he wouldn't object to such a vantage point in the slightest, but, well.
The world shifts again, because Kit throws him bodily into the water. So goes his first skinny dip.
some writing tags and taglist form :) dm to be removed
@willowworkswithwords @saradika @dikut @voidika @mandoposting @certified-anakinfucker @milf-plokoon @secretlyatimelady @spaceydragons @tayylie @moonstrider9904 @thelove-ablepenguin @maulpunk @frietiemeloen @spacerocksarethebestrocks @quinnqueens @thefact0rygirl @misogirl828 @amyroswell
#leocs#others' ocs#clone medic nocte#dara idella#kit fisto#noctitra#oc x canon#oc x oc#leo.writes#polycule#together. and i cannot stress this enough. we can make it canon#ashe joins them on the next kidnapping slash vacation#god i hate formatting on this site#asks answered
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Anomaly 0221 [SCP PARODY: Giantess, Light Mind Control]
Test initiation: Commencing.
Anomaly 0221 is to be kept in a fortified concrete locked room with absolutely no unsealed spaces seldom a small air filtration machine to allow her to breathe.
Anomaly 0221 is a 21 year old woman of Caucasian descent. She identifies herself as 'Abigale Queen.' approximately 165 cm (5' 5") with completely standard BMI for her age. Her anomaly manifests as her sexual stimulation increases. This anomaly is capable of producing a pheromone-like air contaminant that testing has shown may manipulate the victims brain in various ways.
Amonaly 0221 was discovered in ■■■■■■, New Mexico where locals were, to quote the recovery team "Begging to join her." She was captured after a month-long skirmish with locals who always referred to anomaly 0221 as 'The Princess' of New Mexico! Bizarrely, Anomaly 0221's apprehension was made trivial by the Anomaly herself who to quote the recovery team "Walked into the passenger's seat of my f*****n squad car and just buckled up."
Testing of the properties of O221 has proven difficult if not impossible as her capabilites seem to improve based on her libido. While in an 'unaroused state' she's incapable of any Anomaly.
Another potential (though currently unexplored) Anomaly of 0221 is her ability to increase in size dependant on her libido. This illustrates the importance of the containment procedures. In the event of escape of Anomaly 0221 personnel are advised to avoid her at all costs fearing that the lust she feels from dominating an agent + the excitement of escape + her apparent love of growing this way may lead to what has been described as an 'Omnipotent Queen' scenario. This event has occurred previously and its documentation will play now.
Initiate interview log:
"This is Dr. Yuliya Morris interviewing Anomaly 0221-"
"Call me Abby." "Alright, Abby... For the sake of this interview I can make that call." "Ahaha~ Ohh, FUCK It's soo cute you think you have a choice. I FUCKING LOOOVE♡ this place."
"Abby, where do you think you are right now?" "That's enough out of you, I've been cooped up in that cell for a month. I NEED this! ♡♡ Yuliya get on this table, lay on your back, rip open your blouse and start moaning my name, no- y'know what? Call me your queen!"
"Well I hardly think I-" Dr. Morris then; instantly and with great force obeyed the command, and begun exposing herself to Anomaly 0221. "hHAHAAHAA- ♡♡ I make the rules! ♡" It was at this moment the subject began growing instantly, as her height skyrocketed: Her standard issue suit was torn off, leaving her in her underwear of choice.
Anomaly 0221 proceeded to climb the table in an erotic dance, still growing in size and press Dr. Morris' face between her legs. All the while: Dr. Morris continues to say the words, "Queen, my queen & beautiful queen!"
"Kiss your Queen's body, NOW!" The still-growing Anomaly 0221 demanded. Instantly & ravenously Dr. Morris climbed this growing woman and began lightly kissing Anomaly 0221's breasts. "*Hrnghh* I'm back, FUCKING, gonna be a GODDESS again! ♡♡"
At this point the stationed defense force "Bravo Echo Tango (Nicknamed: "BETAs.") Were given an open-fire go-ahead from their commander. Their guns raised, but the command was ignored. "Haah ♡ soldier boys, drop your guns and come pleasure goddess Abby! ♡♡" At this point the growth had skyrocketed, she was now large enough to break the infrastructure of the room.
"hhaAAAH! ♡ You boys know how to please a woman!" 0221's body pressed against every wall as the defense force and presumably Dr. Morris were still kissing, stroking and rubbing what they could reach of her gigantic body! *OOOahh!* *mmmNNAA A H!* Her body burst from the container. Freeing countless anomalies in other rooms, the 4th largest catastrophe seen in sight history. Stopping her became impossible as she played with her new 3 story body. "I missed this! ♡" But... I'm satisfied.
Almost instantly 0221 returned to her normal proportions, sitting on Dr. Morris. As her naked body walked to the defense force, she requested: "Take me to my room, please." Which, after a brief pause the did.
A following interview performed over voice call follows.
Interviewer: Agent Langley Calhoon, Defense Force BETA commander.
"Why did you stop?" "I only wanted to stretch." "Why didn't you just ask?" "... I also wanted to show-off I guess. I wanted you all to know I'm here on MY OWN terms. You aren't stopping me, you're caring for me like my MOM!" A long giggle followed. "Your whole little lab is covered in my love! ♡ I own all of you!"
"We can't have an event happen like that again! Until further notice you're going to be locked inside that room. Do you understand?" "Unlock it. NOW." The interview was abruptly ended when the agent made a mad, feral dash to her security cell unlocked the door. This door is to remain unlocked until further notice. Anyone seen trying to lock the door is to be restrained and beaten in accordance with Goddess Abby's desire.
New containment procedure effective immediately: Goddess Abby is to be given whatever she wants, whenever she wants because she is perfect. Her name isn't Anomaly 0221 call her Goddess, and pleasure her. Bring her cute men & buy her gifts. Buy your Goddess a gift. NOW.
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The Weasel and The Serpent
Summary: When Yoongi, a halfblood, enters Hogwarts he lies about being a pureblood and is welcomed into the elite of the Slytherin House. Yoongi spends the whole of his school life upholding this lie, terrified of being exposed. Until one day, Jimin's cousin, the loud and rambunctious Y/N enters his life and gradually breaks down the walls that he had tried so hard to build. Can the weasel and the serpent learn to co-exist?
Pairing: Slytherin!Yoongi x reader (Hogwarts!au)
Genre: fluff, angst
Warnings: light swearing
Word count: 13.2k
Rating: pg
A/N: Welcome to the first instalment of the Hogwarts for @homeofbangtan collab!
I want to thank everyone in the collab for being amazing and patient and incredibly lovely! @mochi-molala for being the catalyst of this fic, @min-yoon-kween for being an amazing support and beta reader and @ttaetae for this amazing banner. @delacyrose224 @alpacaparkaseok @joheunsaram @sunshinejunghoseokie @ggukcangetit for being an amazing squad!
Copyrights @joyfulhopelox
As always please leave feedback and/or talk to me as i love to hear from you! Enjoy <3
Who would have thought you would end up here? Knees bruised on the cold wet tiles, bent over, heartbroken and desperate. If at the beginning of the year someone would have said you’d be in this position, you would’ve laughed at them. But there you were, on your knees, watching helplessly, as the person that had become your everything suffering on the wet bathroom floor. The mournful sobs wrecking his body echoed through you, rendering you speechless. If it weren’t for the fact that it was Yoongi’s sobs you were witnessing, you would’ve thought it was Moaning Myrtle doing her usual rounds in the bathroom.
You willed yourself to move. The sound of your robes trailing through the murky water were muffled by the anguished cries and heart wrenching sobs. You felt powerless and it scared you. The feeling gripped at your heart tighter and tighter until you felt like you could not breathe.
How ironic is it, you thought, that when you first met him you were in the exact same position that he was in now. Yet, at the time, he knew exactly what to tell you, as if you’d been friends for a long time. This trait he possessed; the ability to read someone so well and yet be so detached from everyone, had made him popular in your year.
Everyone liked Yoongi, his aloof personality a complete contrast from his soft looks. With his coal black hair and pale white skin a contradiction to his soft lips and plump cheeks, it was hard to not be intrigued by him. Yet, for some reason you chose to keep him at an arm’s length. He became your cousin’s friend quite quickly. It was Park’s gift; having the ability to make friends and break hearts left and right. However, being the rising star of the Slytherin house, he made enemies just as quickly. But the relationship between him and Yoongi developed so quickly, you didn’t even see it coming. One day Jimin was loitering around the corridors being his dramatic self with only Taehyung to keep him in check. Next you run into him and Taehyung and Yoongi. They were whispering secretively to each other and you couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to intervene.
“Oi, Cocky Park, why are you acting like a bunch of gossip girls?” you shouted at him across the corridor. The three of them jumped apart in surprise and glanced at you, each face looking similar to a kid’s having been caught with his hands in the cookie jar. Satisfied at the reaction you got, you sauntered over to them.
“So, what’s the deal?” your grin intensified when Jimin’s flustered face morphed into an annoyed one. It meant you had done your job. You were cousins on your father’s side, but in reality you acted more like siblings. You grew up together, always around each other, your father and his attending meetings together. So of course in true sibling fashion, it was necessary to rile up the other.
Taehyung glanced at the both of you, knowing that if he did not intervene there would be bloodshed. “Hey, Y/N, uhhhh, we were just talking” he tried to distract you from the situation at hand. You tapped your foot impatiently, an eyebrow raised unimpressed and urged him to continue. “About what?”
Before Taehyung could say anything, Jimin stepped up, “Nothing that concerns you lesser Park, so run along to your clique” he smirks at you, his hand gesture dismissing you. You huff in annoyance.
“Cocky Park!” You warn glaring at him stepping closer to his frame. He was by no means tall, only a few inches taller than you, and you liked to remind him of that every single day knowing that it drove him up the wall. “I’ll tell mother about that one time you set the family portrait on fire just because-” Jimin instantly covered your mouth, not wanting to be exposed in front of his friends like that.
“Ok ok ok, enough,” He pleaded, your laugh muffled and your eyes displaying the satisfaction you felt at his distress. You had won this battle and you savoured every moment of it. “Take a chill pill J-Park.” Noticing the third person next to the double trouble of the Slytherin house you paused. “Oh, new friends?” You pointed towards the silent man behind them. During the whole interaction between the three of you he hadn’t said anything, his dark eyes meticulously observing the scene before him.
You decided it was rude of you to not introduce yourself. You may have a loud personality and be opinionated to the point of aggression sometimes but you couldn’t forget the etiquette that your parents instilled in you. Especially in front of a fellow Slytherin, so with a confident grin you stepped around the two clowns of the house and extended your hand out.
“I’m Y/N.” The stranger looked wearily at your hand before hesitantly extending his. You don’t wait for his hand to reach yours, grabbing it mid rise and waiting for him to tell you his name. Only for a drawn out silence to ensue. You give his cold hand a small encouraging squeeze, urging him to say something. Noticing the shift in atmosphere Jimin stepped up next to you grabbing your forearm.
“Y/N, Yoongi. Yoongi, Y/N” he quickly said whilst pulling your hand away from the hold. You eye your cousin suspiciously but decide to not say anything. Instead you look at Yoongi and offer him what you hope is a friendly smile. “ Nice to meet you Yoongi. Well I have to go back now, I have practice” you turn on your heels prepared to leave. But before you could rush off you stop abruptly as if you’ve remembered something. Turning back, you point to Yoongi’s hands, making the boy take a small step back at your abruptness. “Make sure to wear gloves Yoongi, it may still be autumn but the castle is cold and your hands are freezing.” With a wink you then turn your attention towards Jimin, pointing threateningly at him.
“And you, you better not be late for practice, Outdated Park. We can’t afford to lose in front of Jeon again so get your ass on the pitch on time or I'll tell Sunny about your massive-“ Jimin’s cheeks turned red instantly and he almost shoves you down the corridor desperate to not let you finish that sentence.
“I get it, now move your troublesome ass out of here,” he pleaded. Laughing you wave at the three of them one more time before you rush down the corridor to meet up with the rest of the Quidditch team.
That was the first time you saw Yoongi, not as tragic as the second time; where he stumbled upon you in a dimly lit corridor. You took refuge there after receiving an unsettling letter from your parents. Said letter, now suspiciously damp, dangled from your hands when he found you. Even though your face showed no sign of distress, if there was someone who could read emotions well it would’ve been apparent. Yoongi was that someone.
He approached you silently, cautiously. As if he was afraid his presence would set off the feelings you were trying so hard to suppress. He observed your blank face for a second, his face not giving away any of his thoughts. You knew he was there and yet, you did not move. You couldn’t, the fear and pain gripping at your heart making you immobile. The letter you had just read replayed in your mind constantly.
‘Our daughter,
As this year happens to be the last year of your studies, we have decided that it is time for us to think about your future. Your father and I have decided that once you have finished your exams you shall be coming back home to Murkwood Manor where you will be spending the summer attending galas thrown by esteemed families. We are pleased to have come to the conclusion that for your sake and progress into the pureblood society, a convenient marriage is the best option and what better place to find such connections than there?
We hope that you can see how much we are thinking about you and understand our worries about your future.
Your everloving parents.’
You tried to forget the words staining the white paper, but it proved to be difficult. You knew the day would come, you and Jimin having been primed for this since you were children. Unlike Jimin, who would have more freedom of choice as he was to inherit his parents’ manor, you were doomed to enter an arranged marriage. As a pureblood it had always been your duty. Before you understood what that meant, as a romantic, you used to be excited at that prospect. Your brain came up with scenarios similar to ones in books about wizards in arranged marriages and living happily ever after.
Once you grew up, the excitement morphed into apprehension. The prospect of being tied to someone you did not willingly choose was daunting. To receive a letter informing you of your imminent fate crushed you.
Yoongi let out a soft breath, the sound loud enough to break the silence between the two of you. You knew you had to acknowledge him and yet, you could not bring yourself to. You barely knew each other, but as soon as he crouched next to your slumped form, a hesitant hand reaching out for yours the dam broke. You didn’t know or care if his touch was the push you needed or if the tumultuous feelings running through you became too much. You let yourself weep, not caring about the man tightening his grip on your hand witnessing it.
Normally your mother’s voice would be ringing in your head, telling you that your behaviour was unladylike, that someone of your status should not act like this. But the cold touch enveloping your trembling hand offered you the comfort you needed to let go.
Though only a few minutes had passed they felt like an eternity to you, your violent sobs dissolving into sniffles, too tired to carry on. Unknowingly, your hand sought out the reassurance of Yoongi’s hand, your fingers now intertwined. He let you cry it out, not saying a word, but his mind was running at a hundred miles an hour. Had he not been an expert at hiding his feelings, you would have been able to see the sadness he felt displayed across his face. He could not fathom why you would be sitting on the stone cold ground, knees drawn to your chest, shivering and looking so...broken.
When your sniffles ceased you looked up at him, your face red and blotchy from crying. He didn’t ask, his understanding eyes only watched you as you tried to gather your thoughts. He didn’t ask and yet, you couldn’t help but tell him. Tell him of the fate that waited for you once you graduated. There was something about the way he looked at you, a comfort you found in his gentle gaze that you couldn’t help yourself. Hiccuping you let it all spill out, his grasp on your hands becoming your strength to carry on.
“Your parents don’t define who you are, you define who you are. Whatever you are feeling, going through and your future, your parents will not be with you forever. And if you spend most of your time pleasing them, when they are gone you will start resenting everything that you have become.”
With that Yoongi wordlessy let go of your hand and slipped out of the bathroom leaving you with a tear stained grubby face slumped on the bathroom floor.
For a few days after that you tried avoiding Yoongi like the plague. Too embarrassed at your outburst you found yourself leaving the Great Hall when he would enter, turning your head the other way when you happened to make eye contact in class and avoiding any conversation that brought him up. If anyone noticed your odd behaviour towards him they did not say a word. He didn’t try to approach you, and no one in your House mentioned anything about it, and so after that first week you relaxed. Your cousin, however, did notice and when he tried to approach you about it you dismissed it as not having enough free time with the Quidditch game around the corner.
“Y/N, you do know I am on the same team as you right?” Jimin’s use of your full name indicated he was serious about the conversation. Sighing your shoulders slumped, you were feeling tired of hiding around. After letting it all out in front of Yoongi, it felt like all your body wanted to do was shout out to the world how exhausted you were of being a member of a pureblood family. No one would understand you better than Jimin would.
“I’m just tired, Chim.” Jimin faltered, his seriousness melted into worry at the sound of your voice. You sounded meek, the exhaustion clear on your face. Jimin was never one for emotional display, but he was your cousin, he was your family, he was like your brother. He offered you the comfort that you sought, placing his arms around you. You didn’t wait for him to speak, the unasked question hanging above you like the ghosts roaming around the castle.
“I’m getting married.” At your words you felt Jimin stiffen. He knew what you were talking about, it was a long tradition in pureblood families. Arranged marriages were not uncommon, if only to keep the bloodline pure; so it was only a matter of time before this happened to you as well. He was lucky, as the male of the family, he had more freedom than you but that also didn’t mean he could marry just anyone. “Who?” Was all he asked and you took a moment to recollect yourself, wondering if the mention of the rival School in the tournament would be a bad idea. “Who, Y/N?”
You stepped away from him, your eyes glossy with unshed tears. “Someone from Beauxbatons. I don’t even know his face. Just his name. And I am supposed to live the rest of my life with this person.” You felt the tears gather in your eyes but you knew you couldn’t cry. Even if it was just Jimin, the rest of the courtyard was completely void of students, your pride stopped you from letting all your emotions flow. Yoongi caught you at your most vulnerable and since that day you swore to yourself you would never let it happen again. If anyone were to witness it and your parents to get wind of it, you would be reprimanded, possibly even punished.
Jimin felt the shift in you, your vulnerable demeanour instantly covered up by a cold emotionless wall. He tried to say something, anything to prevent that shift but he couldn’t bring himself to. He understood why you would do that; as a pureblood the expectation to be impeccable was high, and the slightest slip would end in punishment. Not wanting to push you towards an emotional breakdown he did what he normally did best and distracted you from your misery. Gripping your shoulders he smirked at you, “come on Park 2.0, we need to get on that pitch today and win.”
The sight of the Quidditch pitch along with your peers cheering and chanting, instantly calmed you. This was your home, on your broom, ready to kick some ass. Today was the game against the Gryffindor team and the contrast between the green of your House and the red of Gryffindor House formed an enchanting colour palette. The Team Captain was yelling instructions left and right, discussing the strategy once more but you didn’t care. All you wanted was to be up in the air and hit a few Bludgeons to vent your frustrations out. As soon as your Team is given the go ahead you kick off onto your broom. The feel of the air brushing your face and the sound of your teammates yelling encouragement to each other giving you the adrenaline that you needed to get your head in the game.
The chants fuelled you, dodging a Bludger here, slamming your bat into it, sending it into the direction of a chaser, your head never left the game. The dynamics of the group, the teamwork, they all made you proud to be part of the team. From time to time, your eyes would wander towards the bleachers, taking in the crowd. Your fellow Slytherins were cheering as loudly as they could, chanting everyone’s name. You rolled your eyes, of course the loudest yells would come from the Gryffindor side. Kim Seokjin and Jeon Jungkook were favourites and so, their names would be on every lion’s lips. A quick break from the referee allowed you to catch your breath, high fiving with your fellow beater. You were crushing this. Taking in a deep gulp of air to calm down your heartbeat you scanned the crowd once again, only to make eye contact with a dark haired Slytherin who seemed to be watching you intently. You smiled hesitantly, confused at his presence, Yoongi had never been the one to watch the Quidditch games, but his presence gave you confidence that everything would be alright.
The game wasn’t going in your favour, Gryffindor had a good chance at winning, everyone on the edge of their seats for the end of the match. Suddenly you saw Jimin and Jungkook diving towards the ground, neck to neck and you knew that they'd spotted the Snitch. Breath caught in your throat, everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Jimin turns at the last minute, rising back up leaving Jungkook behind. In his hand he held the Snitch. The triumphant yell of the crowd switches from the Slytherin crowd towards the Gryffindor team and you lower your head dejected. Jimin may have caught the Snitch, but Gryffindor House had already won enough points to win the game without it. Sighing you turned towards your team, their hopelessness could be felt throughout the pitch. It wasn’t their fault, they’d played a good game, so in an attempt to cheer them up you started clapping. Soon, the crowd all caught onto what you were doing and joined in and quickly, what could have turned into a disastrous end for the team morale ended up quite the opposite. You turned yourself towards the crowd, the smile on your face widening at the sight of your fellow Slytherins cheering for you. In that moment you swore you didn’t look through the crowd for a particular person, but your eyes found his and your grin widened. Yoongi was clapping along with everyone else, his reassuring gaze never leaving yours. Suddenly you didn’t feel like you lost anymore, instead, you felt like a winner.
Under normal circumstances, the days after the game were the hardest to endure. This time however, the atmosphere felt lighter than even before the match. After the game ended and the team went back to change out of their uniform, your Team Captain held a speech about pride and defeat. That, along with the cheers from the crowd, lessened the sting of the loss and you promised yourselves that you will do better for the next one. However, classes and your professors waited for no one. With only a few weeks left until Christmas break the number of assignments kept rising, and the pressure of your N.E.W.Ts looming above your head forced you to spend every possible waking moment inside the library, your head stuck in a book. Despite being a Slytherin and not a Ravenclaw, you did enjoy studying. You were never alone whilst in there, especially now that Jimin and that Hufflepuff were spending more and more time in the library together. You got first hand experience of their budding relationship. Both of them being very much interested, yet both of them being very much oblivious.
It was during one of those days in the library when Yoongi approached you. The library was already full with students trying to cram a last minute essay. You were no better, your Potions essay due that afternoon, you tried to get as much done as possible. Writing about the properties of Amortentia was not a pleasant experience. Scribbling furiously, you bit your lip in concentration, not even noticing the silent dark haired man that sat down in front of you.
“You’re going to break your quill if you carry on writing like that.” His remark made you jump out of your skin, dropping your quill to the ground and knocking your ink over the sides of the table in the process. “Ah, shit.” You muttered as you tried to blot your parchment with your robes. Yoongi jumped out of the seat, hurrying to help you salvage your work, muttering his apologies to you incessantly. “It’s okay, no problem.” You smiled at him, you were not really upset, you knew your essay could be done better and maybe a restart is what you needed. “You actually did me a favour.” Confused, Yoongi glanced at your paper. “Isn’t it due today?” He motioned towards how much you’ve written, “and that looks like a lot of research to me.” Waving him off you sat back down and got out another piece of parchment.
“It wasn’t that good to begin with. Potions is not my strongest suit so I could probably do with rewriting it. There’s only so much, ‘and boom they fall in love’ that you can describe.” You laughed at Yoongi’s expression. He looked offended at your statement, and you took the time to admire his expressions. Never one to express too many feelings, at least not in your presence, it felt like a breath of fresh air. You couldn’t help but wonder what caused the change in behaviour. “Wait, a Slytherin, not good at Potions?” He mock gasped at you and you laughed. He looked a lot younger, freer this way and you couldn’t help but take in this carefree Yoongi. As you stared at the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled; his wide grin making his round cheeks puff out, you felt your heart speed up, and butterflies start fluttering in your stomach. “I know right?!” You carried on with his joke, not wanting this lighthearted atmosphere to end. “Appalling.” He nodded trying to look serious. You tried to hold in your laugh but when your eyes met, you couldn’t stop yourselves and burst out laughing.
“Shhhhhh.” The angry librarian loomed over the both of you and you bowed your heads in apology still trying to stifle your laughter. “Well, that is that… now you know my darkest secret.” So absorbed in getting your books together, you didn’t notice the way Yoongi stiffened. “I am bad at Potions, and it’s my final year and there is no way I can do anything about it now.” When you carried on, Yoongi relaxed a small smile thrown into your direction. “Would….you don’t have to, but would you like some help? I may not be the best….” You perked up instantly as soon as he said that, not even letting him finish you quickly grabbed his hand and nodded. “Nonsense. You are one of the best in our year!” You noticed the slight redness that crept up Yoongi’s cheeks and you smirked. “And I heard that you are going to be interning for the Auror Office at the end of school! I would be honoured if you helped me!” Sensing his hesitation, you paused for a second, trying to think of a way to make him feel more comfortable about it when an idea suddenly hit you. “How about an exchange?” You looked at him hopefully, his eyes roaming over your face trying to understand what you were proposing. “As in, is there anything that you may need help with?” You clarified and Yoongi nodded, finally understanding what you meant. He didn’t reply for a while and you started to get uncomfortable under his gaze. Shifting uneasily in your seat you cleared your throat, “of course, you don’t have to, I just thought it may make things a lot fairer if-”
“Defence” Yoongi interrupted abruptly. You stared at him for a second before your baffled expression turned into a smile. “Deal.” You took the deal, even though you knew very well that Yoongi was more than good at the subject, having managed to be one of the few people who could produce a Patronus in class. Deciding not to mention having observed his wispy Weasel Patronus almost starting to attack your Serpent one, you nodded at him extending your hand to seal the deal. Startled, Yoongi took a glance at your hand before hesitantly grabbing it. His warm hand enveloped yours and you gripped it, immediately finding comfort in his warm grip. Staring at each other for a second, the silence that settled over you wasn’t uncomfortable. There was a remnant of something that felt overlooked, as if there was something left unsaid between the two of you. Yoongi opened his mouth and your breath caught in your throat.
“Oi, Park!” Your cousin’s voice broke the comfortable bubble that you and Yoongi were in and you immediately dropped your hand on the table, pretending nothing had happened. You knew Jimin, and you knew he would not let you live it down if he noticed the position you and his friend were in. You schooled your face in a sneer and turned towards your obnoxious family member. “What Outdated Park?” You sneered at him, annoyed, then settled your eyes on the person hiding behind him. Sunny looked uncomfortable, so to ease the tension you smiled at her. It wasn’t that you didn’t like her, yet, you would not go out of your way to get to know her. “Are you ready for the Yule Ball?” Jimin airly said, dropping his arm over Sunny’s shoulder in such a casual way you could tell it was something he did often. At the thought of the Yule Ball, your mood instantly soured. Jimin knew there was no way you were excited about it, you glanced at Yoongi, who was doing his best to look at anyone but you. “Uhm, yeah, I guess.” You shrugged, the disappointment in our voice quite obvious.Yoongi chanced a glance at you, and you smiled sadly at him. “We will have to wait and see.” You broke eye contact, turning around to look back at Jimin, whose sympathetic eyes took in the interaction between you and his friend.
Yoongi felt his heart drop and his hand twitched. The sadness that he could read in your eyes made him want to grab your hand again, to reassure you, yet he stopped himself. He was nothing for you, and he could never be something. He would just stay as a friend and tutor, even though all he wanted to do was ask you to be his partner for the dance.
Staring at yourself in the mirror you took a deep breath in, your hands twitched at your sides. You were trying hard to not wipe them on your ball gown, your parents would kill you if you appeared less than perfect in front of anyone. Yoongi’s words rang loud and clear in your head. Refusing to acknowledge the truth of his statement you focused on your appearance once again. Tonight, you would be meeting your fiance officially - the thought as appealing as that one time you fell off the broom during the match against the Gryffindor team. You threw one more glance at yourself in the mirror before you acknowledged your friends calling your name.
“Coming! Wands out your asses.” You walk out of the dormitory into the Common Room. The dark atmosphere broken by the languid emerald flames coming from the fireplace, enhancing your satin dress. The lights caught in the folds of it giving it the fluidity of a crystal clear lake, the silver diamond like colour reflecting the green sheen cast around the room.
“Y/N, you have outdone yourself. Your partner is extremely lucky.” Your heart sped up at the thought of having to face your supposed arranged marriage partner. After you received your letter and had your emotional slip-up, you’d pushed the thought of your future fiance to the back of your brain. However, what you hadn’t realised was that with the Tournament happening at Hogwarts this year, you were going to meet your future husband sooner than intended. A pureblood from Beauxbatons; he was amongst the students chosen to be part of the visiting party. So, it didn’t surprise you when one afternoon, during your study session with your friends, he approached you. After he introduced himself, he immediately asked you to be his partner for the Yule Ball. No one else had dared to ask you to the Ball. Mouth agape you struggled to respond to him, knowing full well you couldn’t refuse, when you spotted Jimin and Yoongi making their way towards you.
“Hey Annoying Park.” Jimin greeted you, but at the sight of your discombobulated expression his face darkened, and he glanced between you and the Beauxbatons guy. “Who are you?” He narrows his eyes at the stranger and you would’ve laughed at his crassness if not for the conflicted feelings coursing through you. A small cough behind Jimin caught your attention and your eyes made contact with Yoongi’s. He shifted under your gaze as if uncomfortable and a sudden rush of embarrassment came over you. There was no reason to be ashamed of the situation you were in. Your future fiance had asked you to a ball, it was a perfectly normal situation. Nonetheless, the thought of Yoongi witnessing it made you squirm.
The tension was so thick you felt as if you were trapped in the darkness of the Forbidden Forest. The Beauxbatons student took a step forwards, placing himself in front of you in a protective manner. “Luc Millefeuille the Third.” He announced proudly, puffing his chest. Yoongi stiffened drastically at the name. He had heard it before, in newspapers. His great grandfather, the famous patissiere, was known for the serial mass poisoning of a group of muggles. The thought of you being chained to such a name made his skin crawl. If Jimin recognised the name he didn’t show it, instead he eyed the male with a steel gaze. “Nice to meet you.” Glancing at you he motioned with his head. “Red, we have practice to go to.” Taking the chance to get out of the situation you mumbled a goodbye to Luc before you hurried after Jimin.
In the end, Luc cornered you once more and you had no choice but to agree. Your parents were bound to have some harsh words for you if they found out you refused him. You knew of the family name, Jimin had made you aware of it. Despite your inherited indifference towards muggles, the thought of mass murder disgusted you. You didn’t know what your parents were planning and you couldn’t find out as your letters home had not been replied to.
“Y/N, are you ready?” You snapped out of your reverie. Turning to look at your friends, your smile grim, you nodded at them. “Yes, I guess so.” Patting your skirts once more you prepared to exit the dungeons just as the entrance opened, revealing a dashing Yoongi dressed in black robes, with a dark green sash around his torso. You faltered as you made eye contact with him, his eyes trailed down your form, darkening to the colour of tar. You felt yourself flush under his gaze, a slight tingle underneath your skin making you shift in discomfort. You couldn’t break eye contact with him even as your friends greeted him, his shocked gaze keeping you in place. “Y/N.” He whispered, taking a step towards you, you’re prepared to reach out to him when your sight is cut off by the abrupt entrance of the blonde Frenchman who barged past Yoongi.
“Y/N. You look delicious.” He smirked at you and you had to fight the urge to grimace. Grabbing your hand forcefully he doesn’t even acknowledge Yoongi as he dragged you out of the Common Room. Having to pick up your pace so that you didn’t trip over your dress, you looked back, your desperate eyes making contact with Yoongi’s dark ones once more. However, he’s gone from your sight the next second as Luc turned the corner.
Not being part of the Champions, the two of you had to wait near the entrance to the Great Hall, so you took your time observing the Christmas decorations that littered the gradious hall. The theme was a dark blue, with stars sparkling above your heads bathing the dance floor in an ethereal glow. You spotted Jimin and Sunny waiting to the side for the signal to start the dance. You could tell she was nervous by the way she gripped at Jimin’s robes, whispering animatedly in his ear. You laughed to yourself, you didn’t know her very well and you weren’t her biggest fan per se, but their relationship was adorable. Both of them were so oblivious to the other it was almost endearing if not borderline annoying.
Luc’s grip on you hasn’t softened since you entered the Grand Hall, it was starting to make you feel uncomfortable. You stepped to the side as you tried to get him to loosen his hold on you. When you were unsuccessful, you stomped your foot near his. “Let go.” You warned him through gritted teeth. Not only did he ignore you, but he tightened his grip on your arm as he dragged you forwards towards the rink. You didn’t even notice that the Champions had finished with their first dance, and now it was open to everyone to join in. You knew you’d regret it later, as you missed the opportunity to witness your cousin’s marvelous dancing with his clumsy partner, but you had more pressing matters to sort out. Your partner pulled you onto the dance floor and with a sneer he glanced at you, “I hope you know how to dance, I don’t want to be embarrassed.” You bit back a remark, you knew you couldn’t cause a scene in the middle of so many people, no matter how loud you normally were. Instead of answering you tighten your grip on his shoulder, your eyes coldly staring past him.
As you glided in a waltz across the floor you took your time scanning the room, taking in all the couples, the decorations and most importantly, your eyes were searching for the sole person you wanted to see that night. You spotted him in a corner near a table, his eyes already on you. The intensity with which he was watching you made a shiver run down your spine. This time, it didn’t feel uncomfortable, on the contrary Yoongi’s gaze on you felt reassuring. The whole dance you kept your gazes locked on each other, Yoongi not even glancing away as his partner got pulled from him for a dance. Even though you were apart, and you were dancing with the man meant to be your husband, it felt like it was just you and Yoongi in the room.
You stepped away from Luc as soon as the dance ended. Muttering an excuse about needing refreshments you fought the urge to gag when instead of offering to get them for you, he burdened you with his own refreshments. Taking any excuse that you could to get away from him you nodded and hurriedly made your way towards the tables where Jimin greeted you.
“You could’ve done worse.” His mocking tone irked you and you resisted the urge to kick him in the shin. Instead you angrily grabbed a glass of mead and downed half of it in one go. “Woah there, slow down.” Jimin backed away from you. “If you tell me it’s unladylike Park, I swear on Peeve’s dung bombs you and Sunny will not have any children.” You grumbled under your breath at him, not caring that said girl was also next to him, both their faces now beet red. “I am close to murdering him.” You sighed, the drink and reprieve you had from your French fiancee finally calming you down. “Oh Merlin’s beard, here he comes.” You spotted Luc making his way through the crowd with a pompous stride, heading straight towards you. Grabbing Jimin by his robes in a desperate attempt to hide, you didn’t notice the other man that reached you before your fiance could. With a yelp, you stumbled straight into Yoongi’s chest, his hands wrapping around your waist in an attempt to steady you. “You’re good.” He whispered in your ear. Your stomach clenched at his low voice and his breath hitting the sensitive shell of your ear. Mumbling a thanks you stepped away from him, your eyes never leaving his. You could feel your heart speeding up and you had to resist the urge to grab onto him for support once more.
“Y/N, where are the drinks?” Luc’s voice broke you out of your daze, and you turned away from Yoongi to face him. “I- uh- forgot.” You mumbled causing the Frenchman to scoff at you, a look of pure disgust on his face. “I can’t believe my wife is this stupid.” He spat at you. You could feel your blood boiling in anger, but before you could reply Jimin stepped in front of you. “She is not your wife and she is definitely not stupid.” You could hear the anger in his voice. Luc sized him up, knowing that he couldn’t have an argument with the head of the Park family, that would ruin any chances. Instead he sneered at your cousin whilst grabbing your arm tightly. “Come on.” He glared at you, but having had enough you stood your ground trying to pry your arm out of his grip. “Let me go.” You said through gritted teeth, you were close to hexing his ass and no one would have been able to stop you. Pulling at you roughly once more trying to get you away from your friends, he suddenly tripped over his robes. You yelped feeling yourself start to fall down along with him, when a hand grabbed you and pulled you towards a familiar chest. In the corner of your eyes you noticed a wand being placed back into the black robes that Yoongi was wearing.
“What happened?” Luc looked around confused, picking himself off the floor and you realised straight away what Yoongi had done. “Your robe’s dirty.” Yoongi pointed out with a monotonous voice, and you fought back a laugh. You could see the change in Luc’s eyes, the anger making him explode. With a flurry of curses thrown around in French, he stormed out of the Great Hall. You stared after him in silence for a second before you couldn’t help it anymore and you burst out laughing. “Oh, wow. Who would have thought?” Jimin finally calmed down enough to speak. “Now if you’d excuse us, Sunny needs to polish her dancing skills.” Saying that he grabbed said girl by the arm and led her towards the dance floor. Still chuckling to yourself you turned towards Yoongi, a sparkle in your eyes that made his heart burst with warmth.
“Confundus eh? Thank you. I don’t know how to repay you for that.” You smiled kindly at him, waiting for a response. But when he silently extended his hand towards you, all you felt was the blood rushing to your head, making you dizzy. “You could dance with me.” His tone was calm, not once giving away the nervousness that he felt beneath his skin. You didn’t even hesitate, you placed your hands in his. He led you towards the dance floor, wrapping his arm around your waist, whilst you daintily placed your hand on his shoulder. As you slowly started to glide along the dancefloor between the couples, your eyes locked onto his. The charmed stars twinkling above you, your heart fluttered in hope.
Needless to say, Christmas holidays came and went, your trip home cut short by your desire to be away from your obnoxious family, and the excitement of continuing your studies alongside Yoongi. With his help, you started making progress with your Potions, and you would have long chats about anything and everything during the hours you were meant to be studying for Defence. Yoongi felt happy, it felt like everything was finally going right. Until that one fateful day when a curse and a fight would change everything for him. He never thought that by being himself just once in his life, would cost everything he had managed to build over the past seven years at the school.
Yoongi’s heart dropped. He’d been found out. He could tell just by looking at everyone’s reaction. The friends he’d managed to make, had found out about his blood status. If not certain, they are suspecting him now. Suddenly, flashbacks of his father degrading him- calling him a dirty blood traitor, whilst making sure the skin of his wrist was raw and blistery, plagued his mind. His thoughts filled with his father’s harsh words, accompanied by his mother’s cries; the symphony of Yoongi’s life. He stood frozen on the spot, the adrenaline coursing through his veins causing him to enter the fight or flight mode. His wide eyes took in the faces of the people that have always supported him for the past few years he’s been at Hogwarts.
But then again, could Yoongi even call these people friends? Could he say they have always supported him? He glanced at Jimin.
Jimin, the person whom he thought was a stuck up pureblood. The person who approached him, offered him not only a seat at the Slytherin table, but also a group to belong in. He could vividly recall the day he got put into his house. He was terrified when the Sorting Hat sealed his fate with a simple holler- “SLYTHERIN!” Yoongi was aware of the house's reputation and fame. Full of purebloods, prejudice and pride; his mother had warned him to stay away from them. But how could he, now that he was one of them? In a split moment, he decided then and there that he would not allow anyone know about his status, he would take it to his grave if he had to. So with a strengthened resolve he created Slytherin Yoongi. Gone was the boy who would openly smile until his cheeks hurt, the boy who dreamt of happy endings, the boy who would innocently sit by the lake, his eyes following the murtlaps chasing each other. In his stead, a coldness settled over him. He knew that in order to make it he had to avoid being too close to anyone. Becoming friends with people would only make it harder for him to hide who he was. So he hid in the shadows on his own, keeping himself away from activities that would force him to interact with people more than necessary.
Until Jimin came along. Under the pureblood facade, Jimin was charismatic and flirtatious with everyone and that made him very popular amongst his fellow Slytherins. Yoongi stood no chance against his charms, and when one day he felt himself pulled down, to sit with the most popular Slytherin boy and his best friend he did not know what to make of it.
“You look terrified,” Jimin laughed at Yoongi’s expression.
Being aloof and stiff with most of his peers made Yoongi very good at reading people. However, there was one person he could not read at all, and that was himself. Conflicted most of the time, the battle between the soft hearted boy who would try his best to make everyone happy and the new indifferent one mirrored in his eyes. Jimin was not stupid by any means, Yoongi found that out along the way. The internal battle that he was going through was not unnoticed by the pureblood Slytherin. Thinking about his friend and their journey into their friendship caused an old wound to reopen, a new wave of pain washing over him.
Then there was Jin, his neighbour Jin, who had stuck with him through thick and thin since childhood. Jin was there to pick him up when the other muggle children started calling him a freak. He never thought that Jin would end up at Hogwarts, not until they both got their letter when their mothers met up during their weekly cooking sessions. Getting excited over the letters, their mothers gushed at the two of them being best friends forever. Having Jin be there with him when they both entered the grand halls of the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was a comfort he knew he shouldn’t indulge in. After all, they would probably not end up in the same house, and having read enough about the School, he knew there were rivalries, stereotypes. He couldn’t bear the thought of Jin becoming his enemy. So he kept his distance. But as usual, Jin had an innate ability to jump in and save the day, a stubbornness only characteristic to Gryffindors. So, Jin stayed by his side. The boy was smart enough to not reveal their friendship to everyone. Until this day, that is.
Then there was Red, you were the sole reason his cold facade melted. For you he became the person that he used to be. Warm hearted and ready to jump to anyone’s aid. He tried his best to not let his wall crumble, and for the most part he succeeded. But in his heart, something changed, something shifted. Your loud and honest personality paired with your stubbornness and your laissez faire attitude drew him in straight away. Yet, you were Jimin’s cousin, born as a pureblood, with the values of a Slytherin. You were loud and proud about being who you were. Never obnoxious about it, but there would be times when you would slip in one insult or another towards fellow ‘mudblood’ students. Yoongi knew then that as enraptured as he was by you, he had to keep you at a distance. He could not let you find out who he was, so he denied himself the intimacy with you that he desperately craved.
He got caught in the web of lies he has created around his persona. The Yoongi that everyone knew was a facade, he was not and he would never be that Yoongi. He wasn’t the pureblood genius that everyone knew, and he certainly was not the pureblood that could ever hope to win Red’s heart. At the thought of you his eyes honed in on yours. To his surprise he couldn’t see any animosity in them, instead the sheen that glossed over your eyes spoke of pain. The sight of you there, amongst the people who have witnessed his comeuppance was unbearable to him and so with one last wistful glance at you, he turned on his heels and ran.
“Yoongi!” The chorus of voices calling him was drowned out by the desperation in your voice.
He ran as fast as he could, stumbling into people, his eyes filling with hot tears. His legs were starting to hurt, and as he passed students, teachers, statues, Peeves who tried to pelt him with water - all he could focus on was the scene that had sealed his fate. The punches, his innate reaction to help his friends. The way Jin and Jimin had thrown meaningless words at each other. Something so unlike Jin that he did not know what to do, he acted instantly to break up the fight. Seeing his childhood friend, his brother, this aggressive triggered something in him he had not felt for a while. Fear.
He feared that Jin may have snapped, the trials of his life finally catching up to him at one word sputtered by Park’s mouth, so he acted out of pure instinct. He got in between the two, but to everyone’s surprise, Jimin was not the person he first reached out to. It was Jin who worried him the most. Talking to him in front of everyone as if he was an old friend, saying things to him that he shouldn’t have known, raised an alarm in everyone’s minds. When everything finally calmed down, Jin calmed down and Park, constrained by Taehyung. Yoongi was the only one left in the middle of the crowd, exposed and afraid.
Seeing him stand like that, his nervous countenance so unlike the cool composed man you’ve come to know, spurred you on. Cautiously you approached him, your hand extended towards him. “Yoongi?” You tried to get his attention however, your voice came out softer than you’d intended. Clearing your throat, you tried again, this time with a lot more conviction. “Yoongi, are you...ok?” To your credit, you settled for the safest of questions. There were a million thoughts running through your head, how did he know Jin? Most importantly, how did he know Jin so well? You have never once witnessed any contact between him and the Gryffindor Head Boy, other than the occasional nod in his direction. But this, everything you’ve heard, it seemed like their relationship ran deeper than Hogwarts. Purebloods and muggles in your head did not mix, especially Slytherins, unless there was something there that you were missing. That thought now in your head, you threw a hesitant glance in Jimin’s direction. It was easy to spot him amongst the rest, his face the only calm composed one out of all of them. Taehyung, Sunny, Nerd- the surprise was clear and apparent on their faces. Jimin’s calm composure told you all you needed to know- he was aware of the situation. Promising yourself to question him later, you turned your attention back to Yoongi, who as time passed looked more and more like a cornered animal, and you knew that at any moment he would flee the scene. Without thinking you took three rushed steps towards him, your eyes locked onto his. You read the sheer panic in them and before you could react his feet had carried him halfway across the hallway. “Yoongi!”
Without thinking you ran after him, ignoring your cousin’s shouts for you to return. You did what you normally did best, acted rashly and ignorantly. As a beater on the Slytherin team you had the athletic advantage and so you quickly caught up with his retreating form. Reaching out for his arm you stopped him dead in his tracks. “Yoongi. Stop.” Your voice sounded harsher than you’d intended, so desperate to get him to listen to you that you did not consider how your tone would affect him. You waited, not even phased by the sound of the other students milling in the corridors, the sight of his back being all you could see. The sound of his laboured breathing all you could hear. You uttered his name again yet, he did not turn around to face you, and for a second your composure crumbles. You squeeze his arm trying to get his attention, trying to get him to respond to you, trying to get him to do something. Caught up in your own thoughts and worries you yelped in surprise, you didn’t even notice his sharp intake of breath before he suddenly yanked his arm out of your hold.
“What do you want now?” The tone of his voice is as cold as the corridor you are both in. Your heart clenches at the sound. You were expecting him to be hurt or scared, but the anger that you could read in his voice takes you by surprise. How Slytherin of him, you thought, and how Slytherin of you to assume he would be anything but angry. All your life you’ve been indoctrinated to believe that anyone is below you, no matter who they are, all your life you were taught to assume you could read everyone, and you would always be right in your assumptions. Prejudice is not a winner in this case, you realised, not when it comes to love. Because all the nights you have spent in your dark room mulling over what had transpired between the two of you since that day in the bathroom, to the Yule Ball where you could barely think of dancing with anyone else but him. You didn’t see it coming, like a Bludgeon to the head, but your heart did. You tried and tried to tell yourself that it was not love, but it was already too late.
“Yoongi, please don’t shut us out.” You haven’t pleaded in your life, the sound of your voice a surprise to your ears. Before you could think too much into it, Yoongi’s response hit you like the Cruciatus curse.
“Why? Why would I not? Why would I let you use my situation to fuel your pureblood pride?” He spat and you recoiled instantly from him, you’ve never heard such venomous words coming from him. “Yoongi,” you whispered, the fire in your heart dwindling. “Why are you like this? I’ve never....why,” you tried to find your words but the hurt and shock running through your body made it difficult. “You’ve never been like this.” You finally settled. Yoongi narrowed his eyes at you, his fierce expression made you tremble. The shivers running down your spine didn’t stop even as he carried on. The malicious tone of his voice bleeding through your veins like ice cold water. For a second you wonder if this is what Jimin’s felt like as Sunny pulled him out of the Black Lake. Cold and scared.
“What do you know about me?” You open your mouth to respond but he stops you dead in your tracks. “Nothing!” he hissed. “You don’t know anything about me. You know Yoongi, the Slytherin. But you don’t know anything about Min Yoongi the person.” His words cut through you and in that moment you’d rather be stuck with an army of Dementors than hear the accusations thrown your way. You knew he was right, you knew nothing of him. You hadn’t tried to even after your brain finally accepted that your heart belonged to him. Ashamedly, you cower away from him, your heart stuck in your throat, the sudden feeling of nausea hitting you as if you’ve had more Butterbeer than needed. You couldn’t speak, your words falling short of your own feelings. You wanted to tell him you wanted to know him, the real him, pureblood or not, it was him you have fallen in love with. You wanted to tell him the extent of your feelings, yet nothing would come out. The silence that settled over the two of you was pressing and your senses were telling you to run, to get away from the uncomfortable feelings coursing through you. There was a reason you were sorted in Slytherin, more than your pureblood status, the need for self preservation ingrained in you since birth.
Yoongi’s laugh brought you back to the present, the despair you could discern in it made your heart break. Once more, the need to yell out your feelings, to comfort him like you did that day in the bathroom, willed you to move, and so you did. Taking a small weary step, the need to be closer to him overriding your cautiousness you softly whispered his name.
Scared and confused, Yoongi knew he had shut himself in. He was aware of what his words were doing to you, yet he could not bring himself to care. Not when all he could feel was the rejection that had trumped over his entire life, not when the hurt he has carried since birth which was not even his own doing, fuelled his emotions. His heart was screaming at him to move away from you before he did more damage, to remove himself from your vulnerable form, something he had only witnessed twice, your pride never allowing you to show anything less than perfection. However, what he did was the complete opposite to that. The hand that was extended towards him, in an attempt at reconciliation, made him bristle, and so, acting like a cornered Hippogriff, he took the bite in the form of words. Words he would come to regret later, but at that moment, it did not matter to him.
“Stop, just stop.” His voice was loud and clear, the hardness of it washing over you. He could have cast a Stupefy spell over you and the results would have been the same. You froze, the feeling of dread gripping at your heart. “Do you think you can come here, with your pretty words and make everything better?” He spat, his eyes blazing with anger. “You don’t know anything about me, and you wouldn’t care to know.”
Finding your voice, the anger he is throwing at you fuelling yours, you narrowed your eyes at him. “Yoongi, stop. I never said I did not want to know you. I will never shut you out like you are now. Stop being a coward. Don’t shut us out,” The anger in your voice dissipated, leaving the desperation that you felt to seep through. “Don’t shut me out.” But Yoongi is relentless, his anger blinding, he knew he needed to protect himself from what was to come and so, he chose to do it in the only way he’s known how to, by distancing himself from people and his own feelings. “So what, are you implying you’d be friends with a mudblood?” He scoffed, and for a second you couldn’t find the will to speak. Taking it as an agreement, Yoongi carries on, his voice more spiteful than before. “See what I mean? You are not going to shut me out? That is a lie, and you know it. What would your parents think about their perfect princess being friends with a dirty blood traitor huh? What would they say if you brought something as disgusting as that and presented him as your friend? You couldn't, could you? Your perfect status is too important to be tainted” He took another step towards you, but this time instead of meeting him in the middle, you took a step back. The fire in his eyes, and the hatred in his voice terrified you.
“But you’re not a mudblood, not…” You couldn’t continue, your heart stuck in your throat, and the taste of bile invaded your tastebuds once more. You could feel the tears pricking, waiting to come out. Yoongi stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide as if you’ve burnt him. And maybe you have, because the next second he groaned in frustration, “see what I mean, Y/N? Full mudblood or not, blood status will forever matter to you. And this is why you need to stay away from me. Forget I even existed in your life.” With that he turned around and left in a hurry his robes billowing behind him, not even bothering to glance back at your broken form. He knew he shattered you, his words pierced through your heart, he could’ve used an Unforgivable Curse on you and it would have been kinder than this. Yoongi tried his hardest to not break down in front of you but as soon as he turned the corner and was out of your sight he crumpled to the ground, his silent sobs a mirror of your echoing ones.
He didn’t know how long he’d stayed there, he didn’t know when his legs carried him to the bathroom that Moaning Myrtle normally did the rounds in, yet he wasn’t disturbed by anyone. He didn’t even notice you entering and trying to talk to him again, all he could hear was the yells of his father, the abuse he suffered because of what he was, all to the soundtrack of his own sobs. He could feel his body begging him to stop, to stop crying himself to exhaustion. When he eventually calmed down he found himself unable to move, and you were nowhere to be seen. His body stiff from sitting in one position for so long, his head pounding with the effort of crying, he felt empty. Helpless. He didn’t know where to go from there, aware it was late he willed himself to move. He knew he needed to return to the dungeons, it would be around this time that Jimin would start his rounds as Prefect and he didn’t want to risk getting points taken away from them if anyone else but Jimin found him loitering in the corridors. Though, that wouldn’t be unlike him, a disappointment to his house.
Luckily for him, the way to the Common Room was deserted. Before entering, the growl coming from his empty stomach reminded him he missed dinner and so at the last minute he took a detour towards the kitchens, hoping that one of the Elves could make him something to eat. Standing in front of the painting he tickled the pear. Entering the kitchens he greeted the House Elves but to his surprise, he found himself staring at Jimin. Muttering his name Yoongi went to turn around and leave, the sight of his friend a painful reminder of what happened a few hours prior. “Yoongi, wait.” Jimin’s voice sounded stern and by habit, Yoongi stopped dead in his tracks. He didn’t want to face his friend, the friend who always thought he was something he wasn’t, something he could never be, and something that Jimin valued above anything else. The thought of you crossed his mind and he closed his eyes tightly in grief. How could he dare face the cousin of the person he’s hurt the most?
“Jimin.” He couldn’t say anymore than that, his feelings clear in his voice. He felt angry, he felt ashamed, he felt like a fraud. No one said a word, the hustle and bustle of the House Elves the only noise that could be heard around them. Finally, Jimin sighed as he sat back down, motioning for Yoongi to join him. Yoongi hesitated, he shouldn’t. He didn’t know what Jimin would do now that he knew his friend wasn’t what he said. “Please sit or I'll have to report you to the Headboy for being out this late.” Yoongi narrowed his eyes. He wouldn’t put it past Jimin to do such a thing so he complied, and sat down further away. Once again Jimin sighed,”look, I won’t discuss what happened today unless you wish to.” Yoongi’s eyes widened, unable to believe what he was hearing. It was so unlike Jimin to make a pass at someone in such a way.
“Then why am I sitting here?” Yoongi bit back, too exhausted to lash out at Jimin, even though that is all he wanted to do. “Because you are my friend.” Yoongi couldn’t help but scoff at Jimin’s words, “Yes, you are my friend Yoongi, nothing can change that, especially since you are in love with my cousin.” Yoongi froze, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His brain was yelling at him to deny it, how could he love you, when all he’s done was hurt you, yet his heart wholeheartedly agreed with Jimin. Confused by his own feelings, he didn’t say anything while waiting for Jimin to continue. Seeing that his friend was not going to react to his words Jimin sighed and continued. “Look, I knew who you were, I've known since 4th year.” Yoongi snapped his head round to look at Jimin, his eyes wide in surprise. “You...knew? Why then...?” he whispered and Jimin nodded. “Yes, I knew. Why, then, did I not say anything or why have I stayed your friend?” Yoongi nodded at the latter, he wanted answers for both of those questions but he would take whatever Jimin would give him. Jimin sighed once more, he never realised how broken his friend actually was, and it broke his heart to see it. “Because no matter what, you are who you are, not what your blood status is. Yes, there is prejudice, and I apologise if I've ever made you feel like I would shun you because of this, but I frankly don’t care. My family does, but I don't care what they do either.” Yoongi couldn’t help but laugh, relief washing over him. Jimin didn’t care. It felt as if a rock had been lifted off his chest. Jimin smiled grimly, “I will fight until the end with them if it means I get to live the life I want.” Yoongi nodded in understanding. “Is this about Sunny?” Jimin hummed in agreement. “I will tell my parents after graduation.” Yoongi shuddered, he knew where this was going, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to refuse. “I will consider.” He said and got up to leave; suddenly he wasn’t hungry anymore.
“That is all I am asking of you.” Yoongi smiled grimly at Jimin but didn’t reply. Jimin continued, “And Yoongi, what I just said about not caring what you are? I know Red doesn’t either. So please consider that too.” Yoongi left without uttering another word, his heart pounding in his chest.
The sight of the looming manor made Yoongi stop dead in his tracks, his blood ran cold and he fought the instinct to Disapparate back to his home. He was here for Jimin’s sake, he needed to be there for his friend so with a sigh he dejectedly made his way towards the entrance. With the last bit of his strength he prepared himself to knock, only to be startled when the door opened for him as soon as he raised his hand towards the knocker. Confused, he took a cautious step inside, expecting someone to yell at him for trespassing. When only silence greeted him, he glanced around, taking in the intimidating vastness of the corridor. The mahogany theme of the door continued inside, the tall ceiling supported by wooden beams displaying various carvings. Yoongi took his time observing the paintings displayed above his head, the intricacy and detail told him they were an expensive artifact. Taking a few more hesitant steps, he came face to face with a grand mirror, its frame made out of solid gold and Yoongi couldn’t help but huff at the thought of a Slytherin owning something else apart from silver. But then again, Jimin has never been your usual Slytherin. Before he could wonder further into the house, his ears picked up a murmur carrying over from the right hand side.
Determined to not make himself appear like a muggle, he took a deep breath in and with a determined stance, straightening his back he prepared himself to fully enter enemy territory. He was a lithe person, normally living in the shadows, he was used to not making a sound as he walked. Sometimes that would be a blessing and sometimes it would be a curse. As he approached the location where the voices were coming from he decided it was the former rather than the latter. Turning the corner, his heart stopped for a second. With her back towards him, in full dark green robes, bent over, whispering cautiously to a house elf, stood Red. He hadn’t seen you since that last argument, the two of you making it clear you wanted nothing to do with each other. You played this avoidance game throughout to the end of the year, it wasn’t hard to do so.
With your N.E.W.Ts around the corner, you both got stuck studying for your respective classes. Fortunately for him, aside from Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts you two didn’t share any other classes together. So for the rest of the year, you two didn’t have any unnecessary meetings. At first, Yoongi felt relieved, the way he treated you at that time was a painful memory, not having the chance to face you about it eased his mind. He wasn’t wrong when he told you during your dance at the Yule Ball that he was going to hurt you, you adamantly refused to believe him. That night in the corridor when he degraded your status as a pureblood with all the hatred he could muster, he saw the heartbreak in your eyes. At the time, he couldn’t care less, the painful memories of his childhood completely blinding him, the shame hit him a few hours later when he talked to your cousin. “She has the right to love whomever she wants, what she doesn’t have is a choice to have whomever she wants. Yet, she’s fighting for that choice, and her choice is you. She couldn’t have found a better cause to fight for.”
Those words stayed in his heart until the end of the year, he didn’t know how or when, but he’s slowly come to terms with his feelings. He suspected his talk with Jin about it also helped. Jin, who came to apologise about the situation he put Yoongi through, however, contrary to his first reaction, Yoongi was quick to assure him it didn’t matter. People were bound to find out regardless, it wasn’t as if the situation ended up that way due to Jin’s malicious intent. The discussion with Jin made him realise that people haven’t treated him differently. He’s managed to make friends during these years at Hogwarts, and the friends he’s made liked him for himself, not his status in society. The only people who may have had a real issue with it were the first people to find out, the people who accepted him without a doubt.
At the sight of you, crouched to the House Elf’s level whispering instructions, his gaze softened. You were one of those people, and yet, he treated you horribly. As a Slytherin pureblood you had your faults, pride being one of them, but you’ve never treated anyone differently based on their blood status. You tended to stay away from what would be deemed as ‘impure blood’ but that wasn’t a choice, the rivalries and prejudice between Houses made it difficult to overcome that. Suddenly his ears picked his name out from the conversation and he took a step back, assuring that he was hidden from view.
“Make sure Yoongi doesn’t realise, ok? Honestly, how can he Disapparate in front of the Manor and come knock like a muggle?” Yoongi’s heart clenched at your words, maybe he was wrong, maybe you did avoid him on purpose. Before his thoughts could take over his actions, you carried on, “this family would not only suspect him, but go to the depths of looking into his family history. Make sure no one realises he didn’t Floo himself here, Harvey.” Yoongi unknowingly took a few steps closer to you, his body now in full view. Straightening up, you turned to leave the room when you caught sight of Yoongi’s frozen form.
Your surprised expression instantly turned cold, as you nodded at him in acknowledgement. “Yoongi.” Said man couldn’t find his words to greet you, the discrepancy between your cold words to him and what he’s heard earlier making his head spin. Your face may have been stony cold, but your heart bled for him. You’d missed him- playing the avoidance game had been the hardest thing you’d ever had to do. Seeing him now, looking fresher and healthier than he was the last time you saw him, hurt. Because you knew that it was you who’d managed to bring him to despair. You may have done it subconsciously, or maybe you weren’t even a part of it, but the guilt gnawed at your inside nonetheless. Your world was not healthy for him. You knew that. You shouldn’t have even thought about bringing him into it, this wasn’t a fairytale, and it would never be. You needed to let him go. Defeated, you prepared yourself to leave. But just like Jimin had stopped him that night in the kitchens, Yoongi decided that it was time to stop being a coward. He needed to face his demons, and most importantly he needed to make sure you never left his side again.
“Y/N.” The tone of his voice made you stop abruptly, your eyes widened in panic. This was not meant to happen, you weren’t ready to face him on your own just yet. Putting on the most cordial face you could, you nodded at him in acknowledgment. “Yoongi. How have you been?” He hated it- hated this politeness towards him. Where was the woman who put him in his place more than once? Where was the woman whose pride meant she had to have the last word. “I-Fine.” He was so caught off guard by your behaviour that he found the words he’d prepared stuck in his throat.
Staring at him for a second longer, you nodded. “Well-“ Yoongi knew what you were going to say so with a last surge of courage he plunged. “I love you.” You froze, your brain trying to wrap itself around the confession that Yoongi just hurtled at you. “What?” You whispered, you needed to make sure you heard it correctly. Yoongi took a deep breath in, the cat was already out of the bag, and he would be as truthful with you as he could without drinking any Veritaserum. “I love you, I may not be the best for you, by Merlin, I am not even a possibility for you, but I wanted to let you know. I’ve run away too much, and you were right, I’ve been a coward. But if I want to stand any chance against your family, I need to stop hiding behind my hatred and cowardice.” His words were said with such conviction they brought tears to your eyes. Unknowingly, your feet carried you closer and closer to him, until you broke off into a run, not caring about how unladylike you may have looked. You threw yourself into his arms making him stumble. “I love you.” You whispered into his shirt, the tears flowing down your cheeks washing away the pain you’ve garnered in your heart. There was nothing else exchanged, there was no need to. You both knew how you felt, you both knew the other knew how you felt. You were both aware it will be a tough ride for the both of you, but your hearts were mending and that was all that mattered.
“What about the French bastard?” Yoongi broke out of your hold and looked at you in confusion. “What about him?” Your eyes are twinkling like the night stars, and Yoongi swore he saw galaxies in your smile. “My parents don’t want a son in law who ditches their daughter at a ball.” You chuckled as Yoongi’s eyes widened. “Plus,” you grabbed his hand and led him out of the drawing room towards a grandiose, intricately carved door. Behind it, Yoongi could hear murmurs and he assumed that is where the party was being held. “Jimin can be very convincing when he wants to.” You winked at him playfully.
“Let's hope he’s more than willing to be convincing today too.” Yoongi smirked and he looked at you. “You ready?” At your nod, you both waved your hands whispering Alohomora and watched with your hearts in your throat as the door opened. It was now or never.
As Jimin announced his relationship to Sunny, your hand gripped Yoongi’s subconsciously. Your heart threatened to beat out of your chest in fear. Fear for Jimin and his relationship, but most importantly, fear for yourself and your own chances at a happy relationship with Yoongi. You glanced at said man, he looked terrified as if he was the one under scrutiny, you could notice his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. The silence in the room felt heavy and you turned your attention towards your parents. You knew it was selfish, it was Jimin you should be worried about and yet, all you could think of was the man next to you. The man who managed to brave this manor, and these purebloods despite his adversity to them. All for your cousin. You could see the tick in your parent’s jaw, you could see the tension between Jimin and his father, so thick you could cut it with a knife. No one dared to say anything for a while, and just like that, with the sounds of a platter dropping to the floor the tension was broken like a spell. Everyone’s heads turned towards the source of the noise. There in the middle of the fireplace, stood the fashionably late Taehyung, having Floo’d in straight into a House Elf serving a platter of wine. “My apologies for the lateness!” He exclaimed as he took in the mess he’s managed to create. With a wave of his hand he mumbled “Reverte” under his breath, not giving the House Elf another look as he made his way in between Jimin and his father. “Mr. Park, lovely to see you.” He bows his head in respect, not giving Jimin’s father any time to react, Taehyung turns quickly towards Jimin. “Jimin, you are needed in the Auror Office today as soon as possible.”
If you wouldn’t have known those two rascals from a very young age you would’ve thought it a coincidence, a bloody godsend, but because you have been around them since diapers you didn’t miss the slight turn at the corner of Taehyung’s mouth, or the way Jimin subtly nodded at him. They have planned this from the beginning, and with a small relieved laugh you acknowledge Tae’s greeting with a wave of your hand.
“They planned this all along didn’t they?” Yoongi’s whisper in your ears makes you shudder. Still chuckling to yourself you nod, “of course they did, it’s the double trouble of Hogwarts, well I should say the Auror’s Office now shouldn’t I?” Turning towards him, you don’t miss the amused glint in his eyes. You barely notice the commotion of the party carrying on around you, your fingers intertwined with Yoongi’s, your gazes locked and silly smiles on your faces. If Jimin could do this and get through it, then so could you. You weren’t going to let Outdated Park beat you at that too.
“We will be fine.” You said determinately, a surge of courage and hopefulness running through you. Chuckling at your expression, Yoongi nodded.
“Yes we will, Red, yes we will.” You could get through this, especially if it was with Yoongi by your side, it was all worth it.
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